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Australia 3 for 346 (Ponting 137*, Langer 82, Hussey 63*) v England
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out

Ricky Ponting launched his quest for Ashes vengeance with a brilliant unbeaten 137, as Australia piled on the runs on the opening day of first Test at the Gabba. Ponting, whose reputation as captain rests entirely on his success in this campaign, produced a flawless innings from first ball to last, as England’s bowlers wilted in the baking Queensland heat.It was more than just an innings from Ponting, it was a declaration of intent. This was his 10th Test hundred in just 15 Tests dating back to that epic 156 at Old Trafford, but whereas that innings had helped sustain the tension of the 2005 Ashes, this performance was conceived with the absolute opposite purpose. Fed up with the stigma of being Australia’s Ashes-losing captain, he set out to crush any semblance of a competition. It was as if every one of his innings since that moment had been mere dress-rehearsals for today.Ponting’s innings was scripted to perfection from the moment he won the toss and chose to bat first. That particular blow to England’s morale was not as acute as it had been on this ground four years ago, when Nasser Hussain opted to bowl and was met, then as now, by Ponting’s crashing blade. But as word filtered out that Ashley Giles had been selected as England’s spinner ahead of the more attacking Monty Panesar, a packed and patriotic Gabba began to feast on England’s negativity.In particular they feasted on Steve Harmison. After all the hype and all the hoopla, the official presentations, national anthems and assorted paraphernalia, Harmison’s first delivery of the 2006-07 Ashes was the ultimate anticlimax – a massive wide that was fielded at second slip to guffaws from the stands. So much expectation – too much expectation – had been heaped on his shoulders, but this was a moment to rank alongside Phil DeFreitas’s long-hop to Michael Slater on this ground way back in 1994-95.Then, as now, it pricked the bubble of anticipation, and provided Justin Langer – whom Harmison had given such a working-over at Lord’s on the last opening morning – the ideal sighter to settle his nerves. This may have been Langer’s 101st Test match, but his 100th, at Johannesburg back in April, lasted precisely one vicious delivery from Makhaya Ntini. Instead, Harmison’s nervy two-over spell was dispatched for 17 runs, mostly crashed behind square on the off-side, to set the tone for an ominously one-sided first day.Inevitably it was the captain who hauled England back into contention. Flintoff’s first over had not been laced with stardust – two no-balls and an awful overthrow from James Anderson were the highlights. But then he found some extra bounce outside off stump to kiss the edge of Matthew Hayden’s bat, and Paul Collingwood claimed a comfortable chest-high catch in his first match as England’s second slip. Hayden was gone for 21, a solid enough innings but one that was a far cry from his bullying brilliance of four years ago.

That dismissal, however, brought Ponting to the crease and at 79 for 1, with one captain facing up to the other, the Ashes had truly begun. Ponting started watchfully, needing 10 deliveries to get off the mark, but when he did it was with two shots of pure class and confidence – a full-blooded pull and a back-foot steer off Harmison, who had been recalled to the attack to inflict another of his Lord’s duelling scars, but instead had his own figures lacerated.Harmison’s malaise spread to the rest of England’s seamers. Matthew Hoggard was unable to swing the Kookaburra ball and was milked out of the attack, while Anderson – in a reprise of his nightmarish performance at Johannesburg two winters ago – was clattered for 13 fours in 15 overs. He was twice entrusted with the first over of a session, and twice he failed to live up to the task, conceding nine runs straight after lunch and tea. That didn’t however stop Flintoff trusting him with the new ball late in the day, with predictable results.Langer was particularly harsh on Anderson’s waywardness, and he seemed a shoo-in for his 23rd Test century when, on 82, he swatted a wide one from Flintoff to Kevin Pietersen at point, and swished his bat in annoyance as he left. But the damage to England’s psyche had already been done. In the absence of any cutting edge, England desperately needed a steadying influence, and lo and behold, it was the maligned Giles who provided in his first first-class match for exactly 12 months.Steady as ever, he found some extra bounce and bite outside off stump to surprise Damien Martyn as he shaped for a cut and conceded just 51 runs from his 18 overs. But by the close, the almost unnoticed Mike Hussey had nudged and shimmied his way to an unbeaten 63.It was Ponting’s day, however. By stumps he was level with Steve Waugh as Australia’s leading century maker (32) and needed just 71 more runs to reach 9000 runs in Tests. He is destined to break every record in the book. But, and it is a big but, if he fails to win this series as captain, he is destined to be judged as a failure. On today’s evidence, it’ll be over his dead body.

Scorecard

Warding off a scare before the final Test at The Oval, the Indian batsmen held on for a hard-fought draw on the final day of their tour game at Grace Road. The Sri Lankans will rue declaring a bit too late, leaving the Indians an improbable 294 to chase in 57 overs. In the end, they didn’t have enough time to polish off the tail.At 152 for 6 with 15 overs to go India were staring at a morale-shattering defeat but Gautam Gambhir’s calm half-century, his second of the match, defied the Sri Lankans. Instead of withdrawing into a shell Gambhir remained positive, going for his shots when given the chance to pilot the team through to stumps. Both Rangana Herath and Dammika Prasad were causing problems but Gambhir’s hour-long stand with Ramesh Powar ensured that the Indians continued their undefeated run on this tour.Until the action-filled final hour, a couple of laidback innings brightened what threatened to be a drab day. Michael Vandort’s assertive century stretched the Sri Lankans’ lead to 293 before Wasim Jaffer responded in typically languid style. Vandort was the bully who waited to pounce; Jaffer, the artist who simply waved the brush. Both reeled off joyous drives, used their feet against spin and batted with an air of effortlessness. In a situation that could have led to drudgery, both injected a vital spark.A 57-run second-wicket stand between Jaffer and Yuvraj Singh allowed the Indians to sniff an unlikely win. Yuvraj’s 33 was chancy – he was dropped early and survived a big shout for caught behind – but bristled with crackling strokes on both sides of the wicket. In the eighth over, delivered by left-armer Chanaka Walegedera, he ripped fours through square leg, midwicket and cover, telegraphing his intentions of going for the victory target.His dismissal, though, trapped lbw while trying to paddle-sweep offspinner Dilruwan Perera, set the match on course for a draw. Jaffer continued to prosper and brought up his fifty with a delicious cover-drive struck on the up. Waltzing down the track to Perera, he lofted as if enjoying a net, smacking him for a handsome six over long-off. It was all too easy until he was deceived by the left-arm spin of Herath and popped an inside edge back to the bowler. Two more quick wickets caused some flutters but Gambhir downed the shutters calmly.Twelve wickets fell on a day when conditions were ideal for batting. Vandort, resuming on 61, dispatched the bowling to different parts, pounding straight-drives with minimum fuss. Tall and usually taking a big stride forward, he was aggressive in bursts – a string of dot balls being followed by a couple of meaty blows.Perera, his partner this morning, fell one short of a well-deserved half-century and Malinda Warnapura capped a forgettable game with a first-ball duck, prodding unconvincingly. It was only because of Kaushal Lokuarachchi and Dammika Prasad that the Sri Lankans could boost their total. Both used agricultural methods – mowing across the line with abandon – and took on the spinners. Prasad’s two sixes pushed the total to 248 before his attempt at a third saw him caught at long-off.Despite the final-day stumble the Indians will leave Leicester upbeat, especially with their captain, Rahul Dravid, striking form with an assured half-century in the first innings. However, a couple of issues remain: one surrounding Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who didn’t keep wicket for most of this game and endured two batting failures, and another involving Anil Kumble, who didn’t make any sort of impact in his 20 overs. It’s unlikely, though, that either will sit out at The Oval.How they were outDilruwan Perera run-out (Gambhir/Karthik) 49 (115 for 2)Malinda Warnapura c Karthik b Bose 0 (115 for 3)Michael Vandort c Bose b Powar 117 (196 for 4)Thilan Samaraweera c and b Powar 24 (205 for 5)Kaushal Lokuarachchi c Kumble b Laxman 16 (217 for 6)Dammika Prasad c Karthik b Gambhir 21 (248 for 7)IndiansDinesh Karthik b Walagedera 9 (9 for 1)\Yuvraj Singh lbw b Perera 33 (66 for 2)Mahendra Singh Dhoni lbw Prasad 1 (73 for 3)Wasim Jaffer c and b Herath 55 (116 for 4)VVS Laxman lbw Herath 3 (122 for 5)Rahul Dravid lbw b Prasad 15 (152 for 6)

Steve Harmison, the England fast bowler, admits that he is unlikely to be fit for next month’s first Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s on May 11.Harmison, 27, was forced to fly home from India last month due to pain in his right shin and has yet to recover fully. He met with a specialist in Nottingham last week and admitted he had doubts over his availability for the first Test.”Before I saw the specialist I was hopeful of playing at Lord’s,” Harmison is quoted as saying in the . “But the way he was talking, my gut feeling is I’m not going to be fit. I thought he might let me start running again straight away, then if all went well I could play in the county championship match against Lancashire and be ready to play in the first Test. But Professor Batts believes it is better to be cautious.”Harmison suffered from shin problems earlier in his career, and in 2000-01 he was forced to withdraw from an England A tour to the Caribbean. He has taken 159 wickets from 41 matches, and has been a star performer for England over the past few seasons. Harmison said it was his aim to work out harder and begin running next week with the second Test at Edgbaston on May 25 firmly in mind.Sri Lanka tour England for five one-day internationals and three Tests.

Scorecard

Karen Rolton led from the front with an unbeaten 81, but Australia had to repel a fine New Zealand recovery to snatch the Rose Bowl with a two-run victory in Darwin. Australia’s defence of 198 was going well when the visitors were dropped to 6 for 81 by Sarah Andrews and Emma Samson before Nicola Browne intervened.With help from Rachel Priest (33), Brown edged towards the target and by the time she departed for 61 off 76 deliveries they needed 28 from 4.1 overs with two wickets remaining. Helen Watson chipped in with 16 from 19, Sophie Devine scampered to 11 and the No. 11 Sarah Burke reached six, but only a single to midwicket was managed from the last ball when three were needed.Andrews, who delivered the final over, finished with 2 for 34 from ten while the debutant Rene Farrell impressed with 3 for 36 at a tense situation. Australia’s total was set up by the experienced Rolton, who stayed for 115 balls and hit eight fours and a six. She received support from Melissa Bulow’s 41 while Sarah Tsukigawa provided some middle-order damage with 4 for 43.”It’s great to win the series, especially since we’ve had new players come in and with the injuries we’ve had here,” Rolton said. “It’s been good to play against a great team and have these close matches to increase the experience of the players.” The 3-1 result means Sunday’s final fixture will be a dead rubber.Rolton’s knock also made her the second-most prolific batsman in the history of women’s cricket. Rolton, who won the Women’s Player of the Year award at the ICC Awards in Mumbai last November, eclipsed New Zealander Debbie Hockley’s ODI aggregate of 4,064 runs while scoring her unbeaten 81.

Two days after The Oval fiasco Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, has said the conclusion to the fourth Test was “hugely regrettable”, but he insisted it was not the organisation’s role to overrule any umpiring decision. As expected, Speed has supported the umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove in their “correct” move to award the game to England when Pakistan did not return to the field after tea following a five-run punishment for ball tampering.”It is not the role of the ICC to overturn the decisions of on-field umpires, the ultimate arbiters of the game,” Speed said in a statement. “In this instance the decision to award the match to England was the correct one under the Laws.”Speed also confirmed the ICC had received a letter from the Pakistan Cricket Board expressing its concerns over the appointment of Hair to matches involving the country. “This is the first time they have put them in writing, even though they have previously been invited to do so,” Speed said. “However, it remains the role of the ICC and not our members to appoint umpires to Tests and one-day internationals.”Sunil Gavaskar, the chairman of the ICC’s cricket committee, and Speed select the officials for each series on recommendations from the body’s cricket department. “The appointments are made without fear or favour and are based on the performances of the umpires in international matches,” Speed said.Speed also said it was important to remember that Friday’s hearing, when Inzamam-ul-Haq will face ball tampering and disrepute charges, was purely a playing issue. “It is not a political, racial or religious matter but a cricketing one,” he said. “We have no vested interests in the outcome of the hearing but what we expect is that it will be fair and will illustrate our processes are suitably robust to deal with these issues.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Australia stood on the brink of a thoroughly deserved victory in the first Test after the old firm of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, bowling together against India for the first time since 2001, brought about a top-order collapse to leave India sinking in quicksand, ending the fourth day 352 behind with only four wickets in hand. Even rain, which is forecast for tomorrow, is unlikely to save them, because it rarely rains heavily enough here in Bangalore to wash out a whole day.India battled manfully during the early part of the day to restrict Australia to 228 – a total which neatly doubled their first-innings lead – at a lesser rate than they would have liked. Harbhajan Singh was magnificent, bowling with control and guile, and claiming wickets at regular intervals. But ever since India were bowled out for 246, it had been clear that their batsmen would have to dig them out of the hole in the second innings. It was a tall order, and the past was staring at India like an apparition. They needed a distant 457 to win on a ground where the highest successful run-chase is 195 … and within little more than an hour they were reduced to 24 for 4, through a mixture of accurate bowling, dodgy umpiring, and a shambolic piece of running between the wickets.India began their innings in the worst possible manner, when they lost Virender Sehwag to a terrible decision from Billy Bowden: a straight one from Glenn McGrath caught a thick edge on its way to Sehwag’s pad. The din must have drowned out the noise of the nick, but the deviation was visible to the naked eye from the stands behind the bowler’s arm. But Bowden raised his finger, and to add injury to insult, Sehwag might cop a fine for showing his displeasure (1 for 1). Minutes later it was 7 for 2, when Aakash Chopra fell to another contentious decision, this time by Steve Bucknor: Jason Gillespie rapped him on the pad with a incutter, and replays showed that the ball might have missed leg.McGrath’s deadly knack of varying his pace and the seam’s angle, while always hitting the corridor just outside off, made him a devilish proposition. He snapped up two wickets in two spells, but more importantly was instrumental in piling on the pressure with his parsimony, as he sent down eight maidens in his 12 overs, conceding only nine runs.It got even worse when a horrendous misunderstanding led to Sourav Ganguly being run out. He pushed one to short midwicket, and took off for a single immediately, only to see Rahul Dravid stop after a couple of strides. Ganguly was stranded halfway down the pitch, and didn’t even bother to look back as Adam Gilchrist uprooted the off stump with great glee.And the final blow came just before tea, when Shane Warne deceived VVS Laxman with his first ball. It came down flatter and quicker, Laxman played for more turn than there was, was hit in line, and fell to Warne for the second time in the match. The crowd roared its disapproval of the decision, but the ball was dead straight (19 for 4).Dravid waged a solitary battle as a crushing defeat loomed large, but two more setbacks at the other end all but lit the Indian funeral pyre. The weekend crowd – nearly a full house – cheered their local hero, after all else had gone awry. India had limped to 105 for 6 from 49 overs by the close, with Dravid undefeated on 47.The only silver lining for India was the form shown by Harbhajan, who teased the batsmen with his subtle variations of length and turn. Keeping it asstraight as possible, he forced the batsmen to defend after charging down the track, and no-one summoned the courage to loft him over the top. Damien Martyn was forced to curb his fluent style, and ensured that the first hour was negotiated without too many jitters. He blocked, shouldered arms and drove straight to the infielders, and survived a few close leg-before shouts. Just 20 runs came off the first 10 overs, as Martyn helped Australia into a near-impregnable position.He was eventually out for 45, pushing an uppish drive to short midwicket, but a flurry of runs followed his dismissal, with Warne’s energetic cameo providing the boost. Although there were two fielders positioned on the square boundary, Warne swept Harbhajan crisply and, along with Gilchrist, provided the final kick towards a lead of more than 450.Harbhajan mopped up the tail after lunch to finish with 11 for 224 in the match, the best return by any bowler on this ground, taking his tally in his last three home Tests against the Aussies to 39 – but by then the visitors’ middle order had already done enough … and more.Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is on the staff of Wisden Cricinfo in India.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

The most significant obstacle to Pakistan’s continued domination of the final Test was the weather, with just 60 overs possible on the second day at The Oval, but the elements were about all that was going to stop Mohammad Yousuf’s remorseless accumulation. His third century of a record-breaking series built on the Pakistan bowler’s impressive showing and, coupled with attractive 90s from Imran Farhat and Mohammad Hafeez, set up a position from which there should be only one winner.While Pakistan’s cricket throughout the series has given plenty of material for those who talk about their mercurial nature, Yousuf has consistently gorged himself on the England attack. His latest century seemed almost inevitable and was as elegant and confident as the 202 at Lord’s and 192 at Headingley. And, unless the rest of the side suffer a collective implosion that would do even Pakistan proud – or the weather closes in for three days – this one will be in victory.Yousuf reached his century off 174 balls when he took Paul Collingwood for three fours in an over, having already set a new record for a Pakistan batsman in a series against England. It confirmed his standing as the in-form player of world cricket and the only semblance of a problem he encountered was against Monty Panesar, but even that wasn’t as pronounced as earlier matches.However, Yousuf’s credentials were known before this series, although he has clearly performed at the top of his game, so the aspect that will have pleased Bob Woolmer about Pakistan’s batting is the identity of the two men who provided supporting roles. Usually it has been a combination of Yousuf with either Inzamam-ul-Haq or Younis Khan, but here it was two different faces.Imran Farhat started Pakistan’s day in fine style, peppering the cover boundary with a series of rasping drives as the England bowlers again strayed too wide. The swing of the first day wasn’t evident and Farhat had the confidence to hit through the line. His aggressive intent was confirmed when he charged down the track to Panesar’s first ball and launched him many rows back over long on.He was within nine of his third Test century when he pushed out at Matthew Hoggard and Marcus Trescothick held on a first slip – but how England would have been wishing his hands had been as safe when Yousuf edged one the previous evening.Hafeez, who had been forced to retire hurt early in the innings with a knee tendon problem, resumed his innings and, although he couldn’t sprint between the wickets, was quickly into his stride with three fours in a row off Hoggard. Whenever England were threatening to create some pressure – and those moments were few and far between – the bowlers would lose their line and Pakistan cashed in.

Hafeez reached his second Test fifty in grand style, lofting Panesar effortlessly over mid off for six, and was equally impressive against the pacemen. He was called up to the Pakistan squad primarily as a one-day specialist, but has been far more impressive in the Test arena than either Salman Butt or Taufeeq Umar.The main alarms Yousuf and Hafeez had in bringing up their century stand was with the running and they kept flirting with danger, although England’s throws from the infield were as wayward as their bowling. Harmison bowled shorter and wider the more overs he sent down – cumulating in an embarrassing delivery with the second new ball that speared down the leg-side for five wides. For once, Panesar didn’t offer Andrew Strauss the control he wanted and that must be credited to the aggressive intent of the batsmen. He did, though, have a couple of close shouts for lbw denied.The third-wicket stand had reached 177 – after Hafeez survived a chance to Panesar at long-leg on 79 – and Strauss and gone through all his options to try and speed towards the second new ball. However, it was Hoggard – the man to suffer all England’s dropped chances – who made the breakthrough as he loosened up with the older ball. Hafeez chipped a catch to midwicket five short of a ton that would have completed a fine return to the Test side.That was almost the final action of the day as poor light drove the players off the field for the second time, but such has been Yousuf’s form that he could have scored runs in the dark. England have been handed brief respite, but will need plenty more help from the weather to save this match, against a Pakistan side that has dazzled for two days.

How they were out

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Pakistan’s proposal to appoint neutral umpires and discuss the itinerary for the series against India early next year could not be discussed at the recent Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting in Kuala Lumpur because no representative from the Indian board was present.Saleem Altaf, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) director, who attended the meeting, told reporters that no official from the Indian board was present at the meeting. India are scheduled to tour Pakistan from January next year, although the itinerary is yet to be finalised. This, as well as a decision on neutral umpires for the ODI series, will now be taken after discussions on the phone between representatives of the two boards.Pakistan will be using two neutral umpires during the ODI series against England after they sought and received approval from the English board. Altaf also told reporters that an itinerary for the Asia Cup, to be held in Pakistan immediately after the series against India, will be finalised soon.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:06

Anjum: India were always ahead of the par score

India Women created history at the MCG on Friday, where their ten-wicket win resulted in their first bilateral series victory over Australia Women in any format. In a rain-affected T20 contest the Australians reached 8 for 125 from 18 overs, led by captain Meg Lanning with 49, but they failed to take a wicket during the chase and India reached their revised target of 66 with five balls of their allotted 10 overs remaining.India’s bowling was tight and their work in the field was outstanding after Mithali Raj won the toss and sent Australia in. Jhulan Goswami set things off on a fine note by bowling Grace Harris in the first over of the match and she picked up a second wicket when Beth Mooney lofted over the cover fielder Anuja Patil, who ran back with the flight to complete a brilliant catch that left Australia at 2 for 28.Patil’s sharp fielding again came to the fore when she snapped up the ball at short mid-on and threw down the stumps at the non-striker’s end to find Ellyse Perry short attempting a quick single, and Australia were 3 for 33. While Lanning was at the crease Australia still had hope of a competitive score, though, and her 70-run partnership with Jess Jonassen steadied the innings.But the match arguably turned on a piece of great fortune for India when Jonassen drove straight back down the pitch and the ball clipped the fingers of the bowler, Harmanpreet Kaur, and ricocheted back onto the stumps to have Lanning run out for 49 off 39 balls. Jonassen (27) slog-swept a catch to deep midwicket in the same over.The Australians struggled to find the boundary in their remaining overs and the left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad proved hard to get away, and picked up two wickets in an over. India made a fine start to their chase through Raj and Smriti Mandhana and when rain arrived in the eighth over of the chase they were ahead of the D/L target on 0 for 52.The rain eventually relented but only to allow a further 2.1 overs with India needing a further 14 runs on the re-adjusted D/L score. Raj and Mandhana cruised to victory with five balls to spare, Raj finishing on 37 from 32 balls and Mandhana on 22 off 24. India had an unassailable 2-0 lead with one match still to play.

The 2008 MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture will be delivered by Desmond Tutu.A recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, Tutu will become the eighth Cowdrey Lecturer when he speaks at Lord’s on Tuesday June 10, the second South African to be invited to speak at the event and the first lecturer to be drawn from outside the circle of international cricket.The MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture was inaugurated in 2001 in memory of the late Lord Cowdrey of Tonbridge, a former president of MCC, who, together with another former president, Ted Dexter, was instrumental in the Spirit of Cricket being included as the Preamble to the 2000 Code of the Laws of Cricket.Tutu rose to prominence in the 1980s with his vigorous anti-apartheid activism in South Africa. As the chairman of the General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches (SACC), Tutu led a formidable crusade for justice and racial conciliation in South Africa. His tireless work was recognised in 1984, when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Then, following a short stint as the Bishop of Johannesburg, Tutu was elected the first black Archbishop of Cape Town in 1986, an office he held until his retirement in 1996 (he now serves as Archbishop Emeritus). In 1996, he was appointed by Nelson Mandela to chair the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the body set up to probe gross human rights violations during apartheid. Following the presentation of the Commission’s report in October 1998, Dr Tutu has served as a visiting professor at several overseas universities and has been awarded over 50 honorary degrees from academic institutions around the world. He has published several books and collections of sermons and is widely known as a cricketing enthusiast.”Tutu is revered around the world as a moral voice and someone who speaks with gravitas on a range of issues,” Keith Bradshaw, the MCC’s secretary, said. “He’s an inspirational man who has spent a lifetime speaking out for truth and justice and I am sure that his views on the game – and the Spirit of Cricket in particular – will be hugely interesting to cricket followers around the world.”Over 500 invited guests and Members of MCC, together with many eminent figures from the cricket world, will gather in the Nursery Pavilion at Lord’s to hear the lecture.