Only T20 Sri Lanka v Bangladesh

Sri Lanka 198 for 5 (Kusal Perera 64, Mendis 37) beat Bangladesh 181 for 7 (Ashraful 43, Mushfiqur 39, Thisara Perera 2-25) by 17 runs

	Kusal Perera hammered 64 off 44 as Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by 17 runs © AFP

A marauding Kusal Perera set the platform for Sri Lanka's 198 for 5, which proved 17 runs too many for the valiant Bangladesh batsmen, in the one-off Twenty20 in Pallekele. His 64 from 44 balls saw Sri Lanka travel at nearly 11-an over during the Powerplay, before their middle-order allrounders exploited generous bowling to close the innings at a gallop.

Though three Bangladesh batsmen threatened to rally a forceful response, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah all fell before their side could mount a serious challenge.




Kusal's onslaught began from the second delivery which he whipped aerially off his pads behind square, before he picked up the fifth ball and deposited it in the stands and then blasted the next behind point for four. Like a young Sanath Jayasuriya with a ballet coach, Kusal flitted about the crease - venturing swiftly out of it on occasion - before sending the ball hurtling, with a rapid swing of the blade.

 

At 25 for no loss at the end of the second over, Mushfiqur introduced Sohag Gazi to change the pace of the game, but Kusal welcomed him into the attack with a mighty slog-swept six over cow corner. When Abdur Razzak came on to bowl, he was spared first ball, but slammed into the grass bank behind deep midwicket next delivery.

 

The fours flowed too: over cover, through point, behind square on the leg side - five in total, to go with four sixes. Kusal reined in the big shots when the field spread, rotating the strike first with Dinesh Chandimal, then Lahiru Thirimanne, and the first shot he mishit in the game was the one that brought his demise. He top-edged a cut shot off Mahmudullah, three balls after having sent him high over deep midwicket. When he departed at 100 for 4 after 12 overs, only a middle-order collapse would have restricted Sri Lanka to an average total, and the Bangladesh bowlers' generosity ensured that would not eventuate.

 



But despite the tall Sri Lanka total, Bangladesh batted so well, they might justly feel aggrieved at the officiating. The match was marred by contentious decisions however - at least two of which had the potential to change the game's narrative dramatically. The clearest of these was Ashraful's lbw, which came off a thigh-high Thisara Perera full toss. Ashraful had struck two sixes and a four off the three previous deliveries, signalling an imminent sustained barrage, but it was cut short when the umpire ruled him out despite the ball having struck his thigh pad outside the line of the stumps.

 

Earlier, debutant Shamsur Rahman had been given out to his first ball in international cricket, after being struck above the knee roll, some way outside the popping crease. The first ball of the match, however, had been a close call for Kusal, and two more marginal decisions in Sri Lanka's innings went the hosts' way.

 




Bangladesh began their innings more slowly than Sri Lanka, hitting only 45 from their Powerplay overs, for the loss of Shamsur and Jahurul Islam. When Ashraful fell in the seventh over, Mushfiqur assumed the aggressor's role, but soon after, Mahmudullah also began scoring quickly. Mushfiqur first struck two fours in three balls off Sachithra Senanayake, before lifting a low full toss from Shaminda Eranga over the long-on fence two overs later. Angelo Perera had not had a chance to bat on debut, but his part-time left-arm spin disappeared for 17 off Mushfiqur's blade in the 13th over, to complete a six-over stretch that saw Bangladesh maul 72.

 



But in two balls in the fifteenth over, Bangladesh lost both set batsman, and with them, their hopes of a triumphant end to the tour. Mushfiqur top edged a gentle full toss from Senanayake to deep square leg, and next ball, a mix-up while attempting a third ended with both batsmen stranded mid-pitch, and Mahmudullah eventually given out, having not crossed his partner. With six wickets down, Mominul Haque then faced a required run-rate of 12 with five wickets to go and the tail for company. He finished unbeaten on 26 from 16, having hit three boundaries that made the end result perhaps seem closer than it was.

 

During Sri Lanka's innings, Bangladesh's spinners combined through the middle overs to force several setbacks, but a dropped catch off Angelo Mathews in the deep, borne from miscommunication between long-on and midwicket, cost the visitors a chance to keep Sri Lanka to a manageable score. Next over, with six wickets remaining and only four overs to go, Jeevan Mendis felt it appropriate to throw his bat early in the over, sweeping Razzak over cover, then blasting him over cover, to herald Sri Lanka's final charge.

 

The fast bowlers' indiscipline hurt Bangladesh further, as they continued pitching too short throughout the final overs, with several wayward deliveries served up as well. Mendis pulled Rubel Hossain high into the stands early in the 17th over, before murdering a short wide one through point next ball. When he got out, Thisara completed a sorry night for Shahadat Hossain, when he launched his over of criminally poor bowling into the night, for 24, to leave the bowler with no wicket for 54 from four overs. Mathews, who had held the innings together after Kusal fell, finished on 30 from 27 deliveries.

3rd ODI Sri Lanka v Bangladesh

SL 129/1 25 ovs

25 ovs report: The Sri Lanka openers, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kusal Perara, continued from where they left off in the second ODI against Bangladesh, briskly adding 116 runs for the first wicket. After 25 overs, the home side's score stood at 129 for 1, with Sangakkara having just come in for Perera. It was once again the Bangladesh pace bowlers who were under fire, getting hammered from the word go until the spinners regained some footing on proceedings.

Perera and Dilshan brought up their second 100-run partnership in the 18 over, and a few balls later the young left-hand Perera celebrated his maiden ODI fifty with glee.

 

The landmark has come in his seventh ODI, and he has grabbed the limelight in the past three as he came out to open the innings. He continued to bat in enterprising fashion today, starting off with a six in the third over - it was a pick-up shot over the long-on boundary off Shahadat Hossain. Off the same bowler, he picked up three boundaries off one over - inside edging one, superbly driving through mid-off and jumping high to control a cut shot through the point and cover fielder.

 

Dilshan's half-century came up a ball after Perera's. The senior pro hardly took time to get going as he began the innings with two boundaries in the second over, one pushed through wide mid-on and the next driven straight, past the bowler Ziaur Rahman.

 

The first seven overs were all pace from Shahadat and Ziaur, who conceded 54 runs. But it all slowed down from the next over when offspinner Sohag Gazi was brought into the attack. With Abdur Razzak and Mahmudullah brought on too, the boundaries dried up.

 

The only time one of the openers found a four off the spinners during this time was when Shahadat at mid-off let one slip between his legs in the ninth over. The control of the spinners continued until the 21st over when Mohammad Ashraful dived over a ball at deep square-leg, again off a seamer.

 

The spinners' impact was felt ultimately when the opening stand broke in the 22nd over. Perera couldn't keep a cut shot down off Mahmudullah, offering a chance in Nasir Hossain's direction at backward point where the fielder had to treaded back and took a sharp catch.

Perera's 56 came off 66 balls with five fours and a six, and the innings gave the home side the impetus to set up a challenging total for Bangladesh.

50 overs Sri Lanka 302 for 9 (Dilshan 125, Kusal 56, Razzak 5-62) v Bangladesh

Tillakaratne Dilshan's fourth century in Pallekele kept Sri Lanka intact for most of the innings after the shuffled middle-order squandered a good start. Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak led the way to bring Bangladesh back into the hunt by cutting out boundaries and picking up late wickets. The home side managed an imposing 302 for 9 in 50 overs, but not without struggle.

Razzak became the first Bangladeshi bowler to get 200 ODI wickets, also completing his fourth five-wicket haul, when he took the wicket of Sachithra Senanayake in the final over of the innings. Offspinner Sohag Gazi and Mahmudullah also played roles in bringing scoring breaks when Sri Lanka were poised to completely run away with the momentum. But all three of them gave away a minimum of 50 runs in each of their ten overs, proof that the wicket was a featherbed for the batsmen to start driving from the onset.

 

Dilshan did just that, starting off his innings with two boundaries off Ziaur Rahman in the second over of the match. His younger opening partner Kusal Perera hammered a six to begin proceedings from the other end before going after Shahadat Hossain with three boundaries in the early stages. Perera, having struck five fours and a six, got out for 56 off 66 balls. It was his maiden ODI fifty, but he looks far more comfortable in the middle as he continued to remind viewers of Sanath Jayasuriya with some of his shots.

 

Mahmudullah and Razzak applied the break at that point, as Kumar Sangakkara and Dilshan hardly found a boundary. It was smart of captain Mushfiqur Rahim to fill in those dull overs by bringing back Ziaur and Shahadat, who gave away the odd boundary but bowled with far more confidence than in the first Powerplay.

 

Sangakkara fell for 48 in the 36th over, the first time on tour that Bangladesh managed to dismiss him for under 50. Sri Lanka then gave Thisara Perera the promotion with the hope that the left-hander can capitalise on the excellent position he walked into, at 203 for 2. But Razzak was accurate enough as Thisara swung across the line two overs later. It was the start of the collapse as Angelo Mathews, Jeevan Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal fell in the next seven overs. All three fell in attempts to force the pace, the Bangladeshi bowlers picking up wickets due to the dot balls they had accumulated.

 

Gazi had slipped in a maiden in the 43rd over, the only one of the ODI series by a Bangladeshi bowler while Razzak, and in parts Shahadat and Ziaur continued to keep the Sri Lankan batsman out of the hitting zone.

 

Finally, the home supporters had something to cheer about when Dilshan cut loose after reaching his century. It was his 16th ODI hundred, second in the series and fourth at this venue where he has invariably reached a century after crossing the 50-mark.

 

Dilshan, however, was struck on the stomach in an attempt to play the scoop shot. He fell for 125 off 128 balls with 12 fours. Lahiru Thirimanne, batting at No. 8, scrapped up enough runs to add 28 with Nuwan Kulasekera. Razzak broke that stand and had Senanayake bowled the next ball to bring up his five-for. But he couldn't restrict the hosts in the final over as he gave away 11 runs, which took Sri Lanka past the 300-mark.

Bangladesh 184 for 7 (Anamul 40) beat Sri Lanka 302 for 9 (Dilshan 125, Kusal 56, Razzak 5-62) by 3 wickets (D/L method)


Bangladesh scampered to a series-levelling win against Sri Lanka in the third and final ODI, in Pallekele, winning by three wickets in a rain-hit encounter. They were helped along by Nasir Hossain's composed 33 off 27 balls late in the chase, the visitors showing nerves as they neared the victory - their first in 15 completed games against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka.

Overall it was a fine occasion for the visitors, who had left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak becoming the first Bangladesh bowler to aggregate 200 ODI wickets, as he picked up a five-wicket haul that helped drag them back into the game after Sri Lanka's openers had built a fine platform. The hosts didn't build appropriately on that excellent start, ending up at 302 for 9 in their 50 overs when they looked on course for much more.

 

Bangladesh began their innings in an equally good manner, with Mohammad Ashraful and Anamul Haque adding 77 runs for the first wicket. But rain delayed the chase for more than two hours, with the score at 78 for 1 in 13.4 overs.

 

As play restarted at 10.20pm local time, as per Duckworth-Lewis calculations, the visitors needed to score another 105 runs to win in the next 13.2 overs, and they did.

 

But things could have been different had Bangladesh wilted after Lasith Malinga's final over. The two wickets he claimed in that over all but sealed the series for the home side but Nasir charged at Thisara Perera in the next, the penultimate over. He took 14 out of the 18 runs required in that over, playing an easy square-cut and two proper slogs over midwicket to snatch back the momentum. With two runs to win off seven balls, Sohag Gazi top-edged one over wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara, before turning and giving his batting partner a hug.

 

Promoted up to No. 5, Nasir witnessed madness at the other end as the batsmen gave a chance to the calm Sri Lankan fielders and bowlers almost every over. But he minded his own end, ensuring he was there when the business end of the game came about.

 

The madness began when Jahurul tried to slog or take off for a suicidal single every other ball, and it contributed to his dismissal. He was batting well when not charging at the bowlers, but he thought it was a situation that called for a change from first to fifth gear. The same can be said about captain Mushfiqur Rahim, who was run out after Nasir had pushed the ball towards the bowler Perera. His deputy Mahmudullah was stringing together an important partnership with Nasir when he decided to play a reverse-sweep off Sachithra Senanayake when the team needed just 39 off 33 balls.

 

But the home side waited far too long to bring on the offspinner Senanayake after the rain break, and that probably cost them. Senanayake's angle from around the wicket gave the Bangladesh batsmen too much to think about, and there were several moments when wickets were just inches away. He took 2 for 26 from his six overs. Jeevan Mendis hasn't bowled an over in the series and given the visitors' weakness against legspinners, Mathews missed a trick there too.

 

It was a completely different game than the one played earlier in the afternoon under brilliant sunshine. Sri Lanka posted a formidable target with Tillakaratne Dilshan scoring his 16th ODI hundred, and second of the series. Along with Kusal Perera, he added 116 for the first wicket but the Bangladesh spinners gained some footing and it ultimately held Sri Lanka back in the final ten overs too.

 

Perera scored his first ODI fifty in the typical manner that everyone has been awed by so far in his short career. He went after the bowling from the third over when he hit a straight six, and then continued to pelt the pace bowlers who went for plenty in the first seven overs.

Dilshan went after the bowling in the two Powerplays but remained the anchor through most of the innings. However, he found little support at the other end.

 

The middle-order shuffle didn't help the hosts as none of Thisara Perera, Mathews or Mendis could contribute as they were expected to. It was left to Lahiru Thirimanne, who was pushed down the order, to bang out two sixes in his quickfire 25, which took them past the 300-run mark.

 

Razzak's five wickets apart, Mahmudullah and Sohag Gazi tightened things up whenever they were asked to bowl. Mahmudullah made up for his poor run of form with the bat, bowling his ten overs for 50 runs while Gazi was once again accurate during most parts of his spell. And in the end, it all added up to victory for Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews decided to bat after winning the toss for the second time in the ODI series. The hosts retained the same side that played in the first two games in Hambantota.

Toss

Bangladesh made one change to their line-up. They brought in pace bowler Shahadat Hossain in place of Rubel Hossain, who conceded 44 in five overs in the first ODI. Shahadat, who played the first Test but returned home after the series, was recalled because Nazmul Hossain injured his knee during training in Colombo.

 

There were clouds around the Pallekele International Stadium and though they looked harmless there was weather coming in from the west and a 50% chance of rain.

 

Sri Lanka: 1. Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Kusal Perera, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Lahiru Thirimanne, 6 Angelo Mathews (capt), 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Sachithra Senanayake, 11 Lasith Malinga.

 

Bangladesh: 1 Anamul Haque, 2 Jahurul Islam, 3 Mohammad Ashraful, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Nasir Hossain, 7 Mominul Haque, 8 Ziaur Rahman, 9 Sohag Gazi, 10 Abdur Razzak, 11 Shahadat Hossain.

3rd Test Day 5 New Zealand v England

England 204 (Prior 73, Boult 6-68) and 315 for 9 (Prior 110*, Bell 75, Williamson 4-44) drew with New Zealand 443 (Fulton 136, Williamson 91, Finn 6-125) and 241 for 6 dec (Fulton 110, McCullum 67*)
It may not have been pretty, it may not have been assured and it may have owed rather more to fortune than they would have liked, but England's last pair somehow clung on to seal a draw on the final day of the Test series against New Zealand in Auckland. In a thrilling advert for virtues of Test cricket, Matt Prior and Monty Panesar played out the final 19 balls of the game to frustrate a deserving New Zealand.

There were several occasions on a wonderfully absorbing final day when it appeared New Zealand's victory was inevitable. When England lost Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow either side of lunch and when they lost Ian Bell the over before tea, it seemed New Zealand were on the brink of just their second home series victory over England - the first was in 1983-84 - and their first Test series victory over any top eight opposition since they defeated West Indies in 2006.

 

But for all England's faults - and there have been times in this series when they have looked a very modest outfit - they possess an admirable resilience. They have been outplayed for long tracts of this campaign but remain, as Leonard Cohen put it, as stubborn as those garbage bags that time cannot decay. Surviving for 143 overs might be considered not only a Dunkirk moment for England cricket, but as admirable in its own way as coming from behind to defeat India in India.

 

There were several heroes for England. Stuart Broad, who tempered his attacking instincts so completely that it took him 62 deliveries to get off the mark, produced his longest Test innings since the Lord's Test against India in July 2011, while Ian Bell resisted for just short of six hours in seeing England to the brink of the tea interval. But most of all there was Matt Prior who may have produced the definitive innings of his career to thwart an excellent New Zealand seam attack that that threw everything they had at him on a pitch that remained true for batting to the end.

 

Prior's innings was, in many ways, odd. While his colleagues clung to the crease with the desperation of a climber sliding down a rockface, Prior played with a freedom that seemed to belie the match situation. Despite the fact that runs were irrelevant throughout the last day, he rarely declined an opportunity to punish the loose delivery and reached his century - his seventh in Tests - from only 148 deliveries with his 18th four. The logic was simple: he reasoned it was better to play his natural, positive game than attempt something unfamiliar. His innings may be remembered alongside Mike Atherton's unbeaten 185 in Johannesburg, in 1995, and Dennis Amiss' 262 against West Indies in Kingston, in 1973-74, as one of England's greatest match-saving contributions.

 

But he, and England, enjoyed much fortune and many nervous moments on the road to safety. Most pertinently, Prior somehow saw the bails remain unmoved after the ball thumped into the stumps when he had scored 28. Struggling to deal with a brute of a bouncer from the wholehearted Neil Wagner, Prior saw the ball bounce, via the bat handle and his neck, onto the stumps but fail to dislodge a bail.

 

Prior was also adjudged leg before to Tim Southee by umpire Rod Tucker when he had 16 - the Decision Review System showed a thick inside edge onto the pads - and on 20 he survived a loose top-edged pull off the same bowler. Neil Wagner, running back from midwicket, was unable to cling on to a desperately tough chance.

 

Perhaps New Zealand may rue some missed chances, too. Both Bell and Jonny Bairstow were dropped in the over before lunch as Trent Boult, swinging the new ball back into the right-hander, brought tentative edges to the slip cordon from deliveries angled across the batsmen. Bell, feeling for one angled across him that he could have left, was grateful to see Dean Brownlie, at fourth slip, put down a relatively straightforward chance, before, two balls later, Bairstow pushed hard at one some way from him and was fortunate to see Kane Williamson, in the gully, put down a sharp chance.

 

Batting had appeared relatively straightforward for the first 100 minutes or so of the day. With no hope of scoring the further 391 runs they required to win the game when play resumed in the morning, Bell and Joe Root instead concentrated on occupation of the crease. The pair batted without much trouble for 28 overs, settling in as New Zealand used the seamers sparingly ahead of the second new ball.

 

But everything changed once it was taken. New Zealand claimed the second new ball the moment it was available and, with its first delivery, Boult produced a beauty that swung back and struck a half forward Root on the pad in front of the stumps. Root and Bell discussed the worth of utilising a review under the Decision Review System, but decided, quite rightly, that the on-field umpire had made no mistake.

 

Bairstow, with only two first-class innings behind him since August, was fortunate to survive his second delivery. Boult, with an inswinging yorker, appeared to strike Bairstow on the boot before it hit the bat in front of the stumps, but New Zealand did not appeal. Replays suggested that if they had, Bairstow would have been in some trouble.

 

But he did not last long after lunch. Southee, bowling from wide of the crease, managed to make one bounce and straighten from just back of a good length to take Bairstow's edge on its way to slip.

 

Prior and Bell took England to the brink of tea. Bell, in particular, looked admirably solid and drew the sting out of the attack when they were armed with the new ball but, the over before the interval, he was drawn into feeling for one outside off stump from the wonderfully persistent Wagner and edged to third slip.

 

If New Zealand's seamers were impressive, their frontline spinner was not. Bruce Martin, perhaps feeling the pressure of expectation, struggled with his length and rarely found the turn that might have been anticipated. For much of the day he was out-bowled by the part-time offspinner, Kane Williamson.

 

With only four overs to go and England seemingly safe, McCullum surprisingly brought Williamson back into the attack, perhaps with an eye to the trio of left-handers at the bottom of the order. It proved a masterstroke: Broad's worthy defiance was ended when he prodded half forward and edged to slip before, two balls later, James Anderson fell in the same manner.

 

While Panesar endured some nervous moments - he was perilously close to playing-on first ball and, comically, almost ran himself out when diving well short of his ground in attempting a sharp single to get off strike - Prior proved a calming influence, took control and saw his side to safety.

 

A draw is, in many ways, a harsh reflection of New Zealand's superiority in two of the three matches in the series. Their bowlers found swing, seam and spin that England's did not and their batsmen displayed a balance between discipline and aggression that England could never manage. While McCullum was inventive and positive as captain, Alastair Cook was increasingly reactive and passive. Few would deny that New Zealand looked the better side.

Perhaps McCullum should have declared earlier. But New Zealand can take heart from this performance. Their pursuit of victory may have been frustrated, but they showed themselves at least the equal of the No. 2 rated Test team and showed that, under McCullum's leadership, they have the materials to rise in the rankings in the months and years ahead.

3rd Test Day 4 New Zealand v England

England 204 and 90 for 4 (Cook 43, Williamson 2-5) need another 391 runs v New Zealand 443 and 241 for 6 dec (Fulton 110, McCullum 67*)
New Zealand are on course for an historic series victory against England after dominating the fourth day of the final Test in Auckland. Peter Fulton's second century of the match took New Zealand out of reach, but it was the bowlers who hammered nails into the coffin of England's hopes to salvage a draw. England will resume on the final day with just six wickets in hand and all three of their most obdurate batsmen gone.

Fulton, who came into the game having not scored a century in a Test career that began in 2006, pulverised the England attack on the fourth day in a devastating partnership with his captain, Brendon McCullum, that did not so much close the door on England's hopes as slam it in their faces.

 

Fulton's heroics have earned New Zealand an outstanding opportunity to claim just the second home series win in their history against England. The first was in 1983-84. New Zealand have not won a series against any of the top eight Test nations - nations other than Bangladesh or Zimbabwe - since they defeated West Indies in 2006.

 

Here they set England 481 to win the third Test and, with it, the series. New Zealand finally declared on 241 for 6 in their second innings having plundered runs with ease against a dispirited attack.

 

The manner with which Fulton brought up his second century of the match - a straight six thumped back over the head of Stuart Broad - spoke volumes for the balance of power in this encounter: New Zealand, roundly dismissed as no-hopers before the series, established dominance over an England team that arrived in the country full of confidence, having just beaten India in India.

 

New Zealand, resuming 274 ahead at the start of play on the fourth day, extended their advantage by another 206 runs in just 34.2 overs. Fulton, batting with more confidence than at any time in his Test career following his maiden century in the first innings, drove powerfully through mid-on and three times took a step or two down the pitch to thump Monty Panesar for six back over the bowler's head. As his confidence grew, he gave himself room to drive Anderson over extra cover for six more.

 

He became one of just four New Zealand players to have scored one in each innings of the same Test. Glenn Turner (against Australia in 1973-74), Geoff Howarth (against England in 1977-78) and Andrew Jones (against Sri Lanka in 1991) are the others to have done so.

Smart stats Peter Fulton became the fourth New Zealand batsman to score a century in each innings of a Test, and the first since Andrew Jones against Sri Lanka 22 years ago. Fulton is only the second New Zealand opener to achieve this feat, after Glenn Turner in 1974.Overall, there are 26 instances of opening batsmen scoring hundreds in each innings of a Test. Fulton became the first New Zealand batsman to play more than 500 deliveries in a Test match since Mark Richardson in 2004. Richardson played 575 balls to score 194 runs at Lord's against England. The most overs ever played by England in the fourth innings of a Test against New Zealand is 146.4, in Christchurch in 1997. England, chasing a target of 305 in that match, won by four wickets. Brendon McCullum's 53-ball unbeaten 67 is the tenth-quickest 50-plus score by a New Zealand batsman in Tests. Six of those top ten innings have come against England. The fifth-wicket partnership of 117 between Fulton and McCullum came off 101 balls. The run-rate of 6.95 per over is the second-fastest ever in Tests for a century stand for New Zealand.

His fifth-wicket partnership with his captain, Brendon McCullum, was worth 117 runs, scored in just 16.5 overs, as New Zealand progressed with an ease that made a mockery of the gap between these two teams in the Test rankings.

 

Fulton enjoyed one moment of fortune. When he had 31, he mistimed his attempted on drive off Stuart Broad but saw James Anderson, at a shortish midwicket, spill a sharp but far from impossible chance. New Zealand would have been 65 for 4 had it been taken.

 

England produced an oddly diffident performance in the field. Their attempt to pitch the ball fuller in search of swing that remained elusive too often resulted in over-pitched deliveries that Fulton drove through mid-on.

 

At other times the England bowlers drifted on to Fulton's legs, allowing him to pick up runs with an ease that defined the match situation.

The introduction of Panesar brought some relief for England. His third delivery induced Dean Brownlie to attempt to clear the field. Ian Bell, running back from mid-on, made a desperately tough chance appear straightforward.

 

But that only brought McCullum to the crease. He square drove his first delivery, a wide, over-pitched ball from Steven Finn, to the point boundary and soon pulled Anderson, looking more jaded by the moment, and Finn for sixes.

 

Panesar bore the brunt of the assault, though, His attempt to stem the flow by bowling over the wicket and into the rough outside the right-handers' leg stump was negated when McCullum took him for successive boundaries, a powerful pull followed by a precise sweep, and drove him for another six. Panesar conceded 52 in five overs at one point. It was brutal batting.

 

Whatever Alastair Cook envisaged when he won the toss and inserted New Zealand on the first day, it was surely not a situation where his side had to bat for four-and-a-half sessions to save the game. There were no realistic hopes of victory: England have never chased more than the 332 they made against Australia in Melbourne in 1928-29 to win a Test and no team has ever made more than the 418 West Indies made against Australia in Antigua in 2002-03. The highest successful chase on this ground is 348, made by West Indies in 1968-69, though since the introduction of drop-in pitches just over a decade ago, no side has managed more than the 166 scored, admittedly for the loss of just one wicket, in 2005.

 

Nor is this the England team that enjoyed such success a couple of years ago. Not only is there no Kevin Pietersen, but there are fewer lower-order allrounders such as Graeme Swann or Tim Bresnan. Two of the middle-order, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, came into this game with only eight Test caps between them and the days when Stuart Broad could be considered an allrounder seem long ago.

 

Tim Southee soon made inroads into England's second innings. Nick Compton, feeling for a fine delivery that pitched on off stump and left him, edged a catch behind the stumps before Jonathan Trott squandered his display of resistance by chasing a wide one from the impressively sharp Neil Wagner, bowling left-arm around the wicket.

 

But the hammer blow was inflicted by part-time off-spinner Kane Williamson. Cook, on one, had survived a chance to BJ Watling when he felt for one angled across him from Southee. But when he edged a drive off Williamson, Brownlie, very close in at gully, clung on to a very sharp chance.

 

With Finn, the nightwatchman, also falling to an outstanding close catch before the close, New Zealand were on the brink of a memorable success. It meant that a series that started with many England supporters presuming an easy victory looks set to finish with their team engaged in a desperate - and surely vain - struggle to salvage a draw.

2nd ODI Sri Lanka v Bangladesh abandoned

Another rapid start for Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kusal Janith Perera was halted, then aborted, by persistent rain in Hambantota, which arrived at 2:52pm and did not cease until officials were forced to call off the match at 6:44pm. Sri Lanka were 33 without loss after five overs when the covers were called on, with Perera on 18 from 21 balls and Dilshan on 10 from 9 deliveries.

Sri Lanka's openers did not quite match the breakneck pace of Saturday evening's opening stand, but were brutal on errors in length, which the Bangladesh seam bowlers provided regularly. Dilshan leant back to crash his first ball through cover-point, when Rubel Hossain dug it in short, before Perera blasted two more short deliveries to the leg-side boundary in the next two overs. Dilshan was dropped on 9, by a diving Mushfiqur Rahim, who failed to cling to an under-edge lying low to the left, but there was hardly any time for the mistake to cost Bangladesh, as the rains arrived at the end of that over.

The hosts now head to Pallekele for the final ODI with a 1-0 lead. Southwest monsoon rains have arrived early in much of the country however, and a wet finish could well be in store for the series.

5th ODI South Africa v Pakistan

25 overs Pakistan 102 for 3 (Younis 28*, Misbah 0*) v South Africa

As the organisers would have wanted, the series hung in the balance a quarter of the way through the deciding match as the advantage swayed both ways. After Dale Steyn and Lonwabo Tsotsobe removed the Pakistan openers on a pitch that displayed inconsistent bounce, Kamran Akmal and Younis Khan led the Pakistan recovery. But their 66-run stand was broken with Pakistan close to the half-way stage of their innings to restore an edgy equilibrium to the contest.

Steyn found early swing and delivered one of his classical deliveries to remove Mohammad Hafeez for the sixth time on this tour. He squared the opener up with a delivery that angled into him and then straightened. Hafeez had to play at it and got an edge that flew to second slip's right where Colin Ingram reacted well to take the catch that gave Steyn his 100th ODI wicket.

Tsotsobe continued to apply the pressure from his end with length deliveries on and around off stump. He kept at it while Morne Morkel was introduced at the end; it marked his return after more than a month out of action. Morkel extracted awkward extra bounce from the surface and may have played a part in rattling Imran Farhat, who eventually pushed at a standard Tsotsobe delivery and got a faint edge through to AB de Villiers.

Pakistan were battling uphill at 31 for 2 after 10 overs with Younis under some pressure, having not posted anything greater than 32 in this ODI series. He was obviously nervy, especially when he called for his first run which could have seen him run-out.

Kamran has settled in well at No.3 and continued to play with confidence. He targeted the area through point frequently and rotated strike well to build a small partnership. Morkel helped, especially as he struggled with his rhythm and bowled four wides and a no-ball.

Younis settled with a stunning cover drive off Ryan McLaren and then brought up his 7,000th ODI run with a single to square leg. Kamran broke the shackles with a slog-sweep off Robin Peterson and by the time drinks came, Pakistan were in a good position to up the ante.

AB de Villiers brought Steyn back to try and spike the stand and although he fired in aggressive, short-pitched deliveries, the pair was up to the challenge. When that didn't work, Tsotsobe was re-introduced but the breakthrough came from Peterson, who tossed one up to Akmal and with his half-century on his mind, he chose to try the sweep again.

 

This time, it resulted only in a top-edge that seemed to be swirling over McLaren's head but he backpedalled well to take it over his head. That brought Misbah-ul-Haq, who has already scored two half-centuries, to the crease and he will have to play another captain's knock for Pakistan to challenge for their first bilateral ODI series win over South Africa.

Pakistan 205 all out (Akmal 48, McLaren 3-32) v South Africa

Pakistan can distill the reason for their below-par performance with the bat to one over, the 35th. In the space of four balls, they handed South Africa an obvious advantage when Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi succumbed softly. They abandoned the captain and lower-order to nothing more than hope which sunk like a ship made of nothing but lead.

In gifting fielders with catches, Malik and Afridi also erased the work done by Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, and Misbah-ul-Haq in the only two partnerships of substance in the innings and left the lower order with too much to do. They pair's shortcoming had nothing to do with the quality of the bowling but the same cannot be said for the rest of the wickets.

Dale Steyn and Lonwabo Tsotsobe opened the innings threateningly and returned to complete testing spells. Ryan McLaren's variations were on display again and despite a shaky start, Morne Morkel made a decent comeback as AB de Villiers manned his bowlers with more surety than before on a pitch that displayed inconsistent bounce.

Steyn delivered a classic delivery to remove Mohammad Hafeez for the sixth time on this tour and plant the seed that may make Misbah question his decision to bat first. Hafeez was squared up by one that angled in to him and then straightened. He had to play at it and got an edge that flew to second slip where Colin Ingram reacted well to take the catch that gave Steyn his 100th ODI wicket.

Tsotsobe applied pressure from his end with length deliveries on and around off stump. He kept at it while Morkel extracted awkward extra bounce to rattle Imran Farhat, who eventually edged a Tsotsobe delivery through to de Villiers.

An under-pressure Younis had Kamran to thank for buying him some time and the pair built the best stand of the innings. Kamran peppered the area through point frequently and Younis settled with a stunning cover drive off McLaren. He also brought up his 7,000th ODI run in this innings and the two put Pakistan in a good position to up the ante.

Then, the dominoes began to fall. Having slog-swept Robin Peterson for six successfully and with his his half-century looming, Kamran tried it again but top-edged the ball. McLaren backpedalled well to take it over his head.

De Villiers brought Farhaan Behardien on and this time his gamble with a part-timer worked. Younis was offered a long-hop that he smashed to midwicket where Hashim Amla timed his jump to end what has been a lean series for Younis.

Shoaib Malik and Misbah produced a similar recovery to what Kamran and Younis had managed, in which they targeted Peterson and tried to be more conservative against the seamers.

 

They stand grew to 47 when Malik played his inexplicable shot. He chipped a McLaren offcutter to midwicket. Shahid Afridi's was even worse. He saw off two balls before picking the right one to pull, and found the fielder. Ingram was on the deep square leg boundary and received the big scalp with ease.

McLaren got a more deserved wicket when Misbah edged a slower ball to de Villiers to give him his third for two runs. When Morkel pitched one up to have Saeed Ajmal playing on, Pakistan had lost four wickets in 30 balls for 11 runs.

Wahab Riaz and Junaid Khan did an admirable job to post 27 runs between them before Wahab was run out. Pakistan were bowled out for 205 in the final over and even though Benoni is a low-scoring ground, their score will be tough to defend.

25 overs South Africa 100 for 3 (De Villiers 44*, Behardien 5*) need another 106 runs to beat Pakistan 205 (Kamran 48, McLaren 3-32)

One of South Africa's most successful ODI pairings combined again to put their team's chase on track. Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers steadied South Africa from 34 for 2 with a 49-run stand but left work for the middle order to close out the series in pursuit of a modest total.

South Africa began tentatively against Pakistan's opening bowlers, with Junaid Khan once again troubling Amla. He reviewed an lbw appeal against him in his first over but it had pitched outside leg. The first run off the bat only came in the third over when Amla steered Mohammed Irfan down to third man.

Quinton de Kock, appearing for the first time in the series, had to deal with a barrage of short-pitched deliveries from Irfan. His frustration grew with the lack of run-scoring opportunities and after 25 minutes he tried to force Junaid through the off side without moving his feet. The result was a splayed middle and off stump as he chopped on and failed to bring an improvement to South Africa's opening stand.

Amla and Colin Ingram appeared more assured together. Ingram seemed to have shelved all memories of his first-baller in Durban and drove with authority as soon as he arrived at the crease. Irfan was on the receiving end of two of his shots and he took South Africa to the end of the Powerplay on 33 for 1, almost level terms with Pakistan who were 31 for 2 in their first ten overs.

Misbah-ul-Haq introduced spin immediately after the fielding restrictions ended and was rewarded instantaneously. Ingram was too late in cutting Mohammad Hafeez away and ending up steering the ball into his stumps.

Pakistan could have dealt South Africa a treble-blow when Junaid drew a thick outside edge from de Villiers when he was on one, but Younis Khan at first slip spilled a regulation chance. That was a mistake that Pakistan could not afford to make, especially while defending a small total.

De Villiers and Amla are South Africa's most dangerous pair and they combined again. In the same over that he was dropped, de Villiers cracked Junaid through the covers. He brought out the reverse-sweep against Saeed Ajmal.

 

As he has done throughout this series, de Villiers led from the front. Amla was at his side but had a tougher time. He could not pick Ajmal well and even struggled against Shahid Afridi. Such a struggle overwhelmed even Amla. His scratchy 22 off 65 balls ended when he skied Irfan while going for the pull. Shoaib Malik took the catch coming in from midwicket.

With de Villiers still at the crease, Pakistan's sighs of relief were not too big because they know they will have to remove him to take the game down to the wire.

	AB de Villiers was the hero, but Ryan McLaren, too, played a significant role by dismissing Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, and Misbah-ul Haq

South Africa 208 for 4 (De Villiers 95*, Behardien35, Irfan 2-38) beat Pakistan 205 (Akmal 48, McLaren 3-32) by six wickets

AB de Villiers racked up his third half-century in the series, in which he also scored a hundred, to guide South Africa to victory in their chase in Benoni with six overs to spare, sealing a 3-2 win for the hosts. De Villiers put in his best all-round performance in the decider, as he manned his chargers well and anchored the chase, albeit a modest one.

South Africa closed out the series largely due to Pakistan's inability to do the same, rather than being dominant. Apart from de Villiers' knock, the game changed in the space of four balls in the Pakistan innings when Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi both succumbed softly in the 35th over bowled by Ryan McLaren and abandoned the captain and lower order to nothing more than hope.

Malik and Afridi were guilty of poor shot-selection, they undid the work done by the batsmen before and left the lower order too much to do. They also did little justice to Pakistan's initial recovery after they found themselves in early trouble at 31 for 2 inside the first 10 overs.

Dale Steyn delivered a classic delivery to remove Mohammad Hafeez for the sixth time on this tour and take his 100th ODI wicket. Hafeez was forced to play at one that angled into him and then straightened and was caught at second slip. Imran Farhat followed shortly afterwards. After being worked over by Morne Morkel's awkward bounce, he edged a standard Lonwabo Tsotsobe delivery through to de Villiers.

An under-pressure Younis Khan had Kamran Akmal to thank for buying him some time and the pair built the best stand of the innings. Kamran peppered the area through point frequently to keep the score moving. Younis eventually settled and also brought up his 7000 ODI runs. The pair put Pakistan in a good position, but could not build on it.

Having slog-swept Robin Peterson for six successfully and with his half-century looming, Kamran tried it again but top-edged to hand a catch to McLaren. Two overs later, Younis mowed part-timer Farhaan Behardien to midwicket where Hashim Amla timed his jump to end what has been a lean series for Younis.

Shoaib Malik and Misbah combined to a produce a similar recovery in which they targeted Peterson and tried to be more conservative against the seamers. They stand grew to 47 when Malik did the inexplicable. He chipped a McLaren offcutter to midwicket to give Behardien catching practice. What Afridi did was even worse. He saw off two balls before picking the right one to pull but he singled out the fielder at deep square leg as well. With that, Pakistan's aims of reaching a competitive target ended.

McLaren scooped a third wicket for two runs when Misbah edged a slower ball, and Morkel pitched one up to have Saeed Ajmal playing on. Pakistan lost four wickets in 30 balls for 11 runs and it was left to the tail to get them to just over 200.

If they had any ambitions of defending that, they needed to make early inroads. In the first 11 overs, both Quinton de Kock and Colin Ingram played on to put the match back in the balance. Pakistan could have tipped the scale their way when Junaid Khan drew a thick outside edge from de Villiers, who was on 1, but Younis spilled a regulation chance.

De Villiers did not need a second invitation. He outplayed an uncertain looking Hashim Amla, who struggled against Ajmal and Afridi to underline the difficulties of the surface. Amla's scratchy 22 off 65 balls ended when he skied Mohammed Irfan while going for the pull.

As if to bellow out his intent not to give up, de Villiers hit the Afridi for six over long-on in the next over and there was little to stop him from there. He did not rely on too many big shots but ushered Behardien, and later David Miller, through tricky periods to seize control.

De Villiers' only jaw-dropping stroke was the deft guiding of an Irfan delivery between gully and backward point with an open-faced bat. The rest of innings was about grind, as expected on a pitch with inconsistent bounce. Even though runs were not free-flowing, his half-century came off 53 deliveries, he maintained a strike rate of over 80 and he took his average above 50 in ODIs.

Importantly, de Villiers seemed to settle in his treble role as captain, senior batsman and permanent wicket-keeper and that may be the most valuable thing South Africa take from their series win. They will also take heart from being able to triumph in a must-win situation. Pakistan cannot say the same. Since 2002, they have not won a deciding match in an ODI series and have never beaten South Africa in a bilateral ODI series.

4th Test Day 3 India v Australia

Tea India 272 (Lyon 7-94) and 72 for 1 (Pujara 40*, Kohli 16*) need another 83 to beat Australia 262 and 164 (Siddle 50, Cowan 24, Jadeja 5-58)

It was like Delhi during political turmoil. Apart from a lot of spiteful spin, there were altercations, posturing, surprises, send-offs and some statesmanship. And even as all that happened, 13 wickets fell (all but one to spin), Nathan Lyon registered his personal best, Ravindra Jadeja registered his first five-for, and Peter Siddle became the first Test No. 9 to score two fifties in the same Test. With one session to go on the third day, India were left needing 83 with nine wickets in hand. They couldn't yet begin celebrating; you never can on such a brutish bunsen.

More happened in two sessions than often happens in two days of cricket on other tracks. Australia took the remaining two wickets in no time, they stumbled at the start of their innings, then came back, then stumbled again (both times to Jadeja), then Siddle played the kind of stunner batsmen's dreams are made of, only to see India's top order came out attacking in what looked like a tricky chase. Who knows it might still be.

 

The day began with an altercation even before players stepped over the rope. In fact the fight was over who gets to step over the rope first. The Indian batsmen, Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, were about to cross the rope when someone from the Australian huddle spoke. Ishant didn't seem pleased; this was only the start of pleasantries that would continued to be exchanged between the sides.

 

Lyon made light work of India with the first two balls of the third over of the morning, and Australia didn't want to stop the aggression. Out came Glenn Maxwell to open with David Warner. In the absence of batsmen technically equipped to fight it out on this pitch, such aggression against new ball was perhaps the best way to go. MS Dhoni, though, didn't give Australia too much of the new-ball privileges: R Ashwin bowled the second over, and was joined by Jadeja in the fifth. The in-and-out fields meant you couldn't possibly slog either.

 

Surreal sights then. Jadeja bowling to Maxwell in the fifth over of a Test innings. It didn't last: Jadeja got one to turn and stay low after pitching on leg, and the outside edge cannoned into the off stump. With an assured and aggressive innings, Ed Cowan showed it was probably not the best move after all to demote him. He capitalised on every loose delivery, and hit five fours in his 24, one of them a superb drive through midwicket after stepping down to Jadeja.

 

Even as Cowan's batting brought sanity, all hell broke loose at the other end. Jadeja trapped Warner with a dart, and the Indian fielders let rip with a choreographed and a long send-off. Warner has been the sledger-in-chief from Australia, and has been in the ear of the Indian batsmen since the start of the second innings of the match. There has been a short history to this needle with Warner, going back to the Australia tour. So that wicket would have brought Virat Kohli, in particular, and Jadeja natural and massive relief, and they just let it out.

 

The umpires, though, spoke to Sachin Tendulkar, who in turn, tapped Jadeja's shoulder a bit. With seemingly an appeal every ball, an explosion off the pitch every second, and a sledge every third, the umpires were intense pressure. Amid some incredible calls, Aleem Dar erred with the Phillip Hughes lbw, with R Ashwin's offbreak turning past off.

 

It was just as tough for Dhoni the keeper with the ball behaving like a drunk. Not only did he rotate the bowlers well - Pragyan Ojha's introduction brought about the crucial wicket of Shane Watson - he was sensational behind the stumps. Either side of the lunch break, Jadeja had caused havoc. He had removed Cowan before, and Steven Smith and Mitchell Johnson after the break. Then it was time for Dhoni to show off a less-celebrated trait.

 

Matthew Wade advanced to Ojha, was beaten by the dip, edged it onto the top part of his pad, and as the ball died to his right, Dhoni changed direction and not only completed a one-handed take, he proceeded to break the stumps just in case the umpire had missed the edge.

 

Siddle was not so dazed by that display, though. He went on a sensational counterattack, charging down to the spinners and clearing mid-off, and cover when mid-off was sent back, regularly. He looked as comfortable as any specialist batsman did on this track. With James Pattinson, he added 35 for the ninth wicket to take the score to 157; Australia had been 94 for 7 at one point.

 

Dhoni gambled now. He brought back Ishant, and Australia went after him. The first nine balls he bowled went for 12 runs. Then Ishant went round the stumps, and got one to reverse through Pattinson's gate. Dhoni had worked again. Fittingly he ended it with a stumping off a ball that could have been called a wide had it been bowling with restrictive intent.

 

Australia opened the innings with Lyon and Maxwell, and Lyon missed his hat-trick by inches as the ball turned well down leg and Wade missed a difficult stumping. Following that, India attacked the relative sameness of the attack. M Vijay fell on the reverse-sweep, but Pujara - who had not taken the field with a finger injury - kept on going after every small error. He was unbeaten on 40 off 39 balls at tea.
  

India 272 (Vijay 57, Pujara 52, Jadeja 43, Lyon 7-94) and 158 for 4 (Pujara 82*, Kohli 41) beat Australia 262 (Siddle 51, Smith 46, Ashwin 5-57) and 164 (Siddle 50, Cowan 24, Jadeja 5-58) by 6 wickets

	Cheteshwar Pujara threw in the ramp shot to go with the more traditional drives

The final day of the series, in Delhi, resembled one of those when a crazy colourful storm from Rajasthan visits the capital.

 

While the storm is there, it is all encompassing, and promises apocalypse. Soon, though, it blows over, and you can't tell it had been there.

 

For about the first 200 minutes of the day, it was all mayhem: spiteful spin, altercations, posturing, surprises, send-offs and some statesmanship.

 

Twelve wickets fell for 170 runs, Nathan Lyon and Ravindra Jadeja registered their personal bests, Peter Siddle became the first No. 9 to score two fifties in a Test, but India knocked off the 155-run chase with shockingly consummate ease to win four matches in a series for the first time in their Test history.

 

Cheteshwar Pujara, opening the innings in the absence of Shikhar Dhawan and fighting a finger injury of his own, led the chase with his second fifty - 82 off 92 - which on this pitch must rank alongside one of his double-centuries. It might have been made to look simple, but it wasn't always thus.

 

Lyon, who had removed Ishant Sharma and Pragyan Ojha with the last two deliveries of India's first innings, nearly had his hat-trick. M Vijay charged at him first ball of the innings, but the ball turned way down the leg side, and Matthew Wade missed the half chance.

In the next over, Pujara survived a close lbw shout, with a soft outside edge helping him. In the next over, Vijay was bowled while reverse-sweeping. That was the closest Australia came to having a chance.

 

Pujara and Kohli batted as if the events of the past two-and-a-half days didn't matter at all, as if the bunsen had lost all its fire. Which it hadn't; it was just clear-minded decisive batting on a spitter, making full use of every loose ball on offer.

 

There were drives, there were ramps, there were sweeps. From Australia there were loose balls, overthrows and misfields. 

 

A minor blip interrupted India's progress as three wickets fell for five runs to reduce India to 128 for 4, a period during which Sachin Tendulkar failed in possibly his last innings at home. Pujara, though, refused to acknowledge all this, brought India level three successive fours, and let MS Dhoni, whose grey beard bears the traces of two previous whitewashes of India, finish the rest.

 

Enough of this drive on a clear sunny day. Back to the storm. Back to when there were skirmishes even before teams had crossed the rope. Over who should set foot on the field of play first. That resolved, Australia took the last two wickets in no time, restricting the deficit to 10. 

 

Australia tried to surprise India by opening with Glenn Maxwell alongside David Warner. In the absence of batsmen technically equipped to fight it out on this pitch, such aggression against new ball was perhaps the best way to go. Surreal scenes followed: Jadeja bowling to Maxwell in the fifth over of a Test innings. It didn't last. In his first over, Jadeja got one to turn, stay low, hit the outside edge of Maxwell and canon into the off stumps.

 

With an assured and aggressive innings, Ed Cowan showed it was probably not the best move after all to demote him. He capitalised on every loose delivery, and hit five fours in his 24, one of them a superb drive through midwicket after stepping down to Jadeja. All hell broke loose at the other end, though.

 

Jadeja trapped Warner with a dart, and the Indian fielders let rip with a choreographed and a long send-off. Warner has been the sledger-in-chief from Australia, and has been in the ear of the Indian batsmen since the start of the second innings of the match. There is also a previous to this from the time India toured Australia, so that wicket would have brought Virat Kohli, in particular, and Jadeja natural and massive relief, and they just let it show.

 

The umpires, though, spoke to Sachin Tendulkar, who in turn, tapped Jadeja's shoulder a bit. With seemingly an appeal every ball, an explosion off the pitch every second, and a sledge every third, the umpires were under intense pressure.

 

Amid some incredible calls, Aleem Dar erred with the Phillip Hughes lbw, with R Ashwin's offbreak turning past off.

 

It was all Dhoni after that. First through Jadeja, a player he has backed when few did. Jadeja removed Cowan before, and Steven Smith and Mitchell Johnson just after lunch. The latter strikes were crucial as Smith and Wade had added 41 for the sixth wicket. His first ball after the break was a slider that Smith left alone to hit his off stumps. The next turned through the gate and knocked Johnson's middle stump over. Australia 94 for 7.

 

Siddle not only survived the hat-trick ball, he - much like Pujara - seemed to have brought his own pitch to bat on. Siddle was not so dazed by that display, though. He went on a sensational counterattack, charging down to the spinners and clearing mid-off, and cover when mid-off was sent back, regularly. He looked as comfortable as any specialist batsman did on this track. 

 

Arund him, though, Dhoni put on an exhibition too. Wade advanced to Ojha, was beaten by the dip, edged it onto the top part of his pad, and as the ball died to his right, Dhoni changed direction and not only completed a one-handed take, he proceeded to break the stumps just in case the umpire had missed the edge. 

 

Siddle was not too bedazzled. His assault continued. With James Pattinson, he added 35 for the ninth wicket to take the score to 157. Back to Dhoni then. He gambled. He brought Ishant on. The first nine balls Ishant bowled went for 12 runs. Then Ishant went round the stumps, and got one to reverse through Pattinson's gate. Dhoni had worked again. Fittingly, as with the bat, he ended the innings with a stumping off a ball that could have been called a wide had it been bowling with restrictive intent.

3rd Test Day 3 New Zealand v England

New Zealand 443 and 35 for 3 (Broad 2-7) lead England (Prior 73, Boult 6-68) by 274 runs
A fine display of swing bowling from Trent Boult may have struck the decisive blow for New Zealand in an encounter against England full of twists and turns.

Boult, the left-arm fast-medium bowler, claimed 6 for 68 - his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket - as England were dismissed for 204 in their first innings. That gave New Zealand a first innings lead of 239 but, eschewing the chance to enforce the follow-on, they extended their lead to 274 before stumps.

 

Those second innings runs came at quite a cost, though. New Zealand, perhaps suffering from acrophobia as they realised the dominance of their position, stumbled to 8 for 3 at one stage in their second innings as England revived their slim hopes of forcing a win. Peter Fulton and Dean Brownlie saw New Zealand to the close without further loss, but New Zealand's lack of progress raised questions about the wisdom of not enforcing the follow-on.

 

Still, Boult's performance had earned his side an excellent chance of securing a rare Test series win over England. New Zealand remain the side in the stronger position, and with the pitch showing just a little sign of uneven bounce, it may not be easy to bat upon on the last day. No side has ever scored 350 in the fourth innings to win on this ground - though West Indies chased down 345 to win in 1969 - and, since they introduced drop-in pitches at Eden Park just over a decade ago, no side has ever chased more than the 166 Australia managed in 2005. Besides, without Kevin Pietersen, England appear a far more diffident side.

 

For a team dismissed as no-hopers by some commentators coming into the series, this has been an impressive performance by New Zealand. They are currently rated No. 8 in the Test rankings, but they have looked the better side for significant portions of this encounter and now have an excellent opportunity to embarrass the No. 2 rated team. New Zealand have previously only beaten England at home in one Test series, in 1983-84, and away in two, in 1986 and in 1999.

 

The pitch showed no signs of deterioration for most of the day. It is simply that New Zealand's seamers bowled a little fuller, a little straighter and gained a little more swing than England had on the first couple of days. In short, New Zealand bowled better than England's much-vaunted attack. Bruce Martin, who came into this series largely unknown outside New Zealand, generated turn and bounce that Monty Panesar, his left-arm counterpart, could not and, as a result, looked a far more threatening proposition.

 

Even in New Zealand's second innings, England could find minimal swing. New Zealand lost their wickets more to nerves than swing and Boult, bowling with decent pace, maintaining a tight line and managing to swing some back into the right-hand batsmen and angle some across them, was the most dangerous bowler on. He was able to find movement that even James Anderson could not.

It was during the first session of the day that New Zealand hammered a nail into England's hopes. Generating swing, they claimed three lbw decisions in the session to leave England teetering on 72 for 5 at one stage.

Smart stats Trent Boult's 6 for 68 is his best bowling performance in Tests, surpassing his previous best of 4 for 42 against Sri Lanka at the P Sara Oval. He has picked up 40 wickets at an average of 30.22. Boult's 6 for 68 is eighth on the list of best bowling performances by New Zealand bowlers against England and the second-best in Auckland after Chris Cairns' 6 for 52 in 1992. The lead of 239 is New Zealand's fifth-largest against England and their second-highest when they have batted first. Click here for a list of matches when New Zealand have batted first and here for a list of matches when New Zealand have batted second. The 101-run stand between Matt Prior and Joe Root is the third-highest sixth-wicket stand for England against New Zealand. The highest is 232 between Ian Botham and Derek Randall in Wellington in 1984. Prior's 73 is his second half-century of the series and the 32nd fifty-plus score of his career. Prior's average of 46.84 is the highest among batsmen with 2000-plus runs at No. 7.

Tim Southee made the breakthrough in the third over of the morning.

 

Having generally swung the ball away from the right-handed batsmen, natural variation resulted in one going straight on and striking Nick Compton on the pad. While the umpire, Paul Reiffel, declined the original appeal on the grounds that the ball may well have hit the bat before hitting the pad, New Zealand were quick to call for a review that showed that the ball had made first contact with the pad.

 

Ian Bell went in similar fashion. Bell, who had come close to running himself out in the second over of the day, diving to regain his ground after committing to an unnecessarily risky second run, was also undone by one that went straight on from Southee.

 

Perhaps intimidated by the aggressive field utilised by New Zealand captain, Brendon McCullum - there were times when New Zealand's seamers had five slips - Bell looked unwilling to commit to playing at the ball and was caught in the crease when struck on the pad. He conferred with his batting partner, Joe Root, before deciding not to utilise the Decision Review System. It was a wise decision.

 

Boult, who had claimed the two wickets to fall the previous evening, claimed the final wicket of the session, beating Jonny Bairstow's tentative forward prod with one that pitched on middle stump and swung back just enough to beat the stroke.

 

Again, the original appeal was declined but New Zealand utilised the DRS and were rewarded for their confidence. If Bairstow had looked somewhat out of form, it was hardly a surprise: this was his first innings in first-class cricket since the Mumbai Test in November and only his second since the Lord's Test in August.

 

Only two men offered meaningful resistance for England. Matt Prior and Joe Root added 101 runs for the sixth wicket, with Prior counterattacking fluently and Root defending with obduracy that would have had his Yorkshire predecessor Geoff Boycott smiling in satisfaction.

 

Whereas his colleagues prodded timidly - Compton's 13 runs occupied only two minutes fewer than two hours and England scored just 42 runs in 29 overs before lunch - Prior skipped down the pitch to drive Martin through the off side and when given any width from the seamers, freed his arms to drive through the covers.

 

His strength was his undoing, however. Offered some width from Neil Wagner, Prior attempted to drive on the up but could only slice a thick edge to point.

 

Dean Brownlie could be forgiven for breathing a sigh of relief. Brownlie, at slip, had reprieved Prior on 24 when the batsman had pushed hard at one outside off stump from the deserving Southee and edged low to Brownlie's right. Had the chance been taken, England would have been 111 for 6.

 

Prior's dismissal precipitated a swift decline. England lost their last five wickets for just 31 runs as Boult, armed with the new ball, returned to mop up the tail. Stuart Broad, now little more than a happy slogger, thrashed 14 in three balls but, in attempting to force the next delivery, sliced a catch to short extra cover before Steven Finn prodded at one angled across him. Anderon edged a beauty that left him, and Root, left with only Panesar for company, attempted to thrash a good length ball over midwicket and lost his off stump.