1st Test Days 2+3 (tea score) Ind v WI

Tea West Indies 112/3 (107 behind with 7 wickets remaining)

Lunch Day 3 (rest will be posted Monday) Lunch India 453 (Rohit 177, Ashwin 124, Shillingford 6-167) lead West Indies 234 by 219 runs

West Indies finally dismissed India but not before Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin stretched the lead past 200 on the third morning. Their seventh-wicket partnership of 280 was the highest for their country, and the third biggest ever. Shane Shillingford claimed six wickets for his labours over 55 overs, his five-for coming when he bowled Ashwin for 124.

The overnight pair of Rohit and Ashwin was in absolute control against a flat West Indies attack, having already added 82 runs in 21 overs. Rohit looked on course to become the sixth man to make a double-century on Test debut, but was halted by umpire Richard Kettleborough, who gave him out padding up to Veerasammy Permaul's first delivery of the day. Replays suggested the ball would have missed off stump.

 

West Indies had gone 72 overs without a wicket. They now got four in less than seven. Two balls after having Ashwin dropped by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, Shillingford did it all by himself, when the batsman missed a big sweep. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami fell soon to the spinners, and an early lunch was taken at Eden Gardens.

 

West Indies won't mind the breather at all, having already spent 102 overs on the field before the day began. They seemed set to stand under the sun into the second session the way Rohit and Ashwin were going. Ashwin squeezed Tino Best's first ball over point for four, and reached his second Test century in the fourth over of the day. Rohit carried on smoothly from last evening, punishing width with several boundaries off the back foot. Again, both batsmen were sure in defence, trusting their crease and getting forward only when the ball was quite full.

 

There was reverse swing even with a 16-overs-old ball, but Best wasn't able to control it, spraying deliveries down the leg side. Darren Sammy continued to overbowl Shillingford, who got many deliveries to rear up. Not that his second spinner Permaul had earned the captain's confidence, but he was brought on well into the second hour. Sammy finally gave Marlon Samuels a bowl before Permaul, but even that came after 115 overs were up. Samuels immediately produced uneven bounce, getting some to shoot through at shin height while some reared up. He will now have to produce another spirited batting effort if West Indies are to set India a reasonably challenging target.

Day 2: India 354 for 6 (Rohit 127*, Ashwin 92*, Shillingford 4-130) lead West Indies 234 by 120 runs
In his first Test, Rohit Sharma walked in at the early exit of Sachin Tendulkar, playing his penultimate and 199th Test. Two overs later, 82 for 4 became 83 for 5, with offspinner Shane Shillingford on a roll. Rohit, who five days ago made a double-century in an ODI against Australia, buckled down to become the 14th Indian to make a century on Test debut. He put on 73 first with his captain MS Dhoni, but it was his association with R Ashwin that transformed the game completely. India ended the day with a lead of 120, the unbroken seventh-wicket stand worth 198, and No. 8 Ashwin eight short of his second Test hundred.

This was a different version of Rohit from what has been on display over 108 ODIs. There were no cute strokes, there was no hitting his way out of pressure, there was plenty of leaving outside off. This was sensible batting, respecting the demands of the situation India had landed in against Shillingford. Ashwin, who came in at 156 for 6, matched his specialist batting partner on every count, be it solidity, strokeplay or elegance. The partnership visibly deflated West Indies, who would have rightfully eyed a sizeable lead in the morning.

 

Rohit took 13 deliveries to get his first runs in Test cricket, and they came via a pull to the long-leg boundary off a 145 kph short ball from fellow debutant Sheldon Cottrell. As he grew in confidence, there were glimpses of the touch he possesses. A back-foot drive against the pace of Tino Best, a cover drive against the turn of Shillingford. But what stood out was his back-foot defence against the spinners. The preceding India batsman had found dealing with spin tough, but Rohit had time to adjust. Shillingford's doosra, which had claimed Tendulkar and M Vijay, was dealt with calmly from deep in the crease, and barring an over after tea, Rohit was hardly bothered by the offspinner.

 

Barring the sweep against Shillingford, Rohit was unwilling to be too aggressive, and a nervous stay in the 90s beckoned. But Cottrell offered him a freebie on the pad, which was flicked for four. On 98 now, Rohit had some luck on the next ball to reach the landmark - a thick edge of an attempted drive flying to the third man boundary between slip and gully. There was no change in his approach after reaching the milestone as he batted safely till stumps.

 

Ashwin once again showed why he has such a high Test batting average for a No. 8. His shots would have done specialist batsmen proud. He was also absolutely certain about his defence, whether forward or back. He drove confidently against the spin without fuss, and used pace to steer and cut. He whipped the fast bowlers effortlessly through square leg, and towards the end, even walked down the pitch to casually slap Darren Sammy down the ground.

 

Before this partnership, Dhoni's 42 was crucial in breaking the hold Shillingford had gained. He drove the offspinner for successive fours before lunch the over after being put down on 12 by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin off Sammy. Dhoni hustled between the wickets like he does in ODIs, converting ones into twos and racing back for an overthrow. Sammy chose to give himself a few overs immediately after lunch instead of one of his quick bowlers, and West Indies, despite having sent back half the side, were not able to tie India down. Dhoni fell as soon Best was brought back on in the 52nd over with the changed ball, edging a clumsy drive to the keeper.

 

For a side that still had the upper hand, West Indies went flat quite soon, with the ball and in the field. Shillingford, who sent down 37 overs in the day, kept pegging away despite his workload, but the other spinner, Veerasammy Permaul, could not remotely trouble the batsmen. The replacement ball, a rather shiny one, also did not reverse as much as Mohammed Shami had managed with the changed ball when West Indies batted. The second new ball, taken after 87 overs, only came on better.

 

It was quite a comedown from the highs of the morning, when Shillingford rudely reminded India that there is more to this series than Tendulkar's farewell. In a versatile display of offspin bowling, Shillingford dismissed four batsmen, including Tendulkar for 10, albeit with some help from umpire Nigel Llong.

 

Often bowling with a scrambled seam, Shillingford got variable bounce and turn. India's batsmen were tentative, not sure what the ball was going to do. Shikhar Dhawan prodded casually from his crease and inside-edged Shillingford on to his stumps in the third over of the day. Vijay walked cluelessly past a doosra and was stumped. Cheteshwar Pujara fell trying to ramp the sharp Cottrell, who was to slow down considerably in the evening.

 

Tendulkar was uncertain against Shillingford as well, even though he drove him for two boundaries past midwicket. He was soon hit on the back thigh pad as he failed to read a doosra. Umpire Llong raised the finger after some thought, even as side-on views showed the ball would have gone over, something Tendulkar indicated to his team-mates as he walked into the dressing room.

 

In Shillingford's next over, Virat Kohli was given out caught at forward short leg. India were 83 for 5 now, but Rohit and Ashwin weren't about to give in.

Aus A v Eng XI Tour Match Days 2+3 washouts

Where cool temperatures and overcast skies were a major contributor to England's Ashes victory in Australia four summers ago, a similar belt of weather through Hobart is now playing havoc with the meticulous planning of Alastair Cook's men. Two consecutive days of showers have confined the Englishmen to the Bellerive Oval dressing rooms, while the lack of indoor nets due to a redevelopment at the ground has cruelled the players' chances of even cursory preparation.

Graham Gooch, the England batting coach, has taken non-playing members of the squad to the TCA Ground elsewhere in Hobart for use of indoor facilities, but the likes of Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad are yet to spend any time in the middle with only five allotted playing days left for the tourists before the first Test begins in Brisbane on November 21. In 2010-11 the rain and cloud helped England's seam bowlers to excel in a cool summer, but this time many of the same players have been left cursing the skies over Tasmania while confined to gym work.

 

"You want to get the cobwebs out of the guys who've not played, get some time in the middle, the bowlers want to iron out any little flaws in their run-ups and get their rhythm," Gooch said. "Cricket is a game of rhythm whether you bat or bowl and certainly if you're sitting in the dressing room you get that sort of malaise of just sitting around.

 

"I've been to the indoor nets with a few players yesterday and today and no doubt we'll be back there tomorrow if the rain stays around. It's okay there for the non-playing guys but the players had to wait to see if the rain subsided and we could get out there. You make the best of it but it's not ideal. Your enthusiasm goes a little bit, so they do need to be out there because time is short now, five playing days before the first Test left and that's minimal, isn't it?"

 

England's planning is enormously detailed, as demonstrated by a 82-page list of dietary and food preparation requirements lodged with Cricket Australia by the ECB. But the weather will force several changes to the best-laid blueprints of the team director Andy Flower, especially around the management of the bowling attack. James Anderson appeared likely to sit out the final match against an Invitational XI in Sydney but may now play, with the team for the SCG game now likely to very closely resemble England's first-choice team.

 

Also affected by the rain are the selectors' thoughts about the batting order. Michael Carberry's unbeaten century on day one had strengthened his case for inclusion at the Gabba with Joe Root batting down the order. Two days of torpor for the rest of the batsmen, including Jonathan Trott and Pietersen, has now made Carberry's inclusion all but essential. Gooch said Carberry's chance arose due to Cook's stiff back after the flight from the north, and had now been further strengthened by the weather.

 

"An opportunity arose in that first game when Alastair had the stiff back, a condition he'd suffered with in the past, and Michael got a game and took his chance there," Gooch said. "We wanted to see a little bit more of him this game and he's done his chances no harm with playing with 150, and Joe's batted in the middle order when he started, so those options are still open and I don't think the team selection is finalised yet.

 

"Obviously not being on the field and seeing other guys bat as well, that complicates it a little bit but always I think you have an idea of what your side might be, but getting the batting line-up exactly right comes from watching a few matches. I don't think the side is completely settled at the moment. You want all your players to show form, so he's put a bit of a marker down for himself."

 

Several Australian batsmen have similar reasons to feel betrayed by the weather, as the likes of Alex Doolan, Shaun Marsh and Usman Khawaja may have seen their chances of swaying John Inverarity and his selection panel washed away. George Bailey is heavily favoured to be named as the sixth batsman in Australia's Gabba squad and received a fiery welcome home from his possible Test team-mate Ryan Harris at Allan Border Field. He will bat again in the Tigers' second innings, while Doolan and company hope vainly for a change in the Hobart forecast.

 

"I guess you can't do anything about the weather, but it's very frustrating when you're just sitting and watching and waiting," Doolan said. "At this stage the selectors would have a fair idea of who they want to pick in the first Test so I don't know if this is an opportunity or not that I'm wasting at the moment."

3rd ODI Pakistan v South Africa

South Africa 259 for 8 (Duminy 64, Irfan 3-46) beat Pakistan 191 (Tahir 4-53) by 68 runs

South Africa's batting improved to match their bowling effort and with both departments at a similar standard, took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Half-centuries from Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy helped South Africa post their first total over 250 in 11 innings before another impressive effort from their attack made sure Pakistan were just about out of the match before the batting Powerplay of their innings was over.
 

The last time Pakistan successfully chased a total of over 250 was more than two years and nine months ago, when they beat New Zealand in Napier. After the start Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez gave, it seemed that could change in Abu Dhabi. They posted 50 in 47 balls with 80% of the runs coming in boundaries but between them and Wahab Riaz and Sohail Tanvir's blitz, there was little else from a line-up which is prone to collapses.

 

South Africa had both their big names players back in the XI with Hashim Amla slotting in at the top of the order and Dale Steyn included as well. Amla made little difference, bowled for 10 by Mohammad Irfan, but Steyn struck the blow that turned the match.

 

After Shehzad and Hafeez got on top of South Africa, with Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe struggling to hit the right lengths in their opening spell, Steyn made the decisive inroad. His first delivery was short and angling away. Shehzad prodded and was caught behind and Pakistan's momentum was abruptly halted.

 

Shehzad had played with freedom to that point, driving, pulling and cutting to leave the new ball bowlers looking out of sorts. Once he was gone, South Africa asserted their authority, removing Hafeez in the next over through a good catch by du Plessis at point.

 

Steyn left the field after his initial three-over spell and seemed to be clutching his hamstring but returned to bowl soon after. He handed over to Tsotsobe, who bowled a controlled second spell, headlined by 21 dot balls in succession to build pressure even while Imran Tahir was leaking runs at the other end.

 

Tsotsobe was rewarded for his miserliness. His 19th dot was edged by Umar Amin and even though he wasn't given out on field, the review revealed a clear nick. Eight balls later, Tahir trapped Misbah lbw with the googly - the Pakistan captain was too late to review but it would not have mattered - and Pakistan had unravelled.

 

Having swelled with confidence, Tahir bowled a range of variations and picked up two more wickets not off his best balls but because of poor shot selection - Umar Akmal who returned a full toss to the legspinner and Asad Shafiq who gifted a catch to cover. Ryan McLaren's wily effort could easily have gone unnoticed but his mixture of change of pace and immaculate line helped him claim the wicket of Shahid Afridi to leave the Pakistan tail to end the match with dignity.

 

Wahab and Tanvir had some fun, swinging their way to a stand of 61, the highest of the innings but by then it was too late. Pakistan needed partnerships earlier, like South Africa had to be able to chase down the total.

 

Quinton de Kock and du Plessis put on 77 in a display of the former's new-found maturity and the latter's return to form. De Kock has obviously tightened around the offstump after the torrid time he had in Sri Lanka while the move to promote du Plessis to No.3 paid off.

 

He was struggling against spin in the previous matches and giving him time against a newer ball proved the right decision. Du Plessis had time to settle in and batted with more patience and composed an innings for the first time in many months.

 

Both he and de Kock were out to Afridi, in what could have allowed Pakistan to run through South Africa but the middle-order held firm.

 

JP Duminy was given out lbw off Irfan, who struggled with his lines, on three but reviewed successfully - the first time that has happened in the series - and survived a run-out chance. Irfan dropped a catch in his follow through from de Villiers but didn't get a finger on the ball as it hit the non-striker's stumps, where Duminy was out of his ground.

 

The nervous moments did not affect either Duminy or de Villiers as they took advantage of anything too full and rotated strike cautiously but effectively to post a stand of 70. They put South Africa in a position from which 300 seemed possible but de Villiers was the victim of a sharp catch when he pulled Ajmal to fine leg where Hafeez pouched the ball going backwards.

 

Duminy, even after reaching fifty off 67 balls, remained watchful but McLaren managed ten runs in the last over. South Africa scored 34 in the last five to suggest their batting is making progress after being bowled out for under 200 in the two matches before this.

 

Once they posted a competitive total, for the third time in a row this series, the chasing team came off second best.

Only T20 Bangladesh v New Zealand

New Zealand 204 for 5 (Munro 73*, Devcich 59) beat Bangladesh 189 for 9 (Mushfiqur 50, Mahmudullah 34, Southee 3-38) by 15 runs

More than four weeks after arriving in Bangladesh, New Zealand finally won a game. They beat Bangladesh by 15 runs in the one-off Twenty20 in Mirpur, a testament to their prowess in this format over the hosts. Colin Munro and Anton Devcich gave them the platform after which their bowlers merely had to ride out Bangladesh's over aggressiveness in the chase.

New Zealand's 204 for 5 was the highest score against Bangladesh in this format, and there have only been four successful chases of over 200. Bangladesh fell 15 short of their target.

 

The home bowlers, however, were not at their best after the stand-in captain Kyle Mills decided to bat first. New Zealand started off briskly, before slowing down and later gathering pace. Devcich, who began the onslaught, scored New Zealand's second fastest Twenty20 fifty, off 24 balls. He made the best of a let-off in the first over of the game when Al-Amin Hossain dropped him at short fine leg off Mashrafe Mortaza. He struck six boundaries in the first 2.3 overs, before slogging Sohag Gazi for a six over midwicket in the fourth over that cost 16.

 

He was finally dismissed in the tenth over when he was caught at wide long-on for 59 off 31 balls with ten fours and a six, an excellent start to his international Twenty20 career.

 

While Bangladesh would have hoped that they had recovered from the Devcich onslaught, Munro's attack left the bowlers with no answers. Bangladesh conceded 118 off the last ten overs, 55 of which came in the last five as the batsmen threw everything at the ball.

 

Munro batted at a higher gear after facing just five deliveries. He exploited the poor bowling lengths by striking four sixes off the next eight balls. Abdur Razzak was hit over midwicket and long-on in the 12th over before Mahmudullah conceded an enormous switch hit six for which Munro turned around, leant back and smashed the short ball to a right-hander's midwicket. He continued in the same vein, ending up on an unbeaten 73 off 39 balls with five sixes and three fours.

 

Debutant Al-Amin took two wickets for 31 runs from his four overs but his more experienced colleagues had a humbling time with the ball. Mortaza gave away 46 from four overs while neither Gazi nor Razzak bowled their full quota. Bangladesh's Twenty20 bowling has been a worry for a very long time, and with the World T20 a few months away, this area should keep the captain, coaching staff and bowlers busy throughout the winter.

 

Bangladesh's reply to 204 was frenetic. Shamsur Rahman slammed a boundary off the first ball of the innings and next ball found the long leg fielder. The other opener, Ziaur Rahman, then opened up with a hoick over midwicket before he too perished off the next ball. Bangladesh lost their openers in the first over.

 

Mominul Haque followed the openers' approach and departed too, but Mushfiqur Rahim and Naeem Islam stayed at the crease and continued to attack. They blasted 23 runs off the fourth over of the innings bowled by Mitchell McClenaghan, with Mushfiqur hitting three successive fours off the first three balls, and Naeem following up with a four and a six. Bangladesh reached 50 in the fourth over, but the partnership ended soon after when Naeem mistimed a slog and walked back for 18 off 10 balls.

 

Mushfiqur kept with the required rate, reaching a maiden Twenty20 fifty off 28 balls and adding 54 for the fifth wicket with Nasir Hossain. But Mushfiqur departed at the end of the eleventh over when he too was out slogging, but it was a good innings, having struck seven fours and a six.

 

Bangladesh's hopes dissipated further when Nathan McCullum claimed a superb catch over his head off his own bowling, getting rid of Nasir for 28 off 20 balls. Mahmudullah and Gazi added 57 for the seventh wicket and while the required run-rate remained within reach, the New Zealand fielders did a fine job. McCullum and Luke Ronchi teamed up to run out Gazi who was looking dangerous in his 15-ball 24. When Mahmudullah fell in the penultimate over, the chase was all but over.

 

The loss, however, will not take the gloss off Bangladesh's remarkable month when they drew a Test series and beat the visitors 3-0 in the one-dayers in a prolonged display of dominance hardly seen in these shores.

1st Test Day 1 India v West Indies

India 37 for 0 trail West Indies 234 (Samuels 65, Shami 4-71) by 197 runs

Post-lunch session. A big partnership getting bigger. Suddenly, the game turns on its head. How often has reverse swing done that to a match on the subcontinent? How often have West Indies self-destructed? The umpires changed the ball after 40 overs at Eden Gardens, the replacement reversed appreciably, and the debutant Mohammed Shami bowled Marlon Samuels and Denesh Ramdin in successive overs. In between those dismissals, Darren Bravo ran himself out and Darren Sammy torpedoed his own counter-attack, and the promising advantage of 138 for 2 lay squandered. Soon, Shami uprooted fellow debutant Sheldon Cottrell's off stump to end the innings on 234 and finish with four wickets.

Shami was the form bowler from the recent ODI series against Australia, and was handed a debut ahead of the experienced Ishant Sharma - who ironically presented Shami with his Test cap - and the quicker Umesh Yadav. And how he repaid his captain's faith. Shami bowled consistently in the late 130s on a slow pitch, and was a different proposition with the ball scuffed up, finding movement that had not been there for him with the new one.

It was a proper bat-first pitch at Eden Gardens, slightly uneven and expected to deteriorate later. There was little threat from the new ball and the lack of pace also hampered the spinners. The West Indies openers, however, failed to capitalise on favourable conditions and departed within the first hour. A tentative Chris Gayle succumbed to Bhuvneshwar Kumar's away-swing, and the solid Kieran Powell was done in on the pull by Shami's pace.

Samuels and Bravo put on 91 for the third wicket to bring West Indies back. Bravo came in to defend and defend, while Samuels took care of the scoring, hitting 56 of his brisk 65 in boundaries before his dismissal sparked the collapse. Every now and then both batsmen attacked the spinners, who were not much of a worry despite the odd delivery turning or kicking or keeping low. Samuels continued to pierce the off-side field against the quicks.

 

It was Samuels' desire to keep hitting off the back foot that gave India the opening. Even as Samuels set himself up for a punch through the off side, Shami swerved one through the gate from good length. In the next over Bravo, having resolutely blocked his way to 23 off 96, decided now was the time for a casual single to square leg, even though there was a fielder there and though Shivnarine Chanderpaul wasn't interested. Suicidal was the only word for it. In the next over, with so much reverse happening, West Indies realised having a keeper batting at No 6 wasn't ideal. Feet not moving, Ramdin was caught on the crease as another one zipped in late. He belatedly tried to chop it, but it had sneaked through by then.

 

At the other end, Pragyan Ojha was cursing his luck. He'd had Samuels, on 60, dropped by Dhoni, then had a close leg-before shout turned down against Sammy. But Ojha did not have to wait for too long because the West Indies captain gave it away. With long-off on the boundary, Sammy tried sending Ojha over, only to find the fielder with precision.

In his 199th Test, Sachin Tendulkar gave a disappointingly moderate Eden crowd another reason to cheer at the stroke of tea. Landing his legbreaks and googlies with control in his opening over, Tendulkar trapped Shane Shillingford - also dropped by Dhoni off Ojha - in front for his 46th Test wicket. Chanderpaul, playing his 149th Test, was left to survey and salvage something from another familiar West Indies collapse. He tried to do it his way, turning the strike over and trusting the tail. But R Ashwin eventually sneaked an offbreak past his back-foot defence to end his resistance on 36.

India's openers brought the deficit below 200 in the 12 overs they faced. Tino Best and Sheldon Cottrell, in particular, worked up plenty of pace but did not make the batsmen play enough. They also overdid the short ball, which, despite their speeds, was safely defended or avoided on this pitch. Shillingford sent down a few steady overs, but India's real test will come when the ball starts to reverse.

Australia A v England XI Tour Match Day 1/4

England XI 0 for 318 (Cook 154*, Carberry 153*) v Australia A
Shiny, space-age in design and emblazoned with a racing stripe, Michael Carberry's batting helmet seems less appropriate headgear for an Ashes tour match than Olympic track cycling. There was something of the road race about day one in Hobart, however, as Carberry and his captain Alastair Cook tested out an alternative opening combination to impressive effect against Australia A on a pristine Bellerive Oval pitch.

His choice of headgear was the only jarring thing about Carberry, who otherwise looked entirely at ease alongside Cook and made a persuasive case for his inclusion at the top of the order in Brisbane. Joe Root, who had opened across the earlier Ashes encounter in England, was left to watch from the boundary's edge from his new post at No. 5, and must now be pondering a middle-order commission across the five Tests. By the close Carberry and Cook had pushed on to the highest opening stand ever seen at Bellerive.

 

Equally welcome for England alongside Carberry's appearance of certainty was Cook slipping comfortably into the prolific batting groove he occupied on the last tour in 2010-11. Helped by Australia A bowling that was often too short and too straight, he had little trouble scoring freely around the ground, and showed no signs of the back stiffness that had ruled him out of the opening tour fixture in Perth.

 

For the Australia A captain Moises Henriques and his somewhat uneven XI - far stronger in batting than bowling - it was a day of unrequited toil. Unable to take early wickets when the pitch offered the mildest hint of life, the hosts were sentenced to a day devoid of joy, coming closest to a wicket in the evening when a snick by Carberry from Ben Cutting on 135 landed short of Trent Copeland in the gully. They face further hard labour on the 'morrow.

Upon choosing to bat on a surface far less verdant than those prepared in Hobart this time last summer, Cook revealed that his opening partner would not be Root but Carberry. He had hinted as much on match eve, but it remained notable to glimpse Cook walking to the middle accompanied by the very same man Shane Warne had recommended as a better option at the top in Australia than Root.

	Michael Carberry finished the day unbeaten on 153 © Getty Images Enlarge

There was some semblance of early life in the pitch, and neither Cook nor Carberry looked completely at ease in the early overs, nudging runs here and there while being beaten often by balls that zipped away from them.

 

Most often these were bowled by Copeland, demonstrating the seam-up skill that made him a valued recruit for Northamptonshire earlier in the year.

 

It was the jetlagged Henriques who made the first appeal of the morning, striking Cook on the pads in the vicinity of off stump but not finding any response to his shout.

 

Those early alarms safely negotiated, Cook and Carberry were able to settle in. Nothing could be found in the pitch for either of the spinners Jon Holland and Glenn Maxwell, while Cutting's line and length were not quite consistent enough to create the desired pressure. Cook reached his 50 just before lunch, and Carberry joined him soon after.

 

Closely watched by the team director Andy Flower and the batting coach Graham Gooch, Carberry played neatly enough, seeing off several periods of slow scoring without growing too frustrated.

 

He snicked numerous deliveries going across him towards the slips when attempting come forward and drive, but was otherwise able to sit on the back foot in defence and attack, suggesting that Australia A's bowlers too often dropped short of the ideal zone.

 

Cook meanwhile offered his familiar mixture of sound judgment, efficient strokeplay and deep reserves of concentration, able to work the ball off his hip consistently to rotate strike and frustrate the local attack. Both batsmen enjoyed themselves against the spinners, Holland treated with particular brusqueness in his short spells and shielded for much of the day while Henriques hoped for the wicket that would bring a right-hander to the crease.

 

It was not to arrive, however. Cook was 97 at tea and reached his century shortly after the resumption, marking it with a low key celebration that recognised the innings as a sound building block for the tour to come but nothing more. Carberry was understandably more demonstrative when he crested three figures, rejoicing an innings that will go a long way towards earning him a place in the Test team for Brisbane.

 

Carberry's exuberance contrasted with the mounting fatigue of Australia A's bowlers on a surface offering very little help at all beyond the first half hour. Some of the fielding was also poor, the lack of energy or intensity on display unlikely to have impressed the selector Rod Marsh as he watched from the stands. The new ball brought hope of renewed life as the shadows lengthened, but when Cutting drew another edge from Carberry with a delivery of decent pace and zip, it fell tantalisingly short of Copeland.

 

England's openers were thus left to reach the close unparted and largely unhindered, setting down a very fine platform indeed for their likely pairing across the Ashes series. In doing so they also provided Australia's bowlers with a reminder that anything less than their best offerings may result in grim days to rival those of four summers ago. They may be seeing a lot more of the Carberry helmet.

3rd ODI Bangladesh v New Zealand

Bangladesh 309 for 6 (Shamsur 96, Naeem 63, Nasir 44*) beat New Zealand 307 for 5 (Taylor 107*, Munro 85) by four wickets

Bangladesh banked on a string of partnerships and two fine knocks by Shamsur Rahman and Naeem Islam, as they swept the ODI series 3-0 after chasing 309 in the final over in Fatullah. The four-wicket win matched the 2010 clean sweep at home, which New Zealand lost 4-0. This was also Bangladesh's second successful chase of a target of 300 or above in ODIs.
 

The home side took full advantage of the new ODI rules that allow only four fielders outside the 30-yard circle during the non Powerplay overs, continually chipping the ball over the infield, and making sure they used the shorter, straight boundaries. New Zealand's 307 for 5 was the highest score at this ground at the innings break, but it wasn't enough in the end. Ross Taylor shored up an inexperienced batting line-up with his eighth hundred, but his efforts went in vain.

 

Mahmudullah and Nasir added 35 for the sixth wicket before Mahmudullah was given out caught behind in the 48th over, although he wasn't fully convinced and neither were the replays conclusive. A few dot balls afterwards added to the tension among the near-capacity crowd but Nasir released the pressure with a thump over midwicket at the end of the 48th over, bringing down the chase to a run-a-ball.

 

Nasir kept his nerve, just as he did last year in the deciding fifth ODI against West Indies in which he also guided Bangladesh to a close win. Sohag Gazi completed the win with an upper-cut boundary off the second ball of the last over.

 

Shamsur Rahman missed out on his maiden century, but his contribution, particularly in the absence of the ill Tamim Iqbal, was valuable. He started off briskly with Ziaur Rahman, as the new opening pair added 50 in the seventh over. Ziaur acted as a pinch-hitter, hammering two sixes and two fours in his 22 before getting out in the eighth over.

 

But that didn't stop Shamsur from going after the bowlers, hammering Mitchell McClenaghan for two sixes in one over. He and Mominul Haque added another quick 65 runs in 11 overs to maintain the pace of the chase. Mominul, however, fell to a soft dismissal to Anton Devcich, for 32 off 33.

 

The captain Mushfiqur Rahim however failed to contribute, pulling to Taylor at square-leg for 2. But Naeem made sure there was no collapse as he and Shamsur added 75, at more than five runs an over.

 

Naeem matched Shamsur with his timing, particularly through the off side as reached his fifty off 53 balls. When Shamsur fell in the 35th over, Naeem managed to put together another crucial half-century stand with Nasir Hossain. New Zealand had an opening when Naeem was run out in the 43rd over for 63 off 74 balls, but Nasir and Mahmudullah brought the equation back in Bangladesh's favour.

 

Earlier it was Taylor's hundred that gave New Zealand much-needed impetus, mainly in the last ten overs. After he had added 130 runs for the fourth wicket with Colin Munro, he made sure he took full advantage of Bangladesh's pace bowling in the slog overs, one of their biggest weaknesses. In the last five overs, Bangladesh conceded 73 runs, after they added just 25 between the 40th and 45th over.

 

Taylor blasted three sixes and nine fours in his 93-ball unbeaten 107, his second hundred against Bangladesh and his second this year. It was an innings that befitted the only experienced batsman in the line-up, helping the team recover from 101 for 3. Secondly, he let Munro dominate much of their partnership and only cut loose in the end overs. He was severe on anything that was bowled on the stumps, playing his favoured slog-sweep.

 

Munro forced Mushfiqur to think hard while setting fields. He mixed conventional shots with reverse hits, one of which was a pulled six off Abdur Razzak. Playing his first match on tour, but he showed little signs of difficulty to adjust, as the others in his line-up have shown. He cracked two sixes and seven fours in his 77-ball 85, the sort of innings that one could have been expected from Brendon McCullum, who had left the country to treat his sore back.

 

The openers Devcich and Tom Latham put on 66 in 13.2 overs before the former fell to a poor shot. Devcich survived a chance in the sixth over when he inside-edged a Sohag Gazi delivery past Mushfiqur. The wicketkeeper made amends when he held on to the edge from Latham, who scored 43.

 

Bangladesh's bowling was ordinary at times, particularly Sohag Gazi, who was struck for three sixes in a row by Taylor in his last over, and Mashrafe, who conceded 73 off his eight overs.

 

Despite that, there has been a marked difference in Bangladesh's confidence and body language over the last four weeks. The batsmen have stood up to the challenge of setting up totals and now they have successfully chased a 300-plus total. This win alone should give them more reason to think of themselves as genuine match-winners in one-day cricket.

7th ODI India v Australia

India 383 for 6 (Rohit 209, Dhoni 62, Dhawan 60) beat Australia 326 (Faulkner 116, Maxwell 60) by 57 runs

It is an indictment of how skewed the contest between bat and ball has become that for 2961 ODIs, no batsman broke the 200-run barrier and now three have done it in the last 467 matches. Rohit Sharma was the latest entrant to the club, after Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, and he hit 16 sixes - a world record - during a ransacking of Australia in the deciding match of a series that bowlers on both sides will be glad to leave behind. Incredibly, Australia lost because they were out of wickets and not time.

India hit 19 sixes as they racked up 383; Australia replied with 326, the ninth time in 11 innings that a team passed 300 this series. And though they lost by a sizeable margin in the end, they did not lose the six-hitting contest. Australia matched India in raining blows over the Chinnaswamy Stadium's tiny boundaries and together they smashed the record for the most sixes in a one-day international.

 

India and New Zealand had hit 31 in Christchurch in 2009; India and Australia hit a numbing 38 today. And 29 balls remained unused. Vinay Kumar's 1 for 102 in nine overs were the worst figures by an Indian in an ODI; Glenn Maxwell and Shane Watson were close to owning the record for the quickest 50 by an Australian, and James Faulkner's 57-ball 100 was his country's fastest ODI century. It was hard to make sense of it all.

The madness began with Rohit. For a batsman to have the opportunity of making a double-century in 50 overs, stars need to align, and they did today. Apart from the playing conditions that already favour run-making, George Bailey put India in on an easy-paced pitch and a Lilliputian outfield, the weather was cool and the humidity low, and Australia had sent home Mitchell Johnson, then lost Watson to injury in the middle of his spell, while their remaining bowlers sent down a variety of pies. Rohit had the necessary luck too, when on 120 he was dropped at deep square leg by the substitute Moises Henriques, who parried the ball over the boundary to worsen the six count.

Rohit might have felt the need to compensate his team and the crowd for running out Virat Kohli, the hottest batting talent in India at the moment, for a duck. He and MS Dhoni plundered 167 runs off 94 balls for the fifth wicket. India scored 151 in the last ten overs, of which 101 came in the last five.

 

Rohit had gone past 100 off 114 balls. And then he went past 200 off his 156th delivery. It was difficult to recall that Rohit had played the supporting act during his sixth century stand in 19 innings with Shikhar Dhawan, their third such opening partnership of this series. And that he had to overcome a testing period, when Dhawan was trapped lbw in the 19th over and Kohli run out in the next.

Despite India having gone past 100 in 15.1 overs, a whole new level of carnage began from the 26th, when Rohit waylaid the spinners, launching Xavier Doherty and Maxwell repeatedly into the stands between square leg and long-on. When the quicks returned, they repeated their errors of bowling both sides of the wicket, and Rohit continued driving and flicking over the leg-side boundary, while also driving fours and sixes between point and long-off. His smooth stroke-play was in contrast to Dhoni's brutal blows, which included a helicoptered six that flew over the roof at long-on.

 

At the start of the final over, Rohit was on 197. He brought up his double by driving Clint McKay over the cover boundary, and sent the next one over midwicket to claim the record for most sixes in an innings.

 

When Australia had slipped to 74 for 4 in the 17th over of the chase, with Watson hamstrung in the dressing room, India looked like coasting to victory. But out came Maxwell, wielding his bat like a hammer. He hit his first ball for six, and then pillaged Vinay to sprint to 28 off 6 balls. He swiped and slugged his way to equalling Simon O'Donnell's 18-ball record for the fastest Australian half-century, and eventually fell for 60 off 22 deliveries.

 

Then came the wounded Watson, his penchant for six-hitting increased by injury, his anger stoked by Dhawan's graceless mocking of his hobbling between the wickets. He too vandalised Vinay for 22 in an over, and was in the running to beat Maxwell and O'Donnell, before he was caught for 49 off 22 at short third man, off Dhoni's thigh.

 

The most astonishing performance of the day, however, came from Faulkner, who added 115 runs with McKay for the ninth wicket. At one point, when the stand was worth 57, McKay had contributed no runs to it. He plundered Vinay, for 21 runs in an over, and moved from 35 off 29 balls to a century in the next 28 deliveries to beat Matthew Hayden's record for Australia's fastest century.

 

While Faulkner hit fours and sixes seemingly at will, the Diwali crowd fell silent and had he had a proper batsman for company, Australia may have been able to pull off one of the most improbable chases.

 

They needed only 67 off 48 balls when Ravindra Jadeja began to slow them down, first with a three-run over and then by bowling McKay with the final delivery of his spell. Faulkner then mis-hit the next ball, high into the night sky, and Dhawan, running fast to his right at deep midwicket, caught it superbly to give India the series 3-2.

West Indies v Utter Pradesh Tour Match Day 3/3

West Indians 466 (Chanderpaul 112, Deonarine 94, Imtiaz 5-117) and 199 for 5 (Gayle 58, Samuels 58) drew with Uttar Pradesh 372 for 9 (Parvinder 112, Cottrell 3-65)

Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels, two batsmen who failed in the first innings, found form in the second, hitting half-centuries on the final day of the drawn three-day game in Kolkata. The West Indians finished on 199 for 5 after Uttar Pradesh declared their first innings at 372 for 9.

Gayle and Samuels scored 58 each and both paced their innings in similar fashion. Gayle's knock came off 49 balls with 11 fours while Samuels' came off 47 balls with nine fours and a six. Gayle and opener Kieran Powell added 68 before Powell was bowled by Piyush Chawla. The legspinner then took a return catch to get rid of Gayle. Samuels and Denesh Ramdin added a quick 84 at more than a run-a-ball before Arish Alam claimed Samuels. The match ended after the tourists batted out 37 overs.

 

Earlier, Parvinder Singh, overnight on 78, went on to score a century. His 112 off 147 balls included 17 fours and two sixes and he added 57 with Amir Khan. Amir and Chawla narrowly missed their fifties before UP declared 94 short of the visitors' score. Sheldon Cottrell and Veerasammy Permaul took three wickets each.

 

Even though this was the West Indians' only warm-up game ahead of the first Test in Kolkata, which starts on November 6, coach Ottis Gibson said they achieved most of their targets during the match as the batsmen spent quality time at the crease and the bowlers got a few overs under their belt.

 

"At the start, we said we wanted to get some quality practice," Gibson said. "Shivnarine Chanderpaul got a hundred, Narsingh Deonarine batted well and all of the others, but time in the middle was much more important for us. We have not played a Test match for a long time, so it was important for everybody to get a run out and this game was good for us.

 

"It also gave us an understanding of what is going to happen next week and what we need to do, particularly as a bowling attack. We will need to bowl more patiently than we were here, but everyone got a few overs under their belt and this would put us in a good position."

 

He diminished fears of Kemar Roach and Shane Shillingford missing the Test as they didn't feature in the practice game. "Shane was supposed to play, but he slept badly on his neck the night before, and had a bit of stiffness," he said. "Kemar is the same. Those two will add a little bit more potency to our attack, but it was good to see Sheldon Cottrell get a run out in this match, Tino Best also bowled well and so too Veerasammy Permaul, so everything is looking on course for next week."

West Aus Chairman's XI v Eng XI Tour Match Day 3/3

Western Australia Chairman's X1 451 for 5 (Lynn 104, Towers 77, Harris 69) and 168 for 5 (Marsh 62, Lynn 61*) drew with England X1 391 (Bell 115, Trott 113*)
England travel to Hobart with questions about the composition of their side for the first Test still largely unanswered after completing a none-too-convincing draw in their opening tour match against a Western Australia X1 which could draw much more pride from their performance.

 Boyd Rankin acquitted himself more ably than his fellow contenders for a fast-bowling place, Steve Finn and Chris Tremlett, but two wickets in WA's second innings did not represent an irresistible case for selection. And Jonny Bairstow, omitted at the Waca, benefitted from his inactivity as two options for his spot at No 6, Gary Ballance and Ben Stokes, both fell cheaply in an England collapse on the final day.

Ian Bell, England's standout batsmen in the Ashes series in England earlier this year, added 38 in 28 balls to his overnight score of 77 from 28 balls before he retired for 115. His gesture allowed the likes of Ballance and Stokes their first hit of the tour, but it also exposed them to the second new ball, which was only one over old, and England lost seven wickets for 61 in the next 20.5 overs, with Matt Prior, deputising for Alastair Cook as captain, another batsman to fail.

 

England were dismissed for 391 runs, 60 runs behind, but they bowled more respectably second time around, with WA declaring its second innings closed at 5-161 to bring an early end to the third and final day. Ballance made a second-ball nought on his one-day debut against Ireland last August.

 

On his senior debut for England in first-class cricket, he fared even worse, edging his first ball, from Ryan Duffield, to the wicketkeeper. Stokes lasted 10 balls, and managed a solitary boundary, before he fell in a similar fashion, off the bowling of the Glamorgan allrounder Jim Allenby, who took the opportunity to finish with four wickets as England's lower order crumbled.

 

The failure of Ballance and Stokes opens the door for opener Michael Carberry to leapfrog them into the side for the first Test in Brisbane starting on November 21.

 

Carberry, 33, was only selected because Alastair Cook was suffering from a sore back, but he impressed with 78. England may consider bringing him into the side at Gabba and relegating Joe Root to the no 6 spot.

 

But Carberry may struggle to get another chance to bat before the Brisbane Test, with Cook and Kevin Pietersen expected to play in the Hobart game against Australia A starting on Wednesday. Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann should also join the bowling attack for that game. England have to start taking decisions now.

 

Wicket keeper Matt Prior is another of England's batsman struggling to find consistently good form. He was dismissed just four balls after Ballance departed today, also caught behind off the bowling of Duffield, for just four runs. Prior made just 133 runs at an average of 19 against Australia in England earlier this year and has not posted a half-century in 13 Test innings.

 

Jonathan Trott, whose top score in the last Ashes series was 59, spent some valuable time in the middle. He was unbeaten at the end of the England innings on 113, although it took him 236 balls.

Allenby was the pick of the WA bowlers, with figures of 4-58 from 22.5 overs after finding the edge against both James Anderson and Rankin late in the innings.

 

While Rankin failed to trouble the scorers with the bat, he did find a good line and length at the start of WA's second innings. He will go in to Wednesday's game slightly in front of Chris Tremlett and Steven Finn for a final Test bowling spot. He made the most of the new ball, dismissing both openers cheaply. He had Luke Towers caught by Anderson at third slip for just one and Marcus Harris lbw for 22.

 

Rankin did Finn no favours in his first over of the innings though, dropping a catch, albeit a difficult chance, provided to him by Chris Lynn at mid-on. Lynn was on 12 at the time and went on to score an unbeaten 61, following his impressive 104 in the first innings.

 

Finn bounced back with two wickets late in the day, trapping Mitch Marsh lbw for 62 and then having Tom Triffitt caught behind without scoring four balls later. He finished with the figures of 2-53, following his first innings return of 1-123 from 23 overs. Tremlett also claimed a late wicket, his first of the game, just before the close.

 

England will be relieved to move on to two four-day matches against more recognised opposition, with their likely Test X1 largely in place. After facing Australia A in Hobart, they will play a final warm up in Sydney against a New South Wales XI which due to a fixture clash with Shield cricket will be bolstered by several guest players on the instructions of Cricket Australia.

West Indies v Utter Pradesh Tour Match Day 2/3

Uttar Pradesh 206 for 5 (Parvinder 78*, Permaul 2-61) trail West Indians 466 (Chanderpaul 112, Deonarine 94, Ahmed 5-117) by 260 runs

After another delayed start, the West Indians added a modest 133 to their overnight score of 333 but later dismissed five Uttar Pradesh batsmen to stay ahead at the end of the second day at the Jadavpur Univeristy Complex in Kolkata. Shivnarine Chanderpaul completed his century, his 68th in first-class matches, but Narsingh Deonarine fell short of his by six runs.

Both were dismissed in quick succession, trapped lbw by medium-pacer Imtiaz Ahmed in consecutive overs. Two balls after Deonarine fell, RP Singh bowled Denesh Ramdin for 2 and captain Darren Sammy also couldn't survive for too long as he became Ahmed's fifth victim, leaving the score at 387 for 8. However, Veerasammy Permaul and Tino Best, Nos. 9 and 10, took them past 450 with a rapid 67-run stand.

 

While Permaul struck eight fours and a six, Best scored three sixes and as many fours. The partnership finally ended when RP Singh had Best caught for a 28-ball 35. Permaul remained unbeaten on 46 as the West Indians were all out for 466 with the wicket of Sheldon Cotterrell, who was run out for 6.

 

In reply, Uttar Pradesh got a quick start from Tanmay Srivastava and Mukul Dagar, who put on 41 in 7.1 overs before Srivastava was bowled for 23. The visitors didn't let any partnership flourish for another 18 overs, dismissing Mohammad Kaif for 16, Dagar for 42 and Arish Alam for a duck to leave Uttar Pradesh struggling at 96 for 4.

 

However, No. 4 Parvinder Singh revived the innings along with Prashant Gupta. The duo survived for over 25 overs for their 107-run stand before Gupta was caught behind off Sammy for 39. Parvinder continued to resist and finished unbeaten on 78 as bad light ended the day's play early again, with Uttar Pradesh still 260 behind.

2nd ODI Pakistan v South Africa

Pakistan 209 (Shehzad 58, McLaren 4-34) beat South Africa 143 (McLaren 29*, Afridi 3-26) by 66 runs

A seemingly below-par score was defended for the second time in the series as Pakistan out-spun and out-thought South Africa to level the rubber. Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez shared six wickets among them on a surface which facilitated more turn than expected and against a line-up whose technical weaknesses against the art were exposed yet again. Mohammad Irfan, also, continued to impress with his three.
 

In a battle of the two attacks, South Africa's would have been satisfied with their work when they limited Pakistan to a total below the first innings average of 228. Their seamers did the job mainly through Morne Morkel, who generated extra bounce and used the short ball well, and Ryan McLaren, whose changes of pace worked. Those two took seven wickets together and conceded 72 runs in the 20 overs they bowled. Their efforts went in vain as the batsmen collapsed, with no-one managing a score over 30.

Colin Ingram's miserable run continued. If not for overthrows, his streak of three ducks from three internationals would have extended to four. He was bowled by a Sohail Tanvir inswinger and will certainly be replaced in the line-up by Hashim Amla, who will be back from the next game.
 

Graeme Smith and JP Duminy spent 74 balls grafting for 36 runs to put South Africa on track. Duminy was the more comfortable, cutting and driving with relative ease while Smith struggled.

 

Pakistan reviewed an lbw appeal against the former captain when he was on 10 but the umpire's call stood. He persisted with moving across his stumps to defend, though, and was bowled when he missed the sweep. Five balls later, Duminy was caught at slip off Irfan to expose South Africa's soft middle-order.

 

Ajmal generated sharp turn and with his sublime control, it seemed a wicket would fall off every ball. Faf du Plessis edged one which fell short off slip, AB de Villiers had an lbw appeal turned down - which replays showed should have been given out - and almost offered Ajmal a return catch.

 

For five and half overs, with Ajmal and Irfan in operation, Pakistan gave away only 17 runs. South Africa were strangled and by the time Afridi was brought on, at the start of the 23rd over, their frustration had reached breaking point.

 

Du Plessis got on the back foot to defend a flipper but was trapped on the pad with Afridi's first ball. By the time he wanted to review, it was too late although it would have been wasted because Hawk-Eye revealed he was as out. In Afridi's next over, de Villiers tried to cut and was caught behind. At 73 for 5, it was only a matter of time before South Africa unraveled.

 

Wayne Parnell and Ryan McLaren put on 35, South Africa's second-highest partnership, but when Irfan, whose ability to pitch it up continues to earn him praise, had Parnell caught behind, South Africa were waiting to be finished off. Ajmal became the joint highest ODI wicket-taker of the year when Lonwabo Tsotsobe was given out lbw and Afridi took the final wicket to complete a second consecutive three-wicket haul.

 

In the end it seemed it was Pakistan, rather than South Africa, who could lay claim to de Villiers assertion that only four wickets were needed to dent their opposition. De Villiers' bold statement was justified, though, when Pakistan were batting, because their last six put on just 92 runs in 21 overs.

 

After Ahmed Shehzad, who scored his third consecutive ODI fifty, was dismissed, Pakistan struggled against the discipline of the South Africa attack. The bowlers set the tone in the first two overs, which ended with Nasir Jamshed, for the second time in the series, top edging an attempted pull.

 

Lonwabo Tsotsobe completed a well-judged catch at fine leg to enhance his opening passage of play in which he also troubled Hafeez. On seeing the left-armer cause problems, de Villiers introduced Wayne Parnell at the other end but the hero from the first match could not find his length and offered Pakistan relief.

 

Shehzad and Hafeez took 32 runs off the last four overs of the Powerplay to set Pakistan up. No sooner had they done that when Hafeez stepped out against Ryan McLaren and inside-edged a back of a length ball onto his own stumps.

 

His departure forced Shehzad to go back into his shell but he slowly emerged from it with Misbah-ul-Haq at his side. Misbah showed more impatience than usual, even after Shehzad has raised his bat to the only half-century of the match, and would have trusted his younger partner to bat for a while longer.

 

Shehzad, though, went soon after Misbah, offering the simplest of return catches to Imran Tahir to spark Pakistan's slump. After he was dismissed, the two Umar's - Amin and Akmal - were together for 51 balls in which they only managed 31 runs. South Africa's bowlers gave away very little so that when McLaren brought his change of pace to the fore, they were victims of it.

 

Misbah predicted turn would be a factor later in the match and he was proved correct. The teams have four days between fixtures to regroup, and South Africa will want to take advantage of Gary Kirsten's presence as their batting consultant before the third game.

Pakistan 209 (Shehzad 58*, McLaren 4-34, Morkel 3-38) v South Africa

South Africa believed they only needed four Pakistan wickets to hold an advantage over their opposition, and they justified that belief on the field in the second ODI. Ahmed Shehzad, who scored his third consecutive ODI fifty, was the fourth batsman to be dismissed. After he departed, Pakistan managed 92 runs in 21 overs to post a total 19 runs adrift of the average first-innings score in Dubai of 228.
 

Shehzad steadied the innings after the early loss of Nasir Jamshed, built partnerships with Mohammad Hafeez and Misbah-ul-Haq but could not go on to anchor the latter half of the innings - a failure that cost Pakistan.

 

AB de Villiers used his bowlers cleverly. He gave Morne Morkel short bursts, chose opportune moments for Ryan McLaren to bowl his mixture of cutters and yorkers, and saved Imran Tahir for the tail. Good use of the short ball ensured South Africa's attack were in control for large swathes of the innings.

 

The bowlers set the tone in the first three overs, which ended with Nasir Jamshed top-edging an attempted pull for the second time in the series. Lonwabo Tsotsobe completed a well-judged catch at fine leg to enhance his opening passage of play, which also included sharp stops at fine-leg and three miserly overs in which he troubled Mohammad Hafeez.

 

On seeing the left-armer cause problems, de Villiers introduced Wayne Parnell at the other end, but the hero from the first match could not find his length in this one. He immediately dished up a full delivery to offer the first boundary of the innings - after 37 deliveries - and it became clear that Pakistan would target him.

 

Shehzad and Hafeez took 32 runs through pulls and drives off the last four Powerplay overs to set Pakistan up. They were going well when Hafeez stepped out against Ryan McLaren and inside-edged a back-of-a-length ball onto his stumps.

 

His departure forced Shehzad back into a shell and it was only Parnell's return that brought out the batsman's pull shot again. Misbah bided time with Shehzad, lashing out when JP Duminy tossed it up, but he soon grew impatient.

 

The Pakistan captain survived an edge off a Tsostobe delivery that went out of de Villiers' reach, but ran out of luck when he tried to hit Ryan McLaren over deep mid-wicket. Seven balls later, Shehzad offered a simple return catch to Tahir and Pakistan's problems began.

 

The two Umars - Amin and Akmal - were together for 51 balls in which they only managed 28 runs. South Africa's bowlers gave away very little and, with their fielding effort ensuring there were no stray singles, the pair were under pressure. Akmal relented, feeding a catch to the cover fielder, and Amin was trapped by a change of pace from McLaren, edging to de Villiers.

 

Pakistan's innings threatened to come apart, as it did on Wednesday in the first ODI, but Shahid Afridi found time for some big blows, even though he was involved in the run-out of Sohail Tanvir. His shot of the day came in the 46th over, a swing to long-off that only just bounced inside the boundary and was eclipsed by Wahab Riaz bludgeoning Morkel over cow corner in the next over.

 

Afridi fell on his sword, giving Morkel a third wicket, while Saeed Ajmal used the only review to unsuccessfully contest an lbw decision off a McLaren off-cutter. Pakistan could not muster much after that and will need a strong performance from their attack if they are to level the series.

25 overs Pakistan 103 for 2 (Shehzad 54*, Misbah 19*) v South Africa

Ahmed Shehzad's third consecutive fifty steadied and propelled Pakistan against a South African attack that showed the same discipline, albeit less penetration, than they did in the first ODI. After the early loss of Nasir Jamshed, Shehzad rebuilt with Mohammad Hafeez, and then Misbah-ul-Haq, to give Pakistan a base from which they should exceed the first innings average of 228 at this ground.
 

Initially, it seemed as though South Africa could keep them within those margins. A quiet first two overs ended with Jamshed falling prey to a short ball, for the second time in the series. He top-edged an attempted pull sending the ball high towards fine leg. AB de Villiers tried to race there from behind the stumps but left it to Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who made good ground and judged the chance expertly, to take the catch low down.

 

Tsotsobe continued to control the first six overs, cutting off the ball at fine leg twice when it seemed set to cross the boundary, bowling the only maiden of the first 10 overs and causing problems, especially to Mohammad Hafeez, with his angle. On observing the problems Pakistan were having against a left-armer, de Villiers made his first bowling change and brought on Wayne Parnell to replace Morkel.

 

Parnell dished up the first full ball of the innings and was driven through mid-wicket as a result. Ahmed Shehzad scored the first boundary off the 37th delivery of the match to get Pakistan's innings going. Seven runs were scored off Parnell's first over and the signal had been sent that Pakistan would be more aggressive.

 

Shehzad and Hafeez went on to pull and drive off both Tsotosbe and Parnell as the pair switched between too short and too full, raising questions about why Morkel was taken off in the first place. Pakistan finished the powerplay on 40 for 1, 32 of those runs coming off the last four overs.

 

Imran Tahir and Ryan McLaren were introduced after the fielding restrictions were lifted and at first, it seemed neither would be able keep the run-rate down. Hafeez brought up Pakistan's fifty midway through the 12th over, bisecting fielders on the leg side to perfection.

 

Hafeez had the start he wanted but threw it away when he came forward to McLaren and chopped a back-of-length delivery on to his stumps. It was up to Misbah-ul-Haq to rebuild again. Pakistan crept back into their shell as Tahir found good drift and Morkel was brought back.

 

Shehzad bided his time and waited to take runs off Parnell, who struggled to find his lengths. His half-century came off JP Duminy and Pakistan will want much more from him as they attempt to level the series.

West Aus Chairman's XI v Eng XI Tour Match Day 2/3

England XI 2 for 270 (Carberry 78, Bell 77*) trail Western Australia Chairman's XI (Turner 62*) 5 for 451 dec. by 181 runs

Ian Bell wasted no time in hitting his straps in Australia and Michael Carberry seized on the chance afforded to him by Alastair Cook's absence as England put up a solid display in their first innings of the Ashes Tour.

Bell closed day two at the WACA unbeaten on 77 with Jonathan Trott on 64 as England reached 2 for 270. The warm-up is heading for a draw as England trail Western Australia by 181 runs after the home side declared in the day's first session at 5 for 451.

 

Bell was quickly back into the form that saw him named Man of the Series in the Ashes in England and Carberry demonstrated that England have a competent opener should they need to make a change at the top of the order.

 

While Carberry grasped the opportunity to make runs on a good batting wicket, Joe Root, yet to convince as an opener in Test cricket, missed out. He is the only batsman dismissed in the game so far not to reach a half-century.

 

Each of the five WA batsmen dismissed in their innings made it to at least 50, highlighted by Chris Lynn's entertaining 104. But Root managed only 36 from 60 deliveries before he was trapped lbw by Glamorgan allrounder Jim Allenby.

 

Root shared in a 100-run opening stand with Carberry, who was the more aggressive of the pair. Carberry made 78 before he slashed at a short and wide delivery from spinner Ashton Turner and was caught by Allenby at backward-point.

 

Carberry, 33, has played just one Test for England, against Bangladesh in 2010 and is unlikely to start the Ashes barring injury. But finding form will put pressure on Root - who was recently awarded a central contract - to deliver. He still has two four-day games, in Hobart and Sydney, to spend some time in the middle before the first Ashes Test starts in Brisbane on November 21.

 

But it was Bell that again suggested he could be the key to England's chances of claiming a fourth consecutive Ashes series for the first time since 1890.

 

He enjoys playing against Australia. In the recent Ashes series in England he was the difference between the two sides, leading the scoring with 562 runs at an average of 62.44. In the 2010-11 series in Australia, he was also crucial to the tourists' success, scoring 329 runs in six innings, at an impressive average of 65.80. Only Alastair Cook (766 runs at 127.66) and Trott (445 at 89.00) averaged more in that series.

 

Trott was in no hurry in his first innings on tour, bringing up his 50 in 101 balls, compared to Bell, who took only 71 deliveries to bring up his half-century.

 

After turning six starts into just two half-centuries against Australia in England this year, Trott appears keen to spend as much time in the middle in the lead up to the Test series to help improve on his tally of 293 runs that he contributed the last time the two sides met.

 

After Bell bought up his milestone he belted former Australia spinner Michael Beer and Turner for big sixes. He looked comfortable at the crease from the first ball and hit two fours in the first over he faced and was confident in leaving balls alone that were passing close by his stumps.

 

WA were hampered by the loss of opening bowler Burt Cockley, who left the ground half-way through his third over with a knee injury. He wasn't the only fielder from the home side forced from the ground, after keeper Tom Triffitt was hit in the face by a ball from Beer that appeared to bounce unexpectedly high. He required six stitches.

 

England's bowlers had earlier struggled for a second consecutive day, managing to take only one more wicket before WA declared. The hosts added 82 runs to their overnight score in 18 overs with Turner unbeaten on 62, meaning that each of WA's top 6 batsmen made half centuries.

 

Allenby took his overnight 34 to 53 before he was trapped lbw by Steven Finn in the 10th over of the day, Finn's first. Unfortunately, it failed to inspire Finn, who bowled five overs for 36 runs, finishing with 1 for 123 from 23 overs in the innings. But he would still consider himself very much in the mix for the vacant fast bowling position in the Brisbane Test, as his competition was not much more impressive.

 

Chris Tremlett took up the attack this morning and bowled only four over for 17 runs, while Boyd Rankin's final contribution was 1 for 92 from 20 overs.

 

James Anderson was easily the pick of the England attack, conceding only 55 runs in 23 overs, bowling nine maidens. But he managed just one wicket on a deck that is offering the bowlers little.