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Australia 8 for 214 (Ponting 55, Hussey 40*) beat Pakistan 212 (Umar Akmal 67, Fawad Alam 63, McKay 4-35, Harris 3-44) by two wickets

As Britain's Andy Murray faltered in his attempt to win his first Grand Slam title taking on world No.1 Roger Federer in the Australian Open final in Melbourne, a more absorbing sporting contest took place in Perth. Having bowled out Pakistan for 212, Australia were made to fight every inch for the two-wicket win that handed Pakistan their second 5-0 sweep in history. Fittingly, it was Michael Hussey, Australia's most valuable player for a scrap, who steered them home with an unbeaten 40.

After Clint McKay set the tone with 4 for 35, there was a welcome return to form for Ricky Ponting, whose 55 gave Australia the early initiative which was never entirely abandoned despite a tigerish performance from Pakistan's spinners. Australia had begun the series with a brilliant chase at the Gabba and finished off the rout with Hussey again there to oversee victory, which was achieved in the last over courtesy a no-ball. They will go into the ODIs against West Indies in buoyant mood, while Pakistan look at their calendar for the few months - which only includes Twenty20s until July - still disheveled and searching for their mojo.

After four one-sided affairs, it was good to witness a contest in the last match. Defending a low total, Pakistan's only chance was to bowl Australia out. They took two wickets inside the fielding Powerplay as the openers fell to aerial shots, but the way Ponting was playing, Australia looked on course for a comfortable win. His first ball was fended wide of the slips for four, and two strokes soon after were especially memorable - an incredible back-foot punch to a length ball and a caressed nudge past square leg. Two more controlled leg-side boundaries had Ponting off to a flier.

Mohammad Asif had been the best Pakistan bowler in this series, but today it was the spinners who scrambled Australia's intentions and turned a walk in the park into a tiptoe through a minefield. On a pitch that had showed signs of cracking after Pakistan's innings, Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik, recalled for the specialist spinner Saeed Ajmal, made a fist of defending a modest total.

Afridi, the captain today, made the key breakthrough as the in-form Cameron White reached way outside off stump and dragged the ball onto his stumps in the 17th over. With that Ponting stepped down a notch, allowing Afridi and Malik to slowly apply the squeeze. After crossing fifty for the first time in nearly three months, Ponting danced down to Malik and picked out long-on. Not too long after Malik struck again when he lured Adam Voges out of his crease and an easy catch was held at midwicket. James Hopes never looked in command against spin and became Afridi's second when an outer edge was well taken by Younis Khan at slip. Australia had lost three wickets for 28 runs, and at 6 for 150, their performance was in danger of freefall.

But one man was still there. Hussey's tussle with Malik was especially compelling - Malik repeatedly tried to beat Hussey in flight, and each time Hussey rose to the challenge, using the depth of his crease well. Even when he wasn't to the pitch he was willing to take some chances, reaching out to steer the ball. A superbly placed late cut in the 44th over took the equation to 39 from 38 balls, but in the second over of the batting Powerplay Mitchell Johnson chased and nicked Naved-ul-Hasan behind.

Nathan Hauritz, coming off a maiden ODI fifty, eased the pressure with a spanking four in the next over before he turned his attention to Naved, steering a deliberate shot to third man. With fine leg up, Iftikhar strayed down leg and Hussey pulled four, cuing chants from that section of the crowd. Brilliant running, some nerves from the fielders and another controlled pull from Hussey allowed Australia scamper past the finish line with four deliveries to spare.

Earlier in the day, it had been Pakistan's batsmen who pressed the self-destruct button. The Australian fast bowlers - led by Ryan Harris, who added impressive control to his pacy offerings - shackled the Pakistan top order early in the piece. Umar Akmal, and Fawad Alam subsequently injected some momentum with half-centuries - only one other batsman got to double digits - but Pakistan were restricted to a total far below what they would have liked.

After opting to bat, Pakistan had taken 17 balls to put a run on the board and 48 to strike the first four. Harris, Johnson and McKay each struck in their first overs and a score of 3 for 17 after 13 overs summed up Pakistan's predicament. The three quicks landed the ball around an off-stump line, varied the length fractionally and found the tiniest bit of movement. McKay's first three overs were run-free out of a period in which Pakistan went five overs for a single run. Umar survived a couple of close calls early on, edging outside off and missing twice, but soon tightened up and looked confident and competent. Johnson returned and effected a run-out off his own bowling, after Umar dabbed a short ball and harried off, sending Malik on his way for 36.

The acceleration was smooth for a good stretch, with Fawad playing well. Between overs 21.2 and 34.2 there were only three boundaries as Hopes and Hauritz were able to operate largely unmolested, but with each run the pair added Pakistan inched towards a respectable total. Fawad timed the ball well from the start, getting off the mark with a controlled steer off a Johnson yorker, and then found the gaps far more consistently than any of the other batsmen did.

Umar raised his fifty from 87 balls but once the stand was broken - and it took a clever slower delivery from McKay to do it - Australia tightened the screw again superbly by taking the last six wickets for 54 runs in 53 deliveries; Harris took his tally to 13 wickets in three consecutive games and McKay snared 4 for 35. Despite pushing Australia to the limit under lights, a target of 213 wasn't enough.

akistan's new-look batting order has an early chance to show it can be a force after Mohammad Yousuf won the toss in the opening ODI of the five-match series in Brisbane. The tourists, who lost the Test contest 3-0, have been boosted by the inclusion of Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi while Kamran Akmal has been restored at the top of the order.

Akmal was dropped from the Test team for his poor keeping during the Sydney Test, but he will take the gloves and Sarfraz Ahmed will watch from the sidelines. The fast bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, who has been playing Twenty20 games for Tasmania, was preferred to Umar Gul and joins Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer in a pace attack that should enjoy the evening conditions.

Australia are carrying a 12-man squad and left out James Hopes, the Queensland allrounder, who is only with the team for this match. Ricky Ponting would have liked to have batted on a hard pitch with green tinges, but will be forced to chase under lights in steamy conditions.

Australia 1 Shane Watson, 2 Shaun Marsh, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Cameron White, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Nathan Hauritz, 9 Clint McKay, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Doug Bollinger.

Pakistan 1 Salman Butt, 2 Kamran Akmal (wk), 3 Younis Khan, 4 Mohammad Yousuf (capt), 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, 9 Mohammad Asif, 10 Mohammed Aamer, 11 Saeed Ajmal.

India 243 (Tendulkar 105, Sehwag 52, Shakib 5-62, Shahadat 5-71) and 413 for 8 dec. (Gambhir 116, Laxman 69, Mishra 50) beat Bangladesh 242 (Mahmudullah 69, Zaheer 3-54, Mishra 3-66) and 301 (Mushfiqur 101, Tamim 52, Mishra 4-92, Ishant 3-48) by 113 runs

Tamim Iqbal's brief resistance and Mushfiqur Rahim's crowd-pleasing century were way too inadequate for Bangladesh who had no surprises lined up on the final day. Even with an off-rhythm Sreesanth making it a virtual three-man attack, Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan paved India's way to an eventually comfortable win despite their first-innings failure and murky conditions curtailing action on every day of the match. Despite Mushfiqur's knock - the fastest hundred for a Bangladesh player - alongside the tail, they could not last until the final session.

In the end, it was the batsmen who let the Bangladesh bowlers down. Their bowlers might have shown they were better than ordinary, getting India out for 243 in the first innings, but both their batting efforts were ordinary. In the final innings, none of the batsmen showed either the aptitude or the inclination to bat out long periods on a flat pitch and on a day where bad light was bound to cut the day short.

The signs were all there in the first ten minutes of the day. Mohammad Ashraful carried on from an edgy first innings. After surviving two slashes and edges in the first three overs, he drove on the up at an Ishant delivery that held its line enough to take a healthy edge. Raqibul Hasan showed the willingness to fight it out, even taking a blow on the elbow, but Ishant's re-discovered offcutter proved to be too good for him, trapping him plumb in front.

The only bit of fight came from Tamim, who survived the early thorough examination given by Ishant and Zaheer. He concentrated hard, and quelled his natural game for the first hour. Except for one loose drive in the second over, he resisted the cover-drives, and instead relied on bunting the balls close to him for singles. He did not concentrate for long enough, though. The way he tried to open up against Sreesanth and Amit Mishra showed that the first hour had taken a big extra effort. From 27 off 81, when the back-up bowlers were introduced, he moved to 50 off 106, bringing up the milestone with a reverse-sweep.

Eight minutes before lunch, Tamim gave it all away. Virender Sehwag had replaced Sreesanth, and in his second over, Tamim went for a big booming drive when he was close to neither the line nor the length of the delivery. The outside edge was snapped well by an alert Rahul Dravid, and India were sensing the win.

The only man who could hold them up was Shakib Al Hasan, and post the break, he got a special googly from Mishra that kicked at him and took the shoulder of his bat on its way to silly point. Mahmudullah, who scored 69 in the first innings, got into a personal battle with Zaheer, and eventually Bangladesh paid for it. Bouncers, verbals, hooks, upper-cuts, and then a tame edge outside off.

Mushfiqur stood on the burning deck, hit his way to a personal best, added 60 for the eight wicket, then cut, pulled and lofted some more, made Sreesanth mouth off like a madman for no reason, manoeuvred the strike expertly, and managed a consolatory maiden century. Mishra kept at the task, mixing the googlies well with the legbreaks, and took out the last three wickets.

MS Dhoni has been ruled out of the first Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong because of a back strain. Virender Sehwag, his deputy, will lead India in the match scheduled to start on Sunday, the Indian team manager Arshad Ayub confirmed.

Australia 8 for 519 dec and 1 for 59 lead Pakistan 301 (Butt 102, Malik 58, Katich 3-34, Hauritz 3-96) by 277 runs


Salman Butt's third Test century and Ricky Ponting's decision not to enforce the follow-on should ensure the Hobart Test goes for the full five days, although Australia remain in control with a 277-run advantage. After the second day's play, Ponting talked up the likelihood of making Pakistan bat again straight away, but his mind was changed when it took the bowlers 105.4 overs to dismiss them the first time.

Eventually, after a 60-minute last-wicket partnership between Umar Gul and Mohammad Asif that spanned both sides of the tea break, Nathan Hauritz finished off Pakistan for 301, leaving them 218 short of Australia's total. But Ponting wanted a break for his fast men and, despite the expected showers over the next two days, will set Pakistan a fourth-innings target.

Australia reached 1 for 59 at stumps with Simon Katich on 33 and Ponting on 25 after Shane Watson departed in the second over for 1. Watson skied a catch when he miscued Mohammad Aamer and it was the first time since the summer-opening Gabba Test match that he had failed to post a half-century in either innings.

Batting wasn't difficult on the good surface, as demonstrated by the inability of Australia's fast men to break through with the second new ball when they were trying to prise out Gul and Asif. Peter Siddle, Doug Bollinger and Mitchell Johnson didn't help their cause by abandoning the key principle of new-ball bowling - pitching up to allow swing - and banged it in far too short against the tailenders.

The pair added 53 for the final wicket and provided some entertaining highlights, including three powerful sixes from Gul, who finished unbeaten on 38. Asif posted 29, his highest Test score, before he skied a catch to mid-on off Hauritz, who ended up with 3 for 96. The tail-end pluck only served to highlight how disappointing much of Pakistan's batting effort was, with the exception of Butt and Shoaib Malik.

Their fighting three-hour stand that lasted until after lunch was characterised by concentration and patience, two traits that Pakistan's batsmen have so often lacked on this trip. Butt was strong off the back foot through the off side and Malik put in a good audition to permanently return to the Test line-up before the part-time spin of Katich split the pair up.

Katich had Butt caught at slip for 102, which was his first Test century for four years and a much-needed one after he was responsible for running out Mohammad Yousuf and Umar Akmal on the second afternoon. It was enough for Yousuf to brand Butt a "lazy" runner and although the captain wasn't spotted cheering Butt's century, he must surely have been pleased that his opener took on the extra responsibility after his lapses.

The loss of Butt led to a collapse of 5 for 35 as Katich ran through the lower middle-order and finished with 3 for 34, his second-best Test figures. Katich tossed one up across the body of the right-hander Sarfraz Ahmed, who edged to slip for 1, and then drew Aamer into an exotic slog-sweep that flew high in the air and was swallowed by Watson at cover.

In between, Hauritz had chipped in with the key wicket of Malik, who by then was Pakistan's best hope of avoiding the follow-on. He threw his innings away with a lusty aerial drive that was taken at mid-on, and Hauritz followed with Danish Kaneria, caught at cover.

Then came the last-wicket stand, which was Pakistan's best in Tests for three years. Together with the efforts of Butt and Malik, it was enough to make Ponting think twice about the follow-on and the next two days will reveal if it was enough to save the match.

Sri Lanka 249 for 6 (Jayawardene 71*, Sangakkara 55) beat India 245 (Raina 106, Kulasekara 4-48) by four wickets

Historically, when it comes to finals of triangular tournaments, Sri Lanka have had the upper hand over India, who in the last decade succeeded in winning just four in 21 finals. A familiar tale panned out in Dhaka, where a frenetic start was followed by an enthralling finish and the result was yet another tournament win for Sri Lanka over India.

Of all the individual contributions that were spread across 96.5 overs of fluctuating cricket in Dhaka, the one that towered over all others was a 71. Those were the runs scored by Mahela Jayawardene, and it undermined the importance of his surprise call-up to the squad midway through the tri-series. Building on the good work of Sri Lanka's bowlers, especially the Man of the Match Nuwan Kulasekara, Jayawardene smoothed over two spin-induced wobbles and paced the chase precisely to steer them home with nine balls to spare on a chilly evening.

Suresh Raina's first ODI century against serious opposition - his previous two were against Hong Kong and Bangladesh - had boosted India from 60 for 5 to a respectable 245 but they were a strike bowler short after Ashish Nehra took a wicket and left the field. Harbhajan Singh produced two openings with his tidy offspin yet Jayawardene was flawless in his match-winning effort. And to think he'd initially been ruled out of the series through injury.

When India dismissed the well-set pair of Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara in the space of 14 deliveries on a rare dew-free evening, their total seemed around 40 runs more than it actually was. India turned in a fighting performance after Sangakkara and Dilshan fell, but fittingly it was Jayawardene, Sri Lanka's most experienced player, who anchored the chase.

After Nehra sent back Tharanga for his second consecutive duck, only to hobble off with a dodgy groin after bowling eight deliveries, Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth, especially, struggled with their bearings and Sangakkara, with very good use of the wrists, latched on readily. He was away with two expertly placed boundaries, just using the pace and putting width away through the off-side arc, and followed those up with two glorious drives past extra cover and point. With Sangakkara striking the ball sweetly, Dilshan set about erecting a platform that would see Sri Lanka through.

However, 93 for 1 soon turned into 109 for 3, with spin giving India some hope. MS Dhoni turned to Yuvraj Singh for the 17th over, and it took him one delivery to raise India's spirits. Dilshan, on 49, tried to cut but the ball stayed low and Dhoni made no mistake holding the bottom edge. In the 20th over Sangakkara, who had raised his half-century off just 48 balls, was tempted by a loopy one from Harbhajan Singh that forced him back and then drew the edge to slip.

Boundaries dried up and the tension was palpable, as was perhaps the batsmen's surprise at the minimal effect the dew had. Where cuts and glances had been abundant, suddenly hard-handed chops to backward point and inside edges off hurried drives became frequent. There was big turn for Harbhajan and Dhoni threw in a leg gully to go with a slip.

But Jayawardene is just the man you need to walk in with the asking rate under control and a batsman in good nick at the other end. He aided Sri Lanka's chase with customary effectiveness: a forward press here, a clipped single there, a deft boundary here, a cheeky two there. It was typical Jayawardene - aware of what the situation demanded and knowing which bowlers to take runs off and how.

Having eased the pressure with a lovely dab wide of backward point for four, Thilan Samaraweera failed to spot Ravindra Jadeja's arm ball and dragged it onto his stumps. That wicket snapped a 48-run partnership, but few circumstances ruffle Jayawardene and he ensured he was around till the end. Harbhajan's dismissal of Thilina Kandamby in his second spell didn't bother Jayawardene, who raised his fifty with a characteristic nudge off the pads. A drop by Harbhajan at point when Jayawardene was on 54 was as close as India came to dismissing him. Even the run out of Suraj Randiv with 18 needed from 21 balls wasn't enough. With three successive boundaries off Sreesanth, each played to different areas and with varying degrees of control, Jayawardene sealed the deal.

Jayawardene's innings overshadowed a splendid century earlier in the day. Raina's effort was the fourth-highest ODI score by an Indian at No. 6 and kept India afloat but Sri Lanka finished off well, taking the last four wickets for 32 runs in 5.2 overs. By bowling India out in 48.2 overs with some tight bowling at the end, they were always ahead in the match.

For the first 11 overs of the game on an overcast and mildly chilly Dhaka afternoon, India's innings resembled an automobile ignition on a wintry morning in Denmark. A mishmash of indiscreet shot selection, accurate new-ball bowling, efficient left-arm pace and smart catching is often a recipe for a lop-sided contest and India so nearly made it one. The top order played without purpose - completely failing to make use of the chance to bat time at the crease - and wickets fell in a heap within the first ten overs.

Gautam Gambhir's first-over dismissal - bowled off the pads while trying to glance Kulasekara - set about a brief period of chaos where India's batsmen made the slightly nippy Chanaka Welegedara look like Jeff Thomson. Though hovering in the late 120 to early 130 kmph, Welegedara drew a tentative waft from Kohli and made Yuvraj - who had not batted so early in the innings since November 8 against Australia - look like a novice with two slips licking their lips.

Overconfidence did Dhoni and Virender Sehwag in after a mini-recovery, as both fell to the accurate Kulasekara, and with India struggling at 76 for 5 after 15 overs, this was threatening to be one of the quickest finals in recent memory. Luckily for India, Raina and Jadeja proceeded to buckle down and give the innings some substance.

Raina never allowed the situation get to him. He was alert to the singles, was skillful at finding the gaps, and ran well with Jadeja. A pull through midwicket in the 20th over changed the tempo from caution to slow acceleration, and an open-faced steer between mid-off and extra cover was the shot of the innings. Forty one of Raina's runs came behind the wicket, all through dabs, steers, glances and gentle maneuvering, but it was the crisply struck drives that had spectators cheering. The cover area was regularly threaded, especially as Raina made room to dominate the bowlers.

At 166 for 5 in the 35th over, India appeared on course for 250 but Dilshan trapped Jadeja (38) plumb in front. Raina's attempt to boost the tempo after reaching his century didn't come off, with India losing wickets cheaply. Despite facing 53 dot balls, Raina's strike-rate was a swift 92.17; marvelous considering the mess he had walked out to. His excellent contribution at least gave India something to bowl at, but 245 just wasn't enough to prevent Sri Lanka from securing their first tri-series success since the 2008 Asia Cup - against the same opposition.

A clinical all-round performance helped Sri Lanka defeat India by four wickets in the final of the triangular one-day series in Dhaka.

A strong effort with the ball from Nuwan Kulasekara and Chanaka Welegedara had left India reeling at 60 for five at one stage, but they recovered well through battling knocks from Suresh Raina (106), Virender Sehwag (42) and Ravindra Jadeja (38) to finish 245 all out.

Sri Lanka lost an early wicket, but Kumar Sangakkara (55) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (49) kick-started the recovery while Mahela Jayawardene hit an unbeaten 71 as they eased to victory inside 49 overs.

Sangakkara won his fifth toss in a row and new-ball bowlers Kulasekara and Welegedara gave Sri Lanka the perfect start by snaring quick wickets and destroying India's batting line-up.

Kulasekara removed Gautam Gambhir for a second-ball duck in his first over in bizarre fashion, a delivery pitched just outside leg stump flicking a protruding edge of the left-hander's thigh pad and cannoning into the stumps.

Welegedara claimed wickets in successive overs although both Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh - and Mahendra Singh Dhoni later - did themselves little credit with their poor shot selection.

Sehwag batted on serenely during the carnage, hammering Kulasekara for three boundaries in four deliveries early in his innings and easily finding the ropes thereafter.

He fell just short of the half-century, attempting to guide a rising delivery from Kulasekara to third man, but only steering straight to Sangakkara.

Raina and Jadeja rebuilt slowly, accumulating runs through excellent singles and twos rather than boundaries.

Raina eventually opened up as he closed in on his half-century and reached the mark with consecutive boundaries off Thissara Perera.

Sri Lanka, however, regrouped during the second drinks interval and Tillakaratne Dilshan broke the stand by trapping Jadeja in front.

And although Raina went on to reach only his third ODI century, India were bowled out inside their full quota of overs.

Sri Lanka lost Upul Tharanga at the start of their chase, the batsman slashing at a delivery from Ashish Nehra, but only edging to Kohli at second slip.

But India's chances suffered a blow when Nehra pulled up with a groin injury in the middle of his second over and made his way off the field.

Dilshan and Sangakkara took up the chase and the two steered Sri Lanka into a dominant position with a 93-run stand for the second wicket almost at a run-a-ball.

India clawed their way back through a fine performance from their spinners, Yuvraj opening the door with the wicket of Dilshan with the first delivery he sent down.

Sangakkara, who reached his 55th ODI half-century, was then snared by Harbhajan Singh, the bowler finally securing the Sri Lanka captain's wicket after troubling him considerably with vicious spin.

A stand between Thilan Samaraweera and Jayawardene was then broken by Jadeja, the left-arm spinner extracting Samaraweera, while Thilina Kandamy was trapped in front by Harbhajan in his final over as Sri Lanka showed familiar frailties.

Sri Lanka lost two more wickets making for a tight finish, but Jayawardene kept a cool head to see his team across the line.

48.2 overs India 245 (Raina 106, Sehwag 42, Kulasekara 4-48) v Sri Lanka

Suresh Raina's first ODI century against a serious opposition - his previous two were against Hong Kong and Bangladesh - could prove to be his most influential contribution when a rejuvenated India take the field to defend 245 in Dhaka. Having dug themselves into a gaping hole at 60 for 5, India were made to fight every inch for their total and while it is far less than what they should have got on a good batting track, it looks a whole lot better thanks to Raina.

His effort was the fourth-highest ODI score by an Indian at No. 6. From the time he entered the carnage in the ninth over, with India 4 for 47, to the time he was dismissed for 106 in the 46th over, Raina was confidence personified. However, Sri Lanka finished off well, taking the last four wickets for 32 runs in 5.2 overs and, given the notorious dew factor, will back themselves to chase this and secure a rare tournament title.

For the fulcrum of that belief, rewind to an overcast and mildly chilly Dhaka afternoon, when India's innings resembled an automobile ignition on a wintry morning in Denmark. A mishmash of indiscreet shot selection, accurate new-ball bowling, efficient left-arm pace and smart catching is often a recipe for a lop-sided contest and India so nearly made it one. The top order played without purpose - completely failing to make use of the chance to bat time at the crease - and wickets fell in a heap before the second fielding Powerplay was taken.

Gautam Gambhir's first-over dismissal - bowled off the pads while trying to glance Nuwan Kulasekara - set about a brief period of chaos where India's batsmen made the slightly nippy Chanaka Welegedara look like Jeff Thomson. Virat Kohli, in a rich vein of form, had only himself to blame when he steered a wide ball to Kumar Sangakkara. The change of angle had worked for Welegedara, who, with the previous ball, had been unfortunate to have a good lbw shout turned down. For Yuvraj Singh, who had not batted so early in the innings since November 8 against Australia, Sangakkara plugged two slips in a strong off-side field. It worked to perfection, as Yuvraj stood up and flirted with a rising delivery outside off stump and was well snapped up by Thilan Samaraweera at second slip, plucking the thick outside edge with one hand. Welegedara, hovering in the late 120s to early 130 kmph, had made Yuvraj look like a novice.

Sehwag - who went past 7,000 ODI runs today - didn't think it was over, counterattacking for a period in which boundaries flowed square on the off side with precision. But overconfidence did MS Dhoni in, as he attempted another drive and nicked Kulasekara to Sangakkara, for the wicketkeeper's 300th ODI dismissal. As with several Sehwag cameos in the recent past, this too wouldn't last. Sangakkara opted not to take the second fielding Powerplay after ten overs and Sehwag, looking to manufacture a run, uppercut Kulasekara to Sangakkara. It was the fourth time an Indian batsman had played an injudicious shot.

With India struggling at 76 for 5 after 15 overs, this was threatening to be one of the quickest finals in recent memory. Luckily for India, Raina and Jadeja proceeded to buckle down and give the innings a backbone. Raina was the more dominant partner after settling down to bat sensibly. After beginning with a wild shot that evaded mid-off, he showed signs of real intent. A pull through midwicket in the 20th over changed the tempo from survival to acceleration, and an open-faced steer between mid-off and extra cover was the shot of the innings. In Jadeja, who looked more suited to the situation that his senior team-mate, he found a capable ally with whom he stitched together an invaluable 106-run stand that helped push India's score to a respectable 245.

As their confidence increased, so did the nature of their shots. For the first 30-odd minutes of their alliance Raina and Jadeja were circumspect, content to thrust bat and pad together, and began flicking deliveries on off stump and just outside with precision. Fielders moved back from cover to deep extra cover and point to deep backward point as the pair began dabbing Suraj Randiv's spin with soft hands square on the off side as well.

Raina never allowed the situation get to him. He was alert to the singles, was skilled at placing the ball into the gaps, and called and responded well with Jadeja. Forty one of Raina's runs came behind the wicket, all through dabs, steers, glance and gentle maneuvering, but it was the crisply struck drives that had spectators purring and then cheering. The cover area was regularly threaded, especially as Raina made room to dominate the bowlers.

At 166 for 5 in the 35th over, India appeared on course for 250 but Dilshan trapped Jadeja (38) plumb in front. Harbhajan Singh (11 from 26 balls) and Zaheer Khan (16 from 8) helped India reach 200, but Raina's attempt to boost the tempo, after he crossed his century and lost No's 8 and 9, didn't come off. Despite facing 53 dot balls, Raina's strike-rate was a swift 92.17; marvelous considering the mess he had walked out to. Of the 185 runs scored since he came to the middle, Raina contributed 106. His excellent contribution at least gave India something to bowl at.

A fine innings of 85 from Shakib Al Hasan and a fine supporting hand from Mahmudullah took Bangladesh to a decent total in the final round-robin match of this tri-series. With Naeem Islam chipping in with a brisk 22, Bangladesh took 47 from the batting Powerplay and 95 from the final 10 overs. Mahmudullah remained unbeaten on 64.

They had slumped to 95 for 5 before Shakib and Mahmudullah added 106 from 128 balls. Shakib was dropped by MS Dhoni off Yuvraj Singh when he had made just 38 and he took advantage with some punishing strokes in the final stages of the innings. A huge six over midwicket off Ravindra Jadeja started the acceleration, and he took Amit Mishra in the same direction when he dropped one short.

There was some fortune, with a top edge clearing Dhoni for four, but there was also plenty of ability, with Sudeep Tyagi pulled for two fours and then scooped impudently down to fine leg. But when he tried to repeat the stroke against a slower ball from Ashish Nehra, he only found Dhoni's gloves.

Mahmudullah had started off with a thump over cover off Mishra, and he then lofted Nehra down to long-off for four more. Sreesanth was cut powerfully for four and Mishra lofted over long-on for six as the runs came far more freely in the final stages. Naeem swung Nehra for a six at the end and slashed another four as the sparse crowd celebrated a frenetic finish to the innings.

India had started much the better. After a maiden from Tyagi, Imrul Kayes had flailed twice through the off side as Sreesanth pitched too wide, but when he tried the same approach against Tyagi, he was caught by Virat Kohli at point. And thoughts of consolidation vanished when Mohammad Ashraful, who had already played one reckless shot to third man, decided to give Sreesanth the charge and only played on via the pads.

Raqibul Hasan played some chancy strokes, and one delightful pull off Tyagi, while Tamim Iqbal, after a cautious start, lofted Sreesanth over mid-on and then pulled him for four. But again, a wicket fell just when they could least afford it, with Tamim driving Nehra on the up to mid-off, where Tyagi took an excellent catch on the run.

Raqibul was then run out as Yuvraj managed to deflect a Shakib drive on the stumps, and though Shakib gave the fans something to cheer with some crisp strokes through the off side, Mushfiqur Rahim lobbed a slower one from Yuvraj straight to the man at cover to leave the side in disarray with half the overs remaining. Honour was subsequently restored, but with dew such a factor and the pitch so placid, it was unlikely to be enough.

India 214 for 2 (Kohli 71*, Gambhir 71, Karthik 48) beat Sri Lanka 213 (Sangakkara 68, Randiv 56, Zaheer 3-38, Mishra 3-40) by eight wickets


ndia's best fielding performance in ODIs since the Champions Trophy in September last year set up their march to the final by way of a thumping win. It wasn't anything spectacular: half chances were taken and easy ones not missed, marking a big improvement on their recent fielding form. That, coupled with impressive bowling from Zaheer Khan and Amit Mishra, pulled Sri Lanka from an explosive start and restricted them to a paltry 213, which was chased down with 17.2 overs to spare.

Zaheer was the pick of the bowlers, creating one half chance, and two fairly easy ones. At one stage his figures read 6-2-11-2. Sri Lanka had chosen to bat to allow their bowlers experience first-hand the wet conditions before the final, but it took resilient half-centuries from Kumar Sangakkara and Suraj Randiv to take the match far enough for the dew to set in.

If Sangakkara and Randiv had to work hard, India's runs came with predictable ease: Gautam Gambhir scored his 19th half-century, Dinesh Karthik narrowly missed a fourth, and Virat Kohli made it to his fourth 50-plus score in his last five innings.

But it was the first 11 overs of the match that staged the decisive action: two wicket-maidens, a wicket in the first over of new spells on three occasions and, between that, scintillating batting from Tillakaratne Dilshan. Coming back from a groin injury, Dilshan decided to do away with the running. He just drove, cut, pulled and late-cut eight boundaries in 17 deliveries to deflate any confidence India and Sudeep Tyagi would have gained from getting Upul Tharanga out in the first over.

When Zaheer was brought on, in the sixth over, Dilshan had hit seven boundaries in his 29, and Sri Lanka nine in their 38. He was pulled for a four second ball. The next ball took a thick edge, and was dying on Gambhir at fine gully before he snared it. Zaheer was pumped, and proceeded to bowl to a plan that worked just fine for him. Nothing to drive, a short cover in place, playing on the batsmen's patience with the nagging accuracy. Mahela Jayawardene gave in, driving a ball that should not have been driven, and Kohli hung on to a sharp catch at short cover.

Back came Sreesanth, whose first two overs had gone for 16, and Thilan Samaraweera walked across to a straight delivery and missed. Forty-two for 1 in 5.2 overs became 61 for 4 in 10.2. Soon Thilina Kandamby was run out, his fifth such dismissal out of 23. This time, though, he was sold a dummy by his captain, and was done in a by a smart throw from Karthik and quick backing-up by Zaheer.

Thissara Perera, bounced and verbalised by Zaheer, tried to target Mishra, but Yuvraj Singh pulled out a diving catch at wide long-on, not his last contribution to Sri Lanka's woes. Sangakkara, who had reached 32 off 42 by then, responded to Perera's wicket by stepping out and hitting Sreesanth for four. He dominated a seventh-wicket partnership that took Sri Lanka closer to 150, but that's when Yuvraj struck.

Sangakkara had tried to make full use of every loose delivery that came his way, and also took calculated risks to keep the scoreboard from stagnating. But when he pulled a Yuvraj delivery which was too full, he had completed 43 innings without a century. Randiv and Thilan Thushara added 59 for the eighth wicket, a stand that saw Randiv through to his first List A fifty. But when the time came to press on, when they opted for the Powerplay in the 44th over, the tail came up short, and Sri Lanka were bundled out by Zaheer and Mishra, with four overs still to go.

If there was any doubt to which way the match was going, Karthik and Gambhir removed it by taking 86 off the first 10 overs. Sri Lanka's last chance of preventing India from getting the bonus point vanished when Dilshan and Tharanga dropped Gambhir on 41 and 44 respectively.

Karthik did no harm to his chances of pushing for a place in further matches by following up a catch and a smart run-out with a dominating role in the opening partnership. He started off with a streaky boundary past the slip but soon got into the groove, punishing errors in both line and length. Anything straying on the pads was flicked through midwicket, and the ones short were cut through point and covers. Gambhir smartly assumed the second fiddle, capitalising on width when not milking singles.

Once with Kohli, and with fields spread, the two got down to exploiting the gaps, running almost on intuition, scoring 60 off their 72-run partnership on foot. Upon Gambhir's dismissal, Kohli asked for the Powerplay and quickly finished Sri Lanka off, accelerating from 33 off 48 to 71 off 68.

It was the Indian fielding which came to the aid of their fast bowlers when they were being pummelled by Tillakaratne Dilshan. It wasn't anything spectacular: they just converted every opportunity the bowlers created - a big improvement on their recent fielding form - and just like that India had reined in a murderous start from Dilshan and sent back six Sri Lankan batsmen for below 100 at one stage. Zaheer Khan was the pick of the bowlers, creating two of those opportunities in a spell that at one point read 6-2-11-2.

The first 11 overs were full of frenetic action: two wicket-maidens, on three occasions wickets fell in the first over of new spells, and in between there was scintillating batting from Dilshan, which ensured 40 of the first 42 runs came in boundaries. Dilshan perhaps, didn't want to test the injured groin that kept him away from the two previous games. Instead he just drove, cut, pulled and late cut eight boundaries in 17 deliveries to deflate any confidence that India and Sudeep Tyagi would have gained from sending back Upul Tharanga in the first over.

In the fifth over of the innings, Dilshan hammered Tyagi for his fifth, sixth and seventh boundaries, and then took a single - his first out of a score of 29, and Sri Lanka's second out of 38. Kumar Sangakkara, too, had smacked two boundaries by then, and India were in a familiar situaiton of not knowing where to bowl to the aggressive batsmen.

On came Zaheer, who was pulled for a four off his second ball, which was to be Dilshan's last. The next ball took a thick edge and looked to be dying on Gautam Gambhir at fine gully, but was snared. Zaheer was pumped, and then he proceeded to bowl to a plan that worked just fine for him: nothing to drive, short cover in place and playing on the batsmen's patience with the nagging accuracy. Mahela gave in, driving a ball he should not have, and Virat Kohli hung on to a sharp catch at short cover.

Back came Sreesanth, whose first two overs had gone for 16, and Thilan Samaraweera walked across to a straight delivery and missed. Forty-two for 1 in 5.2 overs became 61 for 4 in 10.2 overs. Soon Thilina Kandamby was run out, for the fifth time in his career. However, this time he was sold a dummy by his captain, and was done in a by a smart throw from Dinesh Karthik and snappy backing-up by Zaheer.

Thissara Perera, who had hurt India twice before this, appeared uncomfortable from the start. He got the bouncers and the verbals from Zaheer as defence didn't seem to be working. Amit Mishra had kept things tight, starting off with a maiden, and when Perera went for broke in his next over, Yuvraj Singh pulled out a special catch diving at wide long-on.

Six down in the 19th over, Sri Lanka, who chose to bat first in order to give their bowlers an experience of wet conditions under lights, were threatening to end the match even before dew would set in. Sangakkara had reached 32 off 42 by then, and took charge, taking the odd risk and not going into a shell altogether.

The immediate response to Perera's wicket was stepping out and hitting Sreesanth for four, and he then started placing the balls and making the most of every loose delivery that came for the spinners. By the 25-over mark, he had crossed his fifty, and had added 35 along with Suraj Randiv.

Welegedara was the last wicket to fall as he was stumped by Dhoni off Amit Mishra for 1.

Moments after the wicket of Thilan Thushara, India picked up yet another wicket as Amit Mishara cleaned up Suraj Randiv for 56. The Lankan scorecard read 209/9.

Suraj Randiv scored a fighting half-ton and put on a half century partnership with Thilan Thushara as Sri Lanka crawled back into the match after being reduced to 143/7 at one stage.

Sri Lanka, however, lost the wicket of Thushara soon after as he was brilliantly caught by Yuvraj Singh off Zaheer Khan for 28.

After fighting a lone battle for his team, Kumar Sangakkara finally departed for 68 as Sri Lanka were reduced to 143/7.

Sangakkara was caught by Suresh Raina off Yuvraj Singh as he mistimed a pull-shot.

Thisarra Perera departed to a stupendous catch by Yuvraj Singh off Mishra in the deep as Sri Lanka lost their sixth wicket with just 84 runs on the board.

Sri Lanka lost their fifth wicket in the form of Thilina Kandamby, who was run-out as a result of a mix-up with Sangakkkara for just 1.

Moments after the wicket of Jayawardene, Sri Lanka suffered another blow as they lost the wicket of Samaraweera for a duck. Samaraweera was trapped in front of the wickets by Sreesanth.

Zaheer Khan picked up his second wicket of the innings as he sent back Mahela Jayawardene to reduce the Sri Lankan team to 60/3.

Jayawardene was caught by Virat Kohli at short cover for 5.

After scoring 33 runs off just 17 balls, Tillakaratne Dilshan was sent back by Zaheer Khan, much to the relief of the Indian bowlers.

Dilshan was looking in ominous touch as he spanked 8 fours in his innings before being caught by Gautam Gambhir at slip.

Sudeep Tyagi took India off to a dream start as he removed Upul Tharanga in the very first over of the innings. Tharanga was caught by Karthik for a duck.

Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and, a bit surprisingly, opted to bat first in their last league encounter of the tri-series against India.

India have made a few changes to their playing eleven from the last game against Bangladesh as they have decided to rest Sehwag, Harbhajan and Nehra and brought in Karhik, Mishra and Tyagi.

For the Lankans, Dilshan is back while Malinga has made way for Welegedara.

Sri Lanka 252 for 1 (Tharanga 114*, Jayawardene 108) beat Bangladesh 249 for 9 (Shakib 47, Raqibul 43, Perera 2-32, Randiv 2-40)


A succession of bowling changes within the first eight overs of the chase indicated where the match was heading. Bangladesh, under immense pressure to defend a modest - by this tournament's standards - 250, found themselves at the receiving end of an annihilation by Sri Lanka. Mahela Jayawardene and Upul Tharanga compiled centuries with risk-free cricket and the hosts were at the mercy of the conditions again. The decision to advance play by half an hour to protect the bowlers from the dew made no iota of difference.

Tharanga and Jayawardene caressed the ball around, as if the fielders didn't exist. Jayawardene, initially rested for this tournament, was rushed to Bangladesh as an injury cover and he didn't waste much time settling down. He imposed himself with three boundaries in the second over, off Rubel Hossain, flicking and driving through the off side. Shakib Al Hasan, sensing the futility of bowling his seamers in tandem, took them off after the third over.

It made no difference. Shakib himself was taken for consecutive boundaries by Tharanga as soon as he brought himself on, in the fifth over. The same treatment was reserved for Mahmudullah, who was punished by Tharanga in his first over for dropping it short. It was sensible cricket against some very ordinary bowling. The bowlers couldn't grip it properly and fed many deliveries on the pads.

Batting from the crease had never been this easy. The pair complemented each other stroke for stroke, giving room to glide the spinners past the keeper for boundaries to third man. The spinners were almost forced to bowl it flat because of the dew, and that allowed the batsmen enough time to rock back and place their shots in the gaps. A flick down to fine leg brought up Jayawardene's fifty, while Tharanga reached his milestone with a fierce cut off Ashraful past backward point. Tharanga continued to pick the gaps with his eyes shut, taking Rasel for three effortless boundaries in an over. With every punch, flick and cut, the game drifted away from Bangladesh, who had already thrown in the towel.

Shakib didn't opt for the bowling Powerplay in the 11th over because he had no other option but to go on the defensive. By the eighth over, he had used five bowlers, and, by the 14th, he had used seven. They were hurt by the absence of a raw quick bowler to hurry the batsmen with bounce. The bowlers were made to wait for the batsmen to make mistakes but instead, they were made to witness a batting performance close to perfection.

With the target well within reach, it was a question of who would get to a century first. Jayawardene punished the easy short deliveries which Rubel dished out and reached three figures with a cut for four to deep point. Tharanga got to his milestone with a similar shot. Jayawardene had all but taken his team home, when he edged Naeem Islam to the keeper for 104. It was Bangladesh's only success of the evening.

Looking back, the hosts would have wished they batted better. After the top order wasted good starts, the middle order took time to consolidate. They still had wickets in hand to accelerate in the last ten overs, but despite saving the Powerplay almost till the end, couldn't seal the innings with a flourish.

However, the game still had the makings of yet another high-scoring encounter when Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes set off confidently again. But Tamim, Ashraful and Kayes made starts and got out at the wrong time. It was upto the Hasans - Shakib and Raqibul - to consolidate after that. Shakib was trying to play himself into form after two successive failures and was happy to push the singles. There was a boundary drought for 14.1 overs, before Raqibul broke the shackles with a powerful sweep off Malinga Bandara to deep midwicket.

The pair added 77 in nearly 20 overs before a false shot cost Raqibul his wicket. Mushfiqur Rahim certainly impacted the decibel levels in the crowd when he mowed Thilan Samaraweera for two sixes in an over off deep midwicket and heralded the Powerplay with improvised boundaries. But Shakib and Mushfiqur perished while trying to clear the boundaries and with those breakthroughs, Sri Lanka clawed back.

With the field restrictions in place. Mahmudullah was trapped in two minds whether to attack freely or adopt a more cautious approach. The bowlers changed their pace very effectively to strangle the scoring. Sri Lanka tightened their grip by picking up a wicket in each of the five overs, for 32 runs. It was the second-worst performance in the batting Powerplay in ODIs, after Pakistan lost 6 for 41 against India at Centurion in last year's Champions Trophy. Bangladesh ended with a total which, by the end of the game, seemed a 100 short.

India 297 for 4 (Dhoni 101*, Kohli 91) beat Bangladesh 296 for 6 (Kayes 70, Mahmudullah 60*, Tamim 60) by six wickets

A commendable performance with the bat, followed by an inspired opening burst wasn't enough for Bangladesh to pull off a surprise win against India at the Shere Bangla Stadium. The Indian middle order, led by Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, kept the hopes of the expectant crowd at bay with an ice-cool stand under pressure. For a while in the beginning of the chase, it seemed as if Shakib Al Hasan's decision at the toss would be vindicated, but the hard realisation hit home that even 296 wasn't enough to counter an in-form batting unit and a familiar foe called dew.

It undid all the hard work by a trio of half-centuries by Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes and Mahmudullah. Bangladesh posted their highest ODI total against a major Test playing country, surpassing their 285 against Pakistan. With India in trouble at 51 for 3, there was hope for Bangladesh. Shakib got his strategy right by unleashing his slow bowlers early and India had to sweat it out before they found their feet.

Abdur Razzak and Syed Rasel opened the bowling and kept the pressure by attacking the stumps. But it was a combination of casual running and purposeful fielding which led to Virender Sehwag's run-out, off a direct hit by the bowler Razzak. Sehwag failed to dive but he knew he was gone before the third umpire adjudicated. Gautam Gambhir dragged one on to his stumps and Yuvraj Singh played inside the line and lost his off stump to Rasel.

The match then turned when Dhoni and Kohli collaborated. Although Dhoni emerged the top scorer with 101, it was Kohli at the forefront in the stand of 154 for the fourth wicket. He displayed the kind of attitude and application one would associate with Rahul Dravid - cool under pressure, prepared to wait for the loose deliveries, push the singles and not get too bogged down if the boundaries aren't coming.

They struggled initially, hitting the ball straight to the fielders but later started to find the gaps. Two early boundaries off Abdur Razzak got Kohli going and he showed his strengths on both sides of the wicket , sweeping the spinners, cutting square and pulling whenever they dropped it short. The pressure began to tell on Bangladesh with a couple of misfields at the boundary - one by Tamim and the other by Razzak - was just what India needed. Kohli knocked it around and reached a valuable fifty.

As the dew worsened, the spinners were forced to bowl it flat and that gave the batting pair an opening as they kept the scoreboard ticking, without ever lagging far behind the required rate. Their stand featured 36 runs off boundaries, indicative of the number of singles and twos they picked up. The field was spread out and Bangladesh started going through the motions. They fluffed the only chance which came their way - a return catch put down off Dhoni by Shakib. At that stage, he was on 61.

Kohli started cramping up and called for a runner (Gambhir). However, he fell nine short of a century when he spooned one back to Shakib, this time hanging on to the catch. But the spinners failed to spark a collapse. Dhoni was quick to pounce on anything short and regularly rocked back to club it past midwicket. Suresh Raina joined him to finish the game comfortably with 15 balls to spare.

The defeat masked a sound batting performance by Bangladesh. Tamim batted with supreme confidence for an exciting 60 while Imrul played the supporting role, looking to occupy the crease and build partnerships. India clawed back during the middle overs before Mahmudullah scripted an attacking fifty during the batting Powerplay.

Tamim and Kayes added 80 in 11 overs on a sun-baked pitch which had no pace or movement for the seamers. Tamim played some enterprising shots on the on side, forcing Dhoni to get proactive with his field placings. His fifty came off 33 balls, the fastest by a Bangladesh batsman against India. Unfortunately, the entertainment ended when he tried to pull Sreesanth and found Gautam Gambhir at short midwicket. Kayes wasn't as flamboyant, but proved just as threatening. He preferred to stay at the crease and play his shots, grafting against the spinners and pushing the singles. He wasn't afraid to sweep Harbhajan Singh against the turn from round the wicket, and found the gaps at fine leg and deep square leg.

Bangladesh lost their way a bit after they lost Mohammad Ashraful and then Shakib for a duck. That was followed by another period of consolidation, between Raqibul Hasan and Mahmudullah who added 32 in 6.2 overs. Mahmudullah was scoreless for 11 deliveries but opened up with a sweep for four off Yuvraj. He was setting himself up for the batting Powerplay, which was delayed till the last five overs. Like in their opening game against Sri Lanka, the home fans were treated to another final-over flourish, this time by Mahmudullah. Three consecutive boundaries in the over, off Sreesanth, helped Bangladesh surge to 296. There was hope from the stands for another couple of hours before it all vanished.

ngland 273 (Prior 76, Morkel 5-75) and 296 for 9 (Bell 78, Collingwood 40) drew with South Africa 291 (Kallis 108, Anderson 5-63) and 447 for 7 declared (Smith 180, Amla 95)
Ian Bell produced the innings of his life and Paul Collingwood battled for four-and-a-half hours in another masterclass of crease occupation, but England's ultimate hero was once again their No. 11, Graham Onions, who reprised his heroics in the first Test at Centurion by seeing off the final six deliveries of the match, bowled by Morne Morkel, to ensure that England will go to Johannesburg for next week's fourth and final Test with a 1-0 lead in the series and a chance to emulate the achievement of Michael Vaughan's men on their last tour of South Africa in 2004-05.

In a day of desperate tension that began with England uncomfortably placed on 132 for 3 and deep in the mire after going to lunch on 179 for 5, Bell and Collingwood seemed to have drawn the sting of South Africa's attack in an epic and virtually strokeless sixth-wicket stand to 112 in 57 overs. But then, just when it seemed that the draw was inevitable, JP Duminy found the edge that had eluded all of his team-mates, but most particularly the magnificent but luckless Dale Steyn, to send Collingwood on his way for 40, and trigger a fraught final hour in which four wickets were chiselled away for 18 irrelevant runs, in 64 balls.

With eight men were camped round the bat for the spinners, and gasps and appeals ringing out from the fielders and crowd alike, Matt Prior came and went for 4 from nine balls, brilliantly scooped by AB de Villiers at short leg to give Paul Harris his first wicket of an otherwise disappointing day's work. Stuart Broad survived one referral for a catch at silly point, but was then nailed on the glove by another Harris lifter, and sent on his way with 20 deliveries of the match remaining. By this stage Steyn, the only seamer to truly rise to the occasion, had been recalled at the Kelvin Grove End give the ever-scrutinised Bell a final test of his resolve, buzzing a full length on and around the top of off stump to keep both the slips and short leg in business.

But three deliveries after Broad's departure, it was Morne Morkel who made the critical incision, as Graeme Smith tossed him the ball for a final, furious two-over burst, and with his first delivery he found extra bounce on a perfect length outside off, for Bell to fence dejectedly to Smith himself at first slip. It had been a magnificent performance from Bell, a vindication of his selection as the sixth batsman in England's starting XI, and a continuation of the new-found confidence that he had shown since his breakthrough century on the decisive fourth day at Durban. But just when it seemed he was set to be the hero, he blinked and departed for 78 from 213 balls, and South Africa sensed a sensational turnaround.

But first they had to get through the unlikely tenth-wicket pairing of Onions and Swann, two men who have already shown their ability with the bat in this series. Onions memorably defied Makhaya Ntini for the final six deliveries at Centurion, and he showed he was primed for survival by riding a vicious fifth-ball lifter from Morkel inches short of gully. To add to the drama, Steyn then required physio treatment after seemingly tweaking his hamstring from the first ball of the penultimate over. Though he was fit to continue, he was destined to finish a luckless day with the under-rewarded figures of 2 for 74 in 35 overs.

And so everything, once again, came down to the final over. And just as at Centurion, it was Onions who was left with the job of blocking everything that came his way. Whereas Ntini's skiddy angles had been comparatively easy to negotiate, Morkel's height and pace provided a whole new examination of his grit and resolve, as he jabbed down coolly on a brace of probing yorkers, before hauling his bat inside the line of a snorting bouncer that tempted a desperate Smith to call for his final review in the hope of locating some glove. But one delivery later, Onions left well alone in the channel outside off, before turning to the pavilion and punching his fist in triumph.

Sri Lanka have called up Mahela Jayawardene to boost their injury-hit squad midway through the tri-series in Bangladesh. The team has lost the services of three men on this tour: Tillakaratne Dilshan picked up a groin injury during the first game against Bangladesh, Chamara Silva fractured his thumb during training, and Muthumudalige Pushpakumara injured his shoulder in the game against India. In addition to Jayawardene, Sri Lanka have called up the 20-year old uncapped wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal and the opener Mahela Udawatte, 23, who has played nine ODIs.

"Mahela is fit and ready to play," Brendon Kuruppu, the manager, said. "Dilshan and Pushpakamara are under observation and Chamara Silva has gone back to Sri Lanka."

Chandimal, who admires Romesh Kaluwitharana, was drafted into the Nondescripts Cricket Club at the behest of Sangakkara and came into limelight when he scored his maiden first-class century against New Zealand in 2009, against an attack that included Chris Martin, Daryl Tuffey, Iain O'Brien, Jacob Oram and Daniel Vettori.

Udawatte , an attacking batsman, has been seen as the potential long-term prospect for the national ODI side for some time now. He is rated highly by the likes of Jayawardene and made his debut in 2008 and hit his highest score of 73 in his third ODI against West Indies.

Sri Lanka have already been badly hit by injuries in the recent past with 10 players missing games at various points. Apart from the injured trio in this series, Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dilhara Fernando, Thilan Thushara, Angelo Mathews, Lasith Malinga, and Nuwan Kulasekara have been sidelined by injuries.

Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla piled on the punishment for England to set up a series-levelling platform on day three of the third Test at Newlands.

Nothing went right for England's hard-working attack as they wilted in the heat - and South Africa took advantage in a record second-wicket stand of 230 out of 312 for two at stumps.

Smith's eventual share of the proceeds was an unbeaten 162 from 243 balls, with England toiling under cloudless skies, while Amla (95) struck 10 fours in his first 50 runs.

There was clearly no indication that Stuart Broad's studs - when he stood on the ball to stop a straight-drive before lunch - had any untoward effect on its subsequent behaviour, as England went wicketless for 54 overs.

South Africa's second innings was more notable perhaps for several examples of DRS in action, with mixed results.

Ashwell Prince survived one faulty caught-behind decision off James Anderson, on review, then was rightly dispatched when he queried another - lbw to Graeme Swann.

Smith came through a saga of reviews and non-reviews for lbw against the England off-spinner, as well as a clutch of other scrapes - with short-leg, wicketkeeper and slip always interested in the early stage of his innings as he tried to make sure Swann did not settle.

The South Africa captain gradually ground England into submission, then upped the ante after tea on his way to and beyond three figures for the 19th time as his partnership with Amla beat the previous Test highest for the wicket at this venue.

Smith thought he was gone immediately after his hundred but wicketkeeper Matt Prior quickly made it clear the edge off Graham Onions had not carried.

Instead, Smith ploughed on - taking particular toll on Jonathan Trott's occasional medium-pace, with four fours in one over.

Amla made most of his gains from the pace bowlers - picking up regular boundaries behind square on the off-side, with no third-man in place.

He had lost some momentum, though, by the time Swann finally broke through again via a bat-pad catch.

Even then, no respite ever came for England - whose day was summed up shortly before the close when an outstanding reaction catch by a diving Paul Collingwood at slip was ruled irrelevant as the third umpire concluded Jacques Kallis, on 12, had not made contact with an attempted sweep at Swann in the first place.

By then, the tourists surely knew they must contemplate trying to salvage a draw by batting out the last four sessions at least to somehow keep their noses in front when they arrive in Johannesburg next week.

When Morne Morkel had taken two wickets in two balls in the first over of the day, it seemed certain England - having begun on 241 for seven - would concede an awkward first-innings deficit.

But thanks to Prior (76), who dominated a last-wicket stand of 32 with Onions, they narrowed the margin to only 18 on 273 all out.

Before Prior could receive his first ball, Morkel (five for 75) was on a hat-trick.

The extra bounce available with the second new ball was crucial, and there was little either Swann or Anderson could have done to save themselves when the 6ft 6in tall Morkel landed two brutish deliveries in the perfect spot.

The only difference between the two dismissals was that they came in mirror image - left-hander Anderson following Swann for a first-ball duck, but both edges held by Smith at slip.

Prior responded with some adventurous shots and clever shepherding of the strike.

Onions faced only nine of 31 balls while Prior took his boundary count up to nine until he was last out to Dale Steyn (four for 74), trying to control a shoulder-high pull for a single only to drag the ball down on to his stumps.

Pakistan erased 77 of the 176 run victory target, but Australia claimed three top-order wickets as this gripping Test match threatened to go down to the wire. Both sides will be satisfied with their progress after lunch, although Australian can lay claims to having had the better of the day following a morning session that witnessed Michael Hussey and Peter Siddle add 123 runs for the ninth wicket.

Imran Farhat and Salman Butt began the second session in an aggressive mood, taking the attack to the Australians - and Siddle in particular - as they sought a quick kill. Siddle went within centremetres of having Butt caught at gully by a diving Hussey, but thereafter was guilty of over-pitching and was punished to the tune of 27 runs from his four-over spell.

A change of bowler brought a change of fortune, however. Doug Bollinger proved troublesome for both openers with his full length, and was rewarded with the wicket of Farhat, caught by Mitchell Johnson at midwicket attempting to drive on the up. Johnson then sent shivers through the Pakistani dressing room by removing Faisal Iqbal and Butt within the space of three deliveries to reduce the tourists to 3 for 51.

Iqbal was drawn into a drive by a full-pitched Johnson delivery, only to edge to Brad Haddin. The Australian wicketkeeper was immediately called back into action with the spectacular, diving catch of Butt down the legside, a grab that might have been the best of his international career. Mohammad Yousuf and Umar Akmal ensured there was no further damage before the tea break, moving the Pakistani second innings total to 3 for 77 with a trio of boundaries off Nathan Hauritz.

Earlier, Hussey took full advantage of Yousuf's oddly defensive captaincy and a placid SCG pitch to restore Australia's victory prospects in the second Test. Hussey and Siddle carried their bats through the first session and at one stage looked set to break the 116-year-old ninth-innings Australian partnership record set by Syd Gregory and Jack Blackham also at the SCG.

Australia's revival was assisted greatly by the timid tactics of the Pakistanis who, as a result, were faced with a testing fourth-innings chase. Yousuf's defensive field configurations - which included eight men on the fence for Hussey, who was not in the business of dealing in singles as he sheltered Siddle from the strike - did little to enhance his own reputation as a leading tactician and played into the hands of the Australians.

Hussey has made more fluent centuries, but few as important as that completed on Wednesday. Having watched on from the non-striker's end as Australia lost 5 for 40 the previous day, Hussey seized control of the Australian innings on a flat batting surface and, in the process, relieved any lingering doubt that may have been hanging over his position in the team.

Hussey declined the charity singles being offered by Yousuf and instead looked to pierce the boundaries with drives that seldom left the carpet. He entered the nineties with back-to-back cover driven fours off the bowling of Danish Kaneria and sealed his first ton of the summer with a glorious straight drive off Umar Gul. Hussey punched the air in delight upon reaching the milestone, acutely aware of the innings' importance in the context of the match. Siddle, meanwhile, batted with tremendous discipline and restraint to raise his highest Test score.

Mohammad Asif and Kaneria claimed the final two Australian wickets six overs after the lunch break, but not before the hosts had added 95 runs on the fourth morning. Asif ended the obstinate stand of Hussey and Siddle by removing the latter to a shorter delivery gloved to slip. Kaneria then completed the innings and a personal five-wicket haul by bowling Doug Bollinger with a delivery that ricocheted off the batsman's elbow and foot. Hussey remained unbeaten on 134.

Close South Africa 291 (Kallis 108, Anderson 5-63) and 312 for 2 (Smith 162*, Kallis 20*) lead England 273 (Prior 76, Morkel 5-75) by 330 runs
Graeme Smith loves nothing better than to grind England into the dust, and on the hottest day of the tour so far, he produced an innings of intensity and drive to set up the prospect of a series-squaring victory in the third Test at Newlands. By the close he was still powering along, unbeaten on 162 from 243 balls, as South Africa amassed a hefty second-innings total of 312 for 2, and an overall lead of 330. With two days remaining and the weather set fair, England will require a similar show of mental and technical strength to avoid slumping to their fourth defeat in four post-Apartheid visits to Cape Town.

In the course of his epic innings, and as a measure of his importance to his country, Smith became only the second Test captain after Allan Border to amass 6000 Test runs. Famously, more than 600 of those came in his first two appearances against England back in 2003, while his unbeaten 154 at Edgbaston five years later almost singlehandedly secured South Africa their first series win in the country since readmission. The message for England is clear: without mastering Smith, they cannot expect to master South Africa, and given the humiliation his team suffered in Durban last week, his resolve in this contest has been heightened all the more.

Following the now-habitual early loss of Ashwell Prince, whom Graeme Swann dismissed for the third time in five balls this series, the bulk of Smith's work came in a 54-over stand with Hashim Amla that spanned the entire afternoon session and realised 230 runs, a record for the second wicket at Newlands. Unusually it was Amla who set the initial pace, as he carved 12 fours before tea, most of them through point and third man as England's seamers served up too much width, but after the break Smith really began to cut loose, as he sensed the flagging morale of his opponents, and recognised an opportunity to cash in.

Up until that point, he had saved his most aggressive tendencies for Swann, whom he looked to work against the spin and through midwicket at every opportunity, but in the final session he hurtled from 65 to 162 in a matter of 117 balls. James Anderson was pulled off a good length before being driven straight in a classic double-whammy, and he added another cut through backward point in his next over before drilling a low full-toss from Graham Onions through midwicket to bring up his 19th Test century from 170 balls, and his fifth in 17 Tests against England.

With that milestone under his belt, there was no looking back. Andrew Strauss moved entirely onto the defensive, packing the offside field and urging his bowlers to aim two feet outside the stumps, but Smith carried on chasing every hint of width, picking the gap in the covers and extending his mastery over the match situation. Jonathan Trott's exploratory swingers were rifled out of the attack to the tune of six fours in three overs, including four in five balls to end his work for the day, while Stuart Broad, who cut a grumpy figure all day, was slapped with impunity through point time and again, as Smith hurtled past 150 for the fourth time against England.

As if England's problems weren't already mounting, Broad also attracted the scrutiny of the umpires when he was seen in one incident to tread on the ball with his spikes as it rolled back along the pitch towards him. If it was an attempt to scuff up one side of the ball, it was spectacularly unsuccessful. Though England did locate some reverse swing as the afternoon wore on, they were unable to utilise it to any sort of advantage. "All he did was stand on the ball," said a terse England coach, Andy Flower, after the close.

Only one bowler could be relied upon to cause Smith any problems, and even then he wasn't able to cut the flow of runs. Swann might have dismissed Smith three times in his first over alone, via an lbw appeal, an edge short of slip, and a top-edged sweep that looped into no-man's land, but his biggest and most significant let-off was to come. On 51, Swann straightened a delivery on middle stump that was initially adjudged lbw, but Smith rightly suspected that the ball was bouncing too much. Sure enough, the replays showed it would have skimmed over the top of off stump, and so his vigil went on.

Instead, Swann had to make do with the scalps of Prince, who survived a bizarre referral for caught-behind on 5 but then wasted one 10 runs later after being pinned plumb lbw, and Amla, who would have richly deserved his second century of the series, but was never quite able to restart his innings after reaching tea on 73 not out. He was becalmed on 91 for 13 deliveries before drilling a drive through the covers to move to 95, but in the same Swann over, he propped half-forward, and bobbled a low bat-pad chance to Alastair Cook at short leg.

At 261 for 2, however, damage limitation was the only thing on England's mind, and Jacques Kallis, the first-innings centurion, was in no mood to allow any further wickets to fall. He accompanied Smith for 14.2 overs in a half-century stand before the close, to reach stumps on 20 not out.

Still, if England could take any vague cause for optimism from the day's events, it came courtesy of Matt Prior, who carried the attack back to South Africa with a hard-hitting 76 in the morning session, after Morne Morkel had claimed back-to-back breakthroughs in his first over of the day, as England added 32 runs to their overnight 241 for 7 to finish their first innings on 273.

Prior, who resumed on his overnight 52, was powerless to react at first as Morkel ripped through England's lower-order, dismissing Swann without addition to his overnight 5 courtesy of a fourth-ball lifter that took the glove and flew to Smith at first slip, before Anderson was handed the second duck of his Test career as Smith again claimed a regulation edge. But with the No. 11 Onions for company, he demonstrated the reliability of the pace and bounce to whittle to overnight deficit down from 50 to 18. By the end of the day, such feats were small beer, but nevertheless, the rewards for confident batting are there to be had. And England will need to play with plenty confidence in the coming two days.

Thilan Samaraweera cracked a classy century as Sri Lanka defeated India by five wickets in the second match of the triangular one-day series in Dhaka.

Samaraweera scored an undefeated 105 at nearly a run-a-ball and shared a century partnership with Kumar Sangakkara (60) as Sri Lanka easily chased India's score of 279 for nine.

Virender Sehwag weighed in with a brutal 47 to give India a decent platform, while Yuvraj Singh hit 74, but Chanaka Welegedera claimed five for 66 to peg India to a below-par total.

Samarweera and a lively cameo from Thissara Perera (36 from 15 deliveries) at the end then ensured victory with two overs to spare.

Sangakkara won his second toss in a row, invited India to bat first and found instant success with the wicket of Gautam Gambhir.

Welegedera claimed his first victim when he cleverly slipped in a yorker and hit the base of leg stump to send the aggressive left-hand opener back to the pavilion.

Sehwag, dealing primarily in boundaries, got India back on course for a big total as he added 47 in just under four overs with Virat Kohli for the second wicket.

But Welegedera struck twice in quick succession, first removing Kohli and then Sehwag to leave India stuttering.

Yuvraj and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (37) rebuilt the innings with a 99-run stand for the fourth wicket but, just when they were beginning to open up, Sri Lanka pulled things back again.

Medium pacer Perera struck in his first over to remove Dhoni, caught behind by Sangakkara and Perera found more success with the wicket of Yuvraj.

India again rebuilt through Suresh Raina (35) and Ravindra Jadeja (39), but Welegedera returned to send back Raina and Zaheer Khan and India faltered at the death.

Although Ashish Nehra, who shared the new ball with Zaheer Khan, bowled superbly for no reward at the start, Upul Tharanga (30) and debutant Lahiru Thirimanne (22) had blazed away, the two adding 22 for the opening stand.

First change bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, who was hammered for three boundaries in four deliveries in his first over, then broke through, snaring Thirimanne who miscued a pull and skied to Gambhir at square leg.

Harbhajan Singh then removed Tharanga - caught and bowled and the pressure mounted on Sri Lanka as the run-rate mounted.

The experienced pair of Sangakkara and Samaraweera then came together and hauled Sri Lanka back into contention with a 122-run - off only 126 deliveries - stand for the third wicket.

Sangakkara then threw his wicket away and Thilina Kandamy was Harbhajan's third scalp as India clawed their way back into contention.

Sri Lanka needed 81 from 82 deliveries at the fall of Sangakkara's wicket and although Sri Lanka lost Suraj Randib cheaply they still had the edge.

Samaraweera raised his century off 104 deliveries - only his second century and his best against India in an ODI - and Perera landed some lusty blows to take the game away from India.

Pakistan 9 for 331 (Butt 71, Farhat 53, Bollinger 3-70) lead Australia 127 by 204 runs

An attritional first two sessions gave way to an explosive finale as first Mohammad Yousuf and later Umar Akmal helped propel Pakistan to an imposing 204-run first innings lead. Their frenetic efforts capitalised on the 109-run opening stand of Imran Farhat and Salman Butt as Pakistan advanced to 9 for 331 at stumps, having displayed greater discipline and match-awareness than their Australian counterparts the previous day.

The tourists endured a testing opening to the second day in gloomy, seaming conditions, but brightened in line with the weather over the course of the afternoon. Yousuf provided an immediate lift to procedings by adding 27 runs in the space of 28 deliveries in the period leading to tea, while Akmal made his skipper look relatively pedestrian by striking five boundaries from his first seven deliveries faced en route to a 48-ball innings of 49.

That Yousuf and Akmal fell short of half-centuries was due partly to Pakistan's penchant for attacking strokeplay in the final session and partly to the persistence of the Australian bowlers. Having been provided little to work with by their batsmen, Australia's attack stuck to their task admirably and were rewarded with seven final-session wickets, many caught in the deep as Pakistan sought quick runs.

Pakistan could be accused of taking their foot from the throats of the Australians in the lead-up to stumps, having at one stage thrust to 205 for the loss of two wickets on a surface drying by the hour. That may be so, but the tourists nonetheless outplayed their rivals in four of the five sessions through Monday, and are ideally positioned to break their ten-game losing streak to the Australians at the very venue where they last tasted victory.

The hosts made amends for an indifferent morning in the field with a series of excellent catches, none better than Haddin's spectacular diving effort to remove the dangerous Yousuf. The veteran batsman had, to that point, threatened to take the game completely away from the Australians, and Haddin's interception restored a semblance of competitive edge to the match. That notion was reinforced when the television umpire, Rudi Koertzen, overturned Billy Doctrove's decision to rule Akmal not out to a full, straight Doug Bollinger delivery, denying the Pakistanis further use of their potent middle-order weapon.

Pakistan's lower order failed to replicate the heroics of their more established batsmen, but still cobbled together enough cameos to take their lead beyond 200. Australia's batsmen will feel confident of a better showing amid drier pitch conditions when next they mark centre, however the hectares of ground they conceded on Sunday may yet prove irretrievable.

The hosts would do well to analyse the manner in which Farhat and Butt set about their respective innings on the second day. The Australian top-order, minus Watson, fell to forceful strokes on a seaming wicket in their ill-fated first innings; a direct contrast to the cautious and patient approach of the Pakistani openers. Content to accumulate rather than dominate, Farhat and Butt shelved their cross-bat strokes and successfully repelled threatening spells from Bollinger, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Johnson and Watson to post their third career century stand and first against Australia.

Farhat and Butt have emerged as a dependable solution to Pakistan's problematic opening slot. Their stand of 109, which took their first-wicket partnership average to a robust 47.43, built upon the foundation laid by Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Sami the preceding day to deliver the tourists to a position of dominance in the match. The union was not without its anxious moments, most notably when Farhat was dropped by Marcus North to a regulation slips chance off the bowling of Siddle on 11, but both stood firm on an improving pitch.

Farhat went on to raise his 13th half-century before skying an attempted sweep off the bowling of Nathan Hauritz shortly after the lunch break. Butt also fell in the second session, edging a full-length delivery from a deserving Johnson, however Faisal Iqbal and Yousuf ensured there were no further setbacks with an unbroken 46-run third-wicket partnership heading into tea. Iqbal was first to fall after the break to an athletic, back-pedalling catch from Watson at backward point off the bowling of Siddle. That prompted a mad flurry of runs and dismissals that saw Bollinger and Watson combine for five wickets and Pakistan attempt to blaze the second new ball to all corners of the SCG.