Injured Smith ruled out of IPL final

Graeme Smith, the Rajasthan Royals opener, has been ruled out of the final of the Indian Premier League because of a hamstring injury he sustained during the semi-final against Delhi Daredevils on Friday.

Smith was rested for Rajasthan's last two league games because he injured his hamstring against Chennai but returned to open the innings in the semi-final. However, he pulled up while running a single in the second over and continued batting with a runner, Mohammad Kaif. He was eventually dismissed for 25 off 21 balls as Rajasthan crushed Delhi by 105 runs.

"Smith has played a huge part in the team's success and we had gave him a couple of games off to recover from his hamstring injury [against Chennai]," Shane Warne, the Rajasthan captain, said. "Yesterday he was running around like an 18-year-old and said he had no problem at all. However, during the game [against Delhi] he tore his hamstring in different spot.

"Unfortunately, he [Smith] is out for tomorrow's game [final]. We have to make the big decision on who will open the innings with Swapnil [Asnodkar]. Younis Khan and Kamran Akmal come to my mind as being likely to open in the final."

Smith's injury is a blow to Rajasthan for he is their second-highest run-scorer with 441 at an average of 49. He also forged an attacking opening partnership with Swapnil Asnodkar - the pair average 59.71 at 8.96 per over, with two century stands.

Rajasthan are likely to pick Akmal, who has scored 122 runs in five innings at a strike-rate of 171.83, over Younis who has played just one game in the IPL so far. If Akmal does get the nod, he is likely to keep wicket instead of Mahesh Rawat, which could also open the door for Niraj Patel's return.

Rajasthan will take on the winner of the second semi-final between Chennai and Kings XI Punjab, which will take place on Saturday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The final will be held on Sunday at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

Clarke sets up big Australia total

Michael Clarke continued his blistering form on the second morning, dashing West Indies' hopes of restricting Australia after they picked up a couple of early wickets. Australia went to lunch at 360 for 5 with Clarke on 85 and Brad Haddin on 33, and the hosts were running out options with a five-man pace attack on a dead, flat pitch.

Clarke launched some truly punishing drives as he galloped along at a strike-rate around 70 for much of the session, building on the solid platform set down by Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting on the first day. He leant into his strokes beautifully, timing the ball perfectly and finding gaps where there looked to be none.

His best shot of the day came when he pierced the miniscule hole between the extra cover and the short extra cover with a cracking drive that flew away for four off Daren Powell. Clarke's cover-drives were the prettiest but he also timed his cuts terrifically and scampered through for quick singles that built the frustration for West Indies.

While Clarke was revelling in his role as vice-captain and refreshed after two months away from the game, Haddin was also enjoying his new position as Australia's permanent No. 7. He wanted the runs to keep flowing, matching Clarke with a couple of cover-drives and punishing anything short with pulls, cuts and a willingness to go over the top.

Their 64-run partnership subdued West Indies after they managed two wickets early in the first half of the session; a good result following an opening day on which they only picked up three. Katich had not added to his overnight score of 113 when he got a slightly misdirected inswinger from Jerome Taylor, the movement taking it down leg and as Katich tried to glance he feathered to Denesh Ramdin, who took a good catch moving to his right.

Andrew Symonds also fell to a leg-side caught-behind for 18 after Fidel Edwards pushed him onto the back foot with a couple of short deliveries that found some extra bounce. Symonds tried to flick some easy runs through but the ball ran off the face and Ramdin completed another nifty take, this time moving to his left.

But the leg-side chance that could have meant most to West Indies came in the next over when Clarke, who had 63 at the time, made better contact with a stray Taylor ball and Ramdin fumbled a tough but gettable opportunity. Clarke immediately made West Indies pay with one of his best shots of the day when he walked at Taylor and turned a good ball into half-volley to send a cover-drive rocketing to the boundary. By lunch the miss had already been costly; the remainder of the day will determine just how much Ramdin will regret the dropped chance.

Clinical Chennai send Punjab packing

An inspired Chennai Super Kings shrugged off the underdogs' tag with a thoroughly comprehensive display to thrash Kings XI Punjab by nine wickets and join Rajasthan Royals in the IPL final. Punjab's batting had been in superb form through most of the tournament, but they came completely unstuck in the face of some accurate and relentless seam bowling by Chennai's three fast bowlers, folding for a paltry 112. Parthiv Patel and Suresh Raina then ensured that the run-chase was a canter, putting together 102 for the second wicket - both ended on unbeaten half-centuries as Chennai sailed home with 31 deliveries to spare.

Punjab's two previous losses to Chennai, in the league games, had both come when they'd chased, and Yuvraj Singh did the team a huge favour by winning the toss and choosing to bat on a pitch which was expected to assist the spinners later in the evening. That, though, was the only thing that went right for Punjab, as Makhaya Ntini and Manpreet Gony struck twice each in their first spells, reduced Punjab to 40 for 5, and never released the pressure thereafter, as the Wankhede Stadium played host to the second one-sided semi-final in two days.

On a pitch offering generous bounce to the fast bowlers, Chennai's pace attack of Ntini, Gony and Albie Morkel bowled in the perfect channel, denying the Punjab batsmen any room to execute strokes through the off side. Learning from Shane Watson's spell on Friday, Ntini pitched it slightly short of a length, hit the bat hard, and hurried the batsmen in their shots, while Gony bowled a fuller length, and with the sort of control which would have made Glenn McGrath proud. Chennai were also superb in the field - Muttiah Muralitharan pulled off a splendid catch over his head to intercept a Yuvraj pull, Suresh Raina was equally spectacular in pulling off a diving catch to dismiss Wilkin Mota, while the ground fielding was without blemish.

There was little sign of such a dramatic collapse when Shaun Marsh stroked the first ball of the match - from Muralitharan, surprisingly - through the covers for four. Seven came off that over, but the wheels started coming off in the next over, when James Hopes slashed at a wide one from Ntini and edged to Parthiv.

That dismissal sparked off a procession of wickets, as three more fell in the next four overs. Kumar Sangakkara's was the most bizarre, as he seemed to miss a drive off Gony, but walked off even though Parthiv didn't appeal at all. Yuvraj was restless after playing out three successive dot balls and pulled to Murali at short midwicket, but the biggest blow was delivered in the next over, when Ntini hit back to dismiss Marsh immediately after being creamed for a perfect straight drive. Marsh had top-edged a pull for six earlier in the innings, but wasn't as lucky in the sixth over, as the inside edge crashed into his stumps.

Clearly rattled by the early wickets, Punjab lost the plot with some terrible running between the wickets, which cost Irfan Pathan his wicket. Mahela Jayawardene stroked the ball to third man, ran two, started for the third and then changed his mind, leaving Pathan with too little time to gain his ground. When Jayawardene himself fell next over, steering to the wicketkeeper, Punjab had slumped to 45 for 6.

From there, it was only an exercise in damage control: Mota and Ramesh Powar - the two local Mumbai players - put together 35, easily the most productive partnership of the innings. Mota managed a useful 26-ball 25, while Powar smeared Morkel for a huge six over midwicket and then punished a listless L Balaji for three fours in the last over, but a target of 113 was hardly enough to test Chennai.

S Vidyut fell early, but Raina and Parthiv gave Punjab no further opportunity. Raina was in especially sublime touch - he started off with two delectable fours, adjusting to Powar's turn and gliding a four to third man, and then cutting the next ball through point. As he grew in confidence, the ferocity of the strokes increased, and the high point was an incredible pull off Hopes - on a pitch where most batsmen struggled to ride the bounce and execute the stroke - which sailed onto the roof of the stadium. Pathan was similarly dismissed over square leg, while Chawla was slog-swept for six and then driven through extra cover in the last over as Raina brought up his fifty off a mere 32 balls.

Parthiv was slightly more subdued, but the paltry target gave him plenty of time to work with. He started slowly, but then a couple of superb straight hits off the fast bowlers, and powerful sweeps off the spinners. Pathan's early swing with the new ball offered Punjab some hope, but once Chennai got past that threat, there was little the slower bowlers could do. Chennai lost both their league games against Rajasthan, but after such an emphatic win, that'll hardly bother them.

Mohali confident of putting it across Chennai

Despite losing both their previous IPL matches to Chennai Super Kings, King's XI Punjab were going into Saturday's semi-final against the same opposition with a measure of confidence, team captain Yuvraj Singh and coach Tom Moody said on Friday.

"It's a different ground (Wankhede Stadium) and circumstances are different. We are coming into the game with greater confidence and will be looking to do our best with ball, bat and on the field," Moody said.

Captain Yuvraj said the team had learnt valuable lessons from their losses to Chennai at home and in the latter's backyard (Chidambaram Stadium) and were keen not to commit the same mistakes.

"We will try not to make the same errors again and will see where the opposition falters and try and take advantage," the stylish left-handed batsman said.

"Our confidence is high with the way we are playing and if we execute our plans properly tomorrow, no doubt we can win," the King's XI skipper said.

About his own form with the bat, Yuvraj said the good run he had in their last game would stand him in good stead.

"I had some good form in the last game. It has come at the right time ahead of the semi-finals," he said referring to his knock of 49 in 16 balls.

Yuvraj Singh backed his bowling attack by saying it had performed well barring the odd game.

"Our bowlers have bowled well. It's just that the wickets were flat. The attack might have faltered on one or two games, but our bowlers are doing a great job," Yuvraj said.

Yuvraj praised the batting of Shaun Marsh, who has accumulated nearly 600 runs in only 10 games.

Past wins give us the edge

Having beaten the same opponents twice in the league stage, Chennai Super Kings coach Kepler Wessels said his side would go with the psychological advantage when his side clash with Kings XI Punjab in the semifinal of Indian Premier League here on Saturday.

"We had beaten them early in the tournament when we had our strongest team and later on even without the overseas players we still managed to win. It's an advantage to go into the semifinals against them with this record," Wessels said.

The South African, however, said the team would still need to stick to the basics to emerge victorious on Saturday.

Wessels said both the teams will get the chance to assess the Wankhede Stadium pitch from the first semifinal on Friday.

"We will get a look at the pitch during the semifinal today (between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils) and it will give us a fair idea. It should be an advantage for both teams playing the semifinals," he said.

The coach said they had picked a replacement for New Zealander Stephen Fleming who had to leave the team due to personal reasons.

"While I don't want to disclose who the replacement is I can say that all the players chosen for the team are suited for the Twenty20 format," Wessels said, adding that all the remaining players of the team were fit for the semifinal.

The former South Africa captain was all praise for the IPL and said it reminded him of the ODI World Series in Australia organised by Kerry Packer, in which he had played.

"You have a similar vibe here and it is a tremendous tournament. I am sure it will go from strength to strength," he said.

Ponting scores 10,000th Test run

Ricky Ponting has become the seventh man to join the 10,000-run Test club, moving alongside Steve Waugh and Allan Border as the only Australian members of the elite group. Ponting, 33, reached the milestone by advancing to the part-time legspinner Ramnaresh Sarwan and cover-driving for two, taking him from 59 to 61.

He acknowledged the achievement with a subdued wave of the bat and accepted the congratulations from his partner Simon Katich. There was a standing ovation from the Australia players in the dressing room and from a contingent of Australian spectators at the ground, but the small crowd at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium made it a muted occasion.

Ponting was unable to move far past the mark and finished the innings with 10,004 runs after getting a thick edge to slip on 65. He achieved the feat in his 118th Test, making him the second-fastest man to five figures behind Brian Lara, who arrived there in his 111th game.

"It's taken 13 years of international cricket to get 10,000 Test runs," Ponting said after play. "Everyone growing up wishes they could do it, but the thing I'm most proud about is my longevity in the game. To play so many Tests, I'm proud of that record. As a top-order batsman, if you play that many games, you're probably expected to get close on 10,000."

The other three men to have scored so heavily are the Indian trio of Rahul Dravid, who joined the club two months ago, Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar. Ponting expects Tendulkar's record to remain out of reach.

"I'm continually chasing Brian (11,953 runs) and Sachin (11,782)," he said. "Brian has finished but Sachin has got a few years left. Right now, my body has been sound for a few years. I've had some niggling back things, but I am working pretty hard to keep out of harm's way."

Ponting credits his fulltime move to No. 3 behind his run-scoring surge over the second half of his career. Since his elevation during the 2001 England tour he has scored 7362 runs at 68.80 in 74 games.

"There has been a bit made of the fact that I've been able to average more after being captain than before, but early in my career I struggled with batting down the order," he said. "Batting at No. 6 was something I'd never done before. Everyone thinks it's easier down there, I found it harder.

"I didn't know what to do sitting around the changeroom for all that time, and coming in after all those great players. Batting at No. 3 was where everything changed in my career. When I have more responsibility in the batting order is when I play my best cricket."

Watson helps Rajasthan march into final

This was Shane Watson's match. Imposing himself on the first semi-final, he boosted Rajasthan Royals with an electric fifty before rattling Delhi Daredevils' top order with an outstanding opening spell. Shane Warne had complained about being deprived of home advantage but his side adjusted perfectly to the conditions at the Wankhede Stadium, putting on a show that illustrated exactly why they have been the stand-out team in the competition.

Delhi were like a side struck with stage fright. Their bowlers were rattled by a brand of unconventional strokeplay - even the peerless Glenn McGrath went wicketless for 38 runs - before their batsmen succumbed against a disciplined attack. Virender Sehwag's decision to field may come under scrutiny but Rajasthan's ruthless efficiency might have steered them to the final either way. The farcical end to the match - when Mohammad Asif took an age to get his bat into the crease - summed it up.

The scorecard may indicate a hopelessly one-sided contest but Rajasthan had their shaky moments. Losing the toss meant facing up to McGrath and Asif on a juicy pitch and three quick wickets for Farveez Maharoof pushed them from 65 for no loss to 76 for 3.

Graeme Smith, who was aided by a runner once his hamstring injury resurfaced, and Swapnil Asnodkar, who broke a window pane at fine leg with an audacious pull, provided the early impetus but the innings could have easily lost its way with Maharoof, utilising the bounce and movement on the surface, luring the top order into loose strokes.

Watson's arrival put the innings back on track. From the moment he took 21 off the 11th over, with two ferocious pulls for six, only one team bossed the contest. With the high, straight back-lift that's been the feature of his batting in the tournament, Watson swung through midwicket and square leg. He targeted specific bowlers and went through with shots even if he wasn't to the pitch of the ball, allowing the timing to take care of the rest.

Amit Mishra, the legspinner, teased with his flight and loop but Watson was intent on spoiling his rhythm - going down on one knee, he slog-swept him over midwicket, a technique that Yusuf Pathan was to pick up later.

Such a commanding total wouldn't have been possible without the final flourish. Yusuf celebrated his recall to the one-day squad with a blistering 21-ball 45, an innings where four mighty sixes dripped off his bat. Without the Watson back-lift, without too much initial movement, he showed what brute force could do, blasting over long-on and midwicket. He spotted slower balls too, smearing McGrath over midwicket for the shot of the evening.

Delhi have their fielders to thank for avoiding further embarrassment but their effort was put in the shade by some acrobatic catching by Rajasthan. Shikhar Dhawan pulled off a diving catch to dismiss Smith but it was Tauwar Kohli's peach of a dive, throwing himself to the right of cover to latch on to a Gautam Gambhir slash, that will stick in the mind.

Watson may have top scored for his side, but his job wasn't done yet. Up against one of the most formidable opening combinations in the IPL, he cranked up his pace. Sehwag was done in by the extra bounce, holing out to deep point, Gambhir was frustrated into slashing in the air and Dhawan pulled straight to square leg. Every wicket was accompanied by an ecstatic expression - one that indicated the triumph of a well-laid plan.

Tillakaratne Dilshan's furious swinging was never going to be enough against a constantly mounting asking-rate and he kept losing partners who misread the bounce in the track. Manoj Tiwary top-edged a bouncer from Munaf Patel and Yo Mahesh struggled against a short one directed at the shoulder. The rest were clueless against Warne's fizzers.

He admitted he would have bowled first if he had won the toss but would have been pleasantly surprised at the amount of turn and bounce the surface offered. He toyed with the tailenders, mixing legbreaks and sliders as if this was a Test, and he could afford to wear an impish smile through the spell, considering the match was long gone.

Yusuf and Ojha get maiden call-ups

Yusuf Pathan, a right-hand batsman, and Pragyan Ojha, a left-arm spinner, have been called up to the 15-member squad for the tri-series in Bangladesh and the Asia Cup in Pakistan next month. Dinesh Karthik and Munaf Patel, who played in the CB Series, failed to make the cut.

The inclusion of Yusuf, who is the half-brother of Irfan Pathan, was on expected lines after his stand-out performances for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League. He has scored 334 runs at 27.83 from 13 innings with three fifties, and recorded the fastest half-century of the Twenty20 tournament: off 21 balls against the Deccan Chargers. He also took five wickets at 41.60 with his offspin.

Ojha was one of exceptions in an otherwise lacklustre performance by his team, Deccan, who lost 12 off their 14 matches. He took 11 wickets at 25.81, and his best figures were 2 for 18 in their IPL opener against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

However Venkatapathy Raju, the former India left-arm spinner who is also one of the national selectors, said IPL performances had not carried much weightage in picking the squad. "Our team did well in Australia and we kept in mind injuries to players in our selection", Raju told Cricinfo. "Murali Kartik was injured and he opted out so we were looking for another left-arm spinner and Ojha's advantage is his height. He was the selectors' choice and not a recommendation from the captain."

Yusuf, meanwhile, was a unanimous choice, Raju said, based on his recent performances. Apart from the selectors, Dav Whatmore, the National Cricket Academy director, Gary Kirtsen, the coach, Niranjan Shah, the board secretary, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni attended the meeting.

Ojha first came in to the limelight last August when he picked up 22 wickets in India A's tour of Kenya, including 9 for 85 in a three-day fixture that India won by an innings and 87 runs.

In four List A games last season, Yusuf scored 92 for Baroda, while Ojha, picked up six wickets for Hyderabad. Their first-class record was better, with Yusuf getting 441 runs at 44.10 from seven Ranji games and Ojha topping Hyderabad's wickets list with 24 at 31.87 from six matches.

Squad Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, RP Singh, Piyush Chawla, Pragyan Ojha.

Ponting backs Katich as opener

Simon Katich has won the backing of the captain Ricky Ponting and one of the selectors, David Boon, as he aims to settle into the Test opening role after Matthew Hayden was forced home from the Caribbean due to injury. When Hayden missed the first Test in Kingston because of his achilles tendon problem, Katich opened but he failed to have much impact, scoring 12 and 1.

The Sabina Park match was Katich's first Test following two and a half years out of the team and an extended run in Hayden's spot might allow him to calm his nerves. Ponting said Katich deserved another opportunity after he started well in the first innings against West Indies only to flash at a wide one outside off stump and drive a catch to gully.

"He seemed to get a bit carried away in the first innings of the first Test," Ponting wrote in the Australian. "He was back in the Test team, sighting the ball well and he struck a few boundaries early and he just went for one that he should have left alone.

"I had a good chat with him yesterday and he said he felt as good as ever at the crease in the second innings but he got one that surprised him a little with a bit of pace and a bit of inswing. He's riding an incredible wave of confidence. He's seeing the ball well and hitting it well and I am sure we will see him make some runs in the next game."

Katich's recall came after a stunning 2007-08 domestic campaign in which he broke the record for most runs in a Pura Cup season. Although he generally bats at No. 3 for New South Wales he has opened for them on occasions. Justin Langer became a successful Test opener after jumping from No. 3 and Boon, who did the same, believes Katich can do a good job replacing Hayden.

"I wouldn't say it's like versus like, but if you bat in the top three you should be able to open if required," Boon told the paper. "It's easier for an opener to go back down the order than it is for someone to go up and open, but if you bat in the top three, as long as you get it in your brain that you want to do it, it's fine."

Katich also knows that he could be auditioning for an eventual full-time opening role after Chris Rogers, who made a one-off appearance against India at the WACA in January, lost his Cricket Australia contract. Hayden, 36, wants to play until at least next year's Ashes tour, providing his fitness holds out.

Learning from Pigeon

Maharoof It is never easy to approach a new person, but it was easy to gel with McGrath. Off the field he is an amazing guy, joking and making everyone relax. Outside the ring, the kid in him comes alive.

He has been a hero for me, and I've always wanted to be as consistent as him. Lucky to have him, and he is always nice and helpful to share anything about cricket, or life in general.

He is just an icon for the team - the way he reacts, the way he behaves, there's always something to learn from him.

Yo Mahesh He's always friendly. He never makes you feel he is such a star. He is always joking around off the field. That releases all the pressure.

I was a bit reluctant to talk to him when I first met him - I was in awe of him. But as days went by I started to ask him questions -about my bowling, his bowling, preparation ...

Asif I played my first game against Deccan Chargers. I was pretty nervous about playing in front of such a big crowd and with such legends in the team. He was at mid-on and sensed my anxiety, and he came to me and calmed me down and encouraged me throughout that over. That gave me a lot of confidence, a belief that I belonged over there, especially if a guy like McGrath comes up and chats with me.

What they've learned
Maharoof He suggested a few technical adjustments about the variations and the grip when bowling the slow ball. Those should help. I have more control over my slower ball now. Cricket is all about doing the simple things right. If you get the basics right, you will succeed. That's the biggest lesson he has taught me.

Just watching him has been a big learning experience - the way he changes his pace, employs variations, his preparations before a game.

That and all the advice he gave me about cricket and life - he spoke about the importance of taking a break once in a while, considering the stressful lives we lead - will be a treasure.

Yo Mahesh I tend to get excited easily if I take a wicket or if I get hit. What I've learned from McGrath is that in those moments you've got to be really focused on what you're supposed to be doing, rather than thinking about what has happened or what will happen.

Once, I asked him how he prepares the day before the game. He said, "I just want to get a great feel. If I want to bowl here and if I do it, I feel good about it. I'm done for the day. I carry that to the next day for the game." That helped me a lot.

We discussed Aussie batsmen. Guys like Simon Katich move across the crease and make you bowl on the stumps. Effectively, he makes you bowl to his strength. McGrath pointed out that it is better to bowl just outside off stump in such cases. Things like that have helped me read batsmen better.

Taylor goes against the mould

Most of New Zealand's cricket so far on this tour has been described as 'grafting' and 'workmanlike', an assessment that even coach John Bracewell didn't disagree with. There is nothing of either word in the way that Ross Taylor bats; 'flamboyant' and 'adventurous' would probably work better.

Taylor was one of five New Zealand players to spend time at the Indian Premier League, before joining up with his team-mates two weeks into the England tour. While he was in India he spent time chatting with Rahul Dravid and Shivnarine Chanderpaul about the skills needed to succeed in England. He clearly didn't listen too much, because it's highly unlikely that either of them would have suggested trying to belt the cover off the ball.

Both toured England last year with West Indies and India. While Chanderpaul enjoyed a prolific time, making 446 runs at 148.66 in three Tests, he never threatened to tear an attack apart in the manner Taylor did during his third fifty, which took 42 balls. Meanwhile, Dravid's final Test innings on India's tour was a tortuous 96-ball 12 at The Oval. Taylor's second Test century took only 34 more deliveries.

However, there has been a noticeable evolution in Taylor's batting during the few days between Lord's and Old Trafford. His strike-rate for the Bangalore Royal Challengers was 183.95 and he began this tour unable to rein in his attacking mindset at the beginning of an innings. The warm-up matches were characterised by flashy dismissals after a couple of attractive boundaries, then at Lord's in the first innings he tried to pull a good length ball from Stuart Broad, and only managed to top edge to second slip.

"I was very disappointed with the way I got out," he said in his Cricinfo diary. "I was a little nervous when I walked out to bat, but playing across the line as I did to a shorter ball from Stuart Broad was not part of my game plan. Test cricket has its own special tempo and I was too rushed. I'll learn from that, as I do each time I bat in Test cricket." And learn he certainly has.

"I played straighter, that's the game plan I took out there," he said after Daniel Vettori's two late strikes left New Zealand in control. "I know if they bowl in other areas that, if I have a base of playing straight, my natural instincts will take over. A lot of people probably thought I was nervous at Lord's, but no more so than playing at another other ground. I just felt a little bit out of sorts, but I've work hard over the last few days and it made me feel a lot more relaxed."

Taylor is a naturally attacking batsman and there will always be an element of risk to his play. It is how he manages those risks that will determine how successful he becomes. The fact that he appears to be a quick learner will help his cause no end, but it is also a good sign that, even with a couple of failures behind him, he had the confidence to continue is own game.

England could easily have run all over New Zealand on the opening day, but Taylor's counter-attack redressed the balance almost before the home side could think they'd gained control. On the second morning the challenge was slightly different, consolidate and try to carry the game away from them. The loss of two team-mates to run outs didn't help, but by the time he was joined by the bowlers he was seeing the ball so well.

There was a hint of Nathan Astle and a sprinkle of Chris Cairns - not bad role models for an aggressive middle-order batsman - in the way he carved up England's bowlers in the later stages on his innings. It was one-day cricket - "The IPL helped me with those last 20 to 30 runs," Taylor said - and England needed to respond with some one-day style bowling. However, it's difficult to remember a single yorker that was attempted and Taylor was quite happy to swat length into the stands.

Andrew Strauss, who made a 60 that would have suited the grafting description, preferred to praise Taylor rather than suggest it was England's shortcomings that played a part. "Sometimes you have to give credit to the opposition and when someone doesn't allow bowlers to settle," he said. "As a bowler you feel like you have a chance against people like that, but if they get in and get on top it's hard to stem the flow of runs. I thought he played exceptionally well and you have to take your hat off to him."

Taylor has only played Tests against two nations; South Africa and England. He was found out by the bouncy pitches in Johannesburg and Centurion Park, but here the short ball was easily dispatched. He has formed a liking to English bowlers over the last few months. The series in New Zealand brought 310 runs at 51.66, including his maiden Test century at Hamilton. That was a rather more prosaic innings, taking 185 balls to today's 130, but Taylor said the memories of that first hundred helped today after he got stalled in the 90s.

"I think I probably batted better in this game and also the game situation it makes it a little bit better as well. I think most batsmen, unless you have 20-30 hundreds, will be nervous but I think I'd have been a lot more nervous if I hadn't already got one."

The list of top-order batsman New Zealand have lost in recent times shows the talent that has disappeared; Astle, Craig McMillan, Stephen Fleming and Scott Styris to name four. It hasn't proved easy trying to find suitable replacements, but in Taylor they have someone with a long career in front of them and he is certainly more then the grafter.

Struggling Australia miss stable Hayden

Matthew Hayden offers Australia many things, but in this Test they have missed his stability at the top of the order. Strong starts are expected by the team when Hayden is involved and after a disastrous opening to their second innings they need him to recover from his heel injury for the second Test in Antigua on Friday.

In the first innings Phil Jaques and Simon Katich had departed by the time the score was 37 and as Australia attempted to set a match-winning total there were more early losses, with the team slumping to 12 for 4. In less than nine overs West Indies had done much more than merely stay in the game.

The same results could have occurred with Hayden at the crease, but there was a distinct lack of the control that Hayden usually provides. Most importantly, the bowlers sensed they had a chance against the two opening batsmen without the self-belief and intimidating attitude Hayden carries with his bat.

Jaques has struggled to regain his purposeful footwork and head position following the long break between Test series. He was tentative when he pushed at Fidel Edwards in the second over and was caught behind for 4, adding to his 9 on Thursday. The last time he made such small contributions was when Australia were defeated by India in Perth, ending their winning streak at 16. Hayden was out injured for that game too. His presence helps his team-mates along with his runs.

Australia have grown used to settled contributions from their regular opening pairs, and when it does not happen the pressure moves to the rest of the order. Ponting was able to deal with the concerns with a fine 158 in the first innings, but he was slightly off-balance when he drove at Daren Powell and edged to Dwayne Bravo. Michael Hussey also got too far across and was bowled, leaving the Australians to spend the night wondering how the situation got so bad, so quickly.

In between those dismissals Katich, who went flailing in the first innings, got stuck and was lbw to a full delivery from Edwards. Thrown in at the top, Katich scored 12 and 1 and will be vulnerable if both Hayden and Michael Clarke return.

Hayden spent time in the nets during the second day in a sign he was feeling more comfortable about his injury. How he pulls up from the increase in workload will determine whether he is ready later in the week. Australia need him more than ever.