Roadblock to Indias Pak tour

India's tour of Pakistan early next year continues to draw apprehensions from the government on account of security as it is reluctant to risk the lives of its players in the nation which has seen a series of terror attacks in the last one year.

The government is apprehensive about the security of it players and the source said, ''if even a scratch comes to Sachin, what would happen to the bilateral relations.'' ''The risk is not worth running,'' they added.

With the prevailing situation in Pakistan, ''no government would take a decision which would risk the lives of its players,'' sources said.

The final decision on the tour, scheduled from January 6 to February 19, will be taken within two weeks on the basis of the assessment by a high-level team of officials that will be going to Pakistan shortly.

The source cited the recent terror attack on a national sporting event in Peshawar to cite the example of the security situation in Pakistan.

Pak coach says Shoaib crucial against India

Pakistan cricket coach Intikhab Alam feels controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar still has a lot to offer and could play a crucial role when they take on arch-rival India early next year.

"He can play a very important role against India and we will be relying on him to deliver the goods with experience and pace. I don't think he is finished. If nursed properly and he takes care of himself, Shoaib can do more for Pakistan than he has done in recent times," Intikhab, who guided the team to a clean sweep in ODI series against West Indies in Abu Dhabi recently, said on Sunday.

"Shoaib is certainly not finished as an international player as yet and he still has a few years to give to Pakistan cricket," he added.

The former Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Lt Gen (retd) Tauqir Zia recently advised the PCB to tell the fast bowler to go home and retire as he was finished as an international cricketer.

Intikhab, a former international cricketer, said that Shoaib had been told to follow a rigorous rehabilitation and training programme under the supervision of the team's Australian trainer David Dwyer.

Shoaib regained his berth in the national team recently and went to Abu Dhabi with the squad but didn't play in the series due to a calf strain.

"He is working very hard and doing what he has been asked to do to lose weight, become fitter and sharper and get the match fitness. He was fit for the final match (in Abu Dhabi) but we decided to not risk him on the advice of the trainer," he said. Speaking on the coming home-series against India, the coach insisted, "The series is very much on and we have to start serious preparations for it. All the players have already been given individual programs to keep themselves fit for the series as it is big for us." Intikhab also lauded Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men for their stupendous performance in the recent series against Australia and the ongoing England series.

"India has done really well in recent months and against Australia they were the better side but I think one of the reasons for their success is also the cricket balls they use in domestic cricket and against touring sides.

"The Indian players are well versed with the SG cricket balls and know how to use them well. Compared to the Kookaburra, the SG has a more prominent seam that does not die down after a few overs and is a big help for the spinners and pacers alike. It allows them to take a strong grip and use it effectively," he said.

We are in good position to win from here: Mishra

Leg-spinner Amit Mishra's maiden five-wicket haul on debut put India in a commanding position by the end of the third day's play of the second Test against Australia in Mohali on Sunday.

By close, India had raced to 100 for no loss with an overall lead of 301 runs with Virender Sehwag unbeaten on 53 and Gautam Gambhir batting on 46, after Australia were bowled out for 268 despite a valiant 78 from Shane Watson, his maiden Test fifty.

India chose not to enforce the follow-on despite a 201-run lead, with signs of wear on the Mohali surface becoming all too evident after the spinners' first innings exploits.

Haryana spinner Mishra's 5-71 capped off India's splendid display with the ball on day three, which began with Ishant Sharma nailing overnight batsman Michael Hussey (54) seven overs into the day.

Hussey, who reached a well-compiled half-century — his 10th — was sent back after being troubled frequently by the tall right-arm paceman, with the bowler beating the left-hander often before finding an edge that was easily taken by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Harbhajan Singh, who went wicketless on the second day, bowled Brad Haddin through his defence for nine before leg-spinner Amit Mishra castled Cameron White with a classical googly for his third wicket in the innings with the Aussies staring at a massive deficit at 174-7.

Delhi Giants grabs 13-run win over Rockets

A valuable knock of 43 by Paul Nixon enabled Delhi Giants post a competitive 167-7 in their alloted 20 overs against Ahmedabad Rockets in the ICL 20s Indian Championship here at the LB stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday.

Putting Giants in to bat after winning the toss, the Rockets bowlers dettered the batsmen from getting off to a flier. And then Heath Streak gave the first breakthrough as he returned opener Dale Benkenstein. He took two more wickets to finish at 3-23 in his four overs.

Abhinav Bali (35) and Nixon helped the Giants reach a good total.

Teams:

Ahmedabad Rockets: Damien Martyn, Ryan Campbell, Parviz Aziz, Murray Goodwin, Sridharan Sriram, Reetinder Sodhi, Anshu Jain, Heath Streak, Rakesh Patel, Sumit Kalia, Jason Gillespie.

Delhi Giants: Dale Benkenstein, Avishka Gunawardene, Abhinav Bali, Abbas Ali, Paul Nixon, Jai Prakash Yadav, Taduri Sudhindra, Shane Bond, Marvan Atapattu (Capt), Ali Murtaza, Shalabh Srivastava.

India fight

Australia's cricket on the fourth day was not pretty but the final result - a 263-run lead - was a fine outcome on a day when India harassed them intensely in all aspects of the game. Led by Zaheer Khan with the bat in the morning and Harbhajan Singh with the ball in the afternoon, India fought and thought, tested and pestered, and still somehow found themselves facing a tough final-day chase. At least they shortened the odds of a draw.

For Ricky Ponting it was a delicate balancing act. He needed to give his men enough hours to dismiss India and the timing was even more important with the news that Stuart Clark was nursing an elbow injury. It prevented him from bowling in the morning and threatened to leave the attack thin if it carried into the final day.

Australia also needed enough runs to ensure safety from a powerful India batting line-up that featured at its top Virender Sehwag, a man who frightens opponents with an urgent and potentially lethal approach to target-chasing. How could Ponting decide on a suitable total? The last time the teams met in a Test in Bangalore Australia set a hefty fourth-innings target of 457 and India were dismissed for 239. On a tricky surface with only 240 runs scored on the fourth day, 239 could have been a good enough buffer.

Luckily for the visitors, Brad Haddin and Shane Watson found the going smoother than their more fancied colleagues and built a hugely important 65-run stand late in the day. They took their cue from India's lower order and played their shots, took some chances and reaped the benefits. Playing for survival was a risky tactic on a pitch that was gradually wearing away, as Simon Katich and his top-order friends discovered.

Facing up to a fierce examination from Harbhajan, Katich looked about as comfortable as Indiana Jones in a snakepit. But if problem number one for Ponting is Clark's elbow, problem number two is that he doesn't have a Harbhajan in his armoury.

Having had little impact in the first innings Harbhajan, who carried most of the spin load as Anil Kumble battled a shoulder injury, found turn and bounce and exploited the breaking pitch. Michael Hussey fell to a top-spinner that hit a crack, transformed into a Shane Warne-like legbreak, and hit his off stump. Katich fended a high-bouncing top-spinner to silly mid off. Only when Haddin and Watson attacked and hit over the top did Harbhajan look vulnerable.

For much of the innings Australia's batsmen, led by Katich, seemed to think scoring was done by composers, not cricketers. Katich had problems getting off strike and at one stage when he and a slightly more confident Hussey were both on 10, Katich had faced 75 balls to Hussey's 18. Sensing the tension, India attacked at every opportunity, with Mahendra Singh Dhoni often calling the shots as Kumble rested off the field.

Ponting was targeted by Harbhajan with men crowded around the bat and despite a couple of edgy moments he survived - at least long enough to fall to his other developing nemesis, Ishant Sharma. Ishant tried to lure Ponting with the offspinning slower ball that had earned him two first-innings wickets but Australia's captain was alert to the ploy. However, with the next delivery Ishant tried a different style slower ball - he simply didn't roll his arm over as quickly - and Ponting, on 17, obligingly prodded to the short midwicket placed for that purpose.

Ishant's more conventional slower one did account for Michael Clarke, who nudged a drive to short cover just as Haddin and Cameron White had done on day two. That India's fast men succeeded might have buoyed Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson, who watched on as Matthew Hayden battled extravagant swing from Zaheer and was trapped lbw for 13.

Hard as it was for Hayden and friends, the 70-run first-innings advantage Australia had secured was vital. It could have been so much greater but for terrific lower-order resistance from Zaheer and his bowling mates. After Harbhajan started the batting fightback late on the third afternoon, Zaheer continued it on the fourth morning.

His unbeaten 57 was his second Test half-century - his first had come against Bangladesh - and he combined in useful partnerships of 31 with Kumble and 27 with Ishant. Following India's top-order struggles, it was a magnificent result for their final three pairs to add 128 of the team's 360.

They batted for nearly an hour and a half in the first session, grinding out 47 valuable runs that frustrated an Australia attack that had been on top for most of the previous day. Zaheer played in a more restrained fashion than on Saturday and justified his promotion ahead of Kumble, who gave him an appreciative hug when Zaheer's fifty came up with a clip behind square leg for two off Johnson.

Eventually Australia finished the job. Watson ended up with 3 for 45 when he jagged one back to trap Kumble in front and Clarke bowled Ishant to secure his second wicket. But the successes were a long way apart. Australia must significantly shorten the gap between their celebrations on the final day if they are to avoid a disappointing result.

Plenty to ponder for Kumble

While Mahela Jayawardene described Sri Lanka's massive win at the SSC a "perfect performance", his counterpart Anil Kumble was left to rummage through the ashes of India's third-heaviest defeat and concede that they played miserably. First and foremost on Kumble's agenda was how India would sort out Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis, who shared 19 of the 20 wickets to fall in Sri Lanka's biggest win on home soil.

"Obviously we need to look at our strategy in handling Murali and Mendis," Kumble said. "We have to be a little more positive. They bowled exceptionally well and we did not bowl well. Avoiding the follow-on was always going to be tough. The wicket was not really helping spin but once you bat that way in the first innings it was going to be tough. It was an exceptional bowling performance from Mendis and Murali."

Murali finished the match with 11 wickets as India were shot out for 138 in their second innings, and he was brilliantly supported by debutant Mendis, who took eight wickets. As he had said before this match, Kumble reiterated that India's focus had not been entirely on Mendis. "We are asked more about Mendis in media conferences. Probably the focus was on him but we always knew Murali and [Chaminda] Vaas were the ones. Murali is a champion bowler."

India were thoroughly outplayed, failing to take even one session, and Kumble admitted his side have plenty to do before the Galle Test. "We need to work all three departments of the game and just not one," he said. "We dropped a few catches, Mahela was dropped and so was [Thilan] Samaraweera. Zaheer [Khan] got a wicket off a no-ball. We had to bowl well and also ensure we held the chances that came our way."

India's shot selection has come under fire in this Test - in particular the option to play Murali horizontally. Kumble, however, believed India had no need to press the panic button. "There is no need to look at a change in technique. No other line-up is more technically equipped," he said in regards to India's Fab Four. "They are players who have played for more than 15 years and have more than 100 Tests. You can't get a more experienced line-up than this. It is important for the bowlers to also put their hands up."

It is not the first time India started an overseas series with a loss, as Kumble was gently reminded in the post-match conference, but he did not blame a lack of preparation. "Statistics don't lie but we don't think that way, and we're not thinking on those lines," he said. "We did let them off the hook. We had our chances; it is not that we take time to settle.

"Any amount of planning will hold good. It is question of going out there and performing. It does not mean we were under-prepared ... we were definitely prepared. Just that we didn't get it together. Preparation is also an individual thing."

The numbers sometimes do tell lies, but they paint a bleak truth for Kumble after a match that was his worst for quite some time. Before this Test, Kumble's bowling record in Sri Lanka read 22 wickets from six matches at 42.68, with only one five-wicket haul. After 37 wicketless overs for 121 runs, that has swelled to 48.18. Putting it mildly, the first Test of this series was humbling for India's captain.

"I take it [my lack of form], but we all tried hard," Kumble said. "Nobody goes there not to give 100%. It was not that I was hiding my best. Possibly the way we folded in the two innings was not right."

Harbhajan Singh's lack of bite was also a major concern ahead of the second Test but Kumble said it was too early to pontificate on bowling changes for Galle. "On coming back after a loss, we have done it in the past and it is the same team that has brought some wonderful results. I am confident we will come back."

Harmison recalled for third Test

Steve Harmison has been recalled by England for the third Test against South Africa at Edgbaston on Wednesday. In a 13-man squad, England have dropped Darren Pattinson - whose debut in the second Test at Headingley was fraught with controversy - but they retain Paul Collingwood who missed out on the XI at Leeds.

For Harmison, it represents an impressive comeback after he was unceremoniously dumped in the Hamilton Test against New Zealand in the winter. Since then, he has gone back to Durham and bowled with the sort of venom that England have craved from him ever since his sparkling 2004. This season, he has taken 41 wickets at 22.82. With England trailing the Test series 1-0, Harmison's firepower comes at a critical juncture.

"Steve Harmison has been bowling well for Durham this season," Geoff Miller, the England national selector, said, "and his inclusion in the Test squad gives us another option in terms of our bowling attack for the Edgbaston Test."

Miller had hinted at Harmison's recall the previous day, noting that England could do with an extra injection of pace (even Pattinson's county coach, Mick Newell, admitted he had been down on speed at Headingley).

The fact that Matthew Hoggard has been overlooked once again cannot be ignored. Harmison has worked his way ahead of him in the pecking order and, barring injuries to the others, his international future looks bleaker than ever.

England also welcome back Ryan Sidebottom, their most potent weapon since his revelatory international comeback last season, who missed the second Test owing to his back injury.

"Ryan Sidebottom has been progressing well with his back injury over the past week and we're confident he'll be fit for selection but obviously he'll be monitored closely in the lead up to next Wednesday.

"Paul Collingwood was unlucky to miss out on a place in the team for the second Test match but this decision was based on a number of factors. He has shown what a true professional he is by returning to Durham over the past week and playing well for his county."

Victory for South Africa would give them an unassailable 2-0 series-lead.

'Review will eradicate obvious errors' - Richardson

Terming the new umpire referral system a 'review process' as opposed to a challenge process, Dave Richardson, the ICC's general manager, was confident it would work well on a long-term basis with plenty of room for improvement. He said most umpires were in favour of this system and the real purpose is to eradicate obvious mistakes.

"Our policy in the decision-making process has always been to keep an open mind," he said. "You will recall in Sri Lanka in the 2002 Champions Trophy when we first started experimenting with technology and it continued until the Super Series in 2005, during which we allowed umpires to initiate a consultation on decisions. That didn't work because the umpires didn't refer decisions they should have. And then when they discovered that they could have made mistakes they became over cautious.

"It was actually just wasting time. They were double-checking themselves and this lead to a loss of confidence of the players in the umpires. We realised it doesn't work.

"A lot of people will say reviews are contradictory to the spirit of the game and that players are challenging the umpires, but the way we look at it is - what is better or worse for the game? Umpires make mistakes and are accused of cheating, Steve Bucknor's effigies are being burnt, teams threaten to fly home from a country, boards criticise umpires. Should we have a system where the umpire is given an opportunity to review his own decision and make a final decision himself? That would be preferable."

Richardson, who was present in the South African Test side when the first third-umpire referral was made in 1992-93, was firm that the ICC was not paying the television channels for the use of this technology, but rather saw it as a piggyback process. "The very first step in this process was to approach Ten Sports (the main broadcasters) and ask if they were willing to help us. They were keen to do so and we are very grateful to them. The broadcasters, like it or not, have been guilty in the past of showing up the umpires. All we ask them to do is continue to do so, but help us instead of being negative."

The ICC normally appoints three neutral Elite Panel umpires for a series. For this contest, instead of one umpire rotating and taking a break, he will act as the official third umpire. This, according to Richardson, was the way it would be going forward and there may even be the case of recalling some more experienced umpires to be specialist television umpires. But that, he affirmed, would be based on how the players felt about the situation.

Over the last few days the ICC has worked with the company that provides the ball-tracking devise. Cameras have been placed in correct positions around the SCC and both parties have confirmed the accuracy of the results. Camera use will differ from series to series but there are minimum specifications, clarified Richardson.

The company being used to provide the ball tracking is not Hawk-Eye, as generally employed, but one called Virtual Eye. They are similar to Hawk-Eye, said Richardson, but the ICC would only use the actual path of the ball until it hits the batsman. "It will then stop, and we won't use the predictive element because the suppliers of that technology will say that it's a bit of a computer guess.

"The trickiest part is going to be for the batsman," said Richardson. "As far as caught-behinds and bat-pads are concerned I have no doubt that every batsman, if he is honest with himself, will know he's got the finest edge. But I can understand as a batsman that you are uncertain as to whether the ball pitched on leg stump or slightly outside. It might be tricky and we may find a circumstance that you get back into the dressing room and your coach has spoken to you for not challenging the decision or asking for it to be reviewed. We must not forget what the real object of this system is - to eradicate obvious mistakes."

ICC concerned over threat of match-fixing in IPL

The International Cricket Council has concerns over the threat of match-fixing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), ICC general manager Dave Richardson has said.

"We are concerned," Richardson told the Indian news channel NDTV. "Let's face it, the IPL is the first domestic competition to attract such huge interest and, when it does, it's going to inevitably attract the interest of match-fixers and people like that.

"And because of the interest created there is no doubt that we would be concerned if the BCCI neglected that part of the game and didn't make sure that they had very strict measures in place to ensure it doesn't take a foothold in the IPL or any other domestic competition for that matter.

"There is certainly no criticism intended on IPL or the BCCI. It's just a fact of life that there is a lot of betting going on in cricket. And because there's so much money passing hands, inevitably the temptations are going to be there to try and get the players involved.

"And for the first time, a domestic competition is attracting this interest and you've got players who don't necessarily go through the ICC education process. And so you have young players who could be open to temptation or open to being approached by these corrupt people."

The ICC's anti-corruption chief Paul Condon had warned earlier this month that the BCCI-backed IPL posed the biggest threat to cricket's integrity since the match-fixing scandal of the 1990s. "The IPL brings with it the biggest threat of corruption in the game since the days of cricket in Sharjah," he reportedly said at a board meeting of the ICC.

Reacting to Condon's comments, Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, had told PTI: "The Indian Premier League is a huge event with lots of money involved. We are keen to ensure that it remains corruption-free and have taken and will be taking measures to this effect."

Jayawardene hundred punishes India

Sri Lanka overcame the shaky start on the first day and resumed normal service, accumulating runs on the placid SSC pitch, and capitalised on reprieves to move into a position of strength. Mahela Jayawardene looked set from the moment his innings began shortly before stumps last evening and, by tea, he had scored a classy 105 and threatened to punish India severely for the opportunities they failed to take.

It was Jayawardene's ninth century at the SSC and he now shares the world record for most hundreds at a single venue with Don Bradman who made nine at the MCG. Jayawardene's has played his club cricket at the SSC and has scored over a quarter of his Test runs here: 2167 runs, another world record at a specific venue, in 20 Tests at an average of 83.34.

Jayawardene's century today was preceded by Malinda Warnapura's second hundred in his fifth Test. His was a more controlled performance: he was sure against the semi-new ball and his confidence grew as the ball got older.

Sri Lanka added 220 runs in two sessions today for the loss of only Warnapura. Their batsmen were rarely troubled and 55 turned out to be their lucky number. In the sixth over of the day, Zaheer Khan had Warnapura, on 55 at the time, caught and bowled off a marginal no-ball. His foot landed on the line and then just slid over. Jayawardene was also on 55 when a slider from Anil Kumble found the bottom edge. Dinesh Karthik, perhaps unsighted by the bat, couldn't hold on to the catch. On 93, Jayawardene was beaten comprehensively - a rare event given his form - by a legbreak from Kumble which might have taken a faint edge. Karthik once again couldn't gather it, and ended the debate right there.

Apart from those three chances, India's bowlers did not have much going for them. Two boundaries in the fifth over of the day summed up the medium-pacers' predicament. Jayawardene moved on to front foot against Ishant Sharma; the bowler consciously shortened the length but Jayawardene had enough time to transfer the weight on to the back foot and cut in front of point. He played an identical shot the next ball and the message was clear: economy might be the best form of attack once the ball lost its shine for the pitch absorbed the pace and offered only slow movement.

After Sri Lanka had scored 38 in the first six overs - Jayawardene contributing 23 -Kumble, the pick of the bowlers, brought himself on to replace Ishant. He conceded only 12 runs off his first 10 overs and India began to exercise some control over the run-flow. By tea, Kumble had bowled 22 overs for 47 runs and should have had Jayawardene at least once.

India's only wicket came in the post-lunch session when Harbhajan, from round the wicket, made Warnapura play at an offbreak and got the edge through to Rahul Dravid. Thilan Samaraweera nearly played on against Harbhajan early in his innings but he settled down and unobtrusively reached a half-century just before the tea break.

Zaheer came for a testing spell in the middle session, getting reverse swing from round the wicket. His stock ball remained the one headed for the pads but he got the odd one to swing away. He even managed to beat Jayawardene with the away-going delivery. By tea, India's medium-pacers had bowled 43 overs between them and that could be the reason that Kumble didn't take the new ball.

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.

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.

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.

Another on-field row can end Bhajji's career: Bindra

Indian Premier League (IPL) governing board member I S Bindra has cautioned off-spinner Harbhajan Singh to watch his on-field behaviour after the slapping row with S Sreesanth as another spat with fellow players could spell the end of his career.

"There is no question for any repetition, we cannot have tolerance of any repeat actions of this nature," Bindra told The Herald.

"Once punished for such an offence, a player cannot make the same indiscretion again," he added.

Harbhajan was banned from this edition of the IPL for slapping India teammate S Sreesanth and Bindra said he has been left deeply disappointed by the off-spinner considering that he had been urged to control his temper after the racism row in Australia.

"He has disappointed all of us. I personally warned him after Australia, I told him he needed to be all the more careful because 'you are under watch, you are under probation'," he recalled.

"He has had problems on a couple of occasions in the past. He was warned by the association that if he doesn't listen to the advice then next is a hard knock on his knuckles," he added.

The slap-gate, as it has come to be described, has cost the tweaker almost Rs. 3 crore in match fee and his woes do not end at that as he is still awaiting the BCCI disciplinary committee verdict on the matter.

Bindra said the BCCI and IPL's tough stance on the matter showed that Indian cricket was not willing to take a lenient view of the misconduct by its players.

"People have accused the board of being soft, but this shows we're not trying to sweep things under the carpet," he said.

The former BCCI chief said it was unfair to compare the racism row in Australia with the slapping incident in IPL as Harbhajan's conduct was markedly different in both cases.

"As for the case in Australia, the overwhelming view from the Indian team was that he was not guilty of what he was accused, and therefore we supported him," he explained.

"On this occasion there was no question he was guilty, and we have punished him. We cannot mix the two incidents, we will punish players if they are guilty," he added.

ECB praises IPL as comparable to Rugby World Cup

England and Wales Cricket Board has been left astonished by the BCCI-promoted Indian Premier League's success and is comparing the billion-dollar Twenty20 extravaganza in scope and scale to the Rugby World Cup.

Chairman Giles Clarke, who witnessed the initial rounds of the IPL spectacle with his CEO David Collier, told the ECB's AGM at Lord's, in London, on Tuesday that his admiration for what has been achieved by the Sharad Pawar-headed BCCI is huge.

"You will be aware that in recent weeks David Collier, our outstanding Chief Executive, and I have been to India to witness, at first hand, the Indian Premier League. Our admiration for what has been achieved is immense," he said.

"It was, as the Indians say, a great tamasha. There was light, glitz, glamour and music. We must congratulate them on establishing a tournament which has the same scope and scale which can be compared to the Rugby World Cup", he told the members of the ECB, according to a media release.

"Those who were in Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai will talk of a great spectacle and a great show," he added.

Clarke also said that his trip to India has helped in "forging great personal relationships with our great friends from the BCCI".

These relationships, according to Clarke, had allowed him to return home with a clear mandate for the Champions League

"I am personally delighted that the excellent relations we have with the BCCI and Cricket Australia have made this possible," he explained.

Significantly ECB's response has come at a time when no top English player is playing in the IPL due to a clash with its own county cricket programme.

BCCI announces venues for India-England winter series

Ahmedabad will host the first Test between India and England when Michael Vaughan's team come to India for a two-Test and seven-ODI series in November-December, the final itinerary of which will be announced soon by the BCCI.

The second Test of the series will be played in Mumbai before the two teams lock horns in a One-day series.

The first of the seven One-dayers will be played in the capital.

Indore, Rajkot, Jamshedpur, Cuttack, Guwahati and Kanpur will host the remaining matches of the series.

"The final itinerary will be decided on the basis of logistics," BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah said in a statement.

Jayasuriya and Bravo seal Mumbai win

Inspired by Sanath Jayasuriya's 3 for 14, the best figures of the tournament, the Mumbai Indians put their off-field troubles aside and pulled off their first win. On a slow Eden Gardens pitch, though not the minefield of the previous game, Mumbai had a nervy start and were 25 for 3 before Dwayne Bravo and Robin Uthappa put on a century stand to see them home.

After Kolkata Knight Riders chose to bat, Mumbai's stand-in captain Shaun Pollock stunned the huge crowd, removing local hero Sourav Ganguly and the dangerous Brendon McCullum in the first over. Ganguly chased at a wide delivery and only managed a thick edge that was smartly held by Jayasuriya at wide slip. McCullum was trapped lbw for 1 two balls later, leaving Kolkata at 6 for 2.

The early momentum was provided by Twenty20 debutant Debabrata Das. Pollock was hit over midwicket for a big six and three leg-side fours followed in the next couple of overs. Das favoured the cut and got his innings going with two of them off Ashish Nehra in the second over, but another one off Dwayne Bravo flew straight to Robin Uthappa at point.

Bravo kept it just short of a length and outside off, giving away only four runs in two overs. Ponting and David Hussey consolidated for a couple of overs with singles and the odd boundary. Ponting was unable to get his timing right or middle the ball, and Hussey tried to up the tempo slamming Pollock for two fours.

Jayasuriya, tossing it up instead of firing it in as he usually does, broke the partnership by luring Hussey into swiping one to mid-on in the 11th over for 17. His next over, a maiden, saw two wickets fall as well. A run-out put Ponting out of his misery and two balls later Mohammad Hafeez nicked one to the wicketkeeper Pinal Shah as Kolkata slid to 77 for 6.

Laxmi Ratan Shukla, who revived Kolkata batting with a quick 42 against the Chennai Super Kings, was called on to rescue his team yet again. He smashed two fours and a six each off Bravo and Dilhara Fernando as 44 runs were scored in the last four overs.

Despite the below-par score, Kolkata refused to surrender and their new-ball bowlers gave them an excellent start. Ajit Agarkar had Ajinkya Rahane chipping to midwicket in the third over and, at the other end, Jayasuriya was in a fascinating battle with Ishant Sharma. After several swings-and-misses and powerful hits to the boundary, Ishant sent Jayasuriya's off stump cartwheeling. Manish Pandey then fell for a duck to the impressive Ashok Dinda and, at 25 for 3, Mumbai were in danger of squandering their advantage.