Welcome to our coverage of day one of the Boxing Day Test between Australia and India at the MCG, where home skipper Michael Clarke won the toss and opted to bat.
Join us for updates throughout the day as well as audio snippets for all the dismissals and milestones.
5:51pm: In other cricketing news, MacGilla has nominated for the IPL. How's that going to go? This correspondent reckons he'll cop a hiding (if he even gets picked up), but I'll be happy to be proved wrong.
5:40pm: There's been 73 overs bowled so far and Australia is 6 for 224. India still has a whopping 17 overs to bowl and it's almost 6:00pm.
5:36pm: Grandstand's @peterawalsh says the crowd has tipped over the 70,000 mark. Meanwhile, there's this gem from @ricfinlay: "Ed Cowan saw more wickets fall at other end (5) than any other Oz player on debut since Blewett 1994 (6). Hodge also 5."
5:23pm: @bhogleharsha writes: "india's bowlers have opened the door for them in this game. that is why you need zaheer, suddenly cranks it up. loves the reverse."
5:13pm: WICKET! E Cowan c. Dhoni b. Ashwin 68 (Australia 6-214, Haddin 6*) - Listen to the dismissal
Cowan's gritty debut innings comes to an end, he apparently feathers one to the Indian skipper and now Australia's innings is starting to take a familiar path with yet another middle-order collapse. Cowan doesn't appear real happy either - replays show why - no edge by the looks. Cowan faced 177 balls, hitting just seven boundaries.
5:03pm: Meanwhile, Brad Haddin successfully negotiates the hat-trick delivery by getting off the mark straight away. But we're still reeling from that last dismissal. Hot spot shows it barely even touched his sleeve. That's two straight ducks for the Huss.
5:00pm: WICKET! M Hussey c. Dhoni b. Khan 0 (Australia 5-205, Cowan 66*) - Listen to the dismissal
Oh no! Khan bumps Hussey and the Indians appeal for caught behind, Erasmus's finger goes up but Huss was nowhere near that! And with no DRS, the under-fire Aussie is bitterly disappointed as he trudges off for a golden duck. Where's that luck he was speaking about the other day?
4:58pm: WICKET! M Clarke b. Khan 31 (Australia 4-205, Cowan 66*) - Listen to the dismissal
The skipper's on his bike, chopping onto his stumps and it brings M K Hussey to the crease.
4:45pm: Australia has reached the 200-mark with a Clarke boundary off Khan. 3 for 201 now with Clarke moving to 30 off 55 balls, and Cowan on 63.
4:18pm: We're back for the final session and Ashin delivers the first over, from which Cowan and Clarke snare a single apiece.
3:54pm: That's tea with Australia 3 for 170. Cowan reached 58 on debut with captain Michael Clarke on 7. Yadav has 3 for 66 off 13 overs. @RicFinlay points out: "Cowan 58* off 149 balls, best opener's debut inns for Oz since Slater 58 off 131 balls 1993. Little diff in scoring rates!"
3:36pm: WICKET! R Ponting c. Laxman b. Yadav 62 (Australia 3-159, Cowan 55*) - Listen to the dismissal
That's a big one for Indian youngster Yadav and Dhoni, who just brought him back into the attack. He immediately softened up the veteran with a short ball which almost caught the glove and then has him walking two pills later, snicking to VVS in the cordon. 94 balls for Ponting with six boundaries. 113-run stand with Cowan brought to an inglorious end.
3:25pm: @ricfinlay has this: "Ponting 32 centuries at #3, none at #4. Tendulkar 44 centuries at #4, none at #3."
3:11pm: Ponting flicks a single to deep square leg and that's the 100-run stand for this pair. Two Sharma deliveries later, Cowan brings up his half-century off 120 balls with six fours. Well played son. Listen to the milestone here.
2:49pm: Ponting gets to 50 off just 67 balls, and he's hardly played a false stroke. Bravo. You can listen here.
2:43pm: Dhoni makes a change to try and arrest Australia's momentum, bringing Sharma back into the attack. Australia 2 for 127 now with Ponting on 43 and Cowan 42.
2:27pm: Ponting and Cowan are now going stroke for stroke and the former hits 40 off just 53 balls with another sweetly timed boundary. Australia now 2 for 116 off 32 with Cowan on 36. By the way, how good has Ricky looked on the pull today?
2:03pm: Umm - where has this Ricky been? Two pull shots for four separated by a backfoot drive for three. All of a sudden he's raced to 32 off 38 and the bowling from India since the interval has been terrible.
1:57pm: Kerry O'Keeffe points out Cowan's present dilemma: "At the moment he's doing the job for his team. Any error and it'll be marked as a failure." Ed's stroke from Yadav's third delivery after the break is anything but a failure - a beautiful cover drive "right awff the meat awf the bat". Sublime stroke.
1:53pm: Interesting decision by Dhoni to resume with Ashwin after the break. Letting Ponting get his eye in? Punter hammers the fourth delivery of the over to fine leg for four. Poor, poor delivery.
1:51pm: We're back underway and Khan delivers the remaining ball of his over, which Ponting blocks. Australia resumes on 2 for 68, with Ponting on 15 and Cowan 14.
1:48pm: Out come Ponting and Cowan and now they're all back in the middle.
1:35pm: Dan just caught up with Aussie coach Mickey Arthur while we await the resumption of play:
1:28pm: The covers are coming off, much to the relief of the cheering MCG contingent. Umpire Marais Erasmus just told Dan that play should be underway by 2:00pm.
1:23pm: Our sideline man Dan Lonergan says groundstaff are desperately working to remove surface water and the covers will be off soon. If there's no more rain, play will resume in about 30 minutes.
1:10pm: Bad news unfortunately - the rain is continuing so the start of the second session will be delayed. While you're waiting, we've kicked off a photo gallery of all the action - check it out here.
12:29pm: It's raining and they're off, but lunch is due anyway. The Aussies are 2 for 68 at the interval with Ricky Ponting on 15 and Cowan on 14. Crowd figure a little while ago was 62,400, by the way.
12:27pm: From our man Harsha Bhogle @bhogleharsha: "kerry a legend. had a great laugh on whether cowan is like a slow formula 1 car that keeps getting lapped. kerry thinks he's the safety car!
12:22pm: The offie Ravichandran Shandwin is now into the attack, going around the stumps to Cowan who gets his second ball away for a single. Australia is 2 for 67 after 24 overs with lunch looming.
12:13pm: Grandstand's Damien Fleming (@bowlologist) reckons Cowan is playing the perfect opener's innings. Drew Morphett (@drewmorphett) agrees, saying it's refreshing to see an opener prepared to go out and work for his runs.
12:04pm: We're into the 19th over now and Sharma goes round the wicket to Cowan, beating him with a beautiful delivery. The next ball is fuller and Cowan punches it through cover for four to move into double figures. Fine shot. This from my colleague @rambogoraya on Twitter: "Very well Cowan leaving the ball and getting set, but lack of runs builds pressure. And there's enough of that on Ponting already." Point well made, but at least Cowan is trying to build an innings.
11:45am: WICKET! S Marsh c. Kohli b. Yadav 0 (Australia 2-46, Cowan 7*) - Listen to the dismissal
Marsh doesn't hang around long, pushing feebly at a Yadav delivery which lands straight in Virat Kohli's bread basket at backward point. That's a disappointing six-ball duck for the Western Australian and all of a sudden Australia has slumped from 0 for 46 to 2 for 46.
11:34am: WICKET! D Warner c. Dhoni b. Yadav 37 (Australia 1-46, Cowan 7*) - Listen to the dismissal
Oh no! First ball back and the rookie Yadav has the breakthrough, with Warner gloving one behind to Dhoni without adding to his 37. Australia is 1 for 46 and it brings the returning Shaun Marsh to the crease. That short rain delay was a godsend for the tourists.
11:33am: And they're back out under lights. Grandstand's sideline eye Dan Lonergan said it was raining so light his hair didn't even get wet.
11:28am: Boooo! It's raining and they're off. Just when we were getting started. Warner has raced to 37 runs off 48 balls with four fours and six. The watchful Cowan is on 7 off 30 with the solitary boundary. Australia 0 for 46 after 13 overs. This rain's not real heavy so hopefully it's only a short pause in proceedings.
11:22am: Yadav has copped some serious punishment in this over. Firstly, Cowan gets his maiden Test boundary, smashing it down the ground. Then Warner gets in on the act, spanking a four through the covers before lifting a six over midwicket. He didn't miss with that second shot, what a beauty.
11:11am: And if Cowan has designs on a big score on debut (I'm pretty sure he would), @ricfinlay says: "Last time an Oz opener made 50 on debut Slater 58 1993. Last time 100, WB Phillips 159 1983-84."
11:07am: Our stats man @ricfinlay has this: "MCG win the toss, win 47 Tests, lose 41. Win toss and bat, win 38 lose 27. Win toss and field, win 9 lose 14."
11:00am: Dhoni makes his first bowling change early and it's Umesh Yadav replacing Sharma. This bloke's got nine wickets from three Tests.
Meanwhile, Cowan's giving Phil Hughes a basic batting lesson in how to leave the ball. Give this man a raise!
10:56am: Khan begins the sixth over and Warner hammers him through the offside for four. Magnificent shot and it's moved Australia to 0 for 21.
10:39am: The Indians appeal for lbw on Warner off the bowling of Khan, but it's dismissed. No DRS in this series either - the tourists didn't want it.
10:36am: Cowan's off the mark with the fourth delivery of Ishant Sharma's first over. Phew. No duck on this Test debut. Warner's first scoring shot is a thick inside edge past Dhoni for four.
10:30am: Zaheer Khan sends down the first delivery of the Boxing Day Test and Cowan lets it go through to Dhoni. He does likewise with the second ball - very watchful on a pitch with a green tinge under cloud cover in Melbourne. The first over is a maiden.
10:28am: So we've had the anthems and now David Warner and debutant Ed Cowan, who received his fresh new baggy green from Dean Jones, are walking out to the middle. What a moment for the New South Welshman-turned-Tasmanian.
10:21am: Jim also caught up with Dhoni, who said he would have bowled anyway:
10:20am: Here's the Aussie skipper with Jim:
For those interested in some stats between these two sides, look no further:
10:00am: Michael Clarke won the toss and Australia will bat first. Grandstand's @jimmaxcricket will have Clarke and Indian skipper MS Dhoni for us in a sec.
Teams:
Tags: cricket, sport, melbourne-3000, vic, australia, india First posted December 26, 2011 10:06:27
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