Michael Hussey left Test cricket a winner as Australia swept Sri Lanka 3-0 with a five-wicket win at the SCG on day four.
Look back on Sunday's action with our updates, audio and video highlights, photos, tweets and more from Sydney.
(All times in AEDT)
5:10pm: After blogging two Tests this summer that finished in less than five days, I'm starting to wonder whether I'm a good-luck charm for Australian cricket.
It's safe to say that's a wrap for this afternoon, this match and this summer of Test cricket. Thanks for following along with us throughout the South Africa and Sri Lanka series.
We hope you've enjoyed the coverage as much as my right-hand man James Maasdorp and I have enjoyed bringing it to you. Until next time, this is Adrian Crawford signing off.
5:00pm: As always, Jim Maxwell and Kerry O'Keeffe have been good enough to summarise today's thrilling final day of cricket, which you can hear below.
And to hear the best parts of Grandstand's day four commentary, make sure to have a listen to our highlights package.
4:15pm: He's unstoppable! Drew is now with Jackson Bird, who's thanked the Sydney crowd for their support in his second Test but said he can't rest on his laurels yet.
"It's been a good start so far. There's a lot of hard work to do in the next couple of months.
"If selected there's a couple of tough tours coming up and there's a lot of Test cricket.
"So I've just got to concentrate on what I can in the next couple of weeks and see what happens from there."
He reckons he'll have to brush up on the words to the team song before they get to the sheds.
The baton has been passed too - Nathan Lyon will be the leader of the song with Hussey's departure.
4:12pm: Drew is having a chat with Mahela Jayawardene, defeated in his last Test match as captain.
"I've enjoyed it, it was a one-year stint which I said from the beginning and the time is right.
"Angelo [Mathews] will gradually slowly get into this role and I can help him while I'm around.
He said his side showed improvement after a two-and-a-half-day defeat in the Boxing Day Test.
"It was especially important to pick ourselves up after the MCG.
"It was not the way we wanted to play, not to our potential, not up to the standard with bat and ball. We had our opportunities but didn't grab them.
"It's tough to compete in that situation but I'm sure we'll learn from this."
4:04pm: The major sponsor has named Jackson Bird the player of the match after finishing with figures of 7 for 117. Outstanding stuff for the young fella in just his second Test match. Look out for this kid.
Australian skipper and ABC Test Cricketer of the Year Michael Clarke was given the nod as player of the series.
3:59pm: Australian coach Mickey Arthur said he couldn't be happier with the series result.
Now, after the departure of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey, Arthur says his job is to nurture the new faces in the team through the next phase in an exciting time for Australian cricket.
"I think we are [finding the future].
"You lose Ricky, you lose Mike, you lose such a massive amount of experience.
"We've got to coax and coach the young boys to take up that mantle.
"Hopefully we find some talent, hopefully the younger boys stand up. I thought they stood up this game and I'm excited for the future."
3:57pm: Drew grabbed Michael Hussey fresh off his TV commitments, and true to form Mr Cricket was humble in the face of praise.
"I'm a little bit embarrassed to be honest, the support has just been overwhelming. I've got to thank the Sydney crowd because they've been absolutely fantastic.
"I was hoping not to bat and hoping we would get the runs none down, but to be there at the end with Mitchell Johnson was brilliant.
"I'm more than happy, I was hoping Michael Clarke and Ed Cowan could get through to tea.
"The crowd was starting to call for one of them to get out.
"I was pretty nervous, you just don't want to let anyone down I guess. I was just very proud to be out there."
I don't reckon he could have let anyone down today. Well done Mr Cricket, and thanks for everything.
3:55pm: Out on the boundary Drew Morphett has managed to collar Matthew Wade, who ducked out to the middle to snag a stump to commemorate his first Test ton on home soil.
He seemed a little lost for words.
"What a Test match, awesome.
"It was always bound to happen, I think Mr Cricket was bound to be ... out there for [the winning runs].
"He didn't want any fuss over him but it was always going to happen."
M. Hussey 27*
M. Johnson 1*
E. Cowan 36
R. Herath 3/46 (16.5 overs)
S. Lakmal 1/18 (6 overs)
T. Dilshan 1/57 (18 overs)
D. Chandimal 62*
D. Karunaratne 85
M. Jayawardene 60
M. Johnson 3/34 (15 overs)
J. Bird 3/76 (21.2 overs)
P. Siddle 1/42 (17 overs)
Australia 9 (dec)-432 (107 overs)
M. Wade 102*
J. Bird 6*
P. Hughes 87
R. Herath 4/95 (31 overs)
N. Pradeep 2/114 (24 overs)
T. Dilshan 1/58 (19 overs)
L. Thirimanne 91
M. Jayawardene 72
T. Dilshan 34
J. Bird 4/41 (19.4 overs)
M. Starc 3/71 (19 overs)
P. Siddle 2/46 (15 overs)
3:51pm: THAT'S ALL THERE IS. Johnson has poked a single through the infield to score the winning run that clinches a 3-0 series sweep for Australia.
"Thanks Mike" flashes up on the SCG video screen as Hussey shakes hands with the defeated Sri Lankans.
Hussey's team-mates have come out to congratulate him and the crowd in the members' stand and around the SCG are on their feet applauding the retiring veteran.
@RusselArnold69 Well done Huss... True professional and great competitor.... Probably the only Aussie who did not sledge us too.... Good luck in Retirement3:50pm: Hussey might not want the limelight! He's pushed a single to bring the scores level and Johnson is back on strike. Three balls left in Herath's over!
3:48pm: Hussey's single puts his partner back on strike. Johnson graciously holds serve and defends through the end of the over, giving Mr Cricket the strike for the last two runs.
3:46pm: They're back in the middle and Hussey takes two to backward square leg off Dilshan.
M. Hussey 23*
M. Johnson 0
E. Cowan 36
R. Herath 3/44 (16 overs)
S. Lakmal 1/18 (6 overs)
T. Dilshan 1/54 (17 overs)
D. Chandimal 62*
D. Karunaratne 85
M. Jayawardene 60
M. Johnson 3/34 (15 overs)
J. Bird 3/76 (21.2 overs)
P. Siddle 1/42 (17 overs)
Australia 9 (dec)-432 (107 overs)
M. Wade 102*
J. Bird 6*
P. Hughes 87
R. Herath 4/95 (31 overs)
N. Pradeep 2/114 (24 overs)
T. Dilshan 1/58 (19 overs)
L. Thirimanne 91
M. Jayawardene 72
T. Dilshan 34
J. Bird 4/41 (19.4 overs)
M. Starc 3/71 (19 overs)
P. Siddle 2/46 (15 overs)
3:28pm: I guess the umpires like drama, because NOW they've called tea. Bails are off. This is going to be tense. Australia needs just five runs to win.
So Mike Hussey (23*) and Mitchell Johnson (0*) face a few nervous minutes' wait before they can resume the chase.
"Shut up. Oh please," was Skull's response. "That's like the Beach Boys doing a concert and not singing Barbara Ann."
3:26pm: Mr Cricket has popped it up off the pad! Straight to short leg and you should have heard some of the noises from colleagues alongside me. Luckily there was no bat in it.
3:24pm: Hussey is showing just why he's a great batsman. He's shielded Johnson from the strike at the end of the over with victory in sight.
Brilliant running between wickets too - he might be 37 but he's just raced through two off Herath to cut the target down to six.
3:20pm: WADE IS OUT! The 'keeper has gone for what Kerry called a "smear across the line", and the ball crashes into his off peg to dismiss Wade for 8.
Victory is close but Wade won't be in the middle for it. Mitchell Johnson is the next man up.
3:18pm: Oh Huss. A reverse sweep for four! He's evergreen. Why's this guy retiring again? The target is 10 runs away.
3:16pm: Heart in throat moment there! An edge off Hussey's bat falls just short of the man at slip. That'd be an ignoble way for the great man to depart the Test arena.
3:11pm: They've opted to delay tea and play on with Australia 20 runs from victory. Good call, although it's thrown super-producer Ned Hall's commentator schedule out!
Herath has the ball in hand.
3:09pm: A bit of a wild uppish cut off Dilshan by Matthew Wade that flies to the boundary for four. Twenty runs to win.
3:03pm: In the shadows of tea Hussey has pulled Dilshan to the mid-wicket boundary for a boundary to release the pressure a bit. They now need 29 to win.
2:59pm: COWAN IS OUT! Trapped in front by Herath and the finger has gone straight up. Australia calls for the review but there's not much to question.
His front leg was well in line and he's only hit half-way up the pad. Cowan's day is done for 36. The hosts are 4 for 108.
Australia can only be thankful that Chandimal ran out of partners earlier today, because with another 40 or 50 on the board this would be a very tough position to be in.
2:55pm: I'd hate to see the reception the SCG faithful will give if Hussey loses his wicket, judging by the booing that went up when Mr Cricket's first scoring stroke was fielded.
2:53pm: CLARKE IS OUT! Popping up Dilshan to Thirimanne at short leg for 29. And you'd never guess Australia just lost a wicket because the crowd is on its feet and elated.
There's only one reason for that - Michael Hussey is at the crease for his last ever Test innings. The hosts need 37 more to win at 3 for 104. Stay tuned folks.
2:47pm: When it's short and wide it goes to the boundary, as Pradeep just found out. Cowan on the back foot punched it through the off side to the rope, then flicks one off his pads down to fine leg for four more.
That brings up the 100 for Australia, with just 38 more needed to send Mike Hussey to retirement with a 3-0 series sweep. Cowan is 36, Clarke 28.
2:37pm: Case in point - Ed Cowan slashes between gully and point to find the boundary and move to 27, bringing the target four runs closer. Australia needs 56 for victory.
2:35pm: Nuwan Pradeep is into the attack, which could prove handy for the two batsmen in the middle as the tight fielding around the stumps backs off a bit.
2:29pm: Boy oh boy they want Clarke's wicket desperately. In the last Herath over he survives an lbw decision review and then there's another cry for a bat-pad catch two balls into Dilshan's over.
Two boundaries for the skipper in that over though as he overtakes Cowan (22) and moves to 23, with Australia 2 for 80 at the end of the 26th.
2:20pm: I might just stop posting every leg-before appeal - that one on Clarke from Dilshan was going way down leg. Ho hum.
2:17pm: Another big shout for lbw, which we're starting to get used to in this situation. Cowan came down to Herath and was rapped on the pad, but to no avail.
2:10pm: Drinks are back on the field, meaning we've had an hour's play since lunch. It's 2 for 62, thanks mostly to some strong hitting from Phil Hughes before his untimely demise.
Ed Cowan has patiently crafted 19 off 55 deliveries and Michael Clarke has reached 9 from 18, with Australia needing a further 79 for victory.
It's been slow going with Tillakaratne Dilshan and Rangana Herath pinning the Aussies down out there.
1:54pm: Clarke is off the mark in typically aggressive fashion, coming down to Herath (who's coming around the wicket) and pushing him to the cover boundary. More of those please.
1:52pm: Australia wants us on the edge of our seats apparently. Cowan has edged Dilshan through the slips for a nervous boundary. Spinners at either end; the pressure is on.
1:51pm: ANOTHER BIG SHOUT! Cowan's pad was on the end of a Dilshan delivery and subsequent appeal this time, but Jayawardene isn't interested in questioning it.
Australia is 2 for 45, needing 96 more for victory. Michael Clarke is out there with Cowan.
1:49pm: HUGHES IS OUT! Forget the catch at short leg, the DRS says he's out lbw! Well this is odd. Hughes is gone for 34 off 49, trapped in front by Herath. What a curious turn of events.
1:47pm: ANOTHER REFERRAL CALL. Sri Lanka shouts loudly for a catch at short leg off Hughes, who may or may not have brushed the ball off the pad when he popped it up.
1:43pm: BIG SHOUT FOR A STUMPING. Cowan has gone for the sweep a second time and there's questions about whether his foot is on or behind the crease.
The third umpire's services have been called for, and Nigel Llong is taking no chances. Cowan is safe though and Australia is 1 for 43.
1:42pm: A rare showing of aggression from Ed Cowan, who sweeps boldly past short leg to the square boundary for four. That brings the target into double figures at 98.
1:33pm: Another glorious four for Hughes, who moves to 25 and pushes the Australian score to 1 for 30. Cowan took three to go to 6 off the last over, Herath's first appearance in the attack today.
1:24pm: This is shaping up to be a slow-moving session but Hughes provides some more scoreboard relief with a boundary to the on-side. It's 1 for 20 and Hughes has 17.
1:15pm: And Tillakaratne Dilshan holds court from the other end. Still no sign of Rangana Herath but that'll change.
1:10pm: We're back underway here at the SCG after what may have been our quietest lunch break of the Test.
Ed Cowan (1) is on strike and will square up to Suranga Lakmal for the first over of the session.
At the other end is Phil Hughes on 12 not out.
P. Hughes 12*
E. Cowan 1*
D. Warner 0
S. Lakmal 1/7 (2 overs)
T. Dilshan 0/6 (3 overs)
D. Chandimal 62*
D. Karunaratne 85
M. Jayawardene 60
M. Johnson 3/34 (15 overs)
J. Bird 3/76 (21.2 overs)
P. Siddle 1/42 (17 overs)
Australia 9 (dec)-432 (107 overs)
M. Wade 102*
J. Bird 6*
P. Hughes 87
R. Herath 4/95 (31 overs)
N. Pradeep 2/114 (24 overs)
T. Dilshan 1/58 (19 overs)
L. Thirimanne 91
M. Jayawardene 72
T. Dilshan 34
J. Bird 4/41 (19.4 overs)
M. Starc 3/71 (19 overs)
P. Siddle 2/46 (15 overs)
12:32pm: And that's lunch, with Hughes surviving an up-and-down Dilshan over. Australia is 1 for 13 at the interval with Hughes on 12* and Cowan 1*.
12:30pm: SRI LANKA ASKS FOR THE REVIEW. Hughes pads up to the third delivery from Dilshan's over without offering a shot!
He wasn't given out but Jayawardene wanted another look. The DRS shows the ball was missing off stump, so the tourists are down to one review.
12:29pm: Huge shout for lbw from the first ball of Dilshan's next over but Hughes was hit well outside off stump. Not out.
He rubs salt in Sri Lanka's wound with a great boundary through extra cover next ball.
12:21pm: Pressure relieved there a little bit, as Phil Hughes gets up on his toes to meet one and drives it to the cover boundary for four to get Australia on the board.
He said after making 87 on day two that he wants to make number three his own - now Hughes has his best chance yet.
12:17pm: WARNER IS OUT! This is not the start Australia wanted.
Mahela Jayawardene took a low catch in his safe hands off Suranga Lakmal to send the Aussie danger man back to the sheds for a golden duck.
It wasn't a slog either - Warner was pushing forward defensively but an excellent delivery found the outside edge and brought the leftie undone.
12:15pm: Early scares with an appeal for lbw against Cowan, who then took off for a quick single that Warner didn't want a bar of.
Communication between wickets needs to be improved if these two are going to spearhead the Australian attack in India and England this year.
12:12pm: Unsurprisingly spin bowling will feature straight away, with Tillakaratne Dilshan opening the bowling in the fourth innings here.
12:03pm: PRADEEP IS OUT! That's all he could muster, departing for 9 caught behind off Bird just one ball after sending him to the rope.
Sri Lanka is all out for 278, setting Australia 141 for victory and a clean sweep. Chandimal was the last man standing on 62 not out after a gutsy and defiant knock for the tourists.
Mitchell Johnson (3 for 34) and Jackson Bird (3 for 76) were the best in the second innings for Australia, although Sri Lanka took the long handle to the latter a little bit today.
We've got about 20 minutes before lunch, which is going to be tough for Australia's openers. A target of 141 on this fourth-day deck is nothing to blink at, even with the fast SCG outfield in play.
Ed Cowan will be best to play it safe while David Warner plays his normal game.
12:02pm: Pradeep will face Jackson Bird in the second over with the shiny rock and he's belted an on-drive for four! The lead is 140.
12:01pm: The second new ball is out there, by the way, with Starc delivering a maiden over first up.
11:57am: If Australia needed an extra call to arms before lunch, maybe Warney is the man to deliver it:
@warne888 Just sat down & turned TV on, nice to see Sri Lanka fighting hard in Sydney.... Enough now though, come on the Aussie boys....11:51am: Chandimal moves to 61 with a classy drive to the long-off boundary for four. Sri Lanka moves to 9 for 272, a lead of 134.
Kerry O'Keeffe was just telling Roshan Abeysinghe this is certainly going on a lot longer than Michael Clarke would have wanted it to.
11:37am: Starc has the ball for the first over after drinks.
11:34am: Ooh that's a sharp one. The last ball before drinks is a short one from Siddle that rises and ricochets off his lid.
At drinks Sri Lanka is 9 for 263, with Chandimal on 52 and Pradeep unbeaten, but ears probably ringing, on 4.
11:28am: 50 FOR CHANDIMAL! That's his fourth Test match fifty and he brings it up in style, flicking to the square leg boundary.
It's just the innings that Sri Lanka's tail needed and Australia's bowlers dreaded. Can he continue to frustrate the Aussie attack?
Finally something positive for Roshan Abeysinghe to tweet about.
@RoshanCricket Great maturity by Chandimal batting with the tail and also reaching his 50. Pradeep deserves a promotion at least to no.10.Sri Lanka is 9 for 263, leading by 125 as Mitchell Johnson makes way for Peter Siddle.
11:12am: Nuwan Pradeep feels the same. He survives almost popping a short one to short leg before flicking Johnson over the slips to the rope for four to get off the mark.
11:09am: I think Dinesh Chandimal sees the bottom rushing up at Sri Lanka here and he has no intention of going down without a fight.
He's taken 14 off this Jackson Bird over to move to 44. That's got to be the most expensive Bird over in the economical youngster's fledgling Test career.
11:05am: LAKMAL IS OUT! If you intend to capitalise on lower ticket prices, you'd want to hurry up. Johnson has just toppled Suranga Lakmal for a hard-fought zero.
The Sri Lankan tail-ender threw a wild swing at it, moving his body well out to leg and exposing his castle to Johnson's delight.
Sri Lanka is on the brink now at 9 for 237, in front by 99 with a wicket in hand.
11:01am: Cricket Australia and Cricket New South Wales are keen to get the stands full today, given it's looking like Michael Hussey's final day of Test cricket and an early finish to boot.
They've dropped ticket prices to $30 for adults, $15 for children and $20 for those with concession IDs, while a $67 family pass will get two grown-ups and two kids in the gate.
So if you've been sitting at home with Grandstand's coverage wondering if you should get along to the SCG, maybe that will sway you.
10:56am: HERATH IS OUT! Bird takes first blood on day four, with Herath dragging it on from outside the off-stump and departing for 10. Sri Lanka is 8 for 235, a lead of 97.
10:52am: WHAT A MIX-UP. That's just going to give fuel to the vocal critics of Matthew Wade's wicketkeeping.
There was a golden chance for Australia to run out Rangana Herath by a mile but the throw from Wade to Mitchell Johnson at the bowler's end was stunningly wayward and went to mid-on. Yikes.
The thought though is that Wade checked his throw somewhat because Herath was obstructing the throw, whether intentional or not.
10:41am: There's the first boundary off the day after Chandimal takes a single to retain the strike and meet Johnson in the next over. He's sent a thick edge down to the rope to move to 28 not out.
10:37am: SHOUT FOR LBW! Bird has rapped Chandimal on the pads but it looks to have been sliding down leg. The umpire said no but Australia has gone up for the review.
Replays show the impact would have hit leg stump but it's been ruled as umpire's call. No wicket. Sri Lanka is 7 for 228.
10:35am: At the other end Jackson Bird resumes service, although the crowd probably would have preferred Mike Hussey. Can't win 'em all.
10:30am: And here we go. Dinesh Chandimal will face Mitchell Johnson for the first delivery of the day.
10:15am: As the first over of the day approaches, Shannon Byrne caught up with spinner Nathan Lyon, who figures to play a key role at the SCG on Sunday as the fourth-day deck starts to crumble.
He said the surface has been ideal thus far.
"I didn't think it was that green rocking up on day one, it was quite dry, but it's been a good Test match pitch.
"Hopefully it'll [have] a bit more variation but not too much for our bats, so hopefully we can get the job done today."
Lyon has 1 for 63 from 13 and said he'd love to take another couple of scalps, but that's not his end game.
"I couldn't care if I get none or get five but if it turns out Australia gets a Test match victory, that's all I care about.
"To bounce back the way we did to take seven late in the day was fantastic.
"We're placed in a good position but we know we've got a lot of work to do ... early to get those three wickets then hopefully our batters can get the job done."
9:35am: This morning national selector John Inverarity named the squad which will contest the first two one-dayers against Sri Lanka at the conclusion of the Test series. Here's how it shakes out.
Here are some of your thoughts on the squad.
@benhateley they claim to be having an eye on the World Cup which is why they don't pick Hussey, yet they pick Haddin!
@phil_staley No M.Hussey, Clarke, Warner or Wade? This is Australia 'A' - fans not getting the players they want. What a shame.
@punter_hero Fair chance we'll get spanked and that most of these players for 'the future' won't even be in the reckoning then
@AlexDonnelly14 George Bailey does not deserve to play cricket for Australia yet alone be a captain #disgrace
@A_n_d_r_e_w_S Looks like they want to let Sri Lanka win something... Warner and Wade should both definitely be included. #ODIs
@Fariha_23 Delighted with the squad!! So good to see Haddin back and the new players as well! :D
@randall_wagner bailey one of best performed for oz in last twelve months. why all the critics?
@thecattery Great to see Aaron Finch in the side; Xavier Doherty a gun limited overs bowler too, he deserves it. But Hughes has to prove
9:30am: Jim Maxwell, Drew Morphett, Roshan Abeysinghe, Russel Arnold and Kerry O'Keeffe will lead off our commentary team at the SCG. They'll hit the airwaves at 10:05am and you can contact them via email (cricket@abc.net.au), SMS (0467 920 222) or on Twitter (@abcgrandstand, using the hashtag #abccricket).
9:25am: Good morning cricket lovers and thanks for joining us for live coverage of Day Four. Once again I'm Adrian Crawford and I'll be keeping you updated across what could be the final day of the series, if Australia plays its cards right.
Sri Lanka resumes at 7 for 225, a lead of 87, on a quickly deteriorating SCG wicket. The tourists have a genuine threat in the middle in Dinesh Chandimal (22*) but their tail is well and truly exposed.
If the Aussie pacemen can break the initial partnership early then it's more or less curtains for Mahela Jayawardene's boys in their last Test under his watchful eye.
But the deck will also hold some surprises for Australia once it eventually begins its chase, which is where Rangana Herath and Tillakaratne Dilshan's tweaking will come in handy.
Tags: cricket, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, australia First posted January 06, 2013 09:51:00
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