'Buoyant' Aussies dominant in Hobart

Updated December 15, 2012 23:48:52

Centurion Michael Hussey described Australia's mood as "buoyant" after his 19th Test hundred, Michael Clarke's bold declaration and four quick wickets left Sri Lanka in turmoil at the end of the second day in Hobart.

The tourists ended the day on 4 for 87, still 363 runs adrift of Australia in the first Test in the three-match series

Clarke declared the innings at 5 for 450 just before tea, with Hussey unbeaten on 115 and Matthew Wade on 68.

Tillakaratne Dilshan is still at the crease on 50 and with fellow opener Dimuth Karunaratne falling for 14 - and Australia nabbing the two key wickets of Sangakkara (4) and Mahela Jayawardene (12) - he will need to hold his wicket well into the third day if his side is to get back into the game.

The day was wrapped up in perfect style when Thilan Samaraweera nicked Nathan Lyon behind, leaving Australian players and fans at the Bellerive Oval alike in celebratory mood.

"It's quite buoyant at the moment (in the dressing room), getting a wicket in the last over just makes it better," Hussey said.

"I think we've put ourselves in a great position.

"To get four wickets late in the day is great - and three of those wickets were big wickets."

Hussey feels Sri Lanka will struggle to get out of this position as he expects the wicket to get increasingly difficult to play on as the match goes on.

"Even having a low score (to aim at) on the last day, it could be quite challenging," he said.

Sri Lanka's only other hope of avoiding defeat is the variable Tasmanian weather which forced a delayed start to the game and then a long spell off the field midway through the second day.

There is more rain forecast for day three.

Hussey resumed the day on 37, along with Michael Clarke who added just four runs to his overnight tally before edging Shaminda Eranga to Sangakkara at slip for 74.

That would be the Sri Lankans' only success of the day as Hussey and Wade patiently built the Australian total.

Just about Hussey's only false shot brought up his hundred in fortuitous style as the usually reliable Angelo Mathews dropped him on the boundary and the ball spilled over the rope for a four.

"You need a bit lof luck, like when I was on 96," he said.

"It's just a great honour to represent Australia. At my age you know it's not going to last forever, you've got to take advantage of every moment."

Hussey's contribution did not end with the bat as he took a sharp catch in the gully off Peter Siddle to dismiss Sangakkara.

Playing on his home ground Ben Hilfenhaus found his line early on and took the first wicket when the fluent-looking Karunaratne nicked behind.

Shane Watson trapped Jayawardene in front to add to Sri Lanka's woes, which were then compounded by Samaraweera's late dismissal.

Tags: sport, cricket, hobart-7000, australia, tas

First posted December 15, 2012 19:44:45

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Dominant Watson eyes more T20 victims

Updated October 02, 2012 07:37:09

Shane Watson's brilliant form with bat and ball has propelled Australia's unbeaten run in the World Twenty20, but the star all-rounder warned rivals he was not finished yet.

Watson's extraordinary display has won him man-of-the-match awards in all four of Australia's games and made him both the top run-getter and leading wicket-taker in the tournament.

Having thrashed India and South Africa in its first two Super Eight matches, Australia must still beat Pakistan on Tuesday to qualify for the semi-finals from group two.

Watson, the 31-year-old vice-captain, said he needed to continue with the same intensity if the Aussies were to win the one major title that has eluded them so far.

"I know how important every game is to us and, in a World Cup, there is no game where you can take your foot off the pedal," Watson said after the eight-wicket win over South Africa on Sunday night.

"I know how important it is for me to continue doing the simple keys and cues that I have got for both batting and bowling, and be able to hopefully replicate my deeds in one game after another.

"In the end, it is so important to keep the momentum going. At the moment, things are going really well for all of us as a team.

"We are really up for every game because we really want to show ourselves how good a Twenty20 team we are."

Watson has not looked back since taking a wicket with his first ball in the tournament, removing Ireland captain William Porterfield with the opening delivery of the match.

He finished with 3 for 26 in that game and then hammered 51 off 30 balls with five fours and three sixes to fashion Australia's easy seven-wicket win.

In the next game against the West Indies, Watson claimed 2 for 29 and hit an unbeaten 41 off 24 balls before rain forced the game to be abandoned with Australia 17 runs ahead on the Duckworth-Lewis method.

Watson was in rollicking form in the opening Super Eights match against India, taking 3 for 34 before smashing seven sixes and two fours in 72 from 42 balls during the nine-wicket victory.

And on Sunday night he decimated South Africa with 2 for 29 and 70 off 47 balls with the bat.

Asked the reason for his success, Watson remarked: "Things are just falling my way at the moment I suppose."

Watson leads the batting chart in the tournament with 234 runs in four matches, an average of 78, a strike rate of almost 164 and the most number of sixes (15).

He is also the leading bowler in the competition with 10 wickets, one ahead of Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis.

Australia's T20 skipper George Bailey was delighted at Watson's form.

"I think he's really set himself to be the man of the series, to be the person who leads Australia as far as he can in this tournament," Bailey said.

"When you see how he plays this form of the game, he's almost the complete cricketer."

AFP

Tags: twenty20, cricket, sport, australia

First posted October 01, 2012 16:03:13

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Dominant Pakistan wins Bangladesh series

Updated December 04, 2011 07:54:59

Ruthless Pakistan drubbed Bangladesh by 76 runs in the second one-day international in Dhaka on Sunday morning to take a decisive 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Umar Akmal scored 59 and Shahid Afridi hit 42 off 27 balls as Pakistan piled up 7 for 262 after it won the toss and elected to bat in the day-night match at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium.

The total proved beyond Bangladesh's reach after it was reduced to 4 for 19 in the 10th over, and managed only 7 for 186 despite a maiden international century from Nasir Hossain.

Nasir cracked 100 and Shakib Al Hasan made 34, the pair sharing a fifth-wicket stand of 106 runs, but Bangladesh was never in the hunt against the tight Pakistani bowling.

The 20-year-old Nasir, playing only his ninth one-dayer, plundered 11 boundaries and a six before he was dismissed in the final over.

Seamer Umar Gul finished with 4 for 36, while off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez conceded just 15 runs in his 10 overs with two wickets.

Pakistan's 27th win over the Tigers in 28 one-dayers has left only academic interest in the third and final match to be played in the port city of Chittagong on Tuesday.

The tourists had won the Twenty20 international by 50 runs and the first one-dayer by five wickets at the same venue.

The one-dayers will be followed by two Test matches.

Hafeez, who opened Pakistan's attack, removed Imrul Kayes and Shahriar Nafees in successive overs after Gul had dismissed the aggressive Tamim Iqbal in his second over.

Gul also had Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim caught at gully, before Nasir and Shakib delayed the inevitable with their century partnership.

Pakistan's innings revolved around a fourth-wicket stand of 83 between Akmal and Misbah-ul-Haq (37), before Afridi smashed two sixes and three boundaries towards the end to boost the total.

Hafeez (32) and Younis Khan (37) put on 57 for the second wicket after opener Imran Farhat had fallen in the third over.

Akmal lifted the tempo by reaching his 11th one-day half-century off 49 balls, steering seamer Rubel Hossain to the third-man fence.

The 21-year-old fell in the next over, the 39th of the innings, when he holed out in the deep off Shakib to make Pakistan 4 for 176.

It soon became 5 for 193 as one-day debutant Elias Sunny picked up his first wicket when he had Misbah caught in the deep in the 42nd over.

AFP

Tags: cricket, sport, bangladesh, pakistan

First posted December 04, 2011 07:50:35

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