Australian fans in costume, Australia v India, 3rd Test, Perth, 2nd day, January 14, 2012

Australian fans in costume, Australia v India, 3rd Test, Perth, 2nd day, January 14, 2012

©Getty Images

Australian fans

Australian fans in costume, Australia v India, 3rd Test, Perth, 2nd day, January 14, 2012©Getty Images

Australia v New Zealand, 1st Test, Brisbane, 2nd day

Khawaja and Ponting steady Australia

The Report by Brydon Coverdale

December 2, 201

Usman Khawaja and Ricky Ponting steered Australia into a steady position after both the openers fell cheaply in reply to New Zealand's 295. At tea on the second day, Australia were 2 for 91, with Khawaja on 38 and Ponting on 34, and the pair had given Australia a solid platform during a relatively quiet session after six wickets fell in the morning.

New Zealand had gone to lunch full of confidence after the debutant David Warner fell for 3 in the second of two overs Australia's batsmen had to face before the break. Tim Southee cramped Warner with a well-directed shorter delivery that the batsman couldn't evade, and the ball brushed the gloves on the way through to the wicketkeeper.

Dean Brownlie

Soon after the resumption, the other opener Phillip Hughes was squared up by Chris Martin and edged to gully, where Martin Guptill took a fine catch low in front of him, and Australia were in trouble at 2 for 25. But Ponting and Khawaja played with level heads, apart from a near run-out when Ponting was sent back by his partner and would have been short with a direct hit.

Ponting's runs came largely through boundaries, including a pull off Doug Bracewell and a lovely drive through the off side against Tim Southee. Khawaja was also keen to avoid risks and he waited for the bad balls, putting them away when they arrived, and by the tea break their partnership had reached 66 runs.

The Australians needed a solid stand to match that of Daniel Vettori and Dean Brownlie, who added 158 and frustrated Australia for a large part of the second morning. Vettori missed out on his seventh Test century, run out for 96, and Brownlie finished unbeaten on 77, their partnership the key in a New Zealand innings that had stuttered in the first session on Thursday.

Nathan Lyon picked up four wickets and was the most consistently threatening of Australia's bowlers, spinning the ball sharply and using flight and guile in his first match of any kind at the Gabba. He wrapped things up shortly before the scheduled lunch break when he turned a ball through the gate and bowled Martin for 1.

The New Zealanders had added 119 on the second day for the loss of their final five wickets, Vettori and Brownlie frustrating the Australians for much of the morning. Vettori pulled well against the fast men and brought up his half-century from his 70th delivery, and seemed set for his first hundred against the Australians.

However, on 96 he tried to hurry through for a quick single to mid-off and despite a full-stretch dive was caught short by the direct hit from Michael Hussey. It was a fine piece of fielding after the Australians had given Vettori a life on 71, when he skied a slog-sweep that should have been taken by Mitchell Starc running round from mid-on.

Australia began to chip away at the lower order after Vettori ran himself out. The wicketkeeper Reece Young was caught at slip for 2 off Peter Siddle, Bracewell edged a Lyon topsinner to slip for a duck, and Tim Southee, having slogged Starc over the fence, was caught at long-on for 17 trying for another six off Lyon.

Brownlie made Australia pay for the chances he gave on the first day and brought up his fifty from his 121st ball with an impressive on-drive for four off James Pattinson. He tried to lift his tempo once he began running out of partners, but had to settle for a solid half-century, his second in two Tests, instead of his maiden hundred.

Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

The scoreboard after Australia were shot out for 47

The scoreboard after Australia were shot out for 47, South Africa v Australia, 1st Test, Cape Town, 2nd day, November 10, 2011

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The scoreboard after Australia were shot out for 47, South Africa v Australia, 1st Test, Cape Town, 2nd day, November 10, 2011©Getty Images\

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M Usman Arshad

A young fan keeps the cheer despite the spot-fixing punishments in London

A young fan keeps the cheer despite the spot-fixing punishments in London, Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 3rd Test, Sharjah, 2nd day, November 4, 2011 © AFP

A young fan keeps the cheer despite the spot-fixing punishments in London, Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 3rd Test, Sharjah, 2nd day, November 4, 2011
 © AFP

Posted by 

M Usman Arshad

England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Cardiff, 2nd day

Prasanna keeps Sri Lanka on top

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan

May 27, 2011

Sri Lanka continued to impress with a gutsy display in Cardiff as they reached 316 for 6 at tea on the second day. Prasanna Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera struck half-centuries to bolster the middle order in the face of some impressive bowling from James Anderson, who later caused England some concern by leaving the field with a stiff back on another frustrating day for the hosts.

Tharanga Paranavitana

At various stages, especially when Tharanga Paranavitana was removed for a stubborn 66 and Samaraweera fell to the second new ball, England will have hoped to break the back of Sri Lanka's resistance but each time they came up against another obstacle. Prasanna and Samaraweera added 84 for the fifth wicket then Prasanna remained firm in his elevated role at No. 6 as the allrounders joined him for company. Debutant Thisara Perera was unbeaten on a composed 19 at tea in another valuable partnership.

The visitors hadn't added a run to their overnight score of 133 for 2 when England made the first breakthrough of the day as Mahela Jayawardene edged Anderson to Andrew Strauss, who held a superb catch diving to his right behind second slip. The wicket was brought about by trademark swing bowling from Anderson who began by probing Jayawardene's outside edge with a series of outswingers before bringing one back into him. Jayawardene tried to drop his hands but couldn't react in time.

Runs continued to be hard to come by as Anderson strung together four testing maidens and Chris Tremlett, the pick of the quicks yesterday, was also a handful as he hit an awkward length. He struck Paranavitana a painful blow on the inner thigh which required some attention from the physio and in his next over Tremlett found his inside edge to end a determined 191-ball innings.

Paranavitana had only managed to add eight to his overnight total but had shown the same good judgement and resilience that characterised his effort on the opening afternoon. However, it was due reward for Tremlett who continued to look dangerous and benefited from a hint of uneven bounce when he struck Samaraweera a nasty blow on his arm.

Samaraweera lived a little dangerously as he played away from his body but also collected some confident boundaries including a straight drive off Anderson. Whenever the England bowlers strayed onto his pads he was quick to pick them off although he wasn't far off edging to third slip when the ball just eluded a diving Alastair Cook.

Still, it was comfortably Samaraweera's best effort on British soil having failed to reach double figures in his previous four Test innings. After lunch Samaraweera went to fifty from 72 balls as the game drifted with England waiting for the new ball before he was squared up by Anderson and edged to second slip.

Prasanna, batting a place higher than normal at No. 6 to allow Sri Lanka to field five bowlers, had started his innings as a useful understudy for Samaraweera then became the senior partner. He twice gained boundaries to third man through the slip cordon but batsmen deserve some fortune when the ball moves around and he took advantage of Graeme Swann's introduction to collect two leg-side boundaries.

England, meanwhile, used up both their reviews in consecutive overs. The first was a waste after Broad seemingly convinced Strauss to use the DRS when Farveez Maharoof was clearly struck outside off stump. The second review was more understandable when Anderson swung one back into Maharoof's pads, but the batsman was again saved by the on-field decision, which remained.

Broad didn't do himself many favours in the afternoon session as he repeatedly appealed and only belatedly turned to the umpire. He was the least convincing of England's bowlers and also started to have problems with the foot holes which didn't help his mood. Strauss was further hampered by Anderson's injury which meant Jonathan Trott was given a ball just 12 overs old, although a huge stroke of luck went England's way when Trott deflected a straight drive into the non-striker's stumps to remove Maharoof.

Andrew McGlashan is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

Darren Sammy celebrates Abdur Rehman's dismissal

Darren Sammy celebrates Abdur Rehman's dismissal, West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd Test, St Kitts, 2nd day, May 21, 2011

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Darren Sammy celebrates Abdur Rehman's dismissal, West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd Test, St Kitts, 2nd day, May 21, 2011©AFP

Mohammad Hafeez is delighted after nailing Devon Smith for the sixth time on the trot

Mohammad Hafeez is delighted after nailing Devon Smith for the sixth time on the trot, West Indies v Pakistan, 1st Test, Providence, 2nd day, May 13, 2011

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Mohammad Hafeez is delighted after nailing Devon Smith for the sixth time on the trot, West Indies v Pakistan, 1st Test, Providence, 2nd day, May 13, 2011©AFP