Friday, January 6, 2012

Australia v India - Michael Clarke inspires innings victory


Captain Michael Clarke set Australia on their way to an emphatic innings-and-68-run victory over India - and a 2-0 series lead.

Australia v India - Michael Clarke inspires innings victory



Clarke, who scored an unbeaten 329 in the first innings, removed Sachin Tendulkar for 80 to spark a dramatic middle-order collapse after lunch.
Ben Hilfenhaus finished with 5-106 as India were bowled out for 400 after tea at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Tendulkar remains one century short of 100 in international cricket.
"I can't keep the smile off my face," said man of the match Clarke. "Tonight's going to be very special to the team, but for me personally as well.
"That's a great win. I'm really stoked with our performance and it's a wonderful feeling to be able to score that many runs in an innings personally."

India faced a tough task to save the match when they began day four on 114-2, 354 in arrears after Australia's mammoth 659-4 declared.
The tourists lost opener Gautam Gambhir for 83 before Tendulkar and VVS Laxman shared a timely fourth-wicket stand of 103.
Tendulkar brought up his 65th Test fifty but his 21st attempt to secure that landmark 100th international century ended when he edged to Mike Hussey at slip, via wicketkeeper Brad Haddin's gloves.

Australia then took the new ball, which they used to good effect.
Hilfenhaus bowled Laxman for 66 and had Mahendra Singh Dhoni caught and bowled in successive overs, and James Pattinson trapped Virat Kohli lbw in the next over. Four wickets had fallen for 15 runs.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Zaheer Khan rallied with a 56-run partnership, but Australia overcame resistance from the tail before Hilfenhaus wrapped up victory when he had Ashwin taken at midwicket for 62.

Clarke added: "I know they made 400 today but that's a really flat wicket out there now and a lot of credit must go to our bowlers."
Australia's new pace star James Pattinson, who has taken 21 wickets in his first four Tests, will miss the rest of the series with a foot injury.
Team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said: "He had X-rays and scans after the game that have cleared him of a stress fracture but have demonstrated early stage bone stress injury of the metatarsal bone of the left foot."
Ryan Harris is likely to take Pattinson's place, with Mitchell Starc called into the 12-man squad for next week's third Test.

Australia will reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy if they win or draw either of the remaining Tests in Perth and Adelaide.
Defeat was India's sixth in succession overseas, following their 4-0 series loss in England last summer and a 122-run defeat to Australia in the first Test in Melbourne.
India skipper Dhoni said: "We have lost the chance of winning the series but still with two more Test matches to go we can level the series so that's what we're looking to do."

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