Wednesday 25th January, 2012 mood while hitting a six and 19 “I am not satisfied where I am at. As a fours. player you go through too many up and SCOREBOARD The pair made full use of the downs in the career ... so I don’t want to Australia won the toss flattening pitch and made India let this one slip tomorrow.” toil all day and rue its decision The 37-year-old also quashed all sug- Australia 1st Innings not to pick a second spinner to gestions that his retirement was immi- E. Cowan c Laxman b Ashwin 30 complement the off-spin of nent. D. Warner lbw b Khan 8 Ravichandran Ashwin. “I am not retiring after this Test,” he S. Marsh b Ashwin 3 India turned to spin as early as the said. “I’m giving my best shot to be the R. Ponting not out 137 fourth over after the first two overs best player I can be, and to win games for M. Clarke not out 140 conceded 16 runs. Australia, and if I keep playing like I did Extras: (11lb, 6w) 17 Ashwin was the only bowler today then hopefully there’s more runs TOTAL: (for three wickets) 335 apart from left-arm pace- around the corner. Fall of wickets: 1-26, 2-31, 3-84. man Zaheer Khan to “It’s not as if I’m striving for anything Overs: 90. Batting time: 242 minutes. take wickets and trou- personally out of the game. I wanted to To bat: Mike Hussey, Brad Haddin, ble the Australia be around and help guys out and get my Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris, Ben top order, and fin- cricket back to the level where I thought Hilfenhaus, Nathan Lyon. ished the day I could get it back to. with 2-81. “This summer really has been pretty Bowling: Khan 18-2-52-1 (1w), Yadav 12- Ponting, who satisfying for me.” 0-87-0 (5w), Ashwin 26-4-81-2, Sharma 20- has revived his Ponting said Australia will be looking 5-52-0, Sehwag 13-0-49-0, Kohli 1-0-3-0. 162-Test career in to score quickly and give itself enough Umpires: Aleem Dar, Pakistan, and Michael Clarke the past two months, became only the time to dismiss India twice on a pitch Kumara Dharmesena, Sri Lanka. third batsman to pass 13,000 Test runs that was very good to bat on. TV Umpire: Paul Wilson, Australia. Ricky Ponting (AP Photos) behind Indians Sachin Tendulkar “It will be a tough wicket to take 20 Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle, Sri Three overs later, Shaun Marsh failed BY IHITHISHAM KAMARDEEN (15,432) and Rahul Dravid (13,262). wickets if you want to win this game. We Lanka. again and lost his off stump to Ashwin Ponting’s 41st hundred ranks behind need to make sure we’re not killing too Series: Australia leads 3-0. for 3, and opener Ed Cowan became ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — only Tendulkar’s 51. much time.” Ashwin’s second victim when he was dis- Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke hum- “That’s one of the things that is the The Indians bowlers went through the missed just before lunch for 30 bled India again with unbeaten centuries difference between good players and motions on an unresponsive pitch, and scoring 1,000 runs in his 12 Tests as cap- Australia included off-spinner Nathan in guiding Australia to 335-3 at stumps great players,” Ponting said. “It’s not for stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag tain. Lyon for the spin-friendly Adelaide Oval on the first day Tuesday of the fourth me. It has never been about making brought himself on at times, along with Clarke the more entertaining, reach- wicket at the expense of left-arm swing and final cricket Test. 13,000 runs or 40 hundreds. Winning part-time medium pace-man Virat Kohli, ing his 100 off only 133 balls. His only bowler Mitchell Starc. Ponting, 137 not out, was joined by games of cricket for Australia is what in a bid to break the partnership. blemish came while on 133 when he India made two changes, bringing in Clarke, 140 not out, with Australia in motivates me to keep playing.” Ponting and Clarke went about accu- edged Ishant Sharma, armed with the wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha to trouble at 84-3 after winning the toss. Ponting rated this hundred as better mulating the runs untroubled, and second new ball, past a diving VVS replace the suspended skipper Mahendra The former captain and his successor than the one in Sydney. Clarke, still fresh from his triple century Laxman at second slip. Singh Dhoni and Ashwin for paceman shared a 251-run stand to put Australia “I haven’t scored a lot of those in the in Sydney, dominated the partnership Earlier in the day, opener David Vinay Kumar. in control in a series it has already won. last couple of years ... it’s always nice to with some imperious batting. Warner still fresh from his career-best Australia is looking to sweep the four- Ponting, who scored 134 in Sydney, make a hundred,” Ponting said. “I He raced to his half century off 69 180 in Australia’s innings-and-23-run win Test series after commanding wins at smashed 13 boundaries, while Clarke, at thought I played better today than I did balls with successive boundaries off times riding his luck, was in punishing in Perth last week, was trapped lbw by Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. in Sydney. Ashwin, and reached a minor milestone Khan for 8. Circus, Shame, Jokers, Muppets and Thieves! Oh, what a circus, Graham Ford confirmed Oh, what a show! as Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford was confirmed as coach of was replaced just four months after taking the Sri Lanka National cricket team, replac- over the job, in last September. attitude appears to be, to hell with what ing Geoff Marsh, by SLC sources yesterday. Ford, a former South Africa coach, the hoi polloi thinks and feels. Ford had yesterday met with SLC officials to resigned from his job as head coach of It seems that the powers that be, have finalise on his coaching contract with the Durban team ‘Dolphins’ this week, reported- nothing better to do than destroy Sri Sri Lanka team. His first assignment will be ly citing desire to coach at international Lanka Cricket! the 50-over tri-series beginning on the 5th of level. If I may elaborate, it includes both February in Australia involving the hosts, Ford will be Sri Lanka’s fifth coach in a Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and cricket in India and Sri Lanka. period of one year since their World Cup Sri Lanka. Former Australian Test opener Marsh final defeat against India in April last year. Followers of Sri Lanka cricket will Graham Ford recall that Mahela Jayawardene was relieved of the captaincy earlier and Kumar Sangakkara was appointed cap- BY MICHAEL CASEY what (coach Sean Foley) wants me to do tain. on the golf swing.” Even newborns D. S. de Silva And during the recent tour of South ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates Woods took part in traditional Emirati Africa, Jayawardene was an utter failure (AP) — Tiger Woods says he’s starting a ayala dancing earlier in the day with BY RUSSELL PALIPANE with the bat. In fact, the man whom he season fully fit, something he hasn’t been Westwood and McIlroy, and was in good need tickets to This is tragedy, spiced with ‘comedy’ replaces – Tillekeratne Dilshan – had bet- able to say in at least eight years he esti- spirits for most of the press conference. But he appeared slightly agitated when the and a situation where the thinking and ter scores than Jayawardene, during the mated. attend 2012 “It’s been quite a questions turned to a said tour. few years since I’ve book written by Hank So, how come Jayawardene is been physically fit,” Haney, who was Olympics appointed to lead the team to Australia? Woods said on Woods’ swing coach Is it another act of the ‘joker’ and his Woods hoping to LONDON (AP) — Parents who Tuesday in his first for six years. want to attend the 2012 London cronies? appearance at the The book, due out Olympics will have to buy tickets for I am also tempted to question Abu Dhabi in March, chronicles resume good play their babies to bring them into the ven- whether the Secretary of Sri Lanka Championship. the time Haney began ues. Cricket had a hand in it. “So I’m looking working with Woods Organisers said Tuesday that every Was he not one of the members of forward to getting out in Abu Dhabi at the Bay Hill there and giving it a Invitational in 2004 child — including newborns carried in the team that emptied the coffers of the their parents’ arms — must have their once cash-laden Sri Lanka Cricket, in full season, which I haven’t done in a until they parted a month after the 2010 Masters, where Woods made his return to own tickets. collaboration with D. S. de Silva, the while.” Woods’ confidence is higher than of late golf after being exposed for multiple extra- The rule has panicked pregnant Dandeniyas and others, prior to, during after the way he ended 2011, when he won marital affairs that shattered his image and women who bought tickets for them- and after the 2011 Cricket World Cup, his Chevron World Challenge in December led to divorce.