14 Thursday 3rd January, 2008 Ghostly-faced Victoria Symonds, Hogg lead Beckham shocks NYE bash Australian recovery by John Pye SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Andrew Symonds posted his second test hun- dred and led Australia out of a deep rut Wednesday after young India seam- er R.P. Singh ripped through the top order. R.P. Singh took four wickets, including two in a 29-minute period when he and Harbhajan Singh com- bined to snare four wickets for 15 runs. Australia slumped to 134 for six after winning the toss and opting to bat first in the second test, but all- rounder Symonds resurrected the innings with partnerships of 173 with Brad Hogg and 69 with Brett Lee. That lifted Australia to 376 for seven at stumps with Symonds on 137 and its bid for a record-equaling 16th consecutive win still intact. Lee was not out 31. The seventh-wicket stand ended when Hogg, who had four first-class centuries but a test average of 18, edged Anil Kumble to Rahul Dravid at slip for 79. Symonds, who notched his maiden test hundred under similar circum- stances against England in Melbourne 12 months ago, said reaching 400 was Australia's next target. “That will be a very healthy first innings score. I suppose it puts us in a position where we hope we wouldn't lose the game," he said. "If we bowl well and bat well again then we can put ourselves in a very good position to win the game." R. P. Singh, 22, said his wickets were the ideal antidote for the nerves he had when he discovered he'd be leading the attack in the absence of injured Zaheer Khan. Now, he said, India's focus was on taking three quick wickets on the sec- ond morning and then settling into a long innings. "I think the wicket's now pretty slow and we have a great batting line- Australia's Andrew Symonds celebrates his century during the second Test against India in David and Victoria Beckham up," he said. "Let's see how we go." Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2008 (AP) Some contentious umpiring deci- Victoria Beckham's attire and pale-faced appearances drew gasps as she left a sions helped change the momentum of admitted he got some fortuitous calls. After a hard day of graft, India's New Year's Eve party in the early hours of this morning. the innings several times and frustrat- "I was very lucky. I was out when I below-strength bowling attack will be None of the other guests had come in fancy dress. So maybe there had been ed an Indian lineup desperate to make was 30, given not out. That's cricket aiming to finish off the Australian some kind of malfunction in the make-up department which left her a haunting- amends for a 337-run loss in the first though," he said. "I can sit here and tailenders quickly and hoping their ly light shade. test last week. tell you about my bad decisions as well own batting lineup can bat for two While her body had clearly been painted with the kind of all-over spray so pop- Symonds had two reprieves, while - but I won't. days. ular in her new home of California, her face had not. Ricky Ponting (55) had one before he That's the game. It's just one of R.P. Singh, shouldering extra To make matters worse, her face looked to have been heavily made-up with was controversially out lbw to those things." responsibility in Sydney after Khan foundation which was a good few shades lighter, and as such a very bad match. Harbhajan Singh in a dismissal that Symonds struck 17 boundaries and failed a fitness test on a recurring heel Her husband David Beckham also turned a few heads in a spivvish beige coat sparked the middle-order collapse. two sixes in a composed, 173-ball injury, returned 4-108 from 21 overs. and cropped blond hair. Ponting and Mike Hussey combined knock. Harbhajan Singh had 2-88 and (C) The Daily Telegraph, London, 2008 in a 92-run stand to lift the total to 119 But with the wicket flattening out Kumble took 1-82 from 20 overs apiece. after R.P. Singh had removed openers after a lively start to the test, when a The lanky Sharma was impressive Phil Jaques (0) and Matt Hayden (13). greenish top gave the SCG pitch more at stages as a late replacement for The Australian skipper survived a variable bounce than usual, India's Khan but lost confidence and rhythm confident appeal for caught behind batsmen will have derived some confi- in the face of the Australian counterat- Basnahira North cruise to a comfortable win down the legside before lunch but was dence from watching Symonds and the tack and finished with 0-65. given out in the 30th over by umpire plucky Hogg. He also missed a catch at deep Seam bowlers had a field day under up with a splendid spell picking up two Mark Benson despite edging the ball Many of the big contributors to mid-on that would have removed Hogg lights at the R. Premadasa Stadium as wickets in the very first over as Michael Basnahira North cruised to a comfortable Van Dort and Lanka de Silva were dis- onto his pads. India's 705-7 declared in the first when he was on 15 and could be sanc- 100 run win over Wayamba captained by missed before Wayamba had any runs on A clearly upset Ponting stood innings here four years ago are still in tioned for his long and anguished reac- Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene the board. stunned for a while and was slow to the lineup and ready bounce back after tion when the umpire rejected his in the Inter-Provincial Limited Over When Jayawardene fell for 19 with the leave the crease, but quickly had two batting collapses in Melbourne appeal against Symonds. Tournament yesterday. Chaminda Vaas total on 44, Wayamba were left with a mas- Hussey (41) and Michael Clarke (1) last week. elected to bat first after winning the toss sive task and eventually they were bowled back in the pavilion with him as and Basnahira North reached a formida- out for 198 runs with still six overs left. SCOREBOARD Australia lost three wickets for two ble 298 for six in their allotted 50 overs. Jehan Mubarak top scored with 57 runs. 30-year-old Shanuka Dissanayake top Basnahira North have won both the runs to be 121-5. Australia, 1st Innings Still to bat: M. Johnson, S. Clark. scored with an electric 88 in just 85 balls matches they have played so far and will Adam Gilchrist faced eight balls for P. Jaques c Dhoni b R. P. Singh 0 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-27, 3-119, 4-119, 5- with 11 boundaries. There were also half- meet Kandurata on the 5th of January at seven runs before he gave the R.P. M. Hayden c Tendulkar b R. P. Singh 13 121, 6-134, 7-307. centuries from veterans Avishka the same venue. Singh-Sachin Tendulkar combination R .Ponting lbw b Harbhajan Singh 55 Bowling: R. P. Singh 21-3-108-4 (1nb), Gunawardene 73 (in 62 balls with 12 Brief Scores: its third dismissal by edging the 22- M. Hussey c Tendulkar b R. P. Singh 41 Sharma 17-2-65-0 (3w,2nb), Ganguly 6-1- boundaries) and Ruwin Peiris 77 (in 89 Basnahira North 298/6 (50 Overs) year-old paceman to first slip. M. Clarke lbw b Harbhajan Singh 1 13-0, Harbhajan Singh 20-2-88-2, Kumble balls with nine boundaries). Pieris added S. Dissanayake 88*, R. Peiris 77, A. Symonds survived a caught-behind A. Symonds not out 137 20-0-82-1, Tendulkar 5-0-14-0. 120 runs for the fifth wicket with Gunawardene 73, A. Mendis 4-50. Dissanayake. 22-year-old Ajantha Mendis Wayamba 198 all out (43.1 Overs) appeal from Ishant Sharma on 30, A. Gilchrist c Tendulkar b R. P. Singh 7 Umpires: M. Benson (Eng) and picked up four for 50. J. Mubarak 57, M. Udawatta 38, M. when umpire Steve Bucknor was B. Hogg c Dravid b Kumble 79 S. Bucknor (WI) After the batsman had put the team on Pushpakumara 3-37, C.Vaas 2-22. (RSS) unmoved by a loud and confident shout B. Lee not out 31 TV Umpire: Bruce Oxenford (Aus) a strong position, ace paceman Vaas came from the 19-year-old paceman. Extras: (2b,4lb,3w,3nb) 12 Match Referee: Mike Procter (SA) He also got the benefit of the TOTAL: (for seven wickets) 376 Series: Australia leads 4-match series 1-0. doubt on a stumping chance on 48 and Overs: 89. Chanderpaul, Samuels help West Indies recover CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) - 12-1 after Dale Steyn had opener Darren Gayle showed signs of still being Marlon Samuels and Shivnarine Ganga caught behind for three. But bothered by a hamstring injury, but he Chanderpaul shared an unbeaten 83-run Runako Morton joined Gayle in a part- hit two 6s and two 4s in an entertaining fourth wicket partnership to move the nership that scored 59 in 11 overs before 46 before he was caught by Neil West Indies to 160-3 at tea Wednesday on Morton was out for 23, hitting the ball McKenzie off Andre Nel. the first day of the second test against straight to Makhaya Ntini in Jacques Kallis had 1-11 off nine overs at tea, Ana Ivanovic of South Africa.