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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

An extremely sporting declaration by Graeme Smith set up the third Test superbly, but Ricky Ponting ensured that what should have been a tight run-chase ended up as a no-contest as Australia swept to an eight-wicket win to seal the series 2-0. Requiring 287 from 76 overs, Australia romped home with more than 16 overs to spare. Not satisfied with his 120 in the first innings, Ponting smashed a glorious unbeaten 143, becoming the first batsman to score hundreds in each innings of his 100th Test. Matthew Hayden supported him perfectly as the two put together 182 for the second wicket and snuffed out any chance for South Africa to steal a series-levelling win.Already 1-0 down, South Africa’s only hope on the final day at Sydney was to get some quick runs, set a challenging target before Australia, and hope that they’d collapse in the quest for quick runs. South Africa’s batsmen did well to score 100 off 20 overs in the morning, with Jacques Kallis relatively more aggressive, adding 36 in 49 balls to get to his half-century. Charl Langeveldt then gave South Africa early hope just before lunch, snaring Justin Langer with a beauty that swung into the batsman and clipped the stumps. From then on, though, it was a one-way traffic.Throughout South Africa’s second innings, the criticism against Kallis had been his inability to impose himself on the game. Ponting showed just how it could be done. Playing with a confidence that made him appear infallible, he snatched the initiative from South Africa immediately after lunch, rocking back and pulling Andre Nel when he erred in length only marginally.That set the tone, as Ponting went from strength to strength, peppering all parts of the ground with delectable strokeplay. Nothing that South Africa tried worried him remotely as he made batting look ridiculously simple. To deliveries that were slightly fuller than good length, Ponting took a giant forward stride and deposited the ball, depending on its line, straight down the ground, through cover, or through midwicket. When the bowlers overcompensated and pitched it marginally shorter, Ponting was ready and waiting on the back foot, swiveling around to pull, or rocking back to cut. Throughout this series, the South Africans have fancied their chances of trapping Ponting on the shuffle, but here even that avenue was closed for them, as Ponting corrected his tendency to fall across while playing on the leg side.Hayden began more circumspectly, but was soon into his elements, planting his front foot down the pitch to crash his trademark straight-drives. As his confidence grew, the pulls and cover-drives were added to the mix. Add excellent running between the wickets by both, and South Africa were completely clueless to stop the massacre.To his credit, Smith continued to attack with his field placements, knowing that it was the only option for him. The seamers were given an adequate slip cordon, while a short mid-off and midwicket were employed in the hope that Ponting would scoop a drive. However, after the early swing that his bowlers got with the new ball, there was hardly any assistance on offer from the track – there was no seam movement, and the bounce was consistent – and the aggressive attitude of both batsmen ensured that none of the bowlers were allowed to settle in. South Africa were further hampered by the fact that their only spin option, Johan Botha, was totally out of his depth. His 12.3 overs cost him 77 – including the winning runs, a down-on-one-knee cover-drive by Ponting – and the only wicket he took, of Hayden, did nothing to the outcome of the game.The final result was a convincing defeat for South Africa, but they did much better than the margin of defeat suggests. On the fifth morning, with quick runs urgently required, the batsmen did their job well. Kallis was more energetic than on the fourth day – even playing a couple of reverse-sweeps against the legspinners – but the real momentum came from the other batsmen, especially Shaun Pollock, who struck the ball superbly in his 21-ball 26. Smith then declared an hour before lunch, leaving his bowlers with 76 overs to try and take ten wickets. As it turned out, that was more than enough time for Australia to knock off the 287 runs and cruise to victory.How they were outSouth AfricaAshwell Prince c Ponting b MacGill 18 (4 for 123)
Jacques Rudolph c McGrath b MacGill 4 (5 for 129)
Mark Boucher st Gilchrist b MacGill 11 (6 for 152)
AustraliaJustin Langer b Langeveldt 20 (1 for 30)
Matthew Hayden c Smith b Botha 90 (2 for 212)

New Zealand will trial the pink ball and day-night format in the Plunket Shield in February, with plans being formulated to play a floodlit Test match against Bangladesh in December 2016.The February 20 round of the domestic competition will feature day-night matches played in Auckland, Hamilton and Napier, as a step on the road towards a proposed night Test against Bangladesh. Lindsay Crocker, New Zealand Cricket’s head of cricket, said December was the right time of year for the concept.”We think probably the best one to try it would be Bangladesh in December,” Crocker told stuff.co.nz. “We think November is a little early so that December series could potentially be one. But we haven’t discussed that with them yet.”That [Plunket Shield round] sits quite nicely with three home teams having lit venues. We’ve identified that as a round that, should this [Adelaide] match go successfully and we’re satisfied that we can try it, then we would [go ahead].”The BCB said it hadn’t been approached yet. “They haven’t told us but if it comes up, it will first go to the cricket committee, then we will take a policy decision on the board level,” the chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury told ESPNcricinfo.David White, the NZC chief executive, said momentum for the format was growing. “In the debate around the ICC chief executives’ table there has been a lot of interest,” White said. “Everyone acknowledges that outside of England and Australia it’s been a challenge for Test crowds and is certainly a concept that people are very receptive to.”The news arrived as Brendon McCullum’s team prepared for the inaugural day-night Test at Adelaide Oval from Friday, with several other nations already showing an interest in a concept that has been pushed heavily by Cricket Australia in recent times.”People are voting with their feet that they’re encouraged by what the pink ball Test match has to offer,” McCullum said before his team’s floodlit training session on match eve. “For us to play in front of 40,000-odd people in a Test match is pretty amazing and we’re really, really excited about it. Hopefully it goes off brilliantly and there’s no challenges and no problems.”If we have that final session on that fifth day under lights and a result is in the balance then it could be anything for Test cricket. It could be something that is outstanding for the game. We’ll find out once the game’s over but we’re relishing the opportunity to test it out.”

Khulna are the glamour side in the National Cricket League, boasting almost half the Bangladesh team’s regulars. However, even with Mashrafe Mortaza and Syed Rasel thriving on pitches not conducive to seam bowling and Shakib Al Hasan batting like a man possessed, they had be content with their second draw in a row when visitors Chittagong held on at the Khulna Divisional Stadium.Khulna had done all the right things after being put in; half-centuries from opener Imrul Kayash and Tushar Imran gave them a strong start, which was built on by Shakib’s maiden first-class hundred (108). At stumps on day one Khulna were 361 for 7. Another 49 runs were added the next morning as the batsmen maintained a rate of almost four an over throughout the innings. If Khulna were worried about the absence of left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak and fast bowler Dolar Mahmud, away on Hong Kong Sixes duty, they were soon lifted as unheralded offspinner Murad Khan sent back Nafees Iqbal (35) and Nazimuddin (30) after Mortaza and Rasel had made their customary early strikes. A 99-run sixth-wicket stand between Faisal Hossain and Dhiman Ghosh provided respectability to the Chittagong total as Khan and Rasel took four wickets apiece to dismiss them for 248 early on the third day. Habibul Bashar gambled by not enforcing the follow-on and Khulna rode on a 69-ball 50 from Shakib, playing despite a severe bout of influenza, and a rapid 30 from Mortaza to set Chittagong a target of 367. Tamim Iqbal’s 81 off 166 balls made Chittagong’s intentions clear as the match headed for a draw. Bashar tried everything, including giving Khan the new ball and, towards the end of the match, getting Mortaza to bowl spin on a pitch offering turn. He managed to get the wicket of Ehsanul Haque out but Chittagong hung on to end at 252 for 7. Nazimuddin was again among the runs with an uncharacteristically sedate 56.Rajshahi may not have the marquee names of Khulna or Dhaka but the team is a model of commitment, dedication and hard work. Led by the persevering Khaled Mashud they have set the early pace in the NCL after thumping Barisal by 8 wickets at the Rajshahi Divisional Stadium. Mashud inspired a fightback after Barisal’s pace duo of Talha Jubair and Sajidul Islam had reduced Rajshahi to 46 for 4 by exploiting the juice in the wicket. Such situations bring out the best in Mashud and his workmanlike 89 from 263 balls and equally important knocks of 67 from Mushfiqur Rahman and 52 from Farhad Reza took Rajshahi past 300. Their depth then came to the fore as their supposed second-choice bowlers Reza, Suhrawadi Shuvo and Nayeem Islam shared nine wickets to dismiss Barisal for 87, the lowest score in an innings so far this season. Following on they were spared a repeat by Raisul Islam’s 52 and 45 from No. 10 Jubair. It was only a matter of time before Rajshahi got the last wicket on the final morning as Barisal folded for 222, left-arm spinner Shuvo again claiming three, and were left with completing the formality of scoring nine for victory.Dhaka missed captain Mohammad Ashraful and Mahmudullah, who were in Hong Kong, but were still too strong for a lacklustre Sylhet, thumping them by an innings and 34 runs at Bogra. Losing Javed Omar with six on the board after being sent in was the only hiccup for the champions as the other opener, Anwar Hossain (54), stand-in skipper Al Sahariar (54) and Mehrab Hossain jnr with set up the platform. Cameos from Mosharraf Hossain (35 n.o.) and Mohammad Rafique (39) ensured Dhaka’s batting bonus as they declared on 351 for 9 on the second day. In good times a team with Rajin Saleh, Alok Kapali and Mushfiqur Rahim would be expected to give a spirited reply but Sylhet, who had used nine bowlers to contain Dhaka, are struggling. Mahbubul Alam, who stepped in for flu-stricken Shahadat Hossain, bowled a fascinating 11-over spell for 14 runs and sent back four of the top five batsmen. Mohammad Sharif, at the other end, took his cue and bowled a fuller length, getting the ball to swing with devastating effect. Sylhet were 26 for seven in the 17th over and without Rahim’s 36 would have been bowled out for under 50. Sylhet’s hopes of stretching the game beyond day three were dashed by the left-arm spin of Mehrab and Mosharraf when they followed on. Mehrab struck a double blow in the 41st over, removing Sharifullah and Sylhet captain Saleh, on his way to 5 for 43 while the towering Mosharraf continued to impress with his loop as he picked up three wickets.

Khulna’s top order crumbled against Chittagong in front of a packed home crowd at the Khulna Divisional Stadium. – unprecedented in the NCL – but they recovered to post 196. Something special was called for and Mortaza (5 for 31) provided it, sending back the dangerous Aftab Ahmed (7) and Nazimuddin (5) in his opening burst before returning to dismiss Ehsanul and Shabbir Khan in the same over as Chittagong slipped from 154 for 6 to 154 for 8. Mortaza then cleaned up Rubel Hossain as Chittagong fell nine short. This was Mortaza’s second match-winning effort in the space of a week following his 35 and three wickets in Khulna’s victory over Dhaka in the first round.Junaid Siddique did not play the four-dayer as he was in the Hong Kong Sixes team but flew back a day before Rajshahi’s match against Barisal at the Rajshahi Divisional Stadium and belted the bowling with his opening partner Jahurul Islam. The two were separated when Jahurul fell for a 52-ball 55 after a stand of 121 in 19.2 overs but Junaid continued the momentum until his dismissal for 120 in the 42nd over. Rajshahi’s total of 295 for 8 proved too intimidating a target for Barisal, whose cause was not helped when captain Shahriar Nafees was out without scoring in the first over. They eventually limped to 179 as Rajshahi’s maintained their hundred percent record in both forms of the NCL.

Dhaka have unearthed an unassuming hero in Mosharraf. His three wickets at Bogra stifled Sylhet in the middle overs as they could only muster 195 on a flat deck at Bogra. Then, given another opportunity to bat at No. 3, Mosharraf repaid the faith for the second game running with 49 not out as the target was overhauled with 8.4 overs and seven wickets to spare. Mosharraf had made 72 in the loss to Khulna in round one.Player of the week Shakib Al Hasan
Not in the best of international form coming into the NCL, Shakib had vowed before the start that he would make this tournament count and so far he has backed that confidence with action. With critics eager to bracket him as a one-day specialist the 20-year-old is letting his bat do the talking. His 108 and 50 at Khulna came when the situation demanded he anchor the innings and he instantly adapted to this role, never hurrying and minimising the risk knowing that his natural talent will always be there to ensure fluency.

Points table

National Cricket League

Note: Points include bonus points for batting and bowling and points for the first-innings lead in the drawn gameNational Cricket League one-day

ScorecardLeft-arm spinners Sunil Joshi, with Test and ODI experience, and rookie KP Appanna, playing his second first-class game, spun Haryana out for 112 to hand Karnataka a 253-run victory at Mysore. Resuming the final day on 34 for 5, Haryana were always under the gun, and Joshi (4 for 22) and Appanna (3 for 33) never allowed them the room to breathe. Only Shafiq Khan (18), Joginder Sharma (20) and Amit Mishra (22) made it to double figures as both spinners kept plugging away. Karnataka took away four points from this outright win, and take on Uttar Pradesh from Saturday, December 9, at Kanpur.
ScorecardRajesh Pawar, Baroda’s left-arm spinner, backed his first-innings four wickets with three in the second as Saurashtra, forced to follow on, were bowled out for 132 to stumble to an innings-and-19-run loss against Baroda at Rajkot. Pawar received good support from Rakesh Patel (3 for 59), Irfan Safi Pathan (2 for 21) and Ajit Bhoite (2 for 3) as Baroda swept five points from their victory. Saurashtra failed to better their first-innings 255, where three batsmen crossed fifty, with a dismal showing on the final day.
ScorecardAn unbeaten 105 by Venugopal Rao saved Andhra Pradesh the blushes as they managed to hang on a force a draw against Tamil Nadu at Chennai. Trailing 319 in the first innings, Andhra were forced to follow on, but Venugopal’s century and a useful 55 by Chandramouli Prasad helped Andhra end the day on 327 for 8. Andhra were in dire trouble when they lost half their side with only 152 on the board, but Venugopal and Prasad then added 102 for the sixth wicket. Tamil Nadu continued to nail crucial blows at the other end, but they couldn’t remove Venugopal, who got excellent support from Doddapaneni Kalyankrishna, the No.10 batsman. Kalyankrishna made only 1, but he played out 39 deliveries and survived more than 14 overs, as Tamil Nadu had to finally settle for first-innings points.
ScorecardRanadeb Bose, the right-arm fast bowler, turned in an inspired bowling performance as Bengal took the first-innings points in a drawn game against Mumbai at Eden Gardens. Resuming at 206 for 2, Mumbai were bundled out for 372, with Bose returning superb figures of 5 for 69 from 34.1 overs. Bhavin Thakkar had led the way for Mumbai on the third day with an unbeaten 108, but he fell for 157 while Amol Muzumdar, the captain, made 39. Both were dismissed by Bose, who then went on to finish off the tail as none of the other Mumbai batsmen managed to go past 30. Mumbai finally fell 206 runs short of Bengal’s 578, and, following on, were 23 without loss when play was called off.
ScorecardA seven-wicket haul from Pragyan Ojha, the chinaman bowler, enabled Hyderabad togain a first-innings lead before Ambati Rayudu and Ravi Teja gained some battingpractice as the match at Jaipur petered out to a draw. Ojha picked up the last twoRajasthan wickets early this morning, ensuring two points for Hyderabad, and thebatsmen cashed in on a dead match. Teja missed out on a hundred for the second timein as many games but Rayudu stayed unbeaten on a fine 110, composed of 13 fours andone six. It capped a good start to the season for Hyderabad with four points fromtwo games.
Scorecard
Bad light at Mohali meant only 11.3 overs of play was possible as Punjab werethwarted in their bid for an outright win. Instead Gujarat moved from 86 for 1 to125 for 2, with Nilesh Modi bringing up a half-century. Punjab, who racked up amammoth 503 for 9 in their first innings, had to settle for two points from theencounter. Having lost the first game to Bengal, Punjab have a lot of work to do intheir next few games.
ScorecardHeavy fog and bad light ensured that not a single ball was bowled on the last day of the match between Delhi and Uttar Pradesh at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Delhi thus took home two points after managing a slender 12-run first innings lead, with the match being an especially memorable one for Aakash Chopra, the former Test opener, whose match aggregate of 218 was nearly half the total runs scored by Delhi.

Lou Vincent has not ruled playing for South Australia at some stage in his career but said he was committed to New Zealand and Auckland in the immediate future. reported this week that Vincent was considering a move to Adelaide, where he spent most of his teenage years, to play with the Redbacks next season.Vincent said he had had talks with the state but he was not looking to relocate at the moment. “I have been discussing playing options with South Australia,” Vincent said. “I grew up there and have strong links to a number of people in SA and they have always been interested in my cricket career.”At some point I would be interested in playing for SA but my current priority is the Blackcaps. I love representing my country and still have a lot to achieve in international cricket.”Vincent, 28, played for representative age-group teams during his time at Adelaide before returning to Auckland and starting his first-class career there. He has played 22 Tests and 97 ODIs and was among New Zealand’s best performers in the recent CB Series. Signing Vincent would have been a boost for South Australia, who had a dismal 2006-07 during which they won only one Pura Cup match.

Shane Watson is due to make his domestic return against South Australia on Friday after a series of injury setbacks. After being hopeful of taking part in the Ashes, Watson was ruled out of each of the first three Tests with a hamstring injury suffered in the lead-up to Brisbane last month.However, Watson has travelled with Queensland for their one-day and four-day games in Adelaide and has been named in the Pura Cup squad. While Watson’s international prospects have improved with his recovery, Greg Blewett, the South Australia batsman, has dropped further in the minds of his state’s selectors after he was cut from the limited-overs squad for the clash on Wednesday.”It was very disappointing to leave Greg out,” Paul Nobes, the chairman of selectors, said. “Unfortunately, Greg’s performances in the first three matches of the one-day competition have not been enough to warrant his selection.” Daniel Harris is Blewett’s replacement in the 13-man squad while Gary Putland has retained his spot.Queensland have called Scott Brant back into their outfit alongside Nathan Rimmington and Craig Philipson as they replace Mitchell Johnson, Andrew Symonds and Matthew Hayden. Either Johnson or Symonds could be squeezed back in if they are not chosen in the Test side at Perth.Jimmy Maher, the captain, has been picked in both squads despite a minor groin strain that prevented him from fielding in the win over Victoria on Friday. Rimmington is in line to make the Pura Cup XI after the Queensland selectors decided not to push for Michael Kasprowicz, who picked up three wickets for his grade club at the weekend as he regains fitness following back and groin problems. South Australia have made no changes to their Pura Cup outfit.Queensland FR Cup squad Jimmy Maher (capt), James Hopes, Clinton Perren, Craig Philipson, Lachlan Stevens, Chris Simpson, Michael Buchanan, Chris Hartley (wk), Andrew Bichel, Scott Brant, Ashley Noffke, Nathan Rimmington.South Australia FR Cup squad Matthew Elliott, Daniel Harris, Mark Cosgrove, Callum Ferguson, Cameron Borgas, Darren Lehmann (capt), Graham Manou (wk), Ryan Harris, Jason Gillespie, Mark Cleary, Dan Cullen, Shaun Tait, Gary Putland.Queensland Pura Cup squad Jimmy Maher (capt), Lachlan Stevens, Martin Love, Shane Watson, Clinton Perren, Craig Philipson, James Hopes, Chris Hartley (wk), Andrew Bichel, Daniel Doran, Ashley Noffke, Nathan Rimmington.South Australia Pura Cup squad Matthew Elliott, Daniel Harris, Mark Cosgrove, Callum Ferguson, Cameron Borgas, Darren Lehmann (capt), Shane Deitz (wk), Jason Gillespie, Dan Cullen, Cullen Bailey, Paul Rofe, Shaun Tait.

Cassim Sulliman, the CEO of the African Cricket Association, has confirmed the organisation will provide Kenya with financial assistance in the formation of their inaugural national league.Cricket Kenya has been planning a domestic competition for several months. The lack of a local league was blamed by many as one of the reasons for Kenya’s poor performance in last month’s ICC World Twenty20.”Kenya has shown the potential of joining the top cricket nations,” Sulliman said. “It has the expertise and experience to move to the next level.”We want to move quickly at a fast pace to improve the game, improve the results and improve the administration. The whole idea is to strengthen cricket from junior to senior level.”Kenyan cricket officials have tried to start an organised national league in the past but their endeavours were scuppered by personal differences. But, as Cricinfo revealed last month, CK are determined they can put in place a viable tournament to help develop future players.

ScorecardMichael Vandort guided the Sri Lankans to a morale-boosting six-wicket win over Derbyshire as the batting finally began to find its feet in the English spring. His unbeaten 90 meant the target was reached with relative ease after Derbyshire had declared following a delayed start.Vandort, who is fighting for one of the opening slots with Upul Tharanga and Jehan Mubarak, took his chance with both hands. Tharanga played his part in an opening stand of 60, but it was Vandort who caught the eye with some powerful driving.Kumar Sangakkara spent a useful 90 minutes in the middle, adding 96 with Vandort, before Derbyshire’s spinners brought them back into the match. Andy Gray had Sangakkara stumped and Ant Botha claimed two wickets, including Tillekeratne Dilshan who continues to be short of runs.However, Chamara Kapugedera continued his promising start to the tour with a sprightly 44. He is unlikely to feature in the Tests, this trip is all about gaining experience, but if he continues to impress, and his more senior colleagues don’t find form, he could yet mount a late bid for inclusion in the first Test.Kapugedera calmly accompanied Vandort until victory was complete as the Sri Lankans claimed their first win on tour. However, they will have to up their game when they face England A, at Worcester, starting on Thursday.

Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, the two Pakistan bowlers who returned positive dope tests last year, have cleared the latest tests held at the fitness and training camp in Karachi earlier this week.”Akhtar and Asif are among 26 players who have cleared these tests for which weasked urgent reports from the World Anti-Doping Agency [WADA] accredited laboratoryin Malaysia,” Ahsan Malik, the Pakistan board’s director of communications, told .The PCB had ordered dope tests for all camp attendees and had decided to hold back naming the squad for the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship until results were received. Both Shoaib and Asif were the focus of attention as they tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone and were handed bans last year which were overturned later.Malik said the PCB had expected all tests to be negative in accordance with its zerotolerance policy on doping. He also said that three players – Younis Khan, Danish Kaneria and Yasir Arafat currently involved in county cricket – were tested in England and the samples were sent to the same WADA-accredited laboratory as the rest of the squad.The third and final fitness and training camp with special emphasis on the forthcoming Twenty20 World Championship concludes on Monday with the squad announcement expected next week as well.

In an extraordinary exhibition of hitting, Jason Aekins of the New Zealand club side Taita smashed an unbeaten 258 – a one-day club batting record – in a 40-over match at Wellington on Monday.Aekin, 35, was playing against Upper Hutt in the domestic 1B grade level, and hit 16 sixes and 30 fours as Taita amassed 489 for 4 at Tremtham Memorial Park No. 4. “It’s all a bit of a blur but it wasn’t very good bowling,” Aekins said to stuff.co.nz. “Once I got to 100 every ball was going to the boundary – I was on fire. It just kept coming out of the middle.” Batting with an old bat, Aekins shared a second-wicket partnership of 263 with Josh Smits (159). “My opening partner got out in the first over and Josh came in and by drinks (20 overs) he had 150 and I was on 96. When he went out I let loose,” Aekins said.Aekins, a carpenter by profession, is a regular in the Taita 1B team, playing alongside some of his former Eastbourne rugby mates. His domestic record is impressive; this was the ninth instance in three seasons of Aekins recording a hundred, and he comfortably surpassed his previous best of 171 set last summer. “I was hoping for 200 this year, I’ve been trying for 12 seasons,” a beaming Aekins added. “We had a couple of beers back at the club on Saturday night but most of the other teams were playing away so there weren’t many people there. There is talk of something this weekend.”Aekins’ feat has earned him a gesture of recognition from local statisticians – a special cap – after he became the only batsman at the Wellington senior level to cross 250. Interestingly, the identity of Upper Hutt’s bowling attack is somewhat anonymous. An example of this is a bowler recorded simply as Mike, with figures of 1 for 79 off four overs. In the end, Upper Hutt were dismissed for 158, losing by 331 runs.