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Jacques Kallis is a slight fitness worry for South Africa as they prepare for the second one-day international against West Indies at Port Elizabeth. Kallis, who scored his fifth century in as many matches during the opening fixture at Cape Town, has been suffering from flu but expects to be passed fit.”Jacques went to the doctor and he’s been given some medicine,” said South Africa’s captain, Graeme Smith. “He’ll be able to put his feet up and he’ll be okay for tomorrow’s game.” But even without Kallis, South Africa are overwhelming favourites for the match, after bundling West Indies out for their lowest ODI total of 54 at Newlands, en route to a thumping 209-run victory.”We came into the match thinking we had our best XI, and seven hours later, we were devastated,” said Brian Lara, the West Indies captain. “But it would be bad thinking to make major changes,” he added. “The defeat was one of those things that can happen in cricket.”One change that might be on the cards is a first cap for the Barbadian opener, Kurt Wilkinson. But Lara’s words suggest that he will have to wait his turn.South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Herschelle Gibbs, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 Boeta Dippenaar, 5 Jacques Rudolph, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Lance Klusener, 8 Robin Peterson, 9 Shaun Pollock, 10 Andre Nel, 11 Makhaya Ntini.West Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 3 Brian Lara (capt), 4 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 5 Dwayne Smith, 6 Ricardo Powell, 7 Ridley Jacobs, 8 Vasbert Drakes, 9 Ryan Hurley, 10 Merv Dillon, 11 Corey Collymore.

In one of the biggest telecast deals in Indian cricket, the consortium of India’s Sony Television network and the Singapore-based World Sports Group (WSG) has secured the rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the officially-sanctioned Twenty20 league, for ten years at a cost of more than US$1 billion. As part of the deal, the consortium will pay the BCCI US$908 million for the telecast rights and US$108 million for the promotion of the tournament.Announcing the deal, BCCI vice-president and IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi said, “We are absolutely delighted … we have what we believe to be the best deal for the Indian Premier League and Indian cricket fans.”While the programming and ad sales strategy has yet to be worked out by Sony and WSG, Kunal Dasgupta, CEO of Sony Entertainment Television India, told , “WSG will explore the international market while Sony will cater to the subcontinent.” Sony’s previous big foray into cricket broadcasting was when it signed a five-year deal in excess of US$200 million with the ICC in 2002.Modi said that initially 80% of the revenues from the sale of media rights will go to the IPL franchises, gradually tapering down to 60% over the subsequent years. He also revealed that the bids for the franchises, the base price of which is US$50 million, will be opened on January 24 while player auctions would follow around February 7.The IPL has a pool of at least 78 cricketers with international experience from which the franchises can sign on players. Shane Warne will be the most expensive player, costing US$400,000 for a franchise to employ him. The next highest fee is for Glenn McGrath and Stephen Fleming, of US$350,000.IPL matches are likely to be held in the late-afternoon or evening in a bid to attract larger television audiences. Floodlighting in Delhi and Hyderabad, which are the only cities among the twelve earmarked for hosting matches in the inaugural season to not have floodlights installed, would be completed by March 30, he said.Modi was unconcerned that several players might not be available for the the first year of the IPL due to international commitments. “Not all of them may be available … but we have a number of other top players available to us,” he said. New Zealand’s tour of England and Australia’s tour of West Indies are both scheduled to commence in the second half of May.The IPL is a BCCI-backed Twenty20 league involving eight franchises and its inaugural season will consist of 59 games and is scheduled to start in April 2008. Each franchise will play the others on a home-and-away basis, with the top four sides going through to the semi-finals. The two IPL finalists will also advance to the new Champions Twenty20 tournament, which features the best teams of the domestic Twenty20 tournaments, tentatively scheduled for October 2008.

ScorecardBermuda might have gained a first-innings lead of 166 over UAE, but most of their batsmen barely contributed. Once again, it was David Hemp who led the way with a fine 174, remaining unbeaten when Bermuda were finally bundled out for 311.Bermuda’s middle-order offered scant resistance against the UAE bowlers, which was a trend on their tour of Kenya last month. The tourists were facing capitulation when Dwayne Leverock fell to Arshad Ali at 163 for 8 – with a slender lead of 20 runs. In came Kevin Hurdle, more comfortable with a ball in his hand than a bat, who stuck with Hemp in a ninth-wicket stand of 132 – though he only added 26 himself.Hemp was defiant in his unbeaten 174, helping Bermuda gain a sizeable lead of 166. Malachi Jones picked up the early wicket of Gayan Silva, but Arshad Ali (76) and Naeemuddin Aslam (31) led a steady reply as UAE finished 51 runs in the red on day two, with two more days remaining.

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

Wasim Jaffer’s bat sparkled brightest on a day of total dominance for India’s batsmen, as they ground Pakistan into the Kolkata dust on the opening day of the second Test at Eden Gardens. Jaffer was undefeated on 192 when bad light ended play six overs early, but his fifth hundred was his most joyous yet. With support from Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, he took India to 352 for 3.For an ailing Pakistan, without their injured captain Shoaib Malik and hampered by a seriously unwell Shoaib Akhtar, it was, by some distance, one of their most dispiriting days in recent memory. Kamran Akmal led the way in the field with an untidy, fumble-ridden performance that included another dropped catch as their chances of winning this series ebbed away under a barrage of boundaries.But their woes should not take away from a day that was lit up by the beauty of Jaffer. He is compact even on his worse days, and has real grace in his shots, but rarely has he put it all together at such pace. His back-foot punches through covers, the pulls and clips are well-appreciated, but rarely have they come in such quick succession, in such sustained bursts of boundary-hitting. If ever a batsman was in the zone, it was Jaffer at Eden Gardens on Friday.He was gold from the very start, the early loss of his opening partner as much an inconvenience as a fly is to an elephant. No particular area of the ground was favoured over others and no particular shot over another: pulls, drives, punches, cut and clips were all played with that seductive upright elegance, elbows high, bat straight.But if he favoured one bowler over another, it was probably Sohail Tanvir, to whom he showed no mercy. Having driven him arrow-straight early in the piece, he struck him for four fours in an over a little before lunch. Later in the afternoon, as India raced to their 200, he hit him for a hat-trick of fours. As the day neared its end, Jaffer continued doing so, mostly through the leg side as Tanvir’s inexperience came out of the closet.He was no less imposing, or elegant, against the legspin of Danish Kaneria, never more so than in the day’s 49th over. In it, he reached his hundred with a push through the covers, before celebrating by clipping him twice in a row through midwicket for four.So commanding did the shy-looking Jaffer become that his support – Dravid and Tendulkar – were mostly overshadowed in stands of 134 and 175 respectively. Dravid was more than willing to go unnoticed, putting together a studied fifty. He was brisk enough to begin, particularly against Kaneria, as he got caught in Jaffer’s slipstream. But just as he was bedding himself in post-lunch, Billy Doctrove sent him back for a phantom edge: replays couldn’t tell whether Akmal’s take was worse or Doctrove’s decision.

Tendulkar was more energetic and before he was bowled – by his own shot rather than Kaneria’s googly – a hundred seemed a done deal. Alongside Jaffer, he took the wheels right off Pakistan in the afternoon. The pair scored at nearly five an over, Tendulkar by turn cheeky and impulsive, but never in less than total control. The one blot came in the first over after tea, an edge off Mohammad Sami, though Akmal was obliging enough to drop.Pakistan had a day you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy, and compounded it with a comically poor performance in the field. They were effectively a three-man attack for much of it, the decision to play an ill and weak Shoaib always loaded with risk. He could only manage nine overs, and though the early ones had pace, by the end, he should have been running in with an IV drip.Kaneria was inconsistent, mixing some ordinary overs with brighter ones and Mohammad Sami, also unwell, remained committed but without luck. Perhaps their plight was best captured by the sight of Tanvir, the new hot young thing on Pakistan’s pace block, switching to left-arm spin halfway through the afternoon. It was an admission that poor fortune – in their catastrophic run-in to this Test – and a sublime Jaffer had emphatically won the day.

Scorecard

Played at an advanced stage of the league phase of the 2003 World Cup, with all sorts of permutations and combinations adding to the pressure of an India-Pakistan tie, this was a game that crackled with tension from ball one almost till the time Rahul Dravid made the hit that brought victory to his side and spent Pakistan spinning ever closer to relegation.Pakistan had played India in each of the three previous World Cups and never won a game, but by the time the 1st of March came Waqar Younis’s side had lost to both Australia and England, and it was time to skip the history lessons and launch a do-or-die effort. India, by contrast, were in a more comfortable position, having won four games out of five, but there could be no loss of momentum in such a crucial tournament.Pakistan won the toss and chose the standard big-game option of aiming to put up runs on the board first, but both teams took time to settle, and play in the opening overs was nervy. Then Pakistan slowly began to break away, led by a veteran of many an India-Pakistan clash, now in the last stage of this career, Saeed Anwar. Even though wickets fell regularly, and Inzamam-ul-Haq, suffering from the leanest trot in his career, was comically run out, Anwar kept the scoring-rate at five an over almost singlehandedly. By the time he was fifth man out at 195 in the 41st over, shortly after bringing up his hundred, Pakistan were well set for a late thrash. They eventually totaled 273. Now history, it seemed, was on their side: India had never successfully chased more than 222 in a World Cup match.The game had been simmering slowly upto this point, but in the first five overs of the Indian response it rose to a boil, and how. Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag were quickly out of the blocks, taking a boundary each off Wasim Akram’s first over, but the game really took off in the second over, when three balls from Shoaib Akhtar were dispatched by Tendulkar over point for six, through square leg for four, and then down the ground for another boundary.50 was up inside five overs, and Tendulkar, rising to the occasion, was in the most gorgeous touch he had been for some time. Undisturbed by the loss of Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly to successive balls, he lashed the ball to all corners, cutting and pulling viciously and driving powerfully on the up. After 15 overs India were 120 for 2, and Tendulkar had ensured that the run-rate would no longer be a problem for India: now it was all about keeping wickets in hand.Shoaib, returning for a second spell, caught him out just short of a hundred with a well-aimed bouncer that he fended to point, but by this time India needed less than a hundred with more then twenty overs remaining. Dravid, just the right man for such a situation, and Yuvraj Singh, radiating confidence, saw India home by six wickets. But the final margin of victory gave little hint at how tempestuous the drama of the day had been.

SYDNEY, Dec 15 AAP – Australia A centurion Jimmy Maher has urged Ricky Ponting’s senior side to remember Sri Lanka remain a threat despite the tourists’ heavy defeat at the Gabba last night.Maher, who has enjoyed a prolific season against the touring teams, added a 106 to the twin double-centuries he scored against England as Australia A racked up 8-312.Sri Lanka’s reply stuttered early and died as Sanath Jayasuriya’s side lost its opening tour match by 102 runs.But fewer than three months ago, it was Australia that was on the receiving end, slumping to a seven wicket defeat to Sri Lanka in the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy.And Maher has warned they remain a threat, particularly in the latter stages of the triangular tournament – that also involves England – when off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is expected to return from injury.”They will be a threat. On wickets like Adelaide and Sydney that turn a bit more, and certainly in Melbourne, I think they can be very competitive,” he said.”When Murali comes back in their side, (Aravinda) De Silva, Chaminda Vaas – you’ve got to remember the last time we played them in the Premadasa Stadium in Sri Lanka they comprehensively beat us.”They are a good cricket side and you never underestimate a Sri Lankan one-day side, with the likes of (Sanath) Jayasuriya, (Marvan) Atapattu and (Romesh) Kaluwitharana – they are all exciting players, hit the ball very hard and to all parts of the ground.”If they get away to a good start in a couple of games it’ll be very tough.”Complacency is not something Australia have been guilty of in the past and despite predictions of another unbeaten summer, Maher insists ponting will not allow any let-up in intensity.”You can never walk out and think it’s all going to happen. Obviously Australia are a fantastic unit, playing very good cricket, but on their day both these sides (Sri Lanka and England) could cause some problems.”I don’t think its going to be a walkover like everyone says. Sri Lanka have generally been a very good one-day outfit”.

It was a good move by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)to postpone the start of the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals by two daysin order to give leading players the opportunity to play for theirstates in the crucial games. So often in the recent past have theRanji Trophy knock-out matches been played without the nationalplayers that the country’s premier national competition has beendevalued and the fare dished out has, predictably enough, beenmediocre. There is no doubt that the participation of players likeSourav Ganguly, Dinesh Mongia, VVS Laxman, Sanjay Bangar, Zaheer Khan,Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Deep Dasgupta, Jacob Martin and ConnorWilliams raised the level of the contests, and there was much goodcricket in the four matches.The quarter-finals were not devoid of surprises, and the most emphaticone was the manner in which Baroda scythed through Hyderabad. Grantedthat Baroda are the defending champions and they had the homeadvantage, but not even their most ardent supporters would haveexpected them to win by an innings and 256 runs just 12 overs into thefourth morning. After all, Hyderabad had done well in the leaguestages, registering a comfortable 10-wicket win over Himachal Pradeshin the pre-quarter-finals and having India caps Laxman andVenkatapathy Raju supplemented by in-form players like Daniel Manoharand A Nandakishore in their ranks.

But, having tasted success last year, Baroda are no more the diffidentteam under the shadow of Bombay and Maharashtra that they were forlong. Zaheer Khan produced a dream spell in the second innings thatbacked up some admirable batting feats from Williams (157) and Martin(271). At the moment, then, it must be said that Baroda look goodenough to take the title for a second year running.Baroda’s semifinal opponents Punjab were always expected to get thebetter of Orissa, especially with the match being played at Mohali.The presence of Shiv Sundar Das and Debasis Mohanty had much to dowith this eastern state making the semifinals for the first time lastyear. The two were around this year too, but Punjab were a superiorall-round side. With Ravneet Ricky, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh,Pankaj Dharmani and Dinesh Mongia in their ranks, they never let slipthe slim advantage that the two-run first innings lead gave them, andpurposeful batting and incisive bowling saw them complete an emphatic243-run victory that should do a world of good for their confidenceagainst Baroda.

On the face of it, Railways defeating Tamil Nadu by eight wicketswould also seem to be a surprise. But on closer scrutiny, it cannotaccurately be termed as such. Railways, after finishing runners-uplast year, are a very different team. Their confidence is at an alltime high, and the side today is very different from the one that lostthree times successively to Tamil Nadu – in 1972-73, four years later,and then in the title clash in 1987-88. Of course, they are also amuch stronger side now, with Sanjay Bangar, Murali Kartik andHarvinder Singh, besides the in-form JP Yadav and the evergreen YereGoud in their ranks. They bat well down the order and have a wellbalanced attack. The manner in which Bangar (212) held the inningstogether was exemplary and, riding on such feats, Railways must fancytheir chances against Bengal. For Tamil Nadu, it was a match to forgetin a hurry, with both the batsmen and bowlers failing to come goodwhen it mattered the most.In making the semifinals for the first time since 1993-94, two-timechampions Bengal put up a commendable show in prevailing over Gujaraton the back of a slender first-innings lead. Only 32 runs separatedthe teams after the first innings, and there was time for Gujarat tocome back into the game. But the manner in which Bengal shut them outof the match by splendid batting in the second innings was admirable.And while the established stars like Deep Dasgupta, Rohan Gavaskar,Devang Gandhi and Sourav Ganguly did their job, it was theperformances of Subhomoy Das (77 and 107) and Sanjib Sanyal (123 and92) that played a vital role in Bengal’s victory.The two semifinals promise to be engrossing affairs, and with all theleading players taking part, the high standard of play is bound to bemaintained.

Day 3 ReportFrizzell County Championship Division OneEssex 271 for 6 v Leicestershire 600 for 7 dec at Southend
Scorecard
Only 16 overs at Southend, but it was enough for Leicestershire to tighten their grip on the game. Charlie Dagnall bowled Antonio Palladino for 5 in the first over of the brief evening session. Andy Flower, however, hung on to remain 125 not out and James Middlebrook hit a sprightly 28 not out before the close. Essex need another 179 to avoid the follow on.There was no play elsewhere in either division due to rain.Surrey 411 v Middlesex 346 for 8 at Guildford
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Jimmy Ormond had a day to remember with four wickets in six balls, including a maiden first-class hat-trick, to give Surrey the edge against Middlesex at Woodbridge Road. To add to his heroics with the ball, Ormond nearly scored what would have been the second fifty of his career earlier in the day as he and Saqlain Mushtaq added a further 36 runs to Surrey’s first innings of 411. Andy Strauss (87) and Sven Koenig (42) then replied in emphatic fashion, putting on 101 for the first wicket. But when Strauss became Ormond’s first victim, Middlesex lost five wickets for only two runs. Ormond’s hat-trick accounted for Ben Hutton, Ed Joyce – who suffered his third golden duck against Surrey this season – and Paul Weekes. And when Owais Shah fell to Martin Bicknell for 22, Middlesex had collapsed to 165 for 6. However, Abdul Razzaq (78) and David Nash (69*) saved them with a stand of 155 as Middlesex closed 65 behind Surrey, and with two wickets in hand.Lancashire 575 for 6 dec v Warwickshire 192 for 8 at Old Trafford
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Glen Chapple continued his sparkling form with the bat – not the mention the ball – as Lancashire took total control over Warwickshire in Manchester. Chapple scored 132 and shared a partnership of 228 with Stuart Law, who ended unbeaten on 236. It was a mammoth effort from Law: the fourth double-hundred of his career and his highest score for Lancashire. He batted for over eight hours in all, and smashed 32 fours and two sixes. Three of the Warwickshire bowlers went for over 100, and Neil Smith had the embarrassment of being despatched for 22 off four consecutive balls. Warren Hegg declared on 575 for 6 and he then took five catches behind the stumps as wonder boy Chapple took 4 for 43 to leave Warwickshire staring at the follow on at 192 for 8.Frizzell County Championship Division TwoNorthamptonshire 325 beat Somerset 96 and 168 by an innings and 61 runs at Northampton
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Somerset lost an astonishing 18 wickets in one day as they crashed to an inning defeat against Northants at Wantage Road inside two days. Resuming on 26 for 2, and 203 behind, Andre Nel and Adam Shantry took three wickets each as Somerset crumbled to 96 all out. And things didn’t go much better second time round. This time it was Jason Brown who starred as he spun out six wickets in Somerset’s second innings of 168. Michael Burns (55) and Ian Blackwell (40) put up some resistance with 83 for the fifth wicket, but once they were both out, Brown made light work of the tail with the last four wickets tumbling for 11 runs. While questions were thrown up about the state of the pitch, ECB inspector Peter Walker afterwards confirmed that although it was, in his opinion, “below average”, he would not be docking Northants any points. He said: “It was a lot of wickets to fall in a day……but you had one side on the top of their form and another at the bottom of theirs.”Gloucestershire 271 v Worcestershire 392 for 7 at Cheltenham
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Ben Smith and Andrew Hall drove Worcestershire into a strong position against Gloucestershire at the College Ground. Resuming the day on 48 for 1, Worcestershire made steady progress to a valuable first-innings lead, despite a mid-innings wobble. Graeme Hick made only nine on his return to the side, caught off Shoaib Malik, and when Anurag Singh also fell to Malik, the score was 103 for 4. However, Vikram Solanki got the show back on the road with a solid 35, before Smith (92) and Hall (73) put on 108 for the sixth wicket as Worcestershire increased their lead to 121 runs.Yorkshire 384 and 23 for 0 v Hampshire 289 at Scarborough
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Simon Katich single-handily rescued Hampshire against Yorkshire at the North Marine Road Ground. Katich likes to reserve his best against his former counties and he saved Hampshire from the depths of 96 for 5 with a gutsy 143 not out, including 20 fours and a six. It was his 19th first-class century and his second of the season, and both have come against his former clubs, Durham and Yorkshire. After polishing off the Yorkshire tail for 384, Hampshire were in immediate trouble as Chris Silverwood (4 for 86) and Steve Kirby (2 for 79) removed four of the top six for ducks. But Katich came to the rescue and with some sturdy support from Shaun Udal (26) and debutant Iain Brunnschweiler (34), Hampshire avoided the follow on. However, they still have some work to do as Yorkshire closed with a lead of 118, and all 10 wickets in tact.Day 2Derbyshire v Durham 434 for 7 at Derby
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Dominic Cork’s decision to put Durham in at the County Ground turned out to look as foolish as his new mullet hair cut as Vince Wells and Nicky Peng cashed in on some wayward bowling. Jonathan Lewis (77) and Michael Gough (36) put on 110 for the first wicket and built the platform for Wells to smash 106 from 112 balls, and for Peng, who in the end fell for 99. It was a long day, and one to forget, for Derbyshire’s bowlers. Kevin Dean went for 0 for 117, and Lian Wharton 2 for 103 as Durham ended on 434 for 7.

Before the TVS Cup began, Stephen Fleming had remarked about the difficulty of the task for New Zealand in this tournament, being pitted against the World Cup winners and the runners-up. Just four games into the tournament, New Zealand have already fallen behind, and must put in a much-improved performance against Australia at Pune to prevent this tournament from becoming a two-horse race.Another defeat will not bundle the New Zealanders out of the tournament – though Australia will be guaranteed a place in the final if they win tomorrow – but after their embarrassing rout at Faridabad, Fleming and his men urgently need a morale-booster. In the context of how the two teams have performed so far, just running the Australians close will be a significant achievement.New Zealand’s cause has not been helped by injuries to Chris Cairns and Paul Hitchcock. Cairns strained his hamstring in the first match of the tournament at Chennai, while Hitchcock suffered a side strain at Faridabad. Both are doubtful starters for Monday’s match: Lindsay Crocker, manager of the New Zealand side, indicated that a final decision on both players would only be made on the morning of the match.Australia have few worries on their plate; their biggest grouse might well be the itinerary, which forces them to play a day game just one day after finishing a day-night fixture.The Australian top order had been below par at Gwalior, but Damien Martyn’s classy century, and Andrew Symonds’s powerful strokeplay suggested that the batting line-up is slowly getting into groove. The most encouraging aspect, however, has been the outstanding display by their second-string pace attack.In the absence of their top three fast bowlers, the inexperienced line-up of Nathan Bracken, Brad Williams and Andy Bichel were expected to struggle in subcontinental conditions. In two of the three matches, though, they have given Australia the early initiative. The conditions at Faridabad were admittedly seamer-friendly, but even on the dry surface at Mumbai, Bracken and Williams extracted bounce and movement, and had Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman playing and missing on numerous occasions.The Nehru Stadium at Pune could well offer the seamers a fair amount of assistance as well. There was a decent sprinkling of grass on the pitch, while the downpours over the last couple of days – which forced the covers to remain on the wicket – could also work in favour of the fast bowlers. The outfield was in excellent shape, though, and with fair weather expected for Monday, a prompt 9am start was a near-certainty.Australia (probable) 1 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Michael Bevan, 6 Andrew Symonds, 7 Michael Clarke, 8 Brad Hogg, 9 Andy Bichel, 10 Brad Williams, 11 Nathan Bracken.New Zealand (probable) 1 Chris Nevin, 2 Stephen Fleming (capt), 3 Lou Vincent, 4 Scott Styris, 5 Craig McMillan, 6 Chris Cairns, 7 Jacob Oram, 8 Chris Harris, 9 Brendon McCullum (wk), 10 Daniel Vettori, 11 Daryl Tufffey.

Two-Test series are criticised in a land that considers four matches an abbreviation, but there was significant relief when Chris Martin finally fell and ended an unfair contest. A wrestle marked down for 13 days dragged out November as New Zealand were squeezed and crushed by an outfit focussed on precision.Free entry was granted for the final five wickets to conclude a series that the Australian’s front page shouted wasn’t worth the admission price. Highlights have been hidden by a mechanical performance of a world champion side that toyed with their opponents before disposal. Justin Langer’s double-century stands alone as the pinnacle of this match as Australia relied on contributions of fifties and a couple of wickets.The last wrenching stretch came when New Zealand’s misery was extended by the lunch break, and they ate with nine wickets down. Expecting a quick ending, 3,760 spectators arrived for the opening session and many raced for the exit at 12.58 after Daniel Vettori drove Darren Lehmann to Jason Gillespie. Those who stayed either held long-standing Shaky Island grudges or wanted to see Lehmann’s crawl with Mark Richardson. Play resumed and was over after six balls.Light rain fell on the way to the ground and Vettori sprinkled resistance with a half-century, but any hanging hope of holding on for a draw disappeared when Jacob Oram and Brendon McCullum, the two overnight batsmen, quickly departed. New Zealand were more than outclassed by Ricky Ponting’s men, who teased and humiliated them.By batting past lunch yesterday, Ponting almost turned torturer and hoped his opponents would remember the treatment next year in New Zealand. Hypnosis would struggle to make anyone forget the four-day thrashing in Brisbane, ending in a second-innings 76, and this drawn out death.

Oram and Vettori enhanced their reputations but the rest have been unable to display the traditional stubborn traits of touring New Zealand teams. Stephen Fleming, Mathew Sinclair, Oram and Vettori were the only batsmen to make half-centuries while the bowling literally revolved around Vettori’s fingers. The fast men got no wickets in Adelaide.In the other dressing-room Glenn McGrath was named Man of the Series and introduced as “Australia’s newest allrounder”. Someone had to win it because, as Ponting said, many players put their hands up at different times. Michael Clarke, Adam Gilchrist, McGrath and Jason Gillespie battered New Zealand at Brisbane and five half-centuries joined Langer’s double in Adelaide’s first innings.Five bowlers got two wickets in the second-innings as they again divided the wickets. What made Australia’s performance so unusual and business like was that no bowler captured a large haul. “They had three Richard Hadlees and the greatest legspinner of all,” Stephen Fleming said. It was shared excellence.