The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Cricket: Ponting scores first test century in two years
- Cricket: Clarke and Ponting ease Australia past India tally
- Rampant Federer crushes Davydenko, Nadal toils in Doha
| Cricket: Ponting scores first test century in two years Posted: 03 Jan 2012 07:11 PM PST SYDNEY (Reuters): Australia's Ricky Ponting scored his first test century in two years on Wednesday, reaching the milestone just after lunch on the second day of the second test against India. The 37-year-old, the third most prolific test run scorer of all time, had made 97 going into the break and was forced to wait nervously for three overs after the resumption of play. In the end, the vital run came off a single which could easily have seen him run out with the gritty Tasmanian ending up sprawled in the dirt of the Sydney Cricket Ground. After he realised that Zaheer Khan's throw had missed the stumps, he picked himself up, brushed the mud off his shirt and raised both arms to accept a standing ovation from the crowd. It was his 40th test century and the first since he scored 209 against Pakistan in January 2010 on his home test track at Hobart. The century ended a tough two years for Ponting, who relinquished the Australia captaincy last March and faced repeated calls for an end to be brought to his test career. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Cricket: Clarke and Ponting ease Australia past India tally Posted: 03 Jan 2012 06:18 PM PST SYDNEY (Reuters): Michael Clarke grabbed a century and Ricky Ponting was closing on one of his own after the pair eased Australia past India's first innings tally of 191 and reached 236 for three at lunch on the second day of the second test on Wednesday. Skipper Clarke (103) and his predecessor Ponting (97) had come together on 37-3 and resumed in the morning on 116 before extending what could turn out to be a match-winning partnership to 199 at the break. Needing victory to even up the four-match series after a 122-run defeat in the opener in Melbourne last week, India's bowlers had been hoping for some early wickets but instead laboured in the morning heat at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Clarke clipped the ball off his pads for three runs to bring up his 22nd test fifty on the second ball of the morning and continued to play with composure as he moved towards his third century in his last six tests. Clearly charged with emotion, the 30-year-old reached his 18th test century, and the first of the series from either side, in the last over of the morning by slapping a Zaheer Khan delivery through the covers. Ponting, who last scored a test century against Pakistan in Hobart in January 2010, matched his protege almost run for run throughout the session and a square cut for four gave him his 61st half century on the long form of the game. The 37-year-old was left waiting for the chance to reach his 40th test century, however, as he was unable to get on strike after Clarke had passed the milestone. It was the first period of long dominance for the bat in a series where bowlers have had the upper hand. Indian quick Khan, who removed Australia's top three batsmen cheaply on Tuesday, managed just four overs at the start of the day and another three late in session without success. The tourists have never won a series in Australia. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Rampant Federer crushes Davydenko, Nadal toils in Doha Posted: 03 Jan 2012 05:06 PM PST DOHA (Reuters): Roger Federer staked his claim as one of the favourites for the Australian Open title later this month by romping into the second round of the Qatar Open, while rival Rafa Nadal survived a scare in windswept Doha on Tuesday. Federer, hoping to win a record 17th grand slam in Melbourne later this month, thumped Russian Nikolay Davydenko 6-2 6-2 in less than hour on a blustery evening. Top seed Nadal, in contrast, battled back from a break down in the deciding set against Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber to triumph 6-3 6-7 6-3 in two and a half hours. Third seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was also wayward in a 7-6 6-7 6-1 win over Tunisian wildcard Malek Jaziri. Federer said he was glad to get some night-time match practice. "It was a combination of me playing really well and Nikolay not finding his range like we're used to seeing in the past," Federer told reporters. "This is obviously an important step to get used to the conditions." The 30-year-old Swiss has failed to win a grand slam title since lifting the 2010 Australian Open trophy but his appetite for tennis remains undimmed. "If you don't have that (motivation), you will have many losses due to a lack of interest," said Federer. "Your mindset has to be right and there's a lot of sacrifice during the year and throughout your career, but you get the returns and you just have to remind yourself how lucky you are." His longtime rival Nadal, who lost the Wimbledon and U.S. Open finals as well as the world number one spot to Novak Djokovic in 2011, said he was pleased with his performance in Doha as he recovers from a shoulder injury and switches to a new racket. "The only moments I didn't play well were the beginning of the second and after the tiebreak. For the rest, I think I played a very solid match," Nadal said. "My shoulder is fine. I felt something at the beginning of practice, but later, after three, four minutes, when I got warmed up, I feel the shoulder with perfect condition. The shoulder needs days like today to get the power." Nadal was in imperious form early on, sealing the first set by ending a furious exchange at the net with a simple volley winner. The German appeared to be heading for his eighth successive defeat to Nadal but stunned the 10-times grand slam winner by racing into a 3-0 lead in the second set. At 4-2 up, Kohlschreiber netted a backhand to give Nadal a break back. The relentless power of Nadal's shots left Kohlschreiber scrambling but he clung on to take the set into a tiebreak, which the German won 7-2. Kohlschreiber broke in the first game of the final set, hammering a forehand winner down the line, but that stirred Nadal from his slumber and the Spaniard broke back immediately before surging into a 4-1 lead that he never looked like relinquishing. Tsonga traded tiebreaks with the bulky Jaziri in the opening two sets of an error-riddled match. The Frenchman then broke early in the final set and eased home as his Tunisian opponent tired. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
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