Monday January 06, 2014
Kaieteur News
Page 27
Australia vs. England, 5th Test, Sydney, 3rd day
Three to join Windies squad for Aussies complete 5-0 Ashes sweep T20 series against New Zealand
ESPNcricinfo - Michael Clarke was asked at the toss if he knew which two captains had led Australia to 5-0 Ashes clean sweeps. Yes, Warwick Armstrong and Ricky Ponting, he replied. Now there are three. Fittingly, it all ended in Clarke’s hands. England’s No.11, Boyd Rankin, edged Ryan Harris to second slip, where Clarke thrust his arms and clung on to a catch above his head. With it, he sealed a 281-run victory, a 50 result and his legacy as leader. His team not only beat England, they annihilated them. The celebrations were intense and immediate; Nathan Lyon led the team in their victory song, Underneath the Southern Cross, on the pitch barely minutes after the win was complete. The same 11 who started on the first morning at the Gabba had carried Australia right through the campaign. Remarkably, they completed their sweep in only 21 days of cricket; it took Ponting’s legendary outfit 22 days in 2006-07 and Armstrong’s squad 24 days back in 1920-21. For Alastair Cook, the series result was devastating. That it ended with a three-day defeat after he won the toss and sent Australia in must have been especially galling. But that England collapsed for 166 in their final innings of the series was not exactly surprising. Their batting failed throughout the tour and again they were unable to handle Man of the Series Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and Co. Seven wickets in 52 minutes after the tea break and it was all over. Set 448 for victory after Chris Rogers completed his third Test century in the morning, England needed a world-record effort to avoid defeat. It was not the kind of history they were capable of making. Cook prodded outside off to a fast ball from Johnson that moved away and was caught behind for 7, Ian Bell steered a late cut to gully off Harris for 16 and Kevin Pietersen’s inside edge onto pad off Harris was smartly snapped up by George Bailey, backpedalling from short leg. They were 3 for 87 at tea. Bill Lawry wasn’t there to tell viewers it was all happening, but after the resumption it was, indeed, all happening. Johnson began the session with two wickets in an over, Michael Carberry caught behind for 43 flashing outside off and then Gary Ballance lbw for 7. Lyon followed with
Chris Rogers scored his second hundred in consecutive Tests. (PA Photos) two wickets in the next over, Jonny Bairstow taken at short leg for a duck and Scott Borthwick brilliantly snapped up at slip by Clarke. A few boundaries from Ben Stokes and Stuart Broad followed, but none of that mattered. It was only a matter of time until the wickets fell. Stokes played on to Harris for 32, Broad was also bowled by Harris for 42 and then Harris completed his five-wicket haul by drawing the winning edge from Rankin. England were all out for 166, the sixth time from their ten innings in this campaign that they had failed to reach 200. And that was the difference. Perhaps the most memorable moment of England’s innings came when Carberry’s bat snapped in half when he played a regulation forward defence to a delivery from Harris. Everyone on the ground saw the funny side but the image of a broken bat encapsulated England’s campaign. Australia’s batsmen scored ten centuries throughout the series; Stokes was the only England batsman to make one, or to average over 30. Earlier in the day, Rogers made his second century in consecutive Tests as Australia built their lead and were dismissed for 276. Rogers and George Bailey both ticked the scoreboard over during their 109-run partnership. Rogers reached his century from the last ball before drinks in the first session with a late cut for four off the part-time spin of Pietersen, but it was Bailey who really needed a big score in order to retain his place for the upcoming tour of South
Africa. At times Bailey still looked vulnerable outside off but it was the short ball that brought his downfall on 46. Bailey went for a hook off Broad and was caught by Borthwick running around to deep square leg, and it left Bailey with an average of 26.14 from his five Tests and an uncertain future. The crowd enjoyed a little cameo from Brad Haddin, who made a quick 28, and in doing so broke the record for the most runs in a Test series by an Australian wicketkeeper, surpassing the 473 that Adam Gilchrist made in South Africa in 2001-02. Rogers was eventually out for 119, one of three wickets for Borthwick, and the tail-enders enjoyed some late hitting. Australia’s innings ended with Rankin taking his first Test wicket. It may be his only good memory of the Test. The match ended off Rankin’s bat, and with the ball in the hands of Clarke. Australia nominally had the urn after the Perth Test, but now they had a 5-0 clean sweep. They also rocketed up from fifth to third on the ICC Test rankings. A challenge against the No.1 team in South Africa awaits, but for now they will celebrate a feat that only two other Australian sides have ever achieved. Scores: Australia 326 (Smith 115, Haddin 75, Stokes 6-99) and 276 (Rogers 119, Borthwick 333) beat England 155 (Stokes 47, Siddle 3-23, Johnson 3-33, Harris 3-36) and 166 (Carberry 43, Harris 5-25, Johnson 3-40) by 281 runs.
NELSON, New Zealand (CMC) — West Indies selectors have called up three players to join the team in New Zealand for the two-match Twenty20 series. Coach Otis Gibson said that leg-spinner Samuel Badree, all-rounder Andre Russell and wicketkeeperbatsman Andre Fletcher are on their way from the Caribbean to join their teammates for the T20 matches. Gibson confirmed the addition of the players during a post-match interview following the fourth One-Day International (ODI) here yesterday. “There are some guys coming in for the Twenty20s. Samuel Badree is on his way, Andre Russell is on his way and Andre Fletcher,” he said. “We are down to the barebones and we’ll have to look
at integrating them into this mix-up and see how we go forward from there. They should be here in two days’ time.” West Indies lost the fourth ODI by 58 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method to give New Zealand a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. West Indies were 134 for five in the 34th over in reply to the hosts’ 285 for six off their 50 overs. West Indies are down to 12 fit players after seamer Ravi Rampaul suffered an injured finger while batting in the n e t s o n F r i d a y. T h i s followed injuries to Marlon Samuels and Darren Sammy and the withdrawal of Darren Bravo due to personal reasons. “Ravi is a tough guy and I think when we get to Hamilton as long as there is no pain (he’ll be considered),”
said Gibson. “It’s his left hand so it would not affect his bowling that much. Obviously only his fielding comes into play and batting at the end — he bats at 11.” He said that the team management is awaiting the results on Sammy but at the moment he is on the injured list. “We are still waiting for the results on Darren Sammy. At the moment he’s still limping around a bit so we’re not sure how he’s going to travel, but he’s staying here with us a little longer. So if it gets down to next week we still have 10 days. At the moment he is on the injured list.” The fifth and final ODI will be played in Hamilton on Wednesday (Tuesday afternoon Caribbean time) followed by the two T20 matches on January 11 and 15.
Hewitt grinds down Federer to claim Brisbane title
Lleyton Hewitt of Australia lunges for the ball during his men’s final match against Roger Federer of Switzerland at the Brisbane International tennis tournament January 5, 2014. REUTERS/Jason Reed BRISBANE (Reuters) Roger Federer’s hopes of starting the year with a longoverdue title ended in failure on Sunday when the Swiss was beaten by local hero Lleyton Hewitt in the Brisbane International final. The 17-times grand slam champion, who won the last of his 77 titles last June, was beaten 6-1 4-6 6-3 by a typically gutsy Hewitt who ended a more than three-year title drought. World number six Federer, who had led their rivalry 18-8 before the final, looked to have turned the match his way after recovering from a slow start but Hewitt showed responded to claim the title in a little over two hours. “To beat possibly the greatest player in the final means a lot,” Hewitt said. “It’s not an easy tournament to win. “In the first set I was seeing the ball like a football. Didn’t really matter where he served I was on it.”
Federer had seven break points in the third set but failed to convert any of them as Hewitt ended a 15-match losing run against his fellow 32-year-old. Despite the disappointment Federer remained hopeful for this month’s Australian Open. “I was able to sort of serve better overall, more consistent this week than I have in a long time - so that’s very good,” Federer, who had not dropped serve before the final, said. “I definitely needed a little bit more confidence to play well and hopefully win the tournament and so forth. “I have a clear idea what I need to work on and I have a clear idea where my mind and body is at.” Federer can scarcely have opened a match in worse touch. He hit 22 unforced errors in the first set, lost three service games and performed a complete airshot off one attempted backhand service return. “I
was really struggling with all sorts of rhythm,” Federer said. “I wouldn’t say I was serving poorly, but it was just a tough set for me. I was put on the back foot very often.” Hewitt did not lose a point on his first serve in the opening set, making just three unforced errors as he took command with his trademark precision. Federer improved markedly in the second set, coming back from 0-40 down to capture the Australian’s serve in the ninth game and then served out to love to take the set. Despite Hewitt’s serve being far more consistently under threat in the third set he secured the only break in the fourth game when Federer hit a forehand wide. Then, showing the resolve that made him a twotime major winner, the Australian held firm to secure his first ATP title in Australia since winning in Sydney in 2005.