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Knights‘ opener Reeza Hendricks slammed a 66-ball 98, but his knock was in vain as Cape Cobras held on for a four-wicket win in Kimberley to move up to third in the table. Knights, after being inserted, began brightly as Hendricks and his opening partner Rudi Second added 92 in 11 overs. Second fell for a 25-ball 35, but Hendricks, who could score only 101 runs from five innings in the Momentum One Day Cup, carried his bat to power the team to 174 for 5. Hendricks drilled 13 fours and a six during his knock, but received little by way of support from his other team-mates, as no other batsman could manage more than 19. George Linde was the pick of Cobras’ bowlers, collecting 4 for 21.Cobras lost early ground in their chase as both Richard Levi and Omphile Ramela fell inside three overs. However, Andrew Puttick led a recovery, putting up crucial stands with Justin Ontong (31) and Rory Kleinveldt. Puttick and Kleinveldt both fell off successive deliveries, but Kleinveldt’s 14-ball 36 had already swung the advantage Cobras’ way. Sybrand Engelbrecht ensured the team did not lose any momentum, slamming 33 off 15 balls to guide Cobras home with an over remaining.

Farveez Maharoof, the Sri Lanka allrounder, has injured his left ankle and will miss the three home Tests against England next month.”Farveez had a scan yesterday and he’s got stress fracture in his ankle,” Jayawardene said. “He’ll be definitely out of the England Test series.”He’ll be out for at least four to five weeks, it could be a bit more than that depending on how he will feel especially because he is a fast bowler and he needs to put his weight on that ankle.”Maharoof missed the second day’s play in Hobart due to the injury and has gone wicketless so far in the two Tests against Australia.But he took eight wickets in the two tour games ahead of the Tests. In the three one-dayers he played against England in October, Maharoof took 10 wickets at 9.50.

ScorecardAshlyn Kilowan took four wickets and Johmari Logtenberg struck a fine 103 for South Africa Women who comprehensively beat Pakistan in the fourth one-dayer at Pretoria. A whitewash is now in sight, and South Africa’s preparations for the World Cup qualifiers are in fine order.Pakistan did at least manage to bat out their 50 overs, but could only scrape together 158 for 9 while chasing 260. In spite of 45 from Tasqeen Qadeer and a gritty 28 from Sajjida Shah, they fell to Kilowan’s medium pace and to the offspin of Sunette Loubser who took two wickets. South Africa’s fielding was also slick, pulling off three run-outs.While Pakistan’s batsmen struggled, South Africa’s prospered – although not after a top-order wobble in which they were reduced to 55 for 3. But Logtenberg was defiant, putting on 121 with Susan Benade (58) and 50 with Mignon du Preez. Only 17 and playing in just her second one-dayer, du Preez hung around for half-an-hour as Logtenberg took command, notching a 111-ball hundred and pushing South Africa up to 259 for 6.It was always likely to be too much for Pakistan, in spite of Qadeer’s bold 45. The fifth and final one-dayer is on Sunday.

December 8, 1995 – Makes his Test debut against Sri Lanka at Perth, scoring 96 at No. 5 before being given out lbw by Khizer Hayat with the ball heading well over the stumps.December 3, 1996 – Is dropped after the second Test against West Indies at Sydney where he makes only 9 and 4. One match earlier he scored 88 against the same opposition in his first match at No. 3.July 24, 1997 – Returns to the Test team with a bang at Headingley, batting at No. 6 and scoring his maiden century with 127. With Matthew Elliott he lifts Australia from 4 for 50 to 9 declared for 501.December 27, 1997 – Scores his first hundred at home, a fine 105 against South Africa at the MCG.December 15, 1998 – Is replaced by Darren Lehmann after making 5 and 10 in the third Test against England at AdelaideJanuary 17, 1999 – Goes nightclubbing after a one-day match against England and early the next morning is photographed with a black eye after being punched outside a Sydney bar. Receives a three-match ban and $5000 suspended fine and admits to a drinking problem.

March 27, 1999 – Reaches a century on his return to the side for the second time with 104 against West Indies in the third match in Barbados. Ponting shares a record fifth-wicket stand for Australia against West Indies of 281 with Steve Waugh, breaking a 44-year-old mark.September 9, 1999 – A boy-on-the-burning-deck innings, Ponting makes 96 against a rampaging Murali and Vaas , the only Australian score above 50, and in the second innings when everybody else fails, makes another half-century. He goes on to hit an unbeaten 105 in the third and final Test at Colombo, his first Test century in the subcontinent and bags the Man of the Series award.November 27, 1999 – After three consecutive ducks, Ponting posts his highest score so far with 197 against Pakistan at the WACA.February 4, 2000 – Ponting injures his ankle when sliding into the boundary fence at the SCG while fielding in a one-day final against Pakistan. The injury forces Ponting out of the tour of New Zealand and a three-match one day series in South Africa.March 22, 2002 – First game as one-day captain after replacing Steve Waugh. Scores 14 as Australia beat South Africa in Johannesburg by 19 runsJune 22, 2002 Marries Rianna Cantor, a 23-year-old law student in Sydney.March 23, 2003 – Leads Australia to World Cup victory over India with a magnificent 140, which includes four fours and eight sixes.February / March, 2001 – Makes 17 runs in five innings in the series against India, raising questions about his play against high-quality spin.August 16, 2001 – Under pressure after a poor run, he responds with 144 at Headingley and his position hasn’t been in danger since.November 23, 2002 – Records hundreds in three consecutive Tests with 154 against England in Adelaide to follow 123 in Brisbane and 150 against Pakistan at Sharjah.

December 28, 2003 – Joins Bradman as the second player to score three double-centuries in a calendar year with 257 against India at the MCG. He reached 242 in the previous match and 206 against West Indies in April, helping him to 1503 runs at 100.2 for 2003. His performances would win him the 2004 Allan Border Medal.March 8, 2004 – Captains Australia for the first time in a Test after replacing Steve Waugh. Reaches 21 and 28 as Australia win by 197 runs at Galle.September 21, 2004 – Breaks his finger fielding in the Champions Trophy semi-final loss to England, ruling him out of the first three Tests of the historic India series and signalling an end to Australia’s dominance over England.January 3, 2005 – Posts first century as captain almost a year after taking over from Steve Waugh and makes it a double with 207 against Pakistan at the SCG. It is his 18th innings and 10th Test as leader.September 12, 2005 – Becomes the first Australian captain since Allan Border in 1986-87 to lose the Ashes with the 2-1 result at The Oval.December 26, 2005 – Hits his 26th Test century , 117 against South Africa and joins Sir Garfield Sobers on the all-time list. “It was a special innings for me – I was pretty proud of the way I played today,” Ponting says.December 30, 2005 – Finishes 2005 with a career-best 1544 runs for the calendar year, including 117 in the second Test against South Africa at the MCG.January 2, 2006 – Due to play 100th Test match.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary

An innings of grace, poise and immense character from Yousuf Youhana lit up Melbourne on Boxing Day and allowed Pakistan to hit back in style after their Perth debacle. Youhana struck a classy 111, and along with Younis Khan (87) and Salman Butt (70) lifted Pakistan to 6 for 318 at close of play on the first day.After being thoroughly outplayed on a bouncy WACA pitch, Pakistan’s batsmen found the conditions much more to their liking here – there was none of the steepling bounce that characterised that wicket, and Australia’s bowlers couldn’t obtain much pace or seam movement either. Jason Gillespie was easily the outstanding bowler, though. He tested all the batsmen with his pace and outswing – especially with the second new ball – and his two late wickets kept Pakistan in check after the 192-run fourth-wicket stand between Youhana and Younis threatened to take them towards a huge score.Faced with a pitch closer to the kind they are bred on back home, Pakistan’s batsmen showed a refreshing change in attitude. At Perth, most of their batsmen were guilty of being stuck in defensive mode, waiting for the inevitable good delivery to nail them; here, they put the Australians on the defensive with some excellent aggressive cricket. Butt led the way at the start, but the innings which made the day memorable was Youhana’s.Throughout his 54-Test career, Youhana has been accused of milking weak opposition and choking in the face of pressure against tougher teams. There was nothing weak about this Australian attack, and coming into the match, Pakistan were under severe pressure – they had been pummeled at Perth, were written off by fans and critics alike, and then were hit further by the unavailability of Inzamam-ul-Haq. Youhana, standing in as captain, soaked up all that pressure and played an innings of impeccable composure and glittering strokes. His knock came off just 134 balls, and contained 11 fours and four sixes, most of them an exquisite combination of skill and elegance.He came in to bat when Pakistan had lost three wickets for nine runs on either side of the lunch interval, and the innings threatened to unravel quickly after a promising start – Imran Farhat edged one to the slips, Yasir Hameed, in the side to replace Inzamam, was trapped in by Gillespie, and Butt ran himself out with his lackadaisical running (3 for 94).Youhana and Younis then put the house back in order. Both started off circumspectly, keen to see off a testing spell by Gillespie. They did that, and then gradually flourished against the rest of the attack. Youhana was especially severe on Shane Warne, lofting him for three magnificent straight sixes and pulling and cutting whenever Warne erred even fractionally in length: in all Youhana scored 59 of his runs off Warne from 82 balls.

At the other end, Younis performed the sheet-anchor’s role to perfection, secure in defence and reining in his tendency to attack. He was comfortably outscored by Youhana in the first half of the stand, but came into his own after tea, clattering drives down the ground and through cover, and upper-cutting the fast bowlers over the slips.Warne finally got his own back after suffering at Youhana’s hands, when he slid one down the leg side and Adam Gilchrist completed a fine stumping (4 for 286). That sparked off the second collapse of the day as Gillespie, armed with the second new ball, struck twice in two overs – Younis nicked a perfect awaygoing delivery to the keeper, and Shoaib Malik – in the side for Mohammad Khalil – perished to the bounce and movement as well.Earlier, Butt was the star of the morning session, scoring his maiden Test fifty in his third match. He pulled the first ball of the match for a couple, and continued to go for his strokes at every opportunity, slashing hard whenever offered the width. He edged and middled those strokes in equal measure, but either way he was rewarded – the edges flew over the slip cordon, and the middled ones clattered through the covers. He benefited from an early fielding lapse too – Matthew Hayden made a mess of a regulation chance at gully when Butt slashed at the third ball of the day. Butt survived, and it seemed Pakistan’s openers would do a repeat of what Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra had achieved exactly a year ago. They didn’t quite manage the 141 that the Indians added, but it was just the start to prop up a demoralised side. Youhana and Younis capitalised on it, but Gillespie’s late strikes evened a contest which Pakistan dominated for most of the day.

Simon Jones played his first competitive game of cricket today, some ninemonths after his horrific knee injury in the opening Test of the Ashes seriesin Brisbane.Jones made his comeback in Glamorgan`s 2nd XI match against Lancashire2nd XI at Panteg, with the young pace bowler delivering two four over spellsin which he failed to take a wicket, but did force one of the visiting batsmento retire hurt after being hit a painful blow by one of Jones` deliveries.”I felt good throughout,” said Jones afterwards, “and it`s reallynice to be back on the field.”

Of all the international captains currently tramping through world cricket,easily the most engaging is Kenya’s Maurice Odumbe. Put it this way, if youwere planning to throw some steak on the braai and pass a few beers around,then the cricketer to call to lift the company would be Odumbe. Alwaysassuming, of course, that your name is not umpire Dave Orchard.Odumbe’s criticisms of Orchard earned him a two-match ban this week, a banto which the Kenyans responded by inflicting a 70-run defeat on India in oneof the biggest upsets in the modern game.After the Kenyans had been drawn and quartered by India in Bloemfontein lastFriday, Odumbe’s rueful response was that the practically only thing to doin the circumstances was to take his boys out on the town and get them drunkAfter Lance Klusener had taken five successive boundaries off him inKimberley last Sunday, he confessed that what he’d wanted to do at thatmoment was find somewhere to hide.There hasn’t been such frankness from a captain on these shores since KenRutherford described his New Zealand team as a “bunch of social retards” inthe wake of a surprise victory over South Africa at the Wanderers. “And,” headded, “I’m off to join them.”It was Rutherford, of course, who also declared that New Zealand cricket had”corned the turner” after an equally surprising win against Pakistan.Rutherford had his farewell do in Johannesburg this week before takinghimself back off to his native land. Go well, Ruds.To get back to Odumbe, though, what appeals as much as anything else abouthim is that even in the aftermath of humiliation, he’s still aware that onlya fortunate few are privileged to make a living from playing cricket.Compared to a small core within the South African camp who seem determinedto match England in the prima donna stakes, the Kenyans are a breath offresh air.More so now, after Wednesday’s shock result. The problem, however, in thepost- Hansiegate age, is that you’re never quite sure what to make of upsetslike this. If Sachin Tendulkar, the best batsman in the world, struggles for20 balls to make just 3, then is he just having a bad day at the office orare more sinister forces at work.Which is not to suggest that the Indians tanked it, simply that whateverHansie Cronje believes, his activities still cast a dark shadow over thegame. Interestingly, it is understood that members of the InternationalCricket Council’s Anti-Corruption Unit were around Port Elizabeth onWednesday. The ACU has been a little cagey about this which, in some ways,is surprising. Surely, if the ACU is tasked with policing cricket andguarding against corruption, one of the most effective ways of achievingthis would be to let it be known that you’re around and you’ve got yourears close to the ground.The other fascinating point to emerge after Wednesday’s match – even thoughit has been strenuously denied – is that discussions were apparently heldabout Kenya’s continuing participation in the tournament. In Bloemfonteinlast week only a couple of hundred spectators turned out to watch Indiatrounce Kenya and some people started to wonder whether their presence inthe Standard Bank One-Day Series wasn’t undermining the whole tournament.In the event Kenya stayed on and gave cricket in South Africa what shouldprove to be one of the best nights of the summer. The question, though,still remains: are triangular tournaments fatally flawed if one of the teamsis demonstrably weaker than the other two? The answer in most cases is yes,but Kenya did themselves, and the series, an enormous favour by cashing inon what was a woefully inept Indian effort.The result, almost certainly, will not affect the tournament as a whole.South Africa and India, you can bet on this, will be in the final atKingsmead next Friday. But before then South Africa play Kenya at Newlandson Monday and if Cape Town manages to shrug off Currie Cup fever (or aCurrie Cup hangover, whichever applies after this weekend) then there couldbe a selloutWhich is exactly what this series needs and, let’s not be coy about this,which is exactly what South African cricket needs just at the moment.

Australia batsman Adam Voges has expressed severe doubt about the ability of the experimental pink ball to hold up to 80 overs of battering in the upcoming day-night Adelaide Test, saying the ball had lost its colouring and was “more green than pink” by the end of the 50-over Prime Minister’s XI fixture against New Zealand.The manufacturer, Kookaburra, has gone through countless variations of the pink ball over the past five years in an effort to find a workable ball for day-night Tests, but Voges said the latest edition “didn’t hold up very well at all” to fewer than 50 overs of use at Manuka Oval, which has pitch characteristics not dissimilar to those expected in Adelaide.Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards and his heir apparent David Peever were seen closely observing the balls used in the match after the game. The various doubts raised by numerous players about a host of aspects of the experiment – including visibility, the quality of cricket and the change in conditions from day to night – will only be thrown into sharper focus by Voges’ critique.”There wasn’t much pink left on it by the end of the game,” Voges said. “The one that got hit onto the roof [by Martin Guptill] and didn’t come back was 28 overs old and it looked like it was 68 overs old to be fair. To be honest, it didn’t hold up very well at all tonight.”It looked as though the lacquer had come off and it was turning green basically. There were bits of pink left, but it was more green than pink by the end. I know that it stopped swinging, there was no reverse-swing or anything like that because both sides get chunked up equally, but yeah the older it gets, I can’t see it being any easier to see.”Voges’ previous experience of the pink ball had been in Brisbane and Perth, where the hard pitches and lush green outfields preserved its condition in an adequate fashion, though the ball swung extravagantly at times and made batting difficult. However at Manuka, pronounced early swing for Trent Boult and Tim Southee that left the PM’s XI in early trouble later gave way to featureless passages of cricket devoid of any movement or pace with diminishing visibility.”The two [Sheffield] Shield games I played with it were in Brisbane and Perth and it held up pretty well there. But this is my first experience of lower, slower wickets,” Voges said. “They’re very good new-ball bowlers and the key will be to get through their first spells and then get them back for second and third spells – as we saw with the pink ball tonight, in both innings, get them into their second spell and it can be a different story.”Other Australian players, including Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood, have expressed reservations about the concept, while the former captain Ricky Ponting has said he was “always against” an experiment that tampered with Test cricket’s traditions.Whatever has been said, one thing is now certain – there is no time to address the issues raised by the PM’s XI match before the Adelaide Test is played from November 27.

Phillip Hughes is set to become New South Wales’ second-youngest first-class debutant in 30 years after being named in their Pura Cup side to take on Tasmania in Sydney starting next Tuesday. Hughes will be aged 18 years and 355 days on Tuesday – 111 days older than Michael Clarke when he debuted for the Blues in 1999.A left-hand batsman, Hughes starred in the four-match Australia Under-19 series against Pakistan Under-19 in Queensland in April, striking 101, 101, 48 not out and 74. He was also one of Australia’s top batsmen at the Emerging Players Tournament this year and made 51 and 137 for the New South Wales Second XI against the Victoria Second XI this week.”I’m delighted to be selected for the first time,” Hughes said. “I’ve been working extremely hard on my batting and this is a tremendous opportunity for me. I’m looking forward to training with my team-mates and preparing for this match.”Hughes has replaced Nathan Hauritz in the Blues’ 12-man squad, while Tasmania have included Nathan Wegman in place of the injured Adam Griffith. Wegman, 30, made his one-day debut for Tasmania this month and starred with 4 for 44 with his right-arm fast-medium bowling.The Tigers have also named their FR Cup squad to take on the Blues following the Pura Cup match. Ricky Ponting is expected to play in that game, with Australia’s Test commitments finishing early next week.New South Wales Pura Cup squad Ed Cowan, Grant Lambert, Simon Katich (capt), Dominic Thornely, Peter Forrest, Phillip Hughes, Brad Haddin (wk), Beau Casson, Matthew Nicholson, Nathan Bracken, Mark Cameron, Doug Bollinger.Tasmania Pura Cup squad Michael Di Venuto, Michael Dighton, Travis Birt, George Bailey, Daniel Marsh (capt), Luke Butterworth, Sean Clingeleffer (wk), Jason Krejza, Brendan Drew, Brett Geeves, Ben Hilfenhaus, Nathan Wegman.Tasmania FR Cup squad Michael Dighton, Travis Birt, Ricky Ponting (capt), George Bailey, Daniel Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Luke Butterworth, Xavier Doherty, Brendan Drew, Brett Geeves, Ben Hilfenhaus, Nathan Wegman.

Shane Warne’s local club has proposed renaming its ground in honour of his achievements in the game. The board of St Kilda want to rename the Junction Oval – the ground where Warne made his first-class debut in 1991 – to the Shane Warne Ground.”It’s been the Junction Oval, the St Kilda Cricket Ground, for 151 years – we think a change of name would be appropriate,” Ron Laird, St Kilda’s president told Australia TV station Channel Nine. “He’s one of the cricketers of the century, two of which we’ve had at St Kilda – Bill Ponsford and Warne.”The board will cast their votes on the decision later this month before presenting the proposal to the relevant authorities. Warne has played local cricket at the club and also made his comeback there, for Victoria 2nd XI in February 2004, after a 12-month anti-doping ban.He is currently playing in his final match for Australia, in the 5th Test against England at Sydney, after announcing his retirement at the Boxing Day Test last month.