South Africa v West Indies, 1st Test, Port Elizabeth,

West Indies seal a historic victory

For South Africa, it was a shock defeat, their first at home to West Indies. For the second time in the match, the top order collapsed without a trace - the first four wickets went down with just 45 on the board. Jacques Kallis revived the run-chase with a flawless 85 and added 112 with AB de Villiers to give them a chance, but once he was at the receiving end of an unfortunate decision, the result was never in doubt.
The blows that made the difference were delivered within the first ten overs of the run-chase. The last time West Indies won an overseas Test against meaningful opposition - against England, in June 2000 - Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh were the new-ball operators, but Fidel Edwards and Daren Powell turned in the sort of display that even those legends would have been proud of.
Powell and Edwards began in superb fashion. They raced in, consistently clocking around 140 kph, and tested the batsmen with pace, swing and bounce. Powell kept it mostly on a good length around off, and attempted to beat the batsmen by swing and seam, while Edwards varied his length cleverly, either bowling it full, or attacking the body with well-directed short balls. One such delivery accounted for Graeme Smith, who tried to fend off a snorter, and could only glove it for Daren Ganga to take a diving catch at short leg.
By then South Africa had already lost two wickets: if Smith had a poor game with the bat, his opening partner had a nightmare. For the second time, Herschelle Gibbs was done in by Powell without scoring - this time, he shouldered arms to one which came in with the angle and was crashing towards off stump. It was his second pair in Test cricket - both of which have come in his last ten Tests - and his extended poor run suggests South Africa will have serious questions to answer before the next match. Hashim Amla, coming off successive hundreds in his previous two Tests, failed to negotiate Edwards' pace and swing, and when Smith fell soon after, South Africa were reeling at 20 for 3. It got even worse immediately after lunch, when Ashwell Prince failed to come up with the answers to Jerome Taylor's probing off-stump line.
South Africa's best batsman, though, was still around, and he batted like one. The footwork was precise, the defensive technique was immaculate, and the strokeplay was fabulous. Three glorious fours just before lunch - a cover drive, an on-drive, and a square cut, all off Taylor - were ominous signs for West Indies, and the break only made Kallis' concentration stronger. The on-drives were a feature of his innings, but he also cut and pulled powerfully. Powell tested him midway through the afternoon session with a fiery spell peppered with plenty of short stuff, but Kallis negotiated it all with scarcely a hiccup.
de Villiers, meanwhile, continued from where he had left off in the first innings, driving strongly square on the off side. Not only did the pair get plenty, they also did so quickly, scoring at more than three-and-a-half an over. Gayle even tried a few overs of spin, but nothing worked till Edwards banged in a short ball that Kallis tried to hook. The ball missed bat and glove, took his shoulder, looped to Denesh Ramdin who dived, held on to the catch, and then threw the ball in the air in sheer delight. Umpire Russel Tiffin agreed with the appeal, but replays indicated Kallis was hard done by.
Once Kallis fell, the rest was easy. Mark Boucher fell to the pull shot for the second time in the match, Paul Harris chopped one on to his stumps, and de Villiers holed out to mid-on. Dale Steyn and Andre Nel prolonged the innings with an entertaining 67-run partnership, but that was only delaying the inevitable. The end finally came when Makhaya Ntini spooned a top-edge to Powell. The celebrations were fairly low-key, which perhaps suggests West Indies are looking for much bigger rewards from this tour. The three-match Test series is, after all, only one game old.

New Zealand v Bangladesh, 3rd ODI, Queenstown

Vettori and McCullum thrash Bangladesh

The last day of the year was a memorable one for Daniel Vettori, who won another toss, grabbed five easy wickets to become New Zealand's highest limited-overs wicket-taker, and basked in his first series victory since taking over the captaincy after the World Cup.
Rain was expected but the weather held up in sunny Queenstown, New Zealand's "Vegas by the Lake", and Vettori played all his cards right to spin Bangladesh out for just 93, a total overhauled by Brendon McCullum's murderous 29-ball 80 before the local caterers burned lunch. Against the backdrop of the scenic Remarkables hill range, Bangladesh were simply annihilated, a 3-0 sweep was completed, and the hosts went into the New Year in a festive mood ahead of a busy season.
Before this game Mohammad Ashraful, Bangladesh's captain, demanded his side improve from an "unacceptable" performance in the second match, but it appeared no one was listening. Vettori's good luck at the toss continued and he had little hesitation in giving his bowlers a crack at a struggling Bangladeshi top order, whose penchant for driving on the up had them in knots. They got away with it in Napier, to an extent, but struggled in seam-friendly conditions where the ball didn't come onto the ball all that easily.
Kyle Mills' good series continued as he bowled Junaid Siddique in the third over, going for an expansive drive and inside-edging back onto his stumps. Mills and every seamer included bowled accurately and asked plenty of questions of the batsmen. Michael Mason, sporting a bit of hair dye in his first game since the World Cup, picked up an out-of-sorts Tamim Iqbal in his second over, the 16th. Struggling to time the ball off the square, Tamim saw some width and poked at it, but was smartly snapped at slip by Scott Styris, diving to his left. His laborious 13 from 56 deliveries summed up Bangladesh's predicament.
Ashraful began to take some risks, giving himself room to carve boundaries through and over point but trying to pull Mason into Lake Wakatipu was neatly picked up by Jacob Oram just inside the ropes at deep backward square. Oram was soon into action with the ball as well, picking up Tushar Imran. An extra bit of bounce did it for Tushar, pushing forward and getting a thick outside edge to McCullum; that made it 46 for 4 after 19 overs.
Vettori held himself back until after the 25-over mark but didn't waste any time leveling himself with Chris Harris on 203 one-day wickets for his country. Aftab Ahmed failed to curb his enthusiasm and a tame sweep went nowhere but into square leg's waiting palms. But the one to cherish came three deliveries later, as Shakib al Hasan went to cut but dragged onto his stumps, taking Vettori to the top of the list.
The field required batsmen to play the ball late, with soft hands, but the Bangladeshis were eager to flash hard. There were no demons in the track but the batsmen, struggling to get the timing they wanted, were unsuccessful in working the ball square of the pitch. Vettori varied his flight, stuck in two slips and bowled as if it was a Test match. The lack of confidence from the batsmen was evident from the start but this was a whole new low as some reckless shot selection continued. Vettori took the pace off the ball, got it to bounce and spit, and Bangladesh folded for a paltry total in 37.5 overs. Vettori's five-wicket bag also made him the highest one-day wicket-taker of the year, with 42.

Can India end Australia's golden run?

The quest for 17_Ian chappell

The big difference between the Indian line-up and others that have toured Australia lately is that the Indians know how to make big scores. They have the skill and the experience to battle through the tough periods they will undoubtedly face

In 2001 India stopped Steve Waugh's record-setting team dead in their tracks at 16 successive Test wins. On that occasion Sourav Ganguly's team delivered the knockout blow, a punch the Australians didn't see coming.

Now Anil Kumble's side, with a star-studded and experienced batting line-up, is the only thing standing between Ricky Ponting's team and that much-sought-after record. Ponting's side is on 14 successive wins, but the Australian attack has a big adjustment to make in order to achieve victory in the first two Test matches.

They have been feasting on a New Zealand top order that is closer to first-class than international standard and will now have to raise their sights against the potentially powerful Indian batting line-up. In good form the Indian batting order, even with an opening dilemma, as they have at present, is more like world class, and will provide a stiff test for the Brett Lee-led Australian attack.

India has two choices as opening partner for Wasim Jaffer: the technically correct and run-hungry Rahul Dravid or the flamboyant flayer, Virender Sehwag. It would be a gamble to pick Sehwag but his attacking instincts, if successful, could provide India with the perfect start and the Australian bowlers with more headaches than a New Year's day brunch party.

Sri Lanka v England, 3rd Test, Galle, 5th day

Rain denies Sri Lanka's victory charge

Sri Lanka were denied victory in Galle when a second torrential downpour ended the final Test with England tottering on 251 for 6 although Alastair Cook's 118, his seventh Test century, helped keep Sri Lanka at bay. However, when he was removed after the first interruption England's tail was left with a task that would surely have been beyond them, especially against Muttiah Muralitharan who had triggered an earlier dramatic collapse of three wickets in four balls before lunch.

It was hard on Sri Lanka, who deserved a 2-0 scoreline but have the consolation of a rise to third in the world rankings. England travel in the opposite direction, down to fifth from second, a position they have held for three years, although how much those standings really mean to the players is unclear. Despite the draw England can't take much pride from their performance, although Cook's hundred at least means they registered three figures once in the series.

The highlight of the final day of the series was Muralitharan's pre-lunch spell which sent England crashing from 200 for 2 to 200 for 5 in four balls. He hasn't quite been at his incisive best since capturing the world record three weeks ago in Kandy, but sparked into life with the prospect of a few week's rest. Sri Lanka's next commitments are not until the CB Series in February.

He had already made the first incision of the morning, removing Ian Bell with a delivery which kept wickedly low to hit off stump. Cook, who was dropped early in the day on 54, and Kevin Pietersen responded by adding 72, but Muralitharan was settling into a probing spell. Switching to around the wicket he put Pietersen in a tangle, unsure whether to use bat or pad. He eventually gained his reward when Pietersen carelessly clipped a half volley to Mahela Jayawardene at midwicket.

Pietersen did have time to pass 3000 runs in his 33rd Test, equalling the mark set by Herbert Sutcliffe, and he also reached 1000 for the year, but it was the first time he ended a series without at least a half century. England suffered in all three Tests from losing batsmen when they are well set and Pietersen's departure gave an opening to Sri Lanka. Two balls later Paul Collingwood was bamboozled and left stranded by a doosra as he tried to find the gap at midwicket and Prasanna Jayawardene produced a neat stumping.

Alastair Cook gave England some pre-Christmas cheer with a fighting 118 © Getty Images

Ravi Bopara completed a depressing pair, and a chastening first Test series, when his urgency to find a run ended his stay first ball. He edged Muralitharan to Jayawardene's right at slip and the Sri Lanka captain dived, collected the ball and in one motion returned to the wicketkeeper. Bopara had already taken a couple of strides down the pitch and couldn't turn in time. It was another example of the athleticism Sri Lanka have shown throughout the series, but Bopara's desperation came from a mind that has been scrambled by recent events.

In contrast, Cook's mind remained commendably focussed after watching from the non-striker's end and he maintained his composure to reach a century off 228 balls. He now has seven Test hundreds which puts him one behind Don Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar who had eight by the time they turned 23, and level with Javed Miandad. Cook's birthday is on Christmas Day. It was also England's first overseas Test hundred since Cook scored his second-innings century at Perth a little over a year ago.

Prasanna Jayawardene dropped a leg-glance off Lasith Malinga in the day's second over, a rare error for a wicketkeeper who has impressed during the series. Cook played Muralitharan with relative ease and combined with Matt Prior - who had ground to make up after three dropped catches - in a stand spanning 30 overs either side of the rain breaks.

The weather caught everyone by surprise by clearing as rapidly as it arrived meaning Sri Lanka had one more chance to push for victory. Muralitharan thought he had Prior twice, firstly with an lbw which Asad Rauf correctly ruled would have slipped past leg stump, then with an edge that dropped fractionally short of slip. Jayawardene claimed the catch and tensions were running high with him not impressed by England's time wasting.

Cook was dropped a second time from a flashing cut the wicketkeeper dives across Kumar Sangakkara, who could only get fingers to the ball at first slip; the reprieve was brief as he fell next ball when Chanaka Welegedara made once bounce outside off stump. Sri Lanka were sensing the kill, but rain began to fall again and this time there was no coming back as the ground was soaked within minutes.

However, after beginning the series on the back of a hammering by Australia and rumblings of discontent in the camp, Sri Lanka have shown that in their own conditions they are one of the most formidable opposition in the world

Youth team prepare to take on the world

USA juniors prepare for tour of India

Banned from competing for the ICC Under-19 World Cup even after a 2007 season which earned them top honours in every international match they played, USA's junior cricketers are looking forward to making history with a tour of India. They will be the first representative US team to tour a major Test-playing nation in the history of North American cricket.

The US senior team, led by Steve Massiah and featuring some of the best young players, nearly managed to qualify for the World Cup before falling victim to bad luck and the weather. Now there is little hope that they will be able to play until the USA Cricket Association (USACA) is able to convince its own stakeholders as well as the ICC that it deserves another chance to do things right - and until that happens, USA's senior cricketers can only watch disconsolately from the sidelines.

Not so the USA juniors who are determined to forge ahead under their own steam in 2008 and beyond. They are going ahead with an ambitious agenda and have every intention of doing better than in 2007.

However, it doesn't come cheap. A four to six-week international tour could cost $100,000 for a fifteen-player squad in addition to the coach, manager and physio. A fully-fledged program of five or more tours each year could easily cost half a million dollars or more. The question is, who will pick up the tab?

For the upcoming India tour, the juniors have the support of a major sponsor: the Key Point Credit Union. It is located in the heart of Silicon Valley with branches throughout California. "Key Point's premier sponsorship of [our] tour, singling us out for [this kind of] major support, allows our players the opportunity to represent their native county in a game they love", said Hemant Buch, founder of the California Cricket Academy (CCA).

Buch said the success achieved by USA's juniors in 2007 did not come out of thin air. It was built on an annual program including world-class coaching, a very successful national tournament, and inter-club tournaments featuring the different formats to expose the youngsters to all the styles they might expect to encounter in international junior cricket. Such intensive junior set-ups exist in very few countries, although more and more are taking them up as interest in junior cricket grows worldwide.

Captain defends under-fire team

Shoaib Malik, Pakistan's under-fire captain, has dismissed speculation that rifts are emerging in his side after losses to India and South Africa under his leadership. Malik, who was appointed captain after the World Cup, has been retained as leader until December 2008 by the Pakistan board, despite the poor start to his tenure.

Pakistan has been rife with talk that two camps have emerged in the team, one supporting Younis Khan's push for captaincy and the other behind the incumbent Malik. This was, Malik said however, just talk.

"It hurts to end the year on a disappointing note with defeats in India. But there is no truth in rumours of differences within the team," he said. "The team has been playing as a unit and that is why we managed to draw the last two Tests in India. The seniors have been extending full co-operation and I am happy with my position as captain."

Malik pointed out that injuries to key players, particularly in the fast bowling department, cost Pakistan heavily through the tour. "It made a big difference to our performance because our bowling lacked bite. In the one-day series we fought hard and it was a close rubber. In the Delhi Test one bad session cost us the match.

South Africa A v West Indians, East London, 3rd day

West Indians beaten inside three days

West Indies' confidence took a severe battering ahead of the Boxing Day Test against South Africa, as they were defeated inside three days by the host's A team in their only warm-up game in East London. The fragile West Indian batting order failed to bat through a day for the second time in the match, leaving South Africa A a feeble target of 37, which they achieved without losing a wicket.

The West Indians were dismissed in 65.1 overs in the first innings and lasted marginally longer in the second, scoring 214 off 78.3 overs. Monde Zondeki, who had taken 5 for 39 in the first innings, ripped through the top order once again, taking 3 for 61 before Johan Botha mopped up the tail with 4 for 20. The West Indians were facing a humiliating innings defeat at one stage; they were 118 for 6 before their captain Dwayne Bravo bailed them out by scoring 67 with assistance from Darren Sammy, who contributed 57.

The third day began with South Africa A on 351 for 7, sitting on a 158-run lead. Justin Ontong was unbeaten on 109 but he managed to add only 5 more runs to his score before running out of partners. Bravo converted his overnight 3 for 43 into a six-for by dismissing the tailenders in quick succession but the West Indians, facing a deficit of 178, were firmly on the back foot.

Their bad situation got worse when both openers - Daren Ganga and Devon Smith - fell in successive overs with the score on 5. They desperately needed a substantial innings from Shivnarine Chanderpaul - he has played several this year - after Runako Morton and Marlon Samuels fell cheaply. However, Zondeki induced an edge to the wicketkeeper, Morne van Wyk, to cut short Chanderpaul's innings to 9 off 43 balls. Bravo and Sammy then struck half-centuries and added 87 for the seventh wicket to take West Indies into the lead. But once Botha dismissed Bravo, he picked up the last three wickets within the space of four overs.

South Africa A made short work of their target and prevented the game from spilling over into the final day. van Wyk and Alviro Petersen knocked off 39 runs in nine overs to take the team to their second consecutive victory against a touring side. They had beaten New Zealand by 85 runs in November.

Scorecard
South Africa A 371 (Ontong 114*, van Wyk 89, Duminy 62, McKenzie 54, Bravo 6-51) and 39 for 0 beat West Indians 193 (Morton 54, Zondeki 5-39) and 214 (Bravo 67, Sammy 57, Botha 4-20) by 10 wickets

New Zealand Cricket XI v Bangladeshis, Twenty20, Hamiltion

Bangladeshis pick up first tour win-

Bangladesh defeated a New Zealand Cricket (NZC) XI by four wickets in a day-night Twenty20 game in Hamilton to pick up their first win of the tour. After the Bangladeshi bowlers had restricted NZC XI to a modest 133, Farhad Reza's 17-ball 31 propelled the visitors to a win with three overs to spare.

Sent in, NZC XI had a slow start reaching 19 for 2 in 5.3 overs. They were propped up by James Marshall and Scott Styris who added 39 for the fifth wicket. Marshall top scored with an unbeaten 33, which included one six and a four. For the Bangladeshis, opening bowler Shahadat Hossain took 3 for 15 off his four overs.

The visitors' chase began poorly with the openers falling cheaply but the next five batsmen contributed with scores over 20 to ensure victory. Three run-outs had threatened to derail the Bangladeshis' reply, but Reza and Mehrab Hossain jnr added 47 for the sixth wicket to ease their side's concerns. Michael Mason was the most effective NZC XI bowler, conceding only 21 runs off his four overs.

After having lost two of their three previous games of the tour - with one match abandoned, the Bangladeshis will take some confidence from this win, which comes ahead of the first ODI against New Zealand on Wednesday.

The game was a charity match to help raise funds for people affected by Cyclone Sidr, which ripped through Bangladesh in November and killed more than 3000 people. The ICC also donated US$250,000 to the Bangladesh Relief Fund at the start of the match.

India looking to big four to blunt Aussie bowling

SYDNEY- India will bank on their big batting four to notch up the runs and claim a historic first series win in Australia, starting with the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

India have won just four Tests in eight Australian tours, but pushed Steve Waugh's Australians all the way in the drawn 1-1 last series tour here in 2003-04.
Batting great Sachin Tendulkar believes India have their best chance of beating Australia on their home grounds for the first time
Tendulkar forms the most experienced middle-order quartet in world cricket with Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman, weighing in with 32,610 runs gleaned from a total of 442 Tests and with 87 centuries between them.
"I think it would be the most important tour (ever) if we can pull it off," Tendulkar told a pre-Test match press conference.
"Beating Australia is obviously the ultimate thing because of the way they have played for so many years, so it makes it a special tour."
"The Little Master," who ranks second to West Indian Brian Lara as the highest run-getter in Test history with 11,289 runs, is rated one of the greatest batsmen of all-time and was a favourite of late Australian cricket icon Don Bradman.
The Indians fancy their chances on the strength of their impressive recent away record -- Test series victories in the West Indies in 2006 after 35 years and then in England in 2007 after 21 years, under Rahul Dravid.
New skipper Anil Kumble recently led his side to a 1-0 win in the three-Test series against Pakistan, India's first success against their rivals at home since 1980.
But Australia ranks as the toughest challenge for all touring teams Down Under. Australia's last home series loss was 14 years ago to the West Indies 2-1 and they have been unbeaten in 26 subsequent home series.
Under Ricky Ponting, the Australians have won their last 14 consecutive Test matches and are the undisputed world champions at Test and one-day level.
It will be a supreme test for the Indians, starting with the showcase Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. But this time they do not have to contend with Australia's two bowling titans, Shane Warne (708 wickets) and Glenn McGrath (563 wickets), who retired from Test cricket earlier this year.

England drop to fifth in rankings

England may have drawn the final Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, but the 1-0 series loss meant they slipped from second to fifth in the LG ICC Test Championship table.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have jumped up two places from fifth to third; had they won in Galle, they would have replaced England in second position.

England's slip results in South Africa becoming the No.

2 team in the rankings for both Tests and ODIs, behind Australia.

With upcoming series between South Africa and West Indies and Australia and India beginning on Boxing Day, the rankings could well change before the year ends.

There is stiff competition among the teams placed second to fifth, with South Africa, Sri Lanka and fourth-placed India all on 109, only separated by fractions of a ratings point, while England are close on their heels at 107.

However, top-ranked Australia remain the runaway leaders, and even a 4-0 loss to India at home won't see them lose the No.

India in Australia

India 'properly prepared' - Tendulkar
December 22, 2007
Sachin Tendulkar says it would be the highlight of his career if India can complete the mammoth task of beating Australia in the four-Test series that starts on Boxing Day. No visiting team has won a Test series in Australia since West Indies in 1992-93 and Tendulkar, who is embarking on his fourth tour of Australia, is desperate to taste the ultimate success before he retires.

"I think it would be the most important tour if we can pull it off," Tendulkar said. "Beating Australia is obviously the ultimate thing because the way they have played for so many years makes it a special tour. Having come here four times, it would be a wonderful occasion."
India last visited Australia in 2003-04, when they won the Adelaide Test and secured a 1-1 series draw. Australia have now triumphed in their past 14 Tests and two more would see them equal their own record set under Steve Waugh, but it was India who broke that winning streak in 2000-01 and Tendulkar is keen to help them do it again.
"We have come here properly prepared because although the practice match was rained off, we have come here having played Test cricket, which is extremely important," Tendulkar said. "We are geared up and as far as I am concerned we are ready and we would like to go out there and put on a good show. We are confident."But India's hopes rest not only on Tendulkar but also on how quickly his team-mates can adjust to the bouncier pitches in Australia.

West Indies in South Africa, 2007-08 West Indies in South Africa, 2007-08

South Africa name unchanged squad
December 16, 2007
South Africa have retained the same 12-man squad from the two-Test series against New Zealand for the first two matches against West Indies.

Graeme Smith, who missed the Makhaya Ntini benefit match and the Twenty20 international against the visitors, has been included in the team.

The side thrashed New Zealand 2-0 in the Tests, but veteran Shaun Pollock was continued to be left of the playing XI in favour of Dale Steyn.

Steyn is likely to feature in the upcoming series as well, having wrecked New Zealand with ten-wicket hauls in both games.

Morne Morkel, whose injury paved the entry of Dale Steyn into the XI during South Africa's tour of Pakistan, will join the team in Port Elizabeth to continue his rehabilitation. However, he won't be considered for either of the Tests.

The Test series between South Africa and West Indies gets underway with the first starting December 26 at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth, while Cape Town will host the second Test from January 2-6.

Squad: Graeme Smith (capt), Ashwell Prince, Herschelle Gibbs, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock, Andre Nel, Paul Harris, Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini.

Another ton for Ponting in win against Blackcaps

Australia's bowlers backed up captain Ricky Ponting's second successive one-day international century to lead their side to a 114-run win and series victory against New Zealand in Hobart on Thursday.

Ponting, who made 107 not out in Australia's seven-wicket victory in the first game in Adelaide, struck an unbeaten 134 in his side's imposing 282 for six off 50 overs. It was Ponting's 25th century in one-day internationals.

His bowlers, led by Brett Lee, then ripped through the Black Caps at regular intervals to dismiss them for 168 in 34 overs. Scott Styris was the top scorer for New Zealand with 75.

The 2-0 series victory regained the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy for Australia, which they had lost earlier this year in New Zealand. The second match on Sunday in Sydney was washed out.

Ponting was named man of the match and series. He scored 241 runs without being dismissed and was instrumental in anchoring his team's superb batting performances.

"It has been a good couple of weeks... I think the team has played really well throughout the series," Ponting said in a televised interview.

"Adelaide went well, we had a good start in Sydney and then we played very well today.

"The buildup was that this game was like a final and the guys had some good training sessions and the intensity was there, which is normal when we have big games and they delivered."

New Zealand's run chase began abysmally with both Brendon McCullum (six) and Jamie How (two) caught by wicketkeeper Brad Haddin chasing wide deliveries from Lee.

New Zealand's batsmen then failed to establish any partnerships with Mathew Sinclair (14) trapped leg before by James Hopes before Ross Taylor (13) played across the line and was dismissed in the same fashion by Shaun Tait.

Jacob Oram (two) was well caught by Brett Lee in the deep before left-arm wrist spinner Brad Hogg, hoping to replace the injured Stuart MacGill in the test squad, did his selection chances no harm with two wickets in his first over.

Hogg had Gareth Hopkins caught low down by Michael Clarke at square leg for nine, though television replays were unclear as to whether the fielder had got his fingers under the ball.

He then had New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori caught by Haddin for nought, three balls later, to all but end the visitors' run chase.

"It was a decent wicket that slowed down a little bit but the way they bowled was a bit too much," said Vettori. "They were just too good for us."

Ponting had shared in a 114-run partnership with Andrew Symonds (52) after they initially struggled with their timing on an inconsistently-paced pitch.

Oram was the pick of the New Zealand bowlers with two wickets for 34 runs.

SRILANKA ON TOP

Rain stops play with England struggling on 61-6 after Sri Lanka had earlier declared on 499-8.

10.12am - The removal of the covers goes on; we reckon we might be able to get underway at about 10.35am, which means we might have about an hour's play before the light kicks in.

10.49am - PLAY TO START AT 11AM...

10.00am - The rain has definitely stopped now, although it is going to take an age to get all those covers off, and light will soon start to become a factor.

9.34am - News that the covers were coming off was perhaps a little premature; there are a lot of groundsmen standing around in puddles, but the covers remain on.

9.12am - The good news is that the rain has stopped and the covers are coming off the ground at Galle. Unfortunately, a lot of rain has fallen over the last hour or so, and it is going to be a while before everything can get mopped up and play can resume.

8.27am - The rain is really coming down now; the outfield has been completely covered, but it has taken 20 minutes to do so. The wind is blowing fairly strong, which might help move the storm onwards, but that is about all the hope we can take at the moment.

8.12am - England 61-6: RAIN STOPS PLAY: The groundstaff come scuttling on with the covers as a huge dark cloud moves in from the south. It looks like a big one...

8.00am - England 60-6: Muralitharan is in to the attack for the first time this innings; he must be licking his lips at the prospect of running through the England lower-order before sticking the tourists back in once again.

7.45am - England 52-6: Sidebottom has come in to support Collingwood; England are still 248 runs from avoiding the follow-on, and Murali still hasn't even started warming up yet. Chanaka Welegedara has come in to the attack for his first bowl in Test cricket.

7.25am - England 33-6: THE PROCESSION CONTINUES... Matt Prior is bowled by one that keeps a bit low from Vaas; the bowler gives Prior a little send off as he trots past him to celebrate with his team-mates. England have completely imploded.

7.16am - England 25-5: AWFUL! Bopara gets an inside edge on an attempted drive to Vaas, first over back after lunch, and the ball loops tamely to mid-on. England are surrendering rather meekly here.

7.11am - England 24-4: Collingwood and Bopara come out for the afternoon session, with nothing left to play for, really, than pride.

6.32am - England 24-4: LUNCH: What a fine session from Sri Lanka; just eight overs, and it has effectively ripped the heart out of the tourists' batting.

6.27am - England 22-4: WHAT A BEAUTY! Malinga slings down a quick 'un that darts up off a length, takes Pietersen's gloves and flies through to the keeper! England's tired batsmen aren't at the races. The follow-on looks a long, long way away.

6.24am - England 22-3: COMPLETE DISARRAY! Cook is given out caught-behind after nudging at a Vaas outswinger! Vaas has been brilliant with the new ball, but England have been woeful in these first seven overs of batting. Collingwood comes out to join Pietersen...

6.10am - England 9-2: WHOOPS! BELL GOES TOO! Dilshan runs Bell out with a superb piece of fielding from cover, throwing down the stumps at the bowler's end after Cook hesitated over a single. This has been a disasterous start for the tourists.

6.00am - England 5-1: VAAS DOES FOR VAUGHAN! The wily new-ball bowler gets one to duck back in to the England skipper, who miscalculates and attempts to leave...only to see the ball strike his pad right in front of off-stump. Plumb.

5.52am - England 0-0: Cook and Vaughan come out for England, although it is difficult to predict what their gameplan will be. First of all, they have to avoid the follow-on - reaching 300...

5.40am - Sri Lanka 499-8: SRI LANKA DECLARE. Jayawardene calls a close to the Sri Lankan innings on 499-8 after Malinga is bowled by a gentle inswinger from Collingwood.

5.30am - Sri Lanka 492-7: Jayawardene does what he fell five runs short of doing in the last Test, and brings up his 200; it is his fourth score of over 200 in Test cricket, and is brought up with a fine lofted drive over mid-off. The applause from the crowd is understandably generous.

5.12am - Sri Lanka 470-7: VAAS GOES! The veteran all-rounder just misses out on a second Test century when his attempted hook off Hoggard flies tamely to Vaughan, who catches after a brief juggle at mid-wicket. Vaas is understandably disappointed.

5.00am - Sri Lanka 459-6: England, basically, have no chance of winning this match now; they would need to bat staggeringly well over four or five sessions to get up to and past Sri Lanka's first innings, and then hope to bowl the home side out cheaply on the final day - and that's just not going to happen.

4.45am - Sri Lanka 432-6: Chaminda Vaas has a Test century to his name before, 100 not out against Bangladesh earlier this year, but he must still be getting nervous as he moves into the 80s.

4.30am - Sri Lanka 416-6: The home side pass the 400-mark; their run-rate is still just around three-per-over, which is hardly inspiring stuff. Jayawardene again had words of criticism for England before the start of play, saying they weren't doing enough to try and win the game - surely, pot calling kettle black?

4.15am - Sri Lanka 399-6: Vaas and his skipper bring up their century partnership, coming off 180 balls. The England seamers seem resigned to here; nothing they are trying is coming off. Jayawardene brings up his 150, and is showing no signs of stopping.

4.00am - Sri Lanka 384-6: Jayawardene and Vaas emerge on the third morning as they continue to try and bat England out of the game and series. It is a bright morning in Galle; no sign of the rain clouds that were predicted...