England close in on India win

In control ... England bowlers - including Steve Finn - dominate India in Kolkata. Source: Pal Pillai / AFP

England stand on the verge of taking a 2-1 lead in their Test series with India after dominating another day of action in the third Test in Kolkata.

3rd Test - Eden Gardens

5 December 2012 - Day 4, Session 3

India 2nd Innings

R. Ashwin	83	151	13	0	54.97
P. Ojha	3	21	0	0	14.29
J. Anderson	15	4	38	2	2.53

An early fightback from India lasted just one session as England's bowlers ripped through their batting line-up, leaving them in danger of losing the Test with a day to spare at one stage at 197-9 and still 10 runs away from making England bat again.

Ravi Ashwin's brilliant 83 not out forced the game into a final day though, with India closing on 239-9 but with their lead just 30 runs it will still be a final day victory for England unless a miracle happens.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

England's seamers did most of the damage with the recalled Steve Finn taking 3-37 and James Anderson 2-38 to leave Alasatair Cook's men on the brink of victory - with the only minor setback being their failure to kill off the game on the fourth day.

MS Dhoni's side has shown signs of life at the start of the day by finishing England's innings quickly and making a bright start to their response at 86-0, but by tea they had crumbled to 145-6 and still 62 runs behind.

Virender Sehwag was bowled by Graeme Swann with the very first ball of the session, and that began a hefty Indian collapse of six wickets lost for just 36 runs to land them in big trouble at Eden Gardens.

Cheteshwar Pujara was run out by an Ian Bell direct hit for eight, and Gautam Gambhir followed soon after for 40 as he was caught behind off Finn while Swann found Sachin Tendulkar's edge and Jonathan Trott held the catch after earlier spilling a chance from Sehwag.

Anderson came steaming in to clean bowl Yuvraj Singh for 11 before then removing captain Dhoni for a duck when he was caught by his opposite number Alastair Cook.

With the score now on 122-6 India still trailed England's first innings total by 85 runs and suddenly had to dig in just to make the tourists bat again.

Virat Kohli and Ashwin managed to stem the bleeding and make it to tea unscathed, but again the break did the trick for England as Kohli edged Finn to Prior in the second over after the restart to expose the tail.

Finn struck again in his next over as Zaheer Khan was trapped lbw for a duck and the game looked over with India at 159-8, but Ishant Sharma and Ashwin held up the victory parade with a stubborn ninth-wicket stand.Once that was ended by Monty Panesar the only matter left to decide was whether England would need to bat again - which they were as Ashwin made a deserved half-century and then survived the rest of the day to frustrate England's victory celebrations.

England's overnight pair Matt Prior and Graeme Swann could add only a single between them to their existing seventh-wicket stand of 56, as England lost their first two wickets of the day in the space of seven balls.

Prior had driven the first for a single, only for Swann to then immediately become Pragyan Ojha's fourth victim - edging another attempted drive to slip.

Then Prior himself went to cut Zaheer Khan at the other end, and edged behind.

Steven Finn and James Anderson managed a boundary each, but the introduction of Ashwin for Ojha (4-142) brought two wickets in two balls to conclude the innings.

Read more: http://www.skysports.com/cricket/match_report/0,,11066_13375_1,00.html

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Thunder struck by dominant Sixers

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Triumphant ... Steve Smith (L) and Moises Henriques celebrate their derby win. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited

David Warner failed to deliver any fireworks, but it mattered little as his Sydney Sixers strolled to a seven-wicket win over the Thunder in Saturday night's KFC T20 Big Bash League Twenty20 derby at the SCG.

T20 - Sydney Cricket Ground

8 December 2012 - Day 1, Session 2

Sixers 1st Innings

S. Smith	41	32	5	0	128.13
M. Henriques	4	1	1	0	400
S. Abbott	3.4	0	40	1	10.91

Former Thunder captain Warner, who made a cross-city shift to the defending BBL champions during the off-season, was dismissed for a second-ball duck when he chased a wide delivery and was caught behind as the Sixers set their sights on a victory target of 144.

But Brad Haddin came to the crease and clubbed 59 from 48 balls before being bowled by Sean Abbott with the scores tied.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

But the wicketkeeper had put on 83 with Steve Smith, who remained 41 not out, to set up the emphatic victory with eight balls to spare.

Moises Henriques struck a boundary off his first delivery to bring up the winning runs - and the Sixers' 12th straight T20 win.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

The fixture was played in front of a crowd of just 15,279 - a far cry from the 25,000 that organisers had hoped for during the week.

Cricket Australia can only wonder what star attractions Michael Clarke, denied his one chance to play in the BBL due to a back issue, and Chris Gayle, who was wrapping up his West Indies commitments on their tour of Bangladesh, might have done to that figure.

The Thunder certainly dearly needed their captain and most fluent batsman on the park as they were reduced to 5-143 off their 20 overs.

---

Catch every match of the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash League Live and Exclusive, and in High Definition, on Fox Sports. Get Foxtel.

---

The western Sydney franchise crashed only four sixes, struggled to rotate the strike regularly and failed to form a partnership of note until No.6 Ryan Carters (33no) and No.7 Sean Abbott (24no) put on an unbeaten 55-run stand off 28 balls.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Paceman Luke Feldman was the best of the Sixers' bowlers with figures of 2-19, but Mitchell Starc (2-27) sent a timely reminder to Australia's national selectors.

Fresh from snaring eight wickets in the WACA Test, left-armer Starc swung the ball with venom to snare the scalps of Usman Khawaja (19) and Cameron Borgas (11).

The 22-year-old, who is set to battle it out with Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus for two positions in the Australian side for next week's first Test against Sri Lanka in Hobart, reduced the Thunder to 4-77 when he rattled the stumps of Borgas.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Haddin paid tribute to Nic Maddinson (39) and Smith, whom he formed key partnerships with after Warner's exit.

''I get a bit of a licence when those guys do their thing at the top, so I'm a pretty lucky guy,'' said Haddin, who sent the Thunder in.

''You get nervous first day of the tournament because you want to start well.

''There's a few things to work on, but we've started with a win.''

Haddin said Warner's downfall was never going to leave any of his teammates flustered.

''That's the beauty of having someone like Dave in your team. If he gets a duck he gets it quick, and if he gets runs he gets them quick,'' Haddin said of Warner's one-off appearance for the Sixers.

''We've spoken a lot about not relying on one player.''

---

Check out our Big Bash match centre for state-of-the-art analysis of all the action and every delivery.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Djulbic lost hope of Socceroos call

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Dino Djulbic ... the debutant thought a Socceroos chance had passed him by. Source: Brett Costello / News Limited

Making his Socceroos debut at the age of 29, Dino Djulbic thought he had missed his chance to break into the national fold.

The Bosnia-born player, who currently plies his trade in China, was named in coach Holger Osieck's 20-man squad for the East Asian Cup qualifiers in Hong Kong and earned his maiden cap in Australia's 9-0 thumping of hapless Guam on Friday night.

Standing at 194cm, the imposing defender had three impressive seasons at Perth Glory from 2007 before signing with German second-tier outfit Rot Weiss Ahlen.

He returned to the A-League in 2010 for a season with the now defunct Gold Coast club and hoped he had done enough by that time to warrant a Socceroos call-up.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

"Of course started to think it was never going to happen," Djulbic told AAP.

"I thought I did well in the A-League before I left and thought I may have had my chance then.

"But obviously the chance didn't come so I just had to continue to work hard and have eventually been rewarded at this old age."

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Djulbic helped Guizhou Renhe finish fourth in the Chinese Super League this season, earning a spot in the competition's All-Star team after defending against the likes of former Barclays Premier League stars Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka.

Much has been made about the young guns in the current Australian squad but among the eight debutants is 30-year-old Brisbane Roar skipper Matthew Smith who has finally gotten the nod after continued excellence at club level.

His Roar teammate Ivan Franjic and Melbourne Heart's Michael Marrone, both 25 years old, have also earned their first international caps as Osieck looks to expose new talent.

"It definitely proves that it's never too late really," Djulbic said.

"You have to just keep in mind that the set-up in the national team is always changing and the coach is always looking at new options regardless of age.

"So if you're doing well for your club I guess you'll get rewarded eventually and that's what's happening to all us older boys at the moment."

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Quade eyes mate Beale's No.10 spot

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Rivalry ... Quade Cooper says the fire is back in his belly to play for the Wallabies again. Source:AAP

Quade Cooper has relished the success of Kurtley Beale as Wallaby fly half, yet he made it clear that his close mate now has a fight on his hands to keep the jersey.

It's not the peace that finally comes from a new two-year deal with the Australian Rugby Union that is the greatest win in the Cooper saga, but the fire that has been lit inside him while he's been away, injured or being fined.

The Wallabies won a series against Wales this season with Berrick Barnes at No.10 and Beale was always prominent in the four wins and a draw from the seven Tests he played there.

Seven Tests were won when Cooper was sidelined this year, so the notion that he is indispensible has been chewed up.

"I always wanted Kurtley to go well at No.10 and he went very well," Cooper said after re-signing for a revised deal which can earn him $800,000-plus next year if he plays all 14 Tests.

"When you watch anyone playing in your position, it does get the competitive juices flowing.

"Whether it's playing FIFA 2013 as a video game with KB or doing extras at training, we compete and push each other.

"No matter who it is, I want to be challenging for that spot."

Cooper has 15 matches for the Reds in Super Rugby to rebuild his case before the Test team is finalised for an epic three-Test series against the British and Irish Lions.

Cooper was tightlipped about what had changed in a week to turn an ARU contract offer "I won't accept" into one he did.

"Obviously, there's been a change, but I'm not going to discuss the finer details," said Cooper, who will likely have had the guaranteed component of his contract lifted.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

He knocked back a bigger contract bait to play with French club Montpellier and felt honour-bound to speak to the club personally when he did decide to decline.

"It was never a matter of playing people off against another or that French offer would have been public before now," Cooper said.

"I expressed my desire to play on for Queensland and Australia."

Now the dust has cleared, the facts paint Cooper as much less a mercenary than many would have you believe.

He is still a one-club man who will enter his seventh season with Queensland in 2013 and will workout at the same Ballymore he first trained on as a mullet-wearing schoolboy.

"The Reds have been a huge part of my life, which is why it makes me laugh sometimes when I read I'm a gun-for-hire," Cooper said.

"I've been training at Ballymore since I was 14.

Was he happy to playing for the Wallabies under Robbie Deans?

"Of course...he's the coach," Cooper said.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Good at centre of FA Cup storm

Curtis Good ... played in FA Cup clash when he wasn't eligible. Source: News Limited

Rising Aussie star Curtis Good is at the centre of an FA Cup controversy after Bradford City were expelled from the prestigious tournament.

The former Melbourne Heart defender, currently on loan with the League Two club from Barclays Premier League big guns Newcastle United, was deemed ineligible to play in the second round clash with Brentford.

The Bantams included Good without written permission, missing the deadline on the Friday before the match to get him registered.

Their removal from the competition is subject to appeal, but if this is unsuccessful Brentford will go forward to the third round and play either Bury or Southend United.

A statement on the club's website read: "Bradford City Football Club is very sorry to have to report such a matter and apologises to our fans. The error was of an administrative technical nature and not one to intentionally break competition rules.

"We presented a case of mitigation to the FA on Thursday, however the FA panel chose to enforce the full powers of its jurisdiction and have removed the club from the FA Cup competition.

"We are clearly disappointed by this decision and cannot comment further on this matter as the club is still actively conducting a full investigation. The club has until 5.00pm today (Friday) to lodge an appeal with the FA and we are currently reviewing our position in relation to this."

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hot video: Renegades v Stars

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

You're out ... Luke Wright got out trying a cheeky reverse sweep. Source: Michael Klein / News Limited

A scintillating hundred from Aaron Finch helped Melbourne Renegades win their local derby against Melbourne Stars at Etihad Stadium on Friday night.

Finch put on a masterclass in the first game season two of the KFC T20 Big Bash League, smashing four sixes and 12 fours on his way to 111 off just 65 balls.

He took a particular liking to Stars skipper Shane Warne, leaving the leg-spin legend with the unflattering figures of 0-41 off just two overs.

Earlier, a 50 by English import Luke Wright helped the Stars post a competitive total of 5-167, but this was chased down by the Renegades with 10 balls to spare, for the loss of just two wickets.

---

Click on the video at the top of the page to see Shane Warne drop a sitter, and click on the videos below to see all the wickets and sixes!

---

THE WICKETS

THE SIXES 

And that's not it! We've also included individual videos of some of the best moments from Friday night's Big Bash opener, including the first ever use in a professional match of Zings Stumps, which light up when the bails are dislodged.

Check out the videos below!

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dominant England in total control

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Alastair Cook ... missed out on a double century in bizarre circumstances. Source: PUNIT PARANJPE / AFP

England have moved into a strong position to open up a 2-1 series lead over India after dominating day three of the third Test in Kolkata.

Although Alastair Cook's dogged resistance was finally ended in bizarre circumstances - allowing India a foothold back into the match - England finished the day on 6-509.

3rd Test - Eden Gardens

5 December 2012 - Day 3, Session 3

England 1st Innings

M. Prior	40	46	6	1	86.96
G. Swann	21	45	3	0	46.67
I. Sharma	29	8	78	1	2.69

Cook had seemed on course for a third Test double century however he was sent back to the pavilion on 190 after being run out by Virat Kohli.

Cook was caught out of his crease at the non-striker's end by Kohli's sharp throw, with the England captain trying to get out of the way of the ball before grounding his bat.

It was the first time Cook had ever been run out in first-class cricket and a desperately sad end to his epic 377-ball innings.

England had overhauled India's first-innings total of 316 after lunch - with Cook and Jonathan Trott at the helm.

However Trott looked increasingly uncomfortable as the pitch began to turn - with Pragyan Ojha finally getting his man for 87. Trott tried pushing forward to one he could have perhaps left and only succeeded in edging it behind to MS Dhoni.

Following Cook's departure, Kevin Pietersen and the returning Ian Bell, who missed the second Test win, steadied the ship.

However India were able to wrestle their way back into the match in the final session - with three wickets falling.

Bell (5), Pietersen (54) and Samit Patel (33) were all sent back to give the hosts hope, although Matt Prior and Graeme Swann remained defiant - sharing an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 56.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Early onslaught inspires Adelaide

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Strong-armed tactics ... Bruce Djite holds off Billy Celeski Source:News Limited

A dynamic first-half performance paves the way for Adelaide to return to top of the A-League ladder with a 4-2 win over Melbourne Victory at Hindmarsh Stadium.

Adelaide simply took their traditional rivals apart in the opening 45 minutes, with young gun Evan Kostopoulos scoring a double as the home side raced out to 4-1 half-time lead.

The pace slowed in the second half as the hot conditions took their toll but Adelaide still pressed and might have had more if not for some sloppy finishing.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Adelaide	10	7	1	2	8	22
2	Central Coast	9	6	2	1	9	20
3	Victory	10	5	1	4	-3	16
4	Newcastle	9	4	1	4	-3	13
5	Wellington	9	3	3	3	2	12
6	Perth	9	3	2	4	0	11
7	Brisbane	9	3	1	5	1	10
8	Western Sydney	9	3	1	5	-3	10
9	Heart	9	2	3	4	-1	9
10	Sydney	9	2	1	6	-10	7

Marco Rojas briefly raised Victory hopes early in the second half to bring the visitors back to within two goals, but Adelaide finished the stronger and deservedly picked up the three points.

Reds star Dario Vidosic crashed into his ex-teammate and now Victory linchpin Marcos Flores in an opening-second ripple which create a punishing physical undercurrent to the contest.

Within two minutes, Kostopoulos scored after a determined run from Fabio Ferreira.

By five minutes, Victory's Andrew Nabbout had netted a reply when superbly played into scoring position by a Rojas dash along the right side.

Adelaide went 2-1 up in the 21st minute when Ferreira scored, benefiting from a precocious volley from Marcelo Carrusca - the gifted Argentine was air-borne when he deftly used the outside of a boot to gift Ferreira the chance.

Just four minutes later, Carrusca himself scored with a sweet, curling left-footer.

And Carrusca provided another goal in the 32nd minute, the boom recruit delivering a pinpoint free kick which Kostopoulos headed into the net just metres from goal.

By half-time, there were five goals, six yellow cards and 16 fouls in a tempered affair in searing mid-30 degree heat which prompted a drinks breaks midway through the half.

And Rojas continued the hot theme just two minutes into the second half when he turned a defender inside the box and calmly netted his sixth goal for the season.

Adelaide (22 points) rose to top with the win, though second-placed Central Coast (20 points) can return to the head of the table with a win against Newcastle Jets on Saturday night.

Adelaide United coach John Kosmina praised his players for responding from their loss to Central Coast last weekend.

"It was an enjoyable victory, but all victories are enjoyable,'' Kosmina said.

"For me, football is about character as much as it is about football and the guys showed a stack of it to be able to bounce back from a loss last week.''

Melbourne Victory coach Ange Postecoglou said his men were completely outplayed by the Reds.

"I don't know if it was a reality check, Adelaide was just too good for us tonight ... but I'm fairly positive about where we are heading,'' he said.

"The task against a really good attacking team was too much for us tonight.''

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

BBL coverage receives top honour

Royalty ... Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan kick off the second edition of the BBL on Friday. Source:News Limited

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

On the eve of BBL|02, Fox Sports' ground-breaking coverage of the first edition of the relaunched competition has won a prestigious Australian Sports Commission media award for 'Best Coverage of Sport by an Organisation - Broadcast Media'.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

The standout moment was Shane Warne's dismissal of Brendon McCullum, to a plan he shared via microphone with rapt viewers.

Fox Sports delivered live and exclusive coverage of all 31 matches of the inaugural KFC T20 BBL, delivering a number of ground-breaking broadcast innovations and bringing a new level of intimacy to the viewing experience.

The competition resumes on Friday night with Warne again miked up when Melbourne Stars meet Melbourne Renegades, and there will be several innovations to this year's coverage including FoxKopter and light-up stumps and bails.

The 2012 KFC T20 Big Bash League was one of the most successful properties ever on Fox Sports, driving viewing up on average 66 per cent across December and January compared to the previous year.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

The tournament drew an average audience of 282,000 across the season and set a new subscription TV ratings record for cricket, with an average audience of 478,000 viewers.

You can also see more of the action this season on foxsports.com.au with the latest video highlights during and after matches, and expert columns focusing on all aspects of the exciting competition.

Fox Sports also won an award for 'Best Profiling of an Athlete, Team or Coach - Broadcast Media' for the profile on former Wallabies back Julian Huxley.

Huxley was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the peak of his career and survived surgery to return to elite rugby - against all odds and professional advice.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mariners get tough ACL draw

Mariners ... cop a tough draw for the Asian Champions League. Source: Brett Costello / News Limited

Central Coast Mariners have been drawn against Guizhou Renhe from China, Korean side Suwon Samsung Bluewings and the winner of the Japanese Emperor's Cup which will be known on 1 January 2013 for next year's AFC Champions League.

The draw, which was made in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, saw A-League champions Brisbane pooled in Group E, providing they beat Thailand's Buriram United in a play-off.

Should they succeed, the Roar will play against FC Seoul from Korea, Japan's Vegalta Sendai and Chinese outfit Jiangsu Sainty.

20.47 | 0 komentar | Read More