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Crows to stand by sacked pair

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 01 Desember 2012 | 14.23

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Backing ... Steven Trigg will resume his role as Crows CEO after his six-month suspension. Source: Sarah Reed / News Limited

Adelaide Crows have vowed to stand by chief executive Steven Trigg and football manager Phil Harper and give them their jobs back after they serve their suspensions over the Kurt Tippett contract saga.

The Crows board met on Saturday and decided not to sack the pair, who were suspended for six months and two months respectively over draft tampering and salary cap breaches involving former Crows forward Tippett's contract.

''The board is united on this,'' Crows chairman Rob Chapman said in a statement.

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''All decisions of the board are based on putting the club first and ensuring the best overall outcomes for the club.

''We are entering a crucial period for the Adelaide Football Club, with critical decisions to be made, especially surrounding our move to Adelaide Oval, and we believe Steven is the best person to lead us through this period.''

Chapman will take over as executive chairman from January 1 in Trigg's absence.

Trigg will return to the Crows once his suspension ends on July 1.

List manager David Noble will act as football manager until March 1, when Harper is eligible to return to football duties.

Tippett, who is expected to join Sydney Swans, was banned for the first 11 matches of 2013 after Adelaide were found to have entered into a secret agreement outside his contract.

The Crows will lose their first and second-round draft picks for 2013 and were fined $300,000 for their role in the affair.


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Live: AUS v SA, third Test, D2

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Strike bowler ... Starc will need to bowl well to get his side back into the game. Source: Daniel Wilkins / News Limited

South Africa bowl Australia out cheaply on day two, with Matthew Wade playing a lone hand for the hosts.

The tourists will now look to build on their lead of 62 and put the game out of reach of the Aussies.

Join the conversation by sending a question or comment to blogs@foxsports.com.au or by leaving a comment at the bottom of the page.

Don't forget that foxsports.com.au users have the chance to quiz legendary spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan simply by emailing your question to blogs@foxsports.com.au before midday Sunday (EDT). Send in your question for Murali now!

You can also check out all the stats, pitch maps and wagon wheels at our Cricket Match Centre.


3rd Test - WACA Ground

30 November 2012 - Day 2, Session 2

South Africa 2nd Innings

A. Petersen 21 17 4 0 123.53
G. Smith 2 19 0 0 10.53
S. Watson 3 2 2 0 0.67

Latest comments (all times AEDT):

1818: Just a final reminder to send in your questions for Murali. That's right, THE MURALI! They must be in before midday tomorrow! You can email them to blogs@foxsports.com.au now.

1811: TEA (SA 0-24, Petersen 21*, Smith 2*) That's the end of the second session on day two, one that South Africa would be delighted with. After a bit of resistance from Wade and Hastings, the Proteas cleaned up the Aussie tail and then made it to tea without losing a wicket. If they can make it to stumps with a lead of 150, it would put them way ahead with three days still remaining.

1809: mark says: I just wanna say for Consistency, Watson has had the best consistent scores along with Katich when they both opened. They always scored between 40-60. We don't need Centuries when the players always score 40. The problem with the team is that while one or two players of the top order can score centuries they can fail along with the whole team.

1806: CLOSE! FOUR! South Africa's openers are living dangerously here. Starc gets one to keep going across Petersen and it catches a thick edge, but flies past Shane Watson at third slip and ends up going for four. SA 0-22

1804: FOUR! Petersen opens the face and runs one down through the slips for four, but it was in the air for a little while. Australia won't mind that. SA 0-18

1802: APPEAL! Yet another lbw appeal against Smith, this time off the bowling of Starc, but once again the ruling is not out, and it's correct, with the ball going well over the stumps once more. But the fact remains Smith is shaky at the moment.

1759: APPEAL! Watson hits Smith on the pad and the slips cordon goes up, but the umpire says not out. That looked a bit high, and the replays confirm the ball was going well over the off stump. Good decision by Australia not to go for the review.

1755: FOUR! Starc gets one to swing back into Petersen, but it swings too far and allows the South African to flick it off his pads down to fine leg for four. SA 0-11

1752: One last word on Matt Wade from Geoff of Sydney: Some people just don't get it, it is not about "Wade Haters", at all, hats off to him for a good knock, but, he is in the Team primarily as a Wicket Keeper, and during this Series he has not Kept well. Perhaps he will get there, after all Rod Marsh had a shocker in his first few Tests, (called Iron Gloves), but he improved. At the moment, as a Keeper, Wade is probably # 3 in Australia.

1749: APPEAL! Michael Clarke pulls a surprise by opening with Shane Watson, and it almost pays off immediately! Smith tries to flick one off his hip and there's a noise on the way through to the 'keeper, but the umpire correctly says NOT OUT - the ball flicked the pad.

1747: FOUR! Petersen gets caught between going for the cover drive and leaving the ball, and ends up getting an inside edge that goes just past the diving wicketkeeper and runs away for four. Very unconvincing stroke there. SA 0-4

1744: We're ready for the start of South Africa's second innings, and Mitchell Starc kicks things off with a good ball to Alviro Petersen that the Proteas batsman defends well.

1741: mick of The Mountains says: I'd reckon they should have changed the batsmen not the bowlers!! It must be all that cash they have on there hip thats weighing them down.

Antony says: Yes, maybe it is that ... although wouldn't the cash be weighing down the bowlers as well?

1735: South Africa's openers run off the field as they prepare to bat. Australia will be disappointed with that total, which gives the tourists a lead of 62, although if it wasn't for Matthew Wade and John Hastings, it could have been a lot worse. We'll have the start of South Africa's innings in just a few minutes time.

1733: WICKET! (Hastings 32, c Petersen b Peterson, AUS 163) And that's the end of Australia's innings. Hastings goes for another heave-ho off Peterson but doesn't get enough on it and Alviro Petersen takes a very good catch on the long-off boundary - he nearly fell over the rope so he threw it back into the air and then caught the ball safely.

1731: CLOSE! Looks like Starc isn't planning on hanging around too long. He takes an ungainly swipe at a good length ball from Morkel - I think it could be called a cover drive - and misses the ball by a fair bit.

1730: Bowling man says: i would like to say where are  thepeople that said mitchell johnson wont play for the aussies again. welcome back mitchell

Antony says: I wonder if the selectors will just roll Mitch out once a year whenever the Aussie team comes to Perth?

1725: WICKET! (Johnson 7, b Peterson, AUS 9-162) Peterson has clean bowled Johnson! It was similar to Wade's wicket, the spinner gave it some flight and Johnson simply couldn't resist taking a bit swipe at the ball, but he played completely across the line and missed the ball. One wicket remains for Australia, and it's Mitchell Starc that comes to the crease.

1722: Let's see the haters.... of Sydney says: credit where credit is due, Wade's innings has saved Australia!

Antony says: I wonder if he'll receive the same plaudits as Faf did yesterday.

1716: FOUR! Graeme Smith brings the field in with Peterson bowling, and Hastings accepts the invitation and slogs it to cow corner for four. FOUR! And follows it up with just about a carbon copy the next ball. FOUR! How about three in a row? You bet! Hastings gets more bat onto this one and it bounces once before going over the mid-wicket boundary. AUS 8-161

1712: CLOSE! The next ball Johnson goes for a very loose cut shot that beats the edge. No appeal this time, but Johnson is living dangerously. And that will bring drinks onto the ground.

1710: APPEAL! Johnson waves his bat at a short and wide one from Morkel, and as the ball goes through to the keeper the Proteas go up as one appealing for caught behind. The umpire says not out, so Graeme Smith calls for a REVIEW! The replays don't appear to show an edge and the decision remains NOT OUT.

1708: Check out awesome picture below of Matt Wade playing a sweep shot, which was the shot that eventually brought about his demise.

1706: OUCH! Johnson wears another one from Morkel on the arm. Looks like Mitch has put away the pull shot for now. Oh no, I stand corrected, the very next ball Johnson goes for the big pull shot but mis-times it completely and it rolls back down the pitch.

1702: Scott Harding of Springfield Lakes says: In all honesty, there is no clear no.1 in Test cricket, regardless of the outcome of this Test. These two sides, England, India and, arguably, Pakistan should be playing a Test Championship home and away. Bottom team after two years gets relegated.

Antony says: Not a bad idea, Scott. I think many within the ICC are pushing for this but we may need to wait a while as they want to stick with their Future Tours plan for now.

1658: OUCH! Johnson wears a short one on the arm from Morkel. Maybe some payback for when the roles were reversed yesterday?

1655: WICKET! (Wade 68, b Peterson, AUS 8-140) Oh dear, Wade has gone for one big shot too many and been bowled by Peterson. It was the trusty sweep shot, but this time it wasn't so trusty for the Aussie 'keeper. In comes Mitchell Johnson - can he wind back the clock to his batting form from the last time he played South Africa?

1653: CLOSE! Peterson tempts Hastings with by adding some extra flight, and Hastings takes the bait completely and goes for a slog over mid-wicket. The ball hits the toe of the bat but luckily for Hastings it falls short of the fieldsman at point.

1649: Cam of Brisbane says: Our biggest problem is the fact our top 4 are boom or bust players. Having 1 in Marcus North was bad enough but now Warner, Cowan, Watson or Ponting will either score less than 20 or get 100. And they never fire together. We always lose 3 cheap wickets every innings. What is wrong with a solid 30 - 50 and take the shine off the new ball. We need to find some players with consistency who may not get 150 too often but can be counted on getting 40 or 50 80% of he time.

Antony says: I've noticed for a while that there is such a massive emphasis placed on hundreds these days. If a batsman averages 50, then that is what he should expect to make whenever he bats (depending on circumstances obviously). Australia's batsmen do either seem to get out early, or dig in for a big innings. The problem is, when a player like Ed Cowan consistently gets 30-40 and takes the shine off the ball, he is considered under pressure to retain his spot.

1645: FOUR! That's a nice shot from Hastings. Philander bowls it short and a touch wide, and Hastings lifts it over about fifth slip, and the ball races to the boundary. AUS 7-139

1642: CLOSE! Steyn bowls a bouncer to Wade and the Aussie keeper can't resist taking a swipe at it. It ends up being quite an ugly hook shot and he's lucky not to get any bat on it. Wade regains his composure and pushes the next ball to point for a single. AUS 7-134

1637: Rippersportspro of NSW says: The Aussies need the tail to wag badly. Hastings is no slouch with the bat, Johnson has got a Test century (against South Africa I might add) and loves batting at the WACA and Starc has shown he can bat too. Just need them to stick around a bit with Wade.

Antony says: Very good point sir. Peterson, Philander and Morkel chipped in to help du Plessis out. The Aussie tail - which is one of the strongest ones we've had in a while - will need to do the same for Wade.

1634: DROPPED! Was that a chance? Steyn bowled a wicked bouncer to Hastings, who stuck up his arm to protect his head. Replays show that the ball struck Hastings on his armguard, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway as A.B. de Villiers dropped a tough chance behind the stumps.

1630: CLOSE! Steyn gets one to cut away from Wade off the seam and it beats the Australian's bat. That was a ripper delivery.

1628: David and Jackie Taylor say: Why is Wade so selfish, he faces nearly all of the bowling from one end and leaves Hussey to face the danger...So many coaches including Arthur have talked about how important it is to turn the stike over and and get both batters moving against all of the bowlers. Even if Wade gets a century he still remains a selfish player in all forms of the game.

Antony says: That certainly is an interesting way of looking at it. If you went into the Australian dressing room and asked them to describe Wade's innings, I doubt any of them would use the word 'selfish'.

1624: CLOSE! Wow, that was almost a replay of the last time Hastings almost got run out. Once again he punches one into the covers, and once again Dean Elgar runs in and takes a throw at the stumps but once again he misses. Hastings is a lucky man.

1621: Chris of Brisbane has emailed in: I think we're seeing why South Africa are still the number one test side.  When South Africa had their backs to the wall in this series, they have dug deep and hung on.  Australia - take away Michael Clarke, and the skeletal nature of our batting line up is fully exposed.  Instead of going into the middle session of day two 100 runs in front, the Australian bowlers took their foot off the South Africans throat, and the batsmen then failed with withstand a world class attack with the wind at their back.  Mickey Arthur, you still have a way to go.

Antony says: I agree Mickey Arthur's job is far from complete, but it must be pointed out that Australia are in a very similar position to what South Africa were yesterday. If Wade can kick on like du Plessis did and get a bit of help from the tail, then this game is very much alive.

1617: Mark takes issue with Disgusted Cricket Tragic: Cricket Tragic, WORST TEAM??? AUSTRALIA HAVEN"T LOST A MATCH THIS YEAR.

Antony says: I think the Tragic has a short memory.

1615: Hastings and Wade combine to successfully negotiate the first over after lunch. Now it's Philander to take the ball from the other end.

1611: The players are making their way out into the middle for the start of the second session. Matthew Wade has a big job here, but first up it will be Hastings to face the bowling of Steyn.

1607: Disgusted Cricket Tragic of SCG ends the lunch break on a somewhat pessimistic note: I am so angry and ashamed to be an Australian. This is one of the worst Aussie teams in decades, just hopeless. Inverarity and the selectors are clueless, they know nothing, and put in duds like Cowan, Quiney (2 Tests!), Warner etc - instead of picking guys in FORM in the shield. We are getting smashed by the Saffers and England will almost certainly beat us 5-0 unless the selectors resign en-masse. Yes - the Saffer bowling line-up is sensational and world's best - but our bats should be doing way better on home soil.

1604: Don't forget that foxsports.com.au users have the chance to quiz legendary spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan simply by emailing your question to blogs@foxsports.com.au before midday Sunday (EDT). Send in your question for Murali now!

1359: Come on aussies!! of Sydney says: The pitch is looking good now! Just been good bowling... Lets hope the tail wags as well as it use to, Johnson does like batting against the saffas as well!! Wade is batting beautifully. Attacking but with great shot selection, exactly what we need!! Hope he makes a 100 and shuts people up about his position, has keeping has been great this match and now leading with the bat!!

Antony says: Many Aussie fans wouldn't have seen Wade's innings in West Indies, so he has a big chance to make a name for himself on home turf here. I hundred at the WACA would leave a lasting memory, especially in Ponting's final Test.

1553: I wonder if Matt of Brisbane will pick Hastings or Johnson in his Fantasy Big Bash side!? Make sure you register your team now to get your chance to win $10,000 in cash prizes, and bragging rights over your mates!

1547: Matt of Brisbane says: 30 minutes into today put yesterday into perspective. Steyn & Philander - fast, menacing, pitching it up, swinging it, pressure, wickets. Hastings - maybe opening the bowling in the backyard at mums (or for the Vics), but not in a "grand final" test. Johnson - tatts a plenty and pies a go-go. That guy is success poison. Despite the current doom and gloom though. Wade seems to be finding the middle of the edge, so things aren't all bad. Need a 1st innngs lead or I fear there'll be a truckload of pommies trolling the Fox comments section again.

Antony says: Are you saying Johnson didn't bowl well yesterday, Matt? I think you might be in the minority there. As for Wade ... he's hit a few in the middle of the bat as well as the edge so far. 

1539: A lot of people may not know it, but many of the players in action at the WACA will be playing some part in the Big Bash League this summer - the likes of Dale Steyn, David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Faf du Plessis are all signed up for Big Bash teams. You can watch EVERY GAME of the Big Bash League Live and Exclusive on Fox Sports!

1535: As the players gets stuck into some food, Paul of Wyong gets stuck into the Aussie players: This test match will be over within 3-4 days we're woeful.

Antony says: I agree the Test will be over in 3-4 days, but it's far from certain who the winner will be at the end of it. Will Paul be made to eat his words in a couple of days' time?

1531: LUNCH (AUS 7-118, Wade 60*, Hastings 2*) That's the end of a session that completely belonged to South Africa. It took just a few balls for Dale Steyn to remove David Warner, and after that it was a procession of wickets as Lyon, Ponting and Clarke came and went in the blink of an eye. Hussey put up a bit of resistance but at the moment Matthew Wade looks like Australia's only saviour. Stay with us through the lunch break as we discuss all the big issues - join the conversation by sending in an email or leaving a comment at the bottom of the page!

1529: Philander will bowl the final over before lunch, with Hastings on strike. As he does that, Andre of Dubai says: As a South African, I have no love for Ricky Ponting, but I do respect what he has done for Australia and the game. When Gary Kirsten retired I watched him walk off the field with tears in my eyes, he was all intact, with Ricky it feels like Mohammad Ali coming back too often and Ricky deserves better than that !!!

Antony says: In some way I agree Andre, but you just get the feeling Punter has one last significant dig up his sleeve.

1524: FOUR! Wade goes very hard at a short one that wasn't quite wide enough to cut from Philander, but luckily he swung hard enough that his top edge goes flying over the slips and into the boundary rope. Lucky. Dale Steyn comes back into the attack. AUS 7-116

1522: CLOSE! Hastings pushes the ball to point and takes off for a quick single, and ends up having to go for the big dive to get home safely. That's his first run in Test cricket.

1520: pk of Sydney says: Dammit our saviour Imran Tahir isn't playing. Why did Robin Peterson have to play? Tahir could've given some hope to the Aussie batsmen!

Antony says: Haha well pk, Peterson does seem to be filling the Tahir role quite nicely at the moment. Wade is loving Peterson's bowling!

1517: FOUR! Great shot from Wade there, he punches one off the back foot through the covers for four. AUS 7-111

1514: CLOSE! Wade nudges one from Peterson off his hip and it almost hits Hashim Amla's hand at short leg, but just evades him.

1512: SIX! FIFTY! Yet another six from Wade off Peterson, and that brings up a much-needed 50. Once again it was from a lofted drive over wide mid-on. Wade needs to kick on now and stay with the tail. AUS 7-106 

1509: Zoro of Christchurch says: Ahahahahah, NZ's batsmen are better than Australia's! Hell even our bowlers are better! Got to love it

Antony says: Perhaps that's taking it a touch too far? I doubt many Aussies would dare say the Wallabies forwards are better than the All Blacks!

1507: WICKET! (Hussey 12, c Smith b Morkel, AUS 7-100) Just as Australia were wresting back the momentum, South Africa strike again! Morkel bowls a good length ball that moves away a fraction, Hussey edges it, and Graeme Smith does the rest at first slip. That's a big wicket for the Proteas, and brings debutant John Hastings to the crease.

1503: FOUR! Another great shot from Wade brings up the 50 partnership with Hussey. Peterson drops slightly short and Wade punches it to the cover boundary. He's on 44 off just 47 balls now. AUS 6-98

1501: Mark says: Hi Antony, Can you remind the readers/commenters that the Saffers were also 6/70s and made 225? The Saffers had Faf who is like Hussey, determined to play and score and the help of Peterson and the tail enders. Australia still have Hastings and Johnson and Johnson has shown he loves batting at the WACA.

Antony says: Very good point Mark, and I think you just reminded everyone for me!

1458: SIX! Another splendid shot from Matt Wade! He dances down the pitch to a flighted ball from Pieterson and smashes it over the long-on boundary for six. The very next ball he nearly gets himself out by top edging a sweep, but the ball doesn't reach the man at short fine leg. AUS 6-94

1455: CLOSE! Morkel digs one in short to Hussey, who gets caught in between ducking and playing a shot and ends up letting the ball hit his bat. Luckily for him, it falls short of the man at leg gully.

1454: Rippersportspro of NSW says: Familiar situation at the moment ... Hopefully Hussey can come to the rescue again like he has done a few times over the years.

Antony says: This situation just screams Mr Cricket's name - this is the kind of innings he's built for.

1450: FOUR! That's a very confident stroke from Wade. Peterson gives the ball some flight and Wade gets onto one knee and plays a cracking sweep shot that goes all the way along the deck to the square leg boundary. AUS 6-88

1447: Here's a surprising bowling change from Graeme Smith - spinner Robin Peterson comes in to bowl, replacing Philander.

1444: Mouse says: This is the real Steyn, not the imitation version we saw in the first two Tests. Fast, accurate skilful and mean. Fantastic bowler.

Antony says: I totally agree, Mouse (Mickey or Mini?). His spell this morning was absolutely devastating. Fast bowling at its best.

1440: Good fielding! Wade plays a nice pull shot that looks destined for the square leg boundary until somehow Morkel uses his Inspector Gadget arms to pull the ball back just inches from the rope. The batsmen run three. AUS 6-79

1434: And as the players have a drink after a frenetic opening hour, Paul of Wyong gets fired up: The Chairman of selectors John Inverarity and his fellow selectors have got to address our BRITTLE top order IMMEDIATELY!. I'm not convinced that Warner is made of test material. What a shocking shot knowing we were in trouble. Cowan also has to go, he puts his teammates under pressure with such a poor strike rate.

Antony says: Think that might be a bit of a knee-jerk reaction, Paul - Warner showed how effective his style can be just a week ago and Cowan showed his method works with his hundred in the first Test.

1431: FOUR! Shot! Wade crunches a cover drive off a ball that's overpitched from Morkel. The Aussie 'keeper has raced to 20 now. He nudges the next ball to square leg for two. AUS 6-73

1427: SIX! What a shot from Wade! Philander drops short and Wade absolutely crunches his hook shot, and the ball makes it all the way over the square leg rope for six. FOUR! Wade follows it up with a back foot cover drive that catches a thick edge and flies exactly to where third slip would be - but he isn't there! That was lucky for Wade. AUS 6-66

1423: FOUR! Classic cover drive from Hussey there, Steyn overpitches ever so slightly and Mr Cricket drives it beautifully between cover and mid-off. AUS 6-56

1420: Meanwhile, the debate over Warner's wicket goes on. Mark says: So how come they give Warner out but not for Smith? It's these inconsistencies that screw the game over.

Mr Cricket will do it again of WACA says: Agree even though i think warner hit the ball how come Smith exact same thing is not given out quite stupid I think.

Antony says: I agree that incosistency is the biggest problem with the DRS at the moment, but have to say that I think the decision with Warner this morning was the logical one.

1416: Morne Morkel comes into the attack in place of Philander. Hussey grabs a quick single off the first ball of the over.

1413: FOUR! Wade goes hard at a wide one from Steyn, it cathces a bit of the edge and goes through the gully for four. That was uppishly played. AUS 6-51

1411: A few thoughts on what will either be Ponting's last or second-last innings...

Parko of Queanbeyan says: Utter DISGRACE and embarrassing - what a way to send a Champion off.

jc  says: thank god it's ponting's last game. getting embarrassing!

1408: CLOSE! Wow, what a chance that was! Hussey goes for a suicide single and left Matthew Wade way short, but luckily for him Hashim Amla's throw was wide of the stumps. What was Hussey thinking? AUS 6-46

1406: It didn't happen all that long ago, but Warner's wicket is a distant memory now. Even so, here's what RB of Brisbane says: I doubt we'll see a worse shot all summer than what we saw from Warner there. Absolutely ridiculous.

Antony says: Defintiely won't be pretty viewing for Warner when he's reviewing that later on.

1403: WICKET! Clarke 5, c de Villiers b Steyn, AUS 6-45) Now Clarke is gone! What a brilliant delivery that was from Steyn, it angled in and then swung away late to catch the edge of Clarke's bat and present an easy catch the wicketkeeper. Australia are in huge trouble here, with the world's No.1 batsman back in the pavillion. In comes Matthew Wade.

1359: Mr Cricket, Michael Hussey, comes to the crease with Australia in big trouble here. Can he play another trademark match-saving innings? As an aside, I wonder if anyone else would have got away with using a review on an lbw call that was so obviously out?

1355: WICKET! (Ponting 4, lbw Philander, AUS 5-43) Oh dear, Ponting has been given out! The ball hit him flush on the pad and looked to be hitting middle and off. The umpire had no hesitation giving it out but after consulting with Clarke, Ponting calls for the REVIEW! But the replay shows it was hitting middle stump and was absolutely plumb.

1348: Croweater of Adelaide says: Isn't it time for Pup to bat at 3? Especially with the retirement of Punter, I think Clarke should come in at first drop and Mr. Cricket promoted to no 4. I mean, they're practically batting there already with the recent top order collapses. I think it's time to stop wasting time with top order experiments and when we select guys like Quiney or Khwaja, we should bat them at 5 or 6 instead of throwing them in the deep end. What do you think Antony?

Antony says: I agree that it's ideal for someone like Khawaja to be eased into Test cricket via no.6, just as Ponting was early in his career, but I don't think Clarke is suited to No.3 - and more importantly, I doubt he would want to change anything about his game at the moment.

1346: SHOT! Ponting goes for a signature pull shot off Philander, and it goes high to square leg but not quite all the way to the boundary, and his picks up three.

1342: WICKET! (Lyon 7, c du Plessis, b Steyn, AUS 4-35) And there's another one! Steyn bowls a good length ball to Lyon that just straightens a bit, catches a thick edge and flies to du Plessis at gully. Australia are four down now and in trouble, but they've got Ponting and Clarke in the middle.

1341: CLOSE! Ooh, Ponting clips his first ball in the air towards mid-wicket but it falls short of the fielder. That looked like a nervy shot. He follows it up with a push to cover and scrambles through for a single.

1339: Ponting strides to the crease with a huge cheer in the background. This is a massive moment.

1336: WICKET! (Warner 13, c de Villiers b Steyn, AUS 3-34) Warner goes hard at the first ball from Steyn and feathers it through to the keeper. The South Africans go up as one and eventually the umpire gives it out, but Warner isn't convinced and calls for the REVIEW! There was definitely a noise, and hotspot is showing a mark on the bat, but neither the sound nor the mark give a strong indication it was ball on bat. But where would the sound have come from? Either way, the third umpire makes the call and it is OUT!

1334: CLOSE! Philander beats the outside edge of Lyon's bat with an absolute peach of a delivery. I feel like I've seen that before. Oh yeah, it was last night. Dale Steyn to bowl the second over of the day now.

1330: OK, the players are out in the middle and it will be Vernon Philander to bowl the first over of the day, with David Warner on strike. Warner blocks the first ball.

1326: Arthur kicks off the conversation with an email: What is it about the whippet the Aussies call "Gary" Lyon???? It is easy to see why Australian selectors and the team itself just love him to bits. I have to admit I have always preferred Nathan Hauritz to Gary, but today I learned a lot about the Slim Jim of Australian cricket. Here's a statement. Ricky Ponting wouldn't be retiring if he had a forward defensive like Gary's. Ed Cowan and Shane Watson would still be batting if they had a forward defensive like Gary's. Technically, it is the best forward defensive of all the Australian bats, even Mike Hussey.

Antony says: Those are some bold statements, Arthur!

1321: Don't forget to join in the action by sending a question or comment to blogs@foxsports.com.au or by leaving a comment - or sending in your message of support to Ricky Ponting - at the bottom of the page.

1315: Hello and welcome to foxsports.com.au's LIVE and INTERACTIVE coverage of the third Test between Australia and South Africa at the WACA Ground in Perth. Antony Pinshaw here, looking forward to sharing a fascinating day of Test cricket with you. David Warner and Nathan Lyon are set to resume their stays at the crease shortly, but it can't be too long before the man of the moment, Ricky Ponting, will stride to the crease. How will Punter go in his final Test?


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Live: AUS v SA, T3, D1

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 30 November 2012 | 14.23

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Got him ... John Hastings celebrates the wicket of A.B. de Villiers. Source: Greg Wood / AAP

Australia make three quick breakthroughs straight after lunch, leaving South Africa six wickets down and in serious trouble on the first day of the third Test.

The stakes couldn't be higher as the two sides lock horns with the No.1 Test ranking on the line and the great Ricky Ponting to honour.

Don't forget to join in the action by sending a question or comment to blogs@foxsports.com.au or by leaving a comment at the bottom of the page.

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3rd Test - WACA Ground

30 November 2012 - Day 1, Session 2

South Africa 1st Innings

F. du Plessis 39 72 6 0 54.17
V. Philander 4 18 0 0 22.22
N. Lyon 5 0 13 1 2.60

Latest comments (all times AEDT):

1812: TEA (SA 7-141). That's tea on day one at the WACA. Australia have dominated both sessions so far today, and it will take some very good batting from the Proteas tail to prevent the Aussies from batting before the end of the day. Stay with us and join the discussion during the tea break!

1810: FOUR! In the last over before lunch, Lyon overpitches and du Plessis plays a nice flick through mid-wicket for four. He's on 39 now, and has easily been South Africa's best batsman today.

1807: OUCH! Johnson bowls a nasty short one to Philander, who starts to duck but changes his mind way to late and ends up copping one on the finger. He was in all sorts there.

1803: Drew White says: Australia's Bowlers showing Seth Efrika how its done at the WACA…

Antony says: I've never met Seth Efrika ... nice bloke?

1757: CLOSE! Lyon gets one to turn a little bit extra, it catches the inside edge of Philanders bat and flies just past the oustretched hand of Cowan at short leg. Mitchell Johnson comes back to bowl now.

1754: WICKET! (Peterson 31, cWade b Lyon, 7-132) Well there you have it, the spinner does get the breakthrough! Lyon drops it short and wide, not a great ball at all, but Peterson goes for the big cut shot and gets an edge, and Matthew Wade takes a good catch. That's a big wicket for Australia, and it brings Vernon Philander to the crease.

1748: CLOSE! That's almost a carbon copy of du Plessis' last loose shot against Lyon, again he comes down the pitch to go for the big hit, and again he gets a thick edge and scampers through for a single as the ball goes out to fine leg. SA 6-131

1744: Now Hastings comes back into the attack in place of Watson. As he does that, consider this comment from GoldCoastSunnies of Goldcoast: Why did they pick a spinner , had to pick four quicks ! brut boy bowl long spells. As I stated previously they should of picked Starc for Adelaide.

Antony says: I guess with Shane Watson able to bowl, Clarke and the selectors figured it would be good to have some variety in the attack rather than five pacemen. Also, the extra bounce can sometimes end up helping the spinners.

1741: CLOSE! Well, the breakthrough almost came from Lyon there. Du Plessis came down the pitch but got it all wrong and ended up edging his shot past fine leg for a single. That was a loose stroke. SA 6-126

1739: Here's an interesting move - captain Clarke brings Nathan Lyon into the attack in place of Starc. Can the spinner grab a surprise breakthrough?

1737: Arthur has emailed in: It's 45 degrees in Melbourne but barely 20, windy and overcast in Perth. Go figure! The wind is from the south west and west, perfect for anyone who swings the ball. The WACA is close to a river, it's had 3 days rain, the wicket has sweated and absorbed moisture and the sun has shone infrequently today. The atmospherics in Perth are an interesting phenomenon.

Antony says: I hope you work for the Weather Channel, Arthur. If not, your talent is being wasted!

1735: FOUR! That's a Faf special! Starc overpitches and du Plessis plays a nice cover drive that races to the boundary.

1731: FOUR! Ooh, that was close, Peterson got a thick inside edge off a good length ball from Watson, and it goes over the stumps and down to the fine leg boundary. SA 6-114

1727: Parko of Queanbeyan says: Who won the toss, again? I watched Brad Hogg on Fox Sports and he said the pitch would favour the bowlers for two days - spot on Hoggy!

Antony says: Confirming that Graeme Smith won the toss and chose to batt. Perhaps he should have had a word to Hoggy beforehand!

1720: APPEAL! Watson strikes du Plessis flush on the pad and bowler and slips go up in unison. Umpire Asad Rauf says not out, but after a short conference Michael Clarke calls for the REVIEW. Hawkeye shows it is perilously close to leg stump but not close enough to change the decision, and the NOT OUT call remains.

1716: SHOT! du Plessis plays another nice cut shot that looks destined for the boundary until a brilliant dive from Warner restricts the batsmen to three. Warner is on fire in the field. SA 6-103

1712: That's drinks at the WACA. What an hour that was for Australia - can they follow it up with some more good bowling after the drinks break? As an aside, I had prepared a few facts about the debutant Dean Elgar that I was going to share with you all before he got out. He's played five ODIs for South Africa and averages 45 at first-class level. Needless to say, at Test level his average is ... 0. 

1706: paul of brisbane says: Hope people will have enough sense not to comparte the bowlers performance on this wicket compared to the other two we've seen...night and day!! looks like a result pitch tho..should be fun!!

Antony says: I tend to agree Paul, this is clearly a different pitch to the other two. Chances of a draw here = minimal.

1702: Peterson and du Plessis looked to have steadied the ship for South Africa for the time being. How long will it last?

1655: Harry of Sydney says: Well i hope this stops all those people rabbiting on about Siddle and Hilfenhaus , Starc , Hastings and co have shown just how ordinary those 2 are ...maybe if they had played these guys from the start then aussies would be 2 nil up.

Antony says: Perhaps, although this WACA pitch is doing the bowlers a lot more favours than the pitches in Brisbane and Adelaide did.

1653: FOUR! Hastings drops slightly short and wide and du Plessis absolutely crunches it with a beautiful back-foot drive that goes to the rope. Top shot that. SA 6-93

1650: FOUR! Peterson lunges at one from Hastings but keeps the face of the bat open, and the ball runs along the ground between third slip and gully all the way to the boundary. 

1646: Dragon of NSW says: Cowan is a very lucky man right now, Mr. butterfingers.

Antony says: His dropped catch is a distant memory now!

1642: FOUR! Du Plessis plays a delightful straight drive off a full ball from Hastings. The Proteas need another Faf masterclass here. SA 6-79

1640: CLOSE! Robin Peterson comes to the crease and is almost back on his way, as Johnson bowls a vicious yorker that just misses off stump and also just goes past the outside edge. Good bowling from Mitch there.

1638: WICKET! (Elgar 0, c Wade b Johnson, SA 6-75) South Africa are falling apart here! Johnson bowls a short one to the debutant Elgar, who tries to pull it but only lets the ball hit his glove, and it balloons into the gloves of Matt Wade. The Proteas are in big trouble.

1632: FOUR! That's almost a carbon copy of the last ball of Hastings' over, as the ball catches du Plessis's edge and goes to the third man boundary. APPEAL! Hastings follows it up with one that keeps going straight and hits Faf on the pad, but the replay shows it caught a big inside edge first. SA 5-75

1628: JohnT of Sydney says: After his form for Yorkshire with the red ball then in T20 with the white ball Mitchell Starc should have been the first bowler selected at the start of this series - now he's proving it!!

Antony says: On this form he does look like he was a bit unlucky to miss out, especially in Adelaide. But, how would Siddle and Hilfenhaus have gone on this pitch?

1626: CLOSE! FOUR! Hastings bowls another beauty to the new batsman, Faf du Plessis, and it catches the edge but this time goes past third slip all the way to the boundary. SA 5-71.

1623: WICKET! (de Villiers 4, c Clarke b Hastings, SA 5-67) John Hastings has his first wicket in Test cricket! He bowls a good ball to de Villiers that shapes away beautifully, catching the South African's edge, and Clarke makes no mistake at first slip. This is superb bowling from the Aussies.

1619: South Africa are in trouble here! Dean Elgar is the new batsman.

1618: RUN OUT! de Villiers pushes the ball to cover and takes off for a quick single, David Warner gathers the ball and throws down the stumps at Hashim Amla's end and he looks to be out! The umpire goes to the third umpire and the verdict is ... OUT! WICKET! (Amla 11, run out Warner, SA 4-67).

1616: FOUR! AB de Villiers gets off the mark with a fairly loose square drive that's in the air but also in the gap, and it races away to the point boundary.

1614: CLOSE! Hastings follows it up with a good ball that moves away slightly from Amla and beats the outside edge. The big Victorian looks a bit fired up. Mitchell Johnson to bowl now.

1612: John Hastings has the first over after lunch, with Hashim Amla on strike. DROPPED! Wow, that was a huge chance! Amla clipped one off his pads straight to Ed Cowan at short mid-wicket, but Cowan put it down! That was a regulation catch that should have been taken. Will Australia be made to pay for that error?

1608: The players are making their way back out into the middle of the WACA. Will Australia or South Africa dominate this session?

1600: Hawk of Sydney says: No Starc critics telling us he can only swing a white ball, funny about that.

Antony says: I guess it's another example of players being able to transfer their T20 form into the Test arena. Having said that, Starc was also bowling quite well (and swinging it a fair bit) for NSW in the Shield.

1553: The Turk says: Plenty of know it all comments already come out from armchair critics... Only first session and already being proven wrong.... Lol just watch the game and say something constructive for a change...

Antony says: I guess it's a bit early for anyone to be proven right or wrong at the moment.

1547: Australia's new pace trio have been fairly impressive so far, albeit on a pitch with a fair bit of help. What have you made of them? Could this prove to be a good decision from Australia's selectors? Let us know what you think!

1543: G'day all, Antony Pinshaw here taking over from my esteemed colleague Trent Hile in the blogging chair. The man has big boots to fill!

1530: LUNCH: Well that final 10 minute period has put Australia firmly in the box seat at lunch. Starc now has figures of 2/27 off 8.

1528: WICKET! (Kallis 2, b Starc, SA 3/63) Starc strikes again! He goes straight through Kallis with a ball almost identical to the one that removed Petersen; a beautiful in-swinger that hits the seam and knocks over Kallis' off-stump. What a spell from the youngster.

1522: Jacques Kallis is at the crease. He sets off for an early single and looks to be moving OK. South African fans breathe a sigh of relief.

1517: WICKET! (Petersen 30, b Starc, SA 2/61) Starc knocks over Petersen with a beauty! The young New South Welshman slips an in-swinger through the gap between bat and pad, then has to survive another nervous check for a no ball, before Petersen is told to depart. That's a timely wicket before the lunch break.

1509: As Starc looks to be bowling with better rhythm in his second spell, Mark asks: "What's your opinion on replacing Ponting with Doolan two tassies?"

Trent says: I haven't seen a great deal of Doolan as yet Mark, bar the Australia A game where he scored 160-odd and belted the Proteas on a highway of a wicket at the SCG. Test cricket might be a year or two away for him yet, but he's scoring a lot of runs and impressing the right people.

1501: FOUR! Starc drops short to Petersen who works him through the gap between gully and third slip.

1458: FOUR! Superb stroke from Amla, who is square driving Hastings through cover-point for a boundary. SA 1/53

1451: Toby of Rouse Hill says: "Hi Trent, I hope that Uzi Khawaja is picked for the Sri Lanka series to replace Punter. His technique is flawless and shot selection is very impressive."

Trent says: Hi Toby, hope it's not too hot out there at the moment. One thing is for certain - your man Usman Khawaja will play a lot more Test cricket. He failed twice in the Shield game down there in Canberra on a spooky wicket, but other than that, he's looked terrific this year. I have a feeling the selectors might go with Phil Hughes to replace Ponting, but Khawaja's chance won't be far away.

1445: Johnson beats Amla twice in consecutive deliveries. This could be his man - he's dismissed Amla on nine occasions.

1440: FOUR! Hastings back into the attack and he overpitches to the new batsman Hashim Amla, who drives brilliantly through cover for a boundary. SA 1/46

1435: Johnson completes another good over and the MJ fans are appearing from out of the wilderness:

Herman of NSW says: "Prediction: Mitchell Johnson to fire with his career on the line. Ponting to score a 100 in his final match. Australia win and will be back to world number 1."

Whippy of Australia says: "This pace attack looked pedestrian. Then Johnson bowled an over, and looked like a wicket taker. Hopefully he delivers on the promise, as the others look like Shield bowlers."

1427: WICKET! (Smith 16, c Clarke b Watson, SA 1/38) Welcome back to Test cricket Shane Watson! He pitches one up outside off-stump to Smith who snicks one in an attempt to defend, with Clarke taking a simple catch at first slip. That's a vital wicket for the Aussies.

1424: Johnson is getting some really nice shape when he pitches the ball up here. He looks a completely different bowler than the round-armed slinger who came off 10 steps in the series in South Africa last year.

1417: FOUR! Smith clips Johnson away through square-leg for four. SA 0/36

1416: Chance! Short: Johnson jams one in short to Smith and catches him on the glove. It pops up in the direction of Michael Hussey at gully but falls just short.

1414: Shout! Not out: Johnson slides one down the leg-side to Smith and there's a noise, was that a catch? The Aussies go up but it's a stifled appeal.

1411: The crowd roars. No, Ponting hasn't taken a screamer ... it's Mitchell Johnson into the attack.

1406: Here's something we haven't seen in a while ... Shane Watson with the ball in hand, replacing Hastings in the attack.

1403: FOUR! FOUR! Starc drops too short and Petersen pulls. He doesn't quite get all of it, but this lightning outfield takes it all the way to the rope. The last ball of the over is too full this time and Petersen has little trouble in making Starc pay.

1401: Mark kicks off our first discussion of the morning: "Hi trent, What do you think of the bowlers being mostly one day specialists?"

Trent says: It's a bit of a gamble, isn't it Mark? I was particularly surprised they didn't go with Hazlewood, who bowls in a similar fashion to a Stuart Clark or Glenn McGrath and would get plenty of bounce here with his height. In saying that, Starc was always going to be the next one picked after being 12th man in Brisbane and Adelaide. They've taken a punt on Johnson, which initially shocked me, but after watching some vision of his new action, I don't mind the decision. He's cocking his wrist and swinging the ball back in to the right hander - that could make him a real handful. And Hastings ... well he's the leading wicket-taker in Shield cricket, so he deserves his shot.

1353: FOUR! Starc starts one too straight and it swings onto Petersen's pads. The opener clips it away down the leg-side for the opening boundary of the morning. SA 0/17

1351: WICKET! Review ... NOT OUT! Starc shapes one back to Petersen and hits him on the pads in front. After a lengthy appeal, Umpire Kettleborough raises the finger! Petersen goes for the DRS. There's always a question over height with LBWs at the WACA when a batsman plays off the front foot. Sure enough, that one was not only too high, but possibly a touch down leg too. Petersen survives.

1341: Hastings sneaks one past the outside edge of Petersen in a good opening over.

1336: Some good early shape for Starc, but the Proteas manage to pick up four runs from the over. This is a surprise - John Hastings will take the new ball at the other end. Having played alongside the big Duke as I teenager, I'm hoping to see him pick up bag-full.

1331: Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen will open the innings for the Proteas, while Mitchell Starc will have first use of the new ball. We're all set for this historic Test.

1328: We've heard the national anthems and now the Aussies are making their way out on to the field. There's plenty of back slaps and bum taps for Ponting. What a moment for the 167-Test veteran. By the end of this Test, he will join Steve Waugh as Australia's most-capped Test player.

1321: For the Proteas, Vernon Philander comes back into the side in the place of Rory Kleinveldt, while Robin Peterson and Dean Elgar have been included in the place of Imran Tahir and Jacques Rudolph. In a huge boost for the Proteas, all-rounder Jacques Kallis is playing, but only as a batsman.

1318: Graeme Smith has won the toss and elected to bat. There's a few key changes in the Australian side - Rob Quiney, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus are out, while Shane Watson, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson and debutante John Hastings are in.

1315:: Good afternoon all and welcome to foxsports.com.au's LIVE and INTERACTIVE coverage of the third and deciding Test between Australia and South Africa at the WACA ground. I'm Trent Hile, and will be guiding you through the first couple of hours play until Antony Pinshaw joins you in the hot seat. I don't know whether much more needs to be said about the importance of this Test and what's at stake; but just in case you've been living under a rock, the situation is this: Australia will be desperate to farewell retiring legend Ricky Ponting in style, while Test cricket's coveted No.1 ranking awaits the winner of this match.

Don't forget to join in the action by sending a question or comment to blogs@foxsports.com.au or by leaving a comment at the bottom of the page.


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Tippett suspended for 11 games

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Charges ... Kurt Tippett is facing a hearing at AFL House in Melbourne. Source: Michael Klein / News Limited

The AFL has thrown the book at Adelaide Football Club and Kurt Tippett after a hearing into charges regarding salary cap breaches and draft tampering.

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AFL commission chairman Mike Fitzpatrick made the announcement says the commission wanted to send a message to the AFL community.

Tippett has been banned from competing in the pre-season competition and 22 regular-season games but 11 of those games are suspended. He was also fined $50,000.

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Adelaide Crows were fined $300,000 and banned from the first two rounds of the 2013 draft.

Stephen Trigg was fined $50,000 and banned for 12 months, six months of which is suspended for 5 years.

John Reid was banned for 12months, six months of which is suspended for five years.

Phil  Harper was banned for six months, four months of which are suspended for five years. Tippett out of pre-season 22 games,  11 games $50,000

Fitzpatrick commended the Crows on their co-operation during the investigation but such transgressions could not be tolerated.

"There can be no room in our game to breach our rules," he said.

"The investigation into Adelaide Football Club and its servants seeking to circumvent the salary cap and draft ... the AFLC regards this case as a very disappointing one and wants to send a message to all 18 clubs and all supporters."

The charges stemmed from the three-year contract Tippett signed with Adelaide in 2009, which made him the Crows' highest-paid player.

Adelaide had entered into a side agreement to trade Tippett to the club of his choice for a second-round draft pick when the contract finished at the end of the 2012 season.

Charges over payments of $200,000 to Tippett outside the salary cap were also investigated.

One of Tippett's suitors, Sydney Swans, released a statement saying the ban would not deter them from drafting the key forward.

"Although the decision is obviously a disappointing setback for Kurt, we have always seen Kurt as a long-term player and we will go to the pre-season draft with the intention of selecting him if he's available at our pick," Sydney Swans general manager of football, Dean Moore said.


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'Deans often in no-win situation'

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 29 November 2012 | 14.23

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Outside support ... Gatland believes Deans has been harshly criticised, partly because he's a Kiwi. Source:AP

Wales coach Warren Gatland believes Wallabies counterpart Robbie Deans has been harshly judged by critics and he questions whether some of it's because he's a New Zealander.

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Preparing for the season-ending Test between their two sides in Cardiff, Gatland did not intend a pun when declaring he often thought Deans was in a "no-win situation" when it came to being graded on wins against the world champion All Blacks.

After a turbulent season of mixed results and innumerable injuries, the Wallabies not only need to beat Wales for a fourth time this year, but do it with style to keep Deans's small army of doubters reasonably quiet over the holiday period.

The 49-year-old Gatland has known fellow Kiwi Deans since their representative playing days in New Zealand and sympathises with him over the heat he's been under in 2012.

"I feel for Robbie Deans a little bit, he's under a massive amount of pressure," Gatland said.

"It's a bit hard when you win the Tri Nations last year and you finish second in The Rugby Championship this year.

"You finish third in the World Cup and you're number two (team) in the world and people want to get rid of you.

"Most coaches would be pretty safe with those sort of numbers and statistics.

"It probably doesn't help that he comes from over the ditch (New Zealand)."

Gatland said on Wednesday Deans was in a difficult situation after an injury-ravaged season while the All Blacks are flying high at the top of world rugby.

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"The perception and expectation is to beat the All Blacks on a regular basis and they've found it tough over the last few years ... I think that's potentially been his biggest downfall," he said.

"Even though they won that (Tri Nations deciding) game in Brisbane last year and had that drawn (dead rubber Bledisloe Cup) match this year that they probably should have won.

"I feel like sometimes he's in a no-win situation."

The Wallabies have battled through a wretched year on the injury front losing key players including James O'Connor and three successive captains in James Horwill, David Pocock and Will Genia.

Gatland, who will coach the British and Irish Lions when they tour Australia next year, said the Wallabies would benefit in the long run.

"I think we can't underestimate the benefit of the last six months that Australia would have gone through in terms of coping with the injuries," Gatland said.

"I think that's going to give them the depth and competition that sometimes they've lacked."

To make Deans's job that little bit tougher he's had to deal with disgruntled playmaker Quade Cooper.

"It been tough and then when you get someone like Quade Cooper come out and criticise the environment it doesn't make it easy," said Gatland.

"Then you have ex-coaches and ex-internationals ... whether it's Alan Jones or (David) Campese or whatever, it's been tough on him."

Watch the Wallabies take on Wales LIVE and in stunning HD from 1.30am (EDT) on Sunday, December 2.


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Emotional outpouring as Ponting resigns

TEARS are not something normally associated with Ricky Ponting.

Black eyes, yes, in his early days.

Black looks, certainly, throughout 17 combative summers wearing the baggy green cap.

Yet tears were the order of the day when Ponting called stumps on a career second only to Don Bradman in Australia's Test cricket annals.

There were tears from the man himself, tears from his shocked teammates and tears at a news conference from his successor as captain, Michael Clarke.

They haven't flowed like this since Kim Hughes stepped down in 1984, for entirely different reasons.

The emotional outpouring this time gushed from a deep wellspring of respect for one of sport's toughest and most successful fighters, spurred by the recognition that such a man walks this way but rarely.

Perhaps it shows that Australian cricket has a soft centre after all. But like one of those hard-boiled gob-stoppers, you have to suck on it for days on end to find out.

Ponting became a byword for everything that made Australia the toughest team in world cricket.

He was feisty, flinty, chirpy, pug-nosed, at times belligerent, always super-competitive.

He could scowl as well as he could bat. Then again, he had an impressive tutor in Steve Waugh.

Ponting didn't play a Test on his first tour, but it may well have provided him with the attitudinal bedrock for all the success that followed.

It was the pivotal 1995 series in the West Indies, where Australia won the Sir Frank Worrell Trophy for the first time in 19 years and Waugh famously went nose-to-nose with Curtley Ambrose.

What an education for an Australian captain-to-be.

By a quirk of fate, Ponting will equal but not surpass Waugh's Australian record of 168 Tests when he winds up in Perth next week.

That statistic would not have influenced his decision to pull the pin - he's not that soft.

But it is a fetching numerical curiosity, in the way that Mark Taylor's declaration on 334 not out against Pakistan in 1998 was a nod to the greatness of Bradman.

Statistics can often mislead, but in Ponting's case they don't lie.

He stands as Australia's greatest Test run-scorer ever, and second in the world only to Sachin Tendulkar.

You don't amass over 13,300 runs at a 52 average over 17 years unless you are one of the very best the game has ever produced.

He is cricket's most successful Test captain, having won 48 of 77 matches, with a similar record of success in the one-day game, including two World Cup triumphs in 2003 and 2007.

Yet he goes out as the only captain to have lost three Ashes series, one of the few things that will no doubt rankle him in the old cricketers' retirement home.

Could he have carried on? Potentially.

But Ponting decided to go of his own accord before anyone could tap him on the shoulder.

All good things come to an end. Like the tough cane-cutters in Ray Lawler's Australian classic, this is his Summer Of The 17th Doll.


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Sport's 140 characters of pain

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 28 November 2012 | 14.23

Trouble ... David Campese is the lastest sportsperson to land in social media hot water. Source: Matthew Vasilesc / News Limited

It would seem that all it takes to destabilise an athlete's career is a mere 140 characters, with the number of Twitter-related scandals from our sports stars skyrocketing in the last couple of years.

Following Wallabies great David Campese's sexist comments regarding female journalists covering rugby union, we look at 10 Twitter scandals in the sporting world.

Campese posted "Why does the SMH get a girl to write about rugby. Growden who was a great jornio (sic) and now we have someone who has no idea about the game...!" causing uproar in Australia and abroad with Wallabies captain David Pocock tweeting his disappointment.

Campese then tweeted "Sometimes it is good to see some people react to thing you say. Please relax and see the light side of life. All press are the same."

Can you think of others? Tell us what we missed and join the debate by leaving a comment below!


1 ... Only last month Quade Cooper enhanced his bad-boy tag by tweeting "I love rugby but there's s--t going on behind and above the players the effects the whole organisation! Happens at the reds few years back", before swiftly removing the post. 

2 ... Stephanie Rice, the Olympic gold medalist and ex-girlfriend of Cooper, also caused controversy when she celebrated a Wallabies win by posting "suck on that faggots".

3 ... Phillip Hughes announced his axing from the Australia Test cricket team by posting "Disappointed not to be on the field with the lads today. Will be supporting the guys, it's a BIG test match 4 us. Thanks 4 all the support." Unfortunately for Hughes, this tweet was posted before the official announcement was made by Australian selectors.

4 ... Similarly, Kevin Pietersen tweeted "Done for rest of summer!! Man of the World Cup T20 and dropped from the T20 side too.. Its [sic] a f*** up!! Surrey have signed me for l...", angering both his teammates and selectors.

5 ... The Barclays Premier League is one of the more notable areas for scandalous tweets, with ex-Liverpool star Ryan Babel taking out his anger after being dropped through his Twitter account, posting "What happened after a first good season? Scoring 10 goals, being young talent of the year, and then second and this season don't play at all?". As if this wasn't enough, Babel quickly followed it up with a second tweet, stating "Where did it go wrong??? You have people who support me and don't support me ". Obviously surprised that his tweets had not resulted in his immediate re-selection, Babel concluded with a third, writing "And one day, you will see what I'm capable off, will it be at LFC or somewhere else ... I have faith."

6 ... Rio Ferdinand discovered the dangers of the retweet, retweeting a comment made by a fellow member of the site, describing Ashley Cole as "choc ice."

7 ... Brownlow Medallist and AFL superstar Dane Swan decided that Twitter was the perfect forum to respond to anti-doping measures in the AFL, tweeting "Stop sending out drug testers at 6am. It's starting to Piss me off. What's wrong with the afternoon? You can't catch me anyway. Too clever".

8 ... Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton tried to make light of the on-track rivalry between himself and Jenson Button, tweeting "Just noticed @jensonbutton unfollowed, that's a shame...I thought we respected one another but clearly he doesn't." He then tweeted: "My bad, just found out Jenson never followed me. Don't blame him!"

9 ... For some sports people, it is not even their own Twitter accounts that land them in trouble, with rugby league's Joel Monaghan sacked from the Canberra Raiders over a picture of the centre interacting indecently with a dog, posted after Mad Monday celebrations in 2010.

10 ... Disgraced cycling icon Lance Armstrong provocatively posed with his seven framed Tour de France yellow jerseys in the midst of the doping scandal, with the accompanying caption of "Back in Austin and just layin' around" infuriating the 100,000 people who saw the picture in the three hours after its release.


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Sydney name Farina as coach

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Frank Farina ... reportedly wants his own backroom staff before agreeing to any Sydney deal. Source:News Limited

Former Socceroos player and coach Frank Farina has been officially named as the new coach of Sydney FC.

Farina will arrive in Sydney later this week and will take control of the Sky Blues for Sunday's clash with Melbourne Heart at Allianz Stadium.

"Sydney is a big club with big expectations and I'm looking forward to playing my part in helping to meet those expectations," Farina told foxsports.com.au.

Club chairman Scott Barlow said:  "Frank has coached at the highest level and has dealt with the demands of coaching a high profile team.  He also brings with him a wealth of A-League coaching experience that will serve him well as he joins us part way through our season.

"We believe Frank has the experience, leadership and coaching acumen to have a positive and immediate impact on Sydney FC."

Club CEO Tony Pignata, in his first year at Sydney FC, said the goal was a top six finish.

"The players are happy we've finally made a decision," said Pignata. "They know they have to perform on Sunday and focus on the result and win games. We've lost four on the trot but we're only four points from the top six and the aim is to get into the finals."

Pignata said the club would not make significant changes to support staff. "We're not going to make wholesale changes, he knows that," said Pignata. "But we'll give him the opportunity to add if he needs to add. We don't want to hold him back.

"He's coached at a high level, has coached high profile players, handles the media and these are all attributes we like in Frank. Also, he's someone determined to get results and that's what we want."

Farina, 48, coached the Socceroos from 1999-2005, Brisbane Roar for three Hyundai A-League seasons as well as Brisbane Strikers and Marconi in the National Soccer League.

His most recent A-League stint, with the Roar, ended with a drink driving charge.

"We all know what happened a few years ago and he's quite happy to come back and make amends," said Pignata.

"This is a fantastic opportunity," Farina said in the statement.

"There is a lot of attention on Sydney FC and I'm looking forward to getting to Sydney and working with the players and staff to create an environment where we can be successful on the pitch.

"There are some very good players at the club, some of which I've worked with previously, and I've got no doubt that with hard work we can turn things around and get Sydney FC heading in the right direction."

Farina, who has been working as coach of Papua New Guinea,  agreed terms with Pignata earlier in the week but had to speak with his current employers, the PNG Football Association and Oceania Football Confederation.

The president of the PNG Football Association, David Chung, is also a FIFA Executive Committee member.

The work commitments of all parties together with communications (telephone and internet) challenges meant the announcement could not occur earlier.

Foxsports.com.au believes the deal is for the remainder of the season with a bonus for reaching the top six, and no discussion for the next season.

Farina's biographer, Bonita Mersiades, said that she believed it was a great opportunity for him to be back in the game.

"Frank will back himself with such an opportunity," she said.

P W D L GD Pts
1 Adelaide 8 6 1 1 7 19
2 Central Coast 8 5 2 1 8 17
3 Victory 8 4 1 3 -2 13
4 Newcastle 8 4 1 3 -2 13
5 Perth 8 3 2 3 1 11
6 Western Sydney 8 3 1 4 -2 10
7 Wellington 8 2 3 3 1 9
8 Heart 8 2 2 4 -1 8
9 Brisbane 8 2 1 5 0 7
10 Sydney 8 2 0 6 -10 6

"I am sure he will be delighted to work with the Sydney FC players. There are some quality players, obviously spearheaded by Alessandro Del Piero but also including Jason (Culina), Brett (Emerton), Paschal Boschaart and some young talent.

"If anyone can give the players self-belief, confidence and team spirit, it's Frank." 

Mersiades believes there are arguments both ways for not locking-in a coach for next season.

"From the Sydney FC Board's perspective, they want to keep their options open," she said.

"But that would be water off a duck's back to Frank. He is focused and professional and has a job to do.

"He understands the dynamics and politics inherent in football, and especially a club like Sydney FC which always has such great expectations."


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Blues better Bulls on day one

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 27 November 2012 | 14.23

Finding form ... Bollinger sent a timely reminder to national selectors on Tuesday. Source: News Limited

Former Test paceman Doug Bollinger led a depleted NSW attack to first day honours in their Sheffield Shield clash with Queensland at Manuka Oval on Tuesday.

SHEF - Manuka Oval

27 November 2012 - Day 1, Session 3

Queensland 1st Innings

B. Cutting 23 35 0 2 65.71
C. Gannon 4 8 1 0 50

Bollinger (2-39) owned the opening hour, before twin half-centuries to Queensland pair Nathan Reardon and Chris Hartley helped the Bulls stagger to 7-198 before rain washed away the final hour of play.

Leading a pace attack robbed of Test hopefuls Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Shane Watson and the injured Trent Copeland (ankle), Bollinger bowled with the venom which earned him 12 Test caps and 50 wickets.

It took Bollinger just three deliveries to rip the heart out of the Bulls' top order, trapping both Wade Townsend and former teammate Usman Khawaja lbw for ducks - both so plum they prompted almost instantaneous reactions from umpire, and former Test seamer, Paul Reiffel.

It is a timely reminder to selectors as Bollinger has not featured in the Test side since an Ashes humiliation at the Adelaide Oval in 2010 when his fitness was called into question.

He's fallen so far down the pecking order that even with injuries to young guns James Pattinson and Pat Cummins, Bollinger couldn't jag a spot in the 14-man squad for the WACA Test that featured six fast bowlers.

The Bulls fell further into the mire when Joe Burns (1) and Peter Forrest (17) departed in quick succession at the hands of left-arm quick Josh Lalor to reduce them to 4-18.

But a 117-run partnership between Reardon (71) and captain Hartley (66) dragged the Bulls back into the contest, though Blues all-rounder Steve Smith paid dearly for dropped chances off both batsmen.

Reardon was on two when he chopped a tough, low chance to Smith's left, while Hartley was on just eight when the former Australia representative put down a far more regulation chance at second slip off Bollinger.

Both batsmen made the most of their opportunities, with Hartley taking an aggressive approach to evening the game up by smashing10  boundaries.

In the end it was debutant Adam Zampa (2-30) who chipped in to remove both top-scorers, trapping Hartley lbw before getting Reardon caught behind off a sweep shot.

Ben Cutting is 23 not out, and has already belted two big sixes, while Cameron Gannon is unbeaten on four.


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Australia want Ponting for Ashes

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Still wanted ... selectors are backing Ponting to play through to the Ashes. Source: Sarah Reed / News Limited

Australian coach Mickey Arthur says selectors are unanimous in not wanting Ricky Ponting phased out before next year's Ashes but warns there's mounting pressure on him from beneath.

Arthur couldn't deny that the third Test against South Africa in Perth could be pivotal in the future of Australia's highest-ever run scorer, with Phil Hughes, Usman Khawaja and even Rob Quiney still in the picture.

Ponting has had three successive failures to start the series against South Africa, and in the second Test in Adelaide was bowled twice in a match for only the second time in his career.

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The Tasmanian turns 38 next month, but unfortunately that same number is the former captain's Test batting average for the past three years.

Arthur said Ponting's position was dependent on runs but he made it clear the selectors were keen to avoid losing his experience and presence before Australia head to England.

"All I know is inside that dressing room and privately we've all backed Ricky Ponting. At the moment (he) has the unanimous backing of the selection panel," said Arthur.

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"If he's scoring runs we certainly want Ricky Ponting around for the next six months.

"We want Ricky Ponting to go to the Ashes, there's no doubt about that.

"Like any batsman though you've got to keep scoring runs ... and Perth is a big Test for him, and that's by Ricky's own admission.

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"I'm 100 per cent sure though and confident Ricky will come through in Perth."

Ponting has already thrown himself at the mercy of selectors, conceding a frank chat with the panel probably isn't far away.

But Arthur said there was yet to be any discussion about Ponting's future.

"No, none whatsoever," he said.

Clarke said Ponting's strong Shield form prior to the Test series hadn't been forgotten and his brilliant record for Australia meant he deserved to have faith shown in him.

"Once he gets in I have no doubt at all he'll go on and make a big score," said the skipper.

"He knows how to make big hundreds. He's still as good a player under pressure as anyone in that changeroom."

In the first Test against Sri Lanka next month in Hobart, Ponting would be in line to break Waugh's all-time record and become the second most capped Test cricketer of all time behind Sachin Tendulkar, in front of his home-State fans.

It would be a massive call to drop him before then.

But further failures against South Africa's highly-touted quicks in Perth would raise serious questions about whether he is too far in decline to see out the summer.

A young player like Hughes, Khawaja or Quiney looking for a second chance at Test level, could benefit from making their return against the weaker attack of Sri Lanka.

Hughes, who hasn't played for Australia since being dropped after the New Zealand Test in Hobart last year, is the highest run-scorer in Shield cricket this season and averages 51.8.

"We've got some young players there that have a taste now of international cricket and when called up or when needed are ready to step into the breach," said Arthur.


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Live: AUS v SA, T2, D5

Written By Unknown on Senin, 26 November 2012 | 14.23

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Late rally ... Siddle removed Steyn and Kleinveldt to move the Aussies closer to victory. Source:AFP

Two late wickets from Peter Siddle aren't enough for an Australian victory in Adelaide, South Africa avoiding defeat thanks largely to a masterful knock from Faf du Plessis.

Re-live the thrilling conclusion to day five, including our lunch break Q&A with Sydney Sixers GM and former Test paceman Stuart Clark.

You can also check out all the stats, pitch maps and wagon wheels at our Cricket Match Centre.


2nd Test - Adelaide Oval

22 November 2012 - Day 5, Session 3

South Africa 2nd Innings

F. du Plessis 110 376 14 0 29.26
M. Morkel 8 12 2 0 66.67
P. Siddle 33 15 65 4 1.97

Complete

First ball: 11:00 AM November 22, 2012
Location: Adelaide Oval

Match Summary

Australia: 10/550 & 8/267
South Africa: 10/388 & 8/248

Latest comments (all times AEDT):

1805: We now head to Perth on Friday with the series locked at 0-0 and a host of changes to occur for both sides. Lets hope for a fitting finish to a brilliant series so far. Thanks to everyone who has joined me, Trent Hile, over the past five days and we look forward to your company again in Perth.

1802: STUMPS: Well there it is. What a remarkable conclusion to this Test match. The Proteas will just about consider this a victory after batting for almost a day and a half to save the game. Faf du Plessis came in just before 4pm yesterday and has batted right the way through, finishing with 110 of 376 balls.

1801: FOUR! Morkel drives through cover for a boundary. More importantly, he's survived. One ball remains. South Africa have all-but saved this Test.

1800: FOUR! Morkel drives and they set off for a single, but the Aussies opt to let it go for a four to keep Morkel on strike. Two balls to go.

1757: Three minutes remain. After almost five days of intriguing Test cricket, it all boils down to this. Peter Siddle will take the ball, needing two wickets for victory.

1755: Morkel survives. Lyon to du Plessis, probably two overs to go.

1751: Du Plessis sees out the Lyon over and now Morkel will have to contend with Siddle.

1747: WICKET!!! (Kleinveldt 3, b Siddle, SA 8/240) HE'S DONE IT! Siddle knocks over Kleinveldt with a full toss that sneaks between bat and pad. Is this Michael Clarke v India all over again? The drama continues to unfold here in Adelaide. Australia have 12 minutes to take two wickets.

1746: This is unbelievable to watch from Siddle. He can barely walk back to his mark yet he's running on pure spirit and sending them down a shade under 140km/h.

1744: Siddle looks absolutely spent but he's charging in once again to Kleinveldt. He beats him with a beauty second-up.

1741: A probing over from Clarke but the Aussies find no joy in it. It'll be Lyon to du Plessis in his 48th over.

1736: Kleinveldt sees out a maiden from Lyon. There's a minimum of five overs left now, with 24 minutes remaining by my watch. He can turn anything to gold with the bat and now Michael Clarke is backing himself to do it with the ball.

1729: After a near six-hour lull, the tension is now unbelievable. Every ball is met with 'ooohs' and 'ahhhs' from the Aussies. Lyon is turning them big-time at one end, with Siddle finding reverse-swing at the other.

1724: WICKET! (Steyn 0, c Quiney b Siddle, SA 7/234) Siddle gets Steyn with a full-toss! The South African quick middles a juicey full-bunger straight to Quiney at a shortish mid-wicket, who takes a good low catch. Don't go anywhere, we've got a grandstand finish.

1721: Siddle has a big appeal for LBW against Steyn turned down by umpire Bowden. That looked to be just missing leg stump. It looks like du Plessis is happy to let Steyn face Siddle while he deals with Lyon at the other end.

1713: DROPPED! Steyn goes with hard hands to Siddle and pops a sharp chance to Cowan at short leg. He can't get low enough quick enough, hitting him on the foot and spilling a tough chance.

1712: Du Plessis remains unflappable while Steyn is looking surprisingly comfortable with the bat. The lion-hearted Siddle is into the attack.

1703: Was that a dropped chance there? Du Plessis squeezes a forward defensive shot close to the pitch and it pops up in the air. Cowan throws a lazy left arm at the ball but can't hang onto it. Replays suggest that might have been a catch rather than a bump ball.

1659: Well as the players enjoy the final drinks break of the Test, we cast our eye towards the situation at hand. South Africa will have to survive one hour from now and a minimum of 15 overs. Dale Steyn has won plenty of Test matches with the ball ... can he help save one with his bat?

1656: Paul of Wyong asks: "What happens if all three tests are drawn are the Saffers still No. 1?"

Trent says: Yes, Australia must win the series to take the No.1 ranking. We'll take it momentarily if we win this Test.

1652: The Falcon of Gold Coast writes: "I find it funny that all the keyboard warriors are on here bagging Wade. I bet these were the same people who wanted Haddin gone & now half of them will be calling for his return due to good domestic form. Let the kid establish himself. Give him an extended run. I have always maintained, if fit, Paine should be keeper but they have gone with Wade so deal with it and support him. Like was mentioned earlier look at Warnie's early career..."

Trent says: Aussie cricket fans ... we're a fickle bunch.

1646: WICKET! (Kallis 46, c Cowan b Lyon, SA 6/233) At last, Lyon strikes! He procures the inside edge from Kallis, with Cowan holding on to a simple chance at short leg. This match isn't over yet.

1643: FOUR! Hilfenhaus strays onto leg and Du Plessis clips it away to the vacant square leg boundary.

1642: HUNDRED TO DU PLESSIS! At last du Plessis gets a ball he feels comfortable enough to drive through the off-side, piercing the gap and picking up two to bring up his maiden Test century on debut. What a remarkable innings under this sort of pressure. He'll remember this moment forever - particularly if he can still be there at the end of the day.

1635: Du Plessis has been on 98 for a long time now. But full credit to the young man, he's sticking to the plan and defending stoutly.

1633: Thanks to Cricket Tragic who rightly pointed out that this is Wade's fifth Test, not third. Maths was never my strong suit.

1628: In other news in the world of cricket, England have just completed a 10-wicket demolition of India. Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann grabbed all 10 second-innings wickets between them. Talk about a Bunsen burner.

1622: Siddle almost sneaks a yorker under du Plessis' bat but the debutante is good enough to keep it out - just.

1621: Du Plessis gets a thick edge away through point and picks up two. He moves to 98.

1619: Gentleman John of Tas says: "Wade reminds me of Kamran Akmal. Without the batting talent, so basically a keeper that cant keep or bat."

Trent says: That's a beauty. Too good.

1612: Geoff of Bali writes via email: "Are our Selectors big enough to admit they have made a dreadful mistake with Wade, 3 missed catches, a missed stumping, and no runs, he is not a Test Keeper at this stage of his career, it has been and will be proven to be a very costly experiment."

Trent says: Look it definitely hasn't been Wade's best performance but lets not forget it's only his fifth Test. If players were hung out to dry after five games then Shane Warne might have finished a glorified domestic cricketer.

1602: FOUR! Kallis squeezes one through backward square off Clarke's bowling to move to 42.

1556: Gee the criticism is starting to fly after Wade's dropped catch. To be fair, he's keeping up to the stumps to a bloke bowling 135km/h after spending more than 100 overs in the field. Although you guys aren't so forgiving:

No No No says: "Wade is probably the worst keeper weve had. We need a guy that can actually keep like Chris Hartley."

BJ says: "All of a sudden im starting to miss Brad Haddin...."

Geoff of Bali says: "OK, it's official, Wade is less than a poor WK (where's Warney-catch catch, cant stump, cant get runs), he has to go. Three dropped catches is simply not good enouh against anybody, let alone the #1 Team we are desperate to beat."

Future Selector of WA says: "Don't blame Wade, its not his fault he was selected. Blame Inveriaty."

1542: That's tea. Will Australia be left to rue that missed opportunity?

1540: DROPPED! Du Plessis gets a feint edge off Hilfenhaus and Wade (keeping up to the stumps) can't hang onto it. That's a crucial miss. To make matters worse, Hilfenhaus has steamrolled Warner in his follow-through.

1538: FOUR! Ordinary delivery from Hilfenhaus; a knee-high full-toss outside off stump. Du Plessis makes no mistake with it and moves to 94.

1536: FOUR! Lyon bowls a juicey full-toss and regardless of the state of the game, Kallis won't let him get away with that. He glides that effortlessly through the covers for four.

1534: The partnership between this pair is up to 68 off 156 deliveries: that's warp speed compared to De Villiers and du Plessis, who finished with 89 off 408. Du Plessis has showed unbelievable concentration for a man playing in his first Test. It will be interesting to see whether that waivers at he approaches a maiden Test ton. He's on 90.

1529: There's a big shout for a catch in close off Lyon's bowling. I sense it's a pleading appeal more than anything, with Clarke not going for the review. Replays show there was spin, bounce, a collection of the back pad - but no bat or glove.

1518: FOUR! Hilfenhaus drops slightly short and Du Plessis bangs him through cover-point off the back foot. That's the stroke of a man in some serious form. He goes to 87 and edges closer to a ton on debut. SA 5/192

1510: For the punters out there: the TAB favour this match to finish in a draw at $1.60, with Australia $2.25 and South Africa $101. Any value there?

1458: The situation stands as follows: Australia need five wickets, South Africa need 245 more runs to win, and there's a minimum of 35 overs remaining today. I can see this all boiling down to a tense final session.

1451: Here's a fun fact I've just read on Twitter:

Clarke's average when with Lara: 2615 runs @ 51.4.
                                                    Kyly: 1882 @ 75.2
                           and post wedding: 527 @ 263.5.

1448: FOUR! Kallis gets a wide, waist-high full toss and slaps it behind point for four.

1446: FOUR! Too short from Warner. Du Plessis gets a short one outside off stump and cashes in with a boundary. SA 5/176

1439: FOUR! FOUR! Kallis disposes of two ordinary deliveries from Warner; first a full-toss, then a long-hop.

1437: Here's one of the more interesting bowling changes of the afternoon. David Warner into the attack. He's bowling around the wicket to Kallis. Gee this takes me back to one memorable afternoon at the SCG, watching Shane Warne go straight through Kallis with a wrong-un from around the wicket to pick up his 300th wicket. It turns out that it evokes similar memories for Mark Taylor!

1435: FOUR! Next ball, Hilfenhaus is full, and Du Plessis whips him away on the leg-side. Two terrific shots. With that, he moves to 76.

1434: FOUR! Hilfenhaus bowls to Du Plessis from around the wicket. He drops short and the Proteas batsmen uses the width to play a superbly timed backfoot drive.

1419: FOUR! FOUR! Siddle pitches up and Du Plessis drives strongly down the ground. The next ball looks a mirror of the previous and this time Du Plessis goes straight and harder, albeit slightly in the air. He looks the real deal, Du Plessis. SA 5/153

1408: DROPPED! Kallis attempts to drive Lyon through the off-side but sends a chance back down the wicket. Lyon jumps and gets a hand to it but is unable to grip on to a difficult chance.

1404: Whippy of Australia writes: "Is Australia establishing a false sense of security? We beat an aged Indian team last summer that clearly was not up to standard of past sides that have toured here, and this summer we have the No 1 test nation that has been struck by injury and lead on the field by Captain Bland. Or are we rebuilding into a good side that deserves to be in the top 2? I want us to hand it to the Poms, but I think we might be headed for a roller coaster ride over the next 6 months."

Trent says: That's an interesting issue for debate Whippy. As Stuart Clark said in the lunchtime chat, we can only beat what is in front of us. Sure, South Africa won't be full strength this series, but lets not forget that we went over there fairly underdone and drew 1-1 with them. We're still a work in progress; I'd like to see our top three settled and have all our bowlers fit and firing to have a better indication of where we're at.

1401: FOUR! Jacques Kallis wastes little time in getting his innings underway, with a simple leg-side push of Lyon's bowling running away to the rope.

1356: WICKET! (De Villiers 33, b Siddle, SA 5/134) At last, Siddle gets the breakthrough! De Villiers doesn't get forward enough to a probing off-cutter from Siddle and he dissects the gap between bat and pad. After a fighting innings this morning, De Villiers hears the death rattle of his stumps being knocked over and departs for 33.

1342: FOUR! Fifty to Du Plessis! Hilfenhaus throws up a full outswinger and has Du Plessis driving riskily on the up. He gets enough wood on it to fall wide of third slip, running away for a boundary. SA 4/130

1340: Thanks again to Stuart for joining us. Will be interesting to see whether his Sixers can back up their Champions League success in this year's Big Bash. The players are on their way back out into to the middle.

1338: And finally, Fritz of St Kilda asks: "Do you think T20 will completely overtake 50-over cricket?"

Stuart says: At some point in the future, yes, but probably not at the moment. It will never overtake Test cricket. The players still hold that in the highest regard and that's what they want to play. But I think it will be more popular than 50-over cricket in the near future.

1334: Mack Dawg asks: "With the season-ending injuries to James Pattinson and Pat Cummins, are we pushing our fast bowlers on too soon?"

Stuart says: It does appear that way, but I think it's the modern system and it's the way cricket wants to be. They want young guys that are playing well. So we are probably pushing them too soon, but there's no other way around it at the moment under the current system.

1332: Sam the Sixers' No.1 fan asks: "What are your plans after finishing up with the Sixers?"

Stuart says: I haven't got any plans at the moment. I'm waiting to see what's on offer. I've got a few bits and pieces to complete to become a fully-fledged lawyer, so I'll probably take care of that, but then maybe take some time off. I'll pop up again somewhere.

1327: Seamus from Perth asks: "Who was the one batsman you hated bowling to?"

Stuart says: There were a number of them. Sachin Tendulkar was one of the better players. I only played Brian Lara once, but he was one of the better players. If I played him again I imagine he would be on the list.

1324: Julian asks: "What about the makeup of the Sydney Sixers' side has allowed them to be so successful?"

Stuart says: I think you've just got a good, all-round bunch of guys. We took the approach very much last year that we didn't have one superstar. We've now got a team and a good team culture because everyone can bat and everyone can bowl. Everyone chips in at certain times.

1321: Coops of Alexandria asks: "If Australia win this Test they'll take the No.1 Test ranking. Do you think that's a fair indication of where they're at?"

Stuart says: Yes. I think you can only beat what's in front of you and the rankings go up and down quite a bit. If they've beaten India and go on to beat South Africa, why shouldn't they be No.1 in the world?

1317: JC of Sunshine Coast asks: "As a former Test bowler, do you think Twenty20 cricket can have a negative impact on your bowling in the longer form of the game?"

Stuart says: I think you need to be careful that you don't play too much of it but there's no scientific evidence to say how much is too much. Personally, I think the system that they're running at the moment is wrong.

1301: LUNCH: The Proteas have survived the opening session without losing a wicket. Don't go anywhere, we have Stuart Clark joining us shortly.

1258: As expected, Siddle switches to the construction site end. This should be the last over before stumps.

1256: SHOUT! REFERRAL: Du Plessis leaves one that hits him outside the line of off-stump. It's certainly worth a shout. Billy Bowden turns down the appeal but after deliberation, Clarke and Lyon decide to take a look at the review. Hawk Eye says the ball would have gone over the top of the stumps. Umpire Bowden breathes a sigh of relief - that's the first one he's got right this morning!

1254: Siddle replaced by Lyon after just one over with the new ball. Surely he wants to bowl at the other end?

1251: A reminder that we have Sydney Sixers GM and former Test quick Stuart Clark joining us in the lunch break. Make sure you get your questions in for Stuey in the next 10 minutes.

1247: New ball is shaping away nicely for Siddle. He just needs to force a few more strokes; De Villiers leaving comfortably at this stage. Australia have 12 minutes until the lunch break and a wicket before then would be huge.

1240: Australia have taken the new ball. Hilfenhaus will be the man with first use of it. Richard Kettleborough's waving of the new rock to the scorers will go down as a contender for the most exciting piece of play of the morning.

1235: Rippersportspro of NSW says: Might be time to give Warner a bit of a bowl, he has some useful leggies that's for sure.

Trent says: He's been a bit of a find with the ball this Test, hasn't he? I wouldn't like to be facing him coming at you from around the wicket with those footmarks.

1233: Gee I'd love to be a fly on off-stump at the moment. There's six men around the bat. Can you imagine the banter?

1227: Lyon beats Du Plessis with his 'Jeff' ball. That one swung and went the other way.

1216: FOUR! Lyon back into the attack and bowls one full and wide to Du Plessis who drives through the empty off-side infield for his fifth boundary of the morning. SA 4/109

1214: Chance! Safe: De Villiers attempts to defend a ball from Clarke but spoons it dangerously in the air back down the wicket. The man at silly mid-off dives but misses.

1207: WICKET?! ... no, we'll need to see a review first. Clarke bowls to Du Plessis and there's close impact between bat and pad. Clarke goes up confidently and Billy Bowden agrees! Du Plessis challenges immediately. Did it hit bat or pad first? Oh dear. It completely missed the pad. No wonder Du Plessis was motioning for a review from the moment Bowden's arm got mobile. That is certainly NOT OUT.

1201: As the players take stock during the first drinks break of the day, there's some mixed predictions coming through to Fox Sports HQ:

S7ME of Hervey Bay says: "Australia to win today by tea break. A bit worried about the 3rd Test with Pattinson out, but at least Mitch Starc is ready to go!"

Mouse says: "After 6 overs this morning, I'm calling a draw. I just can't believe that Australia can bowl out South Africa on the last day with only two quicks and Nathan Lyon."

1156: FOUR! Clarke drops short and Du Plessis shows a rare sign of positivity, cutting it away to the cover boundary. He's now 37 off 124 balls. SA 4/101

1154: WICKET! ... Wait ... NOT OUT: Du Plessis shoulders arms to Clarke, letting the ball hit his front pad without offering a shot. Billy Bowden raises the finger! Du Plessis opts to review the decision. It's pitched just fractionally outside leg stump, meaning he can't be out leg before. Close, but no joy for the Aussies.

1148: Michael Clarke into the attack in the place of Siddle. We might see more use of the pad than bat here.

1139: It's a battle of wills out there at the moment. The last 20 overs have gone for 19 runs. Scott of Geelong doesn't like what he sees: "I'm a big fan of De Villiers batting, i rate him right up there with Kallis and co when in form but watching him try to survive and block everything is painful, i mean 16 from 120 balls....seriously. I know he's doing a job but if I was a fan at the ground i would be a little annoyed because he is a class act when up and going. Du Plessis looks a player too, worthy replacement for Duminy."

Trent says: I doubt he'll be winning a Logie for this innings but he'll be pleasing one man that matters: Graeme Smith. They won't want to give the Aussies a sniff.

1127: FOUR! Lyon drops short and wide. Du Plessis takes advantage of the two men in regulation positions (cover and mid-off) on the off-side, punching it off the back foot for four.

1119: Did I say these two were looking more positive? Scratch that: Lyon has them right back in their shells with his 88km/h hand grenades.

1113: Rippersportspro of NSW writes: "I see Australia being able to create enough opportunities to go 1-0 up going into Perth, especially if South Africa continue to bat like they did in the last session yesterday. Speaking of Perth, just to show a result wicket will be prepared there, there has only been one draw at the WACA in the current millennium which was in 2001/02 when Australia were against NZ (the Test where Warney got caught off a no ball for 99)."

Trent says: It will be harder without Pattinson, but you certainly have to fancy the Aussies to take six wickets in 100 overs on this deteriorating wicket. Interesting to note that Australia will steal South Africa's No.1 ranking if they win this Test, but should they lose in Perth, they'll be relegated back to No.2.

1105: In the air! Safe: Du Plessis is driving in the air but it half-volleys to Ricky Ponting at short mid-wicket.

1102: FOUR! Du Plessis gets one from Siddle that tails into his pads and he clips it fine for the opening boundary of the morning. Both batsmen looking decidedly more positive this morning than last night.

1058: Well I'm not going to lie ... I took a look at the weather forecast earlier in the week and after seeing rain predicted for day five, I put some cash on the draw. But after seeing the forecast for today - with 0-3mm predicted - I'm just about ready to tear up my ticket. We've been blessed with another picture-perfect Adelaide day. The players are out in the middle and Peter Siddle has the ball.

1046: Good morning all and welcome back to foxsports.com.au's LIVE and INTERACTIVE coverage of the second Test at Adelaide Oval. Trent Hile joining you again to guide you through the action as this intriguing contest edges towards a conclusion. Australia require six wickets to wrap up the Test and a 1-0 series lead, while the Proteas will be keen to deny them victory by batting out the day.

We'll have a real treat for you in the lunch break with Sydney Sixers GM and former Test paceman Stuart Clark joining us as a special guest. Get in your questions for Stuart early!

Don't forget to join in the action by sending a question or comment to blogs@foxsports.com.au or by leaving a comment at the bottom of the page.


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