Uttar Pradesh rolled out for 79 by Railways

	Sanjay Bangar was instrumental in skittling UP out for 79 © ESPNcricinfo Ltd Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Amitoze Singh | Sanjay Bangar | Stuart Binny | Mithun Manhas | Mayank Sidhana | Krishnakant Upadhyay | Kuthethurshri Vasudevadas | Kuthethurshri Vasudevadas | Sankalp Vohra Series/Tournaments: Ranji Trophy Elite | Indian Domestic Season Teams: India

Group A

Sanjay Bangar and Krishnakant Upadhyay skittled Uttar Pradesh out for a shocking 79 - the eighth lowest score in Ranji history - to put Railways in charge at the Mohan Meakins Cricket Stadium in Ghaziabad. No. 4 batsman Prashant Gupta top-scored with 30, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar managed 14, but no other batsman reached double-figures in UP's abject effort.

The story of the day was the performance of Upadhyay, a former Uttar Pradesh Under-22 player who moved to Delhi once he failed to secure a berth in the senior squad. Even with Railways, he did not feature in their first three matches this season. But, against Punjab in the previous round, he picked up a match haul of ten wickets. And on Wednesday, on a seaming pitch, he rocked the UP batting to finish with 4 for 37, while Bangar cleaned up the tail to grab 5 for 20 - the eighth five-for of his career.

Tanmay Srivastava endured a horror day, following up his first-innings effort of 2 with a second-innings duck as UP were forced to follow on, Upadhyay removing him both times. It capped a memorable day for the seamer, who started his handiwork with the bat in the morning, making an unbeaten 31 from No. 10 to steer Railways to 374.

"Uttar Pradesh is one of the big teams in domestic cricket and able to do well against them is special. I played Under-22 cricket for UP but wasn't picked for the senior team. I am really happy I did well against them," Upadhyay said, summing up his day.

Mayank Sidhana and Amitoze Singh cracked maiden centuries on the second day to take the ton-count to four, as Punjab continued to boss Rajasthan at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. The defending champions continued to have a poor season, with the frailties of their bowling line-up exposed yet again in the Elite League. Karan Goel first indulged himself to move from the overnight 116 to 167 before falling to part-timer Vineet Saxena. Uday Kaul and Mandeep Singh fluffed the chance to capitalise on a flat track as Punjab slipped to 401 for 5, but Sidhana and Amitoze were about to shut the door on Rajasthan. The pair made their tons in contrasting styles, with Amitoze slamming 103 off just 97 balls - his first ton in his fifth first-class innings, to go along with three fifties in his debut season. Sidhana was more conventional, consuming 198 balls for 122, though he struck 17 fours and a six to match Amitoze's boundary count. Punjab declared three short of 600, and nipped out Saxena's wicket cheaply to leave Rajasthan facing a difficult third day.

Aakash Chopra was lucky to get away when he was dropped by Mandeep Singh at second slip, depriving Manpreet Gony of a wicket in his first over. Punjab are optimistic of snatching a second outright vicory of the season. "There is no reason why I should be pessimistic even after we scored 579," Punjab coach Vikram Rathour said.

Karnataka found their voice on the second day at the East Coast Railway Sports Association in Bhubaneshwar, as they reduced Orissa to 211 for 7 in reply to their 278. Karnataka lost CM Gautam for 63 in the day's first over, throwing a spanner in their works as they looked for 300. Basant Mohanty and Biplab Samantray finished with three wickets apiece, while Sunil Raju steered Karnataka to their final score. Orissa made a solid start, with the openers adding 55, before Stuart Binny and Santhebennur Akshay sliced through the top order. Samantray resisted with 65, but wickets fell in a clutch around him. Abhilash Mallick and Govind Podder were on the throes of building a resistance, when the former became Binny's third victim. Podder remained unbeaten on 34, and will need to carry on for his side to get the lead. His 97-run combine for the fifth wicket, the highest in the match so far, with Abhilash Mallick has kept Orissa in the contest. With the second new ball due in four overs, a well-fought game can still be expected.

Mumbai were made to toil for the second day running by Saurashtra in Rajkot. For more on that match, click here.

Group B

The Motibagh Stadium in Vadodara witnessed a day of swinging fortunes as Baroda snatched the first-innings lead despite succumbing for a mere 203 early on the second day against Gujarat. Resuming at 192 for 7, Baroda's tail had no answer to opening bowler Ishwar Choudhary, who picked up all the three remaining wickets to finish with a five-for. Baroda's bowlers, however, came out undeterred to roll their opponents over for 169. Priyank Panchal and Pratharesh Parmar were the only batsmen to go past 30, as Sankalp Vohra and Firdaush Baksh made rapid incisions. Vohra finished with figures of 4 for 24 to give his side the lead, before Baroda's openers survived seven watchful overs to ensure they held all the aces at stumps. Their chances of making the quarter-finals remain alive.

Tamil Nadu continued their resurgence from the first day to finish with 391, before reducing Bengal to 84 for 2 at Eden Gardens. K Vasudevadas and Ramaswamy Prasanna extended their association to 160, before Prasanna fell in the 14th over of the day's play, for 67. Vasudevadas was lucky on 74 when he was dropped by wicketkeeper Shreevats Goswami off the bowling of Sourav Ganguly. He went on to complete his second first-class century before falling to Ranadeb Bose.

TN captain L Balaji continued Bengal's torment with a dogged, unbeaten 49, and the tail rallied around him to ensure 77 runs were scored after Vasudevadas' exit. Bengal then made careful progress in their first innings, but lost Arindam Das and Abhishek Jhunjhunwala along the way. Trailing by 308 runs, Bengal are one batsman short with Rahul Banerjee, yet to take field, after he got hit on his abdomen, fielding close to the bat. The morning session would be crucial going by the first two days: seven of the twelve wickets have fallen in the first two hours of play.

Delhi snatched a two-run first-innings lead against Madhya Pradesh, and went on to extend the advantage to 240, with three second wickets remaining, as the Group B fixture at the Emerald High School Ground in Indore headed for an early finish. Twenty-seven wickets have fallen over two days, but Delhi assumed complete control on the manic second day. Resuming at 86 for 6, MP were on course for the lead thanks to a 43-run seventh-wicket stand between Amit Sharma and Jalaj Saxena. New-ball operator Parvinder Awana revived Delhi by trapping Saxena in front for a 29-ball 31, with MP still 29 runs adrift. Awana backed that up by running out TP Sudhindra before Ashish Nehra removed Sharma with MP still 15 behind. The last pair inched within striking distance, but Awana removed No. 11 Asif Ali for a nine-ball duck to stop MP just short. Sudhindra then made early inroads for MP to suggest the second innings would be as bowler-dominated as the first, but Mithun Manhas resisted with a stroke-filled 97 off 134 balls that took the game away. Yogesh Nagar contributed a stodgy, unbeaten 35, and will look to extend the lead on the third day. MP are currently third in the table with eight points, two behind toppers Delhi, but have a game in hand.

Saurashtra in full control after dominant second day

Mumbai 19 for 2 trail Saurasthra 580 (Chauhan 157, Pathak 116, Powar 4-176, Zaheer 3-82) by 561 runs
Scorecard

	Zaheer Khan's return to complete fitness was the most important development of the day, but Saurashtra took control of the game © ESPNcricinfo Ltd Enlarge
Related Links Matches: Saurashtra v Mumbai at Rajkot Series/Tournaments: Ranji Trophy Elite | Indian Domestic Season Teams: India

Mumbai have themselves to blame for getting distracted in the final half hour of the Saurashtra innings when the hosts' tenth-wicket pairing of Sandip Maniar and Siddharth Trivedi looted 57 runs from seven overs, which frustrated and exhausted the visitors. Then, in a smart move, Saurashtra captain Jayadev Shah declared the innings, leaving Mumbai a tricky interval of six overs to negotiate before stumps. Mumbai duly lost two wickets in opener Sushant Marathe, and Abhishek Nayar, the best batsman so far this season, in the final over of the day, giving the hosts complete control.

Saurashtra had put themselves under pressure after having scored at a run-rate of under three per over on the first day. But today, their batsmen, led by Jaydev, played with a combative spirit, scoring at a four-plus rate consistently. His 135-run alliance for the fourth wicket with Bhushan Chauhan, the overnight unbeaten batsman, ensured Mumbai toiled for a second successive day.

Having already crossed the 500-run mark, Saurashtra's lower order used the long handle fearlessly. Mumbai paid the price for taking the tail lightly as Maniar and Trivedi rubbed the salt openly. Trivedi charged Ramesh Powar confidently, lofting the offspinner for two sixes and three fours in an over. Surprisingly, Powar and Dhawal Kulkarni played into the opponents' hands, failing to bowl a wicket-to-wicket line. Adding insult to injury were the Mumbai fielders, including senior players like Zaheer Khan, who failed to show the pro-activeness to convert the half chances.

If the day ended on a promising note for Saurashtra, it had started in a similar vein for their opponents. Zaheer Khan angled his third delivery of the morning across the bat of a helpless Cheteshwar Pujara. The thin outside edge was snatched nicely by Marathe who did well to move to his right quickly before throwing himself head-on and latch on to the catch with his outstretched fingers. But even if Zaheer had instantly found his lengths and line, and was bowling at his desired pace, the pitch had not changed nature.

Still the onus was on Saurashtra to set up a contest considering Mumbai were comfortably perched atop Group A with sixteen points, and were favourites to make the knockout stage. Saurashtra, with just eight points, had to force matters to gain the maximum points from this game.

Once Zaheer finished his first spell of four overs, Chauhan and Jaydev understood the dangers had diminished drastically. Chauhan, who already had scored a Ranji century against Mumbai during his record 275-run opening stand with Chirag Pathak in 2008-09 season, scored his third first-class century, which he brought up with a lofted straight drive for four. He flashed his blade all across the empty Khanderi ground, the new base of the Saurashtra Cricket Association.

It was the second time the opening pair of Pathak and Chauhan had got hundreds in the same innings against Mumbai. In fact it was the third occasion when two Saurashtra openers achieved that feat in a Ranji Trophy match. Pathak and Sagar Jogiyani had compiled centuries against Bengal last season.

At the other end Jaydev, normally an aggressive batsman, was happy to snatch easy doubles and fours as the opposition bowlers failed to keep him in check. With runs ticking fast, Iqbal Abdulla started pitching behind Chauhan's stumps. He did not mind the wides, considering his sole aim was to make Chauhan impatient. The strategy paid dividends at the stroke of lunch when Chauhan went for the paddle sweep, top-edged, and was caught easily by Suryakumar Yadav at short fine-leg.

Six overs into the second session, Zaheer got the ball to reverse just that bit to hit Jaydev's off stump and pick up his third wicket. That Zaheer was back to complete fitness was the only bit of good news for Mumbai, and a welcome development for the Indian squad and selectors.

SL players to get part payment of outstanding dues

	Tillakaratne Dilshan does not think his team has been distracted by SLC's financial problems © Associated Press Enlarge
Related Links News : South Africa cricketers condemn Sri Lanka salary delay News : FICA to look into Sri Lanka's salary delays News : Sri Lankan players unpaid since World Cup - reports Players/Officials: Tillakaratne Dilshan Teams: Sri Lanka

The Sri Lanka sports minister, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, has said that the Sri Lanka players would be paid 65% of their dues within the next two weeks, while the balance amount would be paid by January 15 next year.

"We will be able to complete the full payment by January," Altuthgamage told the Sri Lankan parliament on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has not paid their players their salaries since the 2011 World Cup ended in April after running up debts of US$32.5 million to finance the building of two international cricket stadiums in Hambantota and Pallekele, and to renovate the ground in Colombo, for the World Cup.

Aluthgamage said that the ICC had agreed to pay US$2 million to SLC and that the coach and players would be paid out of those funds. The Sri Lankan Cricketers' Association (SLCA) has contacted the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) seeking assistance over the delay in the cricketers' salaries for series following the World Cup this year.

South Africa's cricketers lent their support to the Sri Lanka players ahead of the upcoming bilateral series between the sides, saying it was a credit to the Sri Lanka team that they had kept going, but the issue needed to be resolved soon.

Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Sri Lanka captain, said the board had told him they would try and sort out the payments within the next week. " We discussed with the Cricket Association last week and they promised it will be sorted out before the Test match, Dilshan told reporters at a press conference in Benoni. "I can't push more than that. I'm here to play cricket. I have to focus on that."

Dilshan also thanked the South Africa players and FICA for their support. "It [statement by SA cricketers] has definitely helped. Thanks to Graeme Smith and AB [de Villiers] for giving a statement, and to FICA."

Sri Lanka have struggled since the World Cup, losing Test and ODI series to Australia, England and Pakistan. But Dilshan said he didn't think that the payment saga had affected his team's performances. "We try to play good cricket. Everyone wants to play cricket. We are not worried about payments. We know it is important but we have come here [South Africa] to play cricket. That's the main target as a team."

Ashraful recalled for Pakistan Tests

	Mohammad Aashraful might get another chance to secure his Test spot © BCB Media Enlarge
Related Links News : Ashraful axed, Reza given recall News : Ashraful says he wasn't given a fair chance News : Ashraful must perform to play - Law Players/Officials: Imrul Kayes | Mahmudullah | Mohammad Ashraful | Nazimuddin | Raqibul Hasan | Robiul Islam Series/Tournaments: Pakistan tour of Bangladesh Teams: Bangladesh | Pakistan

Mohammad Ashraful has been recalled to the Bangladesh squad for the two Tests against Pakistan starting later this week. Ashraful, who did not play the ODIs against Pakistan, is one of four changes to the Test squad that played West Indies in October and November.

The vice-captain Mahmudullah, medium-pacer Robiul Islam and batsman Nazimuddin were the other inclusions in the 15-man group, in place of opener Imrul Kayes and middle-order batsmen Raqibul Hasan and Shuvagata Hom.

Ashraful had been out of the Bangladesh squad since being dropped for the Tests against West Indies, after which the coach Stuart Law had said that he needed to perform to play international cricket. Since then he played five National Cricket League matches for Dhaka Metropolis and scored three half-centuries and one hundred.

Mahmudullah's return to the squad was more straightforward. He had missed the West Indies Tests because of dengue fever and recovered in time to play the ODIs against Pakistan.

Law had said that Robiul had missed out on the Tests against West Indies because Bangladesh were unlikely to play three medium-pacers. The squad for that series comprised 14 players, while the one against Pakistan has 15. Robiul strengthened his case by taking 11 wickets on Bangladesh A's tour of West Indies and took 4 for 39 for Sylhet Divison in their ongoing National Cricket League match against Dhaka Division.

Nazimuddin had not played for Bangladesh since 2008 and he was not part of the recent A team's tour of West Indies either. However, he has scored four half-centuries and a hundred in six NCL matches this season.

Kayes was axed after a string of poor performances. He made only 53 runs in three ODIs and 61 runs in two Tests against West Indies. He then scored 28 and 3 in an NCL match for Khulna Division, after which he was out for 2 and 6 in the Twenty20 and an ODI against Pakistan.

Shuvagata Hom was dropped even though he did not play a Test against West Indies and is yet to debut. Raqibul was cut after a poor A tour of the Caribbean, where he made only 91 runs in eight innings across formats.

Squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (capt), Mahmudullah (vc), Tamim Iqbal, Shahriar Nafees, Mohammad Ashraful, Shakib Al Hasan, Naeem Islam, Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Nazmul Hossain, Elias Sunny, Shahadat Hossain, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Robiul Islam, Nazimuddin.

Dilshan backs Sri Lanka batting

	Kumar Sangakkara was Sri Lanka's only consistent batsman in the series against Pakistan © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Tillakaratne Dilshan Series/Tournaments: Sri Lanka tour of South Africa Teams: Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's Test squad have arrived in South Africa with an obvious weakness - their bowling. Tillakaratne Dilshan, their captain, chose to say almost nothing about it.

"Any fast bowler who comes to South Africa likes to bowl here," Dilshan said in Benoni, where Sri Lanka are preparing to play a warm-up match against an Invitation XI starting on Friday. And that was that.

He made no reference to their missing quintet of seamers that includes Suranga Lakmal, their carrying of the perennially under-performing Dilhara Fernando, the responsibility that will sit on the shoulders of Chanaka Welegedara or the adjustments Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath will have to make to be effective in South Africa. He made no comments about the need to take 20 wickets to win a Test - something Sri Lanka have never done in South Africa.

Instead, Dilshan's plans for success in a country with some of the most seamer-friendly, pacy and bouncy pitches in the world did not involve the ball at all. "If the batting unit can put some runs on the board, we will do well in South Africa," he said.

Except that even in the batting department, Sri Lanka have not been their usual powerful selves. Only Kumar Sangakkara scored a century in their recent three-Test series against Pakistan, which they lost 1-0. Sri Lanka were bowled out in five of the six innings, three times for less than 260. "We know in the last few series, batting didn't click," Dilshan admitted.

Yet when asked to identify the area which could prove match winning for Sri Lanka, Dilshan was adamant that it would be batting. If the line-up could use Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara as their kingpins and perform around them, Dilshan predicted they would do well. "The batting unit is experienced; Mahela and Sanga have played a little bit in South Africa. Those are experienced guys. We can build around them. Thilan [Samaraweera] has come back into the side, he is experienced guy in the middle order. Myself and the youngsters, like Chandimal, have to put their hands up."

Jayawardene and Sangakkara are two of the three players (the other being Fernando) to have played a Test in South Africa before, Sri Lanka last toured the country nine ago, in 2002. Dilshan admitted that his team will have to make a speedy adjustment to the conditions that are foreign to them. "We have played on and off one-day series in South Africa and that has helped a little bit," he said. "But, everyone should get ready for these conditions as soon as possible."

The warm-up match will be Sri Lanka's only opportunity to acclimatise to conditions and the pitch in Benoni should provide them with a good introduction to South African surfaces.

Although not a particularly spicy pitch, it has recently produced a match in which wickets fell heavily. The SuperSport Series contest between the Titans and the Cobras in October south-africa-domestic-2011/engine/match/530269.html saw the Titans dismissed for 112 in their first innings and nine wickets fell on the second day.

Dilshan did say that some of his batsmen, including him, are already comfortable with such pitches. "Sanga, Mahela and myself really like bouncy tracks," he said. "If we get runs on the board as a batting group in this three-day match and everyone can come into form, that will be important for us. We have to play our brand of cricket. If we can play our brand of cricket we can beat South Africa."

At the same time, Dilshan recognised that Sri Lanka had no room for mistakes. "We can't make any mistakes. We have to be at 100% commitment for this series. Everyone should put their hands up and take responsibility." Hopefully, that includes the bowlers as well.

Clarke backs Watson to be fit for Boxing Day

	Even if Shane Watson cannot bowl on Boxing Day, Michael Clarke was happy having him playing as a batsman alone © Getty Images Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Michael Clarke | Shane Watson Series/Tournaments: India tour of Australia Teams: Australia

Michael Clarke is confident Shane Watson will play the Boxing Day Test despite the allrounder suffering a calf injury in addition to his existing hamstring tear. And Clarke believes that even if Watson cannot bowl, there should be a place in the side for him as a batsman only.

Watson was ruled out of the New Zealand series due to the hamstring problem, which he suffered while bowling during Australia's win in Johannesburg last month. It has now emerged that Watson has also acquired what Clarke described as "a light calf strain".

"It's probably put him a couple of days behind [in his rehabilitation] but we're still confident he'll be right for the Boxing Day Test match," Clarke said in Hobart, as Australia prepared for the second Test against New Zealand.

Australia are not only missing Watson's experience at the top of the order but also his valuable swing bowling. At the Gabba, Australia had to rely on the gentle medium-pace of Michael Hussey and in Hobart that will again be the case after the allrounder Daniel Christian was left out of the side.

Clarke said even if Watson was unable to bowl in the Boxing Day Test, which is two and a half weeks away, Australia would be likely to bring Watson, the vice-captain, back in for his batting alone.

"I think that needs to be discussed with the selectors," Clarke said. "I think his batting is still a very big part of our team, especially if he's opening the batting - up the top of the order he's been pretty consistent for us. If he's just batting I can certainly still see him in our team but best-case scenario I would love him to be able to bowl as well because he's had a lot of success with the ball, especially of late."

Watson was Australia's best bowler in the Cape Town Test, where his fuller lengths and ability to curve the ball in the air was the key reason South Africa were skittled for 96. Australia's bowling injury list is already worryingly long, with Pat Cummins unlikely to play a Test this summer, Ryan Harris recovering from a hip problem and Ben Cutting out until January with a side strain.

CA board structure to be revolutionised

	CA's new chairman Wally Edwards has been supportive of board reform © Getty Images Enlarge
Related Links Interviews : 'Miss this opportunity and it'll put cricket back five years' In Focus: Australian cricket under review Players/Officials: Wally Edwards Teams: Australia

Read parts one and two of the Crawford and Carter Governance review here

Australian cricket's governance is to be revolutionised, with each of Australian cricket's state associations to be asked to approve a reformed and reduced Cricket Australia board structure that removes a century-old imbalance of power to afford equal rights to each of the states.

Wally Edwards, CA's recently appointed chairman, described the looming changes as "the most sweeping in CA's 105-year history".

Under the terms recommended to the board by David Crawford and Colin Carter's governance review, the number of directors would be reduced from the present 14. Each of the six states would have no less than one residing director, though appointees would not be permitted to hold any position with a state association.

Directors would be chosen on the basis of their relevant skills, and Crawford and Carter's report suggested that CA's chief executive, currently James Sutherland, should be elevated to assume a director's berth on the board.

The present structure hands the bulk of board authority to the three "foundation" states New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, each with three directors. Queensland and Western Australia have two, and Tasmania one.

Each state will now be required to vote on the measures, and their approval is not a foregone conclusion. In their report, Carter and Crawford noted "a strong, but not unanimous, mood for change throughout Australian cricket".

According to a CA statement, the states will be required to respond to the recommendations ahead of a CA board meeting on February 27, which will "consider any constitutional amendments arising from the collective State Associations' response to today's governance review report and put that amendment to a specially-convened meeting of CA members as soon as possible after that".

Crawford, the chairman of Foster's, and Carter, president of the Geelong AFL club, have a history of advocating governance reform in Australian sport. Crawford was the author of the reports that led to the creation of the AFL Commission and more recently the formation of Football Federation Australia.

More to come...

The No. 3 mutual admiration society

	Rahul Dravid on Ricky Ponting: "From our perspective I hope he can start a golden run after our series" © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Rahul Dravid | Ricky Ponting Series/Tournaments: India tour of Australia Teams: Australia | India

When the whole world - it seemed so at the time - was asking Ricky Ponting to retire, the man who had just overtaken him to become the second-highest run-getter in Test cricket was rooting for him to do well against South Africa. Rahul Dravid relates to what Ponting has been going through. Admittedly Ponting's lean run has been longer - 22 months without a Test century - but Dravid has been in that boat, in 2007 and 2008, when he felt the pressure to just hold on to his spot in the side.

"In some ways, having gone through it myself, I found myself cheering for him, wishing for him to do well in South Africa this time," Dravid told ESPNcricinfo before departing for Australia, where he will surely have more notes to exchange with the man himself. Dravid is one of the seven members of the squad to leave before the rest of the side, in order to get acclimatised to the conditions better. "I have been through all that myself, and can easily relate to him. I was watching those Test matches and was in some way hoping that he would score runs. I hoped he would score runs in this next Test match and then take a bit of a break against us."

Interestingly, Ponting himself had asked Dravid to shut out his critics and stay put when he was struggling. "I actually went and found him at the end of the series and said 'don't you even think about retiring' because I just saw some stuff in a few of his innings that suggested he was still a very, very good player," Ponting had said of his meeting with the opposition's No. 3 before the series in India last year. "I just said 'don't let them wear you down, don't let them get you down'."

Dravid faced similar calls for retirement during his struggle - Tony Greig famously and rhetorically asked on live TV if Dravid's final dismissal on the Sri Lanka tour last year was his last. However, he has fought through the period and has scored the small matter of five Test centuries since his 38th birthday, numbers that are a throwback to the era of Graham Gooch if not Jack Hobbs.

Like Dravid, Ponting hasn't looked completely out of sorts. He was in pretty good form on that tour to India, only failing to convert fifties into hundreds. India is a country Ponting has never truly mastered as a batsman but he threatened to do so in Mohali and Bangalore. Dravid agrees. "I think he is still a great player," Dravid said. "He showed in the couple of Test matches that he played against us in India that he is still - I'd say he is still - the best Australian batsman. And when you read his name on the sheet he is still one of the most feared. There is no doubt about it."

Ponting's slump has in a way been similar, albeit longer, in that Dravid used to get starts in those two years but get out before converting them. Ponting has had a rope longer than any other former Australian captain of similar age could have expected. In fact captains hardly get to stay on just as players in Australia. While it says a lot about the quality of replacements available, it also points to how much Ponting is still in love with the game. He is willing to risk getting dropped as opposed to "letting them wear him down".

What Dravid has to say about his period of struggle could just as easily apply to Ponting. "Sometimes it is a confidence thing," Dravid said. "Sometimes things don't go for you. You get a bit of a bad run, you get a couple of good balls, and then you lose a bit of confidence. Maybe your mindset changes.

"However much you know you need to change it, sometimes it just doesn't happen until you can get confirmation through actual scores on the ground. As much as you can hit the ball in the nets and say you are feeling good - and it was the case, I felt really good in the nets a lot of times or even at the start of an innings and I would get out - until you get that confirmation with actual runs on the board, even if it is an ugly hundred, an ugly big score, you can't turn it around."

Except that Dravid is hoping that the confirmation, that big score - ugly or otherwise - doesn't come Ponting's way this summer. "From our perspective I hope he can start a golden run after our series."

Hosts confident as lively pitch beckons

Match facts

	Phillip Hughes will be facing up to Chris Martin once again © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Analysis : Ponting targets century in Tasmania News : Batsmen 'on notice' - John Wright Matches: Australia v New Zealand at Hobart Series/Tournaments: New Zealand tour of Australia Teams: Australia | New Zealand

December 9-13, Hobart
Start time 1030 local (2330 GMT)

Big Picture

Australia's victory in Brisbane maintained the momentum built in Sri Lanka then carried - with the exception of a ridiculous couple of hours in Cape Town - in to South Africa. It also confirmed the many and varied deficiencies in New Zealand's Test team, magnified as they were by the Gabba's bounce and movement. The second Test in Hobart affords the visitors a climate and playing surface more familiar to their batsmen, but also a venue at which Australia have excelled - not once have they lost a Test in Tasmania since the first was played in 1989.

Michael Clarke's team barged through New Zealand in less than three full days' playing time at the Gabba, but did so with a fair spread of faults the team is aware of. Australia's catching was flawed, particularly in the first innings, and the return of the fielding coach Steve Rixon to lead drills in Hobart was welcome. Several batsmen, too, will want to improve. Clarke and Ricky Ponting made substantial scores but offered a few chances and half-chances a long the way, while Michael Hussey has not made a Test score of note in five innings since he was the undisputed Man of the Series Sri Lanka. Then of course there are Phillip Hughes' continuing misadventures outside the off stump. Among the bowlers, James Pattinson has plenty to live up to following his barnstorming display in Brisbane, while Mitchell Starc will be seeking the consistency of length and line that would make his swinging, bouncing left-arm deliveries exceedingly dangerous.

New Zealand's struggles in Brisbane felt unbecoming for a team coached by a man as thorough and shrewd as John Wright, and more in line with the flighty batting of their captain Ross Taylor. The tourists' lack of Test cricket in 2011 played a large part in the manner of the defeat, as a sound first two days gave way to an abject conclusion in the face of an Australian team that did not relent. Dean Brownlie, at least, showed a neat technique and an example to the rest of the batsmen, while Doug Bracewell's whole-hearted bowling would have been far more successful without a consistently risky flirtation with the front crease line. Brendon McCullum's aggression at the top of the order was inadequately substantial, and as a whole the batsmen left far too much for Brownlie and Daniel Vettori to do. Greater application will be needed in Hobart, including the awareness of off stump that Wright has spoken of. Chris Martin was as sturdy as ever with the ball, and will again be seeking to clip Hughes off the top of the Australian batting order.

Form guide

(most recent first)

Australia: WWLDD
New Zealand: LWDLL

In the spotlight

No-one can question Phillip Hughes' appetite for runs, but he is so often out fencing at deliveries going across him before there is time to complete the entrée. On a Hobart surface that was still verdant green on match eve, it is guaranteed that Martin's right-arm seam and swing will again pose the questions that Hughes was unable to answer in Brisbane. In the words of the coach Mickey Arthur, Hughes' difficulties are of a nature that "will not go away", and after this series Ishant Sharma will be as keen as Martin to exploit them. So Hughes must show evidence of improvement sooner rather than later, or no amount of impassioned support from his captain Clarke will save him.

Ross Taylor reasoned there would be changes to his team if there is not strong improvement on an ailing performance in Brisbane. Based on the pair of shots he played to be out to Pattinson in both innings, Taylor should not be immune from scrutiny himself. A tremendous shot-making talent, his looseness was not the example to set for a young team, particularly behind a No. 3 in Kane Williamson who looked out of his depth on a surface offering bounce. In the field Taylor made some decent bowling changes but dropped a catch. The improvement of the team's Test match fortunes is going to have to start with the captain.

Pitch and conditions

Hobart surfaces tend to alternate between very flat and very lively, and the sight of a strip of similar colour and grass coverage to the outfield suggests the second Test pitch will fall into the latter category. The pace and bounce will not be on quite the same level as Brisbane's, while a colder climate may prevent a repeat of the sharp swing gained by Pattinson on day four at the Gabba.

Team news

Australia named an unchanged side on match eve, removing all doubt about the potential of the 12th man Daniel Christian to be brought in for Hughes.

Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Phillip Hughes, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Ricky Ponting, 5 Michael Clarke (capt), 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Peter Siddle, 9 James Pattinson, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Nathan Lyon.

New Zealand appear likely to give another chance to the XI that struggled for traction in Brisbane, reasoning that the players entered the first Test in good enough touch and must better organise their mental approach to Test cricket and Australia.

New Zealand (probable) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Brendon McCullum, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor (capt), 5 Jesse Ryder, 6 Dean Brownlie, 7 Daniel Vettori, 8 Reece Young (wk), 9 Doug Bracewell, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Chris Martin.

Stats & trivia

• Australia's unchanged team is their first since taking the same XI that won the third Ashes Test in Perth last summer into the fourth Test in Melbourne. An innings defeat and the loss of the urn eventuated.
• Ricky Ponting returns to the scene of his previous Test century, 209 against Pakistan in January 2010. He is without a hundred in 29 innings since.
• Chris Martin's second-innings duck gave him the most in Tests between Australia and New Zealand, eight to surpass Danny Morrison's seven.
• Though Australia have never lost a Test in Hobart, New Zealand have managed to scrape draws from two of the three Tests they have played at the ground - the other an innings defeat in 1993.

Quotes

"If the wicket doesn't change much from what I see, and it's still a little bit tacky and there's [overcast] overhead conditions I'll bowl first, but I've said that a few times and then got out there and batted. The two things I find hard: bowling first when I win the toss, and not picking a spinner."
Michael Clarke assesses the Hobart surface and conditions

"We have a good fielding outfit and we were disappointed to let our standards slip. The guys set very high standards in the field. When things aren't going so well it's something we rely on to get us going. We've put in some hard work since Brisbane."
Swing bowler Tim Southee on New Zealand's faulty fielding

Worried India look to snuff out Windies resurgence

Match facts

Thursday, December 8
Start time 1430 (0900 GMT)

	Will Darren Sammy be celebrating after the game on Thursday? © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Matches: India v West Indies at Indore Series/Tournaments: West Indies tour of India Teams: India | West Indies

Big Picture

Darren Sammy's reactions at the end of each game on this tour have been fascinating to watch. Resignation after the hammering in the Eden Garden's Test, unabashed school-boy glee following the nerve-jangling draw in Mumbai, and agony after being denied by Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron in Cuttack. The best of the lot came in Ahmedabad, though, when Sammy lasered down the stumps from mid-on to run out Rohit Sharma and all but confirm West Indies' first win on tour. He leapt, yelled, pumped his fists and could barely control the adrenaline rush as he charged towards his team-mates. Sammy will be determined to recreate that feeling with the series still up for grabs.

West Indies have played better cricket than the hosts in the ODI series, but that isn't saying much. Their top order has been asked to bat in all three games - a rare streak of extended generosity on the flat decks of the subcontinent - but has floundered against India's young seamers, before steadily losing momentum against spin in the middle overs. They haven't been as disadvantaged by the dew as expected in any of the matches, yet have allowed the action to drift along after making major incisions with the new ball. The catching has been poor, the captaincy worse, and on both counts Sammy has been the biggest culprit.

The visitors' lapses mean India need only one win to take the series, but concerns abound for the home side ahead of the Indore ODI. The 2-1 scoreline doesn't quite convey how much they have been stretched. West Indies had no business letting India's last pair sneak home in the opening ODI, and have toyed with the hosts' pop-gun attack in the slog overs in both games since. Bowling meltdowns in the death have become so routine that India don't panic when it happens anymore (think of the World Cup final). The bigger worry is the prolonged top order funk, and more specifically the lack of runs from Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. They have two games to hit upon some form ahead of far sterner tests in Australia. Will they shake off the rust in Indore?

Form guide

India LWWWW (Most recent first)
West Indies WLLLW

In the spotlight

His fans have been clamouring for this day for months on end, often disregarding form, and at times even ignoring his injury status. Irfan Pathan is back in the mix, but crucially, he is in form and fitter than he has been at any stage since he last played for India. His resurgence has come the hard way, with wickets by the bunch in the Ranji season, and the banana swing that made him such a rage in 2003-4 has also shown promising signs of reappearance. Can he transfer the rhythm and skill to the white ball?

At Motera, Sunil Narine walked up to the cauldron like he belonged and performed without a fuss. The much-feared topspinner made an early appearance, but he got his wickets with an offbreak and a carom ball. If the ball stays dry in Indore, expect him to parade a few more of his unique variations.

Pitch and conditions

The Motera game featured strange crop patterns on the outfield as the groundsmen went a touch overboard with their creativity. There will, however, be no such gimmickry at the Holkar Stadium where heavy seasonal dew in the evenings has dissuaded chief curator Samandar Singh Chouhan and his team from removing any grass from the outfield. According to Mail Today, Chouhan is betting big on an anti-dew chemical that has been routinely sprayed on the outfield in the lead-up to the game. Expect India to field again if they win the toss, unless Sehwag believes batting in the afternoon will offer a better chance to regain some form.

Team news

West Indies' best batsman on the tour, Darren Bravo, is out with a hamstring injury. The replacement is most likely to be Adrian Barath, though Kieran Powell deserves a chance after batting impressively in the Tests.

West Indies (possible): 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Adrian Barath / Kieran Powell, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Danza Hyatt, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 7 Darren Sammy (capt), 8 Andre Russell, 9 Ravi Rampaul, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Sunil Narine

Umesh Yadav is flying to Australia early, which means Varun Aaron has the chance to return to the XI. It will be a tricky call for Sehwag to make: Irfan Pathan and Vinay Kumar will both expect to play since they are the more experienced seamers in the ODI side. But neither is going to Australia for the Tests; Abhimanyu Mithun and Aaron, who are likely to tussle for the third seamer's spot in Indore, are.

India (possible): 1 Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 Virender Sehwag (capt), 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rohit Sharma, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 R Ashwin, 10 R Vinay Kumar, 11 Varun Aaron / Abhimanyu Mithun

Stats and trivia

• Rohit Sharma has amassed 514 runs against West Indies in 2011 - already the highest by any batsman against them in a calendar year
• This will be the first day-night international ever played at the Holkar Stadium. Indore has hosted two ODIs prior to this one, with India beating England in both.
  Quotes
  "It's difficult to say I am satisfied when you are losing. But we have shown a lot of spirit and created opportunities to win."
  Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, repeats something he and Sammy have said all tour
  
  "It feels great to be leading the Indian attack. The new ball suits me very well because I am more a swing bowler."
  Vinay Kumar is keen to continue new-ball duties