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Scorecard
Dheeraj Jadhav’s chalked up his third century in three matches to make Assam frontrunners for promotion to the Super League next year and a place in this season’s quarter-finals. It was slow going through the day, but despite the failure of veteran Amol Muzumdar Assam were able to inch past Andhra’s first-innings total. Jadhav remained unbeaten on 102 after nearly six hours at the crease, during which he hit only five fours and a six. Jadhav was involved in a series of mid-sized partnerships – four of them worth more than 40 – but Andhra didn’t allow any stand to flourish beyond 57. The lead is still only 21 runs with four wickets remaining, so Andhra still have an outside chance of winning and progressing.
Scorecard
Amit Mishra’s legspinners ripped through Tripura’s middle order to put Haryana on top at Bansi Lal cricket stadium in Rohtak. Two former Mumbai batsmen, Nishit Shetty (27) and Wilkin Mota (39), had taken Tripura to a solid 82 for 2 before their side lost five wickets for 48 runs. Mishra bagged the final three wickets to fall on the day to end with superb figures of 21-7-28-3. Earlier, Harayana’s tail, guided by Sachin Rana, extended the first innings total to 265 – the bulk of the day’s runs coming through a final wicket stand of 39 between Rana and Sanjay Budhwar.

Close England 356 (Swann 81, Harris 5-123) and 11 for 1 (Cook 4*, Anderson 6*) need another 353 runs to beat South Africa 418 (Kallis 120, Swann 5-110) and 301 for 6 dec (Amla 100)
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHashim Amla was South Africa’s saviour, as he turned the tables on England•Getty Images

Hashim Amla rescued South Africa from a first-session meltdown with a brilliant and phlegmatic five-and-a-quarter-hour century, and in so doing, built a platform from which England were left dangling precariously at the end of an enthralling and fluctuating fourth day at Centurion. In the six overs available after Graeme Smith had declared with an unassailable lead of 363, Morne Morkel produced an unplayable second-ball snorter to extract the key scalp of Andrew Strauss for 1 – a massive breakthrough in their bid to claim the opening match of the series.By the close, Alastair Cook and England’s nightwatchman James Anderson had chiselled and grimaced to 11 for 1 in reply, an uncomfortable mini-session that meant that the day had finished as it had begun, with massive pressure being exerted on a jittery top-order by accurate and incisive new-ball bowling. On a dry and dusty surface, the extra hardness of the still-lacquered Kookaburra played havoc on the ever-widening cracks – and few deliveries misbehaved as badly as the Anderson shooter that eventually ended Amla’s vigil after five deliveries of England’s second new ball.With that in mind, England’s bid for survival will require a performance of Amla-esque sang froid, after he arrived in the middle in the third over of the day and had to watch from the non-striker’s end as his captain Smith was himself skittled by a delivery from Graham Onions that barely rose above his bootlaces. With England alive to the possibilities and maintaining an admirable wicket-to-wicket line, South Africa’s anxieties extended even to the normally unflappable Jacques Kallis, who ground his way to 4 from 32 balls before hoisting a surprise short ball from Broad straight down the throat of Cook at deep square leg.At 46 for 4 in the 22nd over, South Africa were in serious jeopardy, especially given the manner in which Graeme Swann and Anderson had ripped the initiative away from them with their thrilling ninth-wicket partnership on Friday afternoon. But Amla retained his composure admirably in the conditions, crouching low in his stance to combat the bounce, but quick to cash in on anything loose, particularly with a spring-loaded cut shot.Until his dismissal, his innings was virtually flawless. Swann’s offspin caused him one moment of alarm on 23, when an lbw appeal was sent to the third umpire for review, but replays showed he was struck just outside the line. And on 49, he brought up his half-century from 106 balls with arguably his only false stroke in 213 attempts – a rash swipe for four that just skimmed out of the reach of the man at mid-on.But if Amla was the linchpin, then the catalyst for South Africa’s revival was de Villiers, with whom he added 119 for the fifth wicket in a fantastic post-lunch alliance. De Villiers’ urgency and aggression transformed a run-rate that had been dawdling along at barely 2.5 an over, and in so doing, forced England out of their comfortable wicket-to-wicket mindset, and forced them to offer up more loose deliveries in search of the elusive unplayable ball.His first shot in anger was a shimmy down the track to Swann and a handsome loft for six over mid-on, and though both Anderson and Onions hinted at a touch of reverse-swing, neither man could maintain a consistent line to utilise it to the max, with too many offerings sliding into the pads. He survived one moment of good fortune on 47, when a reviewed lbw from Onions was upheld in accordance with the original on-field decision, and it was eventually Broad who broke the stand, 20 minutes before tea, when Ian Bell at short cover scooped a scuffed drive off a slower ball.On 11, JP Duminy redressed the review balance when his own marginal lbw decision was upheld, this time in Anderson’s favour, but if England thought they were back in the hunt at 191 for 6 (a deficit of 253), then Mark Boucher came bursting out of the blocks in typically belligerent fashion. With Amla quite content to close down one end, Boucher blazed nine fours and a six in a 73-ball 63 not out, and reached the fifty that had eluded him in the first innings moments before Amla sealed his century with a sweet clip through midwicket off Broad.By now, the demons in the wicket had vanished along with the hardness of the old ball, and while it was a frustration to England after a spate of morning successes, it also served as something of a reassurance that survival could be a simple matter of putting bat on ball on the final day – assuming, of course, that tomorrow’s first hour with the six-over-old new ball doesn’t prove to be a demolition derby.Anderson’s reaction on detonating Amla’s off stump was instructive. Far from celebrate the moment, which left him with England’s stand-out figures of 4 for 73, he booted the offending orb into the outfield as it rebounded into the path of his followthrough. In the final hour of the day, England’s last vestiges of good humour were wiped away by Morkel, who flogged Broad for 18 in an over to hasten Smith’s declaration, then responded to his new-ball opportunity by cramping Strauss from round the wicket, and grazing his edge with a perfect leaping delivery.First shooters, then fliers. The net result is that England have a battle awaiting them on Sunday. And unless they can find an Amla of their own, their fortunes could be made or broken inside the first hour of play.

Match facts

December 4-8, 2009
Start time 10.30am (00.00 GMT)Watch out: Brad Haddin missed out in the first match but has scored a Test century in Adelaide•Getty Images

Big Picture

Things couldn’t have gone much worse for West Indies at the Gabba, where their innings loss within three days suggested a huge gap between the teams. To add to their problems, the strike bowler Jerome Taylor has been ruled out of the rest of the series with a back injury, leaving an already young and developing attack even greener. The only bright spot was the debut of the opener Adrian Barath, whose 104 in the second innings was a supremely positive sign for a team that otherwise was out of sorts. At 1-0 down, their chances of regaining the Sir Frank Worrell Trophy are very slim but at the very least the team must produce a more competitive effort in the second Test.An Australian victory over the next five days will mean Ricky Ponting’s men retain the trophy after winning it 2-0 in the Caribbean last year but as well as the result, there are several interesting sub-plots developing for the home side. Shane Watson’s duck at the Gabba means if he fails again the pressure will build to drop him down the order. Michael Hussey’s first Test half-century won’t save him from questions over his future if he doesn’t score decent runs in Adelaide. And in the absence of the Man of the Match from Brisbane, Ben Hilfenhaus, who is injured, the Australians will unleash a self-described “loud and obnoxious” Doug Bollinger for his second Test.Another three-day result is extremely unlikely at Adelaide Oval, where runs in the middle flow as freely as the beer on the hill. The short boundaries square of the wicket give bowlers little room for error and the pitch doesn’t tend to play serious tricks. Any sixes that land where the western grandstand used to be could result in a short delay – the stand has been largely demolished since last year’s Test and is still a building site.

Form guide (last five Tests, most recent first)

Australia – WLWDL
West Indies – LLLLL

Watch out for

Brad Haddin stamped himself as a Test batsman at this venue last year when he brutalised New Zealand with 169. He looked in fine touch at the Gabba without going on to post a big score. He is the kind of player who can change a match a short space of time and West Indies’ bowlers will need to be on target to keep him quiet.
Chris Gayle’s supreme power square of the wicket makes him a dangerous proposition at Adelaide Oval. He will barely need to get hold of a pull or flick to see it sailing over the boundary. His record at the venue isn’t great – his only two international innings there have brought him 11 runs in a pair of one-day internationals in 2004-05 – but Gayle will be extra keen to lead by example after his disappointing returns in Brisbane.

Team news

Hilfenhaus has been rested due to his ongoing knee problem and Bollinger will come into the XI. That is the only change to the successful side, with Victoria’s Clint McKay preparing to carry the drinks.Australia 1 Simon Katich, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Marcus North, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Doug Bollinger.Ramnaresh Sarwan batted at training on Thursday and is likely to return to the side having missed the Gabba Test due to a back injury. Despite providing some much-needed fight in Brisbane, Travis Dowlin is likely to be the man to miss out. Their other task is to find a replacement for Taylor and the selectors were deciding between Darren Sammy and Gavin Tonge, with Sammy’s batting ability perhaps giving him the edge.West Indies (possible) 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Adrian Barath, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Brendan Nash, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Sulieman Benn, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Ravi Rampaul.

Pitch and conditions

The Adelaide Oval surface holds few demons and good batsmen can play through the line with confidence in the bounce, and pounce on shorter balls knowing the square boundaries are in their favour. There is more grass on the pitch than usual, which pleased Ponting when he inspected the ground on Thursday. “It is always a good sign in Adelaide,” Ponting said. “It generally means that there’ll be a bit more pace and movement and carry early on in the game, which is always good.” The weather throughout the Test is expected to be fine and partly cloudy, with temperatures hovering in the mid 20s.

Stats and Trivia

• Australia have lost one Test at Adelaide Oval in the past 14 years – against India in 2003-04
• Despite the Gabba result, don’t expect another three-day encounter – not since West Indies beat Australia in 1951 has an Adelaide Test failed to reach a fourth day
• Michael Clarke will be especially looking forward to the Test – three of his past four Test innings at Adelaide Oval have been centuries
• Adrian Barath’s 104 on debut at the Gabba made him the youngest West Indian to score a Test century – he was almost exactly a year younger than the next on the list, the great George Headley

Quotes

“Everyone is going to be disappointed. We played terrible cricket. That’s the scenario at this time. We’re just trying not to listen to too much negativity.”
“One thing we didn’t quite nail last week was the amount of guys that got off to starts and didn’t go on and get the big hundred. We’ve spoken about that in our team meeting this morning and it’s something that we want to improve on.”

Group A

Mohammad Talha’s five-for sealed a nine-wicket win for NBP against ZTBL•AFP

Mohammad Talha grabbed 5 for 37 to help National Bank of Pakistan seal a nine-wicket win, their second in the tournament, over Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited in Faisalabad. NBP began the day with a lead of 40, and Kamran Akmal at the wicket. He handed his team a decisive advantage by scoring a typically aggressive century, making 109 in 123 balls to secure a lead of 177. Akmal was assisted by Qaiser Abbas, with whom he added 128, and contributions from the tail, who propped up NBP to 292. Faced with a major deficit, ZTBL started on a positive note with the openers adding 48. At 82 for 1, it seemed a fight was on, but a collapse ensued. The next five wickets fell for 64, and though Wajahatullah Wasti resisted with 57, with the lower order adding to NBP’s frustration, Talha and Mohammad Asif cleaned up the tail to leave their batsmen a target of 25, which was achieved in six overs.Water and Power Development Authority, boosted by important contributions from the lower order, reached a dominant position against Habib Bank Limited at stumps on the second day in Lahore. A century from Ahmed Said had taken them to 214 on day one, and Ali Azmat (57), Nawaz Sardar (24) and Umaid Asif (67) ensured WAPDA remained in control, helping them post 411. Danish Kaneria took 4 for 118, but could not prevent WAPDA reach a substantial score. In reply, HBL were struggling at 64 for 3, with a set Taufiq Umar, who made 32, falling at the stroke of stumps.Khan Research Laboratories consolidated the advantage they had gained over Karachi Whites at the National Stadium, reaching 508 for 8 and extending their lead to 421. Starting on 210 for 3, KRL lost Mohammad Wasim early but the batsmen who followed shut out any possibility of a Karachi Whites fightback. Bazid Khan scored a half-century, Zahoor Elahi blitzed 29 and Ali Khan topped their effort, scoring his maiden first-class century, remaining unbeaten on 117. He received support further down the order from Tariq Mahmood (32), with whom he added 89 for the seventh wicket, and Jaffar Nazir, who made 49. Karachi Whites, facing such an imposing lead, are staring at the possibility of an innings defeat.Misbah-ul-Haq, who was dropped for the series against New Zealand, answered his critics in style, scoring a career-best 284 to put Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited on top against Lahore Shalimar at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Misbah was involved in a mammoth fifth-wicket stand of 479 with Usman Arshad, who made his personal best, 183. The pair struck 63 boundaries and five sixes between them to boost SNGPL to 609 for 6 declared. Lahore, in reply, were reeling at 158 for 5, with Asad Ali causing the early damage, taking three wickets. Lahore lost three wickets for one run at one stage, but captain Ali Raza (35 not out) and Suleman Khan (24 not out) lend some stability to the innings.The contest between Pakistan Customs and Pakistan International Airlines at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex was evenly poised at stumps on day two. Pakistan Customs began the day on 216 for 6 but a three-wicket burst from Najaf Shah (4 for 31) bowled them out for 227. PIA, in reply, reached 185 for 6 at stumps, but their batsmen will regret not capitalizing on starts. Opener Khurram Manzoor made 51, Kamran Sajid chipped in with 32, Shoaib Malik contributed 30 while wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed was run out for 24. Fahad Iqbal remains unbeaten on 24 and will have to shoulder the responsibility of taking his team into the lead on the third day.

Group B

Fawad Hussain’s career-best 150, laced with 23 fours and two sixes, put Rawalpindi in command against Quetta in Islamabad. From 309 for 4 overnight, Rawalpindi reached 529 on the second day, with Hussain’s effort boosted by valuable stands with the lower order, including a 65-run stand with No.11 Nasir Malik. Rashid Latif (3 for 15) and Mohammad Rameez (2 for 66) had reduced Quetta to 53 for 5 before Ata-ur-Rehman (33 not out) and Jalat Khan (24) saved the blushes, somewhat, with a 63-run unbeaten stand to finish at 116 for 5 at stumps.There was little to choose between Multan and Sialkot at stumps at Jinnah Stadium. Sialkot just gained a one-run lead after being bowled out for 279, Zulfiqar Babar restricting them with 7 for 97. Openers Kamran Younis and Majid Jahangir added 72 but Babar hit back with two quick wickets. The middle order then stepped up, captain Mohammad Ayub making 51, Suleman Ali chipping in with 46 and Nayer Abbas batting with the tail to finish with an unbeaten 38, and taking his team past Multan. At stumps, Multan were 14 without loss.Half-centuries from Ijaz Ahmed jnr and Naved Latif gave Faisalabad a slender first-innings lead against Peshawar at Sargodha. Resuming on 3 for 1 on the second morning, Faisalabad slipped to 63 for 3 before the middle and lower order made valuable contributions. Ijaz remained unbeaten on 65, while Latif contributed 51 to a 92-run stand for the sixth wicket. Hamad-ul-Hasan took 3 for 100 as Faisalabad finished on 263 for 7, leading by 31 runs with three wickets in hand.Karachi Blues ended the second day on top against Islamabad at the Diamond Club Ground. Javed Mansoor completed his half-century before Karachi Blues were dismissed for 396 in their first-innings, after which Tanvir Ahmed and Tariq Haroon reduced the hosts to 204 for 6. Islamabad were struggling at 99 for 5 before Ameer Khan scored a half-century and added 96 runs with Naeem Anjum, who remained unbeaten on 43. Karachi ended the day on a high when Ameer was run out for 69.Adnan Raees converted his overnight score of 90 into a massive hundred to boost Abbottabad from 309 for 7 to 420 against Hyderabad at Abbottabad. The home side’s bowlers then consolidated the advantage by restricting Hyderabad to 186 for for 6 by the close of the second day. Hyderabad opener Aqeel Anjum top-scored with 85 but received little support from the rest of the top and middle order. Junaid Khan and Khalid Usman took two wickets apiece for Abbottabad.

The New Zealand cricket team was named the recipient of the Spirit of Cricket Award at the ICC Awards ceremony.It is the second time New Zealand has won this award (the first being in 2004) which is presented to the team which, in the opinion of the Elite Panels of ICC Umpires and Match Referees and the ten Full Member captains has best conducted itself on the field within the spirit of the game.The award was presented to New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori by Haroon Lorgat, the chief executive of the ICC.Upon receiving the award on behalf of his team Vettori said: “I think most teams within world cricket aspire to the intangible notion of the Spirit of Cricket. It’s not easy to define but I think when you get out on the field of play most guys know where that line is and most play the game in the right way.”If we can couple the Spirit of Cricket award with the ICC Champions Trophy then we will be very happy indeed.”This Spirit is described in the preamble to the Laws of Cricket: “Cricket is a game that owes much of its unique appeal to the fact that it should be played not only within its Laws but also within the Spirit of the Game. Any action which is seen to abuse this spirit causes injury to the game itself.”The preamble goes on to say: “The Spirit of the Game involves respect for:
*Your opponents
*Your own captain and team
*The role of the umpires
*The game’s traditional values
The award has previously been won twice by Sri Lanka (2007 and 2008), England won it in 2005 and 2006 while New Zealand took the honour at the inaugural ICC Awards in 2004.

Scott Newman, Ed Joyce and Kyle Hogg have received reprimands under the ECB’s discipline code.Newman, currently on loan with Nottinghamshire, was reported by umpires Richard Illingworth and Peter Hartley for a level one breach which covers abuse of cricket ground, equipment or fixtures and fittings when he swiped at his stumps following his dismissal against Sussex. From the same match Joyce was also reported for showing dissent.Hogg’s reprimand comes following an incident in Lancashire’s Pro40 match against Leicestershire on August 23 when he was reported by Peter Willey and Mark Benson for a level one breach of the code.The reprimands remain on the players’ record for two years and any further level one breach during that period will result in an automatic imposition of three penalty points.

ScorecardA double hundred from the captain Chris Rogers coupled with a maiden century for the club by former Durham right-hander Garry Park eased Derbyshire to their highest score of the summer and their best-ever total against Kent at a blustery Old Racecourse Ground.Without five potential first-choice seamers Kent, the Division Two leaders, suffered an abysmal time in the field for the second successive day as the hosts rattled along at 4.40 runs an over to post 583 for 4 declared for a first-innings lead of 302. Rogers top-scored with an impressive 208 from 274 balls in a shade over five-and-a-half hours with more than half his runs coming in boundaries as Kent’s threadbare attack served up a series of long-hops and half-volleys.Rogers’ fun finally ended in the middle-session when Amjad Khan snagged him leg-before with the first ball of a new spell from the Old Grandstand End; a full-length off-cutter caught Rogers pushing from the crease to end a second-wicket stand with Park that added 125 in 28 overs. Rogers also featured in an opening stand worth 216 in 62 overs with Wayne Madsen (75), taking the pair into the top 10 for all-time openingstands in championship cricket for the county.Madsen’s contribution to the cause ended 10 overs into the day when he edged a leg-cutter to wicketkeeper Geraint Jones from Khan’s third ball of the day. In the absence of Wayne Parnell, Azhar Mahmood, Martin Saggers, Robbie Joseph and Ryan McLaren, Kent captain Rob Key found it nigh on impossible to create pressure or contain the run-rate as his attack managed a paltry 15 maidens in Derbyshire’s entire 132-over innings.After tea Khan bagged another couple of wickets, having Greg Smith (59) caught off a skier at point after a 78-ball 50, then Wavell Hinds (18) toe-ended his pull off a Khan bouncer to pick out Justin Kemp at mid-on to give Khan, Kent’s sole wicket-taker, figures of 4 for 110.Park went to his maiden century for Derbyshire from 170 balls with 12 fours and then moved through the gears to race to 150 from only 209 balls. He and John Sadler (24*) added exactly 100 for the fifth wicket in 10 overs before Rogers declared just before 5pm with Park unbeaten on a career-best 178.In the 14 overs remaining in the day Kent lost Sam Northeast (6) when he cut a wide one from Tom Lumley straight to Greg Smith at gully but Rob Key (17*) and Geraint Jones (15*) survived to see their side safely through to stumps on 44 for 1 – they require a further 258 to make Derbyshire bat again.