No thought of quitting despite Ashes pains: Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting may be just one Test defeat away from becoming the 1st Australian skipper in 120 years to lose three Ashes series but he is not entertaining any retirement thoughts.

Ricky Ponting, who turns 36 on December 19, has not been at the top of his form with the bat while his team trail England 1-0 in the five-match series with 3 Tests remaining.

"My absolute focus is on all the things within my control, preparing the team and myself to perform at our very best in Perth, Melbourne and then Sydney over the next three tests," Ponting wrote in the Australian newspaper on Saturday.

"I have not stopped for one moment to consider retirement. The question of my future as skipper is ultimately a decision for Cricket Australia and categorically the future of Australian cricket must come first."

"I have every confidence in my ability to score runs and be the experienced batsman and leader that my teammates can rely on."

"As captain, I am accountable for the performance of my team and I accept that our most recent results mean that I am being assessed more seriously than at other times in my career as skipper."

"The team is my priority, not my own ego or the status that comes with being the captain of the Australian cricket team."

Ponting accepted England had dominated the series so far.

"We've been ordinary, we've played poorly. I haven't played the way I would like to have played, especially in Adelaide, but I don't think I'm that far away."

"I've got to keep trusting the way I prepare and play and keep working hard. If anything I might have worked a bit too hard on my batting over the last couple of weeks."

England crush Australia by an innings and 71 runs

Australia suffered a massive blow with the loss of key batsman Michael Clarke in the final over Monday to leave them facing an uphill battle to salvage the second Ashes Test against England.

Clarke looked set to go to stumps leading a fighting rearguard action at the Adelaide Oval only to fall to a catch close to the wicket off part-time spinner Kevin Pietersen, with only four balls left of the fourth day.

Clarke had appeared to have recaptured his best form after cheap dismissals in Brisbane and the Adelaide first innings before he was out for 80.

At stumps Australia, chasing 375 runs to make England bat again, were 238 for four with Mike Hussey the not out batsman on 44.

Clarke was initially given not out and refused to walk off until England called for a referral and replays showed that the ball had come off his bat to Alastair Cook fielding close in.

"Just want to apologise for not walking off the ground tonight when I hit the ball. I was just so disappointed, my emotions got best of me," Clarke said via Twitter after play.

England spinner Graeme Swann, who looms as his team's major weapon on Tuesday's final day, said it was a significant wicket for the tourists.

"It's a massive bonus for us. It was tough going for us in the last session, their two best players against spin at crease, both playing well," he said.

"Sometimes you need a bit of inspiration and who else but Pietersen to come on and give you it."

Hussey said it was a "kick in the guts" to lose Clarke. England amassed their fifth highest innings in Ashes Tests and their second best in Australia, only surpassed by a 636 scored in Sydney in 1928.

Captain Strauss finally called a halt to the run onslaught at 620 for five with Ian Bell unbeaten on 68 and wicketkeeper Matt Prior not out 27.

The tourists lost only the wicket of Pietersen for his Test best score of 227 in the 40 minutes of free scoring, in which they added 69 off nine overs.

Pietersen smashed beleaguered spinner Xavier Doherty's first ball of the day through midwicket for four but went for a lusty swing at the next ball which turned sharply out of the rough to Katich at slip.

Pietersen amassed his haul off 308 balls with 34 fours and a six and he shared in a 116-run partnership with Bell in 125 minutes.

His previous best Test score was 226 against the West Indies in May 2007.

On Sunday Pietersen became only the fifth Englishman to score a double century in Australia with his first century in 28 Test innings since his 102 against the West Indies at Port-of-Spain in March last year.

Dominant England have amassed 1,137 runs runs for six wickets in their last two innings in this series.

England paceman Stuart Broad strained stomach muscles during his second bowling spell but returned to the field after the rain break. "We?re going to have to keep fighting hard and I thought we fought pretty hard today. It was a bit of a kick in the guts to lose that one in the last over."

Clarke, the Australian vice-captain, went to the crease under pressure following scores of nine and two and his team needing him to produce a long match-saving innings against dominant England, who are chasing their first win in Adelaide since 1995.

Rain might yet assist Australia's rearguard after a storm suspended play for an hour after tea and with more bad weather forecast for Tuesday's final day.

Top-rated spinner Swann proved the major threat with his sharp turn out of the footmarks and he captured the key wickets of Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting.

Katich's painful resistance ended in the 30th over, when he pushed forward to Swann and got a touch for wicketkeeper Matt Prior.

The stoic left-hander battled a painful Achilles injury and hobbled for his 43 off 85 balls to help build an opening stand of 84.

Katich later went to hospital to have scans of his injury with the results expected on Tuesday.

Swann got Ponting's prized wicket when the Aussie skipper came forward and edged to slip, where Paul Collingwood snapped up a great low two-handed catch.

It was a huge setback for the Australians, with Ponting lasting only 21 minutes for his nine when occupation was more important than runs.

Opener Shane Watson again failed to go on after a good start when he nicked Steven Finn to Andrew Strauss at first slip for 57.

Doherty will best Pietersen: Ricky Ponting

Australia skipper Ricky Ponting on Monday backed uncapped Xavier Doherty to best England batsman Kevin Pietersen during the Ashes series 2010/11, saying the spinner was ready for the tourists' top order.

Xavier Doherty was included in Australia's Ashes team over Nathan Hauritz - a decision retired spin legend Shane Warne slammed on micro blogging site Twitter as "very very harsh on Hauritz" who he said "deserved first break at poms".

But Ricky Ponting said left-arm orthodox spinner Doherty, 28, had been impressive in recent Sheffield Shield domestic matches for Tasmania while Nathan Hauritz had "lost his action".

"Seeing him up close and personal for those couple of games probably gave me a bit more of an idea of how good he was because I haven't played much with him in the last few years," Ponting said.

"He's a good solid character as well and I think he'll handle the situation pretty well and I think we saw that in his 1st ODI Cricket Match at the MCG."

Doherty took four wickets on his ODI debut against Sri Lanka at the MCG on November 3.

"I think he'll be ready for what the English batters try and do," Ponting said.

Pietersen has a patchy record against left-arm orthodox bowlers and was dismissed by Australia A spinner Steve O'Keefe, also a left-arm orthodox, during a tour match in Hobart last week.

Zaheer Khan ruled out of 3rd Test

India were dealt a big blow ahead of the 3rd cricket Test against New Zealand with pace head Zaheer Khan being ruled out of the final rubber because of a groin injury.

Young left-handed pacer Jaydev Unadkat has been drafted in the team in place of him.

Zaheer suffered a groin injury during the 2nd cricket Test, which ended in a domestic draw at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium.

"Zaheer Khan is injured and is unavailable for the 3rd Test against New Zealand, to be played at Nagpur from 20th November to 24th November," BCCI secretary N Srinivasan said in a release.

"The All India Selection Committee has chosen Jayadev Unadkat to replace Zaheer Khan in the squad," it said.

Zaheer was off the field for a good part of the 4th day. The left-handed pacer bowled just 3 overs during the 5th day.

McCullum 225 secures draw for New Zealand

India made 68/0 at close after the visitors declared their 2nd innings at 448/8 at tea, setting the hosts an improbable target of 327 runs to win in 30 overs.

Virender Sehwag returned to hit an unbeaten run-a-ball 54, studded with six boundaries and a six, to bring up his 2nd half-century of the match. Fellow opener Gautam Gambhir stayed not out on 14.

Brendon McCullum (225) frustrated the Indian spinners with his quick footwork and clever reverse sweeps. He was dropped on 148 by substitute fielder Cheteshwar Pujara at short leg off Harbhajan Singh's bowling.

The stylish right-hander reached the coveted double hundred mark with a paddle scoop to the fine leg boundary off part-time spinner Suresh Raina.

"It was quite important for us to bat some time and score some runs, else we were in danger of losing the Test," man of the match McCullum told Neo Cricket channel.

Resuming on 237 for four, McCullum and Kane Williamson (69) added 124 runs for the 5th wicket before the latter was out, adjudged leg before to Harbhajan.

McCullum perished trying to hit paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth (3-121) for the third consecutive boundary, skying a slower ball for Raina to take a well-judged catch.

The three-match Test series is tied at 0-0 after the first two tests.

Chris Gayle puts West Indies on top with triple-century

Chris Gayle became the first West Indies batsman to hit a triple-century in an away Test, putting Sri Lanka under pressure in the opening Test on Tuesday.

The former skipper made a career-best 333 as the West Indies posted a massive 580/9 declared in their 1st innings on the second day at the Galle International Stadium.

Sri Lanka are 54/1 in reply at stumps, with debutant West Indies Fast Bowler Andre Russell dismissing Tillakaratne Dilshan with his 2nd delivery in Test cricket.

Skipper Kumar Sangakkara (33) and Tharanga Paranavitana (10) were the not-out batsmen at the close.

Gayle, 31, also became only the fourth batsman to score two triple-centuries in Tests after Australian Don Bradman, India's Virender Sehwag and West Indies' Brian Lara.

Harbhajan Singh slams maiden century, match ends in draw

India found an unlikely batting hero in Harbhajan Singh, who produced a match-saving maiden Test century to turn his team to safety along with VVS Laxman as the first Test against New Zealand ended in a draw on Monday.

Harbhajan (115) notched up his only first class century and combined with experienced person, VVS Laxman (91) as the duo spoiled New Zealand's push for victory with a solid 163-run partnership for the 7th wicket.

Resuming their 2nd innings at a precarious 82/6, Laxman and Harbhajan saved India the blushes by batting carefully before the innings folded up for 266 shortly after the tea break for an overall lead of 294.

The Kiwis were 22 for one in their second innings before both captains decided to call off play.

It was Harbhajan who stole the spotlight on the final day's play and had it not been for his valiant batting effort, the story could have been quite different for the home team.

Harbhajan, who made his highest score of 69 in the 1st innings, achieved his dream of scoring a century in Test cricket. His 115 came off 193 balls and contained 13 boundaries and three sixes.

Harbhajan reached his maiden ton in style with a six off Vettori and held his bat in the air to return the applause of his teammates in the dressing room.

The stylish Laxman, who has bailed India out of many a crisis, was a picture of poise and concentration as he held the innings together and kept guiding Harbhajan.

Laxman was wrongly given out leg before wicket to rival team captain Daniel Vettori by umpire Steve Davis as TV replays showed the ball had deflected on to the pad off the inside edge of the bat.

Laxman and Harbhajan took India from a difficult 65 for six last evening at the fall of captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's wicket and were not separated till close to the tea interval when Vettori won the verdict against the former. The partnership was together for 10 minutes under four hours and faced 328 balls.


Man of the Match: Harbhajan Singh