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New Zealand 108 for 4 (Vettori 42*) trail Australia 459 for 5 dec (Clarke 168, North 112*, Katich 79) by 351 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Doug Bollinger started New Zealand’s batting problems by handing BJ Watling a first-ball duck•Getty Images

After being overwhelmed by Michael Clarke and Marcus North in the field, New Zealand watched their top order fail to leave them facing a massive task to save the Test. Clarke’s outstanding 168, his highest score, and a career-saving century from North allowed Australia to declare at 459 for 5 and the hosts limped to 108 for 4 at stumps on the second day.Doug Bollinger struck in the first over of New Zealand’s reply and they were 43 for 4 when the left-armer removed Ross Taylor, the side’s main batsman. Daniel Vettori, the No.6, scrambled an entertaining 42 to stop the damage in combination with the more subdued Martin Guptill, who had 19.New Zealand were relieved the declaration came so soon – it arrived less than an hour after lunch – but their cheer was brief. BJ Watling was lbw first ball to Bollinger, who got one to swing back, and Peter Ingram (5) was run out by Mitchell Johnson’s stunning kick on to the stumps in his follow-through. Tim McIntosh wanted a quick single but it was a horrible call and Johnson saved himself some crucial time by not bothering to bend over for the pick-up. Everything was going Australia’s way.McIntosh lasted to tea but soon became Ryan Harris’ first wicket on debut – replays showed a tight no-ball – when he followed some short deliveries with a full one that was squirted to Michael Hussey in the gully. Twelve runs later Taylor was forced into an edge to Clarke, who dived to his right to collect another memorable moment from an unforgettable game.At the time Bollinger had 2 for 3 off 5.1, including four maidens, and he finished with 2 for 21. The pitch was still good for batting, but Australia’s bowlers were enjoying operating against an un-fancied line-up. It was such hard work for the top order that there were nine maidens in the first 14 overs.Australia rarely stalled in their innings. Clarke was classy again while North made sure of the No.6 spot with an unbeaten 112 as the visitors dominated through a 253-run partnership. Clarke followed up his aggressive play on the first afternoon with another bright performance and was putting the team situation ahead of his ambitions for a double-century when he was stumped off Vettori.North brought up his fourth hundred in 14 Tests – and his first significant contribution of the season – with a top edged pull off Chris Martin and celebrated the change of fortune by jumping, punching the air and kissing his helmet badge. Clarke had helped North relax on both days and was the leading man, scoring 151 to North’s 93 in the fifth-wicket record for Australia against New Zealand.After lunch Clarke charged at Vettori to loft over mid-off and overhaul his previous highest score, the 166 he gained against Pakistan in Hobart in January. Clarke went at Vettori again and was beaten down the legside by a late-drifting slower delivery to give the bowler his first breakthrough. During the 253-ball innings Clarke collected 22 fours and two sixes in an impressive display, especially when considering the break-up of his engagement and subsequent publicity over the past fortnight.He was responsible for Australia’s strong first-day position and he wasted no time in making it even better after they resumed at 316 for 4. North tended to avoid the flourishes of Clarke and added 32 for the opening session before becoming more aggressive after lunch.Starting with a crisp off drive in the first over of the morning, he brought up the 200-run partnership with a back-foot push off Vettori. North slog-swept a fierce six off Vettori to move to 90 and struck him for another two boundaries after his century. He accumulated 11 fours and two sixes during five hours at the crease.New Zealand were so disciplined for the opening two sessions on day one, but were unable to recapture the line. Martin and Tim Southee could not contain while Vettori and Daryl Tuffey were able to slow things down at times. What they really missed was a fast bowler like Shane Bond who could ruffle the batsmen and take wickets. Brent Arnel, the debutant, was the most successful with 2 for 89, but the best moment for the attack came when Ponting called his batsmen in.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has trimmed the initial squad of 30 for the World Twenty20 2010 to be played in the Caribbean next month to 18, with the final squad of 15 to be announced on March 30.CSA also named the Test and ODI squads for the tour of West Indies in May and June which follows the World Twenty20 as well as the South Africa A one-day and four-day squads for the tour of Bangladesh in April.Juan Theron, who helped the Warriors to the domestic Pro20 title, is the only uncapped player in the reduced World Twenty20 squad, which also includes Justin Kemp and Vernon Philander.Kemp and Philander are part of the Cape Cobras side, and have not played internationally since the 2007 tour of Pakistan and the 2008 tour of England respectively. Kemp most recently featured for the Chennai Super Kings in their opening match of the IPL’s third season against Deccan Chargers.The Test squad for the tour of West Indies is unchanged from the 15-man team that drew the two-match series 1-1 in India.Herschelle Gibbs and Albie Morkel, though, were missing from the ODI squad that played in India. Graeme Smith, who broke his finger while playing for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and was ruled out of the tournament, has been named in the one-day squad along with Ryan McLaren who was called up as an allrounder.Players promoted to the A level for the first time include Colin Ingram, Stiaan van Zyl, David Miller, Rilee Rossouw and Jonathan Vandiar. Rossouw and Vandiar have stepped up from the under-19 ranks while Miller is only one year older. In fact, Rossouw and van Zyl both played for the emerging squad last winter, though Vandiar missed out due to injury.There is also a change in the captaincy of the South Africa A squad with Thami Tsolekile being recognised for his leadership that took the Lions to the final of the Pro20.”Our aim at the moment is to build formidable squads both for the approaching World Twenty20 as well as for the World Cup next year,” said coach Corrie van Zyl. “An important part of this is to achieve consistency on the field and an important contribution to that will be to be consistent in the selection process as well.”This may involve changing the starting XI as we play against different opponents under differing conditions.”The door is not closed on any individual as far as future selection is concerned,” he added. “But we believe that the combinations we have are the best to suit our purposes at the moment.”Squad for ICC World Twenty20: Graeme Smith (capt), Jacques Kallis (vice-capt), Loots Bosman, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher (wk), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Justin Kemp, Charl Langeveldt, Ryan McLaren, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Juan Theron, Roelof van der MerweODI squad for West Indies: Graeme Smith (capt), Jacques Kallis (vice-capt), Hashim Amla, Loots Bosman, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Charl Langeveldt, Ryan McLaren, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Alviro Petersen, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Roelof van der MerweTest squad for West Indies: Graeme Smith (capt), Jacques Kallis (vice-capt), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Paul Harris, Ryan McLaren, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Alviro Petersen, Ashwell Prince, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe

Peter Siddle does not believe his heavy workload was responsible for the back injury that will sideline him for at least the next five months. Siddle was initially ruled out for the tour of New Zealand in March but his extended lay-off also means he is unlikely to be available for Australia’s series against Pakistan in England in July.He hopes to start bowling again in three months but will almost certainly have no chance to play elite cricket until the start of the next Australian summer, when he will push for an Ashes recall. Of Australia’s 2009 Ashes attack, Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus, Brett Lee and Stuart Clark are all on the long-term casualty list but Siddle said his problem was nothing to do with being overworked.”It’s definitely not the workload,” Siddle said. “For me personally I hadn’t played much cricket coming in to the last two years so for me it was more cricket than I’d ever played before but the schedule is no different than it has been over the last five or six years. That’s definitely not a part of it.”I hadn’t played a lot of cricket for Victoria and I got the call-up and it’s been busy but in that time I have had a lot of rest. I came back from South Africa and missed the one-dayers there and missed the one-dayers in Dubai to rest up. I came back from India early as well to rest up in that time so I’ve had plenty of time to rest up and if it’s going to happen it’s going to happen.”Siddle noticed back pain during the one-day series against Pakistan but was able to keep bowling until the discomfort became too much. It was a familiar feeling as he had stress fractures early in his career before his shoulder became the major concern and led to multiple reconstructions.”I had them when I was about 18 or 19,” Siddle said. “At the time it was difficult but it all went well, recovery went well and in the end I was back and playing that following year so it didn’t hold me back at all. In the end I got a lot stronger, a lot fitter and it worked out the best for me.”Since Siddle made his Test debut in India in 2008 only Mitchell Johnson has taken more Test wickets for Australia than Siddle’s 60 at 31.53 and he was named Emerging Player of the Year at the ICC awards last year. He said it was frustrating to be out of action for so long having established himself in the Australian attack but he hoped the lay-off would allow him to come back stronger.”It will give me a bit of time to rest, catch up with friends and family, do some normal things, go watch some AFL and support my team the Roos,” he said. “In the meantime get the body right, get it fully fit and a lot stronger and fitter and hopefully a new and improved body when I come back.”

Big Picture

Two teams that failed to reach this stage in the 2008 tournament in Malaysia have a shot at redemption and going all the way. Both Australia and Sri Lanka have been in terrific form through this tournament and the way they each brushed aside their opponents in the quarters was indicative of that.Both experienced similar fortunes on their way to the semi-finals. They finished second in their respective groups in the league phase, losing a game each. However, they should be familiar with each other’s strengths and weaknesses because, less than a year ago, Sri Lanka traveled to Australia to play a five-match ODI series in Darwin. The tourists won 3-2, so Australia have a score to settle in this knockout game.Sri Lanka have had a busy build-up to this tournament, playing 23 ODIs since last May. Aside from the Australia tour, it included a tour of Bangladesh and South Africa, the latter being the warm-up for the ongoing tournament in New Zealand. They began the year badly, losing 4-1 to Bangladesh before bouncing back in Australia. They hosted a tri-series, also featuring Pakistan and Bangladesh towards the end of the year and claimed the title. They failed to make the final of their next tri-series, in South Africa, but have rebounded well in the World Cup so far.

Form guide

They began their campaign on a comfortable note, brushing aside Zimbabwe by eight wickets, and thrashing Canada by 134 runs. Things didn’t click in a low-scoring final league game against group toppers New Zealand, but they quickly regrouped in style with an eye-catching performance against tournament runners-up South Africa, beating them by 146 runs. The Australians, on the other hand, spent the whole of 2009 at home and haven’t been as busy as their opponents. In fact, their form leading to the World Cup wasn’t impressive, having lost home ODI series to Sri Lanka and India as well, going down 2-1 to the Under-19 champions. Their fortunes changed in New Zealand with two thumping wins against minnows USA (108 runs) and Ireland. Their second game was virtually a walkover, as the Irish crumbled to 65 in a heavy 209-run defeat. They very nearly made it three in a row in a high-scoring game in Queenstown but South Africa held their nerve to win by two wickets. They were up against New Zealand in the quarter-finals and managed to choke the hosts with a disciplined bowling performance in Rangiora.Both teams go into this game with an exact 50-50 win-loss record in ODIs since 2009. Australia have won and lost six games each while Sri Lanka have played 23 and won and lost 11 games each. Not much to separate these two sides in terms of form. For the 1988 and 2002 champions, Australia, tomorrow’s game will be treated as a rematch after Darwin.

Players to watch

Leading the way among the batsmen is Tim Armstrong, who’s currently sixth in the run charts with 199. Their middle order has also chipped in with useful scores when the openers have failed. They also have a potent seam attack in Josh Hazlewood and Alister McDermott, both of whom have first-class experience.Sri Lanka have a strong batting lineup and they will look to their star batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa, to lead the way. An attacking left-hander, Rajapaksa is the fourth-highest run getter in the tournament so far with 203 runs, including two half-centuries and that has already fetched him two Man-of-the-Match awards. The left-arm seamer Charith Jayampathi is also in the top ten with nine wickets. They have the makings of a good all-round side. What remains to be seen is how they tackle the moving ball.

Quotes

“We played against Sri Lanka up in Darwin and lost to them 3-2, but it’s a new game tomorrow and I’m really looking forward to it. Freddie (coach Brian McFadyen) said today that they have eight left-handers in their team out of the 11 that will play so that will be interesting.”

James Sutherland, the chief executive of Cricket Australia, is set to accommodate the wishes of his state associations by creating a window for the domestic Big Bash Twenty20 tournament. The Big Bash currently overlaps with Australia’s home international season, meaning the country’s leading players are largely unavailable to represent their state sides.”Our long term planning has a way to go but I could see the time come when the Big Bash has its own summer-time window so that we can bolster it even further by having our Test and ODI players available for inter-state Twenty20 duties,” Sutherland said. “The inclusion of overseas stars such as Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Shahid Afridi is making this season’s contest a Bigger Bash, so to speak, and performances by increasingly high profile state players such as Dave Warner, Stephen Smith and Tim Paine this week are also helping the turnstiles click faster”.The first week of the 2009-10 edition saw television ratings jump 37% over the corresponding period last year. Sutherland said the ratings figures, coupled with strong attendance figures, demonstrated the strength of the tournament, given it coincided with the Boxing Day Test.

Nervy newbieIn the final practice session before the Test, Umar Akmal had to be literally dragged away from the nets so pumped was he about the Test. Waqar Younis, Pakistan’s bowling and fielding coach, finally urged the youngster to relax, warning of a long day ahead. Perhaps Umar should’ve taken heed, as his nervous energy got the better of him on the biggest stage he has played on till now. An athletic fielder generally, he dropped a sharp chance at point which came straight at him early on, before fumbling a couple of times in the field during the afternoon. Pakistan will hope he calms down before he comes out to bat.Fail of the century
This is getting silly. Australia went through the West Indies series with 15 half-centuries but no player went on to score a hundred. The loss of Shane Watson for 93, Simon Katich for 98 and then Ricky Ponting for 57 on Boxing Day extended their unexplainable run to 18 half-centuries for the summer without a single player getting to triple-figures.In step but out of sync
Another Test, another tragicomic moment for Watson. Having come agonisingly close to his first Test century in Adelaide before being bowled for 96, and then again in Perth when he was caught behind for 89, Watson found a novel way to be denied of his celebration once again.Watson was on 93 and looking strong when he took off for a single after his partner Katich pushed the ball to cover. Katich took three steps and then turned back while Watson kept coming, and the run-out was completed at the bowler’s end. But who was out? Replays showed the partners taking their final few steps to the crease in such good sync that it was as if the moves were choreographed, and the third umpire decided that Katich’s foot was in his ground a split second before Watson, who trudged off with a seventh Test half-century to his name.Wonky selectionPakistan’s bowling was supposed to be their route to success this series, but an injury and a strange decision before the Test even began spoilt the shape of an attack that served them so well in New Zealand. Danish Kaneria’s injured finger was not thought to be bad enough to keep him out yesterday, but it did, depriving Pakistan of their leading wicket-taker from the last tour to Australia and a man in form; he has 20 wickets in his last three Tests. The decision to drop Umar Gul, however, was more surprising, given his role in Pakistan’s pace trio. Gul is fit, insisted Pakistan’s team management, which means he was dropped on form. Since hisheroics for Pakistan in the World Twenty20 in June, Gul has struggled to adjust to Tests; in six Tests in Sri Lanka and New Zealand since, he has picked up 15 wickets at over 45 though that hides a few good, luckless spells in New Zealand in particular.Farhat’s form
With no Danish Kaneria in their line-up, Pakistan turned to Imran Farhat for a few overs of legspin on the opening day. He hadn’t taken a Test wicket for five and a half years and had only three in his career but they were quality over quantity. He bowled Rahul Dravid for 270 in Rawalpindi in April 2004, having earlier in the same series had Yuvraj Singh caught and bowled. Farhat threatened to add a fourth Test wicket when in his first over he narrowly beat Watson’s bat and in his next over Katich very nearly played on, but this time he was not to be the partnership breaker.

Yorkshire are to honour Fred Trueman by naming the members’ enclosure in the new Carnegie Pavilion after the England great.The Carnegie Pavilion is due for completion in June 2010, in time to host the Test between Pakistan and Australia from July 21 to July 25.The Topping Out ceremony took place in Leeds on Tuesday and the county announced the old Wintershed Lower Stand will bear the name of one of Yorkshire and England’s greatest pace bowlers.Trueman, who died in 2006, thrilled Yorkshire and England fans through the 1950s and 60s and the county have taken the decision to devote a prominent place in their new £21 million pavilion to one of their greatest sons.”Fred is sadly missed, the club will never forget his outstanding achievements for both Yorkshire and England and now The Trueman Enclosure is to be part of Headingley Carnegie Cricket Ground it will further ensure that his memory lives on,” Stewart Regan, Yorkshire chief executive, said.Veronica Trueman, Fred’s widow, said: “I am delighted that the club has taken this step to remember Fred and give him a lasting legacy. He would have been deeply moved and honoured to have a key part of the ground named after him.”It is a fitting tribute and I hope it will inspire the young Yorkshire fast bowlers of the future to run down the hill from The Trueman Enclosure and take lots of wickets.”The Carnegie Pavilion will replace the current YCCC media and player facilities in the Rugby Stand and Regan is excited by the new structure.”The Pavilion has been rising quickly at the Kirkstall Lane End and we cannot wait to move in as it is going to be a tremendous addition to the Headingley Carnegie Cricket Ground,” said Regan.

Allrounder Justin Kemp has said he is relieved to be back in the official fold with South Africa after his stint with the rebel Indian Cricket League. Kemp, who is now back in contention for Cape Cobras, will play his first match for his domestic franchise in the revamped 40-over competition next Friday, against the Lions at the Wanderers.Kemp, along with several international and Indian domestic players, severed ties with the ICL after its third season, scheduled earlier this year, could not take place due to the global economic downturn. Kemp admitted that, in hindsight, it was a mistake joining the ICL but the players back then were hopeful the league would be given official status by the ICC and the cricket boards. Kemp was banned from playing domestic cricket in South Africa but was allowed to represent his county Kent.”It’s lovely to be back. I’m looking forward to playing again,” Kemp told . “It was tough coming home last year and not being able to play.”It was a mistake to go and play there but we thought things would get sorted out and the rebel league issue would disappear. I was not playing for South Africa at the time and the IPL hadn’t started yet.”Kemp joined the ICL in 2007 and was part of the successful Hyderabad Heroes unit, which won the inaugural tournament and finished runners-up in the second season. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the future of the tournament and it’s players, Kemp said he enjoyed his experience.”It was fantastic in the first season. There was a media blackout and people didn’t see the games,” Kemp said. “There were some really good Indian players. We won the first competition and lost the final of the second one in the third leg of the final.”Kemp had an impressive 2009 season with Kent, scoring 780 runs at 43.33 in the County Championship and picking up eight wickets. He helped his county gain promotion to the top division and will take a call on returning for the 2010 season.”I’m probably fitter than I was in my 20s, and I feel I have a lot of miles left in my body. I worked a lot with coach Graham Ford at Kent, and I often bowled first change. I played all the four-day games,” Kemp said. “There is so much scope at the Cobras for guys to kick on. The big challenge is four-day cricket, but there is so much talent in the Cape that, if we get a few things right, we can challenge in that competition.”Kemp last played for South Africa during the ICC World Twenty20, which just preceded his entry into the ICL.

Allrounder Thomas Odoyo has been confirmed as the second Kenyan joining new Zimbabwean franchise Southern Rocks.Former Kenya captain Steve Tikolo is arriving in Harare on Tuesday afternoon after signing as player-coach for the Rocks.Odoyo, a veteran of 117 ODIs, will arrive early October with the rest of the Kenyan team for an Intercontinental Cup tie and five ODIs. He will then remain in the country to play for the Rocks.The arrival of the two experienced Kenyans will almost certainly boost a Rocks side that had an indifferent start to the restructured Zimbabwe domestic season. They lost to Manicaland Mountaineers in Mutare by eight wickets in the Logan Cup and by five wickets in the Faithwear one-day series.The news will be a blow to the game inside Kenya where the NPCA league has for a long time not been considered tough enough to bring on young players. The decision of two of the country’s best cricketers to play abroad will only further weaken it.

The New Zealanders slid to a 61-run defeat but stand-in captain Brendon McCullum has picked out positive signs ahead of the first match of the tri-series, starting Tuesday, and the Champions Trophy. McCullum identified the absence of Virender Sehwag from India’s squad as a potential way to kick at a shaky middle order and knock India out of what he called “a funny series”.Daryl Tuffey’s performance, a five-for in his only playing opportunity before he flies out to remind all of his abilities, and a chance to give other limited-overs recruits playing time were the bright spots McCullum pointed to in a warm-up defeat against a side featuring eight internationals.”It was obviously disappointing to lose here but it was an opportunity to give some of the guys who were short on game time, to just play in these conditions,” he said. “Tuffey bowled really well in these conditions, Nathan [McCullum, who opened the bowling] did well, Jesse [Ryder] got a couple wickets. I think we’re in good preparation for the one-dayers.”Like Daniel Vettori, McCullum said the Twenty20 wins over Sri Lanka were huge confidence boosters and pivotal to giving this side momentum into a format where they are serious threats. “It brought us back. We were disappointed with the Test matches but the way we came back was significant and gave us a lot of confidence,” he said. “The guys coming and the ones from the Tests did fantastically well. All in all, the team is shaping up pretty well at the moment and hopefully we start well in the first one-dayer.”McCullum also took confidence from the amount of time the batsmen have faced Ajantha Mendis on tour. “He’s going to be a tough proposition in the one-dayers, but the guys have played him pretty well. If we can negate his ability to tear through batting line-ups that will set us up to be a bit more aggressive later on. So far everything has been going well and hopefully we can gain that momentum again.”The format of the tri-series – each team plays each once and then there’s a final – had McCullum a bit quizzical but he was aware that the current calendar didn’t allow for long tournaments. He felt it was a great opportunity for New Zealand to play against two quality teams before going into the Champions Trophy.The absence of Sehwag, out with a shoulder injury, was “a big relief” and an opportunity McCullum hoped to cash in on. “The way he played us in the home summer was pretty terrifying, he tore us apart, but to not have him in the team is a pretty big blow to them [India]. If we stick to our plans we’re a really good chance to take India out of the series.”One player who bowled well today and has been a consistent performer in limited-overs was his brother, Nathan, who McCullum felt was going to play a role in the future. “Nathan bowled really well in the last game and was fantastic in the World Twenty20 in England and his confidence is sky high. His bowling has always been good and he’s a great fielder and when it’s all going well it flows into his batting. Given the opportunity we can expect some good things from him down the order. Whatever happens [in the tri-series] it’s great to have three quality spinners in the side.”It’s been good to have Shane back too. He probably doesn’t have the genuine pace he had in the VB Series a couple years ago [2006-07] but he’s certainly a better bowler with the ability to read the game and read a player. The likes of Kyle Mills and Ian Butler have really stepped up and all in all, it’s a pretty decent bowling line-up.”McCullum was cut off today with a poor umpiring call, but sounded a warning to Sri Lanka and India having returned to form with 49 in the second Twenty20. “It was a big confidence booster. Even in the game before, even though I was only out there a couple overs, the calmness that I had at the crease was something missing during the Tests. I probably got a bit flustered there and it was something I tried to work hard on. The last time I went out there and was relaxed and tried to be myself. My confidence is a lot higher that it was two week ago.”