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ScorecardNed Eckersley gave Leicestershire a good chance of dodging an unwanted double of failure by smashing an unbeaten 72 from 44 balls to snatch an unlikely Clydesdale Bank 40 victory over Worcestershire at New Road.With 92 wanted from the last 10 overs, the 23-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman transformed the game by clubbing seven sixes and two fours to see his side home by two wickets with an over to spare.The victory took Leicestershire off the bottom of Group A, moving them a point above Worcestershire with one game to play, and gave them hope of avoiding a last-placed finish in both the CB40 and County Championship Division One, where they are currently 11 points adrift.The race to beat Worcestershire’s 223 for 9 seemed to be going against them when Leicestershire skipper Josh Cobb was bowled for 51, the second of two wickets in four balls from Daryl Mitchell.This followed a valuable spell of two for 35 by leg-spinner Brett D’Oliveira as the visitors slumped to 107 for 6, but Eckersley suddenly wound up for a spectacular display of hitting.One by one he took Worcestershire’s bowlers apart, racing to his first limited-overs fifty from 29 balls in a seventh-wicket stand of 87 in 9.1 overs with Wayne White.White was lbw to Jack Shantry for 22 but James Sykes (12 not out) kept his nerve with Eckersley and nudged the winning single in a shattering penultimate over for Nick Harrison.The young paceman delivered two no-balls, one of which was driven into the press box window, while conceding the last 20 runs.After losing the toss and being put into bat, Worcestershire openers Moeen Ali (30) and Vikram Solanki (41) gave their side a brisk start with 67 on the board before Eckersley held a brilliant catch to his left to remove Moeen.Phil Hughes made only nine before finding mid-wicket off Sykes, the left-arm spinner who finished with two for 18 when Eckersley held another catch from Mitchell (five).Solanki helped his side into three figures before White claimed his second wicket when Worcestershire’s former captain, soon to depart for Surrey, failed to clear Nathan Buck at deep square leg.Neil Pinner, who scored a career-best 82 against Lancashire, lifted the scoring rate with 31 until Buck took wickets in each of his last three overs.It might have been even better for Leicestershire but for Gareth Andrew’s 28 from 21 balls.

ScorecardJust when Ireland thought they finally had the beating of Bangladesh, a savage batting assault by Mashrafe Mortaza ended their hopes and gave the visitors a 3-0 win in the series. That margin was unfair to the Irish, who took two games to the very last ball.It was a game that defied the notion that there can be none of the subtle changes in Twenty20 that make the longer forms of the game so captivating. This was a game that swung and shifted over 240 balls of mostly high-quality T20 cricket.”The last two games were probably a better reflection of where both teams are,” said Bangladesh coach Richard Pybus. “Ireland were out of sorts in the first game but the last two both went down to the wire,” he said of a series which saw Bangladesh pull off victory margins of 71 runs, one run and two wickets.Bangladesh needed 32 off 16 balls when Mortaza smashed three sixes off four balls from the left-arm spinner, George Dockrell, the last of which Kevin O’Brien misjudged and eventually knocked over the rope for another maximum.With eight balls left Mortaza was bowled by Kevin O’Brien, leaving just four needed off the last over. And while Trent Johnston and his fielders made sure every run was hard-earned, the scores were tied with one ball left. A scampered single by Elias Sunny and a whisker-missed shy by Kevin O’Brien saw another close win for Bangladesh.It was desperately disappointing for Ireland, who are using the games to build towards the ICC World Twenty20 finals in Sri Lanka in September. They play far fewer T20s than full members – this series was their first home games in the shortest format since 2008 – and their aim will be to up that number rapidly in the future.Bangladesh were unchanged, but Phil Simmons gave Tim Murtagh a first T20I cap, replacing Alex Cusack, and recalled Niall O’Brien in place of Ed Joyce. Although O’Brien hit a frisky 22 he, like most of Ireland’s batsmen, got in and then got out. The middle order crumbled yet again, with Kevin O’Brien struggling in a sequence that has seen him get out five times in the last ten balls he has faced for Ireland. He was out first ball here to Mortaza, the man of the match, whose career best 4 for 19 ensured Ireland totalled just 140 for 8.Early wickets were essential, but Bangladesh openers Tamim Iqbal and Mohammed Ashraful settled in from a testing start to record their nation’s first fifty opening stand in this format. Tamim also recorded his best score in 18 T20 internationals.They had taken the score to 62 in the 10th over, with the spinners on, when Ashraful needlessly carted the ball to John Mooney at long off, and within two overs the score was 69 for 3.Another flurry of wickets saw Bangladesh collapse to 89 for 6 as Stirling and Dockrell exerted pressure. But just as the vociferous Irish crowd started to dream of a third win over these opponents, Mortaza and Mushfique Rahim put together a stand of 46 in 16 balls, which included the 21-run butchering of Dockrell’s final over.”I’m very happy with the spin quartet”, said Pybus, “and the tour was good for our seamers too, who got experience of bowling in northern hemisphere conditions, learning that they have to get their lengths right.”Our batting was pretty solid too, but we have a little work to do before the World Twenty20.”

In a summer filled with poor weather, organisers of the Cheltenham Festival, like those planning the Olympics, are praying for just two weeks of good weather but it seems even that has been denied to them. There were 49 overs on the first day of this match and we were lucky to get two more than that in on the second as rain drenched the college ground and may well prevent any play tomorrow.And the overs we did have produced little to get excited about. It’s been a very uncharacteristic start to the festival. An innings run-rate of less than three is practically unheard of on this ground, which produces fine pitches with short boundaries, particularly square of the wicket and particularly down the hill where the ball races away.But a slow pitch, an Essex attack that has been disciplined, and obviously the rain, has prevented this match from getting going. Ed Cowan played like a solid opening bat for his hundred – the slowest in the championship so far. He displayed the usual skills: leaving well, reasonably timing, good footwork to negate the movement of two new balls – but because it took 267 balls, the innings failed to inspire.He negated the slowness of the wicket by taking guard outside his crease and getting a big stride in. And when he became a touch frustrated at failing to find a way to progress against steady wicket-to-wicket operators, chiefly Greg Smith whose eight overs cost just nine runs, he came down even further, twice driving straight after advancing by a yard. But he consistently found the fielders – two short midwickets were placed to cut out his flick into the leg side – and he was made to wait 30 overs between his eighth and ninth boundaries.Hamish Marshall found things a little easier, looking in excellent touch: his form continuing after a successful Flt20. He went to 30 from 51 balls before also finding the nagging bowling difficult to score off. It was no wonder his used his feet to Harbhajan Singh – taking him over mid off and then wide of mid on. Harbhajan proved straightforward to negotiate and knock around, perhaps why he has only sent down 13 overs of the 100 in the innings. The star overseas spinner might have been expected to be used more often.But it was David Masters that did the lion’s share of the bowling and he was eventually rewarded shortly after lunch when Cowan, after driving into the pavilion to bring up his hundred, fell over a length ball around middle and off and was given out for the third lbw on the card. He walked off rather unimpressed with the decision but replays seemed to argue in umpire Tim Robinson’s favour, whose finger went up very quickly.The other lbw of the day was claimed by Reece Topley. His sent down the second ball of the day which trapped Alex Gidman plumb in front. It was Topley’s third wicket and was appreciated by his father Don, a former Essex seamer, who was part of a host of former cricketers in the PCA hospitality tent.”It’s not the easiest wicket to bowl on; we’ve had to remain patient,” said Reece Topley. “Thankfully it’s swung throughout the innings and that’s played to my strengths and I’ve come up trumps with three wickets.”I’m pleased to be back in the first team. I’ve had a good T20 spell and a good 50 over match against the Australians. I’ve worked hard on my white-ball cricket in the past year and now that’s paying off too.”Topley, who has four tattoos and an appetite for more body art, was the joint second-highest wicket-taker in the Flt20 group stages with 14 victims, helping Essex to a quarter-final against Somerset that he is very excited about. He is also looking to add to his nine caps for England U-19s, who play Ireland U-19s in two 50-over matches at Grace Road on July 18 and 20.

ScorecardRavi Bopara moved closer to his second century of the week on a rain-shortened second day of Essex’s County Championship match at Northamptonshire.Only 13 wicketless overs were bowled at Wantage Road before bad light forced the players off and the rain soon followed, leading to play being abandoned for the day in the afternoon with Essex 195 for 4.Bopara, pushing for an England recall for the upcoming one-day series against the West Indies, moved on to 87 off 180 balls, including 15 fours. He will be looking to follow up the unbeaten 120 he smashed against Gloucestershire in the Clydesdale Bank 40 on Monday when play resumes on Friday.He was ably supported by his captain and wicketkeeper James Foster’s 60 not out off 118 deliveries with their partnership now standing at 138.Essex began the day on 138 for 4 with Bopara resuming on 65 and Foster on 25 after they had helped salvage what was a faltering innings on the first day, with the first four wickets falling for just 57.However, the start of proceedings was delayed by 15 minutes as the ground staff made sure everywhere was dry enough for play to begin. Bopara and Foster completed their century partnership in the third over of the day when Foster bludgeoned Jack Brooks through midwicket for four. Foster then pulled another boundary over the same area of the field off Lee Daggett to go past 50 off 101 balls.Umpires Trevor Jesty and Tim Robinson took the decision to take the players off for bad light just after midday despite neither of the batsmen looking in any trouble. By then the visitors had added 57 to their overnight total with the last over seeing Bopara hit three fours off Daggett.The first two of them were tremendous shots through the covers but he got away with his third, a thick top edge that flew over the slips and through third man.Half an hour after the players left the field, rain began to fall, leading to the Northants ground staff bringing on the covers and lunch being brought forward. However, with the rain persistent, it soon became clear the players would not be reappearing and the umpires finally admitted defeat and called off proceedings at 2.30pm.With just 63 overs played over the first two days, a draw already looks inevitable, a result that does not really favour either side.

Match facts

Tuesday, May 1, Cuttack
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Australia captain Michael Clarke could debut in the IPL for Pune Warriors•Getty Images

Big Picture

Pune Warriors’ previous match was a home game against Deccan Chargers which they lost giving Chargers their first win. Losing points to bottom-placed Chargers will put pressure on Warriors as the race to finish in the top four gets tighter. After their win in Delhi, Warriors were third from the top; now, they are third from the bottom.Chargers’ chances in the tournament are diminishing fast and a top-four finish is highly unlikely as apart from Dale Steyn, there haven’t been enough quality performances. Ironically, their only win came when Steyn was rested.Warriors will be boosted by the inclusion of Michael Clarke who is making his first appearance in the IPL. If he is included in the XI, it will be interesting to see who he replaces. Clarke will bring further stability to the batting line-up. Although Sourav Ganguly will have to think about where to slot him in the order. Further, if Clarke plays, will Ganguly drop himself down the order?Jesse Ryder and Steven Smith have been the most aggressive for Warriors, but in some games, Smith’s impact was reduced due to him batting low in the order.Chargers have come up with two surprising selection moves in the last two games. While Steyn was rested in Pune, Kumar Sangakkara sat out in Mumbai. In Cuttack, where the pitch should be completely different from the the green one in Mumbai, there might be another surprise from the Chargers camp.

Form guide

(completed games, most recent first)
Deccan Chargers: LWLLL
Pune Warriors: LLWLL

Players to watch

Robin Uthappa is the leading run scorer for Pune Warriors this season. However, his strike rate of 117.72 is much lower than previous seasons. He has only hit seven sixes in the season, but with two important points to be had, Uthappa might rise to the occasion with big shots.
For a batman of the class of JP Duminy, he should be spending maximum time in the middle. Out of the five innings he has played for Chargers, he has remained unbeaten in four. He showed glimpses of his ability in the match against Rajasthan Royals. A potential matchwinner, Duminy contributes with this handy offspin and sharp fielding as well.

Stats and trivia

• Robin Uthappa has played 68 IPL games, only four less than S Badrinath and Suresh Raina’s tally of 72.
• Manish Pandey and Robin Uthappa’s 145-run unbeaten partnership against Delhi Daredevils is the highest this season.
  

  Quotes

  “It was unusual to change the captain, isn’t it? That’s the way it happened..”

  “It seems like he’s doing a really good job as captain-coach over there, I’ve spoken to a couple of the boys and they seem to be really happy about how things are. So, yeah, for me it’s an eye-opener.”

Nick Compton has been rewarded for his prolific start to the season with a recall to the Lions side. Compton has not been involved in the England set-up since early 2007 but, after 685 first-class runs and three centuries in the first few weeks of the 2012 season, he has forced his way back into contention.While Compton might not be the most eye-catching batsman on the county circuit, he has a sound defensive technique, leaves the ball well and has the patience to play long innings. Such qualities are not common among developing top-order batsmen and have provided Compton, who is 29 in June, with a chance to follow his grandfather Denis into the England Test team.Compton is one of a 12-man squad named to face West Indies in a four-day fixture at Northampton commencing Thursday May 10. The squad will be captained by James Taylor, 22, who moved to Nottinghamshire from Leicestershire over the winter, and also includes Samit Patel and nine of the squad that toured Bangladesh or Sri Lanka with England Lions over the winter.The only player in the squad uncapped at Lions level is Kent allrounder Matt Coles, who spent the winter on the Potential England Performance Programme in Loughborough and Chennai before being added to the Lions squad for the final stages of their Sri Lanka tour. With 21 first-class wickets already, Coles is currently the second-highest wicket-taker in the 2012 first-class season. He also recently made his maiden first-class century, an unbeaten 103 against Yorkshire.There is also a recall for Michael Carberry. At 31 years of age, Carberry is relatively old by comparison with recent Lions selections. Back to health and fitness following a blood clot on his lung, he is still seen as a viable alternative for an opening position should injury strike Andrew Strauss or Alastair Cook and could yet add to the odd Test cap he earned in March 2010.Northamptonshire’s Jack Brooks, 27, is also included in a squad that marks an attempt from the selectors to balance a desire to see the best young players with a view to long-term selection, with a need to ensure there are suitable replacements available should injury strike in the shorter term.

England Lions squad

James Taylor (Nottinghamshire) (capt); Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire); Jack Brooks (Northamptonshire); Michael Carberry (Hampshire); Matt Coles (Kent); Nick Compton (Somerset); Jade Dernbach (Surrey); Simon Kerrigan (Lancashire); Stuart Meaker (Surrey); Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire); Joe Root (Yorkshire); Ben Stokes (Durham)

The absence of Graeme Onions and Ravi Bopara from the squad, both of whom have been in fine early season form, is a firm indication that the pair are in contention for a place in the 13-man Test squad to take on West Indies on May 17.There is also no place in the Lions squad for Steven Davies – Jonny Bairstow will keep wicket – Varun Chopra or Luke Wells, with Joe Root winning the top-order selection battle.Geoff Miller, the national selector, said: “Many of the players included in this squad have worked hard on our overseas tours and training camps over the winter or have shown good early season form. West Indies will no doubt be challenging opposition and this fixture will present an opportunity for players to show that they are capable of taking the next step and representing England at Test level in the future.”While the absence of Chopra may fuel suggestions that Ashely Giles, the England selector and Warwickshire director of cricket, has used his influence to ensure his county side are not weakened, it is worth noting that Warwickshire do not have a game during the Lions fixture.

ScorecardIrfan Pathan shone with both bat and ball in the final•Fotocorp

Irfan Pathan proved the difference with both bat and ball in a tight encounter as Baroda stopped Punjab short by eight runs at Brabourne Stadium to lift the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Irfan walked in at No. 7 at the fall of his brother Yusuf Pathan’s wicket and turned an underwhelming 91 for 5 into a sturdier 149 for 6. With Punjab needing 15 off 12 deliveries, he gave away just four runs in the penultimate over, claimed a wicket and also ran out Harbhajan Singh.Baroda, a young side led by 24-year old Pinal Shah, are a different unit when the Pathan brothers and Munaf Patel are available. It is very rare that all three of them fail together. Yusuf could not fire with the bat today, but weighed in with the important wicket of Mandeep Singh, the leading run-getter in the tournament, at a crucial stage in the chase. Munaf was difficult to hit, finding generous bounce from the CCI pitch with his natural just-short-of-good length. And Irfan was a sight to watch with both bat and ball.Baroda had struggled to get going against the pace and bounce of VRV Singh and Manpreet Gony after choosing to bat. VRV Singh jolted Baroda in the opening over when Aditya Waghmode, coming off two half-centuries in three games, edged a rising delivery to Harbhajan at slip. Kedar Devdhar, who had cracked 96 off 40 balls in the semi-final against Delhi, threw it away with a slog against Gony. Ambati Rayudu was given caught-behind first ball off Amitoze Singh and took a long time in getting off the ground, stopping several times and looking back in disbelief.Yusuf came in at 24 for 3 and was confronted with an unusual field setting. Harbhajan had short third man, backward point, point and cover during the field restrictions. Cover moved to deep cover after the Powerplay, but the other three men remained. Yusuf, who looked to pinch singles in that region with soft pushes, was denied on many occasions. Such was the impact of this field that, despite hitting two sixes, Yusuf’s strike rate remained below 100, as compared to a career Twenty20 one of 156.10.Yusuf eventually lifted a full Bipul Sharma delivery flat and straight to long-on. It seemed to be a planned dismissal given the way the bowler pointed his hands tellingly in the direction of his captain Harbhajan standing at extra cover.At 91 for 5 with 37 deliveries to go, Baroda needed a boost, and it came from a partnership between their captain and star allrounder. Pinal lofted Harbhajan for a couple of sixes over long-on and a four over midwicket.Irfan clicked his bat against Yusuf’s and exchanged a quiet nod with his departing brother before launching a flurry of boundaries. There was a graceful loft over extra cover off VRV Singh that stood out, Irfan calmly making room and using the bowler’s pace to time the stroke. He ended the innings with a six off the last ball as Baroda took 58 runs after Yusuf’s dismissal.Punjab’s openers began with a four each but Irfan and Munaf struck in their opening overs. After Chandan Madan had used Irfan’s inswing to swing him over square leg, Irfan angled one across the right-hander Madan to have him edging a drive to the wicketkeeper. Sarul Kanwar tried to mow Munaf out of the ground but only found mid-on. Gurkeerat Singh, with two fifties in the tournament knockouts, could not get going and was bowled as he attempted to sweep Swapnil Singh.Mandeep and Bipul Sharma kept Punjab in the hunt with the former finding gaps consistently even as Baroda’s fielding came apart. Yusuf, though, had Mandeep caught by a tumbling Munaf at short fine leg and the bowler’s roar revealed how vital the wicket was.Amitoze and Harbhajan then pulled Punjab ahead with short and swift knocks of 21 off 11 and 15 off 8. With 33 needed off the last four overs, Munaf had Amitoze caught behind. In the 18th over, Harbhajan slammed Murtuja Vahora just out of long-on’s reach for six and drilled him for four as sweeper cover misfielded.Punjab were favourites now with 15 needed off 12. But Irfan had an over left, and it proved to be decisive. He ran out Harbhajan off the second ball of the 19th as the batsmen tried to steal a tight single close to the pitch. Taruwar Kohli, in at No. 8 and not having a bowled a ball, lasted two deliveries. Two wickets and four runs in the over meant Punjab had to get 11 off the 20th.Punjab’s only hope was Bipul but his attempt to scoop Vahora off the first ball found short fine leg. Vahora, who had gone for 32 in his three overs till then, shut Punjab out with a succession of deliveries around the blockhole. Vahora ended as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 13 strikes at an economy-rate of 7.00, but does not have an IPL contract.

The ECB has bowed to pressure within the county game by deferring a decision on the Morgan Review and instead has decided to conduct further research throughout the 2012 season into the future of professional cricket in England.Growing opposition to Morgan’s recommendations, which included a reduction in championship matches from 16 to 14, a return to 50-over cricket and 14 Twenty20 matches, left the ECB Board unable to adopt a report that had been months in the making.County chief executives, coaches and the Professional Cricketers’ Association had all lobbied the ECB in the belief that in his urge for compromise Morgan, a former chairman of ECB and ICC, had failed to provide an inspirational blueprint for the game.Morgan did receive more support for his conclusion that a more concerted approach must be developed among the ECB and the 18 counties towards the future financing of the game. Central marketing strategies will be strengthened.Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, said: “Cricket has a unique opportunity to capitalise on its enviable financial strength from recently secured long term commercial partnerships.”Whilst many of the recommendations will be implemented immediately, it is important that thorough consumer research and financial analysis is carried out on the detailed strategy to ensure that we have a balanced domestic playing programme which suits the lifestyles of the modern consumer and allows for the production of outstanding players with international potential participating in vibrant domestic competitions.”Morgan achieved that rarest of things in county cricket: unanimity of sorts. The PCA, the vast majority of the county chief executives, coaches and chairmen, the ECB’s cricket committee and, according to unofficial on-line polls, the majority of spectators, all expressed their reservations over Morgan’s recommendations. The recurring theme of their issue with the report is the reduction in the championship programme and the subsequent compromise to the integrity of the competition.That left the board with few options. While they were loathe to be seen to U-turn on such a key issue, they were also reluctant to so blatantly ignore the views of all the parties. The solution — to defer a final decision pending more consultation – could almost be an ECB catchphrase.But the ECB board, which had already approved the report in principle and had vowed not to tinker around the edges, had to retreat or run the risk of unrest around the counties. Scrapping the report at this stage will be an embarrassment for Morgan, one of cricket’s leading administrators, who claimed to have spoken to 300 people before drawing up his findings.David Collier, the ECB’s chief executive, and the newly-appointed managing director of the professional game, Gordon Hollins, have now been charged by the Board with producing “a robust financial plan to ensure the long term sustainability of the game and its stakeholders from grassroots cricket to the Test match arena.”Edited by David Hopps

Sarel Burger will lead Namibia in the World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE in March. Raymond van Schoor, was named vice-captain in the 14-man squad announced by Cricket Namibia. The squad will also include four non-travelling reserves.Among the newer faces in the squad are Gerhard Erasmus, Ian Opperman, Hendrik Geldenhuys and Zhivago Groenewald – these four players have seven List A matches among them.Sixteen Associate and Affiliate teams will compete in the 72-match qualifying tournament, for two available spots in the World Twenty20, slated to be held in Sri Lanka later this year. Namibia have been drawn in Group B of the qualifiers, along with Ireland, Kenya, Scotland, Uganda, Oman, Italy and USA.Squad: Sarel Burger (capt), Raymond Van Schoor (vice-capt), Ewald Steenkamp, Louis van der Westhuizen, Craig Williams, Gerrie Snyman, Nicholaas Scholtz, Gerhard Erasmus, Ian Opperman, Christi Viljoen, Bernard Scholtz, Louis Klazinga, Hendrik Geldenhuys, Zhivago Groenewald

Reserves: Bredell Wessels, Pikkie Ya France, Gj Dippenaar, Christopher Coombe

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMichael Clarke scored all around the wicket during his maiden Test double-century•Getty Images

Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting have prior form in shattering Indian spirits at the SCG. Four years ago, they conspired to steal victory during a mad quarter hour late on the fifth day, when Clarke was handed the ball by the captain Ponting and took three wickets in an over. This year, they tortured India more slowly, with a partnership that lasted the best part of six hours and all but ensured Australia could not lose the Test.Of course, since Kolkata in 2001, nothing has ever been truly certain in Tests between these two countries. But the drought-breaking century from Ponting – his first in nearly two years – and Clarke’s maiden Test double-hundred steered Australia into the kind of position from which it would take a Kolkata-like comeback to rescue India. They would need something very, very special.The Sydney crowd had already witnessed the exceptional, from Clarke and Ponting. By stumps, Clarke was unbeaten on 251, having batted through the day, and it was not out of the question that he could become the first man to score a Test triple-century at the SCG. Michael Hussey had chipped in with 55 not out and Australia’s lead had ballooned to 291, with six wickets in hand.Clarke’s innings was mature and mesmerising, but it was Ponting’s hundred that had really brought the crowd to life. Ponting had been starved of a Test century in his past 33 innings, and for the first time since the early days of his career had faced pressure to justify his place in the side. At no stage during his slump did he give up. It was somehow appropriate for a man who had fought so hard over the past few months that he was dirty and dishevelled when his hundred arrived.The milestone came via a quick single, a poorly-judged one too, for a direct hit from Zaheer Khan at mid-on would have had Ponting run out for 99. He dived to make the crease and climbed up off the ground – the most fitting metaphor imaginable – with helmet askew and dirt all down his shirt and trousers. It was a sight that brought smiles from Clarke and even the umpire Ian Gould, and importantly from Ponting himself.Amid all the debate over his form and his position in the side in recent months, Ponting had maintained that he was batting well. In this innings, he was. There were several classic Ponting pulls and his flicks through the leg side were a feature of his game. To some degree, he eschewed the typical Ponting back-foot drives through the off side, though that in part came down to the lines India bowled.It was not until the second new ball arrived that Ponting departed, caught at point for 134 when he drove Ishant Sharma. Ponting walked off to a standing ovation, having joined his catcher, Sachin Tendulkar, and Jacques Kallis as the only men to have scored 40 Test centuries. His 288-run stand with Clarke, the highest fourth-wicket partnership ever compiled against India in Test cricket, had demoralised the visitors.More was to come from Clarke, who had brought up his 18th Test century, and his fourth in his past 11 innings, with a perfectly placed cover-drive for four in the last over before lunch. His double-century arrived from his 284th delivery with a flick through square leg off Zaheer, and it brought a kiss of the helmet and a tear to the eye of Clarke, who is in his first home summer as Australia’s full-time captain.Clarke scored his runs all around the ground, with cover-drives, off-drives, clips off the pads, pulls, cuts, lofts over the infield against spin – perhaps the only thing he didn’t attempt was a reverse-sweep. He was seeing the ball so well that he was able to walk across his stumps and down the pitch to turn good balls from the fast men into opportunities to score through the leg side. By stumps, he had the best score by an Australia batsman in an SCG Test, and needed 37 more to beat Tip Foster’s record for all-comers.To cap it all off for Australia, Hussey joined in late in the day with some quick runs, including two consecutive fours followed by a six off R Ashwin. It was an immensely disheartening day for India, who could manage only one wicket throughout the day after 13 had fallen on the opening day. There were no-balls from the part-time offspinner Virender Sehwag, strange field placements from MS Dhoni and a general lack of spark, which was to be expected by the end of a long, hot day in the field.In the first couple of overs of the morning, Dhoni had a man back at deep square leg when he needed to be on the attack, and later he removed all of his slips while Umesh Yadav was bowling, seemingly a concession that all he could do was try to slow the run scoring of Ponting and Clarke rather than try to get them out.He can be rest assured that Clarke won’t be as defensive in the field when he gets his chance. Unfortunately for Dhoni, that might be a while off yet.