Boxing Day Test - MCG

[Donny]

Australia is 1/30 as Langer (14) is snapped up at point by Tendulkar from Agarkar's bowling.

Already, India has given away 11 in extras.

[Donny]

Australia are 1/141 as Ponting goes to his 50.

Hayden is 64 n.o.

[Newelly]

Has been a stirring fightback thus far. The batting has not been entirely convincing as the scoreline would suiggest. Ponting still looks unsure in some of his stroke making and has popped a few up and was lucky not to be given out LBW.

[Donny]

1/200 as Hayden goes to 94.

Ponting is 77 and their partnership is 170.

[Donny]

Hayden thrashes Kumble to the boundary to go to his 17th. Test century, his third in a row in boxing day Tests and his 11th. in Australia.

[Donny]

The partnership has reached 215.

Australia are 1/245 with Hayden on 122 n.o. and Ponting, 93 n.o.

[Donny]

Hayden goes, l.b.w. for 136. 2/264.

The partnership was 234.

Gilchrist comes in early. Starts with a 4.

[Donny]

Ponting brings up his 20th. Test century.

Hayden has a hundreds to fifties ratio second only to Bradman with 17-12. Ponting's is also excellent, at 20-21

[JLC]

Langer needs to get back to being the gritty player that he used to be. When Langer gets complacent he plays crap.

jlc

[Donny]

Gilly goes for 14 and Australia is 3/295.

[JLC]

Great day for the Aussies all round.

They probably want to bat until one hour before stumps tomorrow and have a small crack at the Indians. Therefore say another 280 runs minimum. If the Aussies have a lead of around 200 they can really apply some pressure.

However they need to consolidate some more and build partnerships.

jlc

[Donny]

Ponting smashes India

Fox Sports

COMPARISONS with Don Bradman are no longer out of place for Matthew Hayden.

And Ricky Ponting isn't far behind him in the race to become the 21st century's answer to cricket's greatest batsman.

Hayden and Ponting both made centuries today as Australia hit back at India's challenge to its ascendency by reaching 3-317 in reply to the tourists' under-achieving 366 in the third Test at the MCG.

Australia trails by 49 runs with Ponting not out on 120 and Damien Martyn on seven.

Two years ago, Steve Waugh said he found it hard to imagine Bradman playing much better than Hayden.

It was a comment that needed to stand the test of time but today Hayden gave yet another endorsement to his captain's comment.

In making 136 he became the first player to score centuries in three consecutive Boxing Day Tests after making 138 against South Africa two years ago and 102 against England last year.

Bradman is the only other player to have scored MCG centuries in three straight years from 1930-31 to 1932-33 - an era when Tests at the MCG were played over the new year rather than Boxing Day.

Hayden, 32, is also up there with Bradman in converting half-centuries into centuries.

Bradman made 29 tons and 13 50s. Hayden now has 17 centuries and 12 half-centuries.

Only West Indian George Headley - dubbed the "black Bradman" - has a similar conversion rate, having made 10 tons and five 50s in his short but brilliant career.

Hayden's innings was a testament to his concentration and discipline on a testing pitch.

He was a picture of patience and care but still found plenty of balls to club to the boundary, hitting 17 fours and a six in his 173-ball innings which ended when Anil Kumble won a leg before wicket appeal from David Shepherd - much to Hayden's disbelief.

Ponting, who is in a race with Brian Lara to become the leading run-scorer in 2003, offered more chances than Hayden, twice lobbing the ball in the air before watching it land a safe distance from fielders.

Lara, after making 72 overnight against South Africa, has 1333 runs this year while Ponting has 1335.

Ponting, 29 last week, was as circumspect as Hayden and rarely sent the ball to the boundary, hitting just 10 boundaries in an innings which has lasted 214 balls at this point.

He was nervous in the 90s, just avoiding a runout and then desperately shaking his head at umpire Brett Bowden as the umpire considered, and then declined, a caught behind appeal when Ponting was on 98.

Some frantic running finally netted him his 20th century and second of the series after his career-best 242 at Adelaide.

He and Hayden added 234 for the second wicket as Australia reversed the disappointments of day one, which ended with India in a strong position of 4-329.

Australia's fightback started with a mistake from Indian captain Sourav Ganguly this morning.

After playing two searing cover drives off Brett Lee, Ganguly was slow to get his bat on the last ball of Lee's over and sliced a catch to Justin Langer at a floating slip.

The captain's agony at his idiocy was obvious as he threw his head back and raised his bat over his head as if he was going to smash it on the ground.

He restrained himself, barely, as he knew he'd opened the door for Australia and the home side responded by claiming 6-16 in eight overs, including taking 3-0 in eight balls as India threw away all the good work of the first day and put the Test back in the balance.

From here, Australia can build a first innings lead good enough to win the match and square the series ahead of a climactic fourth Test in Sydney.

[Newelly]

The pitch has some life though and with the new ball Australia could lose wickets in quick succession. Also Gilchrist needed to take some time to get his eye in. Too many times he comes to the crease and gets a few away early and then gets bogged down and tries to flail his way out rather than knuckling down, pushing around the singles and waiting on the bad balls, instead of trying to punish any given ball regardless of merit.

[Donny]

Ponting reaches his 150 as Australia equals India's total.

Martyn is 26 n.o. and the partnership is 71. 3/368.

[Donny]

Martyn went for 31 which brought Steve Waugh in, to a standing ovation.

The second ball he received hit him near the left elbow and he had to retire hurt.

Now it's 4/381 with Ponting on 155 n.o.