Shahrukh Khan
Age: 124
7849 days old here
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Australia v Scotland, Group A, St Kitts
Ponting century sends Scotland reeling
The Bulletin by Anand Vasu
March 14, 2007
50 overs Australia 334 for 6 (Ponting 113) v Scotland
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out
Ricky Ponting's fourth World Cup hundred was the backbone of Australia 334 © Getty Images
Ricky Ponting got down to doing what he does best - letting his bat do the talking - dictating terms with a clinical century, after Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist set things up. Australia made life extremely difficult for Scotland in their opening match of the World Cup, reaching 334 for 6 from 50 overs. Craig Wright, leading the Scots, thought it was a bright idea to put Australia in, but it would take a brave man to stick by that thought, given the work Scotland have ahead of them.
Ponting came out to bat with a solid platform in place - the score reading 91 for 1 - and the best of the bowling conditions already gone. He did not go hammer and tongs early on. If anything, he was extra careful, but the ease with which he was picking off the runs off the full stuff egged the Scotland bowlers to slip in the odd short ball. The speed with which those disappeared to the midwicket fence, off trademark pulls from that meaty Kookaburra bat, matched Ponting's settling in at the crease.
From there on there was only one blip, when Ponting played a forcing shot off Dougie Brown and the thick edge failed to stick in the gloves of Colin Smith, standing up to the stumps. After that, though, it was only a brief rain interruption that could halt Ponting's march to his 23rd ODI century. It certainly won't rate among his best, given the lack of occasion and the quality of the opposition bowling, but the purity of his strokeplay was still a joy to behold for fans of batting.
After the century came a couple of powerful mows across the line - one of which landed far back into the stands, but it was not to last long. On 113, from only 93 balls, Ponting played one heave across the line too many, and the little offbreak that Wright had sent down snuck under the bat and crashed into off stump.
But Ponting's knock, though it was the backbone of the Australian innings, was helped along by the tone that Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden set once put in. To Scotland's credit, their opening bowlers kept the ball in the right areas as much as possible. There were very few balls that could be termed downright long-hops or half-volleys, and most importantly, they did not offer width to either of the left-handed openers early on.
Neither Paul Hoffmann nor John Blain was particularly quick, but they both delivered with tidy high-arm actions, and occasionally got the ball to kick off a good length. That extra bounce was just enough to keep Hayden and Gilchrist honest, and resist the temptation of having an outright thrash at the bowlers.
Gilchrist, in particular, was playing well within himself, only attempting the big hits when the ball was there for the shot. An early streaky flash off Hoffmann flew just wide of the man at point, but after that came a crunched square-drive that was all along the turf, an extra-cover drive, a thick top-edge off a miscued pull ... there was plenty of action.
Majid Khan was Scotland's most economical bowler with 2 for 49 from his seven overs © Getty Images
Hayden was different in that he played a lot straighter than Gilchrist. He planted his foot down the ground and thumped the ball back over the head of the bowler in emphatic fashion. The six he hit off Hoffmann, shuffling down the track and tonking the ball over long-on with something approaching arrogance, showed the kind of form he was in.
Against the run of play, with the score on 91, Gilchrist attempted to heave Brown over the legside, and missed. The ball pitched in line, struck the back pad, and would have gone on to peg back the off stump. Gilchrist had made 46. Ponting joined Hayden, and the runs continued to come at an even clip. But, just as Gilchrist had fallen against the run of play, so did Hayden. Majid Haq, the offspinner, tossed one up from round the stumps, and Hayden drove and missed. The ball pitched in line, straightened, and Hayden was gone for 60.
Ponting then had brief associations with Michael Clarke, who was bowled for 15 trying to pull an offbreak that was pushed through quick and flat, and Brad Hodge (29) who hit one to cover. Michael Hussey was brilliantly stumped by Smith off Hoffmann when he overbalanced and just lifted his back foot momentarily. It was left to Shane Watson and Brad Hogg to provide the last-ditch fireworks, and they both came to the party. Hogg was brutal, thrashing 40 from only 15 balls, shared a 58-run partnership with Watson that came off only 23 balls and lifted the score to 334 for 6.
Shahrukh Khan
Age: 124
7849 days old here
Total Posts: 43596
Points: 0
Location:
Netherlands, Netherlands
West Indies
Pakistan
Match scheduled to begin at 09:30 local time (14:30 GMT)
Full scorecard
Hours of play: 09.30 start, First Session 09.30-13.00. Interval 13.00-13.45, Second Session 13.45-17.15
Current time: 06:50 local, 11:50 GMT
West Indies squad
BC Lara, IDR Bradshaw, DJ Bravo, S Chanderpaul, CD Collymore, CH Gayle, KA Pollard, DB Powell, D Ramdin, MN Samuels, RR Sarwan, LMP Simmons, DR Smith, DS Smith, JE Taylor
Pakistan squad
Inzamam-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Azhar Mahmood, Danish Kaneria, Iftikhar Anjum, Imran Nazir, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Yousuf, Naved-ul-Hasan, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Umar Gul, Yasir Arafat
will be gr8 loss for this forum 
azhar mahmood ko aaj khilana chahiyey they..should have been sami instead of rana
