Matches (11)
IPL (2)
RHF Trophy (4)
Pakistan vs New Zealand (1)
WT20 Qualifier (4)

Australia vs India, 10th Match at Sydney, , Feb 24 2008 - Ball by Ball Commentary

RESULT
10th Match (D/N), Sydney, February 24, 2008, Commonwealth Bank Series
(49.1/50 ov, T:318) 299

Australia won by 18 runs

Player Of The Match
124 (133)
ricky-ponting
New
IND
Full commentary

10.35pm Ponting is indeed Man of the Match. "Another good win by us," he says. "It had been coming for a while, the top order were going to get some runs. I spoke to the guys this morning about trying to get some momentum going into the finals and all the guys did that."

Thanks for joining me today, do come back for some more fun on Tuesday when Sri Lanka face off against India.

10.30pm "There were quite a few positives," reckons Dhoni. "The way we kept them to 318 was a good one." They've not made it to the finals of course. "We would like to win that game so that we can go through," he says of the next encounter on Tuesday.

10.25pm Well that's been an excellent day's cricket at the SCG. Both sides' batting at last came good and provided some full-on entertainment, with both Ponting and Gambhir posting hundreds.

Stay with me for the reaction and the Man of the Match. Ponting? While we're waiting for that, actually, in a press conference during the Chappell-Hadlee earlier this summer Ponting was miffed when, scoring runs for fun, not one of the press asked him in his post-match press conference in Adelaide. "By the way I got a hundred today, boys," he smirked, but you can bet all the questions will be for his batting tonight after he recovered his form in some style.

A smiling Lee now says "All in all in was a great day for everyone." And then that sportsman's cliche... stepping up to the plate? Nearly. "Everyone put their hand up." It's true, though.

49.1
W
Lee to Sharma, OUT

the yorker zeros in on off, Sharma's too late on it and watches his stumps castle. Terrific bowling from Lee, those no-balls apart ahem, and he ends with five

Ishant Sharma b Lee 2 (4b 0x4 0x6) SR: 50

The last over coming, a mere 19 required. Here's Lee

end of over 499 runs
IND: 299/9CRR: 6.10 RRR: 19.00
Sreesanth3 (4b)
Ishant Sharma2 (3b)
Nathan Bracken 10-0-53-1
Brett Lee 9-1-58-4
48.6
Bracken to Sreesanth, no run

wide outside off, the batsman goes to cut hard, and the ball goes on through to the keeper

48.5
1
Bracken to Sharma, 1 run

runs outside off and pushes out to mid-on and they scramble through

48.4
1
Bracken to Sreesanth, 1 run

pitched right up there, dug out to fine leg

48.3
2
Bracken to Sreesanth, 2 runs

driven out to mid-off

48.2
1
Bracken to Sharma, 1 run

driven out forward and there's a throw, a direct hit would have been close

Ross Armstrong, he of the bet, concedes he'll be drinking cask wine tonight

48.1
4b
Bracken to Sharma, 4 byes

four byes shoot down off

Gilchrist, note, has six dismissals tonight, bravo.

end of over 486 runs • 2 wickets
IND: 290/9CRR: 6.04 RRR: 14.00
Sreesanth0 (1b)
Ishant Sharma0 (0b)
Brett Lee 9-1-58-4
Nathan Bracken 9-0-48-1

So Australia's key bowler this summer has held his nerve when it mattered

47.6
Lee to Sreesanth, no run

seering yorker that was just veering down leg

Sreesanth to face the hat-trick delivery, just the slip for him

A great innings ends, 51 from 46 balls in 86 minutes and Lee's on a hat-trick

47.5
W
Lee to Uthappa, OUT

down the track and Uthappa swipes from outside off up and over to midwicket where Hussey takes the catch

Robin Uthappa c Hussey b Lee 51 (46b 4x4 1x6 95m) SR: 110.86

Uthappa to face as they crossed

Big blow for India, these two were gaining some excellent momentum

47.4
W
Lee to Harbhajan, OUT

slower ball outside off, Harbhajan backs away and cuts up high, the ball catching the outsdie edge, Gilchrist takes the catch

Harbhajan Singh c †Gilchrist b Lee 20 (11b 3x4 0x6 16m) SR: 181.81

The highest score made here by a side batting second, incidentally

47.3
4
Lee to Harbhajan, FOUR runs

wide down leg and he nutmegs himself in slapping it through his legs down leg

47.2
1lb
Lee to Uthappa, 1 leg bye

follows him down leg and cramps him up, the ball crashing into his right shoulder as he tried to pull it

47.1
1
Lee to Harbhajan, 1 run

straight on middle and Harbhajan swings out to Symonds who's now at deep midwicket

34 runs from 18 balls needed and here comes Lee again, replacing Clark at the Paddington End.

end of over 478 runs
IND: 284/7CRR: 6.04 RRR: 11.33
Harbhajan Singh15 (8b 2x4)
Robin Uthappa51 (44b 4x4 1x6)
Nathan Bracken 9-0-48-1
Stuart Clark 10-0-55-2
46.6
1
Bracken to Harbhajan, 1 run

full toss wide outside off, Harbhajan cuts out to Symonds at deep cover

There's a creeping tension already

46.5
1
Bracken to Uthappa, 1 run

down the track outside off and drives out in front of midwicket, Hussey running round to tidy up

46.4
1
Bracken to Harbhajan, 1 run

outside off, Harbhajan stabs hard down to third man

46.3
1
Bracken to Uthappa, 1 run

slower one outside off and Uthappa caresses the ball out to the covers to bring up his fifty and the crowd loves it but Uthappa hardly takes the applause for his 43-ball effort, choosing instead to stay focussed

46.2
4
Bracken to Uthappa, FOUR runs

hey now, down the track and that is very cheeksville indeed, Uthappa turning it from outside off, round the corner and picking the gap well

46.1
Bracken to Uthappa, no run

outside off, the batsman moves backward trying to cut it out to point and has pushed back too far alas, Gilchrist takes the bails for fun

Bracken now, can his cutters trim down India? Oh go on, you liked that one. "Singh is king" reads a sign, but will it be a prophetic one?

end of over 4618 runs
IND: 276/7CRR: 6.00 RRR: 10.50
Harbhajan Singh13 (6b 2x4)
Robin Uthappa45 (40b 3x4 1x6)
Stuart Clark 10-0-55-2
James Hopes 6-0-27-1

India still very much in this match

45.6
2
Clark to Harbhajan, 2 runs

pushed out now and the score advances even further

AskESPNcricinfo Logo
Instant answers to T20 questions
India Innings
<1 / 3>

Commonwealth Bank Series

TEAMMWLPTNRR
AUS852260.769
IND833170.121
SL82510-0.949