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AB de Villiers and Saurabh Tiwary hit 24 off the final over, bowled by Nehra, to pull off an improbable win, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s first in four games

The Report by Abhishek Purohit17-Apr-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAB de Villiers played a match-winning cameo, together with Saurabh Tiwary•AFP

Chris Gayle was going at around a run a ball against some tight bowling. Then he calmly decided to shift gears. The bowling ceased to matter; five consecutive sixes came against the bowler with one of the best economy-rates in the IPL, Rahul Sharma. Treating that Rahul over as an aberration, Pune Warriors responded with more tight bowling, with Ashish Nehra yorking Gayle. But AB de Villiers and Saurabh Tiwary hit 24 off the final over, bowled by Nehra, to pull off an improbable win, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s first in four games.For more than three-quarters of the game, the Royal Challengers had played catch-up to the Warriors. After Robin Uthappa’s 69 took the visitors to 182, they had kept the Royal Challengers, and Gayle, in check for 12 overs. Gayle and Virat Kohli, game-changers both, had crawled along in a partnership of 30 in 35 deliveries. The asking-rate had ballooned to over 13, with 111 needed from 50. It claimed Kohli, who found deep point as he tried to hit out.Kohli’s dismissal fired up Gayle, who was on 37 off 35 then. Rahul bowled short, he bowled full, he went around the stumps, he went wide of the crease, he went wide of Gayle. To no avail. Five consecutive sixes later, the asking-rate was down by more than a couple of runs.Warriors were stunned but they recovered quickly. Ashok Dinda, battling a painful side strain, conceded just 12 in two overs, including seven off the penultimate one with Royal Challengers needing 28 from 12. In between, Nehra had, for once, found the perfect yorker to send Gayle back for 81 off 48.De Villiers and Tiwary kept the Royal Challengers in the hunt, hitting a six each to take 16 off the 18th over bowled by Angelo Mathews. Dinda’s final over, the19th, seemed to have left Royal Challengers too much to get in the 20th over – 21.De Villiers scrambled outside off to play the scoop off the second delivery in the final over, arming it past the wicketkeeper for four. Nehra delivered a low full toss and a length ball next. De Villiers smoked one straight down the ground for six; the next one was scooped nervelessly for another six over fine leg. With three needed off the last ball, Tiwary swung a length ball over the long-on boundary even as the rain came pouring down. Marlon Samuels, who had gone for under three an over, had two overs left.Somehow, the Royal Challengers’ batsmen had delivered after their bowlers had once again conceded a substantial score. Uthappa did most of the scoring with a power-packed half-century at the top of the order with Jesse Ryder and Samuels chipping in with smaller contributions.The opening partnership between Uthappa and Ryder was worth 63 in seven overs. By then, Uthappa was in complete control. He timed three consecutive reverse-sweeps off Dilshan, with two of them beating short third man. He was put down by KP Appanna at long-off, a tough diving chance off Vinay Kumar in the 12th over but departed in the next as he sliced Daniel Vettori to point. The Warriors went at the same rate of around nine an over after Uthappa’s dismissal with Samuels smashing the spinners for a couple of sixes. As it turned out, though, even 13 an over wasn’t enough to deny Gayle, De Villiers and Tiwary.

Kolkata Knight Riders are as good as through to the playoffs after Sunil Narine inspired them to a win over Mumbai Indians

The Report by Abhishek Purohit16-May-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSachin Tendulkar was bamboozled by a Sunil Narine offbreak•AFP

It had all built up to that one moment. Gautam Gambhir, playing three spinners against the home side’s decision to stick to three fast bowlers at the Wankhede Stadium, had hoped at the toss that the pitch would turn later. Kolkata Knight Riders had just about recovered from a horror start to post a decent 140. Mumbai Indians had found run-scoring as difficult as Knight Riders had, but had lost only two wickets at the halfway stage.The last ball of the 11th over, Sunil Narine bowled a good length delivery to Sachin Tendulkar, who went for the cut. The ball spun in a mile and cannoned into off stump off bat and pad. Had both not come in the way, it would have taken out leg stump. With one of the game’s greats not being able to pick Narine, the rest of the Mumbai Indians line-up had little chance. He finished with 4 for 15; had Lasith Malinga not got six off a dropped catch on the straight boundary, Narine could have had 5 for 9.The 32-run margin was substantial in the end, and it was down to how swiftly Knight Riders barged in to the opening created by Tendulkar’s dismissal. The pressure was already on Mumbai Indians after Herschelle Gibbs had crawled to 13 off 24 deliveries, four of those runs being overthrows. When Tendulkar fell, the asking-rate had touched nine. Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard had hunted down a much stiffer target against Royal Challengers Bangalore a couple of day ago. It wasn’t to be today. Not on this pitch.The Wankhede crowd waited for their all-star line-up to fire. They waited for the big hits to come. In vain. With 58 needed off 28, Shakib Al Hasan lured Rayudu out with a wider one to give Brendon McCullum an easy stumping. Jacques Kallis, who had got a ripper from RP Singh first ball, had Pollard edging a slow bouncer to McCullum. Next ball, he trapped Dwayne Smith in front with a skiddy delivery which nipped in. Rohit Sharma was Mumbai Indians’ only hope now; Narine had him caught by a diving McCullum off a leading edge. The rest caved in.Smith’s fall had made it 96 for 6, exactly the same perilous position Knight Riders had found themselves in after being stunned early by an atrocious umpiring decision and a terrific ball from RP Singh. Their lower order and Yusuf Pathan rode on some fortune, though, to take 44 off the final 26 balls.Stroke-making was hard as the usual Wankhede bounce combined with the ball not coming on. The pitch did not have any role to play in the first dismissal, though; umpire Subroto Das had. He adjudged McCullum lbw though the batsman was at least two metres out of his crease to a ball that pitched outside leg and would have missed off. Knight Riders were to get another rough one later, when Tendulkar was caught plumb in front first ball by Shakib, only to be denied by umpire Billy Doctrove.RP Singh followed up the McCullum wicket by uprooting Kallis’ off stump with a ripper, getting a short of a length ball to swing in and zip through the gate. A stunned Knight Riders tamely allowed the home bowlers to build up the pressure.Even Gautam Gambhir, who has had a golden run this season, found it difficult to score, and could not capitalise on two let-offs. He was dropped by the wicketkeeper and by Tendulkar at third man, but was bowled on 27 as he missed a Pollard cutter.Knight Riders continued to struggle to time their shots, with Tiwary pottering to 17 off 27 deliveries at one stage. An inside edge off Pollard brought him four, and he hammered the next ball past mid-off for another. Harbhajan Singh and Malinga were hit down the ground for sixes.From 6 for 2 to 89 for 3 seemed a creditable recovery, given the pitch, but three wickets for seven runs nearly undid Tiwary’s efforts. Yusuf, caught off a RP Singh no-ball, could not do much to break his poor run, but along with the lower order, managed to get Knight Riders to 140.It hadn’t looked to be a challenging total at the break, it turned out to be a match-winning one, and all but took Knight Riders to the playoffs.

Ireland do not want to be seen as doughty minnows any longer. They are chasing more regular international contests, and need strong results to earn it

The Preview by Daniel Brettig in Belfast22-Jun-2012

Match Facts

June 23, 2012, Stormont
Start time 10.45 (0945GMT)Kevin O’Brien brings power to Ireland’s middle order•ICC/Ian Jacobs

The Big Picture

Ireland do not want to be seen as doughty minnows any longer. With a squad now furnished as much by accomplished county players as jobbing Australian expatriates, and a clear path to the next World Cup laid out ahead of them, the Irish are chasing more regular international contests, and need strong results to earn it. The visit of Australia for a one-off match in Belfast is the sort of opportunity the hosts have been seeking to further their ambitions of a place at cricket’s top table, proving they can consistently match wits and skills with the major nations outside the occasional thrill of a tournament upset, as happened in World Cup pool matches against Pakistan in 2007 and England in 2011.Following the Australia fixture, Ireland will face Afghanistan in a round of 2015 World Cup qualifiers, meaning the visit of Michael Clarke’s team will provide pointers towards the shape of the Irish side to play those matches. The likes of Tim Murtagh, the Middlesex seamer who has recently qualified to play for Ireland, will be looking to shore up places in the team, and others including Ed Joyce and George Dockrell will want some international from behind them when they enter those fixtures. Later in the year is the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, where Ireland are scheduled to face Australia once more in their opening match. Events at Stormont will give both sides a good idea of what to expect in September, albeit in conditions that could not be more different.For Clarke’s team, the match offers a chance to get further into the right groove for facing England over five ODIs from June 29. Australia are defending their place as the world’s top-ranked ODI team, a concern made more central by the introduction of a new central contracting system that places heavier emphasis on international performance when weighting the pay offered to the players. The Australians looked sturdy enough in their opening tour fixture against Leicestershire, but will know that Ireland will offer a far sterner test.However, it may not even get started. The weather has been so poor that the umpires will inspect at 6am on Saturday to assess conditions.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
Ireland WLWWL
Australia WLTLW

Watch out for…

Alongside his Tasmanian teammate Ed Cowan, George Bailey now finds himself a member of an Australian team but not a central contract holder. A brief cameo at Grace Road showed that Bailey was in reasonable touch – If far from impervious to the moving ball – and he will want to do more against Ireland to shore up his middle order spot ahead of Peter Forrest. This match will also offer decent scouting opportunities for Bailey, as he will lead Australia in the World T20 and thus will make assessments of his Irish opposition in this fixture.One of the brightest young batsmen in limited-overs cricket around the world, Paul Stirling can raise his reputation another notch by performing against Australia. In addition to bolstering his team’s efforts to beat Clarke’s team, A flash-filled innings by Stirling would enhance his claims to T20 contracts with overseas teams, with the teams of the Big Bash League in particular casting around for fresh talent to introduce in Australia this summer. Beyond there lies the IPL, an attractive prospect for a young batsman whose country has yet to reach the level of Test match status.

Team news

Ireland have a strong squad to pick from full of players with county experience. Tim Murtagh could make his international debut while all eyes will again be on Kevin O’Brien. Ed Joyce, meanwhile, has a hundred against Australia when he played for England.Ireland squad William Porterfield (capt), Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Ed Joyce, John Mooney, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Max Sorensen, Paul Stirling, Andrew White, Gary Wilson.Michael Clarke did not reveal any team news after arriving in Belfast and wanted to assess conditions, but he will be keen to give as many players as possible a run before the England series.Australia squad David Warner, Matthew Wade (wk), Shane Watson, Michael Clarke (capt), David Hussey, George Bailey, Steve Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Clint McKay, James Pattinson, Xavier Doherty, Pat Cummins, Peter Forrest, Ben Hilfenhaus, Brett Lee

Pitch and conditions

Sadly for Cricket Ireland, who put in huge effort for these marquee international fixtures, the forecast is poor for Saturday. If they do get play expect the pitch to be on the slow side.

Stats and trivia

• When the teams played each other in Dublin in 2010 Australia won by 39 runs but not before a fright as Paul Stirling and William Porterfield put on 80 in 10 overs.
• Michael Clarke made a duck in that fixture – stumped off Alex Cusack.
• Brett Lee needs another five ODI wickets to pass Glenn McGrath’s mark of 381.

Quotes

“We believe in ourselves and I think above all that match in 2010 gives us confidence. We proved that we can compete with a fantastic Australia side and that we can go up against them and get close. Hopefully we can do that again.”
“I think the more we win the more momentum we take into the series against Engalnd but it is important we do focus on the opposition we’re playing against. The Ireland cricket board will do everything in their power to try to get a game tomorrow and the Australian team’s very keen to get out there and get the opportunity to play here in Belfast.”
Michael Clarke is an anxious for a match as Cricket Ireland

Luke Pomersbach has been given a chance to resume his troubled Australian career after Queensland signed him on a one-year contract

Brydon Coverdale04-Jul-2012Luke Pomersbach has been given a chance to resume his troubled Australian career after Queensland signed him on a one-year contract. The Bulls have become the first state to finalise their squad for 2012-13 with Pomersbach, Usman Khawaja and Nathan Hauritz the major inclusions, while several regular state players including Ryan Broad and Ben Dunk lost their deals.The recruitment of Pomersbach from Western Australia is a gamble, because despite his prodigious talent he has made more headlines for his actions off the field than on it. He was suspended four times by the WACA, and was serving one of those suspensions when he was unexpectedly called up to play for Australia in a Twenty20 in 2007 when Brad Hodge injured his back shortly before the game.In 2009, Pomersbach escaped a jail sentence when he admitted to assaulting a police officer and drink driving, but his problems didn’t end there. Before the start of last season, he missed a practice match following a drinking binge and subsequently announced that he would take the summer off from representing Western Australia in an effort to address his issues.Most recently, he was charged with assault in India this year when a US national alleged that Pomersbach, who played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore during the IPL, assaulted her and her fiancé in their room at a Delhi hotel. The case was withdrawn after an out-of-court settlement. Trevor Hohns, the Queensland chairman of selectors, said the state would provide Pomersbach with plenty of support.”Everyone knows the history behind Luke – that’s been well documented,” Hohns told reporters in Brisbane on Wednesday. “It’s very easy to discard people but we are here to help. We will back our environment to bring out the best in him. The staff here are all right behind him and I trust his management who encouraged him to come to Queensland will play their part to keep him on the straight and narrow.”Despite his many problems, Pomersbach, 27, has shown glimpses of his talent on the field and averages 40.59 in first-class cricket. The Bulls have decided to hand him a career lifeline after he moved to Brisbane last summer to play club cricket while still contracted to the Warriors, and he is one of 25 men who will make up the Queensland core group next summer, including rookies.The Bulls have locked a number of players in for two-year deals, including Khawaja, Hauritz, Peter Forrest, Joe Burns, Nathan Reardon, Chris Lynn, Cameron Boyce, Ben Cutting, Cameron Gannon, Alister McDermott, Michael Neser, Chris Hartley and the captain James Hopes. However, there was no room for the opening batsman Broad or the wicketkeeper Dunk, both of whom have captained Queensland in the past two seasons.Also gone from last year’s list are Scott Walter, Steve Paulsen and Alex Kemp, while Chris Swan and Steve Magoffin have both retired from Australian cricket. But Hohns said players who had missed out on contracts would still be in contention for selection and for playing deals if they performed during the summer.”One thing that we as a selection panel, and as a coaching group, have been very strong on is that the performances will be rewarded, whether you are a contracted player or not,” Hohns said. “Form in grade cricket and competitions like the KFC T20 Challenge earned several players selection for Queensland last season and we are very comfortable going down that path again.”A number of good players were not contracted for the coming season but they will still be considered if their form and performances warrant selection. We are very pleased with the quality of the playing group that has been assembled.”Queensland squad James Hopes (capt), Cameron Boyce, Joe Burns, Ben Cutting, Luke Feldman, Jason Floros, Peter Forrest, Matthew Gale, Cameron Gannon, Chris Hartley, Ryan Harris (CA contract), Nathan Hauritz, Usman Khawaja, Chris Lynn, Alister McDermott, Michael Neser, Luke Pomersbach, Nathan Reardon, Andrew Robinson, Wade Townsend.Rookies Corey Barsby, Nick Buchanan, Ronan McDonald, James Peirson, Nick Stevens.

Surrey are to embark on a recruitment drive following the loss of several key players, according to their director of cricket Chris Adams

George Dobell at Guildford14-Jul-2012Surrey are to embark on a recruitment drive following the loss of several key players, according to their director of cricket Chris Adams.The club, reeling from the death of Tom Maynard, have also lost Mark Ramprakash to retirement and their captain, Rory Hamilton-Brown to a prolonged period of compassionate leave. No time frame has been put upon Hamilton-Brown’s return, with the club admitting he may not play again this season.That leaves them without three of their top six from the start of the season and, while Adams is keen to provide opportunities to the club’s younger players, he also feels the club need to bring in more experienced players”We will definitely be recruiting,” Adams told ESPNcricinfo. “We were always going to be looking for an opening batsman and an overseas player, but now we will be looking for a middle-order batsman as well. We also need an infusion of leadership, so we may be looking at senior players.”Most people wait to the off-season to rebuild, but we will start now. We have a very different group of players now. A month ago we had a team who had earned the right to have a bit of freedom with their preparation, that dynamic has changed. We have a young group, with less knowledge, and I’ve asked the coaching staff to take a more hands-on approach with them.”We are more than fine with our seam bowling unit and we will be giving more opportunities to some of our young players. Zafar Ansari is a star of the future while Jason Roy has suddenly become a senior batsman. The likes of Tom Lancefield, Arun Harinath, Gary Wilson, Rory Burns and Matthew Spriegel will all have opportunities, too. There are a couple of other players – the likes of Chris Jordan – who need to show us what they can do over the next couple of months.”We’ve been left in a state of rebuilding. And that rebuilding job starts now.”Adams’ words will spread discomfort around the county circuit. Surrey’s budget and ambition are more than a match for any competitor and, as has been shown in recent times, the richer clubs are now prepared to compensate counties for players who are in contracts elsewhere.Adams dismissed the idea that Ramprakash might have been asked to postpone his retirement to provide some experience in a green-looking top-order. “We have been very fortunate to have seen the best of Mark Ramprakash at Surrey,” Adams said. “I first saw him when I was 13 and I knew then that he was going to be a genius. But he has made his decision and I respect that. The time was right for him.”

India will take on South Africa in the opening game of the 2013 Champions Trophy in England, the last time the tournament will be played

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Aug-2012India will take on South Africa in the opening game of the 2013 Champions Trophy in England, the last time the tournament will be held. Two other big draws in the group stages are India versus Pakistan on June 15, and Australia playing New Zealand on June 12, both at Edgbaston.The top eight in the ICC ODI rankings will be competing in the tournament, starting June 6 next year, divided into two groups of four each. Apart from Edgbaston, also the venue for the final, Cardiff and The Oval will stage the group games as well as the semi-finals.Group A features defending champions Australia, England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka; Group B includes world champions India, Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, to be held on June 19 and 20. The final will be played on June 23.”This will be an incredible opportunity for fans to see the world’s very best one-day sides in action over the space of less than three weeks and the fixture schedule has thrown up a host of exciting head-to-head contests,” Steve Elworthy, the tournament director, said. “The format means every match counts and all eight teams will feel that they are capable of winning the tournament in a competition which is set to be one of the highlights of the 2013 summer.”The tournament does not appear in the Future Tournament Programme after 2013, with the ICC moving towards having one championship for each of the game’s three formats from 2015.

The ECB has decided not to give Kevin Pietersen a central contract as discussions continue over his international future

George Dobell07-Sep-2012Kevin Pietersen is notable by his absence from the list of players awarded central contracts for the 2012-13 season by the ECB.Pietersen has been left out of the England team since the Leeds Test against South Africa following the revelation that he sent messages containing derogatory remarks about the England captain, Andrew Strauss, to members of the South Africa touring squad. It later emerged that Pietersen’s relationship with several members of the England squad had deteriorated to an unhealthy level.In releasing a statement containing the names of the ten centrally contracted players, the ECB said: “In respect to Kevin Pietersen discussions are ongoing and they remain private.” It is understood that Andy Flower, the England coach, and Pietersen met last weekend, but that there is some way to go before a resolution to the issue is found.While the ECB can add to the list of centrally contracted players at any point, time is running out before the Test squad to India is announced. The ECB originally hoped to announce the squad before the team depart for the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in about a week’s time, though they could delay it to allow Pietersen and Flower to continue their discussions during the tournament. Pietersen is due to be in Sri Lanka working for ESPN STAR as a summariser.There is also some doubt as to Pietersen’s desire to sign a central contract. While he recently reaffirmed his commitment to England in all forms of cricket, not signing a central contract would allow him to perform in the whole IPL and other T20 leagues such as Australia’s BBL. It is also understood that Pietersen remains underwhelmed about the parody Twitter account that he feels may have been more directly influenced by some England team-mates than is thought by the ECB.Chris Tremlett, who has been injured for almost the entire season and Strauss, who has retired, are also omitted from the list of players awarded contracts last year.Eoin Morgan retains a central contract despite having not featured in the Test side since the series against Pakistan in the UAE, while Graham Onions is the one player added to the list of those players awarded incremental contracts. Morgan’s inclusion may also provide encouragement to him ahead of the announcement of the Test squad to India.Geoff Miller, the national selector, said: “Congratulations to Graham Onions who is the one addition to the list of players who have been awarded increment contracts and is in recognition of the effort he has put in since his return from injury in 2011 and an indication that we feel he has plenty to offer England in the coming months.””Contracts are on-going recognition for those players who have regularly been selected for England and have performed consistently as well as players who we feel could play an important role for England over the next 12 months.”England central contracts James Anderson (Lancashire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Alastair Cook (Essex), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Matt Prior (Sussex), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire)England incremental contracts Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Craig Kieswetter (Somerset), Graham Onions (Durham)

Pakistan All Star XI demolished International World XI by 84 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-2012In the end, it didn’t matter that this match had no official sanction. Try telling that to the tens of thousands of people who thronged the National Stadium in Karachi. In the end, what counted was that an international XI, no matter how ragtag and rusty it was, had set foot on Pakistan soil, had safely played a game of cricket. A game, such as this, had not been played for close to four years in a nation where following for that game frequently crosses the line between passionate and fanatical. For the record, Pakistan All Star XI demolished International World XI who were led by the 43-year old Sanath Jayasuriya.Young batsmen Umar Akmal and Shahzaib Hasan made half-centuries at frenetic pace and were backed by handy contributions from the rest. Pakistan XI were set on their way by the pair of Shahzaib and Imran Nazir, who put on 83 by the time the field restrictions were lifted, at nearly 14 an over. The International XI fielders showed they were short on match practice by dropping numerous catches and fielding poorly on a ground where the ropes had been pulled in. Shahzaib was the first to fall for 54 off just 21 deliveries, which included six fours and four sixes.Akmal, coming in at No. 5, soon took over and blitzed ten boundaries on his way to an unbeaten 67 off 37 as Pakistan XI zoomed to 222 for 7. Thandi Tshabalala, the South Africa offspinner, picked up 3 for 20 while Shapoor Zadran, the Afghanistan fast bowler, took 2 for 38.Jayasuriya hit a six and a four in the first over of the chase but fell of its last delivery, caught by his counterpart Shahid Afridi. Facing such a tall target, International XI kept losing wickets regularly, and fast bowler Tabish Khan soon dealt the decisive blows. He bowled Ricardo Powell, Jermaine Lawson and Tshabalala off successive deliveries to take a hat-trick and reduce International XI to 52 for 6 in the seventh over.Zadran stuck around to make 42 along with Loots Bosman, who batted low at No. 9 due to an injury and remained unbeaten on 27. Pakistan used everyone but wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed as bowlers. Afridi, who had lasted seven balls with the bat to club three boundaries, had Zadran stumped off the final delivery of the match as International XI managed 138 for 8.The second and final game in the series will be played tomorrow at the same venue.

Plenty of things went right for South Africa on the third day in Adelaide but they still faced the prospect of a difficult chase as Australia led by 273 runs at stumps

The Report by Brydon Coverdale24-Nov-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Faf du Plessis made an impressive 78 on debut•Getty Images

Plenty of things went right for South Africa on the third day in Adelaide. Faf du Plessis made an impressive 78 on debut, Jacques Kallis shrugged off the pain of his injured hamstring to score a fighting fifty, and Rory Kleinveldt took three quick wickets late in the day to rattle Australia’s top order. But when stumps rolled around, one unavoidable fact remained: South Africa were going to need to complete the biggest Adelaide Oval chase in 110 years – and possibly of all time – to take a 1-0 lead in the series.Adelaide might be renowned as a batting paradise but the way the surface can break up on the fourth and fifth days can make run-scoring difficult. The biggest successful chase in Adelaide Oval Tests was 315, scored by Joe Darling’s Australians in 1902, and by stumps on Saturday, Michael Clarke’s side already led by 273. Clarke was at the crease on 9 and Michael Hussey was on 5, and the score had moved on to 5 for 111 thanks largely to a solid opening stand from David Warner and Ed Cowan.But if any team knows about hefty pursuits it is Graeme Smith’s outfit. Four years ago, they chased down 414 at the WACA, with only four wickets down, and six members of that side are also playing in Adelaide. They can also take heart from the fact that James Pattinson is almost certain not to bowl in the fourth innings after being sent for scans to assess pain that he felt in his left side early on the third day. Kallis can bat injured, but Pattinson won’t be much good with the ball.The Australians will hope for the same kind of bowling success that Kleinveldt and his colleagues enjoyed on the third afternoon. Cowan and Warner put on 77 for the opening wicket and Warner was enjoying the chance to thrash boundaries off Imran Tahir’s legspin when Kleinveldt ended the party. He drew a leading edge from Warner, who was caught at cover for 41, and two balls later Rob Quiney’s Test future was placed in serious jeopardy when he edged behind for a duck, an almost identical dismissal to the first innings.Kleinveldt also got rid of Cowan, who on 29 played on to leave Australia at 3 for 91 and Tahir relieved after he should have had Cowan earlier in the innings. Cowan had been caught at cover off a leading edge and Tahir celebrated what he thought was his first wicket of the game, but replays confirmed what the umpire suspected – he had over-stepped, an unforgivable error for a slow bowler, and Cowan was briefly reprieved.