Australia clinch 16th straight Test win

SYDNEY—Part-time spinner Michael Clarke claimed three wickets in five balls of the penultimate over to clinch Australia a dramatic 122-run second Test victory against India and a record-equalling 16th straight Test win here on Sunday.
India had looked to be hanging on for a determined draw, with skipper Anil Kumble leading the way with an unbeaten 45. But he could only watch from the other end as the last three wickets tumbled in the second-last over to hand Australia an astonishing victory.
Clarke, with his left-arm off-spinners, claimed 3 for 5 off 11 balls to get Australia home and they will now shoot for a world record 17th straight win in the third Perth Test on January 16-20.
“It’s right up there as far as I’m concerned,” Australian skipper Ricky Ponting said about the victory. “That’s as good a feeling as I’ve ever had on a cricket field, winning a Test like that, coming down to the last eight or 10 minutes on the fifth day.
“For us to be able to do it after a 69-run deficit in the first innings and probably not play our best cricket until the second innings of this game, makes this win as good as any that I’ve played.”
But Kumble, seething over the performances of the match umpires and the manner in which the Test was played, said: “Only one team was playing with the spirit of the game, that’s all I can say.”
While Clarke may have won Australia a thrilling Test, all-rounder Andrew Symonds was judged man-of-the-match with his unbeaten 162 and 61 and 3-51 in the second innings.
The Australian team fought to the end and ringed the remaining Indian batsmen with six fielders to get a breakthrough after Kumble and Harbhajan Singh looked likely to bat out for the draw.
Clarke removed Harbhajan for seven with his first delivery, had R.P. Singh leg before wicket on the next ball, and then wrapped up an exciting win when Mike Hussey caught last man Ishant Sharma with the fifth ball.
Kumble remained unbeaten but his effort was scuppered at the death. The Australians retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as holders with a 2-0 lead after a thumping 337-run win in last week’s first Melbourne Test.
Ponting’s team have been undefeated in Tests since beating South Africa by 184 runs at this ground two years ago. India led from on the first innings after centuries by Sachin Tendulkar (154 not out) and V.V.S. Laxman (109), but the Australians played their best cricket over the last two days to seize victory.
Symonds broke through with two wickets in four balls to put India on the slide after tea. Rahul Dravid was the victim of a contentious decision by umpire Steve Bucknor who gave him out caught behind even though television replays showed the ball missing Dravid’s bat.
Dravid, who had resisted for almost two and a half hours and 103 balls for 38, looked incredulous at Bucknor as he left the pitch. Yuvraj Singh continued his woeful series with a third-ball duck edging Symonds into Adam Gilchrist’s gloves in the same over.
Ganguly fell in Lee’s eighth over when he edged to second slip where Clarke took a low catch. Ganguly stood his ground but was sent on his way by umpire Mark Benson for 51.
Stuart Clark set the wheels in motion with the key wickets of V.V.S. Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar before tea. The seamer trapped Laxman leg before wicket for 20 playing back on to his stumps and struck again with the crucial scalp of Tendulkar in his fifth over for 12.
Tendulkar, who built his SCG average to a stunning 326 runs following his unbeaten 154 in the first innings, tried to get his bat out of the way only to deflect it on to his stumps. Opener Wasim Jaffer continued his dismal run of scores with a four-ball duck to Lee in the first over of the innings.
Ponting called a halt to Australia’s second innings at 401 for seven, leaving India with 72 overs to go after the runs. Hussey remained unbeaten on 145 off 259 balls at the time of the declaration for his eighth Test hundred and boosted his average to 84.8 in 20 Tests.
Kumble finished with 4-148 off 40 overs and now has 599 Test wickets, while fellow spinner Harbhajan took 2-92 off 33 overs. Australia 1st innings 463 (A. Symonds 162 not out, B. Hogg 79; A. Kumble 4-106, R.P. Singh 4-124).—Agencies