The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin rescue Australia

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Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin rescue Australia

V.V. Subrahmanyam

Leg-spinner Chawla impresses for President’s XI, dismisses Ponting with a peach of a delivery

— Photo: K. Ramesh Babu

PRIZE SCALP: Piyush Chawla celebrates with teammates after foxing the dangerous Ricky Ponting with a googly.

HYDERABAD: Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin put Australia on the recovery path after the big guns failed to boom on the second day of the four-day match against Board’s President’s XI at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Friday.

At close, the Australians were 191 for four in reply to President’s XI’s 455.

At one stage, the Australians were 128 for four with Matthew Hayden, Simon Katich, Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke back in the pavilion.

Hayden, who pulled the first ball of the innings from Irfan Pathan to the fence, struggled later on against the same bowler and even survived two close calls for lbw. Pathan had the last laugh when he lured Hayden into edging an outswinger.

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha then struck in his second over when he induced southpaw Simon Katich to nick to short-leg as the Australians were reduced to 54 for two.

Confident start

Captain Ricky Ponting made a confident start, hitting two big sixes off Ojha. Just when he was getting into the groove, leg-spinner Piyush Chawla — the most impressive of the President’s XI bowlers — produced a dream ball.

Chawla’s perfect googly bamboozled Ponting and knocked the middle-stump out. Ponting’s 41 off 67 deliveries contained five fours apart from the two sixes.

Chawla tested the Australians repeatedly and was rewarded again when he trapped Michael Clarke (18) with one that straightened after pitching.

Hussey (54 batting, 136b, 7x4, 1x6) and Brad Haddin (34 batting, 83b, 5x4, 1x6) then put on 63 for their unfinished fifth wicket stand.

Hussey and Haddin countered the spin duo of Ojha and Chawla pretty well. Hussey walked down the pitch to swing Ojha over mid-wicket, while Haddin hit the same bowler for a six over mid-off.

Striking back

In the morning, the Australian fast bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Clark came back strongly despite half-centuries from Parthiv Patel (62, 97b, 8x4) and Irfan Pathan (56, 81b, 8x4).

It was Peter Siddle who broke the partnership by cleaning up Parthiv with one that cut back sharply and kept low.

Interestingly, Ponting did not take the new ball till the 106th over. Once he claimed it, the quick bowlers got into the act.

The scores:

Board President’s XI — 1st innings: A. Chopra lbw b Johnson 25, W. Jaffer c Johnson b Clark 19, S. Badrinath lbw b Siddle 2, Yuvraj c Hussey b Johnson 29, Rohit c Krejza b Johnson 105, V. Kohli lbw b Lee 105, Parthiv b Siddle 62, I. Pathan c Siddle b Clark 56, P. Chawla c Lee b Johnson 23, P. Ojha c Hussey b Clark 0, M. Gony (not out) 0; Extras (b-5, lb-15, nb-9): 29; Total (in 108.4 overs): 455.

Fall of wickets: 1-41, 2-49, 3-59, 4-120, 5-266, 6-328, 7-403, 8-447, 9-451.

Australia bowling: Lee 18-3-61-1, Clark 18-5-67-3, Johnson 23.4-4-75-4, Siddle 18-3-64-2, Krejza 20-1-123-0, Clarke 11-0-45-0.

Australia — 1st innings: M. Hayden c Patel b Pathan 20, S. Katich c Kohli b Ojha 15, R. Ponting b Chawla 41, M. Hussey (batting) 54, M. Clarke lbw b Chawla 18, B. Haddin (batting) 34; Extras (b-4, lb-5): 9; Total (for four wkts. in 68 overs): 191.

Fall of wickets: 1-26, 2-54, 3-94, 4-128.

Board President’s XI bowling: Pathan 17-4-50-1, Gony 11-2-37-0, Ojha 17-2-44-1, Chawla 21-6-46-2, Yuvraj 2-1-5-0.

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