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Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Praveen Kumar breaks the Top order for the title ..



Australia has fallen to successive Commonwealth Bank series losses despite James Hopes' maiden one-day international half-century guiding the host to within 10 runs of its victory target.

An unlikely three-wicket burst by Michael Clarke - including the dismissal of champion Sachin Tendulkar for 91 - kept India to 9-258 after a flowing start to the second match of the much-anticipated final.

In reply, Australia slumped to 3-32 at the hands of medium pacer Praveen Kumar before stands of 89 between Matthew Hayden and Andrew Symonds and 76 between Mike Hussey and Hopes gave Australia faith.

Hopes (63) crashed Sreesanth for a six to leave 13 needed from the final over but Irfan Pathan, who was charged with the responsibility of bowling the 50th over, dismissed the all-rounder with two balls remaining to trigger Indian celebrations.

Man-of-the-match Kumar (4-46) led an Indian pace attack missing teenage sensation Ishant Sharma because of a badly bruised finger with a magnificent opening spell which got rid of Adam Gilchrist, captain Ricky Ponting and Clarke.

Presentation ceremony :


The 21-year-old moved a delivery away from Gilchrist in his opening over then dismissed Ponting and Clarke after they both misjudged pull shots.

Local pair Hayden (55) and Symonds (42), on their home patch at the Gabba, rebuilt the Aussies innings but the Queensland duo departed within three deliveries in the 26th over to leave the hosts 5-123.

Hayden, dropped on six by MS Dhoni, was run out by a combination of Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh, then Symonds was struck on the back pad by the fiery spinner.

A nail-biting delay while the TV umpire Bruce Oxenford adjudicated on Hussey's faint bottom edge to Dhoni added to the tension, the WA batsman eventually given out for 44 off 42 deliveries.

That left Hopes as Australia's potential saviour as Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Bracken came and went quickly.

But the Queensland all-rounder spooned a catch to Piyush Chawla at mid-on with his side still needing 10 from three deliveries.

The wicket left Hopes standing in disbelief in the middle as the tourists celebrated about him

Tendulkar was earlier on course for successive one-day centuries after his maiden one-day international ton in Australia brought about India's victory with 25 balls to spare in game one but, struggling badly with the groin niggle he brought into the contest, departed in the nineties.

The little master was dropped by Ponting on seven but was generally untroubled against Australia's pace attack, prompting the skipper to turn to part-timers Clarke (3-52) and Symonds (1-27) in the absence of 12th man Brad Hogg.

Clarke's first delivery was crashed by in-form Gautam Gambhir for four but the competition's leading run-scorer fell to a similar shot an over later for 15. Danger man Yuvraj scored a run-a-ball 38 before gifting Symonds his first scalp of the series by holing out to Hayden.

Then Tendulkar, limping through a stream of singles, chipped to short midwicket where Ponting atoned for his earlier error. Rohit Sharma followed in Clarke's 10th over for two.

A slumping India eventually lost seven wickets for 83 runs including three late wickets to Bracken (3-31).

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