BBC SPORT | Cricket | Ponting wears out Pakistan

Third Test, Sharjah. Australia 298-3 v Pakistan (stumps, day one)

Pakistan were made to toil in the Sharjah heat as Ricky Ponting hit a brilliant unbeaten 142 for the dominant Australians.

Seeking a 3-0 series whitewash, Steve Waugh won the toss and watched Ponting and Matthew Hayden (89) - Australia's two best batsmen at present - hit form again.

Ponting stepped out to the crease inside the first over after Waqar Younis bowled Justin Langer for four.

He and Hayden then proceeded to add 184 for the second wicket on another stifling day in the Gulf state.

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Hayden hit 11 boundaries, besides two sixes off spinners Danish Kaneria and Saqlain Mushtaq.

But he was out just after tea when Saqlain Mushtaq - hammered for 125 runs in his 33 overs - had him well caught at short leg by Faisal Iqbal.

Saqlain then picked up the wicket of Mark Waugh, who is struggling for form, caught behind for 23.

M Hayden, R Ponting
Hayden and Ponting have been in fine form

But brother Steve then lent valuable assistance to end the day 33 not out off 65 balls.

By then, the Pakistani attack was wilting in the debilitating heat.

But they face another tough day in the field on Sunday with Australia in no mood to offer gifts.

Ponting hit 11 fours and two sixes in all.

He did, however, face the indignity of being hit on the jaw by a delivery from seamer Mohammad Sami which failed to bounce as much as he anticipated.

On the fifth ball of the morning, Langer played over a swinging ball from Waqar to give Pakistan an encouraging start.

I told Steve (Waugh) to be positive as much as I could

Ricky Ponting

But the slow wicket at the Sharjah cricket stadium posed no terror for the batsmen and Hayden and Ponting settled in to tame the injury-hit Pakistani attack.

Both teams wore black armbands and observed a minute's silence before play in memory of those killed in the devastating car bomb attack in Bali last week.

Pakistan made three changes from the side that lost the second Test inside two days.

Imran Farhat came in for opener Imran Nazir, while middle-order batsman Hasan Raza and seamer Mohammad Sami replaced the injured Abdur Razzaq and Shoaib Akhtar.

Australia were unchanged from the team that twice bowled Pakistan out for less than 60 in the second Test - in this same stadium.

The heat was such that match referee Clive Lloyd allowed players to return to the dressing room during the two drinks breaks.

Australia: Steve Waugh (capt), Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh, Damien Martyn, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Andrew Bichel.

Pakistan: Waqar Younis (capt), Taufiq Umar, Imran Farhat, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul Haq, Hasan Raza, Faisal Iqbal, Rashid Latif, Saqlain Mushtaq, Danish Kaneria, Mohammad Sami. 12th man: Imran Nazir.

Umpires: Steve Bucknor (WIs), Srinivas Venkataraghvan (Ind)
Match referee: Clive Lloyd (WIs).


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