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Shabnim Ismail’s three wickets in seven balls and Dane van Niekerk’s two in an over helped South Africa Women defend 125, which seemed a sub-par total, and claim their first-ever Twenty20 win over West Indies Women

The Report by Firdose Moonda04-Mar-2016
ScorecardFile photo: Shabnim Ismail picked up three wickets to bowl South Africa to their first T20I win against West Indies•Getty ImagesShabnim Ismail’s three wickets in seven balls and Dane van Niekerk’s two in an over helped South Africa Women defend 125, which seemed a sub-par total, and claim their first-ever Twenty20 win over West Indies Women. South Africa’s victory, which comes two weeks after they achieved the same feat over England, bodes well ahead of the World T20.On a slow, spin-friendly surface in Durban, West Indies restricted South Africa and would have fancied their chances of taking the early honours, but the hosts’ attack was up to the task. Ismail was instrumental in reducing West Indies to 16 for 4, before Deandra Dottin and Stacy-Ann King put them back on track. They shared a fifth-wicket stand of 72 but van Niekerk removed them both to take South Africa to a historic win.Ismail set the tone with an early strangle. She gave away just two runs in her first over against a watchful West Indies opening pair. Moseline Daniels, her opening partner, was more generous and pitched the ball up, but Ismail showed the way with the short balls. She had Stafanie Taylor caught at midwicket, attemping a pull, and followed it up with a fuller one, inducing an edge from Hayley Matthews, who was caught behind. Ismail stuck to the fuller length for the hat-trick ball, but it was defended.Ismail could not stay out of action. She took a catch at mid-on off debutant Odine Kirsten to send Kyshona Knight on her way before returning to dismiss Kycia Knight. South Africa would have already sensed an improbable victory at that stage, but had Dottin to deal with.Dottin took a liking to Kirsten and was strong down the ground as she started to claw West Indies back. She found an able partner in King, who was circumspect up front, and then began to pierce the gaps and threatened to take the game away.The pair took West Indies to within 38 runs of victory before van Niekerk struck. She broke through King’s defence to give South Africa some hope. Dottin holed out at the end of the over, and then all South Africa had to do was contain.Shemaine Campbelle and Shaquana Quintyne kept West Indies in the hunt by finding the fence in each of the last three overs, but left themselves too much to do. They needed 20 off the last over, but Ismail conceded just eight runs to seal the win.West Indies were disappointed after they dragged South Africa back from 39 without loss in the first five overs. Van Niekerk and Trisha Chetty took advantage of some loose bowling early on, but Anisa Mohammed ended their charge. She removed the openers in her first over, forcing them to rebuild.Three boundary-less overs followed and South Africa lost their captain Mignon du Preez to reach the halfway stage at 59 for 3.Lizelle Lee sensed the urgency to accelerate and opted to take on the spinners. She shared a stand of 48 runs, the highest of the innings, for the fourth wicket with Marizanne Kapp and set South Africa up for a strong finish. But she did not stick around to do it herself and was dismissed in the 16th over. South Africa lost three wickets for 24 at the death to finish with a total they may not have been confident of defending, but eventually did.

A round-up of IPL news on April 6, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Apr-2015Mumbai Indians spinner Pragyan Ojha backed himself to attack batsmen and take wickets in T20s despite the possibility of giving away runs.”The most important thing, as a bowler, in T20 cricket is to take wickets. I love to attack the batsmen and force them to commit mistakes. Taking wickets is my strength. Bowling a restrictive line is not my style. I believe in taking wickets even if it means that I may go for a few extra runs. Getting crucial breakthroughs is the needed thing in IPL,” he told .Ojha was suspended for an illegal bowling action in December, but he underwent remedial work and was cleared to bowl in February. He picked up a four-wicket haul on his return against Himachal Pradesh and collected four wickets in the Irani Cup before taking six wickets, including career-best T20 figures of 4 for 15, in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.”Things are falling into place in the way I wanted them to be. I played a lot of games in the recent past and have done considerably well as such. A couple of T20 games for Hyderabad too have helped me get the much-needed confidence,” Ojha said. Whether it is Vijay or Viru, there is competition for every slot – BangarKings XI Punjab coach Sanjay Bangar said every player in the team would have to prioritise form and fitness and perform well to earn a place in the XI.”Whether it is Vijay or Viru, there is competition for every slot in our team. Whoever is hitting the ball well under pressure situations, is in peak form and fitness, will get a go,” he told The competition extends to the bowling attack as well and Bangar drew confidence from the domestic form of Indian seamers. Shardul Thakur finished the Ranji season as the joint-highest wicket-taker with 48 wickets in 10 matches and Rishi Dhawan collected 40 wickets in eight matches. Anureet Singh and Sandeep Sharma also performed creditably, taking 32 and 28 wickets.”The good thing is all of our boys have been involved with playing the game at some level. Lots of them have done well in the domestic season, so it augurs well for the team. The Indian fast bowlers look in fine touch especially the likes of Shardul Thakur, Anureet Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Rishi Dhawan,” Bangar said

How have the two continental giants fared as they’ve made their way to Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations showpiece?

Getty ImagesMatchday One

Zimbabwe came within seconds of holding Senegal in the two sides’ tournament opener, with Sadio Mane stepping up to bag a 97th-minute penalty after Kelvin Madzongwe was penalised for a handball in the box.

The Teranga Lions headed into the game with only 18 players due to injuries and coronavirus diagnoses, but monopolised the possession in a one-sided encounter.

Nonetheless, their game lacked precision and a cutting edge amidst humid, energy-sapping conditions.

For Egypt, things were even tougher, as they were blown away by a rampant Nigeria side, who should have won more convincingly than 1-0.

AdvertisementGettyMatchday Two

Yet another turgid performance from Senegal, as they and Guinea ground out a 0-0 victory with the Syli Nationale slightly edging the possession stakes.

Egypt bounced back from their victory over Nigeria with an unconvincing 1-0 triumph over Guinea-Bissau, who thought they’d nabbed a late equaliser when Mama Balde bagged a goal of the tournament contender after cutting in from the left flank.

VAR ultimately ruled out the stunning effort, denying the islanders a second point, and getting the North Africans back to winning ways.

BackpagePix.Matchday Three

Mohamed Abdelmomen scored the only goal of the game for Egypt as they downed Sudan in a low-key encounter in Yaounde, with the Pharaohs largely faring well with their opponents’ long-ball approach but unable to carve open clear opportunities.

Senegal were even more effectively neutralised in Bafoussam, playing out an underwhelming 0-0 draw against their lowly opponents.

At this stage of the tournament, while both Senegal and Egypt were largely looking solid, neither were truly looking like title contenders.

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Quarter-finalEgypt took their game to new heights when faced with high-flying Ivory Coast, who entered the contest on the back of eliminating reigning champions Algeria in their final group game.

The Pharaohs at times rode their luck, but created over 20 chances and kept the Elephants at bay before progressing on penalties when Eric Bailly missed his spot kick.

On paper, Senegal had an easier ride, winning 2-0 against nine-men Cape Verde, although the contest didn’t exactly pan out as expected, with the Teranga Lions only taking the lead through Mane after the Liverpool man had suffered a head injury in a collision with goalkeeper Vozinha.

Bamba Dieng finally guaranteed progress in the 92nd minute.

Manchester United fans should not expect their club to join the race for Kylian Mbappe, with Sir Dave Brailsford answering a cheeky transfer question.

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PSG superstar running down contractSet to hit free agency in the summerExpected to link up with Real MadridGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

World Cup winner Mbappe is generating plenty of headlines as he runs down his contract at Paris Saint-Germain. With no extension option in the French capital being triggered, the 25-year-old forward is preparing to hit free agency.

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He has been linked with a move to England at Liverpool or Arsenal, but the expectation is that he will end up at La Liga giants Real Madrid. There have been reports of a deal being agreed there, with Los Blancos landing themselves another ‘Galactico’.

GettyWHAT BRAILSFORD SAID ABOUT MBAPPE

United were never in the running for Mbappe, with Brailsford – who forms part of the new leadership team being put in place at Old Trafford by Sir Jim Ratcliffe – responding to a fan asking him if the Red Devils could sign the France international: “I don't think so, he's probably off to Real Madrid ain't he.”

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Arsenal's Declan Rice has opened up on receiving boos from West Ham supporters, admitting it felt "really odd" to score against his former club.

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Arsenal signed Rice for £100 million from West Ham Scored against the Hammers at London StadiumWas jeered by the home fans after he scored GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Rice has emerged as a crucial player for the Gunners in their quest for Premier League glory with four goals and five assists. Despite the struggles against West Ham earlier in the season, where Arsenal faced defeats in the Carabao Cup and the Premier League, Rice remained determined to make his mark. And he walked the talk during the Gunner's 6-0 win earlier in February by scoring a long-ranger at the London Stadium. Nonetheless, the 25-year-old admitted that facing his former club was challenging, especially when met with mixed reactions from West Ham fans at his old stomping ground.

AdvertisementWHAT RICE SAID

Speaking to Rice said: "It was so tough. We lost in the cup to them. We lost in the league at the Emirates; I didn't play well and gave away a penalty. The West Ham fans bantered me and I can 100% take that; I played for West Ham for 10 years and I know how they work. When I went over to take the corner, there were a few boos, but there were claps as well.

"I know my love for them has never changed; their love for me has never changed. It is one of those things where you move on. Obviously, I scored a great goal, it was really odd. Even speaking about it now, it is weird. A lot of the lads asked me afterwards, 'How does it feel?' It was a bittersweet feeling, really odd."

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Despite that remarkable strike, Rice refrained from celebrating and the England international added, "I always said I would never celebrate against West Ham and I don't think I ever will. They made me who I am. I spent 10 years there; I owe them a lot. I would never ever celebrate; I think that would be really disrespectful. Overall, [it was] a really good day to win and to score, but a bittersweet feeling."

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

Rice remains focused on his development and the team's collective goal of achieving Premier League glory. He will be back in action against Sheffield United on Monday evening to add to his tally of goals.

It was as if the Chennai Super Kings batsmen wanted to beat the evening crowds in the Mumbai local trains

The Report by Sidharth Monga05-May-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Mitchell Johnson bowled Mumbai to a win again•BCCIIt was as if the Chennai Super Kings batsmen wanted to beat the evening crowds in the Mumbai local trains. So as opposed to chasing the below-par 140 in a hurry, they kept throwing away their wickets away, folding for the lowest total this IPL and losing by 60 runs to end their seven-match winning streak.No matter how much credit you give to Mumbai Indians’ bowling – one of the more watchable acts of the IPL – it was a surreal case of mediocrity manufacturing excitement in the first few overs of the chase. In the first over of the chase, Mitchell Johnson kept bowling short and wide, Michael Hussey kept cutting it to Kieron Pollard at point, and Pollard kept dropping. The third successive one of those cut Pollard’s nose, and he walked off the field even as the Wankhede Stadium rubbed its collective eyes.You could argue Johnson came back with a superb second over, but that began with a loose shot from M Vijay, who dragged a wide length ball on. Suresh Raina played across one, and got a leading edge to Pollard at point. This time Pollard dived in front and half-redeemed himself. As is the rule with Super Kings, they sent S Badrinath to face the crisis, and he nearly edged the hat-trick ball. Soon, Johnson beat his other edge with a left-arm bowlers’ outswinger, and was denied a triple-wicket maiden only by Dwayne Bravo.And Wankhede was yet to finish rubbing its eyes. In the next over, Bravo drove a shortish Pawan Suyal delivery off the back foot straight to cover. At 18 for 4, MS Dhoni held himself and Ravindra Jadeja back, and sent in R Ashwin, who soon fell to the veteran offspinner he has usurped, Harbhajan Singh. In came Dhoni with the asking rate past eight and only five wickets in hand.Hussey regained his orange cap, but his innings was never fluent. Lasith Malinga’s over to him was striking as the bouncers did Hussey in with both the slowness and then pace. Under immense pressure, Hussey looked for release the moment Pragyan Ojha came on to bowl, and lofted him straight to deep midwicket to make it 40 for 6 in 9.1 overs.Too much was left for Dhoni to do, and he too holed out off Ojha. Malinga ran through the rest, and Mumbai kept themselves in the top four with the end of the league approaching. It shouldn’t have been that easy, though, after they managed about 50 fewer than the average first-innings score in Mumbai this season. Once again, they were off to a slow start, and five of their top six failed to score at more than a run a ball.The two who did, captain Rohit Sharma and Harbhajan, went on to bat until the end. When they took it to the end, they got a loose last over from Ben Laughlin and took 19 runs off it. It didn’t seem the case then, but the momentum had shifted.

A round-up of the final and third-place playoff of the ICC East Asia-Pacific Region Division One Twenty20 tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2011Papua New Guinea maintained their unbeaten run in the East Asia-Pacific Region Division One Twenty20, beating Vanuatu by a comfortable margin of 58 runs in the final in Port Moresby. The victory books PNG’s spot in the Global Division One Twenty20 playoff in the UAE early next year, which will determine the two Associates or Affiliates to play in the 12-team World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.PNG elected to bat and got off to a streaky start when in-form opener Asad Vala was dropped by opposing captain Andrew Mansale. Vala, who had 344 runs in the tournament leading up to the final, and Tony Ura took advantage of Vanuatu’s slip-up, adding 56 off 5.2 overs before Jelany Chilia got Vala to edge to the keeper. Ura stood firm though, putting on 47 runs with Chris Amini, before falling for 48. By then the platform was laid for PNG – with the scoreboard reading 103 for 2 in the 11th over – to push on to a big total. Mahuru Dai and Jason Kila provided the final surge, striking four sixes to carry PNG to 195 for 5.The Vanuatu openers got the chase off to a steady start, but wickets in the fifth and sixth overs put PNG in front. From there on PNG picked up wickets regularly and kept the batsmen in check. Only Patrick Matautaava was able to inject some much-needed momentum into the Vanuatu innings, striking two fours and three sixes in his 36 off 18 balls. But when he was caught off medium-pacer Joel Tom – who was the pick of the bowlers for PNG, claiming 3 for 31 – in the 19th over, victory was already beyond Vanuatu.PNG captain, Rarva Dikana said the win at home, especially in front of the sizeable crowd, was fitting. “It is a huge achievement for the country, especially considering all of the development work going on,” he said. “I’m glad we could do this for everyone involved in cricket in PNG.”Ura, who was the second highest-scorer in the tournament behind opening partner Vala, was named Man of the Match. Tom and Matautaava, along with Fiji’s Iniasi Cakacaka, were the tournament’s top wicket-takers with nine wickets.In the third-place play-off game, an all-round performance from Samoa earned them a 30-run victory over Fiji. Samoa were sent into bat and though they lost opener Sean Cotter early, a steady 43 from captain Geoff Clarke, followed by whirlwind knocks from Faasao Mulivai (67) and Pritchard Pritchard (28*), carried them to a competitive 172 for 3.Fiji’s chase started poorly when they lost opener Sekove Ravoka in the first over. A 58-run second wicket partnership between Joji Bulabalavu and Iniasi Cakacaka steadied the innings, but a flurry of quick wickets after that derailed their chase. They slumped from 58 for 1 to 68 for 5 and couldn’t get going after that, getting bowled out for 142. Samoa’s bowlers were steady with Cotter, the most successful, claiming 3 for 9 in three overs.

Peter Borren strode into his post-match conference after his team’s 231-run loss to South Africa with his chest puffed out

Firdose Moonda at the PCA Stadium03-Mar-2011Peter Borren strode into his post-match conference after his team’s 231-run loss to South Africa with his chest puffed out. The defeat was the largest margin of humiliation in this World Cup but his eyes were brighter than they were after they went down to the West Indies, his smile was shyly peeking out and his voice didn’t crack and waver as it had then.”We bowled really well in the first 40 overs,” he said proudly. “We just didn’t take the wickets we needed to create pressure.” The Dutch bowlers had kept South Africa to 43 runs within the first 10 overs, 108 at the halfway stage and 215 in 40 overs.The problem, as Borren said, was wickets. After 40 overs, South Africa had lost just Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis and had two centurions at the crease. They’d given themselves enough time and enough batsmen to launch from there and launch they did. “Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers are both magnificent players and it was a good experience for us to see how they batted. Even when they weren’t hitting boundaries they were taking singles.”It seems as though Borren and his team have got over the ignominy of hefty defeats and are starting to view their World Cup games as learning experiences and time to play against the Full Members that they hardly ever get outside of major tournaments. Borren spoke about the team setting their own targets and playing to try and achieve those, instead of to get results and notch up upsets. Today, he thinks they did that, in part. “In those first 40 overs, we bowled to our own standards,” he said.Netherlands were happy with their bowling for the first 40 overs•AFPBorren chose to put South Africa in because he wanted to give his bowlers an opportunity to capitalise on the conditions. With rain around and some juice expected in the pitch, he hoped that they would be able to snag a few big guns and “get their middle-order players in early.” They weren’t able to do that, but doesn’t frustrate him entirely; it’s their showing with the bat that does. “We didn’t bat to our standards so we let ourselves down again,” he said.With the Netherlands putting on such a commanding performance against England with the bat, it was that aspect of their game that was talked up as their strength and Borren was disappointed with how they fared in their last two outings. “I think the pressure of chasing big scores got to us.” When asked if he wasn’t inspired by Ireland’s supreme effort in chasing 329 against England, he grinned. Perhaps they weren’t inspired, they were awed.”Full credit to Ireland for the way they played in the second half of their innings. Kevin O’Brien’s century was incredible,” Borren said. “I think if you tried to emulate that, you wouldn’t be able to for 1000 years.”His answer almost reflected what everyone has been saying: that the gulf between the Associates and the Full Members is too great and that the smaller teams don’t have any reason to believe they’ll be able to close it. Borren didn’t even feel his team could match the performance of another Associate.In some ways, that carefree attitude should stand them in good stead for their remaining matches, because it will take away the burdens they’ve had to prove themselves up to now. The Netherlands next outing is against India and instead of wanting to cause an upset, Borren said they are just looking forward to the spectacle. “India are a magnificent cricket team. Hopefully we will do a bit better than we did today but to play them at home is going to be a great occasion.”

A round-up of the action from the Coca-Cola Pro50 Championship 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jan-2012Mid West Rhinos put in an all-round team performance and eased to a seven-wicket win over Southern Rocks at the Kwekwe Sports Club. The Rhinos put the Rocks in to bat and kept striking at regular intervals, eventually bowling them out for 211 in 48.3 overs. That the Rocks even got past 200 was only due to their captain Richmond Mutumbami, who scored a fluent 82. While the Rhinos bowlers shared the wickets around, new-ball bowler Richard Muzhange finished with the best figures: 3 for 30. In the chase, Rhinos’ top three, Vusi Sibanda, Steve Marillier and Gary Ballance, all scored half-centuries to make sure their side got home comfortably in the 43rd over.Mashonaland Eagles continued their dominance in the tournament, beating Mountaineers by 59 runs in a rain-hit encounter at the Harare Sports Club. After being put in, the Eagles got to 218 – a commendable total when you consider their start. They were reduced to 11 for 4 and 80 for 6 by Tendai Chatara, who claimed a five-for. However, Sikandar Raza and Elton Chigumbura, batting at Nos. 7 and 8, made 58 each to set up the competitive total. Mountaineer’s chase didn’t quite get going at any stage, and needing a revised target of 193 from 33 overs, they could manage only 133 for 8. Kyle Jarvis, with 3 for 39, was the most effective of the Eagles’ bowlers.

In his first series as Test captain, Michael Clarke has delivered Australia a 1-0 victory over Sri Lanka, moved them up to fourth in the ICC rankings, and broken his own personal drought with his first Test century in 18 months

The Report by Brydon Coverdale20-Sep-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMichael Clarke made his first Test hundred as Australia’s captain•AFPSmart stats

Michael Hussey’s aggregate of 463 runs in the series is the fourth-highest overall by a batsman in a three-Test series in Sri Lanka and the second-highest among visiting batsmen after Brian Lara’s 688 runs in 2001-02.

This is the fourth time that Australia have scored over 400 in their second innings in Sri Lanka. On the three previous occasions, they went on to win the Test.

Michael Clarke scored his 15th century in Tests. It is also his first century since his 168 against New Zealand in March 2010.

Clarke scored 86 of his 112 runs in front of the wicket. In all, he hit 13 fours and three sixes. In contrast, Phil Hughes scored 63 of his 126 runs behind the wicket.

The five fifty-plus partnerships in Australia’s second innings is joint-second on the list of most fifty-plus stands for visiting teams in Sri Lanka. Pakistan are on top, with six fifty-plus stands in Galle in 2000.

The 176-run stand between Hussey and Clarke is the highest ever fifth-wicket partnership for Australia against Sri Lanka.

This is Sri Lanka’s first defeat in a home series since the 1-0 loss to Pakistan in 2006. The previous series defeat in a three-match home series also came against Australia, in 2004, when they lost 3-0.

Australia’s 1-0 triumph is their first series win since the 2-0 win in New Zealand in 2010. In between, they drew a series against Pakistan and lost to India and England.

Rangana Herath’s haul of 7 for 157 is the best bowling performance by a Sri Lankan bowler in Tests against Australia. He also became the fourth Sri Lankan bowler to reach the 100-wicket mark in Tests.

In his first series as Test captain, Michael Clarke has delivered Australia a 1-0 victory over Sri Lanka, moved them up to fourth in the ICC Test rankings, retained the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy and broken his own personal drought with his first Test century in 18 months. Not a bad way to start a new job. On the final day of the series, Clarke played a true captain’s innings to deny Sri Lanka any hope of winning the match, which ended in a draw that was as good as a victory for Australia.Sri Lanka began the morning needing quick wickets to knock Australia over and set up a chase. By tea, Tillakaratne Dilshan’s men had added only two breakthroughs to the three wickets they had taken on the fourth afternoon, and they were left not only to rue their slow batting in a match they had to win, but also to wonder how long their attack will take to deliver them a Test win in the post-Muttiah Muralitharan era.Rangana Herath toiled manfully to earn a career-best 7 for 157, but the harsh truth is that Sri Lanka haven’t won a Test since Murali last played for them in July 2010. And by losing a home series for just the third time in ten years, they have fallen to fifth on the ICC rankings list. Besides Herath, none of the bowlers looked threatening on the final day, not that their task was an easy one on a pitch offering nothing.There was a glimmer of hope early, when Phillip Hughes (126) top-edged Herath to square leg, having added only four to his overnight total. But that brought Clarke and Michael Hussey together, and they proceeded to bat Sri Lanka out of the game in a 176-run partnership, an Australian fifth-wicket record against Sri Lanka, beating the 155 set by David Hookes and Allan Border in the first Test ever played between the two countries.And while Hussey missed the chance to score his third hundred of the series, falling for 93, Clarke didn’t waste his opportunity to end a drought that stretched back to Australia’s tour of New Zealand last March. It was an outstanding effort from Clarke, for when he came to the crease late on day four, a Sri Lanka victory was very much a possibility.He batted precisely the way a captain should in such circumstances, first and foremost guarding his wicket fiercely, but also ticking the scoreboard over to add to Sri Lanka’s problems. At one point during the morning, he was 24 from 80 deliveries, but he lifted his rate as the day wore on, three times advancing down the pitch to Herath to drive him down the ground for six.Although he survived a stumping chance when Prasanna Jayawardene failed to glove the ball cleanly, Clarke provided a masterclass in handling spin, using his feet and smothering the turn where he could. He brought up his century in exactly that manner, from his 139th ball, dancing down the pitch to clip Herath wide of mid-on for a boundary, and it was a fine way to cap off a tour during which his captaincy has been bold and thoughtful.Eventually, Clarke fell for 112 driving a catch to mid-on from the bowling of Herath, following some banter between Clarke and Kumar Sangakkara, and the chirping continued as Clarke walked off the field. But the most important thing was that he had ensured a series win.The only remaining point of interest was whether Hussey would finish his incredible tour with a century in each innings of a Test for the first time, having scored 118 in the first innings. Alas, he top-edged a sweep off Dilshan and was caught for 93. Still, he was unequivocally the Player of the Series, with scores of 95, 15, 142, 118 and 93, as well as two wickets and a stunning catch.It continued a remarkable renaissance for Hussey, 36, whose past two series, the Ashes at home and this Sri Lankan tour, have been the most prolific in his Test career. Herath also produced his best Test series, easily topping the wicket tally from either side with 16 at an average of 23, despite missing the second Test to injury, but it will hardly be a series he’ll remember with fondness.Still, he finished off strongly, securing his first six-for when Brad Haddin (30) was caught at wide mid-off, and that became a seven-wicket haul when he trapped Peter Siddle lbw for 26 as the sun set on the SSC. It was also his 100th Test wicket, making him the fourth Sri Lanka player to the milestone, after Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga.Australia were finally bowled out for 488, and Sri Lanka had to bat for two overs before the captains could agree to an early end. Clarke handed the ball to Trent Copeland and Nathan Lyon, who both debuted during the series, and finished with one over each.It was a fitting way to end a series in which Australia’s debutants – Lyon, Copeland and Shaun Marsh – played key roles. Their next job is to take on the world No.2, South Africa, in Cape Town and Johannesburg. For now, Clarke and his men can celebrate. Finally, they are moving in the right direction.