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WA face mountainous Tassie task

Written By Unknown on Senin, 26 November 2012 | 23.40

Late cameo ... James Faulkner (L) scores some handy late runs for Tasmania. Source: Nikki Davis-jones / News Limited

Western Australia face a mountainous task to make Tasmania bat for a second time in the Sheffield Shield match at Bellerive.

SHEF - Blundstone Arena

25 November 2012 - Day 2, Session 3

Western Australia 2nd Innings

S. Whiteman 19 46 1 0 41.3
M. North 33 64 3 0 51.56

The visitors reached stumps on day two at 1-54 in their second innings, still 327 behind the Tigers' first dig total of 448.

The Warriors will resume with Marcus North unbeaten on 33 and Sam Whiteman 19, and with a point to prove to new coach Justin Langer after they made just 67 in their first innings.

The Shield's leading wicket-taker, Jackson Bird (1-16), had already struck in the final session on Monday, bowling Marcus Harris for one.

Earlier, the Tigers piled up a massive 381-run first-innings lead on the back of Ben Dunk's 97, an unbeaten late cameo of 76 from James Faulkner and skipper George Bailey's 66.

A fiery four-wicket haul from former Test spearhead Mitchell Johnson had threatened to limit the lead, but Faulkner put on 93 for the last wicket with Bird as WA's wheels fell off.

Johnson finished with 4-103 after a menacing and controlled display of speed that could have the 31-year-old in the reckoning for a Test return in the absence of injured paceman James Pattinson.

The former international cricketer of the year floored Tigers keeper Tim Paine with a vicious bouncer and hit several others in the home side's batting line-up to answer Bird's 6-25 on day one.

Johnson had Bailey caught at deep fine leg at 4-275 before Paine (4) and Luke Butterworth (2) were out to slips catches from superb deliveries for 6-295.

A short ball at Xavier Doherty's throat had the spinner fending a catch to short leg and on his way for two at 9-355.

A prolonged verbal battle between Johnson and Faulkner then followed as the Tigers allrounder mounted his brave cameo.

Tigers opener Dunk surpassed his previous best of 45 but fell agonisingly short of his first hundred when he was caught behind off the bowling of Nathan Coulter-Nile (2-110).

WA's dire situation didn't stop Johnson - a veteran of 47 Tests - declaring he was back near his best and ready to resume a career that earned him the game's top gong in 2009.

''I know exactly where I'm bowling the ball,'' he told reporters.

''That consistency's right up there again so I'm really happy with how things are going and if the opportunity came along again I'm definitely ready for it.''

He said only a lack of swing in the conditions had stopped him being at his lethal best.

''I think as the game's gone on, I've felt at my best,'' he said.

'' ... I felt like I got the ball through.

''Obviously I got a few quick ones through to Tim Paine.

''I feel like my pace is there but that hasn't been a real focus for me.

''It's more being that 85, 90 per cent (and) being able to bowl that quicker ball.''


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Proteas hero sets goosebump record

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Proteas hero ... Faf Du Plessis walks off 110 not out after saving South Africa from a certain loss. Source:AP

Faf du Plessis not only saved a Test match for South Africa, but he reckons he also set a new world record.

"I was going through a lot of emotions, I had goosebumps, it's the record for the longest goosebumps ever," du Plessis said.

On Test debut, du Plessis became South Africa's latest hero: he defied Australia for more than seven and a half hours in scoring an unbeaten 110 to save the second Test in Adelaide.

Du Plessis also made 78 in the first innings, after fearing he would be timed out when losing a boot, then almost tripping down the pavilion stairs.

"The second innings, I took my time going down the stairs," the man-of-the-match said.

Du Plessis, who batted the entire final day on Monday, said the fact Australia got within two wickets of victory "just makes the story so much better".

But he gave the Australians credit for one thing: their relentless sledging.

"They didn't stop for five minutes, they just kept chattering in my ear the whole day," he said.

"But probably we would have done the same thing, they were fighting firstly, and then they were getting frustrated they couldn't get us out.

"Credit to them for speaking the whole day."

The 28-year-old admitted suffering a serious dose of the nervous 90s.

"It felt like forever," he said.

"I think I was on 96 and I went through a stage where I was going 'I'm one boundary away here from getting a hundred so please bowl me a half-volley'.

"I quickly realised that it doesn't work like that in Test cricket."

After reaching his ton, du Plessis battled cramp and exhaustion, but ultimately walked from the field aching yet content.

"It just makes it a little bit more sweeter," he said.

"One day when I look back, I can say I pushed through the physical side of things.

"It just shows you how far you can go if you're mentally strong enough."


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Clarke: I want a fair pitch in Perth

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Perfect pitch ... Michael Clarke wants a 'fair' pitch at the WACA. Source: David Mariuz / News Limited

Australia captain Michael Clarke has taken a pointed swipe at WACA groundstaff, desperate for the world No.1 ranking to not be decided by the coin toss.

So concerned was Clarke after playing a Shield match for NSW in Perth two months ago, he told curator Cameron Sutherland he expected fairer batting conditions for the third Test starting on Friday.

Clarke won the toss and sent Western Australia in on a volatile wicket in September, and the Blues had the game comfortably won within three days.

Australia must win the third Test to usurp South Africa at the top of the Test rankings, and Clarke wants a fair fight.

"I hope so. I spoke to the groundsman when we played the game for NSW and made it very clear I was disappointed that a four day Shield game only just lasted (three) days,'' Clarke said.

"I'm hoping for a wicket that's good for batting but also bowling - a fair contest.

"I think we've seen that in Brisbane, we've seen that here (in Adelaide), two very tough battles.

"I'd like to hope a toss of the coin doesn't dictate who wins this third Test match.''


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Ferrari riled by Vettel let-offs

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Treble ... Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel is held aloft after winning his third driver championship. Source:AP

Ferrari gatecrashed Sebastian Vettel's triple world title party by insisting that Spaniard Fernando Alonso should have been crowned champion in an acrimonious, season-finale parting shot.

Red Bull driver Vettel's sixth-placed finish in the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday allowed him to become the youngest three-time champion in the sport's history as the 25-year-old German claimed the title by just three points.

But Ferrari insisted that Alonso, who was second at Interlagos, should have been the man celebrating a third career title, pointing to controversial races in Belgium and Japan to support their argument.

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Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said that Alonso paid a heavy price for first lap exits in Belgium and Japan where he was shunted out of contention by Lotus duo Romain Grosjean and Kimi Raikkonen respectively.

The Italian giants had been further aggrieved when Vettel, accused of blocking Alonso in qualifying in Japan before going on to win the race, escaped with just a reprimand.

''We are proud of Fernando,'' Domenicali told www.autosport.com. ''But we are very disappointed because the one who deserved this championship was really him.

''It is a shame because, after such a long season that we really fight in all conditions, we raced 18 races and not 20 -- and being second by three points is not a lot.

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''Watch the facts. Zero points in two races (Belgium and Japan) so we have done what we have done with 18 races. The others had 20 -- and the points were over 20 races.''

But Domenicali remained gracious in his praise of Vettel who had collided with Williams driver Bruno Senna on the opening lap and was sent spinning to the rear of the field in Sunday's rain-lashed race before recovering.

''Sometimes there is a sign of destiny where you really can appreciate what is the direction of the wind,'' he said.

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Alonso, who was second behind Jenson Button of McLaren in the race, also insisted his campaign had been undermined at Spa and Suzuka.

''The championship was not lost here,'' said the two-time champion. ''The championship was lost when (Romain) Grosjean flew over my head (at Spa) or when Vettel surprisingly only got a reprimand after qualifying in Japan.''

Vettel refused to get involved in a war of words although he did allude to his rivals' controversial decision the previous weekend in Texas to break the gearbox seal on Felipe Massa's Ferrari in order to allow Alonso to enjoy a starting advantage on the grid.

''A lot of people tried to play dirty tricks but we did not get distracted by that and kept going our way and all the guys gave a big push right to the end,'' Vettel told the BBC.


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Warne promises all-out attack in BBL

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Leading from the front ... Warne says he'll be an attacking captain in season two of the BBL. Source:News Limited

Australia cricket great Shane Warne has given fans a glimpse of what they can expect in this summer's KFC Twenty Big Bash League, telling Inside Cricket he'll be an attacking captain at Melbourne Stars.

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Warne will assume the captaincy from Cameron White in the second edition of the Big Bash League, the champion leg-spinner saying he'll look to put the pressure on opposition teams from the outset.

"In my experience so far if you can take three or four wickets in the first six to eight overs you're generally going to win the game," Warne told his former Test captain Allan Border on Inside Cricket.

"All the opposition are trying to do is to bat out the 20 overs and actually post a score that they can then be competitive.

"So it's all-out attack for me in the first six overs and if that means you go for a few more runs then so be it – that's a risk-reward thing about the runs."

The BBL quickly found a place in the hearts of Australian cricket fans last season with the games attracting impressive crowd figures and record viewing numbers on Fox Sports.

And Warne said the enjoyment wasn't just confined to those watching on in the stands and at home.

"I think from the captain's point of view it's probably the most enjoyable form of the game to captain," he said.

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"You have to be a couple of overs ahead of the game and you have to adapt straight away.

"You can have all the plans you want in Twenty20 and some guy comes up and can start winning the game and turning the game."

The Stars are $5 favourites to take out the competition despite the presence of defending champions Sydney Sixers, who recently added the Champions League Twenty20 tournament in South Africa to their BBL triumph.

Warne said he was looking forward to leading a team jam-packed with T20 talent.

"It's quite an exciting team to captain, too," he said.

"You look down our list and there's some good international players like (Lasith) Malinga and (Luke) Wright – he got the fastest domestic hundred last year.

"And then we've got the quality of Rob Quiney at the top – he's probably as good as anyone going around.

"And then you've got all the other guys – (Brad) Hodge, (Cameron) White, (David) Hussey … we've got a pretty good side but it's just a matter of everyone gelling together."

One of the great innovations from season one of the BBL was the interaction between players and the Fox Sports commentary team.

Warne was "miked-up" for many of the Stars' matches, giving fans an extraordinary insight into the way he goes about his business.

"I did enjoy it actually and in a funny sort of way it made you concentrate," Warne said of his pre-delivery conversations.

"I think it's fantastic that Foxtel and Fox Sports be able to do that – to bring that to the lounge room of people watching."

Watch every match of the Big Bash League Live and in stunning HD on Fox Sports!


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