Ponting makes Pakistan pay big

Dropped on nought, Australian captain Ricky Ponting went on to score an unbeaten 137 as the home side put Pakistan to the sword on the first day of the third test at Hobart. Ponting along with Michael Clarke (111*) put on 231 runs to guide his side to an imposing 302-3 at close.

Pakistan was once again guilty of losing their steam and their heads while on top, squandering in the field and completely losing their bowling line, length and gusto. The lapse came after they had bowled themselves into a strong position, dismissing the heroes of the previous two tests Simon Katich (11), Shane Watson (29) and Michael Hussey (6) cheaply. The first to go was Katich, trapped in front by Mohammad Asif and adjudged out by the TV referral. Watson, after having been granted a life of sorts, soon cut Umar Gul straight to point before Hussey, probably still soaking in Sydney, was picked up behind the wickets by a length delivery by Mohammad Aamer. The wicket of Hussey would have given the 17-year-old little satisfaction at the end of the day as the man (Ponting) he dropped on zero earlier in the morning, had coasted to a century.

And a fine century it was too by Ponting, who after reaching 50 runs seemed to be back to his old, imperious self, driving, cutting and even pulling with a nothing more than a little swivel on the back-foot for the later. When Ponting cuts and pulls with impunity, opposition teams know they're in trouble and Pakistan might have sensed the ominous as he came out to bat sans arm-guard on left arm. His charge was laced with 17 fierce boundaries and subdued celebrations after reaching his century could spell more doom for the visitors tomorrow.

“We tend to make cricketers struggling with their game comeback to form. They might seem ordinary but we (Pakistan) make them look like champions,” a blunt Shoaib Akhtar commented before the start of this series. And although Michael Clarke is no ordinary man, he did come back to form in this test. He started off cautiously and remained determined at stumps, his 111 coming off 223 balls and including only 11 fours. Determination is what sets Australia apart from Pakistan and Clarke has turned many a corner before. His century was on the cards, just a big score is due from Marcus North and the streaky but effective Brad Haddin.

Events of the first day seemed to have all but taken away the possibility of another 'miracle at Hobart' and point towards a potential damper for Pakistan. An unimaginative Mohammad Yousuf would look back ruefully at the missed opportunities on this tour, mindful of the fact that his side is facing a relatively weaker side than Wasim Akram did 10 years ago. And as if to rub that in and pinch the tourists in the backside, hero of 1999/00 Justin Langer admitted that he had infact edged Wasim Akram en route to his match-winning knock along with Adam Gilchrist that saw the Australians chase 369 from a position of 126-5.