Ponting and Clarke break records.

Let's take a look at some stats and records from this massive partnership currently going between Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting.

Clarke is currently on 163* his highest test score. His previous best was 151 he scored on debut. I beleieve this is the longest a proper batsmen has taken to better their debut score.


Clarke's average is up to 50.80, the highest it has been since his 7th match.


Ponting's highest score on his home gorund.


The partnership is now the highest of all time for Australia v Pakistan

Currently 7th highest Australian partnership of all time.


Highest 4th wicket partnership for Australia in Australia.

46 runs away from Australia's highest ever 4th wicket partship which is 388 set by Ponsford and Bradman in 1934

The Partnership ended up the 6th highest Australian partnership of all time.


Ponting has scored the first ever double century at Bellrieve and now joins an exclusive club of batsmen who have scored 5 double centuries.
Stats and records will be updated throughout the partnership.

Ponting and Clarke score centuries. Strauss gone first ball against SA.

Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke have both scored centuries to leave Australia in a commanding position at stumps on day 1 of the 3rd test dead rubber against Pakistan. Ponting and Clarke came together with Australian in a little bit of trouble at 3/71 before a 231 run unbeaten partnership took them to 3/302 at stumps. This partnership is the highest ever 4th wicket partnership at Bellrieve and the highest of all time for any wicket. Ponting scored his 39th test century and was 137 not out at stumps. While Clarke's unbeaten 111 has seen his career average rise above 50 again.


In the series deciding match at Johannesburg England won the toss and chose to bat but were reeling at 2/7 after just 2 overs. Strauss became the first Englishman since 1936 to be out first ball of a test match. It could have been worse for the visitors with Cook being dropped by Amla in the 5th over.

Ponting voted Player of the Decade.

Ricky Ponting has been voted Player of the Decade by a jury over at Cricinfo. I was hoping he would win it as he was the highest run-scorer in both forms of the game during the previous decade.Congratulations to Ponting, he thoroughly deserves it.

Ricky Ponting has been voted Player of the Decade by an overwhelming majority by a jury comprising former and current players and cricket writers.

Ponting got 60 points (a first-place vote fetched three points, a second place two, and third place one), 23 more than second-placed Jacques Kallis. Adam Gilchrist was ranked third (29 points), while positions four to seven went to Muttiah Muralitharan, Glenn McGrath, Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne.

Marus North's catching stats compared to Aussie fielders.

There is a debate curently taking place on Twitter about Marus North and whether he deserves his place in the Australian side. Most people are saying he can't catch after dropping a pretty easy catch in Pakistan's first innings. I thought I would take a look at his stats compared to other players.

Player	Innings	Catches	CPI
North	22	8	0.363
M. Waugh	245	181	0.738
Warne	281	125	0.444
Ponting	275	162	0.589
Clarke	111	52	0.468

Post a comment if you would like to see any other players added to the table.

Katich out, Hughes in. A stack of stats.

Update - 1:30pm. Pomting has won the toss. Australia will bat. Play to start at 2:00.  Playing sessions. 2:00-:3:40, tea 3:40-4:00, final session 4:00-7:00

(Update: Screenshot of weather radar, scroll down for stats)

Here is a screenshot of the Sydney weather radar. There is hardly any rain around. Surely they can play in drizzle? I have pointed out roughly where I think the SCG is.

Simon Katich has been ruled out of the 2nd test at Sydney with an elbow injury. Phillip Hughes will take his place and play his first test on home soil. Hughes was extremely unlucky to be dropped and I wish all the best. Let's hope he can walk in and score a century and show everyone how it's done.

Let's take a look at some stats:

Averages
Ricky Ponting averages 70.26 here with 1335 runs in 14 matches with a hige score of 207 and 5 centuries.
Hussey - 343 runs @ 85.75
Michael Clarke hasn't done so well on his home ground, only scorinf 270 runs @ 33.75 and being dismissed by spinners 6 times in 8 innings.

Average Innings scores
1st: 40.08
2nd: 41.81
3rd: 36.25
4th: 37.12

Top scores
Batsmen
R Foster (Eng) 287 - 1903
B Lara (WI) 277 - 1993
W Hammond (Eng) 251 - 1928
DWalters (Aus) 242 - 1969
S Tendulkar (Ind) 241*- 2004

Team
India 7d/705 - 2004
Australia 8d/659 - 1946
England 636 - 1928
Australia 619 - 1969
West Indies 606 -1993

Lowest scores
Australia 42 -1888 
England 45 - 1887
England 65 - 1895
England 77 - 1885 
West Indies 78 - 1952
The lowest score in the last 10 years is 144 by the World XI. Apart from that the lowest score lately is 147 by England in the 2006/2007 Ashes.



Best Bowling
Innings
G Lohmann(Eng) 8/35  - 1887
G Lohman (Eng) 8/58  - 1892
T Richardson (Eng) 8/94 - 1898
A Kumble (Ind) 8/141 - 2004
D Barlow (Eng) 7/40 - 1883

Top 5 scores by an Australian in a One Day International

Today Matthew Hayden smashed his way to the highest score in an ODI by an Australian. Let's take a look at the top 5 scores by an Aussie in ODI history.

1. Matthew Hayden 181* (166 balls) Vs NZ 2007/07 Scorecard
2. Mark Waugh 173 (148 balls) Vs WI 2000/01 Scorecard
3. Adam Gilchrist 172 (126 balls) Vs ZIM 2003/04 Scorecard
4. Ricky Ponting 164 (105 balls) Vs SA 2005/06 Scorecard
5. Andrew Symonds 156 (127 balls) Vs NZ 2005/06 Scorecard