Cricket: India handed initiative by careless Waugh

Australia 326-3 India 211-1

MADRAS - Steve Waugh became only the sixth player in Test history to be given out handled the ball on the second day of the third Test against India here yesterday. The Australian captain was given out as Australia collapsed to 391 all out.

The slump, in which their last seven wickets went for 51, started with Waugh's unusual dismissal for 47 in the sixth over of the day. He was struck on the pad as he shaped to play a sweep-pull against the off-spinner Harbhajan Singh. He survived a vociferous leg before appeal but found the ball ballooning up and bouncing dangerously close to the stumps. In what appeared to be an instinctive action, or a momentary lapse of composure, he swiped the ball away from the stumps with his hand, which is against the laws of the game.

A renewed appeal for "handled the ball" ensued and Waugh was back in the pavilion. Questioned about Waugh being given out, Singh said he had turned to the umpire appealing for a leg before decision. "I didn't know what had happened until my team-mates told me," he said.

The next ball, Singh had Ricky Ponting stumped by Sameer Dighe as the Australian tried to play a defensive shot. Then Singh, who bowled slower than he had on the first day, trapped Adam Gilchrist leg before for one and removed Shane Warne for his third successive duck of the series.

The Australian opening batsman Matthew Hayden, who finished with 203, scored 56 of the 65 runs added to the overnight 326 for 3. The left-hander had just claimed his maiden Test double century before he was last out on the stroke of lunch.

Hayden hit 96 in boundaries in his 320-ball innings, lasting almost eight hours. He put on 123 with Waugh for the fourth wicket. Singh, who took 1 for 100 on Sunday, captured 6 for 33 in 12.2 overs to end with 7 for 133.

When India batted, Warne was struck for 73 runs from 20 overs. His spin partner Colin Miller conceded 64 runs from his 18 overs.

The Indian captain, Saurav Ganguly, said: "It was the perfect day for us. We needed wickets badly this morning, and Singh delivered once more. But I was delighted at the way we have batted. It's taken the pressure off the remaining batsmen, and we must get a big score now."

PLAYERS OUT HANDLED THE BALL IN TESTS

Russell Endean (S Africa) v England 1956-57; Andrew Hilditch (Australia) v Pakistan 1978-79; Mohsin Khan (Pakistan) v Australia 1982-83; Desmond Haynes (W Indies) v India 1983-84; Graham Gooch (England) v Australia 1993; Steve Waugh (Australia) v India 2001.

SCOREBOARD

Second day of five; Australia won toss

AUSTRALIA – First Innings (Overnight: 326 for 3)

M L Hayden c Ganguly b Singh 203

S R Waugh handled ball 47

R T Ponting st Dighe b Singh 0

A C Gilchrist lbw b Singh 1

S K Warne c Das b Singh 0

J N Gillespie c Ganguly b Singh 0

C R Miller c Bahutule b Singh 0

G D McGrath not out 3

Extras (b8 lb10 nb10) 28

Total (115.2 overs) 391

Fall (cont): 4-340 5-340 6-344 7-374 8-376 9-385.

Bowling: Khan 15-5-57-1 (nb1); Ganguly 2-1-11-0 (nb1); Singh 38.2-6-133-7; Kulkarni 23-5-67-0 (nb1); Bahutule 21-3-70-1 (nb5); Tendulkar 16-1-35-0 (nb2)

INDIA – First Innings

S S Das not out 84

S Ramesh c Ponting b Warne 61

V V S Laxman not out 59

Extras (b4 nb3) 7

Total (for 1, 64 overs) 211

To bat: S R Tendulkar, *S C Ganguly, R Dravid, ÝS S Dighe, Harbhajan Singh, Z Khan, S V Bahutule, N M Kulkarni.

Fall: 1-123.

Bowling: McGrath 14-5-36-0 (nb2); Gillespie 12-2-34-0; Miller 18-3-64-0; Warne 20-2-73-1 (nb1).

Umpires: A V Jayaprakash and R E Koertzen (SA).

- INDEPENDENT