Ricky Ponting fell agonisingly short of a momentous double at the MCG in the second Test against South Africa.
After his 101 in the first innings, he was out for 99 in the second.
Aust: 8/220. Mitchell Johnson 25*, Ponting 99, Michael Clarke 29. Dale Steyn 4/57, Morne Morkel 2/43.

Umar Gul helped drag SA back to 182 with 4 wickets for 15 when they were heading for a 200+ total.
One of his scalps was his Pakistan team mate, Sohail Tanvir, for a duck. Callum Ferguson (58) and Dan Harris (39) batted well for the Redbacks.
WA failed by 36 runs (D/L method) after a rain […]

David Hussey helped give the Bushrangers a competitive total with a slashing 100 n.o.
Victoria won by 35 runs.
Vic: 5/203. Tas: 168. Travis Birt 58, Andy McDonald 3/32, Damien Wright 3/34, Dirk Nannes 2/20, Hussey 2/36.

JP Duminy and Dale Steyn added 180 for the 9th. wicket to take the tourists to the lead in the second Test at the MCG.
Duminy scored his first Test century and Steyn, his highest score.
Aust: 394 & 0/4. SA: 459. Duminy 166, Steyn 76, Peter Siddle 4/81, Nathan Hauritz 3/98.

Peter Siddle had a good day on his home ground on the second day of the Boxing Day Test .
After adding 42 with Michael Clarke (88*) for the 10th. wicket with a well made 19, he claimed Neil McKenzie for a duck, Graeme Smith for 62 and AB de Villiers for 7.
Aust: 394. Dale Steyn […]

Thilan Samaraweera and Chaminda Vaas (37) added 99 for the 7th. wicket to rescue Sri Lanka from a precarious 6/171. Samaraweera was last man out, for 91.
Shakib Al Hasan took 5/70.
SL: 293. Bang: 178. Junaid Siddique 29, Muttiah Muralitharan 6/49, Vaas 2/33.

NSW defeated Queensland in the first of the Big Bash matches.
Bulls 7/161. Chris Simpson 39, Doug Bollinger 3/22. Blues 5/162. Phil Hughes 80*, Ben Rohrer 24.
NSW won with 2 balls to spare.
Sunday: TAS v VIC at the Bellerive Oval. SA v WA at the Adelaide Oval

Michael Clarke scored freely on the second morning of the Boxing Day Test as Australia lost 4 wickets.
Aust: 394. Clarke 88*, Brett Lee 21, Peter Siddle 19, Dale Steyn 5/87. SA: 3/102. Graeme Smith 46*, Jacques Kallis 26.

 Ricky Ponting won the toss and Australia batted first against South Africa in the second Test at the MCG.
Ponting led the way with a brilliant, 119 ball century - his 37th. in Tests.
Aust. at stumps: 6/280. Michael Clarke 36*, Ricky Ponting 101, Simon Katich 54, Brad Haddin 40, Dale Steyn 2/61, Makhaya Ntini 2/71.

Chris Gayle scored 197 in a West Indies  second innings of 375 against New Zealand in the second Test. Brendan Nash 65.
NZ was 5/220 when the match was declared a draw. Jesse Ryder 59*, Jamie How 52, Ross Taylor 46, Jerome Taylor 2/67.