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Ponting punishes Zim

AFP, Sydney
Vice-captain Ricky Ponting compiled his 18th Test century as Australia powered to 245 for three before bad light halted play for the day on Saturday, the second day of the second and final cricket Test against Zimbabwe at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The aggressive Ponting was unbeaten on 137, including 19 fours and two sixes, with skipper Steve Waugh on 43 as the Australians scored at an imperious rate in the final two sessions after being 31 for one at lunch in reply to the tourists' first innings total of 308.
The Australians added 131 in the second session and continued in that vein in the third as Ponting punished the Zimbabwe attack before the umpires called the players from the field 36 minutes before the scheduled close of play. Rain then began to fall and play was eventually abandoned.
"I was deliberately going out there to be aggressive today," Ponting said. "Once you get set on that sort of wicket you can score pretty quickly."
Australia trail Zimbabwe by 63 with seven first innings wickets in hand but suffered a blow when pace bowler Brett Lee was sent to hospital after bowling only three overs in the morning.
Australia are already without three key bowlers in injured trio Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath and Stuart MacGill as well as suspended spinner Shane Warne.
The Australian innings got off to a sluggish start when all-rounder
Andy Blignaut, who had also starred with the bat, dismissed Justin Langer with his first delivery with the Australians on seven.
Matthew Hayden, who made a world record 380 in the first Test, then fell for 20 soon after lunch, falling victim to Bliganut's pace when he was caught by Stuart Carlisle at cover.
Ponting was in unstoppable form, however. His 50 came up from just 51 balls and was punctuated by nine fours.
Damien Martyn played the anchor role in a 97-run partnership with Ponting before being trapped lbw by spinner Ray Price, the nephew of golfer Nick Price, with Australia on 149.
Ponting completed his century in just 154 minutes from 113 balls. It featured 16 fours and a towering six off the bowling of Price.
He has now scored tons in six of his last 13 Tests and he and Waugh had shared an unbroken 97-run partnership. Ponting passed the 5,000 run mark in Tests.
"Steve and I have a good partnership going and its important we build on that tomorrow," Ponting said.
Zimbabwe were earlier dismissed after 70 minutes of the morning session after resuming at 256 for eight. The tourists added 52 to their overnight score with Blignaut, a 25-year-old former male model, unbeaten with a defiant 38 that included seven fours.
Andy Bichel was the best of the largely ineffective Australian bowlers with figures of 4-66.
SCOREBOARD
Scoreboard at stumps on the second day of the second cricket Test between Australia and Zimbabwe at
the Sydney Cricket Ground on
Saturday:
ZIMBABWE: First innings (over-
night 256-8)
Ebrahim b Lee 9
Gripper c Gilchrist b Bichel 15
Vermeulen lbw b Williams 17
Carlisle c Ponting b Bichel 118
Wishart c Gilchrist b Williams 14
Taibu c Gilchrist b Hogg 27
Streak lbw b Hogg 14
Ewing c Martyn b Lee 2
Blignaut not out 38
Price c Williams b Bichel 20
Mahwire c Gilchrist b Bichel 6
Extras: (b-4, lb-12, w-3, nb-9) 28
Total: (All out in 107.2 overs) 308
Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-45, 3-47, 495, 5-151, 6-218, 7-222, 8-243, 9296
Bowler O M R W
Lee 23 5 78 2
Williams 23 6 58 2
Bichel 24.2 7 66 4
Hogg 23 8 49 2
Waugh 4 0 7 0
Katich 7 0 25 0
Martyn 3 1 9 0
AUSTRALIA: First innings
Hayden c Carlisle b Blignaut 20
Langer c Streak b Blignaut 2
Ponting not out 137
Martyn lbw b Price 32
Waugh not out 43
Extras: (lb-1, w-1, nb-9) 11
Total: (For 3 wkts in 56.5 overs)245 Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-51, 3-148
Bowler O M R W
Streak 11 1 58 0
Blignaut 13 2 49 2
Mahwire 6.5 0 47 0
Price 20 3 58 1
Ewing 6 0 32 0
Umpires: Sri Venkataraghavan
(India) and Billy Bowden (New Zealand)