Sehwag set to wear specs

Shades ... Virender Sehwag will swap his shades for specs against Australia. Source: Theron Kirkman / AP

Underfire Indian opener Virender Sehwag is set to wear spectacles for the first time in his 102-Test career amid fears his deteroriating eyesight could be exposed by Australia's express pace attack.

The 34-year-old is fighting to save his career in the first Test against Australia starting tomorrow after two lean calendar years which have fuelled speculation the master blaster is on the wane.

Sehwag, who has just one ton from his past 16 Tests, averaged 29.54 in the 2011 calendar year and 31.56 last season, figures well shy of his magnificent career mark of 50.05. 

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But Sehwag's eyesight has emerged as a potential problem. The Delhi dasher had been complaining of mild headaches and a recent visit to the optometrist found Sehwag no longer possessed 20-20 vision, although his decline is said to be only minor.

The veteran of 8559 Test runs wore glasses during last weekend's three-day team camp in Bangalore and also road-tested his new look last month in nets sessions in Delhi to feel comfortable while batting.

He has also trialled the spectacles while fielding.

Sehwag may yet decide to face the Australians without them but it would be a dangerous move considering pace trio James Pattinson, Peter Siddle and Mitchell Starc will test his reflexes generating speeds in excess of 140km/h.

The Indian slugger would join a select band of Test cricketers to wear spectacles. West Indian great Clive Lloyd, Pakistan's Zaheer Abbas, Kiwi duo Daniel Vettori and Walter Hadlee and Australian batsman Dirk Wellham all carved out international careers using visual aids.

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Former Indian leggie Anil Kumble also began his career wearing glasses before shifting to contact lenses in his final years.

Sehwag, who relies heavily on his hand-eye co-ordination to bludgeon attacks, has scored just one century from his past 37 Test innings.

He faces Australia coming off a second-ball duck in his last knock against England in December in Nagpur.

But it would be short-sighted of Australia to underestimate Sehwag. 

He has a formidable record at Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium, having amassed 708 runs at an average of 101.14, including 155 against Australia in 2004 before thumping 319 off 304 balls against South Africa in 2008.

Indian spin great Bishan Bedi has called for selectors to axe Sehwag, saying he is "past his prime", but it may prove a myopic appraisal if the opener reprises his vintage form against Australia.

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Ponting signs on as Ashes spy

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Ricky Ponting ... on an Ashes spying mission. Source: David Mariuz / AAP

Ricky Ponting will be playing cricket in England this northern summer as Australia battles it out for the Ashes after all.

Former Australian captain Ponting has agreed to a two-month deal to join Surrey this county season, the club has confirmed.

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The 38-year-old has been signed to replace South Africa skipper Graeme Smith while he is expected to play in the Champions Trophy with the Proteas.

Ponting, who retired from international cricket in December, will be available in all formats in June and July.

He made an emotional farewell to Test cricket, as the all-time second-leading runscorer, against Smith's South Africa in Perth in December.

Since then Mike Hussey also called time on his Australia career to leave Michael Clarke's side with an inexperienced batting line-up.

While there has been no indication Ponting would look to reverse his retirement call, he has previously stated his desire to play in one last Ashes series before the end of his career.

Ponting, who surrendered the past two Ashes series in England as captain at the Oval, is the second major coup for the club following Smith's signature.

"I'm really excited to be playing for Surrey this season," Ponting said in a statement on Surrey's official website.

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"They are a forward thinking and historic club - and play at one of the greatest grounds in the world. It hasn't been the friendliest place for me but now it will be my home for two months this summer.

"I'd like to think I can contribute a significant amount to the club - on and off the field - and am looking forward to getting stuck in as soon as I arrive."

The first Ashes Test begins at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on July 10.

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Cornerpost Cam set for Charity Shield

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Amazing ... Cornerpost Cam will make its debut in the Charity Shield clash. Source:Fox Sports

Unique angle ... Cornerpost Cam is sure to capture some classic vision. Source:Fox Sports

Just when Rugby League fans thought the era of the corner post was over, Fox Sports has delivered the ultimate reason for its survival.

Friday night's annual Charity Shield battle between St George Illawarra and South Sydney marks the unofficial start to the 2013 NRL season, but the annual pre-season clash will also be remembered for being the first rugby league match with cameras installed in its corner posts.

Fox Sports latest camera innovation Cornerpost Cam will be unveiled for the first time on Friday night after being trialled with great success during a pre-season rugby trial between the Brumbies and an ACT representative team in Canberra earlier this month.

In an extraordinary weekend of innovation for Australia's leading sports broadcaster, Cornerpost Cam will make its debut on the night before Ref Cam makes its maiden appearance in the round two Super Rugby clash between Queensland Reds and New South Wales Waratahs in Brisbane.

Fox Sports chief executive, Patrick Delany, said the breakthrough innovations are aimed at bring fans closer to the game.

"Ref Cam and Cornerpost Cam produce very different but equally stunning vision," Delany said.

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Watch Cornerpost Cam make its debut from 7.00pm (EDT) Friday on Fox Sports 3HD!

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"They are about giving fans a new perspective, something they've never seen before, and bringing them closer to the sports they love.

"During the summer we rolled out FoxKopter and Helmet Cam and the impact on our Big Bash coverage from an entertainment perspective was really felt by cricket fans.

"We are looking at ways to open up an entirely new experience for fans of every sport and we are only at the tip of the iceberg."

Cornerpost Cam features a GoPro Hero 3 camera imbedded in the lower part of the corner post padding and captures stunning vision of flying wingers leaping over the tryline, or spectacular try-saving tackles by desperate defenders trying to protect their line.

The technology is non-obtrusive and is contained within the corner post padding, making it safe for impact by players or the ball.

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Tassie snare crucial WA wickets

Paceman ... Ben Hilfenhaus helped decimate the WA batting line-up. Source: Daniel Wilkins / News Limited

Tasmania's bowlers chimed in with crucial late innings runs and then ripped the heart out of Western Australia's batting on the opening day of their do-or-die Sheffield Shield game at the WACA Ground.

With both teams needing an outright victory to remain in the hunt for a spot in next month's Shield final, Tasmania amassed a 211-run total then went on a bowling rampage to leave WA at 6-54 at stumps.

SHEF - WACA Ground

21 February 2013 - Day 1, Session 3

Western Australia 1st Innings

R. Duffield	4	8	1	0	50
S. Whiteman	6	15	1	0	40

WA captain Michael Hussey won the toss and elected to field first on a green looking WACA deck.

The move appeared to pay off well with Tasmania slumping to 8-138 just after lunch on the opening day, but the lower order did tremendously well to fight.

James Faulkner did well to steady things with 28 with Jason Krejza then adding 36, Ben Hilfenhaus 23 and Adam Maher a not out 14 to help Tasmania post 211.

WA still appeared on top heading into their second innings, but not for long with Hilfenhaus (2-21), Luke Butterworth (2-14), Maher (1-9) and Faulkner (1-8) bowling outstandingly well on what was still a green top.

Tasmania had WA 4-28 with Liam Davis gone for five, Marcus Harris for seven, Luke Towers for two and John Rogers for 14 before Hussey and the returning Mitch Marsh came together at the wicket.

The pair tried in vain to survive until stumps falling for consecutive deliveries. Hussey was caught by Bailey at fourth slip off Butterworth for three and then Marsh was trapped in front by Maher for 10 to be 6-44 .

At stumps they are 6-54 with Sam Whiteman not out on six and Ryan Duffield four.

Earlier, Tasmania's batsmen Alex Doolan (33), Ricky Ponting (28), George Bailey (18) and Jon Wells (16) all made starts but couldn't go on with it.

Tasmania was 3-68 at lunch, but lost both Ponting and Bailey soon after to be 5-86. That's where the lower innings revival kicked in, though, and the Tigers went from being 8-138 to making a competitive 211.

Teenage spinner Ashton Agar collected 3-47 for WA with the returning Duffield taking 3-61, Burt Cockley 2-47 and Michael Hogan 2-54.

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Cheika: It's all about ourselves

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It starts with us ... Cheika isn't worried by what the Reds have to offer. Source:News Limited

Queensland Reds coach Ewen McKenzie and New South Wales Waratahs counterpart Michael Cheika are predicting another typically physical battle when the two fierce foes meet in Brisbane on Saturday night.

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The Reds completed the double over the Waratahs in 2012, their bonus-point victory in the final round securing the Australian conference and ensuring their bitter rivals ended a miserable season in the worst possible fashion.

But with new coach Michael Cheika at the helm and star recruit Israel Folau turning heads at fullback, another Reds thumping appears unlikely.

"I think that the interstate clash is something that all the rugby fans should be looking forward to," Cheika said on Fox Sports' Rugby HQ.

"And you're not going to win it unless you front up physically and try to lay a platform down for any type of attack you want to play.

"It's part of my psyche that we have to front up physically and challenge the opposition to see if we're up for the battle, and that's something we're going to have to do because we're going to have 40,000 people opposite us."

Disappointed with how his side performed at the tackle in their round one loss to the Brumbies, McKenzie said the Reds had spent much of the week focusing on the breakdown.

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He also alluded to Cheika's selection of five-two bench and the prospect of another forward-dominated contest, something Super Rugby fans have come to expect from the two sides.

"The Brumbies were very good at that part of the game, the breakdown is always a big part of the first four or five rounds," McKenzie told Rugby HQ of last week's loss.

"You've got to get that right and understand what the referees are going to tolerate, we had no trouble in the trials. It certainly didn't work out last week so that's a credit to the Brumbies.

"It's an area that we've never been poor in so we've made some adjustments this week. It will feature heavily in the game as it's always a key part so we're looking forward to doing a bit better there.

"He's (Cheika) obviously picked a very big side, and that's reflected with a five-two bench as well. So that might give an indication of how he thinks the game will be played."

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The usual pre-season optimism in Sydney, perpetuated this year by the addition of Folau, has again been a feature of the Waratahs build-up despite the absence of key playmaker Berrick Barnes.

But Cheika isn't promising anything, the Heineken Cup-winning coach admitting he was still getting to know the playing squad and that success could be some way off.

"The focus for us has been pretty much on ourselves," he said.

"I'm still getting to know the guys and this will be the first time I get to see them in competition where the pressure can change a lot.

"For us this season, we've really decided to put all the accent on what we're doing and hopefully we can cause enough trouble for the opposition that they have to worry about us.

"Obviously they've (Reds) got runs on the board; without being an admiration society they've been the conference winners for the last two years and they're going to be at home with a full house.

"We've just got to front up with plenty of courage and really care about the performance."

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Harbhajan predicts India whitewash

Sweep ... Harbhajan Singh is in line to play his 100th Test against Australia. Source: Phil Hillyard / News Limited

India's fiery offspinner Harbhajan Singh says he has learnt what works and what doesn't in terms of on-field aggression as he prepares to reach his 100-Test milestone in the clash with Australia on Friday.

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The "Turbanator'' - who played a leading role in the 2008 Monkeygate scandal in Sydney -- has been recalled for just his second Test in the past 12 months.

Harbhajan boasts a magnificent record against Australia of 90 wickets in 16 Tests.

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And he's predicted a 4-0 sweep for the home side.

"Your question is such that I have mellowed down and all that,'' Harbhajan told a media conference on Thursday.

"With time you learn things. I have made a few mistakes early in my career due to my extra aggressions.

"Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't.

"Of course with time I have learned a lot and I'm looking forward to doing even better as a person.

"You might play this game for 15 years or so, but what sort of person you are matters the most. Everybody wants to be a better person than he was yesterday.''

Harbhajan was suspended for racially abusing Australia's Andrew Symonds during the Sydney Test of 2008 although the three-match ban was reduced to a fine for abuse on appeal.

Harbhajan's 99-Test career includes includes 32 scalps in three Tests in 2001.

"I can't keep on thinking about the same thing again and again and hoping I can repeat it,'' the 32-year-old said.

"That kind of thing happens only once in your life when everything clicks.''

While India didn't name a side on Thursday, it's expected Harbhajan will form a four-pronged spin attack with Ravi Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha and allrounder Ravindra Jadeja.

India are under pressure following their 2-1 series loss at home to England in December.

"I said we can beat Australia four-nil and why not? If you don't believe in yourself, who will?,'' he said.
Harbhajan said previous Australia sides had been packed with superstars as Matthew Hayden and Shane Warne.

"This is a new team. They have hardly played in India,'' he said.

"We know Australians come hard no matter what team they have got. We have just got be there and stick to our job.''

Harbhahan says it will be a great moment to become the 10th Indian to play 100 Tests and join the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Rahul Dravid and the game's leading runscorer Sachin Tendulkar in the exclusive club.

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