Cook milestone puts England on top

Unstoppable ... Cook has made five tons on the trot as skipper. Source: AFP

It was a day of history in Kolkata as Alastair Cook became England's leading century maker, whilst guiding his side into a commanding position in the third Test against India at 1-216 to trail by just 100 at the end of day two.

3rd Test - Eden Gardens

5 December 2012 - Day 2, Session 3

England 1st Innings

A. Cook	136	236	19	1	57.63
J. Trott	21	67	3	0	31.34
Z. Khan	16	4	48	0	3.00

Cook moved out in front on his own on 23 Test centuries for England, eclipsing Wally Hammond Geoff Boycott and Kevin Pietersen.

It was a third Test century for Cook on the bounce, his fifth in a row as Test captain, and it also saw him become the youngest player to reach 7,000 Test runs as he and fellow opener Nick Compton capitalised on bowling India out for 316 by building a solid first-innings platform.

27-year-old Cook finished the day on 136 not out while Compton made his maiden Test fifty in their first century stand together, before he was trapped lbw by Pragyan Ojha for a solid if unspectacular 57 from 137 balls.

But at 1-165 England had already consolidated the fine work done by the bowlers on a decent deck for batting.

Cook was given an early lifeline when Zaheer Khan found an edge with the left-hander on just 17, but Cheteshwar Pujara dropped a relatively simple low catch at first slip.

From then on Cook was in more danger of being run out due to a collision with Compton than being outfoxed out by the Indian bowling.

India added 43 to their overnight score but 316 still looked short on a decent track, and Cook and Compton had few problems making it to lunch at 0-22 before pushing on in a second session that yielded 99 runs, few chances of a wicket and some distinctly average fielding from the hosts.

Cook brought up his 7,000th Test run with his 88th of the day, making him the youngest in history as he will not turn 28 until Christmas Day, and soon after he completed that memorable 23rd century with a paddle sweep for three off Ravi Ashwin.

Cook's century came off 179 balls and included 14 fours and a six, with his record still only taking him to 10th in the all-time list of Test centuries in world cricket, but with still plenty more years ahead of him to climb up those rankings.

Compton's innings ended the following over, with Ojha eventually getting the wicket after umpire Rod Tucker looked to at first shake his head before raising the finger.

Jonathan Trott avoided a third first-innings duck in a row to keep Cook company until the close on 21, with his record-setting captain unbeaten on 136 and England just 100 runs behind with plenty of time and plenty of batting in hand to press home their advantage.

Earlier, India added 43 to their overnight score, with MS Dhoni doing his best to frustrate England's bowlers as the hosts made it beyond the 300-mark to make a more competitive total.

The India skipper was the last-man out, as he fell to a great catch by Graeme Swann off the bowling of Steve Finn, but not before he had reached 52.

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Clarkie's 2012 Wallabies report card

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Job done ... The Wallabies will return in 2013 without the retired Nathan Sharpe. Source:AP

The Wallabies' 2012 season is finally over and now we can all move on and hopefully look ahead to bigger and better things next year.

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Let's face it, things need to improve or 2013 will be even more frustrating for fans.

The Wallabies receive a 'pass' mark from me simply because they won more than they lost. But the form wasn't good enough to win the Bledisloe Cup yet again, or the inaugural Rugby Championship. Their overall effort certainly won't be good enough to beat the British and Irish Lions next year either.

The Wallabies had nine wins, a draw and five losses. They started the year in second spot on the IRB rankings but finished one place lower in third. The gap between them and the All Blacks didn't narrow and they lost the Bledisloe series for the 10th year in a row.

Just like last season when they lost the opening Test to Samoa, the Wallabies fell at the first hurdle this year when they lost to Scotland in Newcastle.

Sure, there were some excuses. Key players were either injured or rested and it was a short preparation with a make-shift team, but I certainly didn't expect a first-up loss to a team that didn't win a match in the Six Nations.

The 3-0 series whitewash over Wales in June wasn't convincing with eight points separating them in Brisbane, two in Melbourne and just one in Sydney. There was no James Horwill, James O'Connor or Quade Cooper.

Kurtley Beale was injured for two Tests, but the side still had a reasonable look about it - on paper at least.

The two losses to the All Blacks were followed by two hard-fought victories at home against the Springboks and Pumas, but they were blown off the park in Pretoria when the Boks thumped them 31-8.

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Argentina is not an easy place to play, so the six-point win in Rosario gave us some hope for the third Bledisloe Test in Brisbane. By that stage the casualty ward was filling up. Horwill, Pocock, Genia, Kepu, Moore, Ioane, O'Connor, Alexander, Barnes, Horne, Cooper and Ashley-Cooper were all unavailable.

An 18-all draw with the world champions felt like a moral victory. At long last there was some well-earned optimism and new captain Nathan Sharpe challenged his men to remain unbeaten on the northern tour.

But as we've seen too many times now, the only consistent thing about the Wallabies is their inconsistency. Any hope of a clean slate on tour disappeared when a fired-up French team pulled off their second-biggest winning margin ever over Australia, 33-6.

For the fourth time in 2012 the Wallabies failed to score a try in a Test match.  They scored just one try in each of the next three games and despite beating England, Italy and Wales; they were held scoreless in two halves of the four Tests.

Australia had a very lean year in the try-scoring department, managing just 15 in 15 Tests. They failed to score 30 points or more in a Test for the first year since 1981. Yes, 31 years. They averaged 17.3 per game while conceding 20.2 per game.

But despite plenty of negatives, there were positives. With over 40 players used and 13 making their debut, our depth will be much better next year. Players like Michael Hooper, Sitaleki Timani, Kane Douglas, Liam Gill, Mike Harris and Ben Tapuai enhanced their reputations.

Nathan Sharpe's leadership and form in his swansong season was outstanding and he deserved to win the John Eales Medal for the second time. He led the stats in runs, lineout wins, tackles and minutes played. Not bad for a 34-year-old.

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No Wallabies were finalists for the IRB Player of the Year and realistically, only Sharpe would have been considered if they were picking a World XV.

Digby Ioane topped the charts for metres, tackle Busts and linebreaks, while Wycliff Palu averaged the most offloads. Five players shared the try-scoring honours with Rob Horne, Nick Cummins, Pat McCabe, Scott Higginbotham and Digby Ioane all getting two apiece. The rest could only manage five tries between them.

So as you check out my 2012 report card, remember that there was an unprecedented amount of injuries and debutants this year. With a bit of luck next year the Wallabies will be at full strength and ready to win back the support of the Australian sporting public. A series win over the Lions is not out of the question.

Overall rating: 6.5/10

Positives

The 18-all draw against New Zealand in Brisbane, four wins on the trot against Wales, back-to-back wins on home soil against South Africa and Argentina, and three in a row to end the spring tour.

Negatives

Lack of tries and inconsistency.

Coach rating: 7/10

Robbie Deans copped plenty of flak and yes some of it was warranted. But you have to remember that of the five Tests he lost, two were to the All Blacks and one each to the Springboks and France. They all finished the year in the top four on the IRB rankings.

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No other coach of a major rugby nation had to compensate for the amount of injuries the Wallabies suffered this year. It's hard to cover for the loss of three captains, the best scrumhalf in the world and James O'Connor who has more x-factor than anyone in the Wallabies squad, in my humble opinion. 

Deans was in a no-win situation against Scotland. With just one serious training session to mould a new combination that was missing big names through injury or rest, he was expected to win no matter what. Torrential rain in Newcastle didn't help his cause. I had never seen weather like it at a Test match.

2013 is his final year in the current contract. There has to be more tries scored or there will be no extension through to the next World Cup in 2015. Beating the Lions and winning the Bledisloe is a must.

Star performers

Seemingly out of favour at last year's World Cup, Nathan Sharpe bounced back to become Australia's most capped forward and the most capped lock in world rugby. He was voted the Players' Player of the Year and topped the stats in key categories. His leadership of an under-strength squad was outstanding.

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Adam Ashley-Cooper ended up in his best position at outside centre and while he didn't find the try line, he was "Mr Consistency" in the backline. He was second in metres, third in tackle busts and only Sharpe played more minutes than him. He's now played 53 of the last 56 Tests.

Berrick Barnes played his 50th Test in Cardiff and coming off a horror 2011 when he suffered his share of head knocks, he managed to play 13 of the 15 Tests this year. He showed his versatility playing 10, 12 and 15 and also scored 110 points. A good effort considering there weren't many tries scored and he didn't kick in Cardiff.

Emerging talent

Flanker Michael Hooper has to top the list. The 21-year-old featured in all but one of the 15 Tests and was a standout in most of them. He was third in metres, second in tackles and his work on the ball was impressive.

David Pocock showed his class with a top performance against Wales after a long injury break, but Australia now has another top-notch flanker.

Others that deserve a mention are Sitaleki Timani, Kane Douglas, Ben Tapuai and Nick Cummins.

Reinforcements

It's been a horror season on the injury front as I've already mentioned above, but I'll list them again because I can't wait to see them back in the gold jersey. James Horwill, James O'Connor, Will Genia. I'd like to say Quade Cooper and Israel Folau, but that might be a bit premature.

2013

The British and Irish Lions will be tough to beat as usual. England's win over the All Blacks at Twickenham and Wales' effort against the Wallabies will give them plenty of confidence. They'll be well coached by Warren Gatland and the Wallabies will need to be at full strength and at their best if they're to succeed.

The Lions will have a match against the Barbarians in Hong Kong on the way Down Under, and they'll have plenty of warm-up games before the first Test. The Wallabies won't have the luxury of a long preparation or a trial, so they'll need to hit the ground running.

The Lions tour will be huge and provide good revenue for the ARU. That series should have the Wallabies primed for The Rugby Championship and another crack at winning the Bledisloe.

All in all, it's shaping up to be a big year and I'm predicting that Rugby will regain some of the ground it lost in 2012.

Thanks for watching our coverage on Fox Sports and I look forward to your company in 2013.

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Brits getting active post-Olympics

THIS year's Olympics and Paralympics in London has led to record numbers of people in England participating in sport, according to a survey conducted by Sports England after this year's London Games.

Some 15.5 million people aged over 16 were playing sport every week, according to the survey conducted over 12 months to October - up 750,000 or 4.8 percent on the same period in 2011.

Since 2005, when the British capital won the Games bid, 1.57 million more people are participating in sport at least once a week, a 10.3 percent increase.

The sports funding and promotion body said the largest rise was among women, suggesting that the feats of Britain's female athletes such as heptathlon gold medal winner Jessica Ennis had proved an inspiration.

Most women were involved in cycling, netball, running, swimming and going to the gym.

Success in Olympic cycling, where Britain continued their domination of track events from Beijing and also saw its first Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins triumph in the time-trial, has spurred greater involvement among ordinary people.

Some 200,000 more people are now getting on their bikes once a week than in October last year, bringing the total number of people cycling to nearly two million.

Cycling, athletics, tennis, judo, swimming and tennis, in which Britain won gold by the likes of US Open champion Andy Murray, were among sports which had seen a "significant increase" in participation, the Active People Survey 2011/12 found.

Participation in disabled sport was also up - although at lower levels than among non-disabled people - after massive interest in the Paralympics that saw a record 2.7 million tickets sold and athletes performing in front of near capacity crowds.

The London Games were designed to "inspire a generation" but the survey suggested that work is still required to increase participation in sport among the 16-25 age bracket.

Only 30,000 more youngsters were involved in sport once a week than 12 months ago.

For the purposes of the survey, once a week participation in sport was defined as at least 30 minutes of exercise of moderate intensity.

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As it happens: Aus v SA, T3, D1

Final farewell ... Ricky Ponting will play his final Test in Perth. Source: Daniel Wilkins / News Limited

Be part of history as one of Australia's greatest ever cricketers plays in his final Test match at the WACA.

The stakes couldn't be higher as Australia and South Africa lock horns with the number one Test ranking on the line and the great Ricky Ponting to honour.

If you can't get to the ground or to a TV screen you can still stay across every ball by joining us on Friday for day one of the third Test with our live and interactive blog starting from 12.30pm (EDT).

Don't miss a ball - bookmark this page and return at 12.30pm (EDT) Friday for what shapes as an enthralling day one of a pivotal Test match.

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Power post shocking $4mill loss

Financial disaster ... Port Adelaide post an operating loss of $4 million in 2012. Source: Simon Cross / News Limited

Port Adelaide's year from hell in the AFL took a savage financial toll, with the beleaguered club recording a staggering loss of more than $4 million.

The Power blame the consolidated operating loss of $4.12 million on their poor onfield results.

Port's grant of $2 million from the SANFL cut their final operation loss to $2,117,071.

"This result is a long way from where we want to be,'' said Power chief executive Keith Thomas.

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"This year started positively, but early losses - albeit against some very good teams - quickly again impacted on our corporate, membership and game day returns.

"Coming off a very poor 2011, we feared further underperformance would have an adverse effect on the key revenue streams of sponsorship and membership.

"Unfortunately that's how it turned out.''

Port only managed five wins and a draw, finishing 14th, and they sacked their coach Matthew Primus during the season.

There were also several changes at board level, with television personality David Koch taking over as president and former federal senator Amanda Vanstone also becoming a club director.

The club was also rocked by the tragic death of player John McCarthy two months ago in Las Vegas while on an end-of-season trip.

Thomas stressed Port's financial problems were due to revenue issues, adding that they had kept costs under control.

"It is very clear you cannot compete in the AFL without investing in footy and doing everything you can to stay in touch with the bigger clubs,'' he said.

"We have put in place what we believe is an outstanding football structure for next year and beyond, led by our (new) senior coach Ken Hinkley.''

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Aussie sevens teams eye Dubai glory

On the charge ... Pama Fou (C) is one of the few Aussie boys returning from the Gold Coast. Source: AAP

Dubai plays host to the second of nine legs in the men's IRB Sevens World Series this Friday and Saturday, and it's also the start of the Women's World Series.

Australia is represented in both the men's and women's draw as the world's top sevens talent continue the long build-up to the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Just like his Wallabies counterpart Robbie Deans, Aussie Sevens Coach Michael O'Connor has also had his share of bad luck on the injury front.

Senior players like Captain Ed Jenkins and Jesse Parahi have been ruled out along with playmakers Alan Fa'alava'au, Lewis Holland, Jacob Taylor and league convert Shannon Walker.

In fact 12 of the 22 contracted Sevens players are on the injured list, so O'Connor's job this week in Dubai and next week in Port Elizabeth is not an enviable one as he tries to make a bunch of youngsters competitive.

He has five 19-year-olds in the 12-man touring squad. Just four players, Sean McMahon, Will Miller, Jordan Tuapou and Pama Fou are backing up from the opening event on the Gold Coast in October.

Greg Jeloudev, Damon Anderson and Cameron Clark are returning from injury, while Junior Laloifi, Peter Lee, Nick Malouf and Jack Grant are set to make their debut.

Con Foley will captain the side in Jenkins's absence and while the team has a development feel about it, they do have what appears to be a favourable draw.

Australia are in Pool D with France, Canada and the USA, so if the youngsters can click from the outset they have a good chance of at least advancing through to the top  eight and the Cup quarter-finals on day two.

It will be valuable experience for the young men and hopefully O'Connor will have a full squad to choose from when the series heads to Wellington in February, followed by Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Tokyo, England, Scotland.

Then it's onto Moscow for the Sevens World Cup next June.

Meanwhile, Dubai is the first of four tournaments in the new Women's World Series. Australia coach Chris Lane has also named a new-look side with four uncapped players included. The experienced Rebecca Tavo will captain the team.

12 nations will compete with Australia in the same pool as the Netherlands, France and the United States.

Catch live coverage of the day two action on Fox Sports from 4pm (EDT) Saturday.

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Bottas gets Williams seat

Driver change ... Valtteri Bottas and Pastor Maldonado will pilot Williams cars in 2013. Source: Greg Wood / News Limited

Finalnd's Valtteri Bottas attempted to lower expectation levels after being named as the replacement for Bruno Senna in the Williams Formula One team next season.

Bottas, a test driver for Williams since 2010, will join Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado next season after the British team announced their driver line-up for 2013 on Wednesday.

Driver		Team	Pts
1	Sebastian Vettel (GER)	Red Bull	281
2	Fernando Alonso (ESP)	Ferrari	278
3	Kimi Raikkonen (FIN)	Lotus	207
4	Lewis Hamilton (GBR)	McLaren	190
5	Jenson Button (GBR)	McLaren	188
6	Mark Webber (AUS)	Red Bull	179
7	Felipe Massa (BRA)	Ferrari	122
8	Romain Grosjean (FRA)	Lotus	96
9	Nico Rosberg (GER)	Mercedes	93
10	Sergio Perez (MEX)	Sauber	66
11	Nico Hulkenburg (GER)	Force India	63
12	Kamui Kobayashi (JPN)	Sauber	60
13	Michael Schumacher (GER)	Mercedes	49
14	Paul di Resta (GBR)	Force India	46
15	Pastor Maldonado (VEN)	Williams	45
16	Bruno Senna (BRA)	Williams	31
17	Jean Eric Vergne (FRA)	Toro Rosso	16
18	Daniel Ricciardo (AUS)	Toro Rosso	10
19	Vitaly Petrov (RUS)	Carterham	0
20	Timo Glock (GER)	Marussia F1	0
21	Charles Pic (FRA)	Marussia F1	0
22	Heikki Kovalainen (FIN)	Carterham	0
23	Jerome d'Ambrosio (BEL)	Lotus	0
24	Narain Karthikeyan (IND)	HRT F1	0
25	Pedro de la Rosa (ESP)	HRT F1	0

Williams team principal Frank Williams described the 23-year-old Bottas as "quite simply one of the most talented young racing drivers I have come across" in a team statement, saying he expected "great things" from him in the future.

However, Bottas said it might be the second half of next season when he starts to show what he is capable of.

"I had a little factory talk with Frank and I said to him "thanks for the pressure", Bottas said in a conference call.

"Being successful in the future is my own goal and I want to compete against the best in the world and one day be the world champion.

"Pastor is going to be a really strong team mate. It's his third season in the Williams car. If in the second part of the season I can match him or better him it would be really nice but I have a lot to learn."

While he will be a rookie, Bottas will be no stranger to the Williams set-up, having been given the use of Senna's car on Fridays at most of this season's races.

A protege of McLaren's double world champion Mika Hakkinen, he has been groomed by Williams over the past two years and his lap times during practise sessions have turned heads.

"I have been in most of the Friday sessions and that has been perfect preparation and gave me a chance to prove what I could do in the car," Bottas said.

"I'm really happy the team gave me the opportunity for that."

The accident-prone Maldonado was rewarded for winning this season's Spanish grand prix, the team's first race victory since 2004, with a third year at the team.

"In Pastor and Valtteri we have two of the most exciting talents in motor racing and I am especially excited about what 2013 can bring for Williams," Williams said in a statement.

"Pastor has always demonstrated remarkable pace and this year has seen him mature as a racing driver. Valtteri is quite simply one of the most talented young racing drivers I have come across and we expect great things from him in the future."

Bottas was even being linked to McLaren as a possible replacement for departing 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton.

"It has always been my life-long dream to compete in the Formula One world championship," he said.

"To do so with one of the most legendary teams in the sport is incredibly special."

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Roar's ACL participation in doubt

In doubt ... the Roar don't have an automatic spot in the Asian Champions League. Source: Jono Searle / News Limited

Brisbane Roar's participation in next year's Asian Champion's League is in the balance after the A-League was stripped of one of its automatic allocations in the competition.

The Asian Football Confederation on Wednesday announced the A-League would be left with one automatic spot and a qualifying position - a decision made at an AFC executive committee meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

The 2013 allocation compares to previous years where the A-League was given two automatic spots plus an additional qualifying position.

The Roar secured their spot in the 2013 champions league competition by defeating Perth Glory in the 2011-12 A-League grand final.

However, due to the first allocation being given to the premiers, Central Coast Mariners, the Roar will now be subject to a qualifying campaign to confirm their spot.

The rule change also eliminates the possibility of a fairytale run from the third placed A-League side - a feat accomplished by Adelaide United in the 2012 Champions League, where they were knocked out in a thrilling quarter-final clash with Uzbekistan club side Bunyodkor.

In a statement released by Football Federation Australia on Thursday night, Head of the A-League, Damien de Bohun, said the AFC's decision was disappointing.

"It's important for us to maintain a strong presence in the ACL through the Central Coast Mariners' direct participation and the strong prospect of Brisbane Roar also qualifying," de Bohun said.

"Our real focus and that of our Clubs this year is the Hyundai A-League, the consolidation of the 10-team competition and continuing to build on the exciting start to this season."

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Pup: What will I do without Ricky?

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Leaders ... Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke have been through a lot together. Source: Phil Hillyard / News Limited

This is one of the toughest days of my cricket career.

To stand in a room at the team hotel with all the players and support staff and listen to Ricky Ponting say this will be his last Test made me feel numb.

Ricky struggled to finish what he was saying and we were all equally emotional.

I felt the same way at my press conference after training and struggled at times to talk about him.

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Ricky is the last player in the team who began before me. He has been such a huge presence in Australian cricket it's going to feel strange walking out to play Sri Lanka next month without him in the team.

I believe that Ricky is one of the greatest players ever to represent Australia and the best batsman I played with.

He has done so much for cricket not only in this country but around the world.

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As far as I'm concerned his greatness is not just measured in statistics and achievements, as magnificent as they are.

Greatness to me is longevity. To be able to ride the highs and the lows and he's certainly done that.

There are so many moments in matches, so many highlights which show what a great player he was, but for me he exemplified the model cricketer with what he did off the field.

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Every day he turned up to training wanting to get better. Ricky Ponting never just went through the motions. Of all the hundreds of training sessions I spent with him I never saw him waste a moment.

He left no stone unturned to be the best player he could be day after day and it showed in his performances.

He did so much the world never saw.

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The time he gives his team mates, the advice he offers, the help he gives you at training, he picks you up when you are down, he gives you a kick up the backside when you need a kick up the backside.

As a leader I learnt a lot from him. The one thing that sticks in the front of my mind is that Punter always said to me you've got to make sure you're leading from the front and scoring plenty of runs.

He made it clear that was the easiest way to earn the respect of your tea mates.

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That's the one thing he did as a captain. He was always one of the best performers.

His dedication to the game of cricket is unbelievable. He loves the game as much as anyone I've played with.

To me Ricky's as much Mr Cricket as Mike Hussey. Not only does he know who's performing well in international cricket, he knows how my club team has gone on the weekend.

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A lot of people has asked me what it was like becoming captain with Ricky still in the team after long and success leadership career.

It's been great. He's supported me like no other.

He's always been there for me whether it's on the field or off the field.

There hasn't been one day where there has been any sort of discomfort. It's been the opposite.

I think our friendship has grown throughout my career. Being vice-captain under him for a couple of years certainly played a big part in that.

He gave me a good insight into what it was like to captain Australia. His door is always open and I think out friendship is well and truly beyond the game of cricket.

Cricket will be the poorer if Ricky does not stay involved somehow.

Cricket Australia must do everything in their power to keep him involved for as long as we can.

For all that he has done Ricky deserves a fairytale finish. It would be great if he walked out and scored a hundred where he made his Test debut 17 years ago, Australia win the Test match and we go back to being the number one team in the world.

Ricky's retirement has given us more inspiration to give him the farewell he deserves.

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Blues pull off the steal of the night

Tory Menzel ... a steal for the Blues with their first pick on Thursday night. Source: Sarah Reed / News Limited

Carlton landed the coup of the draft snaring freakish goalkicker Troy Menzel at pick No.11.

Rated by some as the second-best player in the draft, Menzel fell into the hands of the Blues who were prepared to take the risk on his injured knees.

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Who did your club opt for? We have every pick for every club from this year's national draft.

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Menzel, the brother of Geelong's Daniel Menzel, had radical LARS surgery as a 16-year-old, which was enough to scare off rival clubs.

As recently as last week Greater Western Sydney were toying with taking the Central Districts left-footer with selection two or three. 

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