AUSTRALIA has overwhelmed a luckless but plucky Pakistan to claim its fifth one-day series in a row and consolidate its position on top of the world one-day rankings.
The home side drew on its newly found reserves of pace-bowling depth to dismiss the tourists for 246 and prevail by 40 runs, taking a 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
Man of the match Ryan Harris (5-43) and Clint McKay (3-48) ably covered for the resting Mitchell Johnson and injured Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus and Nathan Bracken by bowling tightly to plans well tailored to the flat Adelaide Oval wicket.
It was not all Australia's way however, with Shahid Afridi (40 from 29 balls) and Naved-ul-Hasan (33) throwing a scare into the home camp - and exposing a few chinks in the hosts' game with a late flurry of boundaries.
Earlier, Shaun Marsh (83), Michael Clarke (80) and Mike Hussey (49 from 28 balls) powered Australia to 6-286 before a sell-out crowd of 15,521 in the partly developed ground.
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Pakistan's chase started brightly, with opener Salman Butt smashing five fours in scooting to 34 from 39 balls.
But his lively hand ended when umpire Asoka de Silva adjudged him leg before to McKay.
Butt was clearly unhappy with the verdict, with some justification as the ball appeared to pitch outside leg stump and also be passing over the bails.
Reportedly facing the sack at the end of the series, touring captain Mohammad Yousuf has much on his mind, and it showed in his eight-ball stay for 11.
Younus Khan took 20 balls to get off the mark, then celebrated by punching his next ball to the cover fence with a superb drive.
When he was well caught by Brad Haddin from a McKay lifter, Pakistan was 4-60 and the run chase was flatlining.
Umar Akmal (59) and Fawad Alam (33) added 85 for the fifth wicket in an impressive rearguard action, but all the while the required run rate was ascending from six to seven per over.
As it had in the previous two games, Australia applied supreme pressure through disciplined length bowling to well-set fields.
In doing so it showed off its newly found fast-bowling depth in the 50-over game, with McKay and Harris making the early inroads then striking again in subsequent spells. McKay now has 12 wickets from five ODIs with a strike rate in the 20s.
Replacing the injured Siddle and playing just his second ODI, Harris made the initial breakthrough when he trapped Kamran Akmal in front for one when the score was 14. In his second spell, he had Umar Akmal caught behind, and he dealt the killer blow when he bowled Afridi.
Doug Bollinger, hardly a veteran in just in his 10th ODI, bowled with discipline to concede 35 runs from nine overs.
Australia's series win follows defeats of India, England, Pakistan and its Champions Trophy triumph.
Yesterday's win was set up by Marsh, who stepped out of man-of-the-moment Watson's wide shadow to have a day out in the bright Adelaide Oval sun.
After modest efforts in the first two one-dayers, Marsh batted with authority, poise and great skill in his 113-ball stay.
The left-hander's innings was all the more impressive given he had to right the ship when Australia stuttered, losing 2-1, including Ricky Ponting without scoring.
Ponting's third-ball duck was another example of his Jekyll and Hyde relationship with the pull shot. He was lbw after he appeared to misjudge the length of a ball that was too full to pull.
Source:theaustralian.com.au/
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
WORLD FOREX: Dollar Up Against Euro, But Gives Up Some Gains
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--The dollar was higher against the euro Tuesday as investors focused on a possible slowing of China's economy, which could throw a wrench in the global recovery.
But the dollar had given up some of its gains against the common currency by early afternoon, as better-than-expected U.S. consumer confidence data acted as a counter to other concerns floating around the market, helping spark a partial recovery in currencies sensitive to global growth.
"Risk aversion ran amok, and is unwarranted," to the degree it had invaded markets, said Andrew Wilkinson, senior market analyst at Interactive Brokers in Greenwich, Conn. "As nerves begin to steady, the demand for the dollar is seeming to abate."
Tuesday in New York, the euro was at $1.4087 from $1.4162 late Monday, according to EBS via CQG. The dollar was at Y89.62 from Y90.24, while the euro was at Y126.25 from Y127.79. The U.K. pound was at $1.6157 from $1.6232. The dollar was at CHF1.0445 from CHF1.0396.
The ICE Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback against a trade-weighted basket of currencies, was at 78.410 from 78.164.
Even though the euro and the commodity-backed currencies of Australia, Canada and New Zealand were able to claw back some of their earlier losses, worry over China and continued concern over mounting fiscal problems in the euro zone kept the dollar and yen well-bid.
"The data is better, but it doesn't seem to be enough to turn the tide," leaving a cloud of risk aversion over markets, said Brian Dolan, chief currency strategist at Forex.com in Bedminster, N.J.
U.S. consumer confidence rose for the third consecutive month in January, according to a report released Tuesday by The Conference Board.
The index of consumer confidence increased to 55.9 in January from a revised 53.6 in December, which was originally reported as 52.9. The January reading was better than economists' projection of 54.0, according to a survey conducted by Dow Jones Newswires.
The euro remained under pressure over the distressed finances of Greece and other peripheral euro zone nations. Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou on Tuesday detailed a diversified global borrowing plan to plug government fiscal gaps including hopes to raise up to $10 billion from Chinese and other Asian investors.
Speaking in an interview with Dow Jones Newswires, he also said he is confident that the European Union council of finance ministers will approve the country's three-year deficit-reduction plan next month.
Greece is under pressure from the European Union and ratings agencies to fix a 2009 budget deficit of 12.7% of gross domestic product--four times the euro zone's 3% ceiling.
The confluence of global concerns is "causing people to go into wait-and-see mode," said Brian Kim, currency strategist at UBS in Stamford, Conn., keeping currencies in tight ranges "while the dust settles."
There are multiple reports that Chinese banks have been asked to curb lending, though the central bank, the People's Bank of China, hasn't said so officially. If China puts the brakes on growth, some investors worry the global economic recovery could be at risk.
The commodity-backed currencies had dropped significantly in the face of a possibly slowing Chinese economy, but they had recovered part of their losses by the afternoon. The possibility the voracious Chinese appetite for commodities could slow had sent the Australian dollar down more than 1% earlier in the session, but by early afternoon, it was down only 0.39% against the U.S. dollar.
The Federal Open Market Committee of the U.S. Federal Reserve on Tuesday began its two-day meeting. The committee will announce Wednesday any changes to key U.S. interest rates. No changes are expected, but investors will be paying close attention to whether the committee alters the language in its statement, indicating any timeline for future interest rate increases or policy tightening.
"You might get a hint from the FOMC statement that will confirm things are actually on track" when it comes to the U.S. rebound, Wilkinson said, which could help spark a solid rebound in risk appetite.
Source:online.wsj.com/
But the dollar had given up some of its gains against the common currency by early afternoon, as better-than-expected U.S. consumer confidence data acted as a counter to other concerns floating around the market, helping spark a partial recovery in currencies sensitive to global growth.
"Risk aversion ran amok, and is unwarranted," to the degree it had invaded markets, said Andrew Wilkinson, senior market analyst at Interactive Brokers in Greenwich, Conn. "As nerves begin to steady, the demand for the dollar is seeming to abate."
Tuesday in New York, the euro was at $1.4087 from $1.4162 late Monday, according to EBS via CQG. The dollar was at Y89.62 from Y90.24, while the euro was at Y126.25 from Y127.79. The U.K. pound was at $1.6157 from $1.6232. The dollar was at CHF1.0445 from CHF1.0396.
The ICE Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback against a trade-weighted basket of currencies, was at 78.410 from 78.164.
Even though the euro and the commodity-backed currencies of Australia, Canada and New Zealand were able to claw back some of their earlier losses, worry over China and continued concern over mounting fiscal problems in the euro zone kept the dollar and yen well-bid.
"The data is better, but it doesn't seem to be enough to turn the tide," leaving a cloud of risk aversion over markets, said Brian Dolan, chief currency strategist at Forex.com in Bedminster, N.J.
U.S. consumer confidence rose for the third consecutive month in January, according to a report released Tuesday by The Conference Board.
The index of consumer confidence increased to 55.9 in January from a revised 53.6 in December, which was originally reported as 52.9. The January reading was better than economists' projection of 54.0, according to a survey conducted by Dow Jones Newswires.
The euro remained under pressure over the distressed finances of Greece and other peripheral euro zone nations. Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou on Tuesday detailed a diversified global borrowing plan to plug government fiscal gaps including hopes to raise up to $10 billion from Chinese and other Asian investors.
Speaking in an interview with Dow Jones Newswires, he also said he is confident that the European Union council of finance ministers will approve the country's three-year deficit-reduction plan next month.
Greece is under pressure from the European Union and ratings agencies to fix a 2009 budget deficit of 12.7% of gross domestic product--four times the euro zone's 3% ceiling.
The confluence of global concerns is "causing people to go into wait-and-see mode," said Brian Kim, currency strategist at UBS in Stamford, Conn., keeping currencies in tight ranges "while the dust settles."
There are multiple reports that Chinese banks have been asked to curb lending, though the central bank, the People's Bank of China, hasn't said so officially. If China puts the brakes on growth, some investors worry the global economic recovery could be at risk.
The commodity-backed currencies had dropped significantly in the face of a possibly slowing Chinese economy, but they had recovered part of their losses by the afternoon. The possibility the voracious Chinese appetite for commodities could slow had sent the Australian dollar down more than 1% earlier in the session, but by early afternoon, it was down only 0.39% against the U.S. dollar.
The Federal Open Market Committee of the U.S. Federal Reserve on Tuesday began its two-day meeting. The committee will announce Wednesday any changes to key U.S. interest rates. No changes are expected, but investors will be paying close attention to whether the committee alters the language in its statement, indicating any timeline for future interest rate increases or policy tightening.
"You might get a hint from the FOMC statement that will confirm things are actually on track" when it comes to the U.S. rebound, Wilkinson said, which could help spark a solid rebound in risk appetite.
Source:online.wsj.com/
Ratings Report for “World News with Diane Sawyer”
World News Holds its Total Viewing and Demo Audience Week-to-Week
Increases Total Viewing and Demo Advantages Over CBS vs the Previous Week
For the Week, World News is Up 4% in Total Viewers and 5% in the Demo Over its Season to Date Average
For the week of January 18th, “ABC World News with Diane Sawyer” averaged 8.51 million Total Viewers and a 2.0/7 among Adults 25-54 according to Nielsen Media Research. Following a week of heavy focus on the earthquake in Haiti, “World News” held its total viewing and demo audiences compared to the previous week.
For the week, “World News” was up 4% (+300,000) among Total Viewers and up 5% (+120,000) among Adults 25-54 compared to its season-to-date average. In Diane Sawyer’s first five weeks as anchor, “World News” has averaged 8,730,000 Total Viewers and 2,460,000 Adults 25-54. That is up 6% (+520,000) above World News’ season-to-date average among Total Viewers and up 6% (+130,000) in the demo.
Compared to the previous week, “World News’” total viewing advantage over CBS Evening News (1,970,000) grew 10% and the demo advantage (410,000) was 11 % larger.
Last week’s “World News” featured George Stephanopoulos’ exclusive interview with President Barack Obama at the White House on a range of issues including his reaction to the results of the critical special election in Massachusetts and the future of health care reform. “World News” also included continued coverage of the earthquake in Haiti.
Jon Banner is the executive producer of “ABC World News with Diane Sawyer.”
EVENING NEWS (Week of January 18, 2010)
Total Viewers Adults 25-54 Households
ABC 8,510,000 2.0/7; 2,450,000 5.6/10
NBC 10,280,000 2.6/9; 3,240,000 6.6/12
CBS 6,540,000 1.6/6; 2,040,000 4.4/8
Source: Nielsen, NTI (Total Viewers and Adults 25-54 Live + SD weeks of 1/18/10 & 1/11/10). Live +7 (where available) & Live +SD for Season-to-date (9/21/09-1/24/10) & World News with Diane Sawyer (12/21/09-1/24/10).
Increases Total Viewing and Demo Advantages Over CBS vs the Previous Week
For the Week, World News is Up 4% in Total Viewers and 5% in the Demo Over its Season to Date Average
For the week of January 18th, “ABC World News with Diane Sawyer” averaged 8.51 million Total Viewers and a 2.0/7 among Adults 25-54 according to Nielsen Media Research. Following a week of heavy focus on the earthquake in Haiti, “World News” held its total viewing and demo audiences compared to the previous week.
For the week, “World News” was up 4% (+300,000) among Total Viewers and up 5% (+120,000) among Adults 25-54 compared to its season-to-date average. In Diane Sawyer’s first five weeks as anchor, “World News” has averaged 8,730,000 Total Viewers and 2,460,000 Adults 25-54. That is up 6% (+520,000) above World News’ season-to-date average among Total Viewers and up 6% (+130,000) in the demo.
Compared to the previous week, “World News’” total viewing advantage over CBS Evening News (1,970,000) grew 10% and the demo advantage (410,000) was 11 % larger.
Last week’s “World News” featured George Stephanopoulos’ exclusive interview with President Barack Obama at the White House on a range of issues including his reaction to the results of the critical special election in Massachusetts and the future of health care reform. “World News” also included continued coverage of the earthquake in Haiti.
Jon Banner is the executive producer of “ABC World News with Diane Sawyer.”
EVENING NEWS (Week of January 18, 2010)
Total Viewers Adults 25-54 Households
ABC 8,510,000 2.0/7; 2,450,000 5.6/10
NBC 10,280,000 2.6/9; 3,240,000 6.6/12
CBS 6,540,000 1.6/6; 2,040,000 4.4/8
Source: Nielsen, NTI (Total Viewers and Adults 25-54 Live + SD weeks of 1/18/10 & 1/11/10). Live +7 (where available) & Live +SD for Season-to-date (9/21/09-1/24/10) & World News with Diane Sawyer (12/21/09-1/24/10).
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