Australia beat India in Twenty20 international thanks to huge knock from opener Matthew Wade

India won the toss and elected to bowl first, and also made a poor start to its chase. It was struggling at 72-5 before top-scorer Mahendra Singh Dhoni arrived at the crease to steady the innings and provide the only spark. He hit 48 off 43 balls with a boundary and three sixes but India managed just 140-6.

Opening partner David Warner made a quick-fire 25 from 14 balls before being caught by Suresh Raina off Vinay Kumar.

George Bailey, the first Australian since 1877 to be made captain in his international debut, finished at 12 not out.

India debutant Rahul Sharma had to leave Olympic Stadium to treat an injured hand in the ninth over after dropping a Travis Birt chance. The leg-spinner returned to bowl the final over and claim the wicket of Hussey to finish with 1-27.

India opener Virender Sehwag continued his run of poor form in Australia, falling for just 4 off the fourth delivery of the chase to Brett Lee.

Former test spinner Brad Hogg (1-21), aged 40, marked his first international T20 since 2007 by claiming the key wicket of Virat Kohli for 22.

The next Twenty20 will be on Friday at Melbourne.

Pakistan v England: seamer James Anderson remaining positive despite prospect of spin-friendly pitches

Pakistan, in particular, have scythed through England's previously world-beating batting order with spin and seam thanks principally to Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman and Umar Gul.

However, Anderson is not about to forget in a hurry the occasions during England's rise to the top of the International Cricket Council Test rankings when it was the batsmen who provided the foundation for the bowlers to attack.

"There will be days when the bowlers won't get the wickets and the opposition get 600 and we're out in the field for two days," Anderson said. "The batsmen won't be happy with us then.

"It's swings and roundabouts and we have every faith in our batsmen that they will come out strong in the next Test."

After his side were bowled out for just 72 to lose inside four days at the Zayed Stadium, England coach Andy Flower stated that he and captain Andrew Strauss will not be afraid to drop a batsman if necessary for the final Test.

A clutch of middle-order mainstays have been ineffective on this tour to date, and have spent much of their time since the last defeat trying to work out among themselves where they have been going wrong.

"That's something that the batsmen have been discussing," Anderson added. "But they have been fantastic for us over the last two years.

"A lot's been made of two bad games. But the whole team has confidence in our batting unit and they've been working really hard to correct things that have gone wrong."

As for his own brief, Anderson has contributed five wickets in four innings, a fair reward for his toil in conditions which have largely favoured spin.

"Our job is to get 20 wickets in any Test match," he added. "We thought it might be a difficult job for us out here, but we've probably exceeded our expectations in that department.

"We're pretty pleased with the way things have gone (as bowlers). But we're not going to take our eye off the ball and will keep trying to improve on Friday."

Before then England must hope Ian Bell recovers from the stomach upset which kept him away from practice today.

It is expected he will do so if his ailment is the same which briefly troubled Jonathan Trott and Ravi Bopara during the second Test.

Anderson, meanwhile, spelled out England's chief objectives this week and beyond.

They urgently need a victory to ensure they retain that number one Test spot when the ICC hand out the prize money at the annual cut-off date on Apr 1.

More importantly still, England must satisfy themselves that they can play to their potential in these conditions, with two more Asian Test tours on the schedule this year.

"There are a few important issues for us that we've got to come across in the next Test," Anderson added.

"The biggest thing for us is that we've got another two tours in the sub-continent. So to perform well out here is a big thing for us.

"We also have a one-day series coming up, so to take a bit of momentum into that would be useful.

"We want to stay number one in the world as well, and losing Test matches isn't going to help us achieve that. We've got to try to win every Test match we possibly can."

Spinners have dominated Pakistan's wins in Dubai in the first Test and in Abu Dhabi in the second with 34 of the 40 wickets going to slow bowlers.

Off those, Saeed Ajmal has taken 17 wickets, Abdul Rehman 12 and Mohammad Hafeez five.

England's left-arm spinner Monty Panesar took seven wickets in the second Test, while his spin partner Graeme Swann has fetched nine.

But despite these statistics, Anderson refused to accept the spin-friendly nature of the pitches was discouraging for fast bowlers.

"I don't think so," Anderson said on Wednesday.

"Seamers have got plenty of wickets. (Stuart) Broad bowled well in the last game and Umar Gul got four wickets in the first, so it is just that the spinners have outshone us in the first two Tests."

Broad, who took 4-47 in the first innings of the second Test, has taken eight wickets in the series, while Anderson's tally stands at five.

Anderson said he was happy with England's bowling performance to date.

"Our job is to get 20 wickets in any Test match and we thought it might be a difficult job here but probably we have exceeded our expectations in that department, so we are pretty pleased," said the 29-year-old.

Anderson said he believed England had some issues to address, the priority being their batting weakness against spin bowlers, before this year's tours to Sri Lanka and India.

"I think there are a few important issues we are trying to come across in the next Test, the biggest thing for us is that we have two other tours in the subcontinent and that's for us a big thing.

"We also have a one-day series coming up so to take a bit of momentum into that will be useful as well," said Anderson of the four one-day matches and three Twenty20 internationals that follow the Tests.

Anderson insisted that the mood in the England camp was good despite the two losses.

"I think the mood is very good considering the position we are in, in this series. We are concentrating on how to go about winning this last game," said Anderson, who has taken 245 wickets in 65 Tests.

"We are open in this group and the guys have been open and honest."

Meanwhile, batsman Ian Bell was forced to miss training on Wednesday after falling victim to a stomach bug but team management said he is likely to resume training to Thursday.

Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke hit double centuries as Australia pile runs and pressure on deflated India

Paceman Peter Siddle struck in the first ball of his first over to remove Sehwag caught and bowled for 18 after the opener got the bottom of his bat onto a full toss.

Dravid was bowled for the sixth time in seven innings in the series in the next over, deceived by a Ben Hilfenhaus delivery that struck the Indian on his elbow and hit the stumps.

Already 3-0 down in the series after three emphatic defeats, India had laboured in the field as Clarke and Ponting ruthlessly, and often stylishly, drove home their advantage.

Resuming at 335-3, they passed their own record partnership for Australia against India of 288, which they set in the Sydney test, inside the first hour.

The next mark to fall was the all-time record partnership for the Adelaide Oval, which came when they exceeded the 341 that Eddie Barlow and Graeme Pollock shared in 1964.

Clarke brought up his second double century of the series after his unbeaten 329 in the Sydney test just before lunch with two runs through mid-wicket, celebrating with his ritual kiss of the insignia on his helmet.

The 30 year-old took 361 minutes and 255 balls to reach the milestone with another imperious display, which included 25 fours and one six.

Ponting was not far behind but was forced to wait nervously over the lunch break for his second double century against India at Adelaide after the 242 he hit in a losing cause in 2003-04.

The sixth double century of his career finally came courtesy of a trademark pull to midwicket for his 21st four in the 459-minute, 357-ball innings and the celebration left no doubt what it meant to the Tasmanian.

Clarke had already departed after being bowled between bat and pad by paceman Umesh Yadav, the first wicket to fall in more than three full sessions.

The stand was two runs short of the Australian record for a fourth-wicket partnership set by Donald Bradman and Bill Ponsford when they made 388 at Headingly in 1934.

Mike Hussey, who had waited six hours and 20 minutes to bat, made a quickfire 25 from 33 balls before a brilliant Gambhir throw ran him out.

Ponting followed soon afterwards when another pull off Zaheer Khan found a leaping Tendulkar on the mid-wicket boundary.

Spinner Ravi Ashwin's carrom ball accounted for Peter Siddle (2) to give wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, standing in for banned India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, his first test catch.

Brad Haddin, who hit a six to open his account, had made 42 not out and shared a 71-run partnership with Ryan Harris (35 not out) when Clarke called them back to the dressing room.

Pakistan v England: England spinners strike early to dismiss Pakistan's openers

But there was turn from the outset this morning once England turned to Monty Panesar, and then Graeme Swann.

Panesar was called into the action first, for the 10th over, in his 40th Test and his first since the start of the 2009 Ashes in Cardiff.

Despite a nervy start as he, like Swann, appeared to drop short too often in his early overs, it was evident almost immediately both would be in the game if they could get it right.

The key was to find a suitable length on a slow surface nonetheless already responsive to their skills.

Ironically, both Swann and Panesar struck with deliveries which did not turn - but batsman error stemmed from doubts sown by spin.

Swann had beaten Taufeeq Umar with turn and bounce past the outside edge on the front-foot defence before the left-hander shouldered arms in the same over and was bowled off-stump.

Panesar dropped Mohammad Hafeez, a sharp return catch low to his left. But that was irrelevant after the very next ball went on with the arm and bowled the same batsman middle-and-leg on the back foot.

England's decision to pick two spinners and just two frontline seamers, as they try to get back in this three-match series following their hammering in Dubai, was therefore already looking sound.

But Broad proved his worth by taking two wickets for two runs, again both bowled, in 13 balls soon after lunch.

They were close to action replays too, the ball snaking back into Younus Khan and then Azhar Ali - bowling the former off his pads as he shaped to drive and the latter through the gate.

The second success came with an especially good delivery which offered to swing away before jagging back just enough.

Two new batsmen therefore joined forces with just one run between them.

Misbah's response was to hit Panesar for successive sixes from the crease, and Shafiq also cleared the ropes when he went up the wicket to the slow left-armer.

There was much earnest defence between the big shots, though, as Pakistan's fifth-wicket pair adopted a necessarily patient approach.

They also had a moment of fortune each.

Shafiq got only a thin inside-edge to save himself when he was up the wicket again and went through with another attempted big hit at Swann.

Then, on 30, Misbah edged Panesar just wide of slip - where James Anderson was unable to react quickly enough.

Pakistan v England: hosts test tourist's spinners in Abu Dhabi

But there was turn from the outset this morning once England turned to Monty Panesar, and then Graeme Swann.

Panesar was called into the action first, for the 10th over, in his 40th Test and his first since the start of the 2009 Ashes in Cardiff.

Despite a nervy start as he, like Swann, appeared to drop short too often in his early overs, it was evident almost immediately both would be in the game if they could get it right.

The key was to find a suitable length on a slow surface nonetheless already responsive to their skills.

Ironically, both Swann and Panesar struck with deliveries which did not turn - but batsman error stemmed from doubts sown by spin.

Swann had beaten Taufeeq Umar with turn and bounce past the outside edge on the front-foot defence before the left-hander shouldered arms in the same over and was bowled off-stump.

Panesar dropped Mohammad Hafeez, a sharp return catch low to his left. But that was irrelevant after the very next ball went on with the arm and bowled the same batsman middle-and-leg on the back foot.

England's decision to pick two spinners and just two frontline seamers, as they try to get back in this three-match series following their hammering in Dubai, was therefore already looking sound.

But Broad proved his worth by taking two wickets for two runs, again both bowled, in 13 balls soon after lunch.

They were close to action replays too, the ball snaking back into Younus Khan and then Azhar Ali - bowling the former off his pads as he shaped to drive and the latter through the gate.

The second success came with an especially good delivery which offered to swing away before jagging back just enough.

Two new batsmen therefore joined forces with just one run between them.

Misbah's response was to hit Panesar for successive sixes from the crease, and Shafiq also cleared the ropes when he went up the wicket to the slow left-armer.

There was much earnest defence between the big shots, though, as Pakistan's fifth-wicket pair adopted a necessarily patient approach.

They also had a moment of fortune each.

Shafiq got only a thin inside-edge to save himself when he was up the wicket again and went through with another attempted big hit at Swann.

Then, on 30, Misbah edged Panesar just wide of slip - where James Anderson was unable to react quickly enough.

Pakistan v England: second Test action, in pictures

Pakistan v England: second Test action, in pictures - Telegraph

Pitch ready: the second Test gets under way with a typical scene of unfinished business in the background

Picture: ACTION IMAGES

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/picturegalleries/9037898/Pakistan-v-England-second-Test-action-in-pictures.html

Tiger Woods catches cricket bug in Abu Dhabi as he reveals 'it's a batsmen's paradise here'

Normally when you mention cricket to anybody from the US, a confused glaze starts to appear over the eyes. In a country where american football, baseball and basketball dominate, even football (or soccer) struggles to draw the attention, so cricket should stand no chance.

But it would seem Woods is a connoisseur of sport in general and has developed an understanding of cricket thanks to PR commitments with the likes of Rahul Dravid.

Woods said: "Baseball is huge in Japan and the US, but outside of that cricket is huge. So as I have travelled and I have played all around the world, I have started to watch more and more.

"I have met some of the guys, that certainly helps, provides more interest in it. Because now you have personal interest in it, so that's what makes a little bit more exciting."

And when asked if he has been following the Test series between England and Pakistan, he added: "I am a baseball guy. But have I followed cricket? I have, a little bit. From just what I saw in the news, its been - I think it's been like a batsmen's paradise here."

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