The SCG is a grand stage for a Test captain's first century and Ricky Ponting brought it up in style

For Australia 2004 was a year of sad goodbyes, glorious hellos, welcome returns and another batch of envious records

It had taken 10 Tests in charge, but Ricky Ponting happily collected his first century as captain with a polished and fluent innings

It was a tale of two sets of nerves at the post-match press conference: Stuart MacGill's as he returned to Test cricket after ten months away, and Shane Watson's on debut

Australia began the New Year with a new-look line-up, but it was a veteran and a returning legspinner who ensured the first day ended in the old dominating fashion

Adam Gilchrist, the stand-in captain, won the toss and sent New Zealand in for the fourth one-day match at Wellington's Basin Reserve

Adam Gilchrist, the stand-in captain, won the toss and sent New Zealand in for the fourth one-day match at Wellington's Basin Reserve

There have been some great fast bowling performances at the WACA and this, statistically, was the finest

Ponting set the barely-breathing tourists a chase of 564 following a day with a tour-match feel.

Pakistan had made a steady start until shaken by Kasprowicz and quickly returned to old ways

While his more fancied top-order team-mates went with whispers, Justin Langer whistled his way through the first day

Touring teams place little importance on warm-up games but even Pakistan must worry after a start kindly described as disastrous

The inaugural Chappell-Hadlee Series was drawn 1-1 after the deciding match at Brisbane was washed out without a ball being bowled

Australia narrowly survived hurricanes from Chris Cairns and Kyle Mills and another terrible middle-order collapse to draw level in the Chappell-Hadlee Series at Sydney

New Zealand beat Australia in the last over in the first ODI at the Telstra Dome in Melbourne after Hamish Marshall hit a cool-headed fifty

Peter English is Australasian editor of Wisden Cricinfo.

A wrestle marked down for 13 days dragged out November as New Zealand were squeezed and crushed by an outfit focussed on precision

It was the contest that created more interest than Australia's demolition

Peter English compares the Australians to various cartoon characters

Glenn McGrath's dismissal of Stephen Fleming was the critical moment of play on the fourth day