Melbourne

A handbag containing jewellery worth more than  000 has been returned to a woman who left it hanging on a shopping trolley in a car park, Australian police said on Saturday. The handbag contained gold bracelets, rings, earrings, chains and pendants — plus a large sum of cash.

A stunning spell of fast bowling by Brett Lee demolished South Africa and upstaged a record-breaking knock by teammate Phil Jaques as Australia grabbed a 59-run victory in their triangular series one-day match in Melbourne on Friday. Lee sparked a massive middle-order collapse, claiming 5-22 from 10 overs.

Australia will bring in two new players for their tri-series limited-overs clash with South Africa in Melbourne on Friday, naming opener Phil Jaques and bowler Brett Dorey. Simon Katich was ruled out after suffering a groin strain in training on Thursday and the selectors announced that Jaques, who made his Australian debut against the Proteas in the Boxing Day Test, would be his replacement.

Roger Federer saved some energy for the rest of the Australian Open, while Kim Clijsters hobbled into the third round. Fifth-seeded Mary Pierce, the 1995 Australian champion and a two-time finalist at last year’s majors, became the highest-seeded player ousted in the tournament when she lost 6-3, 7-5 to Iveta Benesova on Thursday.

Second seed Kim Clijsters struggled with a hip injury that threatens to derail her Australian Open campaign as she fought her way into the third round at Melbourne Park on Thursday. The United States Open champion downed China’s Meng Yuan 6-4, 6-2, but needed medical attention on her right hip early in the second set.

South Africa’s Wesley Moodie would love another crack at world number two Andy Roddick in different match conditions after going out of the Australian Open on Wednesday. The 26-year-old giant matched serves with the fastest server in men’s tennis, but rued crucial unforced errors as he was knocked out 7-5, 6-3, 6-2.

Top-ranked Roger Federer wasted no time getting his Australian Open campaign under way, cruising to 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 win on Tuesday over wild-card entry Denis Istomin. Federer was broken once and faced only three break points in the 83-minute match. French women Mary Pierce and Amelie Mauresmo also advanced.

Wimbledon champion Venus Williams crashed out of the Australian Open on Monday, joining ninth seed Elena Dementieva as a first-round flop, as sister Serena narrowly avoided the same fate. It was the former world number one’s worst performance since she exited the French Open at the opening hurdle in 2001.

A hyped-up and relieved Serena Williams said she felt like dancing on Monday after keeping her Australian Open defence on track with a testing three set win over China’s Li Na. Responding to criticism of her fitness in the lead up to the tournament, Williams insisted she was full of energy after surviving a scare to grind down the fiesty Li 6-3, 6-7 (1/7), 6-2.

David Nalbandian and Ivan Ljubicic led the top men’s seeds safely into the second round of the Australian Open on Monday, but there were some wobbles en route. Nalbandian looked to be cruising to a straight-sets victory before he encountered turbulence from the 121th-ranked Danai Udomchoke.

Serena Williams has hit back at critics who say she is out of shape as she prepares to defend her Australian Open title, starting in Melbourne on Monday. Williams, who beat world number one Lindsay Davenport in last year’s final, said opponents who underestimated her fitness would do so at their peril.

World champions Australia, propelled by a whirlwind 106-run partnership from Damien Martyn and Andrew Symonds, overwhelmed Sri Lanka by 116 runs in the opening tri-series limited overs cricket match at Melbourne’s Telstra Dome on Friday.

Shane Warne may be pushing the line with his aggressive appealing for wickets, but teammate Justin Langer says his style provides some of cricket’s great theatre. Langer (35) is in line for a return to the Australian team for Monday’s third Sydney Test after missing Friday’s 184-run win over South Africa in Melbourne with a hamstring injury

South Africa, needing to win on a spin-friendly Sydney wicket next week to square their three-Test series, must be more ruthless against Australia, captain Graeme Smith said on Friday. The South Africans imploded under the pressure of Ricky Ponting’s team to lose the second Melbourne Test by 184 runs in the over after lunch on the final day, but Smith urged his troops to come back hard in Sydney next week.

The early arrival of off-spinner Johan Botha to join the South African cricket tour may lead to a call-up for next week’s final Test against Australia in Sydney. Botha (23) is a member of the Proteas’ squad for next month’s triangular one-day series with Australia and Sri Lanka and has yet to play Test cricket.

Australia set South Africa a historically-challenging 366 runs to win the second cricket Test after extraordinary batting fireworks by Matthew Hayden and Andrew Symonds at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday. The two Queenslanders hammered a rapid-fire 124-run partnership in 66 minutes off 93 balls to set up a declaration at 321 for seven 40 minutes before tea on the fourth day.

Under-siege all-rounder Andrew Symonds says he must trust his instincts to fight for his Test career after starring with the ball for Australia against South Africa in the second cricket Test on Wednesday. Symonds, whose position in the team is under threat before next week’s final Sydney Test after a woeful run of scores, made his mark with a 16-ball spell of 3-7 with his medium-pacers as South Africa conceded a 44-run innings deficit.

Under-fire all-rounder Andrew Symonds gave Australia a decisive edge over South Africa with three wickets on the third day of the second cricket Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday. Symonds, whose position in the team is under threat after a poor run of scores, hit back with a 16-ball spell of 3-7 with his medium-pacers to have the Proteas trailing by 44 runs in the first innings.

South Africa dug in for a war of attrition after Mike Hussey revived Australia’s chances with a dynamic rearguard century on the second day of the second cricket Test in Melbourne on Tuesday. The South Africans lost both openers, skipper Graeme Smith (22) and AB de Villiers (61), after Australia ended their first innings on 355.

Mike Hussey and Glenn McGrath frustrated South Africa in a 107-run rearguard stand on Tuesday before Brett Lee dismissed Graeme Smith to give Australia an edge in the second cricket Test. Hussey punished South Africa for another dropped catch before he was bowled by Makhaya Ntini 11 minutes after lunch.

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting thrilled a festive, 71 910-strong Boxing Day crowd in Melbourne and cashed in on an early ”life” to become only the third batsman to amass 1 500 runs in a Test calendar year before Australia collapsed against South Africa in the second Test on Monday.

South African all-rounder Justin Kemp’s shoulder injury has ruled him out of the second cricket Test against Australia beginning on Monday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The world’s top-ranked batsman, Jacques Kallis, will play for South Africa after missing the drawn first Test in Perth last week with an elbow injury.

Either somebody didn’t like Santa’s singing, or they’re just a plain old Scrooge. A 1,5m-tall statue of a singing and dancing Santa Claus was found hanging upside-down from an electricity pole in a Melbourne suburb. Concerned residents cut the statue down and turned it in to a local police station.

World XI coach John Wright on Saturday defended the concept of the best cricket team versus the rest of the world in the face of two heavy one-day defeats by his team against Australia. The International Cricket Council invested heavily in the Super Series of three one-dayers and a Test match, pitting the best players in the world against the world’s top one-day and Test team Australia.