07 January 2004	Wednesday	14 Ziqa'ad 1424

SYDNEY, Jan 6: Captain Steve Waugh scored a fighting 80 in his farewell Test to help Australia save the fourth and final Test with India on Tuesday and draw the series.

Simon Katich finished 77 not out as Australia recovered from an early batting collapse to close on 357 for six at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Set 443 to win, Australia briefly appeared to be in danger of losing after Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden were dismissed before lunch then Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn before tea.

But Waugh, who received a standing ovation on his arrival at the crease and again when he walked off, came to the rescue. The 38-year-old batted almost three hours and shared a fifth-wicket partnership of 142 with Katich to deny India their first series win in Australia.

"To finish like that, I really can't imagine it can get any better than this," Waugh said. "The odds were stacked in India's favour...and in the end I think it was a pretty brave effort to get so close."

Waugh's half-century was the 50th of his career and took his final aggregate to 10,927 runs, second only to his former skipper Allan Border's 11,174 in 156 Tests, at an average of 51.06.

He survived a few early scares after coming to the wicket when Martyn departed midway through the day but steadily grew in confidence, striking 15 boundaries before throwing his wicket away in a desperate attempt to snatch a century.

With only five overs remaining and needing another 20 for a 33rd Test hundred, Waugh was caught on the square leg boundary by Man-of-the-Match Sachin Tendulkar off the bowling of Anil Kumble.

Australia lost Adam Gilchrist in the same over for four but Katich, whose first innings century helped his side reach 474 in reply to India's mammoth 705-7, steered Australia safely through to the end. Australia have not lost a home series since 1992-3 against West Indies. Waugh and Katich had come together before tea with Australia in trouble at 196-4 and leg spinner Kumble starting to turn the ball at alarming angles.

Kumble took 8-141 in Australia's first knock, the best return by a bowler in a Test at the SCG for 106 years, and added the second innings scalps of Hayden, Martyn, Waugh and Gilchrist to give himself 12 for the match.

Hayden departed for 30 with the total on 75 when he was caught by Rahul Dravid at slip while Martyn went for 40 after lunch when he was caught by substitute fielder Yuvraj Singh at short fine-leg.

Hayden's opening partner Langer, another first innings centurion, threw his wicket away in the morning session when he lofted Murali Kartik to Virender Sehwag at deep mid-off.

Ponting, who will succeed Waugh as Australia's next Test skipper, went for 47 when he hit a return catch to Irfan Pathan, ending the series as the leading runscorer with 706 at an average of 100.86.

While Waugh's departing heroics were enough to save Australia from their first series loss at home in 11 years, he was powerless to stop the tourists from retaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

The series finished 1-1 after India won the second Test in Adelaide and Australia won the third match in Melbourne. The first Test in Brisbane was drawn.

Scoreboard

INDIA (1st Innings) 705-7 declared (S.R. Tendulkar 241 not out, V.V.S. Laxman 178, V. Sehwag 72, P.A. Patel 62; B. Lee 4-201).

AUSTRALIA (1st Innings) 474 (S.M. Katich 125, J.L. Langer 117, M.L. Hayden 67; A.R. Kumble 8-141).

INDIA (2nd Innings) 211-2 declared (R.S. Dravid 91 not out, S.R. Tendulkar 60 not out).

AUSTRALIA (2nd Innings, overnight 10-0):

J.L. Langer c Sehwag b Kartik 47

M.L. Hayden c Dravid b Kumble 30

R.T. Ponting c and b Pathan 47

D.R. Martyn c sub (Yuvraj) b Kumble 40

S.R. Waugh c Tendulkar b Kumble 80

S.M. Katich not out 77

A.C. Gilchrist st Patel b Kumble 4

J.N. Gillespie not out 4

EXTRAS (B-6, LB-7, W-2, NB-13) 28

TOTAL (for six wkts, 94 overs) 357

FALL OF WKTS: 1-75, 2-92, 3-170, 4-196, 5-338, 6-342.

BOWLING: Agarkar 10-2-45-0 (2w); Kumble 42-8-138-4 (8nb); Irfan Pathan 8-1-26-1; Kartik 26-5-89-1; Tendulkar 6-0-36-0; Sehwag 2-0-10-0.

RESULT: Match drawn.

UMPIRES: B.F. Bowden (New Zealand) and S.A. Bucknor (West Indies).

TV UMPIRE: P.D. Parker (Australia).

MATCH REFEREE: M.J. Procter (South Africa).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Sachin Tendulkar.

MAN-OF-THE-SERIES: Rahul Dravid.

FIRST TEST: Brisbane, match drawn.

SECOND TEST: Adelaide, India won by four wickets.

THIRD TEST: Melbourne, Australia won by nine wickets.-Reuters