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England are staring at an 11th defeat in 12 Tests Down Under

Alan Gardner19-Dec-2021Australia maintained their vice-like grip on the second Test, ripping out four England wickets before the close of day four at Adelaide Oval. Half-centuries from Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne had enabled the home side to declare their second innings 467 runs ahead, and with more than four sessions still to play – and although England fought to see out the night under lights, the dismissal of Joe Root from what became the final ball of the day was a hammer blow to their hopes of salvaging something from the game.Already 1-0 up in the series and sitting on a 282-run lead overnight, the contest was set up for Australia from the outset. England managed to chip away and avoid being completely overrun, but by the time that Steven Smith called his men back to the dressing room just over an hour into the evening session, the scale of their task in attempting to avoid an 11th defeat from 12 in Australia was clear.England’s brittle batting was soon back in the spotlight – and before the floodlights had even started to fire up. Jhye Richardson struck with his sixth ball, Haseeb Hameed propping forward only to see the ball prance and take him on the glove, as England’s opening stand – so far worth 0, 23, 7 and 4 in the series – failed again.Related

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Rory Burns did succeed in carving out some time at the crease, as he and Dawid Malan battled through to tea and beyond during a 44-run partnership. But with the pink ball, glowing in the twilight, fizzing and spitting at the behest of Nathan Lyon, who bowled a relentlessly probing round-the-wicket line to the two left-handers, it seemed only a matter of time before further Australians dividends would be forthcoming.Lyon deserved to make the breakthrough, only for Smith to put down a regulation slip catch with Malan on 19. The reprieve was brief, however, as Michael Neser found some nip back in to beat a tentative defensive push and pin Malan lbw to his very next ball – a dismissal upheld with three reds on review.Burns used the DRS to overturn a caught-behind decision on 30, and had faced 95 balls when he finally succumbed to Richardson, who scrambled the seam to produce a thick edge that was taken low in the cordon. Root and Ben Stokes then battened down the hatches in an attempt to reach the close. They were just four balls away from achieving that goal when Root, having been hit painfully on the box a few overs earlier – the second low blow he had suffered in the day – edged Mitchell Starc behind to spark jubilation among the Australians.Joe Root was struck in the groin shortly before his dismissal•Getty Images

It was not a good day for English dignity. In a hole and facing the prospect of Australia steadily driving home their advantage, the tourists initially took the field without their captain, Root requiring a scan after being hit in what the ECB euphemistically termed “the abdomen” while taking some throwdowns – this time not wearing a box. It all added to the sense that this Ashes tour is becoming yet another cock-up and balls story.A lively start followed, belying the lack of tension in the game. Neser was nearly run out from the first ball of the afternoon, the nightwatchman only just making his ground to beat a direct hit from point after being sent back. He was then bowled in the second over, James Anderson finding some seam movement to beat Neser’s forward defensive and hit the top of middle stump.Two balls later, Stuart Broad found Marcus Harris’ outside edge to dismiss the Australia opener for the fifth time in four Tests – Jos Buttler completing the dismissal with a flying one-handed catch. But the punchline was still to come, as Broad induced a first-ball nick behind from Smith, only for Buttler to send an easier chance clanging to the ground. Broad’s next delivery brought a confident no-look lbw appeal from the bowler, but Rod Tucker remained unmoved – and DRS backed up the decision on umpire’s call.Smith was not able to cash in on his good fortune, gloving a short ball from Ollie Robinson down the leg side – Buttler lurching back into the sublime with a one-handed take – to give Australia’s stand-in captain his first single-figure score in an Ashes Test since the 2017-18 day-nighter at Adelaide.England had taken 3 for 10 from 12 overs and given themselves something to smile about. But a further sign of their parlous position came when Robinson opted to switch to bowling offspin – apparently in a bid to lift the over rate. Root returned to the field shortly after and Australia began to ease back on to the front foot, Head’s counterattacking knock lifting them from 4 for 55 to 4 for 134 at the dinner break.Head added 89 in good time alongside Labuschagne, as Australian thoughts began to turn once again to the possibility of a declaration. Head became a second wicket for Robinson – now back to bowling seam – shortly after bringing up a 49-ball fifty on his home ground, and England soon resorted to bowling Malan’s part-time legspin in tandem with Root, rather than put miles into the legs of their quicks. Malan claimed Labuschagne as his maiden Test victim, but four wickets falling to spin only seemed to underscore England’s errors in selection. And Australia will not worry themselves with that.

Captain, however, was pleased with debutant offspinner Akeal Hosein, who claimed 3 for 26

Mohammad Isam20-Jan-2021West Indies captain Jason Mohammed said that their batsmen need to be more patient in the middle overs. The visitors were bowled out for only 122, which Bangladesh chased down with 16 overs to spare as they won the first ODI in Mirpur by six wickets.West Indies had slumped to 56 for 5 in the 19th over with Shakib Al Hasan, playing his first international game after serving his one-year ban and finishing with 4 for 8 in the match, posing the biggest threat. Mohammed, who was stumped off Shakib, said West Indies need to come up with a better plan, mainly by being patient against the old ball.”We have to give ourselves a little bit more time,” he said. “It is difficult to score in the middle overs with the spinners, so negotiating that part of the innings is going to be crucial for us. Obviously, we need to play that period of bowling a little better. I think we are going to discuss things and see what the best plan is to come up with.”Related

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A 59-run stand between Rovman Powell and Kyle Mayers gave West Indies hope, but once it broke they collapsed again, losing their last five wickets for just seven runs and in the space of 20 balls. Pacers Mustafizur Rahman and Hasan Mahmud, who was making his debut, were among the wickets, while offspinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz bowled tidily as well.”We have to try to put little bit more runs on the board,” Mohammed added. “We are inexperienced in terms of batting, but I think they [the batsmen] are capable of doing the job. It was our first outing. Wicket was a little bit difficult. Hopefully [in the] next game, we can put up a better batting performance.”Mohammed felt that his bowlers did well, particularly Akeal Hosein – who was among six debutants in the match for West Indies and who finished with returns of 3 for 26 from his quota of ten overs.”I think the bowlers put up a good performance. Akeal was a standout on his debut,” he said. “He took three crucial wickets for us. He was economical too. I am very happy with the bowlers today.”Hosein, who was instrumental in the Trinbago Knight Riders’ fourth CPL title last year with ten wickets in seven matches, was pleased with his performance, although he would have preferred to have a bigger total to bowl at.”I was happy with my performance. But having said that, not being able to take my team to victory will always be in the back of your mind,” he said. “It was a good experience. We went out there, gave it our all. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the result. So hopefully we can bounce back strongly in the next game. I think we definitely need to put on a bigger score. We bowled well, so it is just to give the bowlers something to work with. Hopefully that happens in the next match.”

Gujarat Lions topped the IPL league table, but they are underdogs going into their Qualifier against Royal Challengers Bangalore, who have won four games on the trot and are playing at home

The Preview by Karthik Krishnaswamy23-May-2016

Match facts

Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)

Big Picture

How do you beat Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bangalore? How do you do this when they’ve won four games on the trot? How do you do this when, in those four matches, Virat Kohli has scored 109, 75*, 113 and 54*? And how do you beat that scary, Kohli-powered Royal Challengers side, on their own turf, when your last attempt at doing so resulted in the worst defeat in all IPL matches, by a brutal 144 runs?Those questions will preoccupy Gujarat Lions as they prepare for Tuesday’s Qualifier 1. It is unusual for a table-topping team, who are one win from a place in a final, to seem like underdogs, but that is what Lions are.For a table-topping team, Lions have had a strange sort of season, with only Kings XI Punjab, the bottom team, ending the league stage with a worse net run rate than them. It reflects the fact that Lions have suffered a few heavy defeats – including that mauling at Royal Challengers’ hands – and won some exceedingly tight games, with three of their matches going down to the last ball. But the fact that Lions won all three of those last-ball finishes, as well as their one other match that went into the last over, would also suggest they have won the clutch moments, a welcome quality in any team.Lions will need to summon up all that clutch ability – though readers of will helpfully point out that it is a myth – on Tuesday, and come up with some sort of plan to contain – or somehow outscore – Royal Challengers’ batting line-up.This is T20, of course, and all you need is one good day – a blazing opening stand, perhaps, with Brendon McCullum and Aaron Finch taking apart what is still, despite a couple of encouraging recent displays, an average Royal Challengers bowling attack; or a Suresh Raina special; or a new-ball burst that leaves the home team two down early, with Kohli one of the two batsmen dismissed, and AB de Villiers, maybe, the other. These things can happen. Lions will certainly hope they can.

Form guide

Gujarat Lions WWLWL (last five matches, most recent first)
Royal Challengers Bangalore WWWWL

In the spotlight

Given the Chinnaswamy’s small boundaries and flat pitch, an ability to move the ball through the air is priceless. Praveen Kumar has that ability, and the street-smarts to bowl to one of the most imposing T20 line-ups ever assembled. He comes into the Qualifier with a bit of form behind him: he’s gone for six an over or less in three of his last four matches. The one match when he did go for runs, however, was against Royal Challengers, in Bangalore – his figures read 4-1-45-2, and Gujarat Lions conceded 248.Yuzvendra Chahal has found a place in India’s ODI and T20 squads for their tour of Zimbabwe, but before he can celebrate, he will need to produce another spell of wicket-taking legspin with his home venue stacking the odds against him. With two left-handers in their top six in Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, Gujarat Lions may plan to target Chahal and, if he plays, Iqbal Abdulla as well.

Team news

Dale Steyn has played only one match this season, and James Faulkner only seven, with his last appearance coming on May 3. It will be a difficult decision for Gujarat Lions to play either of them, since their four regular overseas players have all done well of late. But it is a sacrifice they may have to contemplate, if they want to strengthen their bowling against the best batting line-up in the tournament. It seems unlikely to happen, though. Likelier is the inclusion of Ishan Kishan, a left-hand batsman, in place of Eklavya Dwivedi, in order to go after the legspin of Yuzvendra Chahal and/or the left-arm spin of Iqbal Abdulla.Gujarat Lions: 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Brendon McCullum, 3 Suresh Raina (capt), 4 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 5 Dwayne Smith, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Eklavya Dwivedi/Ishan Kishan, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Dhawal Kulkarni, 11 Shadab Jakati/Shivil Kaushik/Pravin TambeRoyal Challengers tend to play an extra seamer rather than a second specialist spinner in their home games, which could mean Varun Aaron comes back in place of Iqbal Abdulla.Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Virat Kohli (capt), 3 AB de Villiers, 4 KL Rahul (wk), 5 Shane Watson, 6 Stuart Binny, 7 Sachin Baby, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 S Aravind, 10 Iqbal Abdulla/Varun Aaron, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Pitch and conditions

Teams know what to expect when they come to Bangalore – perfect batting conditions and short boundaries. In the eight matches played here so far this season, there has only been one first-innings score below 185. There have been intermittent showers in Bangalore over the last week or so, but no rain is forecast for Tuesday, with an expected high of 35 degrees Celsius.

Stats and trivia

• Royal Challengers have hit 122 sixes this season, with Mumbai Indians a distant second on 92. Gujarat Lions have hit only 52 sixes – the fewest among all the teams – but have hit 208 fours, which is second to Royal Challengers’ 215
• Lions (11.13) and Royal Challengers (10.71) have the worst economy rates in the last five overs among all teams this season
• Royal Challengers’ batsmen have made up for this by scoring at 12.79 in the last five overs, while Lions have the worst last-five-overs run rate as well (8.67). They do, however, have the best Powerplay scoring rate, of 8.75
• Dhawal Kulkarni and Dwayne Smith are both three short of 100 T20 wickets

South Africa’s troubles on the field have been reflected off it as well. But the ODI series against England is a chance to lay down a marker

Firdose Moonda02-Feb-2016It’s just South Africa’s luck that, at a time when fifty-over cricket is the format they are feeling most comfortable in, there’s no major tournament on the horizon. The next World Cup is so far away that planning for it seems silly and even the Champions Trophy is too far in the future for their current performances to have any real impact. So what’s to play for in the upcoming five-match rubber against England?Pride, you may guess. Pride, the team will say. But pride does not quite describe the point South African cricket needs to make over the next two weeks. Even though theirs is wounded, there is something deeper than pride at stake. There’s public confidence that needs to be restored.The results of the last few months have shaken South African cricket. The Test side went from being the best in the world to their worst since readmission after a streak of nine matches without a win. They finished their season with victory in Centurion but their dramatic slide left many shellshocked, especially when they peered deeper into the problem.South Africa’s A side have been unable to compete with the visiting English, either in first-class or 50-over cricket. They have been so thoroughly outplayed that a spotlight has been cast on the domestic system and whether it is adequately preparing players for the step up. A glance at the age-group results is even less encouraging. South Africa’s Under-19 team were the defending champions going into the World Cup in Bangladesh. They were dumped out of the tournament by neighbours Namibia in the first round. Since their victory two years ago, they have lost 13 out of 15 matches to Bangladesh alone.There are concerns over the quality of coaching, especially as Ray Jennings, who had coached the under-19s eight years before that, was replaced immediately after his World Cup triumph. Lawrence Mahatlane, the current coach, who had success at provincial level with the Gauteng team, has since come under scrutiny for a lack of first-class playing experience.Those worries extend higher up too. Cruel as it sounds, Russell Domingo has had the same criticism levelled at him, even though it may be nothing more than a coincidence that South Africa’s dip in form has come under his tenure. Let’s not forget that a coach does not always need to have played – think Mike Hesson – and South Africa’s divided past meant many current coaches did not have the opportunity to play at higher levels.The finger-pointing at Domingo is somewhat unfair. South Africa had similar inconsistency at the start of Mickey Arthur’s time in charge and Domingo has achieved many firsts. He was the first coach to win a World Cup knock-out game and the first to win a bilateral ODI series in India. That those feats came in the fifty-over format may give Domingo some reason to feel a little less uneasy going into this clash.”Every coach in every series loss will feel some pressure, that’s the nature of our jobs,” Domingo said when the team assembled in Bloemfontein on Sunday. “But once you take stock and gather your thoughts, you move on and focus on the next series. As a coach, the result is not your hands. You’ve just got to prepare the side as well as you can and hope they execute their skills well enough. I am under no more pressure than any other international coach.”But that does not mean he is taking this task lightly either. “There are no soft series or less important series, they are all important, particularly coming off a Test series loss.”Domingo hopes South Africa can use these matches to show they still have the ingredients of a good side, and that includes the support staff. They will add to their stocks when a yet-to-be-named batting coach joins the ranks, probably in time for the third ODI. That would give South Africa every resource a cricket unit would want but, depending on who that person is, it may not give the public what they want.South Africans are concerned that there is a brain drain, especially as other South Africans are cropping up in places where they could be used at home. Gary Kirsten did some coaching with the England Lions, Graham Ford has rejoined Sri Lanka, Makhaya Ntini has signed on as Zimbabwe’s bowling coach and Pierre de Bruyn and Jennings helped Namibia’s under-19s.There may be more to follow, which is why this ODI series is important – a show of strength on the field will help dispel the concerns about the team’s future. In the grander scheme of things, it does not mean much but, right now, it could be the team’s way of showing there is still some hope, especially among its senior core.AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla were never really doubted in form terms, even as Amla struggled with the Test captaincy and de Villiers notched up three ducks in a row., However, Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy were both dropped during the Test series. This is their chance to come back.From a bowling perspective, South Africa are without some of their premier pacemen with Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn out of the series, Kyle Abbott out of some matches and Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada in need of rest, but that means the second wave, including Marchant de Lange, must step up. Of particular interest will be who latches onto the allrounder’s role with Chris Morris and David Wiese in the squad and Albie Morkel in line to return once he has recovered from a back injury.Even with nothing to gain, South Africa will use this series to solidify and gain back some of the public confidence they lost ahead of the World T20.

Sri Lanka have selected two uncapped left-arm spinning allrounders – Milinda Siriwardana and Sachith Pathirana – for the ODI series against Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2015Uncapped left-arm spinning allrounders Milinda Siriwardana and Sachith Pathirana have been called up to Sri Lanka’s squad for the five-match ODI series against Pakistan. Test spinners Rangana Herath and Tharindu Kaushal have been left out, as have seamers Nuwan Kulasekara and Dhammika Prasad.In addition to the new allrounders, Sachithra Senanayake and legspinner Seekkuge Prasanna serve as the squad’s frontline spin options. Nuwan Pradeep, who has played two ODIs, most recently in 2012, joins Lasith Malinga and Suranga Lakmal to form the quick bowling line-up. Seam bowling allrounder Thisara Perera has also been named.The batting contained few surprises. Kusal Perera is in the squad following his stellar performances against Pakistan A. Upul Tharanga, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dinesh Chandimal and Ashan Priyanjan have also been named while captain Angelo Mathews and opener TM Dilshan are almost certain to play. Opener Dimuth Karunaratne, who had been in Sri Lanka’s original World Cup squad, has been left out.Siriwardena, 29, had an outstanding domestic season this year, hitting 1144 runs at an average of 67.29 across 19 first-class innings. He has also been a dependable bowler in domestic cricket. Pathirana, 26, is more of a bowler, and has been chosen on the back of several solid domestic seasons. He has taken 86 List A wickets at 22.58.This series will be Sri Lanka’s first ODI foray since the World Cup. It is also their first series without Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara. Other players who featured in the World Cup campaign but have not been chosen include Jeevan Mendis and Dushmantha Chameera. The first match begins on July 11, in Dambulla.Squad: Angelo Mathews (capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kusal Perera, Upul Tharanga, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dinesh Chandimal, Milinda Siriwardana, Ashan Priyanjan, Nuwan Pradeep, Thisara Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Sachithra Senanayake, Seekuge Prasanna, Sachith Pathirana

Several counties have been practising in sub-zero temperatures, leaving footprints in the snow on their way to nets in a marquee of transparent plastic sheeting

Charles Randall02-Apr-2013This is the wintry scene that Eoin Morgan left behind as he set off for the razzamatazz of the Indian Premier League. While his team-mates were enduring near-freezing temperatures in Middlesex’s bubble at Radlett, he was setting off for the more hospitable cricketing climes of the IPL.Even the counties which preferred to prepare for the new season with trips to Barbados and Dubai, are now suffering one of the coldest England Springs on record, braving early-season friendlies which are bound to test the hardiest county stalwart.Middlesex can at least claim to be acclimatised. Along with the more thrifty of the counties, they have been practising from the outset in temperatures around zero, leaving footprints in the snow on their way to nets covered by a marquee of transparent plastic sheeting.Essex started a trend in 2012 by erecting a steel-framed structure on their square at Chelmsford and practising ‘outdoors’ on grass pre-season. By happy coincidence, the weather in 2012 was blazing hot. This year, with players facing snow and wind chill temperatures of -2C, Essex have been joined in the experiment by other counties such as Middlesex, Kent, Worcestershire and Glamorgan.Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s director of cricket, said he was thinking about ways of conducting covered outdoor practice last year. “Lo and behold they did it at Essex,” he said. “We went over there to have a look and it seemed to work.”Fraser’s logic about the advantages of Radlett is persuasive. But for all that Middlesex’s marquee at Radlett Cricket Club, their training facility, has proved to be a learning process for Fraser, the head groundsman, Nick Searle, and his New Zealander assistant, Regan Sinclair.Fraser said: “We’ve obviously made an investment at Radlett and want to base ourselves here. Nick, the groundsman, is as keen as mustard to help so we said we’d go ahead with it. In a sense it has been a challenge because you learn as you go along.”For example, you forget the fact that when it rains the water goes off the roof and collects in a small area. If you are on a little slope, the water can start to roll underneath. There was a frantic day last week when I had to rush out to Costco to buy towels to stop the water coming down. But we pulled the sides out slightly and it’s okay now.”Standing inside the marquee – Kent call it their “greenhouse” at Canterbury – there is constant noise as the wind rattles rope and material against the metal framework, but the light is surprisingly clear. In fact, in sunshine the transparent plastic has produced glare, so that the sightscreen has to be moved further back to reduce the effect. The struts throw shadows across the mown strips, but the batsmen hardly noticed.The Radlett marquee was erected in early February to ensure the soil had dried by the time net practice started a month later. The use of four hired industrial heaters helped the process after the heavy winter rain, and the players were glad to have one heater on duty during practice to keep them tolerably warm. Beyond the mouth of the nets the air remained almost freezing cold. Woolly hats and multi-layers were required for the stroll over the crusty snow to the middle.The surface played true and easy-paced and not dissimilar to an early season Championship pitch, though sounds were deadened and deliveries from fast bowlers occasionally proved hard for the eye to judge in overcast conditions. Fraser and his assistants, Richard Johnson, Richard Scott and Mark Ramprakash, were hoping the side sheeting could be removed, but the persistent cold ruled out that idea.Middlesex had used Loughborough University’s indoor elite centre for the previous few years, but this time Fraser decided to take a gamble for meaningful practice, having pre-empted any possible player mutiny by arranging a few days of light training in Spain. Fraser and the players felt the adventure in the cold was worthwhile.”There are two reasons for doing it,” Fraser said. “One is financial. If you send a group of 25 people to South Africa for a week or 10 days, it costs you the thick end of £40,000 or £45,000. This net here is probably going to cost us in the region of £12,000 to £15,000. And also I question whether training in Dubai or Barbados, places like that, on dead, shirt-front pitches in 40-degree heat prepares you for the sort of conditions we’re training in today, when it’s quite cold and soft underfoot and the ball is nipping around. It’s a completely different sensation of bat on ball.”So there a cricketing aspect and a financial aspect. I think this is going to be the way forward. If we don’t go on a pre-season tour and we use this, we can almost afford another player on the staff. There’s a trade-off angle too.”We just want to get out there on the square. We’ve been practising over the winter in indoor schools where there is bounce and consistency. It’s a completely different feel to what you experience in the middle. The earlier we can get our players used to what it’s like outside the better.”Middlesex allrounder Gareth Berg reckoned the experiment at Radlett, his home club, was a “huge help”. He said: “In an ideal world we would love to have been in Barbados playing a bit of cricket and to have a few cocktails but, in terms of moving forward and being a better team, this is much more important.”When the County Championship starts on April 10, Nottinghamshire (Barbados) meet Middlesex (Radlett marquee) at Trent Bridge in Division One’s opening round, while in Division Two there is Lancashire (Dubai) versus Worcestershire (Kidderminster marquee) and Glamorgan (Cardiff marquee) versus Northamptonshire (Barbados). The die-hards will take on the sunshine boys and it will be interesting to see what happens.

Fluent strokeplay has not been top of the agenda in this series and the opening day in Port-of-Spain was another where the batsmen had to grind for their rewards

The Report by Andrew McGlashan15-Apr-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShane Watson worked very hard for his 56 before falling to Shane Shillingford•AFP

Fluent strokeplay has not been top of the agenda in this series and the opening day in Port-of-Spain was another where the batsmen had to grind for their rewards. With that in mind, Australia were better placed than 208 for 5 might imply but West Indies ensured they stayed within range with Shane Shillingford, the tall offspinner, impressive on his return to Test cricket.The turn that Shillingford – and, to a lesser extent, Narsingh Deonarine – found on a first-day pitch suggested that anything around 300 would be a good total while Australia have two frontline spinners to exploit conditions after recalling Michael Beer to partner Nathan Lyon. Once the hardness had gone from the ball, which allowed Australia to reach 42 after 10 overs, the remaining 80 overs of the day brought 166 runs with West Indies opting not to take the second new ball.Shane Watson was the mainstay of the innings for more than three hours as he ground his way to a half-century from 128 balls. Boundary opportunities had been rare for Watson, and mostly came when the quick bowlers offered width, before he got an inside edge to short leg where it was superbly held by Adrian Barath who had to reach upwards for the catch.It was a deserved second wicket for Shillingford, who earlier struck fifth delivery playing his first Test since remodelling his bowling action, after he had twice been denied the opportunity to double his tally. Once that was by technology and another by the inconsistent glovework of Carlton Baugh, who dropped Michael Hussey when he had 5 from one which turned sharply to take the glove.Shortly after tea Shillingford was awarded an lbw against Michael Clarke but the Australia captain reviewed, by the looks of it at the time more out of hope than expectation. However, the replays showed he had been struck outside off stump on the back pad so survived and even shared his slight surprise with the close fielders.Clarke couldn’t cash in on the reprieve when he managed to pull a long hop from Deonarine to deep square-leg having briefly provided the most fluent batting of the day when he took the attack to Kemar Roach at the start of the final session. Roach, who had earlier collected the important wickets of Ed Cowan and Ricky Ponting, was more than twice as expensive as any other of the bowlers and offered Clarke width to drive as the fourth-wicket stand with Watson grew to 84.Soon, though. Australia had to rebuild again and without Ryan Harris or Peter Siddle in the lower order – the former surprisingly rested, the latter suffering a stiff back – there is a longer tail than in Barbados when they hauled the visitors out of trouble and into the ascendency. But with Michael Hussey still present West Indies could yet rue Baugh’s mistake. Matthew Wade was also put down, on 2, although the chance to Kraigg Braithwaite at short leg was tough.West Indies thought they had taken a wicket in the first over the day when David Warner was given out caught behind by the umpire Marais Erasmus before Darren Sammy indicated the ball had not carried to the keeper. That was clearly the case and replays also showed it was also nowhere near the edge but if Erasmus had given the decision as lbw on-field it would have stood.After that early intrigue Australia moved along at a healthy rate as both Warner and Cowan latched onto anything short, although Warner also had to battle to survive against Roach when the fast bowler went round the wicket and probed the outside edge. It was Shillingford who provided the breakthrough with his fifth ball when he enticed Warner to drive at a full delivery which spun enough to find the edge and Sammy pocketed a simple catch at slip.Shortly before lunch Cowan was extracted lbw from around the wicket by Roach, who then added Ponting in the sixth over of the afternoon session with a beauty to square up the batsman and find the outside edge. However, the wicket did not come easily as Baugh palmed the chance away but, fortunately for the home side, Sammy was alert at slip to collect the rebound.

Phillip Hughes may be the best thing going for a battling New Zealand outfit right now

Daniel Brettig at the Gabba04-Dec-2011Australia’s fidgety opening batsman Phillip Hughes may be the best thing going for a battling New Zealand outfit right now. After Chris Martin had Hughes dropped in the slips from a typical edge, then caught in the gully from a flailing cut next ball in the hosts’ chase of a mere 19 to wrap up the first Test, the visiting captain Ross Taylor said of the Australia squad for Hobart: “I’d love him to be in the team.”This was a damning statement, but a true one, for Martin’s bounce and angle caused Hughes all manner of trouble in both innings, and allowed New Zealand a way into the Australian batting order. The national selectors must make a difficult call on Hughes sooner or later, and Taylor’s enthusiasm about the 23-year-old as an opponent, when most err towards the respectful when discussing the opposition, will be ringing in their ears.”If Hughes plays in Tasmania then obviously Chris Martin will be bowling at him and hopefully Martin Guptill takes a third catch too,” Taylor said. “We had a lot of video footage of all the Australian players and Hughes got caught at second, third slip and gully a lot in the Ashes and in South Africa. That was definitely an area we wanted to target, and with the way Chris Martin bowls, he bowls across the left-hander.”Since returning to the Australian XI during the Ashes last summer, Hughes has spent countless hours working with the assistant coach Justin Langer, trying to eradicate the problems outside off stump that have recurred all too often against diligent new ball bowling. But he remains as susceptible as ever to the presentation of a crooked bat and a resultant edge to the slips, accounting for a Test record that features three centuries but too many brief stays at the crease. In 17 innings since the Ashes recall, Hughes has passed 36 only twice.Hughes’ position is complicated further by the fact that the captain, Michael Clarke, is his staunchest defender in public and his closest friend in the team. As a selector, Clarke is part of the discussions that must be edging closer to removing Hughes from the XI, but he is refusing to budge in his support.”I look forward to a press conference where I don’t get asked about Phillip Hughes,” Clarke said after Australia’s victory. “Once again, not concerning for me. I have confidence that Hughesy will come out in Hobart and perform. He got a hundred not that long ago, 80-odd not that long ago. I’ve seen Hughesy cut that ball for four a number of times. I’m sure he would be disappointed personally that he hasn’t made any runs in this test match, but I’m confident he can put his hand up in Hobart and get a big score for us.”Clarke said he had seen plenty of improvement in Hughes’ technique since his first bout of problems, against Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff in England in 2009.”I think his technique has improved out of sight,” Clarke said. “Every one of us has deficiencies in technique. And these days with the footage you can get on players, it’s very easy to find out what those deficiencies are. It’s no different for any batsman. I have seen a lot of improvement. I continue to see him scoring runs. Probably not as consistent as he would like, but he’s still scoring them. His record for NSW is better than any 23-year-old in this country. He’s scored three great hundreds for Australia and I’m confident he can score a lot more.”

Trevor Hohns has revealed that he raised concerns about the dimensions of the Cricket Australia contracts system when chairman of the national selection panel, a post he exited in 2006

Daniel Brettig12-Aug-2011Trevor Hohns has revealed that he raised concerns about the dimensions of the Cricket Australia contracts system when chairman of the national selection panel, a post he exited in 2006.Having resumed an active role in Australian cricket as Queensland’s chairman of selectors and state talent manager, Hohns said he believed the contracting of 25 players was too many. He also said that the system had to be made more flexible on a year-to-year basis depending on the nature of the Australia team’s schedule.”We had plenty of depth then [pre-2006], but I’m not sure that 25 is the right number. I must admit I was always saying that [as chairman],” Hohns told ESPNcricinfo. “But that was the deal that was done and we had to work with it. To have 25 seems a lot to me, and I think the players’ association and CA need to be a bit flexible on this, we’re going through different times and I think it does need a little bit of tweaking.”Where we go with it I don’t know, you and I aren’t going to change that, it’s more a matter for CA and the players association I believe. It certainly needs to be looked at, and what the answer is I don’t know. There are several lines of thought, whether it should be more incentive-based for those that play get the pay, or whether T20 cricket should have separate contracts, there’s several lines of thought and I’m sure they’re going over all of those.”Hohns also agreed that the state and national contracts system should be weighted more heavily towards Test cricket aspirants and participants, so as to provide a worthy incentive for players who are currently able to earn far more for playing a handful of Twenty20 tournaments than for focusing on the arduous task of representing their country.The slim financial outlook for players concentrating on the Sheffield Shield competition and not also earning T20 contracts in the Big Bash League was exposed when the selectors chose Trent Copeland for the tour of Sri Lanka. On a state contract of about $75,000, Copeland is earning a fraction of the salary presently being raked in by the likes of the young allrounder Steven Smith.”Most cricketers still want to play Test cricket I believe,” Hohns said. “I’ve been out of the loop for a little while now but I presume most still want to represent their country in Test matches. Sure the shorter version of the game, T20 and to a lesser extent one-day cricket, generate a lot of money, so that’s all got to be taken into account and there’s got to be a balance somewhere.”Michael Brown, CA’s head of cricket operations, and Paul Marsh, the chief executive of the Australian Cricketers’ Association, have both agreed there is room for adjustments. However, Marsh believes the issues would be less conspicuous had the current national selectors not changed their views so much between naming 25 contracted players in June then picking three players from outside the group for a Test tour in July.Australia’s selection and contracting processes are presently under the harsh glare of the Don Argus-led review into the performance of the national team, which is expected to table its findings for the CA directors at their August 18-19 board meeting. It remains unclear whether or not the recommendations will be shown to the public.

The Mohali pitch is expected to be quite flat, and fast bowlers are likely to be more effective on it than spinners

Nagraj Gollapudi in Mohali27-Mar-2011There are no match tickets available. There are no hotel rooms vacant for the thousands flocking to Chandigarh from all over the world. The premiers of both India and Pakistan will be there to watch their men contest the second semi-finals of the World Cup. Add to those certainties one other: the Mohali pitch is bound to be batsmen-friendly. If sources are to be believed, then the fast bowlers will be more effective than spinners. “It is a good batting wicket. I don’t think it will turn much,” a Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) official said.History suggests that captains prefer to bat first on calling the coin right and both MS Dhoni and Shahid Afridi will do well to follow convention. It is better to bat first because the wicket tends to lose pace as the match goes on. But if there is heavy dew things could change. “A 280-plus total would be really difficult to chase,” the source said. Over the last five years, in the nine matches played at the ground the 300-run mark has been breached only twice. Incidentally, on the first occasion, Pakistan successfully chased India’s 321 in a day-night game, with Younis Khan’s 117 overshadowing Sachin Tendulkar’s 99.In the past five years, seven out of the nine matches have been won by the side batting first. Also, there were seven day-night matches with five won by the side batting first and only two by the chasing side. Wednesday’s semi-final would be the first match to be played under lights since November 2009 in Mohali.Of the 137 wickets taken in those nine matches, fast bowlers accounted for 105, while the spinners claimed just 29. Even though the seamers have predominantly controlled affairs here, slow bowlers like Harbhajan Singh, who relies on bounce, have always got good purchase from the Mohali pitch. At the same time the hard clay in the pitch tends to make the ball skid rather than spin, so a spinner like Afridi would do well to push the ball rather than spin it.Another talking point in the build-up to the match has been the dew. Over the last few days there has been heavy dew with the outfield being really wet till 10 pm. The curator will be taking measures like not watering the ground two days before the match and cutting the outfield really low but it would be difficult to eliminate the dew entirely. An essential factor for the dew to not spoil the evening would be the presence of the wind during the first half of the day. If it is windy during the day the dew will not be heavy, otherwise it will play affect team strategies.