Chari, Moeen succeed in testing chase

Tuskers 317 for 8 dec. (Williams 88) and 307 for 5 (Chari 98, Moeen 95) beat Mountaineers 264 (Querl 5-56) and 357 for 7 dec. (Masakadza 178) by five wickets
Scorecard

Brian Chari and Moeen Ali both fell short of hundreds but their contributions went a long way to helping Tuskers to victory in their opening match. Set 305 to win, Chari and Moeen took the chase to 219 for 2 after an opening stand of 72. First-change bowler Natsai M'shangwe trapped Chari two short of a century after 10 fours and a six, with Moeen playing a more enterprising knock, striking 12 fours and two sixes in 95 in just 87 balls before falling to Shingirai Masakadza.

Mushangwe kept Mountaineers in the game with additional wickets of Craig Ervine and Charles Coventry, but their knocks of 22 and 20 respectively, at nearly a run-a-ball, kept the chase ticking along and it was left to captain Keegan Meth to score the winning boundary.

It was an excellent competitive match with Tuskers taking a 53-run first innings lead after Glen Querl took 5 for 56 to bowl Mountaineers out for 264 having chosen to bat first. It was Querl's sixth five-for in first-class cricket and took him past 50 career wickets. But he only picked up the solitary success in Mountaineers' second innings as Hamilton Masakadza, playing his 100th first-class match, hauled his side back into the match with 178 in 279 balls. That allowed Mountaineers to declare and set up a testing, if ultimately reachable, chase.

Southern Rocks 459 for 8 dec. (Mutumbami 141, Burgoyne 102*) and forfeit beat Eagles 159 for 1 dec. (Chibhabha 102*) and 159 (Panyangara 4-43) by 141 runs
Scorecard

Southern Rocks capitalised on the opportunity to force a result on the final afternoon in Harare, bowling Eagles out for 159 for an easy victory. The captains came together to set up a chase for Southern Rocks of 301 but they were blown away by Tinashe Panyangara, whose 4 for 43 sent his side to an opening match victory.

After just 13.1 overs on day three, the game was destined for a draw but the match came alive as Eagles were fed 72 runs in 21 balls, allowing Chamu Chibhabha to make a century, and Southern Rocks forfeited their second innings. But Eagles were quickly reduced to 17 for 3 and the chance of victory was over inside 10 overs of the final innings. Panyangara did the early damage, having Sikandar Raza lbw for 4 and then five balls later removing captain Stuart Matsikenyeri for a duck. That after opener Chibhabha fell caught behind to Brian Vitori for 5.

Regis Chakabva hung around for 112 balls, making 28 but he was eventually bowled by Panyangara as the last of Eagles' resistance was removed. Vitori went on to pick up Mark Mbofana and Innocent Chinyoka to finish with 3 for 49 but neither he nor Panyangara could ruin Nathan Waller's day. He launched seven fours in an entertaining 53 minutes which saw him make an unbeaten 42 and provide at least some cheer for pointless Eagles.

Southern Rocks took seven points from their win which was set up from a big first innings total having won the toss. Richmond Mutumbami top-scored with 141 including two sixes and 21 fours. He and Derbyshire's Peter Burgoyne put on 153 for the fifth wicket, Burgoyne making an unbeaten 102. Another Derbyshire player, Ben Slater, made 89 opening the batting.


Read More..

WICB signs seven-year TV rights deal

Taj TV has acquired television rights from the WICB for a period of seven years, beginning from January 2013. Taj TV, which operates five sports channels including Ten Sports and has previously telecast West Indies cricket, bought the terrestrial broadcast rights for the Caribbean as well as the production rights, the West Indies board said in a release.

In all, the release said, Taj TV will broadcast 253 days of international cricket as part of the deal, and provide television production for free-to-air stations throughout the Caribbean. However, the numbers behind the deal were not revealed.

"We are extremely delighted to continue our long standing association with Taj TV Limited who has been our media rights partner previously and with whom we have had a solid and mutually beneficial relationship," the president of the WICB, Julian Hunte, said.


Read More..

Lions roar silences Titans

The Lions recovered from their Champions League T20 final defeat in blazing fashion when they beat the Titans by 269 runs in the first match of the domestic one-day competition at Centurion.

For the Titans, it was more heartache. After they lost to the Sydney Sixers off the last ball of their CLT20 semi-final, they slumped to the lowest total in a domestic limited-overs competition in South African history. They were bowled out for 60 in response to the Lions massive 329 for 6 and that, after they put the Lions in to bat on a belter.

Stephen Cook, who did not take part in the CLT20 but has been in training throughout, led the way with a 122-ball 125. He shared in an opening stand with 161-run opening partnership with Gulam Bodi, who was the second top run-scorer of the CLT20. The pair out on their runs in 28 overs before Bodi top-edged a sweep shot to square leg off Paul Harris.

Quinton de Kock, Grant Mokoena and Neil McKenzie were all dismissed cheaply and the Lions had been reined in to 255 for 5 in the 44th over. Jean Symes, who had a good CLT20 campaign, provided another late burst. His 43 off 27 balls included five fours and two sixes to take the Lions over the 300-run mark.

Surprisingly, Harris, Ethy Mbhalati and Roelof van der Merwe conceded at under six runs to the over but Rowan Richards and CJ de Villiers took punishment. Richards was a victim of Cook's onslaught and conceded 78 while De Villiers bowled his 10 overs for 70.

The pitch would have not made the Lions' bowlers think they would get away with an easy outing and they would have been surprised to see that they did. The Titans were 34 for 9 in the 16th over and all out inside 19 overs. The Titans scorecard included four ducks and only two batsmen got inot double figures.

Hardus Viljoen, who used to open the bowling with Marchant de Lange at Easterns, bowled a blistering spell upfront. With fiery pace in the upper 140 kphs, he took six for 19 and showed off seam movement. Chris Morris and Ethan O'Reilly didn't have much to share between them but picked up one and three wickets respectively. David Wiese managed 24 of 26 balls but it will be little consolation for the Titans who now lost their three of their last four matches against the Lions.


Read More..

Watson injury scare ahead of Tests

Shane Watson has sent another shudder through Australia's camp ahead of the first South Africa Test by complaining of calf soreness while bowling for New South Wales against Queensland in the Sheffield Shield match in Brisbane.

In his first appearance at the bowling crease in a first-class match since the tour of the West Indies in April, Watson delivered only one over before speaking with his state and national captain Michael Clarke and leaving the field.

It soon emerged that he was bothered by a sore left calf, the same muscle he strained during this year's ODI tour of England. A calf ailment had also contributed to Watson missing all of the 2011-12 home Test matches.

Medical staff are assessing the problem, and it is unlikely that Watson will return to the field for the rest of day two.

Watson's exit from Allan Border Field continued a fraught round of domestic matches for Australia's Test batsmen, as only Michael Hussey has made any substantial runs while Ricky Ponting was withdrawn from Tasmania's match against South Australia with hamstring tightness.

More to come...


Read More..

BBC agrees deal to cover England tour

The BBC has resolved its stand-off with the BCCI and come to an agreement that will see Test Match Special broadcast from the grounds during England's tour of India. The BCCI had reportedly demanded a fee of £50,000, in addition to the sum paid for radio rights, to allow the BBC access to facilities, although it has not been confirmed whether this has now been paid or not.

"We are pleased to confirm that Test Match Special will broadcast England's cricket tour of India from the grounds after agreement was reached with all parties," a BBC spokesman said.

Sky Sports has already indicated that it will not be sending its commentary team to India, after being asked for an extra payment of £500,000. The impasse had arisen because the BCCI retains production rights for the series and wanted to cover "realistic costs". Both Sky and the BBC have agreements as sub-licencees with Star TV.

There had been a suggestion that the BBC, which counts Jonathan Agnew, Geoffrey Boycott and Michael Vaughan among its Test Match Special team, could choose not to cover the series at all rather than follow Sky's lead and do so from the UK. However, two weeks before the start of the first Test in Ahmedabad, that situation has been averted.


Read More..

'BCB made written commitment to touring Pak'

The Bangladesh Cricket Board recently made a written commitment to its Pakistan counterpart to touring that country at the end of the year, its new president Nazmul Hassan revealed today. Hassan didn't say who sent the letter on behalf of the BCB, but said since it had been sent, the necessary steps would have to be taken.

It was later revealed that it had been sent before he took over on October 18.

"Jalal [Yunus, the BCB's media committee chairman] said in the last press conference that we haven't contacted the PCB regarding a tour [but] we have found out that a letter was sent from the BCB about playing there," Hassan said at the end of a five-hour meeting in Mirpur on Thursday. "The Pakistan media started saying that Bangladesh would tour because such a correspondence had indeed taken place."

The letter, Hassan said, was brief and made no mention of security or any logistical factors. "Since we have found out about the letter, we are considering whether it is mandatory to tour Pakistan or if there are any other options. If we go to Pakistan, we need to be assured of adequate security for our team.

"Actually there are a lot of gaps in that letter, so we have to take all this into account and decide if we want to go or not and if we do [decide positively], then we will go. I would call it a commitment, although it is just a one-line letter, but it is clear the BCB has decided."

Asked if it was mentioned to him at his first meeting, Hassan said, "This wasn't on the agenda at the meeting. I wasn't told about it. I know for a fact that Jalal bhai didn't know too; maybe the others [directors] did."

Yunus said that despite the letter being sent earlier this month, the PCB's stand was that it was still Bangladesh who would decide when to tour. "The letter was sent just before the new president was appointed. He [Hassan] wasn't informed during the transition period. [PCB general manager of media] Nadeem Sarwar has denied that PCB president Zaka Ashraf said Bangladesh will tour Pakistan in December. They have left it to Bangladesh to decide."


Read More..

Kallis, Morkel rested for tour match

Australia A won the toss and chose to bat v South Africans

Live Scorecard

The South Africans chose to rest Jacques Kallis and Morne Morkel for their only tour match in Australia, against the hosts' A side in Sydney. South Africa have not played a Test since August and nine of their 15 man squad have no played first-class cricket since then, including Kallis and Morkel.

The pair sat out because they have been playing what team manager Mohammed Moosajee called "a lot of cricket," over the last few weeks. Kallis has also not sufficiently recovered from a chest infection which struck him on Monday, although he trained yesterday. Both have played cricket since South Africa's July tour of England, where part of the World T20 squad and took part in the Champions League T20.

Faf du Plessis and reserve bowler Rory Kleinveldt were picked in the South African XI in Kallis and Morkel's place. Du Plessis has been included in South Africa's last two Tests squads but has yet to debut in the longest format while the focus will be on Kleinveldt who could make a maiden appearance for South Africa if they chose to field an all-pace attack in Brisbane.

AB de Villiers was declared to fit to keep wicket, having not played any competitive cricket since the World T20 in Sri Lanka. That meant replacement gloveman Thami Tsolekile was left out, as was all-rounder Robin Peterson.

Australia's team was decided on when the squad was announced. They chose to open the batting with Liam Davids and Rob Quiney and moved former Test opener Phil Hughes to No.3. He had an early change to stake his claim, as Australia A chose to bat on a green top at the SCG.

Australia A: 1 Liam Davis, 2 Rob Quiney, 3 Phil Hughes, 4 Andrew McDonald, 5 Steve Smith, 6 Alex Doolan, 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Moises Henriques, 9 Tim Paine, 10 John Hastings, 11 Nathan Coulter-Nile

South Africans: 1 Graeme Smith, 2 Alviro Petersen, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Faf du Plessis, 5 AB de Villiers, 6 Jacques Rudolph, 7 JP Duminy, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Rory Kleinvedlt, 11 Imran Tahir


Read More..

Injured Cummins out for the season

The fast bowler Pat Cummins is expected to miss nearly all of the 2012-13 season due to a stress fracture in his lower back. The diagnosis means Cummins, 19, will not be part of the Test series against South Africa or Sri Lanka, and almost certainly will not be considered for the Test tour of India in February, while his possible involvement in the Ashes tour of England might depend on whether he is able to play any first-class cricket before then.

Cummins, 19, has not played a first-class match since his Test debut last November in Johannesburg, where he collected seven wickets and was Man of the Match. Australia's selectors had hoped he would be available for the third Test against South Africa at the WACA, but having returned home from the Champions League Twenty20 in South Africa with back soreness, he had scans in Melbourne this week.

"Pat Cummins returned from Champions League Twenty20 duties with the Sydney Sixers with some back soreness," Alex Kountouris, the Australia team physio, said. "Because of his age and past history we decided to investigate the source of the pain and unfortunately he has an early stage stress fracture of his spine, confirmed by scans today.

"Pat had a spine bone stress injury a few years ago but the current injury is new and in an entirely different part of the spine. We expect he will recover fully from this injury and will be closely monitored to determine his return to the playing field, but expect that he will miss most of the 2012-13 domestic cricket season."

Cummins missed most of last summer due to a foot injury and has managed only four first-class matches - including his Test debut - in his short career.

More to follow


Read More..

Sri Lanka adjust to unusual pace in Pallekele

Somewhere in the world, a cricket fan may have tuned into the beginning of New Zealand's innings in the Twenty20 on Tuesday and suspected she was witnessing the first ever day-night Test match. The teams were not wearing whites, but New Zealand's kit was unsullied by a sponsor's logo. Perhaps coloured clothing had become part of the deal in cricket's efforts to sex up its fuddiest format, and for some reason, the purists drew the line at advertising. The Pallekele pitch was first-day laurel, rather than limited-overs tan. The ball was zipping about in both directions and carrying through at chest height. And to seal the ruse, New Zealand had lost their customary five wickets in the first hour.

The match, of course, was heavily influenced by the monsoon, which had forced an underdone pitch and given the swing bowlers added venom in the air, and off the pitch. Angelo Mathews did what any backyard cricketer would have done when handed the captaincy, and opened the bowling. But for a scrambled run off the last ball of the third over, he would have started with two maidens in a row. Nuwan Kulasekara, who is almost the antithesis of an intimidating quick, struck batsmen on the body, surprising them with bounce. And only three fours were managed in the first ten overs. 



It was a difficult beginning to the tour for New Zealand's batsmen, but equally, it was a heartening bowling performance for Sri Lanka, who will anticipate another lively surface for the first ODI. The rains have not eased in Kandy, and the square has stayed under covers all day on the eve of the match. The forecast suggests Thursday will be damp as well, meaning that if any cricket is possible, movement in the air can also be expected.

Pallekele may have become a seam bowling stronghold over the last eighteen months, but for most of Sri Lanka's young attack, pitches like this one are an oddity at home. Throughout their school and domestic cricket careers, the low, slow, dusty pitches Sri Lanka has traditionally produced, are their lot. But despite the unfamiliarity, the bowlers quickly assessed the conditions and employed the skills, lines and lengths that would bring them success. Sri Lanka attacks in years gone by, might not have had the nous, nor the expertise to exploit conditions such as these, as well as this one did. 



Each of the pace bowlers moved the ball into the batsman in the air, before taking it away off the seam. Short pitched balls were shelved, though some balls leapt off the surface. And the channel outside off stump was where the bowlers largely stayed for much of the curtailed innings. Even spin bowler Akila Dananjaya seemed to enjoy the extra bounce, relying on top spin to remove two batsmen who tried sweeping him. 



If Sri Lanka's attack can display a similar mastery of these conditions on Thursday, they will carry confidence not only for the remainder of this series, but into the months coming after New Zealand depart. Their captain Mahela Jayawardene has said this tour is good build up ahead of the full tour to Australia, and it is clear that the team already have one eye on their trip down under. They begin with their Test series in Hobart, which produced a greentop not far removed from the Pallekele pitch, the last time a Test was played there. 



"When we went to Australia last year for ODIs, most of the guys enjoyed the pace and the bounce," Jayawardene said. "It is really good, as long as we work hard and learn the tricks, we can perform in most of the conditions. Younger guys learning the trade is the most important thing. It would have been great if our guys had a bat as well on that tricky wicket. It would have been good for our guys to dig in and win that game. That's what we want, for these guys to go through those tough situations and learn the hard way."



Sri Lanka have been planning for even further ahead - looking to the 2015 World Cup, which will be played in Australia and New Zealand. Thisara Perera is a player who has benefited from that forward thinking, and was persevered with despite some mediocre early performances, and has now realised some of the potential team management saw in him.

"2015 is long way off, but we need to prepare," Jayawardene said. "The conditions will suit fast bowlers. A few of our guys are struggling with injuries and once they come back we need to build up a good fast bowling unit. Allrounders are going to be important as well on those conditions. The spinners will also play a role. We have x-factor in our unit."

Pallekele may not be the Antipodes, but it is as good a substitute as can be found in the subcontinent. Sri Lanka have only one practice match in Australia before the Tests begin, but if their attack can flourish again in the first ODI, they may feel they have what it takes to adjust quickly in December.


Read More..

Must assess if Yuvraj can field for two days - Dhoni

MS Dhoni believes Yuvraj Singh's chances of being selected in India's Test team against England will depend on whether his fitness can withstand grueling challenges, such as fielding for two consecutive days. Yuvraj is a contender for the No. 6 slot in India's batting order, having scored a double-century for North Zone in the Duleep Trophy and a half-century for India A in the ongoing tour game against an England XI in Mumbai, after returning from cancer treatment.

"It is very difficult for me to comment on his [Yuvraj's] fitness sitting over here," Dhoni said in Delhi. "We have to understand that the five-day format has its own uncertainties, unlike ODIs or T20s. In ODIs, you know that you have to field for 50 overs only, while in Test cricket there may be a situation that a team might bat for one-and-a-half to two days. We have to assess whether Yuvraj is ready to field for two days."

During the Duleep Trophy match against East Zone, Yuvraj scored 208 off 241 balls with 33 fours and three sixes, an innings that lasted five-and-a-half hours spread over two days. Until then, he had only played Twenty20 matches since his break from the game from November 2011, during which he was treated for a germ-cell cancer.

"Having said that, it is Yuvraj who is the best judge about how he is feeling," Dhoni said. "He has played quite a few domestic games now and it is up to him to reflect on his game."

The first Test against England begins on November 15 in Ahmedabad, and Dhoni said he was in favour of a Motera pitch that would turn. "I still believe that the groundsmen know what really is good for us. A sporting track doesn't always mean that it will only have grass on it. In the subcontinent it has always been turning tracks, which is for the spinners.

"I haven't seen an offbreak bowler for a long time who is able to hit the rib cage of a batsman with a delivery that has turn and bounce. It's really painful but you enjoy the challenge."

The previous Test series between these sides was in the summer of 2011 in England, where India were blanked 4-0 and lost their No. 1 Test ranking.


Read More..

CSA agree to postpone Sri Lanka Tests

Cricket South Africa have agreed to a request from the Sri Lanka board and postponed their Test series scheduled for next year until the middle of 2015. Jacques Faul, CSA's acting chief executive, said the change would give South Africa's players an opportunity for rest after the Champions Trophy, which takes place in England next June.

Sri Lanka Cricket had asked for the three home Tests, due to have been played at some point in July and August 2013, to be moved in order to accommodate a one-day tri-series featuring West Indies and India. The rearrangement also averts South Africa's visit from clashing with the Sri Lanka Premier League, which is likely to begin in early August.

CSA said it was still committed to playing five ODIs and three T20 internationals in Sri Lanka next year, as mandated by the Future Tours Programme (FTP). The Tests have now been put back until June 2015.

"We have acceded to the request for two reasons," Faul said. "In the first place we have a very good relationship with Sri Lanka Cricket and we have done our best to assist them. In the second place it actually works out quite well for the Proteas in handling their workload effectively.

"Had we proceeded with the Test series in Sri Lanka next year it would have meant that the Proteas would have played 11 Test matches between July 2013 and March 2014. In addition they would have had no break between the start of the ICC Champions Trophy [in June 2013] and the end of the ICC World T20 in Bangladesh in April, 2014. The rescheduling of the Test series means that the Proteas will now have a three-week break between the Champions Trophy and the limited-overs series in Sri Lanka."

"The matter has been discussed with the Proteas team management as well and it has been agreed that this is the best way forward both for CSA and Sri Lanka Cricket. The Proteas will now undertake their Test tour of Sri Lanka in June 2015, before they move on to Bangladesh in July as part of the ICC Future Tours Programme.

"I would like to stress that there was never ever any question of the Test series against Sri Lanka not happening. The status of Test cricket is paramount as far as we are concerned. We retain the same number of Tests as far as the FTP is concerned until 2019-2020."

The agreement means that after completing their tour of Australia, which includes three Tests, Sri Lanka have only four Test matches - two against Bangladesh and two against Zimbabwe - slated between January and December next year. A two-Test series against West Indies that would have potentially clashed with the 2013 IPL was scrapped last month.


Read More..

Kemar Roach to miss Bangladesh Tests

Kemar Roach, the West Indies fast bowler, has been ruled out of the Test series in Bangladesh in November because of a knee injury. Fidel Edwards has been chosen as the replacement and will join the squad before it leaves the Caribbean on November 3.

Roach sustained the injury during a club match in Barbados three weeks ago and West Indies physiotherapist CJ Clark said it was a right medial hamstring tendon tear.

"Kemar has not recovered adequately from the injury to join the squad for the tour," Clark said. "He has commenced rehabilitation and will undergo further assessment. He is expected to return to action in three to four weeks time."

Roach took 39 wickets at an average of 22.25 in seven Tests this year and was West Indies' most successful bowler. "It's a blow for us," West Indies coach Ottis Gibson said. "He's [Roach] been an outstanding Test bowler for us in the last 12 months. He's got a lot of wickets for us.

"The news is not all bad. It's not a major, major injury. He has started his rehab already, so hopefully, he can recover within the next three weeks and, perhaps, make the one-day series, which means he will get some cricket before the end of the year.

"It's a difficult situation. He reckons he feels OK sometimes, and other times, if he gets his knee in the wrong position, he feels it, and the pain is so severe, he can't do anything for a while. These things happen in sport."

Gibson said Edwards was an able replacement for Roach. Edwards' last Test series was in England this summer and he was left out of the home Tests against New Zealand in August.

"Fidel was a member of the squad that played in the recent ICC World Twenty20 tournament and he has been bowling [in club cricket in Barbados], so his bowling fitness will be right up there at its peak," Gibson said. "Along with Ravi Rampaul and Tino Best, we feel confident that they will all be able to do a good job for us in the Tests, whichever combination is selected."

West Indies play Bangladesh in two Tests, beginning on November 13 in Mirpur and on November 21 in Khulna. The Tests will be followed by five ODIs and a Twenty20 international.


Read More..

Asif criticises timing of ICC's spot-fixing verdict

Mohammad Asif, the Pakistan bowler who was imprisoned in England for spot-fixing, has criticised the ICC, claiming cricket's governing body prejudiced his case ahead of the criminal trial in London by the timing of the verdict of its independent inquiry. Asif was speaking in Lahore, following his return from England five months after completing half of his one-year sentence.

Asif, along with Salman Butt, was found guilty at Southwark Crown Court in November 2011, on charges of conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments over deliberate no-balls bowled during the Lord's Test between Pakistan and England in August 2010. Mohammad Amir, the third player accused by the Crown Prosecution Service, had pleaded guilty to the charges.

However, the three players had already been found guilty by an ICC tribunal on February 5, 2011, and were banned for various durations. Asif's ban was for seven years and that punishment was announced a day after the CPS levied its charges against the players.

"It was quite difficult time, but thank god it is over," he said. "The way ICC has prejudiced my case, there are lots of things which are not yet clear and nobody knows it, even you people [the media] have not highlighted it, but I will do it.

"I didn't do anything wrong. There was one no-ball and, whatever the scenario was behind it, I described it in the court. There are lots of things and it will be in my book, which will be launched very soon."

Asif claimed he was going to appeal against the ICC's ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland and a hearing, he said, would take place in February 2013. "There's a hearing in February, second or third week, and it will be decided. Hopefully I will get justice there because it's just the ICC and me, and Inshallah everything will be all right.

"I'm fighting my own case, I have my own legal team," Asif said, criticising the Pakistan board as well. "They [PCB] have their own policy and they took a back step, when I think they should have taken a step forward."


Read More..

Good to have Pietersen back - Bresnan

Tim Bresnan said that Kevin Pietersen's return for his first England appearance in almost three months, after a destabilising episode that threatened to see the batsman cast into the international wilderness, was no different to having a player come back into the side following an injury.

Pietersen was part of the England XI taking on India A in a three-day tour match and took a catch off Bresnan's bowling to help remove Ajinkya Rahane in the first session. Pietersen last featured for England in the second Test against South Africa at Headingley at the start of August but Bresnan described his team-mate as the "same old Kev" and said it was good to have him back.

"For the lads it's nothing different to having a player come back to the squad who has been missing for a while," Bresnan said. "There's not been much made of it. Everyone in the know of what's being going on, they've sat down and spoke about things and I guess a few of the senior players have spoken, but for the rest of the boys it's pretty much been like having someone who's been injured come back in the side, it's not been exceptionally different.

"It's been the same old Kev. The energy in the field he showed today, all day, it was just Kev to be honest. It's been good."

Despite losing Steven Finn to a thigh problem early in the day, England's bowlers made regular breakthroughs after being asked to bowl in their first tour outing. Bresnan was the pick of the attack, with 3 for 59, while Graeme Swann also picked up three wickets as India A closed on 369 for 9, Manoj Tiwary top-scoring with 93.

"Overs under the belt is key in warm-up games, especially when we're playing Twenty20 cricket for quite a spell over the last month or so," Bresnan said. "So definitely, get a day out there, get a day in the legs, a day in the field.

"You can get value for your shots out there, if it's past the infield, it's pretty much four. There's not much margin for error short or full so I think that's a bit of rustiness but you expect that first day out.

"They played nicely, Tiwary played lovely but it seems like a nice wicket to bat on and obviously we'll know more after we have a go on it but it wasn't doing particularly much. And they dug in for a partnership when the going was good so that's part of what cricket's about."

The biggest stand of the day came when Tiwary put on 110 with Irfan Pathan for the seventh wicket. Tiwary was eventually the eighth man out, the first of two in two deliveries for Bresnan, who said that he had enjoyed bowling with the SG ball. "We've been using them a bit in Dubai the last couple of day," he said. "I like the balls here, they're nice to bowl with, swing a bit early on and reverse a bit later on, the spinners like them. It's a lot like a Dukes, but not a Dukes."


Read More..

South Africa's batting depth 'daunting'

Four years ago, JP Duminy stepped into Test cricket as if he was a veteran. On debut in Perth, his composed 50 not out helped South Africa complete the second-highest chase in Test history. In the second Test in Melbourne, he calmly compiled 166. It seemed he was destined to move up the order from No.6. Now South Africa are back in Australia for the first time since that trip and their batting is so deep that Duminy could be coming in all the way down at No.7.

It's a daunting prospect for Australia's bowlers. At the top is Graeme Smith, who was an inspirational leader last time South Africa visited Australia, and his opening partner Alviro Petersen, who has made himself a fixture in the side with three hundreds in seven Tests this year. Then there's Hashim Amla, who last year in South Africa the Australians found about as immovable as Table Mountain.

Then there's the small matter of Jacques Kallis at No.4. It is true that over his 18-year career Kallis has not saved his best for Australia, but anyone with 12,641 runs at 56.94 is not to be trifled with. Only once the first three wickets have fallen will the Australians see AB de Villiers, who until earlier this year was the highest-ranked Test batsman in the world. And after all that, Australia's bowlers must still deal with Jacques Rudolph and Duminy.

What makes South Africa's batting line-up even deeper than in recent series is the fact that Mark Boucher's forced retirement through a serious eye injury has allowed de Villiers to take over the wicketkeeping duties. Although he has been battling a back injury, de Villiers is likely to retain the gloves against Australia, ahead of the backup wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile.

But for all the runs South Africa's batsmen have piled up in Test cricket, the Australians know they are not infallible. James Pattinson, who is likely to be part of the attack for the first Test at the Gabba, watched with interest at the Wanderers last year when the teenager Pat Cummins delivered a sustained, hostile spell to the veteran Kallis, full of accurate bouncers, few runs, and culminating in an edge to slip.

"Any batsman is vulnerable if you bowl well," Pattinson said. "The Gabba and the WACA is going to give some good assistance for that bouncer and it's all about getting your plans against the right batsmen. We've definitely touched on that in the last couple of weeks… about how to set different batsmen up.

"Amla has been in great form, Graeme Smith has been in great form and you look at them and they're probably their key at the top of the order, as well as Kallis. It's a pretty long batting line-up and a pretty daunting task as a bowler but something that I'm looking forward to. These challenges don't come around very often. Hopefully we can knock them over and get the wood on them.

"They build their innings around Smith. He's been a fantastic player for a number of years and their captain as well. I think if you can get on top of the captain early on, especially early on in this series, it brings the other players down. If we can try and get on top of that opening partnership, get early wickets, that's the key for us, to get a look at Amla and Kallis pretty early with the new rock."

The ability of Australia's bowlers to make inroads into South Africa's batting line-up will be all the more important if Australia's batsmen wobble. The Gabba and the WACA will suit Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander, arguably the best pace-bowling trio in world cricket. Pattinson, 22, was awestruck when he first saw Steyn bowl live, curling the ball whichever way he wanted, at express speed. It's a skill Pattinson has when at his best but he knows that for now, Steyn remains a cut above.

"I remember the first time I went to South Africa and I watched Dale Steyn bowl and it was unbelievable watching him bowl live," Pattinson said. "He's a fantastic athlete and it's fantastic the way he goes about it, his aggression and he swings the ball at good pace. He's someone that I would like to bowl like one day and have his record.

"It's going to be pretty hard to do because he's such a good bowler. Our batsmen are going to have to be on their best games to try and combat him and Morkel and Philander, who's almost the missing man in this, nobody is talking about him but his record over the last year has been fantastic. There'll be a bit more pressure on the bowlers to bowl well and look after our batsmen as well."


Read More..

Steyn signs on for Brisbane Heat

Dale Steyn will play a one-off match for the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League after South Africa's Test tour of Australia finishes in early December. Steyn has signed on to play the Heat's first match of the tournament, against the Hobart Hurricanes at the Gabba, to cover for the Heat's other international fast-bowling recruit, Kemar Roach, who will join the squad after the first game.

South Africa's last Test finishes at the WACA on December 5, which will make it easy for Steyn to stay on for a few days for the game. The Heat coach Darren Lehmann, who coached Steyn with the Deccan Chargers during the IPL last season, said he was thrilled Steyn had agreed to fill the one-match vacancy.

"I was pleasantly surprised when he said he was [interested]," Lehmann said. "In fact I was over the moon. It's one game, and it is a massive bonus to have him available, but it is the first game and that gives us a great opportunity to hit the ground running from the outset."

"We struggled to get momentum early last season and that's an area we've had a good look at. But throwing someone like Dale into the mix on the Gabba for our first game is a handy way to help address that. This has all happened pretty quickly for us but it's certainly something for us and the fans to get excited about ahead of the opening game."

Steyn said: "Even though it's only for one match, I'm looking forward to experiencing the Australian domestic T20 setup and the passionate cricket fans that I've heard lots about. The Heat squad has some talented cricketers on board, who I have no doubt can make a telling impact this coming season."

The addition of Steyn comes after the Heat also signed Mitchell Johnson to their squad this week. The Heat have now signed 16 players and must add two more to their roster by the end of the contracting period on November 30.


Read More..

Amended playing conditions to take effect

The changes to the playing conditions for different formats of cricket, which include amendments to Powerplays, DRS, no-balls and bouncers among others, will take effect from October 30, when Sri Lanka play New Zealand in a Twenty20 international in Pallekele.

These recommendations were made by the ICC's Cricket Committee in June, and they were endorsed by its Chief Executives Committee later that month.

General changes

DRS (Test and ODIs)
An amendment has been made to the LBW protocols. The margin of uncertainty applicable to the point of impact with the pad has been increased so that it is the same as provided for determining the projected point of impact with the stumps. For example, if the centre of the ball is shown to be impacting in line within an area demarcated by a line drawn down the middle of the outer stumps (and the bottom of the bails), then the decision will always be out.

If the whole of the ball is shown to be impacting outside the line of the stumps, then the decision will always be not out. If there is anything in between, the original on-field decision will stand.

No-balls (All formats)
After every dismissal that is not permitted off a no-ball, and subject to the availability of technology, the third umpire will check for a foot fault and advise the on-field umpire accordingly over a two-way radio.

Dead ball (All formats)
The playing conditions have been altered to include the use of the Spydercam, a camera that moves over the field on suspended cables, by broadcasters. If the ball, while in play, is hit by the batsman onto the camera or its cables, it will be called a dead ball.

Over-rates (All formats)
The allowances given to the fielding team because of time wasting by the batting team will be deducted from the allowances granted to the batting team in the determination of its over-rate.

Changes for Test matches

Day-night Tests
Participating countries can decide whether to play a day-night Test. The two boards will decide on the hours of play - six hours per day - and on the specifics of the ball that will be used.

Intervals
Although the duration of the lunch and tea intervals remain unchanged - 40 and 20 minutes respectively - the host team, with the consent of the other side, can apply to the ICC for an approval for intervals of 30 minutes each.

Changes for ODIs

Powerplays and fielding restrictions
There will be only two blocks of Powerplay overs, instead of three. For uninterrupted innings, the first block will be during the first ten overs and only two fielders will be allowed outside the 30-yard circle. The second block, comprising five overs, will be taken by the batting side and must be completed by the 40th over. Only three fielders will be allowed outside the circle during the second Powerplay.

During non-Powerplay overs, a maximum of four fielders can be placed outside the circle, a reduction from the earlier five.

Short-pitched deliveries
Law 42.6 (a) has been amended to allow the bowler a maximum of two short-pitched deliveries per over in an ODI.

Changes for Twenty20 internationals

One-over per side eliminator
In both innings of the eliminator, the fielding side will choose which end to bowl from. Only nominated players in the main match may participate in the eliminator. Should any player be unable to continue to participate in the eliminator due to injury, illness or other wholly acceptable reasons, the relevant laws and playing conditions as they apply in the main match shall also apply in the eliminator. Any penance time being served in the main match shall be carried forward to the eliminator.

The fielding captain or his nominee shall select the ball with which he wishes to bowl his over in the eliminator from the box of spare balls provided by the umpires. The box will contain the balls used in the main match, but no new balls. The team fielding first in the eliminator shall have first choice of ball. The team fielding second may choose to use the same ball as chosen by the team bowling first. If the ball needs to be changed, then playing conditions as stated for the main match shall apply.


Read More..

IPL teams face October 31 player deadline

The IPL franchises have been given an opportunity to reduce their player costs, should they wish to do so, because of a tweak to regulations made by the league's governing council earlier this month. The franchises have been asked to submit a list of players they want to retain for the next season, to be played in April-May 2013, by October 31 while the rest will go into the next auction.

What this effectively means is that a franchise can release a player who was bought at a high price, make sure he is included in the auction pool, and then try and buy him at a lower price.

"It is possible for a team or teams to rectify a player's price. For instance, Saurabh Tiwary was bought by the [Royal Challengers] Bangalore at $1.6 million, way higher than the estimated price for the batsman," an IPL official told ESPNcricinfo. "If they wish, they can cut ties with him and again buy him at the auction at a cheaper rate."

Such an approach, however, is fraught with risk. "No team would like to disturb its core group for reducing the player's fees, so I doubt if any team would actually take the risk of putting a key player into the auction pool," another IPL team executive said. "If Irfan Pathan, bought at $1.9 million by Delhi Daredevils, goes into the auction pool for a correction and if two and three teams are looking for an allrounder at the auction, then there is every likelihood that the player will be sold for almost the same amount and Delhi may lose him eventually."

With less than two days to go for the deadline to submit the player list to the IPL authorities, the teams seemed to prefer to keep most of their leading players. Officials of three franchises confirmed they "won't fiddle around with most of our overseas players". And those officials also confirmed they "will release a few of the domestic players".

"After all, we cannot ignore the trading window that will precede the auction," an official said. "If we need to have a re-look at the core group of our squad, we can do so even during the trading window. But some of the lesser exposed and lesser skilled domestic players will turn out to be free agents in two days."

Another factor the franchises are dealing with ahead of the October 31 deadline is finalising whether their veteran players can last another season. Sourav Ganguly's decision not to feature in the next IPL is a result of the same. However, two other veterans, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, are set to play at least one more IPL season. Neither Rajasthan Royals nor Mumbai Indians intend to part ways with them.


Read More..

A chance for Milne and Latham to grow

In his second over in international cricket, Adam Milne clocked 151 kilometres an hour. At eighteen, he had perhaps brewed more hype at home than even Daniel Vettori had enjoyed when he first arrived in international cricket as a teenager. Slim and long, almost pencil-like, with a willowy run-up and a wind up and release that was nearly liquid, it was not difficult to see what all the excitement was about. As countless fast bowling coaches have said, you can teach swing and seam, but you can't teach pace.

Tom Latham debuted just over a year later, and he too had already been earmarked, at 19. He didn't have a mountain of domestic runs behind him, as Kane Williamson did at a similar age, but he did have a startling range of strokes and the power to make them count. In his second ODI, he proved he was as adept at the shuffle-and-paddle past fine leg off the medium pace bowlers, as he was at the bludgeoned slog sweep off the spinners.

Now both men are 20, and are being invested in. Captain Ross Taylor has hinted Milne will be unleashed at Pallekele in the Twenty20 on Tuesday. He only bowled one over in the World Twenty20, but with the stakes much lower in a bilateral series, New Zealand can afford to blood their tearaway, particularly on a track as fast and bouncy as can be found on the subcontinent. Martin Guptill, meanwhile, sits out the limited overs leg so that Latham can assume his favoured role of facing the new ball - a luxury he has not had so far in his international career.

"We're trying to give everyone a go in the next three matches, but that depends on a couple of things," Taylor said on the eve of the tour opener. "Tom Latham will be given the job of opening the innings. Being a left hander, he gives us that flexibility and change up the top."

Despite an encouraging first series against Zimbabwe, Latham's talent has only been visible in brief glimpses since. Against West Indies in July, he was uncharacteristically circumspect, striking at less than 50 and scoring poorly as a result. Perhaps beginning his innings against good quality spin hindered him. Openers, it is said, are a breed apart, and at his age, the lower middle order must have seemed alien. He has not yet acquired the versatility to suddenly become a finisher. Latham will not have the same excuse in Sri Lanka, though. With the hosts also blooding a new fast bowler in Shaminda Eranga, who will likely take the new ball in the first Twenty20, Latham can compete on more even terms.

"He has had a lot of success at the top of the innings as well, through age group cricket," Taylor said. "A lot of new players come in to the middle order where it can be a little tough to manipulate the field. If Tom opens, the field will be in and the ball will be hard and it gives him the opportunity to hit through the line and hit over the top."

Milne's returns have also been disappointing, despite his promise. His cheapest spell from four Twenty20s is no wicket for 46 from four overs. Too often he bowls too short, and at his pace, even the mishits barrel to the fence or sail over it. There are good balls amid the tripe, but even at 150 kph, Milne's present inconsistency is unacceptable at international level.

He couldn't ask for a better mentor than New Zealand's last true fast bowler. If it was not obvious that Shane Bond's pace was allied with considerable fast-bowling acumen during his career, he has surely made his brilliance clear during insightful stints in the commentary box. Bond knew that pace and intimidation alone would not bother top-level batsmen, and developed one of the best inswingers in the game. Milne has been introduced to international cricket much earlier than Bond was, but if he doesn't mature as quickly as he has risen through the system, he risks squandering his potential.

There is some elusive ingredient missing currently missing from New Zealand's set up. The talent is there, and now with Bond on board, they also seem to have a capable team of coaches. But there has not been a spark to set off that concoction, no catalyst to spur them out of mediocrity. For all their promise, Latham and Milne have played like boys so far. If they devote themselves to learning their craft and take the chances being afforded them, perhaps they can grow into the men that bring New Zealand out of the darkness.


Read More..

Cummins left out of Sheffield Shield match

Pat Cummins has been left out of the New South Wales side for their Sheffield Shield match against Queensland, to start at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane on Friday. However, there is a chance that Cummins, 19, could be included as a substitute player for the last day of the match on Monday, with several of the New South Wales players due to join Australia's Test squad.

If the Blues were bowling on the final day of the match, that would allow Cummins to ease his way back into red-ball cricket after spending the past two months playing Twenty20 cricket with Australia and the Sydney Sixers. Cummins, who has not played a first-class match for nearly a year, is expected to be considered for the third Test against South Africa in Perth, but only if his body and form holds up through Shield cricket in the meantime.

New South Wales have named a squad featuring four members of Australia's Test squad - Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, David Warner and Mitchell Starc - and only two players who have not played for or toured with the Australians. Brad Haddin will keep the wicketkeeping gloves ahead of Peter Nevill, who has been named as a specialist batsman.

The Blues will be without Moises Henriques and Steven Smith, who will instead be part of the Australia A team to play South Africa in Sydney.

New South Wales squad David Warner, Shane Watson, Scott Henry, Nic Maddinson, Michael Clarke (capt), Peter Nevill, Brad Haddin (wk), Steve O'Keefe, Mitchell Starc, Trent Copeland, Josh Hazlewood, Doug Bollinger.


Read More..

Rowe anguish fires World Cup push

England Women endured the anguish of a defeat in the final of the Women's World T20 to Australia but for Susie Rowe, her frustration was multiplied by having to watch the tournament from her home in Kent.

Rowe, a lower-order batsman, had been a feature of the England T20 side that won 29 out of 32 completed matches since her debut against Sri Lanka in November 2010. She made 20 appearances before breaking a thumb in the second of a five-match T20 series against West Indies, which England won 4-1. The injury at Old Trafford ruled her out of the Women's World T20.

"I've never felt anything quite like it really," she told BBC Radio Kent. "The moment I had that X-ray and put into terms what that actually meant, missing the World T20, there's no way I can describe that feeling."

England fared well in Rowe's absence, comfortably winning four matches en route to the final. But they failed to regain the title they won in 2009, losing to Australia by four runs.

"It was very painful to not be there," Rowe said, having been forced to become an armchair supporter. "Seeing them on TV when I wasn't there was a bit strange to get my head around. I think my niece heard a few swear words. I was getting quite into it."

Rowe will now turn her attentions to the longer format of the game, targeting a place in the squad for the Women's World Cup in India in February next year. She has something to prove having only made one ODI appearance. "My forte is more Twenty20," she conceded. "The 50-over format has no guarantees for me. I'll be looking to get into that final 15 for the World Cup. I need to work hard and put in good performances in training."

England will travel to India as defending champions, having won the 2009 World Cup with a four-wicket win over Australia. Rowe is keen to quickly regain her fitness and begin pressing a claim for more caps in the 50-over side. "To be honest, they know generally who they want to take," Rowe said. "I'm going to do everything that I can to try and put my case forward."

She began by entering the Great South Run. "I'm literally twiddling my thumbs at the moment for rehab. I hope to be training properly in a couple of weeks once I get my thumb fully strong and mobile. I've started batting already but I feel like a village cricketer at the moment."


Read More..

Title win was no fluke - Haddin

Brad Haddin, the victorious Sydney Sixers captain, has said his side's comprehensive ten-wicket-win in the Champions League final was no fluke, and that they had been preparing for the big game for over two weeks. The Sixers restricted the home side Lions to a below-par 121 on a Wanderers pitch expected to favour the batsmen, and needed just 12.3 overs to chase the target.

The Sixers, winners of the Big Bash League in Australia, were the only team to remain unbeaten throughout the tournament. They began with a 14-run win in a high-scorer against Chennai Super Kings and won their next three matches convincingly until they were stretched to the final ball in the semi-final against the Titans.

"We've been building for this the last two weeks. If you look at the start of the tournament we were very nervous," Haddin said. "We had a lot of nervous energy in the first game and the semi-final, but leading into today's game we were quite relaxed. I'm just glad it came on the big stage. We've worked hard and the performance tonight wasn't a fluke."

The Sixers had one of the strongest seam-bowling attacks in the competition, comprising Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. However, Haddin chose to open with his spinners, Nathan McCullum and Steve O'Keefe, and the change in strategy worked in the Sixers' favour as the Lions top order suffered a meltdown. The hosts were reeling at 9 for 4 and despite a fighting innings by Jean Symes, the Lions couldn't post a challenging total.

Haddin said giving the second over to the left-arm spinner O'Keefe was a spontaneous decision.

"I made the decision to give O'Keefe the second over after the fourth ball of the first, but I was always going to open with McCullum," Haddin said. "They would have been looking at our fast bowlers leading to this game and I don't think their two openers would have been thinking too much about our spinners. Tonight it paid off. I think the Lions were quite surprised we did that. They (spinners) allowed our quicks, the best bowlers, to bowl the last ten overs.

Haddin said the win was a result of contributions from several players. "I said to our guys at the start of the game that there's going to be some big moments and if we did the simple things right then they will crack before us, and they did. We did very well in the BBL with our fielding, it won us a lot of games or put us in good positions," Haddin said.

"We built a lot of pressure, we were able to get wickets early, which in Twenty20 is a big bonus. In the first over, Nathan was hit for a six but came back and took a wicket."


Read More..

'Our worst game' - Petersen

There is a lot to be said for an honest assessment of a bad performance, and Lions' captain Alviro Petersen managed to say it all. With a straight face, he summed up their showing in the final as nothing short of what it was: abjectly poor.

"We just played some terrible cricket. We kept our worst game for last," Petersen said, without flinching as he handed down a damning judgment. "We're going to have to forget this final quickly and move on because there is nothing we can take out of it. I spoke about us running at 75% in the group stage and in the semi-final we got up to 85%. Today, we were at about 50%."

After two weeks of surprising everyone, including three of the four IPL teams and themselves, the Lions just couldn't manage it one more time. Their batting, which threatened to fall apart, did and the bowlers could do nothing but the necessary to hand Sydney a comprehensive win.

On the face of it, it would seem the big stage was a platform too big for the Lions. At 9 for 4, something more than just a better team had taken hold of them but Petersen could not pinpoint what. "I don't know if it was the occasion," he said. But Brad Haddin said the Lions were "surprised," by Sydney's tactics of using two spinners to open and had probably been focusing so much on the quicks that they forgot about the rest of the attack.

What that did was allow Sydney to keep their best bowlers for the latter parts of the innings, where the Lions have been strong in this competition. This time, too, they showed glimpses of that when Jean Symes led the fightback. "At one stage, it looked like we could get to 140 and then we could have competed," Petersen said, admitting that the eventual 121 was not enough.

Despite Sydney's success with spin, Petersen did not think the Lions could have tried the same thing, because of the change in conditions after dark. "When the sun was out, the ball just gripped a bit for the spinners but then in the evening it just skidded on," he said. "We knew that we had to do something [with the ball early on] and it would be our seamers who had to it. They bowled nicely in the first few overs but then…"

But then there were two catches dropped in the field and Sydney were given a free pass. Petersen was particularly irritated with those lapses. "Up until today, I think we had only dropped one catch in the tournament when we put Kevin Pietersen down and then we doubled our count with that today," he said.

He was annoyed that the Lions had undone the hard work of a good run to the final but not angry with his men for their failures. "I can't be [angry] because at the start of this tournament if someone said we would play in the final, I would have told them we are smelling their socks," he said. "We're obviously disappointed to go out like this."

Despite the heartache of losing, Petersen was able to identify many positives for the Lions. "We played good cricket up until today. Different guys stood up at different times," he said. "Now we've got to try and build for the future. Guys like Dwaine Pretorius and Quinton de Kock got that experience and even though we had two experienced bowlers, the rest learnt a lot from them. I'm really pleased with the way someone like Chris Morris came on."

He also thought some of the Lions' lesser-knowns took their opportunity to make names for themselves which will stand them in good stead for coming seasons. "Jean Symes and Aaron Phangiso have been good performers and in a big tournament like this, if players do well, they tend to stand out."

With those thoughts, rather than the defeat on their minds, Petersen hopes the Lions can make the turnaround quickly. They play their first match of the domestic one-day competition next Friday and Petersen and Thami Tsolekile leave the camp to join the national squad in Australia.

Petersen said he would have liked to have spent more time with them following such a shocking loss, but won't be able to. "It's difficult to leave now because there are a lot of young players who will be hurt but national duty always comes first. The guys will have to find a way of picking themselves up for the one-day cup," he said, leaving them with words of encouragement.

"The expectation on us for the other events will be higher now because we know what we are capable of. There are big things for us waiting around the corner."


Read More..

Wade in Test squad, Haddin misses out

Matthew Wade has been confirmed as Australia's first-choice Test wicketkeeper but Brad Haddin remains a "player of significant interest", according to the national selector John Inverarity. Wade was named in a 12-man squad to take on South Africa in the first Test, starting at the Gabba on November 9, and there were no surprises in the group, with Mitchell Starc included and Pat Cummins, who has not played first-class cricket for nearly a year, left out.

The selectors chose four fast men - Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Pattinson and Starc - along with the offspinner Nathan Lyon, and the main question in the lead-up to the Test will surround the final make-up of the attack. There were no changes to the top six with the opener Ed Cowan given a chance to make the position his own, after beginning his Test career with encouraging but not outstanding performances against India and West Indies over the past year.

The major decision for Inverarity and his panel was whether to give the gloves to Wade, 24, who was wicketkeeper for the tour of the West Indies in April, or return to the veteran Haddin, 35. Inverarity said both men had made compelling cases for inclusion and while Wade had won his place for the Gabba Test, Haddin, who still holds a Cricket Australia contract, remained in the frame for future international selection.

"Matthew came into the Australian ODI team in February and has since acquitted himself especially well," Inverarity said. "Matthew and Brad both went to the West Indies; Matthew as our preferred ODI and T20 player and Brad as our incumbent and preferred Test match keeper. As is widely known Brad returned to Australia early in the tour due to family circumstances and as a consequence Matthew was our Test keeper for the three Test matches.

"He kept and batted very well and made a match-defining brilliant century in the second innings of the third and final Test against West Indies. Since then he has played and gained valuable experience in England, the UAE and Sri Lanka. As a young player, getting better by the month, he is thoroughly deserving of his retention. While Matthew has been retained as the Test keeper, Brad remains a player of significant interest."

The selectors decided against including Cummins, 19, who is likely to be available for the third Test in Perth after playing Sheffield Shield matches for New South Wales over the next few weeks. Injuries and short-form commitments have meant Cummins has not played a first-class match since his Test debut in Johannesburg last November, and with Siddle and Pattinson fit again after missing Australia's most recent Tests in the Caribbean, the selectors decided there was no reason to rush Cummins.

"The last Test match that Australia played, the third Test in the West Indies last April, included Ryan Harris," Inverarity said. "Ryan is continuing his rehabilitation from injury and is unavailable. Peter Siddle and James Pattinson have recovered especially well from the injuries that rendered them unavailable for that last Test in West Indies. In fact, they have been enjoying an ideal preparation for the first Test in Brisbane having played in three Sheffield Shield games with another one to come later this week."

The squad will assemble in Brisbane on Monday and will have three days of training ahead of the first Test. The second Test begins in Adelaide on November 22 and the third Test starts in Perth on November 30.


Read More..

Swann cautious ahead of India return

Graeme Swann will travel to India on the verge of becoming England's most successful offspinner in Test cricket but he has cautioned against expectations that his bowling will be the decisive factor in the tourists' attempts to win the series.

Since taking two wickets in his first over of Test cricket in Chennai four years ago, Swann has added a further 190 to the tally to leave him within one wicket of Jim Laker's mark of 193. Although Swann has taken 39 wickets in 2012, his ten victims during the English summer came at an average of 59 and he was dropped for the first time in more than three years when England opted, unsuccessfully, to play four fast bowlers against South Africa at Headingley.

A chronic elbow injury, which has required periods of rest to ameliorate the pain of floating bone fragments near to the nerve, has also dogged Swann. He acknowledges that the expectations of Indian pitches will add to his burden, as England seek to improve on a record that has seen them win just one Test match in the country since 1985, but can take confidence from an impressive record in Asia, which includes taking his second ten-wicket haul in Tests against Sri Lanka earlier this year.

"As a spinner it stands to reason that when you go to the subcontinent people are going to look to you and how you bowl," Swann told the Independent before heading off for England's training camp in Dubai. "But if we do turn up just expecting the spinner to win the series for us then we're screwed.

"The key to Test cricket is that the more you play the more confident you get and the more confident you get ergo you bowl more consistently. Having looked at the schedule I know two of the pitches might turn, in Kolkata and Mumbai. I am not sure about the other two. I have been reliably informed that Nagpur is the flattest wicket ever devised by groundsmen but that was by Cooky, who got a hundred there on his debut."

Alastair Cook, now elevated to the position of England captain, shares with Swann the experience of an impressive debut in India. But Swann was also swift to recall the result of the first Test in 2008, when Sachin Tendulkar's unbeaten hundred helped India to reach a fourth-innings target of 387 with six wickets in hand.

"It all started for me there and I can't quite believe it has come round again so quickly," Swann said. "It all seems like a dream when I think about the start of it. I remember the smells that were wafting over the ground when I took the ball. It's all very romantic when I think back.

"The rose-tinted glasses are removed of course because of the fact that we had 360-odd chased down at a canter by Mr Tendulkar. But it's got fond memories for me personally because I did well. To realise that you can compete at a level that you have always had a sneaking suspicion that you weren't good enough for is one of the greatest weights ever to be lifted off your shoulders. I will be indebted to those first two Test matches for making me realise it was just another game of cricket."

Swann will return to India have long since usurped Monty Panesar as England's No. 1 spinner and, despite the protestations to the contrary, his form with the ball will almost certainly be as important to the team as the return of Kevin Pietersen to the fold. The summer rupture between members of the England squad and Pietersen was compounded by a painful series defeat to South Africa, and the loss of the No. 1 ranking, but Cook in his new role has been instrumental in seeking a fresh start.

It was during Pietersen's brief spell as England captain that Swann came into the side and he was among the players Pietersen met with during his "reintegration" process. Swann expressed relief that the situation had been resolved and, after becoming a father for the second time only a week ago, he was perhaps understandably looking forward to focusing on more important issues.

"More than anything it is a good thing it is done and dusted," said Swann. "A line has been drawn under it and the actual cricket can go back to doing the talking rather than off-field antics. I am sure it can get back to how it was. I think a lot depended on Kevin. He seems in a place now where he is happy to play again, he has committed himself to the team and that's good moving forward.

"I think that everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet now. I think there has been a bit of honesty and a bit of contriteness from certain parties. I think everybody is fed up with it and that's why we just want to play cricket."

After almost a month off post-World Twenty20, England will begin playing cricket again on Tuesday, with a three-day game against India A. That will be followed by two more warm-up matches, before the first of four Tests begins in Ahmedabad on November 15.


Read More..

Turning tracks for England Tests not unfair - Kohli

In wake of the criticism leveled at India over the absence of spinners in the A-team squad that will play England in a warm-up game, batsman Virat Kohli has said there would be nothing unfair with making England play on spinner-friendly pitches in the Tests. On India's tour to England and Australia last year, he said, the conditions during the warm-up games and those in the Test matches were vastly different, which was not 'fair' to India.

"Why not [turning pitches]? We were given flattest of tracks during practice matches in England and Australia and then suddenly presented with a green-top during the Tests," Kohli told PTI. "During practice matches, we would face those 120kmph bowlers … If they [England and Australia] wanted to be fair to us, they could have provided us with same kind of tracks for practice matches, like what were used in Tests.

"Especially, when they knew that visiting teams get very less time to practice. Now they would be playing on turning tracks and definitely would know where they stand."

The tour of India marks the return of Kevin Pietersen to the England side, after a 10-week stand-off with the team. Kohli said he will be under a lot of pressure to perform, especially taking into account England's traditional struggles against spin.

"There will be huge pressure on KP as he has been playing in India for quite some time and considered to be a good batsman against spin.

"You may say that the senior England cricketers have an understanding of these conditions but let me tell you, it's not that easy. You might feel they would like to hit spinners but end up doing exactly opposite."

He pointed to England's tour of the UAE, where they were whitewashed 3-0 by Pakistan in the Tests, as an example of England's continuing issues with spin. "That particular series, there wasn't much turn on offer but England couldn't negotiate one quality spinner [Saeed Ajmal]; they lost the battle in their heads."

Kohli also defended his team-mates, saying the talk about them being poor against short-pitched bowling did not make sense. "I have never really understood this theory. Are people like Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman, Sehwag poor players of short-pitched bowling? Show me how many Indian players were out to short-pitched deliveries in Australia?

"No batsman in world cricket is comfortable against a good bouncer. If you get a good bouncer, give credit to the bowler rather than finding chinks in batsman's armoury."

Similarly, he backed MS Dhoni and Duncan Fletcher, saying any criticism directed at them for India's recent poor overseas form was unfounded. "Under him [Dhoni], we have won the World Cup, been No. 1 in Tests ... He has also encouraged the juniors."

"Duncan is also a thorough professional. He would quietly stand in one corner and observe. If he needs to say something, he would come up and give a suggestion. He believes international cricketers know their jobs. If we have lost eight Test matches, blame us and not the coach."


Read More..

Smith ready for 'unique challenges' in Australia

South Africa's preparations for their three-Test tour of Australia have hit a speed bump. The team management asked for their three-day practice match in Sydney to be played at venue closer to the first Test in Brisbane, without success.

"We tried hard to move it from Sydney but we haven't had any luck," Graeme Smith, the South Africa Test captain, said prior to the team's departure. "But we'll have to get stuck in and make it count no matter where we play it. We are not going to be able to use that as an excuse."

With no Test matches between the two countries taking place over the festive season, South Africa will play at the Gabba for the first time since readmission. They have only ever played three Test matches at the venue, the last one being in 1963, and lost two of them.

Despite the hiccup in preparation, Gary Kirsten believes the squad will be ready to take on Australia. "We went to England in the same way. We wanted to prepare really well. We didn't want to say too much, we wanted to make our performances count because in a three-match series, one session can make a big difference," Kirsten said.

As was the case with South Africa in England earlier in the year, they may be accused of being undercooked in Australia. Of the touring party, six have not played any competitive cricket since the squad returned from England. Smith, Dale Steyn, Hashim Amla, Robin Peterson and JP Duminy were given time off, while AB de Villiers has been recovering from a chronic back injury. Morne Morkel, Thami Tsolekile, Alviro Petersen, Jacques Kallis, Faf du Plessis and Jacques Rudolph all took part in the Champions League T20, while Vernon Philander, Rory Kleinveldt and Imran Tahir have played some first-class cricket.

But Kirsten has maintained that action on the field is not as important as the mental aspect of getting ready. Smith believes the team has done as much as they can in that regard. "We know we are going to face some unique challenges in Australia and we will be ready for them," he said.

One of those will be going up against the man who put the foundations in place for their ultimate rise to No.1: Mickey Arthur. Under him, South Africa won in both England and Australia in 2008 and 2009, and his knowledge of the South Africa team may give Australia the advantage. Smith does not see it as too much of a hurdle.

"As a South African, It's not something new that we have had to face [one of our own in another team]. I suppose, if we can put Australia under pressure, we know how Mickey is going to be reacting in the change room. But if I lose sleep over what Mickey is telling Australia that will affect the team," he said.

The other challenge is the battle of the pace attacks. As was the case ahead of the tour to England, this series is being dubbed the battle of the quicks and South Africa have chosen to go in with only their top three and one backup in Kleinvedlt. Some of Australia's options have been on display in the Champions League with Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazelwood and Pat Cumming providing a taster for the big meal.

The difference between the two packs could be lack of certainty about who will line-up in Australia's, according to Smith. "We know Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle are their two main guys and they may rotate the youngsters. So it's also a little bit of an unknown, in terms of who they are going to play," Smith said. "It's all guys that we have come across before, though. We have got a really good pace attack as well and hopefully they can attack. Brisbane and Perth could be quite fiery from the sounds of things. We know our attack has the opportunity to exploit things."

While there was suggestion in Australian media that Smith said the South African bowlers will target Ricky Ponting, Smith has denied making any such comments. "I don't look to put his head on a mantelpiece. He has done well and he deserves all the respect in the world. Our job is to go there and make sure that he doesn't perform," Smith said. "With our bowling attack, we need to be able to put all the Australia batsmen under pressure. We do have a proven bowling attack that has travelled the world and done well, so we are not going headhunting."

Instead, South Africa will focus on stopping an Australian side that Smith said will be bullish. "They are on a momentum shift and an upward curve, and they would believe they are going to beat us there, but it's well known that we've got some really quality players as well."


Read More..

Home favourites v tournament favourites

Match facts

October 28, 2012
Start time 1730 local (1530 GMT)

Big Picture

The Champions League T20 may be the ugly step-sister of the cricketing world, with most fans giving it the cold shoulder, but for many of the players involved the final will be the biggest payday of their lives. With the champions getting a cool $2.5m, the money on offer will bump players, especially those who aren't part of national teams or aren't globetrotting T20 specialists, up a tax bracket or two. Adding to the occasion will be the sell-out crowd at one of cricket's iconic venues, the Wanderers Stadium, which will make it among the biggest audiences some of the domestic players will play in front of.

And contesting the final are the two most consistent sides of the tournament. Lions weren't topping anybody's list of favourites when the tournament began, but they have exceeded expectations through a combination of teamwork and temperament, keeping their head when things start to get tight. They have plenty going for them. The Wanderers is their home ground, and no one knows the conditions there better than Lions. The diversity in their batting - Twenty20 batting doesn't get too much more of a contrast than the leg-side biffing of Ghulam Bodi and the surgical precision of Neil McKenzie - has been married to consistency through the tournament. And the bowling has four match-winners: their two imports Dirk Nannes and Sohail Tanvir, their best bowler in the domestic tournament, Chris Morris, and one of the bowlers of the CLT20, Aaron Phangiso.

Their one reverse in this tournament came against their opponents in the final, Sydney Sixers. When the Big Bash League was launched a year ago, Sydney Sixers were the butt of jokes for their flamboyantly pink outfits, a colour which they started to refer to as 'mangenta'. A year on, they have earned the respect of Twenty20 fans after winning the inaugural BBL, and are yet to drop a game in the CLT20.

They came into the tournament as one of the leading contenders and have so far lived up to the tag, despite losing the services of Dwayne Bravo and Brett Lee to IPL teams, and that of possibly the most valuable player currently in T20 cricket, Shane Watson, midway through the tournament. They could also be without their captain, Brad Haddin, for the final, as he picked up a thumb injury - though he was fit enough to bat on Friday.

Watch out for…

Steve O'Keefe has opened the innings only three times in T20s: the semi-finals and final of the BBL, and Friday's CLT20 semi-final against Titans. On all three occasions he has made a significant contribution, including a Man of the Match performance against Titans. In addition, his left-arm spin has been taken for less than a run-a-ball this tournament.

Fast bowler Chris Morris was the top wicket-taker in South Africa's domestic Twenty20 competition last season, and he came into the CLT20 on the back of a 12-wicket haul against Dolphins in a first-class game. He started off quietly in this tournament but hit the headlines with his spell against Delhi Daredevils in the semi-finals, helping his team defend a sub-par score by taking the key wicket of David Warner and then killing off the game with scalp of Kevin Pietersen.

Weather and conditions

Despite gloomy weather forecasts, the showers thankfully stayed away during both semi-finals. The organisers will hope that trend continues for the final as well, when light rain is predicted.

Stats and trivia

  • Mitchell Starc is the leading wicket-taker not just in the tournament but in all Twenty20s this year, with an astonishing 56 wickets in 26 matches
  • Six of the Lions players who were part of the semi-final have a batting average over 26 in T20s, while the highest among Sydney's players in the semi-final was Nic Maddinson's 25.76

Quotes

"I think the middle overs will be important. We've dominated that period in almost all our games and I think that will play a massive role once again."
Lions captain Alviro Petersen on where he thinks the game will swing

"Lions are very desperate to win. This is a chance for the domestic teams to showcase their skills at the international stage."
Sydney Sixers allrounder Steve Smith knows the importance of the occasion


Read More..

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)