Dermot Reeve replaced as Maharashtra coach

A stomach ailment has forced Dermot Reeve, the former England allrounder, to be replaced as Maharashtra's senior coach for the rest of the season. Reeve, who was unable to make it to New Delhi for Maharashtra's Ranji Trophy Group B tie against Delhi that ended on Tuesday, has been replaced by the former Maharashtra captain Surendra Bhave.

The team has slumped since Reeve took over from the Australian Shaun Williams ahead of the season. With two rounds to go in the league stage, Maharashtra are at the bottom of Group B. With eight points from six games, Maharashtra are in danger of being relegated to Group C. As a result, Reeve's tactics were being questioned not just by a section of the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA), but also those on the Ranji circuit. Suresh Raina, the Uttar Pradesh captain, criticised Reeve's defensive tactics during UP's tie in Pune.

However, MCA president Ajay Shirke put the sacking theory to rest. "Dermot is unwell for a while. Since it has been clear that he will not be able to be with the squad all the time, we had to make a decision since it puts a lot of pressure on the captain," Shirke told ESPNcricinfo. "As a result, we have appointed Surendra Bhave as the coach. He will take us through the rest of the season."

Bhave, the former Maharashtra opening batsman, served as a national selector for four years till last September. He had been appointed chairman of Maharashtra's senior selection panel ahead of the 2011-12 season, thereby acquainting him with the players.

"It is unfortunate to lose Dermot's services but we are determined to make the most of the remaining two games. We will do everything we can to avoid relegation," Bhave said after a long practice session at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium on Friday, on the eve of Maharashtra's match against an in-form Baroda.

India seek to build on T20 boost

Match facts

December 22, 2012
Start time 1900 (1330 GMT)

Big Picture

One-off or two-match Twenty20 series are usually lacking in context, and that's even more the case on this England tour which is taking place a couple of months after the premier, global T20 tournament has ended. But, for a side beaten in a home Test series for the first time in eight years, the positives have been few, and the limited-overs games offer an opportunity to push for more. There were encouraging signs for India in Pune; they fielded with intensity and Yuvraj Singh returned to his match-winning ways.

Described as a side in transition in Tests, India looked much more at home in the shorter format as opposed to England, under a stand-in captain and a new-look team. Alex Hales stood out for England with his display of clean striking at the top of the order - he's one of three Nottinghamshire players from the first T20, each of whom have been told by their county that they will not be allowed to the play in the IPL next season.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
India: WWWLW
England LLWLL

In the spotlight

Ajinkya Rahane has been made to wait for a Test debut but has been impressive in the shorter formats. He pulled off a couple of cleanly-struck straight sixes in the first game and looked good for more before he mistimed one to mid-on. Often talked up as a future member of the Indian Test top order, Rahane's opportunities in the international arena have been very limited, just four so far this year.

Samit Patel has had more chances but hasn't had the best of years. He lost his place in the Test XI this series, though chipped in with a quick 24 in the first T20 international in Pune. He's got another T20 game to finish 2012 on a brighter note.

Team news

Jonny Bairstow has left the squad and flown back to England for "family reasons". Jade Dernbach was expensive in his three-over spell in Pune and England could consider giving Glamorgan seamer James Harris a go in his place.

England (possible): 1 Michael Lumb, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Luke Wright, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Samit Patel, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Tim Bresnan, 8 James Tredwell, 9 Stuart Meaker, 10 Danny Briggs, 11 James Harris.

Should India wish to make a change, they have Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the Uttar Pradesh seamer, or Abhimanyu Mithun, on the bench.

India (possible): 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Ajinkya Rahane 3, Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt and wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Parvinder Awana/Abhimanyu Mithun, 10 Piyush Chawla, 11 Ashok Dinda.

Stats and trivia

India's win over England in Pune was their second-best against a non-'minnow' team in terms of balls to spare; they had won with 15 balls to spare against Pakistan in the World Twenty20.
Yuvraj Singh's effort was the 16th instance of a player scoring 30 or more and picking up three or more wickets in the same game. He's done it twice.

Quotes

"I felt each and every bowler, apart from Yuvraj, bowled at least one bad over in the game. But I'm overall very happy with the performance."
MS Dhoni on India's win

"We got off to a great start. Alex Hales played tremendously well along with Luke Wright but in that middle period we failed to kick on and score. That positivity wasn't there in our batting and we lacked about 15 or 20."
England captain Eoin Morgan

IPL player auction on February 3

The player auction ahead of the Indian Premier League's sixth season will be held on February 3, it was announced on Friday. The decision was conveyed to all nine franchise representatives during a workshop in Jodhpur. Later in the day, IPL chief executive Sundar Raman tweeted the news.

Though the venue for the auction is yet to be finalised, the representatives were told it would be held "in a metro". The auction, which is likely to see 37 players going under the hammer, was earlier expected to be held on January 12. However, the IPL authorities decided not to let it clash with India's one-day series against England (from January 11-27).

Meanwhile, besides briefing the representatives about the auction date and schedule, the workshop had the IPL organisers making various presentations related to player regulations, sponsors' obligations, etc. It was followed by one-on-ones with each of the nine team owners.

"It was a routine exercise, similar to what has happened during the earlier workshops," a franchise official said, preferring anonymity. "The workshop has kind of symbolised that the new season has indeed begun. It's time for everyone to start preparing."

South Africa hammer woeful New Zealand

South Africa 87 for 2 (du Plessis 38*) beat New Zealand 86 (Kleinveldt 3-18, Peterson 2-8) by eight wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

It is early days for New Zealand in South Africa, but in the opening Twenty20 at Kingsmead there was a gulf between the teams that does not bode well for the tour. New Zealand crumbled for 86, only just avoiding a new record low in the format, before the home side cantered to their target with more than seven overs to spare.

A callow batting order, with much resting on new captain Brendon McCullum, was always likely to struggle, especially after just one warm-up match to prepare but it was still a hugely disappointing effort. South Africa, though, under a new captain and coach, looked primed for the home season with their only sour note when debutant Chris Morris picked up a leg injury.

It was obvious that Ross Taylor's absence would leave a vast hole and Martin Guptill was also ruled out of this match with a stomach bug, but the top order did not give itself much of a chance on a slightly two-paced surface. The batsmen paid the price for too much aggression too early, perhaps in an eagerness to exploit the Powerplay. Doug Bracewell, at No. 9, made an unbeaten 21 to at least lift them over the 80 they made against Pakistan in 2010.

Rory Kleinveldt struck with his first ball with one that bounced a touch more against Rob Nicol to give Quinton de Kock, the debutant wicketkeeper, his first catch. De Kock, who turned 20 earlier this week, was one of seven new caps (three for South Africa, four for New Zealand) handed out between the teams for this match as the sides looked to start afresh after a poor World Twenty20.

Dale Steyn had Peter Fulton caught at mid-on before Kleinveldt claimed the key wicket of McCullum who top-edged a hook and was well caught by Steyn running backwards from short fine-leg. After the six-over Powerplay, New Zealand were already tottering at 27 for 3 and it didn't get better although James Franklin may have received a harsh decision with suggestions the ball brushed his arm when attempting to hook.

Morris, another of the debutants, claimed his first international scalp when Corey Anderson, also in his first match, clubbed to mid-off and later added Colin Munro who at least had shown some decent shot-selection before slogging across the line. However, Morris could not complete his allocation after suffering what appeared to be a muscle strain with two balls remaining. Last week he was ruled out of the domestic one-day final with a quad injury so questions will be asked about whether he was ready for this match.

Between Morris's two wickets spin also made a mark as Robin Peterson gained from the slightly tricky nature of the surface. However, it was nowhere near as tough as the scoreline suggested. With New Zealand left to try and bat out the overs - which they failed to do - Peterson was able to collect South Africa's most economical figures in Twenty20 (2 for 8).

South Africa's chase did not start smoothly when the under-pressure Richard Levi edged Mitchell McClenaghan, a left-arm seamer to add to the plethora of that style New Zealand can call on, to first slip but captain Faf du Plessis and Henry Davids, making his debut at the age of 32, were soon into their stride.

Davids was off the mark with a ungainly hack which he edged past leg stump but also sliced a six over deep point while du Plessis drove beautifully through the off side. De Kock, who has come into the international amid much hype, began in eye-catching style by lofting his third ball straight down the ground and showed a touch of class through the off side.

To compound New Zealand's problems some of their ground fielding would have shamed a club side. It really was a horrid evening for them. Twenty20 was meant to be a format where they might, just, have pushed South Africa but on this evidence that theory appears far-fetched.

Innings	Dot balls	4s	6s	Powerplay	16-20	NB/Wides

New Zealand	72	13	0	27/3	7/2 (18.2)	0/2
South Africa	38	14	1	46/2	nil	0/1

BPL yet to finalise contract with franchises

The Bangladesh Premier League continues to face issues, with the players' auction on Thursday happening with only a verbal agreement in place for the tournament, rather than any proper paperwork; there is still no official agreement signed between the BPL, Game On Sports (the event management firm) and the franchises. Apart from this, the players' salaries issue hung dimly above the auction floor as the seven franchises acquired the overseas and local cricketers of their choice.

On the eve of the auction, BPL chairman Afzalur Rahman Sinha said: "We haven't had enough time to sign an official agreement with the franchisees as yet. We're going into the auction based on a verbal agreement with the franchisees."

The agreement, which, when finalised, will be for a period of six years, will contain details on the working of the tournament, TV rights and key financial issues, among other things.

"I am hopeful that we'll have the deals struck by the end of this month and I am confident that the problems that occurred last year will not be repeated," Sinha said. "As of now, we have to keep the ball rolling."

BPL secretary Ismail Haider Mallick told reporters on Thursday that they have set the franchises a deadline: "We have completed the Memorandum of Understanding with the franchises and sent them the drafts of the contracts. We have given them the deadline of December 22 to complete all formalities."

Towards the end of the auction, some of the team owners took turns to speak to the media. Things turned sour when Salim Chowdhury, the owner of Dhaka Gladiators, was faced with a volley of questions regarding the player payments issue. "I don't understand why the question of money keeps coming up," he said. "If a team has spent Tk10 crore (approx USD1.25ml) and is charged with not paying Tk50 lakh (approx USD60,000), why are we facing questions? Moreover, we are also participating in the auction and the tournament, so our intention is to play cricket.

"We read a lot of news about undue player payments but we have never spoken about the money we have not been paid by our sponsors."

Player payments are not the only monetary issue for Dhaka Gladiators, as a PR agency had recently sued them over unpaid payments.

Another issue on the day was the rumour going around that there was a prearrangement between the franchises regarding who would buy whom at the auction. The organisers said such an arrangement wasn't possible. "We've also heard the rumour that there has been an arrangement [among the franchises], but going by the auctions and the prices, I am certain it didn't take place," Mallick said.

USACA might split with T20 investor, league in doubt

A proposed Twenty20 league in the USA, headed by the USA Cricket Association and New Zealand Cricket, may be on the verge of collapse after USACA president Gladstone Dainty allegedly informed stakeholders at the annual general meeting on December 15 in New York that the board's partnership with Rajiv Podar, the primary investor supplying funding to USACA through Cricket Holdings America LLC, might be coming to an end.

It is a scenario that is being denied by Podar.

"It is true we have been and we are still in active discussions with some investors," Podar wrote in an email to ESPNcricinfo.

"There have been some delays, mainly due to detailed planning and putting a proper structure and plan together. Given the magnitude of the project and our desire to have a world-class event, delays are normal. Frankly, I do not see how this is going to be a potential danger in ending the league. The company is being financed and progressing as planned."

When the CHA LLC agreement was signed in 2010, USACA was supposed to receive $2 million in annual payments from Podar in the form of advances drawn against future earnings from licensing fees secured by the proposed league. A further $3 million bonus payment was set to be disbursed to USACA from Podar by the end of 2011 in the form of share sales after securing another investor in the CHA LLC partnership to join Podar, Top Bloom, Neil Maxwell's Insite Organization, USACA and NZC.

Dainty admitted to ESPNcricinfo in November that USACA had actually been getting "about half" of the $2 million in annual payments from Podar that were originally agreed to as part of the CHA LLC deal.

According to sources, an additional investor was never secured and USACA never received the $3 million bonus despite two extensions granted to broker an agreement. The latest extension passed on December 15. Podar however was quick to dispel notions that the proposed league or his affiliation with CHA is in danger of coming to an end.

Dainty, who is also the chairman of the board of CHA in addition to being USACA president, is set to have a meeting in New York with Podar next month regarding the funding issues. If the sides part ways, it could mean that there will be no CHA T20 league unless a different investor is found to take Podar's place within the CHA structure to prevent it from collapsing.

It could also mean that USACA would have to repay Podar the millions of dollars he has already advanced them since 2010, which could pose problems for USACA since they do not have any significant revenue streams to facilitate repayment.

The money Podar extended to USACA was initially seen as a resource for funding USA development programmes. However, on-field endeavours took a back seat to legal battles in 2012 as USACA spent well into six figures this year on lawyer fees.

Consequently, USACA only organised one domestic tournament in 2012, a solitary 50-over match for the national championship on November 11 in Florida between a group of players handpicked by the USACA administration and designated as the Eastern and Western Conference. Despite multiple press releases promising to do so, USACA failed to organise a women's national tournament in 2012 and never put together a national junior tournament either despite receiving roughly $300,000 in funding from the ICC for the purpose of such development initiatives.

As of now, the CHA-organised USA Twenty20 league is scheduled to begin in June but signs that the league initiative was on shaky ground came to the surface earlier this month.

Dainty and Maxwell, the chief executive of CHA, gave conflicting accounts on the state of proposed league. Dainty told ESPNcricinfo that Associate-level players would be recruited to form the nucleus of the player talent pool while Maxwell stated in a separate interview that the league was still hoping to secure top-flight players from Full Member nations for a launch next summer with six teams playing on artificial pitches in New York.

According to a source with knowledge of the situation, Dainty is also at odds with Maxwell over the latter's plan to stage matches on artificial pitches, which is presently the only viable way to play matches in New York and other major metropolitan markets due to a lack of turf facilities.

Dhoni delighted with fielding effort

MS Dhoni praised the efforts of his team in the field after India comfortably won the opening Twenty20 in Pune by five wickets. England began well with the bat, through Alex Hales and Luke Wright, before Yuvraj Singh took three wickets to knock the stuffing out of the innings.

India's fielding, which was often shoddy during the Test series, also improved considerably with Ajinkya Rahane claiming three out-field catches and Virat Kohli taking a superb, low, effort at long-on. With Suresh Raina also back in the team there was a far more athletic appearance to India and Dhoni did not have to shield so many slower movers.

The turning point of the match came in the 13th over when Yuvraj, who had already removed Wright, bowled Hales for 56 off 35 balls and two deliveries later had Eoin Morgan, the England captain and leading Twenty20 batsman, caught at long-on. Yuvraj later added 38 off 21 balls which included picking off Danny Briggs' only over for 18.

"Yuvraj was brilliant. He bowled really well and at the right pace," Dhoni said. "I felt each and every bowler, apart from Yuvraj, bowled at least one bad over in the game. But I'm overall very happy with the performance."

"And the fielding, which I wanted the team to do well. I thought we did brilliantly.

"The pressure was on the bowlers," he added. "The way Hales started - he went after the bowlers - that was the difficult part. We all know it's a bit easier to score against the new ball on the sub-continent, particularly in India. It was important from the eighth over that we tried to bring the team back into the game."

Morgan was left frustrated by the way England's batted faded from the position of 89 for 1 in the 11th over. They were also below their best with the ball where they conceded 10 wides after Jade Dernbach set the tone with three in his first over.

"We got off to a great start. Alex Hales played tremendously well along with Luke Wright but in that middle period we failed to kick on and score. That positivity wasn't there in our batting and we lacked about 15 or 20.

"We never seemed to get going again. We continually lost wickets, which is a shame because because the start we had, we were on for a good score. We always thought we were in the game. We lacked a small bit of discipline in our bowling but we were always up against it with that score on the board."

Cri-zelda Brits returns for South Africa

Cri-zelda Brits, the former South Africa women's captain, will return to the international stage for the tour to West Indies later this month which is part of the team's preparation for the Women's World Cup in India.

Brits, 29, took an indefinite break from international cricket last year to focus on her off-field profession after she was promoted to a manger with her company. Now, with the World Cup around the corner, Brits is excited about her return.

"I'm really happy to be back," he said. "This is a very exciting time for me and I'm really looking forward to representing my country again. This break served to show me how much I love the game and how much I've missed playing international cricket. I can't wait to get into get on the field in St Kitts and do what I was born to do."

Brits made her debut against India in 2002 and initially played for more than a decade during which time she gained 57 ODI caps. She has also played four Tests and 17 Twenty20s.

Hilton Moreeng, the coach, said: "It's a pleasure to see the return of an experienced player like Cri-zelda, I'm certain she'll have a positive influence on the side. I'm confident about the team we've chosen, it's a really good mixture of youth and experience and I'm happy with the depth in the side.

"We're excited about going to the West Indies and to face some tough competition. This is the best preparation for the World Cup that we could ask for and we look forward to our arrival and getting our campaign started."

The squad includes two debutants, Savanna Cordes and Elrisa Theunissen, after they impressed in CSA Women's Provincial League.

South Africa leave for St Kitts on December 28 for their series which will take place from January 7-15. They will finish off with a two-match T20 series before departing for the World Cup in India.

Squad Mignon du Preez, Susan Benade, Cri-zelda Brits, Trisha Chetty, Savanna Cordes, Dinesha Devnarain, Shandré Fritz, Marizanne Kapp, Dané van Niekerk, Marcia Letsoalo, Sunette Loubser, Yolandi Potgieter, Chloe Tryon, Elrisa Theunissen

Morgan ready for T20 captaincy challenge

Eoin Morgan, England's stand-in T20 captain, has said the two T20 internationals with India before Christmas will provide a young squad with the chance to begin formulating their plans for the 2014 World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.

England, the 2010 World T20 champions, were knocked out of this year's tournament in Sri Lanka at the Super Eights stage, a performance Morgan said didn't meet the team's own expectations. With T20 captain Stuart Broad injured, Morgan will step up to lead the side in Pune on Thursday and he hoped that a very different set of players could replicate England's historic Test success.

"As we've seen in the past, when the Test side has done well, it's had a knock-on effect with the other two teams - and certainly we'll be looking to win these two games and take confidence and momentum from the Test side and keep the winning habit up," Morgan said.

"Sri Lanka was a bit of a disappointment - we certainly didn't achieve any of our expectations or perform in crucial games when we really needed to. There were a number of areas we looked at and identified, and we hope we'll produce the performances which will catch up the learning curve we're going through at the moment.

"It's in preparation for Bangladesh, and the young guys coming through have fantastic potential. I hope they'll perform over the next four or five days."

Morgan has led England in a single ODI in the past, against Ireland in 2011, but is one of the senior members of the T20I squad. Of the Test touring party, only Morgan, Tim Bresnan, Samit Patel, Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root have remained in India for the T20I leg. Graeme Swann, Steven Finn and Kevin Pietersen are among those rested, while Broad is recuperating from a heel problem and Craig Kieswetter and Ravi Bopara have been dropped.

England struggled in their World T20 defence and only managed to beat Afghanistan and New Zealand. Their heavy group-stage defeat to India underlined concerns about playing spin and, although they appear to have worked out a method in Test cricket, the scoring rate required to be competitive in T20 cricket could cloud minds once again.

Morgan was himself injured for England's only previous T20I assignment in India, which they won by six wickets, but he was upbeat about leading a new-look side. "It's a great opportunity for me in these two games against one of the best sides in the world in their backyard," he said. "It's certainly going to be a challenge I'm looking forward to."

Although Morgan has not had many opportunities to play so far in India, his two innings on tour have produced scores of 76 against Mumbai A and 47 in the England Performance Programme's win over the Dr DY Patil Academy. After being given further responsibility by Broad's absence, Morgan said he was ready to make the leap from reserve to captain.

"Being vice-captain of the Twenty20 side in the first place, you're always going to be thrust into a situation where the captain might get injured," Morgan said. "It's something not that I've prepared for it, but mentally you think if something happens to Broady then you might get the chance. Really, I'm quite happy to take the reins."

ODI recall for Afridi a possibility - Misbah

Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan allrounder, could be considered for the ODI squad for the tour of India, days after he was dropped from the same, according to ODI captain Misbah-ul-Haq. Afridi looked in good form during the ongoing practice matches at the conditioning training camp ahead of the India tour, scoring two back-to-back half-centuries to press his case for a recall. He was, however, named in the Twenty20 squad.

"If his form remains like this and we need him, we will definitely consider him," Misbah said at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. "The form of senior players, who are experienced enough, is very important. They are seniors, whenever you give performances like this it will be good for Pakistan."

Afridi had a poor World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, where he scored 30 runs in six matches at an average of six and claimed four wickets at 42.74. In his last 12 international innings across all formats, he averages 6.30 with the bat. He failed to make an impact in the recently concluded national Twenty20 competition and looked rusty.

However, during the one-day practice matches, he scored 52 off 40 balls on Monday and clubbed another impressive 92 off 64 balls on Wednesday. He looked composed and controlled with the bat, cutting, sweeping and executing with a straight bat rather than slogging wildly. A lofty six over the bowler's head into the dressing room was perhaps the biggest hit in the last three days. But if he is to cement his place in the side as an allrounder his bowling needs to improve. At the moment, though, his power hitting is a positive for Pakistan.

Misbah said Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan's batting consultant, has given the batsmen tips on how to tackle pressure while playing against India. "Inzamam has been very useful in helping us prepare both psychologically and mentally - what type of hurdles we are going to face, how to get out of it, how as a batsman you should carry yourself," Misbah said. "No doubt in India-Pakistan cricket you have to play aggressive cricket and we will try to apply it over there."

Misbah was wary of India despite their defeat in the Test series against England at home. "There is no point underestimating them. We will have to play hard cricket. Every bowler has a role to play. Against India you need a balanced attack," Misbah said, stopping short of naming Saeed Ajmal as their key bowler. "You can't depend on any one, otherwise you will be under a lot of pressure. India has depth in their batting line-up and you can't catch them with any one bowler."

IPL could attract more England players - Dhoni

MS Dhoni, India's captain, has suggested that a lack of availability rather than talent will continue to be a barrier for England players wishing to participate in the IPL. Although England's Test series win in India has raised the profiles of several members of the squad, Dhoni said the limited window permitted by the ECB for IPL participation was a "big concern" for franchises.

IPL commissioner Rajiv Shukla had suggested that the likes of Test captain Alastair Cook and Monty Panesar may be of interest when the next auction for international players takes place. However, with England commitments taking a higher priority, Dhoni said only "special" players like Kevin Pietersen would be of interest to franchises.

"Most of the time when the IPL happens, I don't think the English team has a clear period - so they're not available for the full 45 to 50 days of cricket," Dhoni said. "That's a big concern when it comes to some of the IPL franchises.

"The English team have fantastic talent, players who can have a big impact in the shorter format. If most of them were available for the full 45 or 50 days, I could see England players coming to the IPL."

The IPL in 2013 is scheduled to begin on April 3, a week after England finish their tour of New Zealand, and will run until May 26. England's home series against New Zealand begins with the first of two Tests on May 16, further curtailing any potential for involvement. Pietersen and Eoin Morgan are the only current, centrally contracted England players with IPL deals and, when asked, Dhoni was unsure if many others would be joining them in the world's most glamorous T20 tournament.

"Kevin Pietersen is a really different batsman," Dhoni said. "If he's available for half a season, the sides can still gamble that he can play seven or eight games at least. He's a special player. But you have to be that special."

Several members of the England set-up, including Graeme Swann, James Anderson and Matt Prior, entered the 2012 auction only to prove unattractive. Stuart Broad was bought by Kings XI Punjab in 2011 but was ruled out by injury in consecutive seasons before being released. Luke Wright, who is a member of England's T20 squad but not in possession of a central contract, is part of Pune Warrior's squad for 2013.

Despite various obstacles - in Cook's case, not even being considered good enough for England's T20 side - Shukla had suggested that the Test series victory could capture the imagination of franchise owners and public alike.

"I think so, I think it might well do that," Shukla told The Times. "England have done very well and the franchises are most definitely aware of what has been happening in this series. The English domestic schedule can make it difficult for players to play for long here, and franchises will look at that, but these Test matches have definitely raised expectations of the players from television viewers. I am sure Indian people would love to see them again.

"Cook might be one. Test and Twenty20 cricket are different but Indian people know about him now as he made a very good impression. Monty Panesar could definitely be another, he is very popular over here already, and there are probably some others."

Ramprakash returns as Middlesex batting coach

Mark Ramprakash will return to Middlesex as the county's batting coach, 12 years after crossing the river as a player to join Surrey. Ramprakash, 43, retired last season after a 25-year playing career, in which he made more than 50,000 runs and scored 131 centuries.

Ramprakash has agreed a two-year contract and replaces Mark O'Neill who will be returning to Australia on a permanent basis after three years looking after Middlesex's batsmen. Since his retirement, Ramprakash had been working with England's Performance Programme, assisting Graham Gooch and Graham Thorpe on the tour of India.

A classy middle-order batsman who came through the system at Middlesex, Ramprakash will now bring his wealth of experience to bear on the next generation at Lord's. Despite a largely unfulfilled 52-Test career for England, he was the last batsman to reach the landmark of 100 first-class hundreds and finished with an average of 53.14.

"I am delighted to have been invited back to Middlesex to take up a coaching role at the club," Ramprakash said. "It is a club I grew up watching and where I had 14 enjoyable seasons as a player."

"Middlesex is the club that gave me the chance to achieve what I have in cricket and I am delighted to be able to return to work with and help the current and next generation of Middlesex cricketers. I am excited by the talent in the current crop of players and look forward to contributing to the club."

Angus Fraser, Middlesex's director of cricket, was particularly pleased to be reunited with Ramprakash, whom he played alongside both for club and country. "I am thrilled to have Mark back at Middlesex," Fraser said. "It is my job to provide Middlesex's cricketers with the best possible coaching, support and advice available and in Mark Ramprakash they have that.

"His record speaks for itself, and in the past 25 years there has not been a better batsman in county cricket. During 1,221 innings Mark has experienced almost everything it is possible for a batsman to experience and the knowledge that he can pass on to our cricketers is unsurpassable. As a professional cricketer his attention to detail and work ethic were second to none. Though naturally gifted it was not good fortune that allowed him to score more than 50,000 professional runs. A love of cricket, fierce desire and hard work were the cocktail of ingredients."

"Mark moved from Middlesex to Surrey in 2000, but I never felt his heart left the club. He has always lived in the county and played cricket for Stanmore Cricket Club when commitments permitted.

"It is Mark's love of the art of batting that makes me believe he will become an outstanding coach. He loves talking batting and Middlesex's cricketers have a huge resource to tap in to. I believe he is the best man for the job and we are extremely fortunate to have a cricketer of his character and pedigree working at this club."

Stuart sacked as coach of New South Wales

Anthony Stuart has been sacked as coach of New South Wales after a board meeting in Sydney on Tuesday night.

Stuart took over as head coach in May 2011 and his two-year contract was due to expire at the end of this season, but Cricket New South Wales has confirmed in a statement that Stuart has finished his coaching duties with the state "with immediate effect". Chandika Hathurusingha, the former Sri Lanka Test player who was an assistant coach under Stuart, will take over as acting head coach for the rest of the 2012-13 season.

Stuart has not had a particularly successful tenure since he took over from Matthew Mott last year; the Blues won only one Sheffield Shield game last summer. This season they were sitting in fourth position with two wins at the time of his departure, and in the Ryobi Cup they had managed only one victory from four games.

"At a meeting of the NSW cricket board last evening it was determined that Anthony Stuart's contract to coach the NSW SpeedBlitz Blues will not be renewed and he has finished duties as head coach with immediate effect," Cricket New South Wales said in a statement.

The chief executive David Gilbert said: "Cricket NSW records its thanks to Anthony for his efforts and commitment over the past 18 months. We wish Anthony well in his future endeavours."

Stuart, the former fast bowler who took a hat-trick in one of his three ODI appearances for Australia, had been coach of Wellington in New Zealand before he joined New South Wales.

Thakor to captain England U-19s

Shiv Thakor, the Leicestershire allrounder, has been named captain of an inexperienced England Under-19 squad to tour South Africa next year.

Thakor, 19, is one of the most highly-rated young players in the county game and already has a first-class average of 51.41 having played nine matches. With his medium pace he has also claimed seven wickets.

The emphasis of the trip, which includes two four-day Youth Tests and five Youth one-day internationals, is on preparing for the next U-19 World Cup which will be held in 2014. So some players who remain eligible for the age group, such as the Essex left-arm quick Reece Topley and the Overton brothers, Craig and Jamie from Somerset, have not been selected.

England were knocked out in the quarter-finals of this year's U-19 World Cup in Australia.

Tim Boon, the U-19 coach, said: "Shiv Thakor of Leicestershire has been appointed tour captain and is one of three Under-19s players. The squad includes five players with high potential who have graduated from the ECB's Under-17s England Development Programme. The learning curve will be steep with three international series prior to the next ICC Under-19s World Cup in February 2014.

"Four players still eligible for the Under-19s squad have progressed to the Potential England Performance Programme fast bowlers squad while Essex wicketkeeper Ben Foakes, a recent graduate from the England Development Programme, has also toured India this winter with the EPP."

Aside from Thakor, just two other members of the squad have played first-team cricket for their counties. Ben Duckett has made one Twenty20 appearance for Northamptonshire and his county team-mate Oli Stone has more extensive experience with three first-class matches, eight one-dayers and four T20s.

The first tour match in South Africa starts on January 23 with the opening four-day game, in Cape Town, from January 27. The trip runs until February 21.

Squad Shiv Thakor (Leicestershire, capt), Tom Barber (Hampshire), Ed Barnard (Worcestershire), Ben Duckett (Northamptonshire), Harry Finch (Sussex), Ryan Gibson (Yorkshire), Gavin Griffiths (Lancashire), Miles Hammond (Gloucestershire), Callum Jackson (Sussex), Josh Shaw (Yorkshire), Tom Shrewsbury (Gloucestershire), Dominic Sibley (Surrey), Olly Stone (Northamptonshire), Jonny Tattersall (Yorkshire), Kishen Velani (Essex)

Gloucs bring in Klinger as captain

Gloucestershire have ended their search for a new captain by agreeing terms with Michael Klinger, the experienced Australian top-order batsman, who will be available for the entire 2013 season.

Last season Gloucestershire finished bottom of the County Championship for the ninth time in their history, prompting Alex Gidman to step down.

With very little experience on their playing staff, the county looked overseas for a new appointment and were keen to find a player available for the entire season - ruling out both New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson and Australia opener Ed Cowan, who were both initial targets following previous stints at the club.

Klinger's availability, experience and ability are a rare combination. He has enjoyed a successful career since moving to South Australia from Victoria in 2008. A mediocre average of 26.44 since his debut in 2000 prompted a move away from his home state and he has since averaged 47.37 with eight centuries in four seasons.

His first season in Adelaide brought 1,203 runs at 70.76 and a second year of excellent returns saw Klinger made captain for the 2010/11 season, during which his form nosedived and South Australia finished bottom of the Sheffield Shield. His form returned last summer, bringing 835 runs at 46.38, but another wooden spoon, and a failure to win a single match, saw Klinger removed as captain.

Nevertheless, Gloucestershire's director of cricket John Bracewell said he was "delighted to be signing a player of Michael's quality and experience".

"He has proved himself adept at all forms of the game and has captaincy experience," Bracewell said. "We expect him to be available throughout the 2013 season. It is not easy to find overseas players who tick all those boxes and a lot of work has gone into finding the right man."

Klinger, 32, will be tasked with leading a young, inexperienced side with the county in a period of rebuilding on and off the pitch - Bristol is currently in the first phase of a £10 million redevelopment. He tasted the County Championship last season, playing seven matches for Worcestershire, scoring 413 runs including a century.

His top-order experience will be very welcome for a county that failed to nail down a consistent opening pair last season, using six combinations. Young wicketkeeper Richard Coughtrie found little success, Chris Dent - a player with much potential - missed most of the season with a finger and then a shoulder injury - trialist-turned-new signing Benny Howell failed to live up to early promise, veteran Jon Batty was restored to open the innings for one match and brief overseas signings Cowan and Rob Nicol came and went.

Bird hopes for more Melbourne success

If Mitchell Johnson was a horses-for-courses selection against South Africa at the WACA, Jackson Bird must be a dead cert for Boxing Day at the MCG. An accurate seamer whose game revolves around making the batsmen play, Bird has had remarkable success in his only two first-class appearances at the MCG. To be fair, there's hardly a venue within Australia where his record is not outstanding.

At 26, Bird has a chance of becoming Australia's 431st Test cricketer on Boxing Day against Sri Lanka. He is effectively competing with Johnson for the final place in Australia's attack, a spot that has opened up due to the side injury suffered by Ben Hilfenhaus at Bellerive Oval. Bird might not be a like-for-like replacement for Hilfenhaus but he would offer the selectors a degree of reliability, which on Melbourne's drop-in pitches is no bad thing.

"Ben is more of a swing bowler where I tend to hit the wicket a little bit more," Bird said in Melbourne on Wednesday. "I certainly don't bowl as fast as Mitchell Johnson does. Mitch is a great bowler and I suppose whoever gets the nod between me and him will hopefully do a good job.

"The MCG is a great place to play. There's always a little bit in the wicket for the fast bowlers. I definitely do enjoy playing here ... My game works on being patient and trying to bowl the same ball every time and challenging the defence."

It's a method that has served Bird wonderfully well in his short first-class career. Last summer was his first season of state cricket, a career that was kick-started by his move from New South Wales to Tasmania. He topped the Sheffield Shield wicket tally with 53 victims and was named the tournament's Player of the Year, and this season he is again the leading wicket-taker so far.

In his 17 first-class matches, Bird has collected 87 wickets at an average of 19.72, and at the MCG his record is 14 victims at the astounding average of 12.07 from two games. In his first match at the venue, Bird collected five wickets in each innings, including the key Victorian trio of Chris Rogers, David Hussey and Cameron White in both innings. Johnson has managed only one five-wicket haul in his eight first-class appearances in Melbourne.

Of course, statistics aren't everything, but the ability to maintain such a strong record over a season and a half has impressed John Inverarity and his selection panel. Bird was picked for the Australia A tour of England earlier this year but was overlooked for the Australia A game against South Africa in November. However, Bird revealed the selectors had assured him at the time he would be firmly in contention for a Test call-up if injuries affected the frontline bowlers.

"I've been in communication with the selectors for the last couple of Test matches," Bird said. "When Ben went down I thought I might be a chance. Luckily enough I got the call ... I had pretty good communications with John Inverarity during that period when [the Australia A side] got selected so I wasn't too disappointed when I missed out. I thought it might be a good thing that they were saving me for the Test match."

Even if the call-up doesn't turn into a Test debut, it has certainly justified Bird's decision to head south from Sydney in an effort to break in to first-class cricket. It is not as if Bird was plucked from nowhere - in 2006 he was part of the Australia Under-19 World Cup squad that also featured David Warner, Matthew Wade, Usman Khawaja, Moises Henriques, Aaron Finch, Jon Holland and Ben Cutting - but he knew that his chances in New South Wales would be slim.

"I moved down there in the first place just for an opportunity," Bird said. "I always thought I was good enough to play first-class cricket but in New South Wales there were a lot of good fast bowlers going around like Pat Cummins and Trent Copeland, who were making their debuts for New South Wales and Australia. I was 24 by that time and once Tassie offered me a contract I thought it might be my last chance to play first-class cricket so I jumped at the opportunity."

Australia's selectors are glad he made the move as well.

Ubarhande leads Vidarbha's strong reply

Vidarbha 302 for 2 (Ubarhande 129*, S Shrivastava 84*, SS Das 53) trail Karnataka 619 for 8 dec by 317 runs
Scorecard

Amol Ubarhande hit his maiden first-class hundred to lead Vidarbha's strong reply to Karnataka's huge total. The Vidarbha openers Faiz Fazal (22) and Shiv Sunder Das (53) could not go on to make big scores but Ubarhande and Shalabh Shrivastava had put on 209 runs by stumps. Ubarhande was more aggressive of the two, hitting 18 fours in his 129 while Shrivastava was unbeaten on 84 off 218 deliveries. The visitors had chosen to field on a grassy Mysore pitch and Karnataka's KL Rahul had said the hosts would have done the same, but so far, there have been a double hundred, two centuries and four fifties in the game.

Baroda 208 and 116 for 4 (Kaushik 3-23) lead Tamil Nadu 230 (Prasanna 75, Aparajith 62, Vahora 4-36) by 94 runs
Scorecard

Things slowed down at the Moti Bagh ground after Tamil Nadu gained a 22-run lead, but there had been plenty of excitement before that. Resuming the day on 166 for 6 in pursuit of Baroda's 208, Tamil Nadu slipped to 182 for 8, before R Prasanna and No 10 M Rangarajan steered them past the hosts' score. Tamil Nadu eventually made 230, Murtuja Vahora ending with 4 for 36. J Kaushik probed away when Baroda came out to bat, and dismissed the first three Baroda batsmen after each of them had got starts, the highest being Aditya Waghmode's 39. None of those batsmen had a strike-rate above 40 and Ketan Panchal's 38-ball duck summed up Baroda's approach. The captain Ambati Rayudu was battling it out on 18 off 57 deliveries at stumps.

Uttar Pradesh 227 and 217 for 4 (T Srivastava 73) lead Haryana 276 (Dewan 93, Joginder 65, Rajpoot 6-68) by 168 runs
Scorecard

Uttar Pradesh recovered from an iffy 121 for 4 in their second innings through the efforts of Parvinder Singh and Eklavya Dwivedi in Lucknow. UP had already conceded a 49-run lead to Haryana, who could add just five runs to their overnight 271 for 8 before being dismissed. The fast bowler Ankit Rajpoot took his best figures of 6 for 68, his maiden first-class five-for. Tanmay Srivastava made 73 upfront for UP, but Mukul Dagar, Mohammad Kaif and Suresh Raina went cheaply, with Mohit Sharma and Amit Mishra sharing the wickets. Parvinder and Dwivedi, though, added an unbeaten 96 for the fifth wicket to ease the hosts' nerves.

Maharashtra 196 and 266 (Khadiwale 96, Bawne 55, Narwal 3-48) lead Delhi 193 by 269 runs
Scorecard

Delhi have a daunting 270-run target to chase on a lively Roshanara Club pitch against Maharashtra on the fourth day. The Delhi team was guilty of allowing Maharashtra to surge to 266 in the second innings with major contributions from Harshad Khadiwale (96) and Ankit Bawne (55).

For the full match-report, click here.

Kohli ready for Test captaincy - Gavaskar

Virat Kohli, the 24-year-old batsman, is ready to take over the India Test captaincy from MS Dhoni, according to former India captain Sunil Gavaskar. Gavaskar's comments came in wake of India's 2-1 Test series loss to England, their first at home in eight years.

Kohli's dogged century in Nagpur, which helped lift a wobbling India to within four runs of England's first-innings total, showed he was ready for the added responsibility, Gavaskar told NDTV. "Till the fourth day of the Nagpur Test, I would have backed Dhoni. Now that Virat has come up with a hundred under trying circumstances where he curbed his natural game, he discovered a good part about himself.

"He is ready to take on the mantle of Test cricket [captain]. That needs to be looked at in a positive manner by everyone concerned, as that is where the future lies."

India were looking to win in Nagpur to deny England their first Test series win in India in 28 years. Instead, England finished on a comfortable 352 for 4 on the final day and the Test ended in a draw. It was an impressive comeback from England: India had won the first Test of the series in Ahmedabad by nine wickets, before the visitors rallied and completely outplayed them in the next two. This series loss rounds off a poor 18 months in Test cricket for India, during which they were whitewashed in England and Australia.

In this must-win Test, after India's lower-order inexplicably batted at a slow pace on the fourth morning, they could take only three England wickets in 79 overs on the day. England went to stumps 165 ahead, and could still have been under pressure had India struck early on the final day. However, India managed only one wicket in the day, that too in the final session.

In view of their dire need to win, Gavaskar said, India should have been proactive. "India could not get enough wickets on day four. Also, they doodled around in the first hour on day four. If India had wanted to win the Test, they could have shown some intent by declaring on the overnight total [on day three] or by asking the tailenders to play slam-bang cricket.

"Yes, England batted well. But you do not position a forward-short leg or silly point to get a catch there; you do that to force a batsman to give a catch some place else. Trott or Bell might have done something stupid then. India could have attacked more. But that's not the only reason India lost. Our bowlers were by and large ineffective."

Gavaskar also hinted at some of the senior India players not valuing Test cricket enough. "Looking at the Jadeja's, the Kohli's … you can easily see there is recognition, an appreciation there for Test cricket. It is some of the guys who have been around, who have done well in the past that are being a bit casual about it over the last couple of years."

Sangakkara fights with half-century

Lunch Sri Lanka 336 and 3 for 144 (Sangakkara 58*, Samaraweera 17*) need another 249 runs to beat Australia 5 for 450 dec and 278
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Just as he did at the same ground five years ago, Kumar Sangakkara was frustrating the Australians in their push for victory on the final day. At lunch, Sri Lanka were 3 for 144 in their chase of 393 and having lost only one wicket in the first session, that of the captain Mahela Jayawardene to the bowling of Peter Siddle, they were relying on Sangakkara, who was unbeaten on 58, and Thilan Samaraweera, who had 17.

Although victory was extremely unlikely for the Sri Lankans, Sangakkara had at least given them hope of batting out a draw by surviving until lunch with his wicket intact. However, the pitch continued to provide severe challenges for the batsmen, the occasional ball rising sharply while others stayed low, including one that drew a positive lbw decision from the umpire Nigel Llong shortly before the break.

Sangakkara was on 54 when he tried to pull a Shane Watson delivery that kept low and after being given out lbw, he asked for a review of Llong's decision. The replays showed Watson, who was coming around the wicket, had struck Sangakkara just outside the line of off stump and the batsman was reprieved. It was a potentially pivotal moment in the match, with Angleo Mathews, Prasanna Jayawardene and the bowlers the only batsmen still to come.

By lunch, Sangakkara had occupied the crease for 206 deliveries in a cautious innings that had also included five boundaries. He brought up his half-century from his 165th ball with a pull to the midwicket boundary off a generous full toss from David Warner. Samaraweera was also watchful, although he showed a willingness to mix things up when he advanced to Nathan Lyon and lofted a boundary to long-on.

Samaraweera had come to the crease after the departure of Jayawardene, who pushed tentatively at a Siddle delivery outside off stump and was caught at slip for 19 from 77 deliveries. By lunch, the Sri Lankans had added 79 to their overnight total for the loss of one wicket.

Sri Lanka raise ball-tampering question

Sri Lanka's team management has expressed concerns over footage that it believes shows Peter Siddle tampering with the ball in Sri Lanka's first innings.

Management believes broadcast cameras may have captured Siddle using his fingernails to raise the seam of the ball in the 88th over of Sri Lanka's innings, while bowling to Prasanna Jayawardene.

Sri Lanka team manager Charith Senanayake said their suspicions had been raised in the dressing room as they received the video-feed in real time, in the second session on day three.

"We have the footage with us," Senanayake said. "We recorded the game and it's there for everybody to see. We saw something illegal and have reacted to that."

Sri Lanka are yet to make an official complaint to match referee Chris Broad but Senanayake says he has flagged the issue with Broad.

"I have spoke to the match referee informally," he said. "It's up to them to act now, but we will have to pursue it further if nothing happens."

The ICC has since issued a statement acknowledging Broad is aware of the situation.

"ICC match referee Chris Broad is aware of the media reports coming out of Sri Lanka on the ball issue," an official release said. "The Sri Lanka team has made no official complaint about the ball."

Siddle took 5 for 54 runs in Sri Lanka's first innings, helping secure a 114-run first-innings lead for Australia.

Kohli takes pride in 'learning innings'

Early this year, Virat Kohli scored a scarcely believable 133 off 86 to help India chase 321 in 36.4 overs. In his last Test innings of the year, Kohli showed the other side of his batting by scoring 103 off 295 balls. These two completely different innings have proved he is India's player of the year and their impact has been similar.

The first innings - a blazing century in Hobart which kept India alive in the CB Series only for Sri Lanka to crush their hopes two days later - showed Kolhi the power of a free mind with nothing to lose.

This latest hundred has emphasised what can be achieved through patience, an innings which has kept India alive in the series, even if the state of a slow and low pitch suggests that England are likely to crush India's hopes again.

Kohli, though, is wiser after the effort. "I didn't think about the runs, I didn't think about the number of balls I was playing, I was just batting," he said. "You just keep batting, you just keep watching the ball and eventually you get the right results. I was pretty pleased to bat for long hours in this game and that is something you will need to do in future in Test matches. It was a learning innings for me."

What had been going wrong earlier in the series then? "Three times I got 20," he said. "I probably got a good ball in Ahmedabad in the first innings, and I made a few mistakes after that. Sometimes you need that bit of luck, you get beaten and then sometimes you know today is the right day and you put your foot down and concentrate for long hours.

"I was waiting for this one innings, I was not doubting myself at all. I was working hard for the last one month and eventually if you keep working hard these little things happen in cricket."

Kohli said he and MS Dhoni, who scored 99, had to stay patient. "It was challenging for both of us," he said. "It was a slowish wicket, not that easy to get the ball away. I had to show some patience and I just thought of applying myself and not think of anything else. It was all about showing patience and just watching the ball and reacting to it rather than thinking about what we are going to be at the end of the day or the end of the session."

Not thinking about where they will be at the end of the day actually put them on the path to a strong position, but a mix of slow run rate - that can't be helped because of the slow pitch - and late wickets relinquished that position. India still see a way to win, though, said Kohli.

"You get some runs' lead and you put the opposition under pressure," he said. "It won't be easy to defend all day. That is not something you can do every Test match. We will just be looking for the one opening and probably get two-three wickets and you never know where the game goes from there."

India, 2-1 down in the series, still trail by 33, and will need all the help from the pitch and England to bowl the opposition out in four sessions at most, and then chase the total down. The pitch has given the bowlers nothing at all. Kohli said that can change.

"The wicket hasn't changed much," he said, "but I think the cracks are opening up slowly so you might see a completely different wicket tomorrow. The spinners might come into play a bit more. This is kind of wicket where you need to apply yourself the whole time, you just can't relax."

Pakistan must play aggressively against India - Inzamam

Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan's former captain and newly-appointed batting consultant, has advised his batsmen to be 'aggressive' against India. The team that handles pressure better, he said, could control how the matches go in the upcoming limited-overs series'.

Pakistan are preparing for the India series with a conditioning camp at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, and Inzamam will spend the week with the batsmen to assist them. Since his retirement in 2007, Inzamam had not been associated with Pakistan cricket in any form, running a business instead; this is the first in five years that he has taken up a role with the team.

"My job will be to pass on my playing experience to the players, rather than working on batsmen's techniques," Inzamam told reporters at the end of the day's training. "I will be discussing with them how to chase, how to set a target and what's required while batting."

Pakistan will kick-off their tour of India with a two-match T20 series, followed by three ODIs. Inzamam, who led Pakistan in 22 ODIs against India and has a win-loss ratio of 12-10, said Pakistan have plenty of matchwinners in the squad but they need 'collective' effort.

"Pakistan have a lot of players who could individually win matches for us, it's a good sign,'' he said. "But cricket is a team game, we lack in collective effort from the batsmen. Our bowling is very strong and we have to have confidence in ourselves. We have to make up our minds that we can win.

"Playing in Indian conditions isn't different; we have been winning [there] and can win again. It's only about pressure and how to handle it. What we need is to play aggressively and whoever copes with it [pressure] well, will play better."

Pakistan have played 16 completed ODIs in 2012, losing four out of eight while chasing and failing to defend their target on six instances out of eight. Batting first this year, they have crossed the 200-run mark seven times, winning only twice. When chasing a target of more than 200, they have won only on one occasion out of five.

"It's not a new problem, it's been going on for a long time now," Inzamam said of their batting issues, citing the lack of quality cricket in Pakistan, which has been a no-go zone for major international cricket teams. "For the last two years we have not played a lot of cricket and the batsmen are lacking in temperament due to T20 cricket.

"Flaws in our players are down to us not playing on a regular basis. If we start playing 10-12 Test matches every year, you will obviously see an improvement in our batting. As more we play cricket, the more players will learn from it."

Inzamam said it will be important for the players to put aside distractions in India and focus on the cricket: "Against India, one should be focused on the game instead of other activities. We have to focus on our game and don't worry about what others are doing. If we keep focus on ourselves, we will perform better.

"India will play with passion, so must Pakistan. I think the way this Pakistan team lines-up, we can put pressure on India. But they're a big team too and could make a comeback [after faltering in the Test series against England], so we have to focus ourselves."

Dilshan ton drives Sri Lanka

Lunch Sri Lanka 4 for 187 (Dilshan 103*, Mathews 45*) trail Australia 5 for 450 dec by 263 runs
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Tillakaratne Dilshan's third century from his past four Tests steered Sri Lanka safely through until lunch on the third day in Hobart as Australia's bowlers failed to make a breakthrough in the morning session. Rain arrived half an hour before the scheduled lunch break and an early interval was declared at 12.20pm, with Dilshan on 103, Angelo Mathews on 45 and the total on 4 for 187.

It meant the Sri Lankans needed only another 64 runs to avoid the follow-on, although even if the opportunity arose for Michael Clarke, he would be unlikely to make Sri Lanka bat again due to the loss of one of his key bowlers. Ben Hilfenhaus left the field after delivering two balls of his fourth over of the morning and was sent for scans on what was suspected to be a side strain, and he was unlikely to take any further part in Australia's bowling effort.

His departure meant a greater bowling workload for the rest of the Australians, including Shane Watson, whose accuracy helped keep Dilshan in the nineties for half an hour. Dilshan eventually brought up his hundred from his 148th delivery by steering a delivery from Peter Siddle behind point for a boundary and his vocal celebration showed how important the innings was to him and his team, after the Sri Lankans went to stumps last night at 4 for 87.

Dilshan and Mathews denied the Australians any real opportunities on the third morning, but at the same time they were able to move the score along briskly for most of the session. Dilshan was very strong through the off side, cutting and driving with power and he struck 16 boundaries in his century, largely in the region from backward point to extra cover.

Mathews picked up a couple of early boundaries by pulling short deliveries and was very impressive down the ground to the spinner Nathan Lyon, using his feet well and taking few risks. By the time lunch was called, the Dilshan-Mathews partnership had reached exactly 100 at a run rate of 3.72, and Clarke was left wondering who could break the stand, with none of his bowlers having proven much of a danger in the morning.

Hilfenhaus side injury exposes Australia again

Australia face the grim prospect of trying to win a Test with only three specialist bowlers for the second time in three matches after Ben Hilfenhaus shuffled off Bellerive Oval with a suspected left side strain.

After bowling the second ball of his 13th over to Sri Lanka's vice-captain Angelo Mathews, Hilfenhaus grimaced, felt for his hip or side, spoke briefly to his captain Michael Clarke and left the field, leaving Shane Watson to complete the over. He later left the ground for further medical examination. "Ben Hilfenhaus has some sort of left side injury, which is being investigated," a team spokesperson said. "He is going for scans to give further clarity on the injury."

The injury is a serious blow to the hosts, as Hilfenhaus had been considered alongside Peter Siddle one of the two durable, senior bowlers to be relied upon across the summer. They were outlined as critical to Australia's planning as the youthful group including Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood could be rotated around them.

Of that quartet, only Starc has reached this point of the summer without being sidelined, while John Hastings, called up when both Siddle and Hilfenhaus missed the Perth Test against South Africa, is recovering from a back injury.

Siddle and Hilfenhaus were unable to be considered for the WACA match as a direct result of Pattinson's withdrawal midway through the draining Adelaide Test due to a side/rib injury, which left the older duo with a heavy workload across the second innings.

Nathan Lyon was also leaned on heavily in Pattinson's absence, and he can now expect another hefty shift while Hilfenhaus convalesces. Watson's return to the team in the interim as an allrounder will be of some help to Clarke's bowling options, but Australia's captain is reluctant to overbowl his deputy out of fear it will both detract from his batting and also cause another round of injury.

Hilfenhaus' bowling has been the subject of considerable scrutiny so far this summer, as he appeared to lapse into the bad habits that bedevilled him during the 2010-11 Ashes series following a year punctuated by lots of Twenty20 assignments and precious little first-class cricket.

When Hilfenhaus was recalled after missing the Perth Test, having picked up a slight knee niggle in Adelaide while wrestling with his bowling action, the national selector John Inverarity described his halting progress, which has required plenty of time with Australia's bowling coach Ali de Winter.

"The history with Ben, he was doing well then the last series against England in Australia [in 2010-11] he didn't bowl to his highest level," Inverarity said. "He got things sorted out, a few niggles were sorted out and he got his bowling action right, and his bowling last summer was superb. He bowled at good pace and very well.

"His bowling in the first Test was a bit like against England, it wasn't as good as he'd hoped. So he needs to get 100% fit to perform, and his action so that he bowls like he did against India last summer, and we're hopefully that during this little break he'll be back to that sort of form."

In Hobart, Hilfenhaus did not generate his customary outswing, and struggled early on for his line as he drifted too often into the pads of Tillakaratne Dilshan. This angle proved more profitable against Dimuth Karunaratne, as a ball running across the left-hander caught an outside edge on the way through to Matthew Wade. As things stand, it will be his last major contribution to this match.

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)