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The build-up was full of fitness concerns and off-field noise; now it’s time for a star-studded line-up to flex its muscle

Andrew McGlashan20-Oct-2022In many ways, Australia’s preparation for their T20 title defence has felt like a contradiction. In all probability the XI that takes the field at the SCG on Saturday (weather permitting) will be the one that has appeared likely for quite some time, with Tim David replacing Steven Smith from the last T20 World Cup.So while that projects a sense of a stability, there is a lot else that has been going on that would suggest a build-up that has been far from ideal. It has included managing injuries to key allrounders Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis, plus back-up bowlers Ashton Agar and Kane Richardson; a significant amount of travel, including a week-long trip to India; the debate around David Warner’s captaincy ban, which national selector George Bailey made no secret was becoming a frustratingly drawn-out affair, and the appointment of Pat Cummins as ODI captain along with the debate around one of Australia’s leading sponsors.Related

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Most recently an old golf club snapped in Josh Inglis’ hand on the second hole at the La Perouse course in Sydney, badly cutting the wicketkeeper and ruling him out of the tournament. In itself it is not the most damaging injury the squad could have been dealt on the eve of the tournament – Inglis would not have been in the starting XI – but it left an unwanted conversation about who should be the replacement and its implications (Warner as wicketkeeper, perhaps?). Inglis was also a very versatile batting understudy.On the field Australia would have been beaten 3-0 by England if it wasn’t for rain in Canberra, after which Aaron Finch made comments about fatigue in the squad after the lengthy build-up. A number of players have felt they have had matches they didn’t need, but then on the other hand there have been one or two lingering form questions, although Finch made timely runs against India at the Gabba.Mitchell Marsh looks at home at No. 3, but it’s unclear whether he’ll be fit to bowl against New Zealand•Getty Images

Glenn Maxwell remains the one who has yet to put in a significant contribution with the bat this season – although he, too, looked to be getting going against India – but he is being backed to come good when it really matters.”I think it looks a lot different on the inside than it does on the outside,” head coach Andrew McDonald said of the build-up. “We have a task at hand and that’s to get the players ready for the first game.”Probably the thing that’s consumed us the most has been injured players returning and you’ve seen in the lead-up that we’ve had to not take certain players to certain fixtures because of the risks of injury, so that’s been our big discussion to get the eleven players who will play that first game to the start line. The medical team has done a fantastic job. So we’ve had our own, probably internal, battles as opposed to what’s been happening on the outside.”The injury concerns over Marsh (ankle) and Stoinis (side) were the most critical to Australia’s build-up given their overs are vital to balance the side since it moved to seven batters and four bowlers. McDonald conceded losing one or both of the allrounders “was real” for a period of time over recent weeks, which led to their extended use of Cameron Green at the top of the order after his success in India, in turn leading to the unusual sight of Finch batting in the middle. In the end Green has found his way into the squad, but as Inglis’ replacement.Marsh may still not be right to bowl in the opening game against New Zealand and there are lingering concerns over Stoinis being able to back up in a tight schedule, particularly when travel is included – Australia, as hosts, play each group game at a different venue. In the balance of their side, Maxwell becomes as important for his bowling as his batting.Yet, despite all of that, if Australia can put their expected XI on the park, it looks very strong. David has brought more power and finishing ability to the middle order, Warner has played some sparkling innings leading into the tournament, Marsh still looks at home at No.3, Matthew Wade has had a prolific 12 months as a finisher, and it’s hard to pick holes in the four frontline bowlers with Adam Zampa and Josh Hazlewood particularly dominant in the format.Tim David’s finishing prowess will be put to test in the T20 World Cup•Getty Images

The big selection call has been to move Smith aside from the first-choice XI, although McDonald reiterated there could be a role for him during the tournament. While Smith has shed the ‘Mr Fix-It’ tag, there is still the question of how Australia respond if they are in early trouble against the new ball, but McDonald was confident others could do that role.”The term ‘hitters’, those players have a few extra layers than just being able to hit the ball over the ropes,” he said. “They do have some power but they do have some craft as well.”All this does not mention the opposition themselves on Saturday, the well-drilled New Zealand side who were the other finalists last year and have a terrific record in global events. However, there is a thought that they are side that has, perhaps, passed its peak while they have not beaten Australia in any format in their country since 2011. The hosts are probably not too disappointed to be starting against them.After a long build-up that has not all been smooth, it is what happens at the SCG that matters. The prospect of rain and a shortened game brings further jeopardy. No men’s team has yet to defend the T20 World Cup and there is very little room for a mistake.

England’s 2005 Ashes-winning bowling coach links up with squad ahead of first Test

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2021Stuart Broad hopes that the appointment of Troy Cooley as a consultant fast-bowling coach ahead of next month’s first Test at Brisbane will help provide England’s bowlers with vital “one-percenters” in their quest to regain the Ashes on Australian soil.Cooley, who helped to mould England’s four-pronged pace attack that won the Ashes in 2005, has been heavily involved with Cricket Australia since then, including a stint as caretaker coach in South Africa in 2011, and assistant to Justin Langer in the last Ashes campaign in England in 2019.His involvement with the England set-up got underway this week during the rain-affected three-day intra-squad match at Redlands, Brisbane, and he will continue to work under Jon Lewis, the ECB’s Elite Pace Bowling Coach until the first Test, when he will then assist the England Lions seamers in their four-day match against Australia A, starting on December 9.And Broad, who is embarking on his fourth Ashes series in Australia, says the opportunity to glean some vital insight on Australia’s batters from Cooley will be invaluable.”[Cooley] arrived when we got out of quarantine [on] Saturday, but he’s with us for a decent period of time,” Broad told cricket.com.au. “Really looking forward to picking his brain on Australian conditions, and Australian players, to be honest.””He’s been in their setup for a long period of time, through development and at the top level. He can give us great insight into Australian batters’ mentality; what they’re looking to do, where they’re looking to score, where they don’t like the ball, how (we should) be around them – whether you talk to them, whether you ignore them, whether you sledge them … can you annoy them enough to make a mistake?Related

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“All this sort of detail, we’ll be picking Troy’s brain, because anything you can get – even a one-percenter on someone – will be really useful for us. You need all that sort of stuff to win in Australia. You need to be at the top of your game at all times, and find little chinks in the opposition’s armoury.”Broad and James Anderson, who first played an Ashes Test on the 2006-07 tour, are the only two England players with prior experience of a series victory in Australia – although Broad himself played a limited role in the 3-1 win in 2010-11 after sustaining a side strain during the second Test.”It’s great to have someone with Troy’s expertise and experience supporting our Ashes prep and also working closely with our Lions pace bowlers,” said Mo Bobat, the ECB Performance Director. “Troy’s understanding of what it takes to be successful in Australian conditions is second to none, and the players are sure to benefit hugely.”No play was possible on the second day of England’s warm-up match against England Lions. The senior squad will resume on 98 for 0 on day three, with Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed unbeaten on 39 and 53 respectively.

In-form opener sought return south for family reasons

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2022Somerset have announced the signing of top-order batter Sean Dickson from Durham. The 31-year-old joins on a three-year deal.Dickson, who was born in South Africa but holds a UK passport, has scored 824 runs at 54.93 in this season’s County Championship, with four centuries. He signed for Durham, initially on loan, from Kent in 2020 but recently informed the club that he wanted to return south for family reasons.”Sean has been an outstanding member on and off the field since joining the club two years ago,” Durham’s director of cricket, Marcus North, said. “Unfortunately for Durham, Sean has requested to leave so he can relocate to the south of England to be with his fiancé, his daughter Remi and family.”We thank him for his contribution and wish him success in the future at Somerset.”Dickson averaged 38.46 for Durham in first-class cricket, and 37.36 in List A as part of the side that reached the final of the 2021 Royal London Cup. His highest first-class score remains the 318 he made for Kent in 2017.Somerset’s director of cricket, Andy Hurry, said: “To secure a player of Sean’s quality is a coup for the club. He is a proven performer with the bat at this level and has strong aspirations to play on the very highest stage.”We have been looking to strengthen our batting at the top of the order and Sean fits that bill perfectly. He has started to establish himself as one of the more consistent openers within the English domestic game and will certainly add something to our dressing room.”Sean is a player that we’ve been monitoring for a while, and once we were aware of his availability it was paramount that we acted quickly.”Dickson added: “I’m delighted to be joining Somerset. They are a great club with a long tradition and I’m looking forward to getting started. I’ve admired how they go about playing the game from afar and it’s evident when playing against them that there is a genuine buzz about the place. I can’t wait to get started.”It’s an exciting challenge and I will be working hard to help the club win trophies. By doing that I will hopefully move myself closer to fulfilling my goals within the game over the next few years.”

Fawad Alam hit 56, and added 85 for the sixth wicket with Faheem Ashraf

Danyal Rasool12-Aug-2021Stumps It is difficult to take issue with a day of Test match cricket when you win the toss, field first and bowl the opposition out within the day for 217, but West Indies will realise they might have easily have had a much firmer grasp on this Test match by now. It was an 85-run partnership between Fawad Alam, who top scored with 56, and Faheem Ashraf – two men who have spent varying periods of time out of this Test side for similarly unsatisfactory reasons – that appeared to have pulled Pakistan back to parity.But a self-destructive run-out with an hour to play allowed West Indies back in, and their quartet of quicks flicked the switch back, romping through the lower order to skittle Pakistan. They might, however, have done their job a bit too well at the end, because it forced the hosts into batting for an awkward four-over period. During that time, Mohammad Abbas prised out Kieran Powell and Nkrumah Bonner for ducks with characteristically glorious seam bowling, leaving West Indies wobbling at 2 for 2 overnight.The first two sessions set up the day for a grand finale, and much of the moving happened in those final two and a half hours. Alam and Ashraf were still getting their feet under the table in a budding little partnership of 23 as they walked out after tea, but a counterattacking knock from the allrounder saw Pakistan hurtle past 150. On a day when the run rate barely tiptoed past 2.25, 52 runs came off the first ten overs in that last session.Ashraf might be at pains to insist he is a bowling allrounder, but he averages over 50 with the bat since his return to the side in December last year. The belligerent pull in front of square and the elegant drive in front of cover were both in full flow, and when West Indies turned to their spinners to give the pacers a break, the runs flowed even more steadily. It appeared Ashraf had helped bail Pakistan out of a tight spot once more, but as the 100-run stand approached, the visitors offered West Indies a gift all wrapped up with a bow on it.Alam and Ashraf set off for an unnecessary single, chancing the arm of Roston Chase, whose shy caught Ashraf short of his crease. The wicket gave West Indies a second wind, and despite a brief cameo from Hasan Ali, the fast bowlers found the quality that had subdued Pakistan for much of the first two sessions, and blew through Alam and the tail. The last three fell without a run being scored after Jayden Seales had Hasan hole out on the onside, while Jason Holder broke through Alam’s defences and had Abbas edge one for a golden duck.Once Pakistan were put in to bat on a morning when showers were forecast, they began stodgily as a potent new ball pairing of Kemar Roach and Seales prowled. Abid Ali and Imran Butt were viewed as the Achilles heel of the visiting side’s batting line-up, and both fell cheaply, leaving the rebuild to Pakistan’s two best batters: Azhar Ali and Babar Azam.Fawad Alam and Faheem Ashraf shared a half-century stand•AFP/Getty Images

Roach and Seales – who now have two wickets each – found prodigious movement with the new ball, which they were careful not to waste. Captain Brathwaite had said yesterday his side had plans against each Pakistan player, and the way they went about dismantling the openers’ techniques suggested he had a point. Both were discomfited by deliveries that kept seaming back in of a length, and when the change-up from Roach targeted Butt’s stumps on the full, he was never in position to play the expansive drive he attempted. He found his off stump uprooted, and it had been coming.Abid had come off the back of an unbeaten double hundred against Zimbabwe, but against sterner opposition previously, his record remains remarkably mediocre. He got off to a streaky start with a thick outside edge that evaded the slips bringing him his first runs, but ever since, scoring opportunities were rarer than a dry day this series. Seales set him up with short deliveries through the over before pitching one up, and the Pakistan opener obliged by nicking it through to Joshua da Silva.Pakistan might have been content to lose just the two openers in the shortened first session, but in an extended second session in hot, humid conditions, West Indies ripped the spine out of the middle order. Their quartet of fast bowlers rose to the occasion, bowling expertly in partnerships – much more so than Pakistan batted in them.Azhar and Azam were removed within five deliveries of each other. Azhar in particular struggled dismally throughout an uncomfortable sojourn out in the middle, surviving no fewer than four reviews before finally nicking off to Holder. The next delivery Azam faced, he found Roach had beaten him on the inside edge, and when West Indies reviewed for a possible feather through to the keeper, Hawkeye supported their claim. All of a sudden, what had been a “nearly” session for Brathwaite’s side was transforming into a dominant one.It wasn’t ill-deserved, either. For the first 45 overs, the hosts stuck with the four pace bowlers, allowing them limited rest in oppressively humid conditions. Not for any extended period, though, was there a discernible let-up in intensity, a dropping of the shoulders or the pernicious creep-in of bad body language. The balls kept landing in the right areas, the pace didn’t fall away and Pakistan continued to be asked questions.Mohammad Rizwan would be the man to answer them, because Rizwan, apparently, does every job Pakistan require nowadays. His first ball was clipped away to midwicket for a boundary, and it soon became evident that that was how the wicketkeeper-batter would play. Seales was pulled away for four the first ball he bowled, and two further boundaries off the same bowler saw the run rate trend upwards.Rizwan fell shortly after, but it was during the Alam-Ashraf partnership, and the manic final hour which saw seven wickets fall that swung the game this way and that before leaving it finely poised overnight.

A maiden List A five-wicket haul from Ashton Agar formed the base for Australia A’s three-wicket win over India A, their third successive win in the tournament

The Report by Alagappan Muthu in Chennai10-Aug-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA maiden List A five-wicket haul from Ashton Agar formed the base for Australia A’s three-wicket win over India A, their third successive win in the tournament. The win sealed their spot in the A-team tri-series final.That the margin was so narrow was because the hosts’ spinners created a little panic in the Australia A middle order. Karn Sharma bowled 10 probing overs for 45 runs and three vital wickets, while Axar Patel and Karun Nair provided brilliant back-up.The trick was in bowling slow, tossing the ball up and letting a slow, dry and worn pitch do the dirty work. Australia A lost four middle-order wickets for 25 runs, including that of Chris Lynn for 63, and their chase seemed to have gone off the rails.But Adam Zampa, who got the better of the India A with the ball earlier in the series, showed some spunk with the bat. He contributed 54 to a seventh-wicket partnership of 80 runs with Callum Ferguson to ensure victory.The Australia A bowlers conceded their biggest total in the tri-series so far, yet their target was only 259. The quicks have managed to hold their lines well, and the spinners have been conscious about bowling slow, and have actually tried to turn the ball. They brought three frontline spinners on tour – Cameron Boyce helped turn the tri-series opener with 2 for 34, Zampa, a legspinner, took 4 for 49 on Friday. Today Agar coasted to 5 for 39, and it was shock impact – three wickets in 24 balls when the game had been with India A.Mayank Agarwal had collected his second fifty-plus score in as many days. He sent the first ball of the day packing to the fine-leg boundary. He had four boundaries by the end of 10 overs and was responsible for India A’s acceleration after captain Unmukt Chand fell early and Manish Pandey retired hurt after cutting his chin during a collision with Australia A wicketkeeper Matthew Wade. Agarwal had added 60 runs in 63 balls with Karun Nair, and had reached his half-century with a six and a four against Gurinder Sandhu in the 15th over.Then Agar came on in the 19th over and changed the game. A loopy delivery pitched around the leg stump, squared Agarwal up, ripped across his poke and clipped the off stump, and the bewildered batsman walked back for 61. The follow-up was a full toss that Kedar Jadhav tamely bunted to short midwicket. Sanju Samson and Axar Patel played ill-advised sweep shots and offered a couple more dollies. Agar bagged his fifth and India A had slumped from 98 for 1 to 161 for 6.Pandey, who had walked out again in the 33rd over, cruised to a half-century off 36 balls. India A squeezed out 72 runs in the final 10 overs to put up a competitive score.Australia A, however, whisked back the lost momentum as Travis Head, opening in place of the rested Joe Burns, cracked 45 off 43 balls. They cruised to a fifty off only 32 balls and that allowed Lynn the time he needed to get settled. A similarly aggressive innings from Zampa – his second List A fifty included seven fours and a six – helped Ferguson hold firm at the other end. Ferguson ended up unbeaten with 45 off 63 balls and hit the winning boundary.

Stephen Fleming has been named as head coach of the Pune franchise for the next two seasons of the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2016Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming has been named as head coach of the Pune franchise for the next two seasons of the IPL. The appointment was confirmed in a media release by Sanjeev Goenka, head of New Rising group which owns the franchise.Fleming, who had previously coached Chennai Super Kings, was always a favourite for the job once Pune made MS Dhoni their first pick in the IPL player draft on December 15. In Fleming and Dhoni, Pune have gained the brains trust that helped Super Kings become the most successful team in IPL history, including back-to-back championships in 2010 and 2011.”He [Fleming] has been remarkably successful as a player in the international arena and I firmly believe that his technical knowhow, perseverance and organisation skills will work wonders for our team,” Goenka said in the media statement.Goenka’s New Rising bagged the ownership rights for the Pune franchise in December in the reverse bidding process put in place by the BCCI to select the two new franchises that would replace Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, both of whom were suspended by the Lodha Committee in relation to the 2013 IPL corruption case.

Karun Nair, who made an unbeaten 119, said that he benefited from Manish Pandey’s positive approach

Vishal Dikshit in Bangalore09-Oct-2015Karun Nair has already been a part of the India Test squad. He has had a taste of the international circuit by spending time in the Indian dressing room after being picked for the third Test in Sri Lanka as M Vijay’s replacement, less than two months ago.Nair had been picked on the back of an unbeaten first-class century against South Africa A and a stellar 2014-15 season. Nair didn’t get an international debut and he is back to where he belonged – the Karnataka dressing room – to score more runs, more centuries, and register more wins for his side. His sixth first-class hundred and his third fifty-plus score in four first-class matches, including a 71 against Bangladesh A recently, placed Karnataka on top after two well-fought days against Bengal.”I wanted to start the season well and once you get starts…I got a start in the first game, I scored 30-odd and then couldn’t convert well. So it’s a relief of starting the season well and making it big,” Nair said.

Bhavane fit to bat on third day

Karnataka manager B Siddaramu said at the end of the second day’s play that No. 3 Shishir Bhavane, who had retired hurt on 32, was fit to bat on the third day as scans revealed there was no injury.
“He’s ok, he went to the hospital and he took an X-ray and CT scan. It’s only the impact when he got hit, no swelling, no fracture, he’s fit and ready to bat,” Siddaramu said. “He would have batted today but it’s good these two [Karun Nair and Shreyas Gopal] batted well and he’ll get one more day extra [to rest] and it will be slightly easier to bat.”
Bhavane was facing Ashok Dinda in the 27th over when a short ball climbed and hit him on the right wrist in the last over before lunch before Bhavane could drop his hands. Karnataka physio Sharavan came out and assessed Bhavane’s wrist before they walked off and the umpires ended the session there with only four balls left in the over.

Nair’s century today can be split into two parts – the supporing role and the lead role. The risk-free nature of his strokes did not change through the day but his partner and approach did. His first rescuing act was with Manish Pandey in a brisk partnership of 98 runs in 21 overs after the score was effectively 76 for 3, since Shishir Bhavane retired hurt, and Pandey dominated the stand with as many as nine fours. Nair said it was Pandey’s attacking approach that helped him bat without pressure.”Manish batted really well, he came out and batted very positively and that helped me also,” Nair said. “I got a lot of loose balls because of him playing positively. It was disappointing that he got out on 50-odd, still we are in a good position right now and we’d like to capitalise tomorrow.”There was no plan as to how to go about our partnership. Manish played his natural game, he scored off good balls and in between he received loose balls as well. The only plan was to bat throughout the day… Bat tight and straight.”Nair hopped into the driver’s seat once he saw Pandey and CM Gautam fall within half an hour. Karnataka were now 209 for 4 and unaware if Bhavane was going to bat again or not since he was sent to a hospital for scans after being hit on the wrist by a Ashok Dinda short ball. That did not perturb Nair and he marshaled Shreyas Gopal in the third session that went wicketless. In those two hours, Nair faced plenty of deliveries from spinners Pragyan Ojha and Manoj Tiwary, who pitched several ones outside the leg stump, only to see Nair play the ball late, use his feet to go back and forth, and find boundaries regularly.”I think I’ve been naturally like that [against the spinners],” Nair said. “I play spin naturally and haven’t done any special preparation as such, just the normal net sessions. It is one of my strengths but I think all-round I play quite well.”I was patient throughout, I didn’t play any rash shots, I was waiting for the loose balls and it all worked out well.”What also worked out well was that Karnataka got a lead by the end of the day with six wickets in hand as Bhavane was declared fit. Nair said they would look to bat the whole day on Saturday and the pitch had developed some cracks which could get worse by the end of the third day.”We should bat the whole day [tomorrow], we shouldn’t think about the runs, bat out the day and take whatever comes.”Pitch is right now good only. Outside the leg stump obviously the footmarks will be there but generally the pitch is good, the cracks are coming a little bit. Maybe tomorrow end of day it might become difficult to bat on, maybe till lunch or till tea it will still remain the same.”

“My stuff is still left in the room,” the 25-year old said, indicating that he will be returning to India to see out the rest of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff08-May-2022Shimron Hetmyer has left the Rajasthan Royals to return home to Guyana for the birth of his first child. “My stuff is still left in the room,” the 25-year old said, indicating that he will be returning to India to see out the rest of the IPL. Royals are in third place and are looking like one of the better placed teams to make the playoffs which are set to begin on May 24.Hetmyer has been a huge contributor to the Royals’ surge up the points table. As the team’s finisher, he has scored 291 runs at an average of 72 (he has remained unbeaten in seven out of 11 innings). A more telling statistic of his influence is his death-overs (17-20) strike rate. At 214.28, he is among the top-five most destructive finishers this season (min 30 balls).