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Amir ruled out of one-day series with shin injury

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Amir resumed bowling on the second day in Dubai but was soon forced off the field again and sent for scans

Osman Samiuddin07-Oct-2017Pakistan have been dealt a serious short-term blow with Mohammad Amir ruled out of bowling in the ongoing second Test as well as the one-day series against Sri Lanka. Amir picked up a stress-related injury of his right shin and has been advised rest for the next two to three weeks.Amir initially went off the field towards the end of the first evening of the Test, halfway through his 17th over. He was under observation overnight as the management initially said he was suffering from pain in his left shin.He arrived with the team for the second day and came on to bowl in the 11th over of the afternoon. But after struggling through three overs, during which he looked visibly troubled and at one stage required an ice pack, he went off again. This time he was taken for an MRI scan, which revealed the extent of the injury to his right shin.The sequence of events will raise questions about why he wasn’t taken for a scan earlier and why he was allowed to bowl at all on the second day.”The fast bowler has been advised two to three weeks rest after he underwent an MRI scan today following complains of pain in his right shin,” a PCB statement said. “Amir will not bowl in the ongoing Test match at the Dubai Cricket Stadium but would be available to bat.”That leaves Pakistan, already struggling with the ball in this Test, a bowler short going ahead – with only one specialist spinner and with Wahab Riaz enduring his own problems at one stage with his run-up. Their chances of rescuing their unbeaten home record of ten years, and seven in the UAE, stand considerably reduced.It also caps a miserable tour for Amir, who went wicketless in the first Test in Abu Dhabi, and picked up just one in the first innings here. He bowled well in brief patches, though coaching staff were concerned with his inability to find fuller lengths.The impact on Pakistan’s Test side will not be so important beyond this match – Pakistan do not play another Test until May next year when they tour England for a two-Test series. But his absence in the five-match ODI and three-match T20 series against Sri Lanka will be felt.He was their standout bowler in the Champions Trophy final in June against India, a three-wicket burst at the top of the order instrumental in Pakistan’s win. And he has, since his return from a five-year ban, made a substantial contribution to the 50-over side, taking 30 wickets in 21 ODIs.

Pujara ton leaves India Blue in command

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Cheteshwar Pujara’s fluent unbeaten 111 and Gautam Gambhir’s well-compiled 94 studded a dominant India Blue batting display over an India Red attack that lacked penetration and consistency

The Report by Sirish Raghavan10-Sep-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – During the course of his unbeaten 111, Cheteshwar Pujara brought up 10,000 runs in first-class cricket•PA Photos

After India Blue opted to bat first on a dry and cracked Greater Noida surface, Cheteshwar Pujara’s fluent unbeaten 111 and Gautam Gambhir’s well-compiled 94 studded a dominant batting display over an India Red attack that lacked penetration and consistency.Gambhir, who registered his fourth consecutive fifty-plus score of the tournament, also brought up his fourth consecutive century opening stand with Mayank Agarwal, who scored 57 in a knock laced with fluent cover drives. Pujara, coming off an innings of 166 against India Green, built on that base, scoring at a strike rate of 67.68 against a tiring and deflated bowling attack.India Blue made hay after the sun went down, plundering 151 runs in the third session for the sole loss of Rohit Sharma. Pujara and Dinesh Karthik made the bulk of those runs in an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 120 off 23.3 overs, which thoroughly entertained the sizeable crowd and took India Blue to an imposing 362 for 3 by stumps.If winning the toss was a slice of luck for India Blue, their openers benefited from a few more fortunate moments during their 144-run stand. Left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav, introduced in the 15th over, produced a chance with his first ball when Gambhir defended a good-length delivery to silly point, who couldn’t hold on to a low catch. A little later, Kuldeep beat a charging Agarwal but wicketkeeper Ankush Bains failed to collect the ball cleanly to complete the stumping.It was ultimately Stuart Binny who broke the partnership, shortly after tea, just when the batsmen looked set to bed in for the second session. Bowling cross-seam, Binny got the first ball of his spell to stop on Agarwal from a good length. Agarwal went through with his drive, playing well in front of his body, managing only to chip the ball to short extra-cover.But India Red’s respite was brief, as Pujara strode in and ensured continuity in the batting side’s dominance and the bowling side’s largely fruitless toil. He took nine balls to get off the mark, but when it happened it was worth the wait. Skipping to the pitch of a Kuldeep delivery, he drove it sweetly down the ground for four, to the right of a diving wide mid-off.That was the start of an assured, chanceless knock marked by steady accumulation, solid defence and some dazzling strokes too. The loss of Gambhir and Rohit Sharma at the other end did not in the least deter his determined, inexorable progress.Pujara showed a penchant for bringing up milestones with boundaries. A cover drive off Mishra brought up his 10,000th run in first-class cricket. A pull through midwicket, off Mishra once again, gave him his fifty. And an expansive extra-cover drive off Stuart Binny took him to his 33rd first-class century as the day drew to a close. In between, he played a number of gorgeous cuts, pulls and back-foot punches, simply because he could.That he could was down not just to his form and ability, but also to the inability of India Red’s bowlers to consistently ask questions of the batsmen’s technique. Opening bowlers Pradeep Sangwan and Nathu Singh bowled short of a length and could not generate much swing or seam movement in unhelpful conditions. Mishra and Kuldeep extracted sharp turn and gave the batsmen a few awkward moments, but repeatedly released the pressure with loose balls.Mishra, in particular, struggled to achieve much control, frequently losing his line and length. Half-trackers, full tosses and wide deliveries peppered his spells.While remaining wayward in the third session, Mishra managed to slip in a few good deliveries. Shortly after the dinner break, he beat Pujara’s outside edge twice with flighted, dipping legbreaks, and induced a skied outside-edge off a Rohit swipe, only for the ball to fall outside the reach of the cover fielder running back.In Mishra’s next over, Rohit attempted another wild swipe across the line, off a good-length legbreak, and this time the mis-hit went straight up and was comfortably pouched by Shikhar Dhawan at cover.The three deliveries Mishra bowled immediately after taking that wicket neatly encapsulated the day he was having. A half-volley outside off was driven through the covers for four to get Karthik off the mark. A good follow-up delivery induced an inside-edge to short leg but the tough chance was not taken. Then a rank half-tracker was pulled disdainfully through midwicket for another four. The four-ball felt almost inevitable.

Agar, Lynn seal final berth with three-wicket win

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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.

Burns leads way in thumping win

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A pair of notable reinforcements made little difference to the England Lions as they were pummelled once more by Australia A in Hobart, this time by 122 runs

Daniel Brettig18-Feb-2013
ScorecardJoe Burns anchored Australia A with a measured innings•Getty Images

A pair of notable reinforcements made little difference to the England Lions as they were pummelled once more by Australia A in Hobart, this time by 122 runs.Alex Hales and Stuart Meaker were called into the team having played for England during the northern winter, but neither was able to make much impression on the hosts, who glided to a strong total after being sent in thanks to Joe Burns’ century and a neat 74 by Callum Ferguson.James Taylor provided the only semblance of resistance for the Lions in their chase, which petered out in the face of a consistent display that had John Hastings, Alister McDermott, Cameron Boyce and the captain Aaron Finch all claiming two wickets apiece.The visitors were notably sloppy with the ball, conceding no fewer than 28 wides, as opposed to the six delivered by the hosts. Australia A’s only concern was a second injury to emerge from the series, Nathan Coulter-Nile diagnosed with an adductor strain and sent home to Perth to recover.Setting off in pursuit of their distant target, the visitors had a touch of good fortune when Alex Hales was turfed by Hastings in the slips, but Richardson soon had the wicket in any event, coaxing another edge that was held by Tim Paine behind.Varun Chopra and James Taylor prospered for a time, but Chopra was deceived by a faster ball from Finch and bowled, before Ben Foakes failed to take advantage of being grassed first ball by Paine when he was run out, Taylor failing to respond to the striker’s call.From there the innings slipped away meekly, Boyce gaining some useful turn for his two wickets while Hastings was accurate and McDermott sealed the win with consecutive yorkers.The Lions’ XI had been bolstered by the inclusions of Hales and Meaker, both England representatives during the southern summer, and the latter struck with the third ball of the match, squaring up Finch and drawing an edge to Chopra in the slips.It was a rare delivery of the requisite new-ball precision however, as Burns and Alex Doolan made merry on a warm Hobart morning. They feasted on a steady diet of balls directed at leg stump or wide outside off, and they seemed in little danger of being separated until Doolan called Burns through for a single to short fine leg and was run out by Craig Overton’s direct hit.Ferguson, recovered from a groin strain that kept him out of game one, joined Burns for a busy partnership that reaped 128 runs, again with a minimum of risk though Foakes appeared to grass a pair of half-chances standing up to the stumps.Burns reached his maiden century in limited overs matches, a strong display after walking to the wicket early in the day, and his departure signalled the start of late innings festivities that would reap 104 runs from the final 10 overs. Ben Cutting struck the most telling blow, swinging a Meaker slower ball over square leg and clean out of the ground. It was to be a neat summary of the result.

We're talented and tough enough – Marsh

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When the Sri Lankan team watched the sun set behind Table Mountain two evenings ago, the possibility of winning their first series in South Africa still existed. Nowt they are looking only for a draw.

Firdose Moonda at Newlands04-Jan-2012When the Sri Lankan team watched the sun set behind Table Mountain two evenings ago, the possibility of winning their first series in South Africa still existed. Now, not even halfway into the deciding Test match and their focus has shifted substantially. Instead of their sights set on a massive upset they are looking only for a draw as they aim to share the spoils in this series.Geoff Marsh, Sri Lanka’s coach, admitted their poor first day, in which they conceded 347 runs and took just three wickets, cost the chance of shooting for the stars. “We have to play catch up cricket now,” said Marsh. “But if we manage to avoid the follow-on then that will open the game up a little bit.”Sri Lanka still require 232 runs to avoid the possibility of being asked to bat again at Newlands. With the amount of time left in the game, they will have to put in a supreme stand at the crease to deny South Africa their first series win at home since 2008, something Marsh thinks the hosts are anxious to achieve.When Graeme Smith declared, 40 minutes before tea, the decision was somewhat surprising because South Africa could have pushed the advantage. Marsh said he expected Smith to call time on South Africa’s innings because of the importance of clinching the contest. “They’ve got to win the game to win the series so we thought we would be batting at that time,” said Marsh. “They have to give themselves time to bowl us out twice.”Marsh believes Sri Lanka’s line-up is talented and tough enough to put up adequate resistance. “If we bat well, we are capable of making big scores,” said Marsh. “We’ve got some very good Test cricketers with some very good averages and we would expect what we were doing to back that up.”The back up started with captain Tillakaratne Dilshan, who scored an aggressive 78, before falling in a typical fashion, attempting a big shot over long-on. It is his best effort of the tour and his first half-century in the three Tests. Had he still been at the crease, Sri Lanka would have slept easier. “We’d love to have been one down,” said Marsh but added that the team was grateful for the start Dilshan gave them. “Dilshan plays the way Dilshan plays, that’s why he is so dangerous. It’s always good when Dilshan gets runs because he gets them so quickly. He himself wants to be a bit more consistent. Today he batted beautifully. It’s a pity he got out.”Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene are currently at the crease. The pair hold the world-record partnership for any team with their third-wicket stand of 624 against South Africa in Colombo. Although that was achieved in completely different circumstances, it is a performance that Sri Lanka will likely draw some inspiration from.The strip itself may provide the rest of the motivation. From their first day’s toil, Sri Lanka know that taking 20 wickets on a batsmen-friendly pitch will be a challenge for any side. Sri Lanka struggled to make breakthroughs on a pitch that didn’t offer much assistance and a batting line-up determined to attack.More than inexperience, it was the lack of surety that affected Sri Lanka’s bowlers and may be the reason they miss their chance at history. If they do, they can take some consolation in knowing that they have been described as the sub-continental side that has made the biggest strides by South African stalwart Jacques Kallis. “In previous years sub-continent sides have struggled with the bounce in South Africa but they have all improved the way they’ve played the pace and bounce,” he said. “And I think Sri Lanka have improved the most.”When the sun sets on the Test series in three days time, Marsh said his team do not want it to go down with them left wondering about what could have been. “To beat real good sides, you can’t make mistakes but the boys are really keen,” he said. “They don’t want to just play the last Test, win that, and then play badly in this Test.”

Watson admits focus has been elsewhere

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Shane Watson’s brilliant match-winning century at the MCG suggested a mind focused firmly on the job, but his thoughts have been far from the cricket world over the past few days

Brydon Coverdale in Melbourne16-Jan-2011Shane Watson’s brilliant match-winning century at the MCG suggested a mind focused firmly on the job, but his thoughts have been far from the cricket world over the past few days. While Watson plundered an unbeaten 161 against England, the fifth-best individual score in Australia’s ODI history, the residents of his hometown, Ipswich, were starting the clean-up after devastating floods, and by Monday, he’ll be there too.Shortly after Watson brought up victory with a six in the 50th over, he was already casting his mind to Queensland and a two-day trip back home before Australia’s next ODI, which is in Hobart on Friday. Watson has organised a sausage sizzle at a Bunning’s hardware store in the Ipswich suburb of Booval, and he’ll be doing what he can to raise funds and lift spirits.”I haven’t really been thinking about cricket too much,” Watson said. “It has been all about what’s been going on back home and also trying to organise things that I can do after this game to be able to help out in any way I can. It’s going to be great to be able to get up to Ipswich tomorrow morning and to be able to help out. My mind has been there.”I’m really looking forward to being able to get up there and feeling like I can have some input in some way. My family was lucky enough not to be affected, but I know some of my friends who live close to the river, and also my primary school, the grounds close to it were all flooded. It’s going to be heart-wrenching to see the devastation that’s there.”It will be a far cry from the MCG, where Watson thrilled the crowd with a fluent and powerful innings that featured four sixes. Right from the start, the ball fizzed off his bat with impeccable timing, and in pursuit of 295, he and his opening partner Brad Haddin ensured that Australia got to 110 in the 20th over before they lost a wicket.By the closing stages, things became a little tighter but Cameron White helped to close things out with an unbeaten 25, which included a couple of important boundaries to long-on when Watson was tiring. But Watson had enough left in his tank to bring the fans to their feet with the first ball of the last over, when four runs were needed and he lifted Ajmal Shahzad over long-on for six.”Cameron White was great to keep me thinking about exactly what was required and how we were going to do it,” Watson said. “I was a little bit tired at that stage so for him to process it well with me, it worked out nicely in the end. To be able to get through and get a hundred, it’s going to continue to build my confidence if I get close to there in Test matches.”Watson has a habit of failing to capitalise on his starts in Test cricket, where he has made 15 scores from 50 to 99, but only two centuries. However, in ODIs, he has now managed five hundreds. And none of it means as much to him as the trip he’ll make to Ipswich this week.

South Africa to play additional T20 in West Indies tour

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South Africa will play an additional Twenty20 international on their tour of the West Indies in May-June, the West Indies Cricket Board has confirmed

Cricinfo staff09-Feb-2010South Africa will play an additional Twenty20 international on their tour of the West Indies in May-June, the West Indies Cricket Board has confirmed. The teams will now play back-to-back Twenty20 games at the Queens Park Oval in Trinidad on May 19 and 20 respectively. The teams will stay back in Trinidad for the first two ODIs.The two boards had agreed to play an extra match, but it won’t extend the tour. The tour begins with the Twenty20 games, followed by five ODIs and three Tests. The series will be preceded by the ICC World Twenty20, also in the Caribbean.

Bangladesh pick three seamers, opt to bowl against Hong Kong

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Hong Kong field an unchanged side in Abu Dhabi

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Sep-20251:27

Can Bangladesh maintain their aggressive batting approach?

Bangladesh captain Litton Das elected to bowl in their Asia Cup opener against Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi.Litton said he decided to bowl since they were not aware of the pitch conditions at the venue. He confirmed that Bangladesh were playing three seamers, two spinners, and six batters.Hong Kong captain Yasim Murtaza was happy despite losing the toss because he wanted to bat first anyway. Murtaza said that the batters made some mistakes against Afghanistan and that they wouldn’t want to repeat them. There were no changes to the Hong Kong side, with Murtaza backing the same XI to come good tonight.The pitch report sugges a dry surface with some cracks opening up but remains run friendly. The shorter boundary on one side of the ground could interest the battersOne losing record promises to come to an end tonight. Bangladesh have never won a T20I in Abu Dhabi. Hong Kong are yet to win an Asia Cup match.Bangladesh XI: 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Parvez Hossain Emon, 3 Litton Das (capt & wk), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Shamim Hossain, 6 Jaker Ali, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Tanzim Hasan, 9 Rishad Hossain, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur Rahman.Hong Kong XI: 1 Zeeshan Ali (wk), 2 Anshy Rath, 3 Babar Hayat, 4 Nizakat Khan, 5 Kalhan Challu, 6 Kinchit Shah, 7 Yasim Murtaza (capt), 8 Aizaz Khan, 9 Ayush Shukla, 10 Ateeq Iqbal, 11 Ehsan Khan

Ben Stokes: 'We're man enough to say that we've been outplayed'

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England captain seeks positives after 4-1 loss as he backs team to stick to positive style

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-20242:42

Did England run out of steam in Dharamsala?

England were outplayed by the better team since winning the first Test against India – that was Ben Stokes’ assessment of his side’s 4-1 series defeat, delivered well inside three days of the final match in Dharamsala.Faced with a first-innings defict of 259, England were bowled out for 195 in their second as India won by an innings and 64 runs. Stokes’ response immediately after the match was measured in the face of R Ashwin’s five-wicket haul – he took nine for the match in his 100th Test – which sealed the result. Centuries to Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma helped India to an imposing 477 after Kuldeep Yadav’s five-for helped restrict England to 218 in their first innings.”Now that the series has come to an end – I don’t give too much away, obviously, whilst the series is going on – but since the first Test match of the series, we’re man enough and we’re big enough to say that we’ve been outplayed by the better team in the series,” Stokes said at the post-match presentation. “But we’ve got so much cricket coming up in our summer, and then Pakistan and New Zealand. Taking the positives that we’ve got from the series is something that I’m really looking forward to. I’m excited to be a part of driving this team even further forward.”Speaking to broadcaster TNT afterwards, Stokes added that the tour result had done nothing to dent England’s Bazball ethos, saying “we ain’t gonna let the last two years go to waste over this series in isolation”, having said during the presentation that he wasn’t troubled by a lack of batting consistency.”When you look at the game as a whole, and the series as a whole, there’s been really small moments throughout every Test match where we wrestled a bit of momentum back towards us, but we’ve not just been able to maintain and keep that going,” Stokes said. “And in Test-match cricket, especially out here where the game can turn really fast on you, it’s about understanding that and trying to understand those moments and being a bit more relentless with it. How that looks, I’m not sure, but we’re all here at the highest level playing cricket. I think we all know as individuals that that’s probably where it’s gone wrong for us, on more than one occasion.Related

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“When India get on top, especially with the ball, you see a lot of men come around the bat, and when you’ve got the quality bowlers that they do – Ashwin, [Ravindra] Jadeja, Kuldeep – you’ve got to find ways of getting the guys around the bat out of there. Sometimes that comes with risk. Risk doesn’t always pay off, but you get a couple of sweeps away and then you find you’ve only got one man around the bat. You’ve just got to be positive enough to be able to take that risk, and know that sometimes it can be your downfall.”You can look and say, ‘could I have done something better?’ But when the intent and the application is there, with the real reason as to why you’re playing that shot, then you can’t really say too much else.”In spite of the margin of England’s defeat, Stokes reiterated that there were positives to take from the match and series. Young spinner Shoaib Bashir overcame illness on the eve of the match to take his second five-wicket haul in as many Tests (just the second and third of his career). Tom Hartley stepped in as lead spinner in the absence of an injured Jack Leach, while Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett continued to develop their partnership at the top of the batting line-up with seven 45-plus stands in the series.Some of the senior players had their moments at the end of the series, too, with Joe Root coming into form with a century in the fourth Test and 84 in the second innings of the fifth, while at the age of 41, James Anderson took the 700th wicket of a Test career spanning nearly 21 years.”I’ve been lucky enough to be on the field with some of the lads there, the milestones that Jimmy’s got to, but being there for 700 wickets as a seamer, it is quite phenomenal,” Stokes added.”I’ve said many a time that he’s someone who every young kid, if he wants to be a fast bowler, should look up to and try and emulate,” he continued. “Everything that he has done from the day he first started being a cricketer, let alone international cricketer, to where he is now … 41 years old, he’s as fit as I’ve ever seen him, and I honestly just don’t know when he’s going to stop, because the desire to commit is still there. It’s great to watch.”

After thorny run-in, Australia hope for smooth start to title defence

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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.