Sri Lanka Women put up a strong performance on the field to win the fourth Twenty20 game against West Indies Women by 14 runs, their first in the five match series which West Indies now lead 3-1

ESPNcricinfo staff08-May-2012
ScorecardSri Lanka Women put up a strong performance on the field to win the fourth Twenty20 game against West Indies Women by 14 runs, their first in the five match series which West Indies lead 3-1.Chasing Sri Lanka’s total, West Indies opener Juliana Nero built a solid foundation with 32 runs and took West Indies past 50 for the loss of one wicket. However, Sri Lanka turned the tables with aggressive fielding which led to four run-outs and Maduri Samuddika, playing her first Twenty20 on this tour, bowled a stifling spell of 4-0-11-3. West Indies lost their last seven wickets for only 23 runs to fritter away a good start as no one apart from Nero was able to get to a double-digit score.Sri Lanka’s innings had followed a similar pattern as they were reduced from 51 for one to 62 for seven in three overs. However, an unbeaten 32-run partnership between Dilani Manodara and Sripali Weerakkody helped Sri Lanka reach 94, which in the end proved to be enough.The last match of the series will be played in Port of Spain on Wednesday.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL final between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai

The Preview by George Binoy26-May-2012

Match facts

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)When these sides met in Chennai during the league stage, Knight Riders won by five wickets•AFP

Big Picture

They are here, again. Those resilient, stubborn Chennai Super Kings. In another IPL final, their fourth in five seasons and their third in a row, pursuing a hat trick of titles. Love them, hate them or couldn’t care less about them, you have to give it to them – the Super Kings got game. They know when and how to turn it on, too, though this season they dangled off the edge of the precipice, holding on with their pinkies, for longer than was comfortable.Kolkata Knight Riders did not leave their chances hinging on an improbable combination of results over which they had no control. They reached the playoffs with a game to spare and made short work of Delhi Daredevils to enter their maiden IPL final. Their performances have been efficient and consistent and they should logically be favourites tomorrow. But they’re facing a resurgent side on its home turf.Super Kings are blessed with loyal fans and the pricklier among them bristle at insinuations that fortune played a role in their team making it to Chennai on Sunday. They got enough points, didn’t they? And they didn’t design the schedule, so they had to hope three results went their way to make the playoffs. And Kings XI Punjab just weren’t good enough to beat Delhi Daredevils, and Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore weren’t good enough to beat bottom-placed Deccan Chargers. What’s luck got to do with it?That Super Kings had to wait five days to know they would be able to defend their title was because of an out-of-sorts start to the season. At times they, the IPL’s least changed side over five seasons, looked passé compared to some of the other teams, who had strengthened squads with new personnel. Super Kings’ turnaround only began after ten league games, of which they had won four. They won four of their last six matches, so their form, when they entered familiar playoff territory, was satisfactory.And then they were near perfect. After clambering on to level ground, Super Kings’ misfiring batting line-up, the longest in the IPL, found its guns and annihilated Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils with breath-taking confidence.While Super Kings had abundant success in seasons past, Knight Riders had nothing. In the first three years, they were the only team without a top-four finish. So in 2011, Knight Riders abandoned failed strategies, completely overhauled their squad, and climbed to fourth in the league, but lost the eliminator. In 2012, they have gone farther, converting their second-place finish in the league into a berth in the finals by beating Daredevils in the first qualifier.Knight Riders also had an iffy start to the season, losing three of their first five games. Since then they’ve lost only two out of 11, acquiring the rarest quality in Twenty20 cricket – consistency. There were no dramas in their progress to the playoffs. Their success has been built around two people with supporting contributions from the rest. The captain Gautam Gambhir has been a reliable run-scorer, while the spinner Sunil Narine has confounded all and sundry with his unreadable variations.If they perform like they have this season, Knight Riders have little reason to worry. Whether they can perform in their first final, against opponents seasoned to such pressure, is the question.

Form guide

(most recent first)
Chennai Super Kings: WWLWW
Kolkata Knight Riders: WWWLL

Watch out for …

Sunil Narine: At present, he has the second most wickets this season, the best economy rate, and the best average for anyone who’s played more than two matches – 24 wickets, 5.20 per over and 11.95 per wicket. Gambhir’s used him in a variety of situations – early on to drag back a quick start, in the middle to exercise control over the game and at the end, when batsmen have only attack on their minds. Narine’s delivered each time. Gambhir’s utilisation of Narine in the final will be crucial. Super Kings bat until No. 9 so Gambhir will have to decide when and against whom Narine can have the greatest impact.The middle orders: With top orders evenly matched and Knight Riders shading the bowling battle, this is where Super Kings score heavily over their opponents. The line-up comprising MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, S Badrinath and Albie Morkel is far more reliable and powerful than the one comprising Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Manoj Tiwary, or variations of it. Knight Riders are more dependent on their top order than Super Kings are, although Yusuf Pathan did make his first proper contribution in the qualifier against Daredevils.

Team combination

Barring last-minute fitness problems, Super Kings are certain to play the same XI that won them the two knockout games to reach the final.A couple of Knight Riders players have hamstring concerns. Manoj Tiwary missed the knockout against Delhi because of a strain and was replaced by Laxmi Ratan Shukla, who impressed with 24 off 11 balls. Tiwary is likely to be fit, though, so either Shukla or Debabrata Das, who has also performed well, could make way. The bigger hamstring concern, however, is over L Balaji, who injured himself during the qualifier. Balaji has been the solitary Indian seamer in the Knight Riders attack so his absence could cause significant change to the team composition.

Meetings this season

At Chepauk, Knight Riders won by five wickets and two balls to spare. Super Kings were restricted to a middling total and the victory was more comfortable than the margin indicates.At Eden Gardens, Super Kings won by five wickets off the final delivery. Chasing 159, they* had reached 97 for 0 in the 11th over when Narine derailed the innings during a spell of 4-0-14-2. With 5 to get off the last ball, Bravo launched Rajat Bhatia over the long-on boundary.

Stats and trivia

• In the last five overs of the innings, Super Kings have scored at 10.64 per over on average this season, which is the second best after Royal Challengers Bangalore. Knight Riders have scored at 9.32 per over during this period. There is very little separating the sides’ run rates in the first six overs, though Knight Riders are a little faster.
• Knight Riders have had the best spinners of the tournament. They’ve taken the most wickets at the best average and economy rate – 48, 16.20 and 6.09. Their attack of choice in recent games has been Narine, Iqbal Abdulla and Shakib Al Hasan, with Yusuf chipping in. Super Kings’ spinners are second best, but by a distance.

Quotes

“When you go on to the field, you do not go there to make friends but you are there to get results in your team’s favour. You have to be aggressive on the field. That is how we have won matches and now we are in the final and not to just compete.”
.”With his action, it is difficult to catch him as to which side he is bowling, whether it is the one that comes in to a right hander or it goes out. The variation he has got and the consistency that he has got in maintaining line and length has been crucial.”
.*The text said Knight Riders earlier

India A gained the upper hand in the second unofficial Test against West Indies A in St Vincent, after their bowlers restricted the hosts to 212 for 8 on the opening day

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2012
Scorecard
Kraigg Brathwaite made a defiant, unbeaten 66•West Indies Cricket

India A gained the upper hand in the second unofficial Test against West Indies A in St Vincent, after their bowlers restricted the hosts to 212 for 8 on the opening day. India were in a good position to bowl West Indies out for under 200 but a lower-order resistance, and Kraigg Brathwaite, who batted out the day to finish on an unbeaten 66, ensured that didn’t happen.West Indies, who chose to bat, lost opener Justin Guillen early. Donovan Pagon followed soon, bowled by legspinner Rahul Sharma. But Brathwaite held firm and added 48 with Nkrumah Bonner for the third wicket. Unfortunately for West Indies, the middle-order batsmen, despite getting starts were unable to push on. Bonner fell for 25, Jonathan Carter was dismissed for 19 and Kyle Corbin departed for 13. When Devon Thomas was trapped in front by Rohit Sharma, West Indies were in trouble at 130 for 6.Brathwaite, however, was defiant and received good support from Jason Holder, who made 20 in a 34-run stand. Veerasammy Permaul did better, scoring a quick 36 before being cleaned up by Ashok Dinda. Permaul and Brathwaite took West Indies past 200, with the opener unbeaten at stumps, having faced 292 balls.For India, Shami Ahmed, Ashok Dinda and Rohit Sharma picked up two wickets each.

Kapil Dev, the former India captain, has cut off his association with the unofficial Indian Cricket League opening the door to work again with the BCCI

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jul-2012Kapil Dev, the former India captain, has cut off his association with the unofficial Indian Cricket League, which is now defunct, opening the door to work again with the BCCI. He also stands to be awarded his benefit of Rs 1.5 crore ($270,000) and possibly his pension arrears.”Mr Kapil Dev has informed the Board that he has resigned from the Essel Sports Private Limited/ICL,” the BCCI said. “He has also stated in the letter that he has always supported the BCCI, and will continue to do so in the future.”The BCCI acknowledges Mr Kapil Dev’s immense contribution to Indian cricket, and looks forward to a fruitful association with him in the years to come.”Kapil spoke briefly to reporters after the meeting. “The BCCI is like a parent and we are like its children. I have contributed to the welfare of cricket and cricketers during my earlier association [with the BCCI] and aim to do so even now.”Speaking to the BCCI’s website, Kapil was all praise for the Indian board and its president, N Srinivasan. “There can be misunderstandings at times, but as part of Indian cricket, I’ve always had respect for the organisation more than the individuals [that form it]. I love my cricket board and I’m so happy to be back here. I’m proud to be part of one of the biggest sporting organisations in the world.”He [Srinivasan] is a wonderful administrator and has shown his worth. I was so delighted to hear from him. He’s a man with endless passion for Indian cricket and that’s what I admire the most about him. There are people who are only interested in name and fame, but few work sincerely for 25 to 30 years for the betterment of the game.”This ends a long and bitter battle between the board and Kapil, which began with the birth of the ICL in 2007 in the aftermath of India’s disastrous World Cup campaign in the West Indies. The ICL, promoted by the Zee group, pre-empted the BCCI’s own IPL and was promptly declared unofficial, its players barred from all forms of the game in India and eventually globally. Kapil himself was sacked as chairman of the National Cricket Academy and there followed a series of events, court cases and failed negotiations that led to the ICL’s closure; the league’s last competitive match was in November 2008.Kapil spent the next five years on the margins of the game as a television talking head and a newspaper columnist, his relationship with the official side of Indian cricket remaining rocky. However, he held centrestage at the official silver jubilee celebration of India’s 1983 World Cup win and, two years later, was inducted into the ICC’s Hall of Fame.In April 2008 the BCCI announced an amnesty scheme for all involved with the ICL, with a May 31 deadline to cut off all ties with the rebel league. On June 2 it announced an amnesty for 79 players, 11 former players and 11 officials. Kapil Dev was not on that list but his rehabilitation has now been completed.The BCCI will tick July 2012 off as a month of restoration: first came the Indo-Pak cricket ties, then Kiran More was returned to the fold, and on Wednesday, it was time for reconciliation with the biggest fish of them all, Kapil Dev. A five-year cold war over the ICL has ended in a warm embrace of cordiality and bonhomie. The BCCI has kindly recognised Kapil’s “immense” contribution to Indian cricket and Kapil has called the BCCI his “parent”. Behind all this are two simple truths: one, that the BCCI’s financial clout is very hard to resist, and two, fighting words from Kapil Dev are to be taken as seriously as crackpot news television. This is the same cricketer who had threatened to go on a hunger strike if the ICL’s younger players were ignored by the BCCI.The BCCI’s first response to Kapil joining the ICL was to sack him as head of the National Cricket Academy and cut off his monthly pension. Devastating for a cricketer of small means, much less so to someone with Kapil’s hefty financial earnings. Then the BCCI tried to snub him by not inviting him to a few functions and, as he was India’s only World Cup-winning captain until 2011, that only made them look small. The master move came two months ago when the BCCI announced one-time benefits to former cricketers; Kapil was omitted, losing about Rs 1.5 crore ($270,000 approx). The BCCI’s pound of flesh was in the form of written assurances of loyalty from former players who have had sterling careers for India. In an angry newspaper column, Kapil, though, drew himself up to his impressive height and said: “Not all cricketers are answerable to the board.” On Wednesday, he put himself in the category of cricketers who are affordable.
Sharda Ugra

Rory Hamilton-Brown returned from a month’s compassionate leave as Surrey won a tight game against Nottinghamshire

Jeremy Culley at Trent Bridge01-Aug-2012
ScorecardRory Hamilton-Brown made his return for Surrey after a month on compassionate leave•Getty Images

It is unlikely those connected with Surrey will remember this season for anything positive but this was their most decisive step yet in recovering from the death of Tom Maynard.Their victory at Trent Bridge on a turning pitch was doubly special, firstly as it enabled them to leapfrog hosts Nottinghamshire and go top of their Clydesdale Bank 40 group. But, more importantly, it marked the return of their captain Rory Hamilton-Brown to the team after a month on compassionate leave following the death of his flatmate and close friend.On the field, Surrey owed a lot to Matthew Spriegel, whose controlled spell of 2 for 21 in eight overs and innings of 47 in testing conditions set up his team’s victory.The surface, so conducive to slow bowling neither Surrey quick Stuart Meaker or Notts’ Jake Ball bowled a single ball, appeared difficult to bat on but the hosts’ meagre score of 149 only briefly looked competitive before late hitting from Spriegel and Gareth Batty handed Surrey victory with 23 balls to spare.Hamilton-Brown did not assume the captaincy on his return but his colleagues made a superb start after stand-in skipper Batty won the toss and opted to open the bowling with two spinners. Spriegel and Murali Kartik both achieved considerable turn and the former made early inroads, getting Michael Lumb to chop on in the fifth over and Riki Wessels to pick out Jason Roy at midwicket.The pressure exerted by Spriegel benefitted Dernbach. The England bowler served up some filthy early fare, which Alex Hales flayed away square of the wicket, but then snared two cheap wickets.Samit Patel top-edged an attempted hook and Hales carved a short, wide ball to Zander de Bruyn at point to leave Notts floundering on 52 for 4. They were perhaps too eager to break free from the stranglehold achieved by Surrey’s four spin bowlers, but Adam Voges and Chris Read showed no such impatience.They added 67 in 17 overs for the fifth wicket but their good work was undone when both fell in quick succession. Voges nicked a superb delivery from Kartik to slip before Read picked out Spriegel in the deep to hand Zafar Ansari a wicket.Notts then collapsed, Batty claiming two deserved wickets and Dernbach bowling Luke Fletcher – returning after a three-month absence – with a slower ball after Graeme White had been run out.If a script appeared to have already been written, Harry Gurney swiftly tore it up. Hamilton-Brown, opening for Surrey, nicked off in the left-arm seamer’s first over for 2. Gurney, who like James Taylor joined Nottinghamshire from Leicestershire in the winter, then ousted Roy first ball with a vicious delivery that the Surrey No. 3 fended to White at point.Gurney was unlucky not to claim a third victim in the tenth over, Hales granting Gary Wilson a reprieve by shelling a tough slip chance.Surrey were recovering steadily but suffered a setback when opener Steve Davies skied one to Voges when he looked set on 35. Wilson then charged White, who was spinning the ball a long way, and was stumped to ensure Hales’ error was not too costly.Pressure was building on Surrey but Spriegel provided welcome relief by heaving a four and six to the vacant midwicket boundary off successive Steven Mullaney deliveries. His partner de Bruyn remained bogged down and tamely clipped a half-volley from Mullaney to Voges. Surrey’s chase began to look challenging but Spriegel took the initiative and twice smashed White over the top before being caught on the square-leg boundary.After that wicket White inexplicably overstepped and Ansari hit the free-hit for four. Batty then hit Patel for two boundaries – one a maximum – before Ansari won it with a six off White.

ESPNcricinfo previews the second Test between India and New Zealand in Bangalore

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran30-Aug-2012

Match facts

Friday, August 31-Tuesday, September 4
Start time 0930 (0400 GMT)Can New Zealand attack the India spinners in Bangalore?•AFP

Big Picture

It’s not often than an Indian Test win fails to top the sports pages, never mind the cricket pages. India’s comprehensive victory over New Zealand in Hyderabad though was relegated to a sideshow last week as Unmukt Chand’s Under-19 team won the World Cup in Australia. That India’s first five-day success in nine months was so overshadowed was a measure of how lightly New Zealand are treated as a Test opposition, and how heavily India are expected to win.
New Zealand’s Test fortunes seemed on an upswing after upsetting Australia in Hobart, following that up with their biggest Test win ever – an innings-and-301-run thumping of Zimbabwe – and the emergence of several talented young quick bowlers but the optimism has faded over the past few months. The home series against South Africa was always going to be a difficult challenge, but the capitulation on the tour of the Caribbean and against India last week has led to despondence among New Zealand fans. Much has already been written about the frail batting, the scarcity of centuries and the doubts against spin. The Bangalore Test presents a chance to show they are better than they have shown in recent times.
India, meanwhile, couldn’t have asked for a better series to gauge how to fill the void left by the retirement of middle-order stalwarts Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. Cheteshwar Pujara will be relieved after marking his return to the Test arena following a one-and-a-half year absence with a big century. Virat Kohli also solidified his position with a fifty and, after a wretched Australia series, India’s attack finally looked Test-quality again.

Form guide

India WLLLL (Most recent first)
New Zealand LLLDL

Watch out for

Suresh Raina has been an integral member of India’s limited-overs sides for several years now, but Test cricket has proved tougher to crack. Kohli and Pujara have earned themselves middle-order spots at least for a handful of Tests, leaving Raina’s place as the most vulnerable. The Test against a feeble New Zealand offers Raina the chance to make the runs necessary to keep a host of challengers at bay.
Ross Taylor has repeatedly stressed on the need for his batsmen to make centuries if New Zealand are to compete in Tests. He himself has only one hundred in more than two years, and that too against a lightweight Zimbabwe. With Jesse Ryder sidelined, Brendon McCullum promoted to the opening spot, and Daniel Vettori injured, New Zealand need Taylor to shore up the middle order.

Pitch and conditions

The Chinnaswamy track isn’t expected to be as spin-friendly as the one in Hyderabad last week, and the quicker bowlers are likely to have more of a role to play. The big concern for the organisers, though, is the weather. There have been evening showers over the past few days in Bangalore, and the predictions are for rains over the weekend as well.

Team news

MS Dhoni has ruled out experimenting with the India line-up ahead of the tougher Tests against England and Australia later in the season, which means the same XI which won the first Test is likely to feature in Bangalore as well. There have been some fitness concerns over Pujara, who was struck on the knee while fielding at short leg in the first Test, but Dhoni said Pujara is expected to play. “Pujara is a bit sore, but the good thing is he batted today at the nets and fielded also,” Dhoni said. “He got a hard hit which means it will take some time to heal but I don’t think it is restricting him in the field.”
India (likely) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Virat Kohli, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Pragyan Ojha, 11 Umesh Yadav.New Zealand also aren’t expected to make too many changes. Taylor said he was backing his batsmen to deliver after the dismal performance in Hyderabad. The one change they could consider is bringing in either Neil Wagner or Tim Southee for Chris Martin, who was dropped as recently as the second Test against West Indies last month.New Zealand (likely) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Brendon McCullum, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor (capt), 5 Daniel Flynn, 6 James Franklin, 7 Kruger van Wyk (wk), 8 Doug Bracewell, 9 Trent Boult, 10 Jeetan Patel, 11 Neil Wagner/Chris Martin.

Stats and trivia

• The Chinnaswamy Stadium isn’t India’s happiest hunting ground, with only one Test win in close to 17 years. Against New Zealand, though, India have won both Tests at the venue.
• After his pair in Hyderabad, Martin is now level with Glenn McGrath on 35 Test ducks, with only Courtney Walsh (43) ahead. Martin’s seven Test pairs is a record.
• Brendon McCullum is 45 short of becoming the sixth New Zealand batsman to reach 4000 Test runs

Quotes

“Sachin Tendulkar may score 45 or 50, still people think he has not scored runs. He has always been under this kind of pressure. He is enjoying cricket and he wants to still improve in every practice session.”

“You have to reach a stage where mentally as well as with your stroke-play in attack and defence, you can dominate them. Not the other way around by letting them dominate you.”

Rajasthan are missing key players but their captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar believes the Irani Cup contest against a strong Rest of India side is not “uneven.”

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Sep-2012Aakash Chopra, Pankaj Singh and Rituraj Singh, three men who contributed to Rajasthan’s successful Ranji Trophy campaign last season, are absent from the squad but their captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar believes the Irani Cup contest against a strong Rest of India side is not “uneven.”Chopra, one Rajasthan’s three professionals and their third highest run-scorer, moved to Himachal Pradesh. Pankaj, the third highest wicket-taker in the 2011-12 tournament with 34 victims, is recovering from an injury. Rituraj, a the star performer with the ball during the knockouts, is touring New Zealand on India A duty. These three players, along with Robin Bist, Vineet Saxena and Sumit Mathur, were pillars of Rajasthan’s success last year. At one stage during the league phase Rajasthan, who were defending their maiden title won in 2010-11, were in the danger of being relegated to the Plate League, but they finished winners instead.Kanitkar, however, said the belief that Rajasthan could challenge Rest of India came from their hard work in the last two years. “We are a state team and they are representing the rest of the country. So on paper, it definitely looks off balance,” he said. “But we have a combination that has done well and we will stick to it and then who knows what will happen.”When told the last team to beat Rest of India to win the Irani Cup was Railways in 2000, Kanitkar said his team was capable of doing the same. “A couple of seasons back, Rajasthan had never won the Ranji for 76 years. So this record is not that imposing, it is just 10 years old. Hopefully, we will be able to win it this time.”One reason for Kanitkar’s belief is that he can draw on the experience of two coaches: Meyrick Pringle, the former South African fast bowler, and Chandrakant Pandit, the former India wicketkeeper and a successful domestic coach. Pringle, who was brought in as a consultant for the second half of the previous season, was given a formal contract by the Rajasthan Cricket Association last month. Pringle, according to the players, was one of the architects behind Rajasthan’s fast bowlers bouncing back during the end of the season.Pandit, who formerly coached various Ranji Trophy sides including Mumbai and Maharashtra, was signed by RCA late last season as the director of cricket. He also doubles up as the coach of the senior team and is expected to renew bonds with Kanitkar, who was the Maharasthra captain when Pandit was coach.With the curator having left some grass on the pitch, both Cheteshwar Pujara, the Rest of India captain, and Kanitkar said they would play at least three seamers. In the absence of Pankaj and Rituraj, Kanitkar said it was a good oportunity for Deepak Chahar, who made headlines with his record performance against Hyderabad in a Plate group Ranji match, to prove his talent once again. “Rituraj Singh came in when Deepak Chahar missed a lot of action in the last season due to jaundice. Deepak had done well a couple of seasons back. Rituraj had grabbed that opportunity. When Rituraj is not there, Deepak has come back. This match is a big stage and hope Deepak will make use of it,” Kanitkar said. Chahar is likely to share the new ball with the left-right combination of Ankit Choudhary and Sumit Mathur.

Matthew Wade has been confirmed as Australia’s first-choice Test wicketkeeper but Brad Haddin remains a “player of significant interest”, according to the national selector John Inverarity

Brydon Coverdale29-Oct-2012Matthew Wade has been confirmed as Australia’s first-choice Test wicketkeeper but Brad Haddin remains a “player of significant interest”, according to the national selector John Inverarity. Wade was named in a 12-man squad to take on South Africa in the first Test, starting at the Gabba on November 9, and there were no surprises in the group, with Mitchell Starc included and Pat Cummins, who has not played first-class cricket for nearly a year, left out.The selectors chose four fast men – Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Pattinson and Starc – along with the offspinner Nathan Lyon, and the main question in the lead-up to the Test will surround the final make-up of the attack. There were no changes to the top six with the opener Ed Cowan given a chance to make the position his own, after beginning his Test career with encouraging but not outstanding performances against India and West Indies over the past year.The major decision for Inverarity and his panel was whether to give the gloves to Wade, 24, who was wicketkeeper for the tour of the West Indies in April, or return to the veteran Haddin, 35. Inverarity said both men had made compelling cases for inclusion and while Wade had won his place for the Gabba Test, Haddin, who still holds a Cricket Australia contract, remained in the frame for future international selection.

Australia squad for first Test

David Warner, Ed Cowan, Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke (capt), Michael Hussey, Matthew Wade (wk), Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Ben Hilfenhaus, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon

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

“He kept and batted very well and made a match-defining brilliant century in the second innings of the third and final Test against West Indies. Since then he has played and gained valuable experience in England, the UAE and Sri Lanka. As a young player, getting better by the month, he is thoroughly deserving of his retention. While Matthew has been retained as the Test keeper, Brad remains a player of significant interest.”The selectors decided against including Cummins, 19, although he is likely to be around the squad in Brisbane to prepare him for a potential place in the side later in the series. Injuries and short-form commitments have meant Cummins has not played a first-class match since his Test debut in Johannesburg last November, and with Siddle and Pattinson fit again after missing Australia’s most recent Tests in the Caribbean, the selectors decided there was no reason to rush Cummins.”We didn’t feel as though Pat Cummins was ready to play a Test match,” Inverarity said. “We hope he’ll be ready to play a Sheffield Shield match soon, and then he’s likely to come on the radar for perhaps the third Test in Perth. That’s not speculating that he’ll be selected for that, but he’ll be ready to be in contention at that stage.”The last Test match that Australia played, the third Test in the West Indies last April, included Ryan Harris. Ryan is continuing his rehabilitation from injury and is unavailable. Peter Siddle and James Pattinson have recovered especially well from the injuries that rendered them unavailable for that last Test in West Indies. In fact, they have been enjoying an ideal preparation for the first Test in Brisbane having played in three Sheffield Shield games with another one to come later this week.”The squad will assemble in Brisbane on Monday and will have three days of training ahead of the first Test. Two Sheffield Shield matches begin on Friday but the New South Wales v Queensland game at Allan Border Field does not start until Saturday and the Tuesday finish means some Test players might miss the final day of the match in order to prepare for the Test.”I’m definitely playing the Shield game and I’m not sure if I’m playing three days or four,” Australia’s captain Michael Clarke said. “I think the plan is it will be an individual case, if NSW are batting on day four it’d be silly for the batters to be pulled out to go into camp.”We’re very lucky we’re playing in Brisbane so once we finish we can go into camp, but in saying that, if a bowler has bowled a lot in the first innings I think it would be silly to overload them leading into a Test match. Pat Howard’s on to that, the plan at the moment is to pull everybody out, but I know he’ll make sure he assesses once we get closer to day four.”

A measured innings by Steve Smith and a punchy one by Brad Haddin helped guide New South Wales to first innings points over Queensland on day two of the Sheffield Shield match

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2012
Scorecard
A measured innings by Steve Smith and a punchy one by Brad Haddin helped guide New South Wales to first innings points over Queensland on day two of the Sheffield Shield match in Canberra.After Doug Bollinger’s four wickets helped tip out the Bulls for 243, the Blues stumbled to 4 for 109 before Haddin added 125 with Smith to take their side to the cusp of the lead.While Haddin perished when swinging Nathan Hauritz to deep midwicket on 73, Smith held his nerve and his wicket, forming a useful stand with the captain Steve O’Keefe that has the chance to grow with the NSW lead on the third morning.Smith’s maturity was demonstrated by the pacing of his innings, playing the reserved partner to Haddin before expanding his array of strokes later on in the company of O’Keefe. Hauritz and Luke Feldman grabbed two wickets apiece for the Bulls.

Australia’s final home series before the twin peaks of India and England are to be scaled in 2013 has the Test team leaning towards the developmental

Daniel Brettig in Hobart13-Dec-2012Australia’s final home series before the twin peaks of India and England are to be scaled in 2013 has the Test team leaning towards the developmental. The retirement of Ricky Ponting opened up a place in the batting order for the third coming of Phillip Hughes, and on match eve future prospects outweighed Perth form as Mitchell Starc tipped out Mitchell Johnson as the third paceman alongside Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus.The captain Michael Clarke, arguably the only member of the team currently at the unadulterated summit of his powers, does not wish to speak of the Sri Lanka series as a point in the calendar when Australia will try to groove a team for greater battles ahead. To do so would be to show scant respect for a visiting team with considerably more batting chops than the hosts, and the world’s most prolific spinner over the past year.But Clarke acknowledged that the national selector John Inverarity and the team performance manager Pat Howard each had one eye on the way ahead, something proven by the composition of the Bellerive XI. “For me, I’m not looking at the Ashes at all,” Clarke said. “The reason Mitchell Starc’s there is because he’s been next in line in the queue for a while. He has performed really well in the shorter form of the game for Australia. He got one Test in Perth and got six-for and 70-odd with the bat as well, so it’s not a bad start.”Whoever we left out in this Test match it was always going to be a topic of conversation. People were always going to ask the question ‘why did you leave him out?’ John Inverarity, Mickey Arthur and Pat Howard need to continue to look to India and then to the Ashes. But for me as a player and for the rest of this team, we’re focused on this Test match.”Johnson had been described by Inverarity as Australia’s best bowler against South Africa at the WACA ground. But instead of being the third local survivor of the last Test against Sri Lanka in Hobart in 2007, he is on the plane back to Brisbane to play for the Brisbane Heat in the BBL. His place in the scheme of things has been underlined – a depth bowler and experienced hand, who at the age of 31 has less to gain from facing Sri Lanka than the 22-year-old Starc.Ed Cowan, David Warner, Hughes and Shane Watson meanwhile comprise the latest version of Australia’s top four. Their task is to give due protection to the more accomplished bats of Clarke and Michael Hussey while also growing in confidence and consistency themselves. Clarke’s reluctance to move up from No. 5 is warranted by his record in the position, leaving those above him to be shuffled as Australia’s top three was similarly tossed about in the 1990s when Mark and Steve Waugh were unwilling to move from Nos. 4 and 5 in the order.”If you look at our top three they are all very different players, they all have great strengths and have all scored a hundred for Australia,” Clarke said of Warner, Cowan and Hughes. “There is plenty of talent there, it is about owning your position, making the most of it, grabbing hold of this opportunity to both hands and they have the chance to build a long successful career whether it be opening the batting, batting three, batting four, all of our top four have seen success at this level, they are good enough to be here and now it’s about grabbing hold of that chance.”For Hughes, the return to Australia’s batting order has been accompanied by plenty of hype, and no little irony at the Hobart scene of his ignominious exit from the Test team against New Zealand last year. Clarke said the experience of being dropped and coming back had helped him return a more hardened cricketer and self-aware man. While his progression will only be proven by runs, Hughes’ confident but relaxed visage has been noted this week.”At the time, the time you are dropped is the most disappointing of your career, no doubt about it, for me it was the worst feeling I’ve ever had playing cricket,” Clarke said. “The realisation that all I ever wanted was to play cricket for Australia and to have it taken away from me because of my poor performances breaks your heart. But when I look back now on my career it was the best thing to happen to me, it allowed me to go back to my state and work really hard on my game without the expectation and the consistent media around me.”Fortunately for me I got a second chance. If anything, it gives you more hunger and makes you realise how much you want to play cricket for Australia and makes you realise how tough the game is. You have to work really hard to stay at the top consistently and the sign of a great player is longevity. I have a lot of respect for the guys who have played over 100 Test matches because it means you have been consistently very good for a long period of time.”As a team, Australia still strive to be consistently very good. If they are expected to defeat Sri Lanka, the series result will not be the ultimate marker of their advance towards the goal. Rather, Clarke said he wanted to see improvement on what was displayed against South Africa, though Mahela Jaywardene’s team can boast neither the record nor the ranking of Graeme Smith’s men.”If we rock up and do what we did against South Africa we won’t be getting better,” Clarke said. “That conversation is had consistently around our group that the opposition is irrelevant in regards to how we judge ourselves as players. You have to be getting better individually and as a team. Our goal is not to come out and play the same way against Sri Lanka as we did against South Africa.”We have to learn from the last series, take the positives which I thought there were a lot. And the areas we need to get better, we need to make sure we are. I’m confident if we can improve on the series against South Africa, we’ll continue to have success.”