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Australia’s coach Tim Nielsen believes the series loss in England has provided a silver lining, with the unexpected return of Shaun Tait to the ODI setup a promising sign for the future

Brydon Coverdale in London01-Jul-2010Australia’s coach Tim Nielsen believes the series loss in England has provided a silver lining, with the unexpected return of Shaun Tait to the ODI setup a promising sign for the future. Tait, who hadn’t played an ODI since February 2009, was a late inclusion in the squad and has picked up four wickets in his two games, adding speed and shock value to an attack that has performed well under pressure.Tait decided two years ago that his body was better off if he avoided first-class cricket and concentrated on the shorter formats, where he has been hovering in the high 150kph region. While Tait has been economical and collected wickets, one of the best signs for Australia is that his body is so far standing up to 50-over cricket.”It’s one of the real bonuses for us out of this series that he’s been able to get back in the squad and play so well,” Nielsen said ahead of the final ODI at Lord’s. “The only thing that I find a bit difficult with [not playing first-class cricket] is the fact that unless the schedule works out really well, he can have quite big gaps between games and not get the volume of bowling that keeps him going.”So, while he’s fresh, he needs to find ways of training harder and training well between games, whereas the four-day games used to maintain his regular contact with competitive games. He’s finding a pretty happy medium at the moment with the amount of work he does. His body is responding well to that. He’s getting fitter and maturing as a player as well. He’s feeling better about himself, he’s feeling comfortable in his world, his body’s not hurting every time he bowls.”Tait picked up the important wicket of Andrew Strauss at The Oval on Wednesday but the star of the attack was Ryan Harris, who finished with 5 for 32 in Australia’s first win of the series. It was the third time in his short 16-game career that Harris has taken a five-wicket haul, and it continued the trend of the bowlers sharing the workload.Doug Bollinger’s 3 for 20 at Old Trafford nearly set up a miraculous win, Steven Smith has snared five victims in the series and Harris was also the most impressive in the first game in Southampton. Nielsen was pleased with the progress shown in such a short space of time from a bowling group that entered the tour with limited international experience.”This is the first time this complete bowling attack has bowled in England, so they’re getting better and better as they go on,” he said. “We realise they were very short on experience over here. We’ve seen them improve their length, improve their lines and learn about the conditions we’re playing on over here, slower wickets that don’t bounce as much as at home.”Although the side has been without its leader Mitchell Johnson during the one-day series due to his elbow infection, he has joined the group and is set for a comeback during the two Twenty20s against Pakistan next week. Johnson has been bowling in the nets this week but Australia won’t be tempted to give him a run in Saturday’s final ODI.”The reason for getting him here was to ensure we had him outside and bowling and going as well as we could leading into the Test matches,” Nielsen said. “We were concerned if he stayed in Perth and it happened to be wet and cold he wouldn’t get the bowling outside. He’s been great with our quicks and he’ll be ready to go for the Twenty20s.”

Ben Hilfenhaus’ bowling is the most important thing for Australia in this match but it was his batting that dug the A team out of a hole on the opening day against Sri Lanka A

Cricinfo staff18-Jun-2010Sri Lanka A 1 for 17 trail Australia A 208 (O’Keefe 61, Senanayake 8-70) by 191 runs

Scorecard
Ben Hilfenhaus scored 42 and bowled two overs at Allan Border Field•Getty Images

Ben Hilfenhaus’ bowling is the most important thing for Australia in this match but it was his batting that dug the A team out of a hole on the opening day against Sri Lanka A in Brisbane. The hosts were 7 for 103 when Hilfenhaus, who has been out since last year with a knee tendon problem, arrived to partner Steve O’Keefe and lift them to a more competitive 208.Sachithra Senanayake, the offspinner, completed a stunning day when he ended the 105-run partnership and also finished the innings to claim 8 for 70. The figures were his best in a first-class game and he started the damage by removing the first six batsmen as the hosts slipped to 6 for 92. Senanayake’s hopes for all 10 wickets were ended by Dammika Prasad, who removed Peter Forrest (12) on the way to 2 for 21.O’Keefe was knocked over by Senanayake for an innings-high 61 while Hilfenhaus fell to Prasad for a career-best 42. Sri Lanka finished at 1 for 17, with Hilfenhaus bowling two overs and O’Keefe taking the wicket of Tharanga Paranavitana for 3.

A career-best 178 by former England wicketkeeper Geraint Jones coupled with
three last-session wickets for James Tredwell saw Kent take the initiative on
day three against County Championship title hopefuls Somerset

05-Aug-2010
ScorecardA career-best 178 by former England wicketkeeper Geraint Jones coupled with
three last-session wickets for James Tredwell saw Kent take the initiative on
day three against County Championship title hopefuls Somerset.Kent were indebted to Jones for his five-and-a-half-hour stay during which he
added another 114 runs to his overnight total as the hosts finished 372 all
out.Somerset’s second innings got off to a stuttering start and they were on 138
for 3 at stumps, an overall lead of 146.After resuming on their overnight position of 175 for 3, Kent lost Martin
van Jaarsveld (71) in just the second over of the day when he played across the
line to Ben Phillips to depart lbw. Darren Stevens’ 33 came to a spectacular end when Peter Trego went full-length to his left to take a reflex return catch, then Tredwell nicked a bat-pad catch to short leg to become the first of Murali Kartik’s 2 for 50 return.Five runs later Azhar Mahmood fell for a duck, leg before to a Charl Willoughby
inswinger, before Malinga Bandara hung out the bat and clipped to Trego in the
gully to present Phillips with another scalp on his way to 5 for 72 – his
best championship return since 1997.At 260 for 8 Kent were in real danger of missing out on a third batting
bonus point, but thanks to Jones they cut the Somerset lead to only eight by the
time their last wicket fell and took their batting points tally to four.Right-hander Jones intelligently farmed the strike during a ninth-wicket stand
with Amjad Khan that added 90 in 13.5 overs, with Khan contributing just 11. After Jones had manoeuvred his side past 300, he unfurled an array of shots that saw him kick on from his second century of the summer and through the 150 barrier in a further 45 deliveries.Jones lost Khan with the score on 350 when he fell leg before to a full-length
ball from Kartik, but he nevertheless went on to better his previous career-best
total of 156, achieved against Surrey last year. By the time he went lbw, hit on the boot by an Alfonso Thomas yorker, Jones had chalked up 24 fours and three sixes in taking Kent through to 372.Batting again by 2.45pm, Somerset looked sound until tea but then lost three
wickets in the closing session to England’s understudy offspinner Tredwell. First-innings centurion Arul Suppiah missed an attempted pull to go leg before for 28, Zander de Bruyn (14) reverse-swept straight to the man at backward point, and Jos Butler suffered a second-ball duck when he rashly swept high to square leg.Somerset skipper Marcus Trescothick, with an unbeaten 61, and James Hildreth
(27 not out) brought some stability to proceedings to take their side into the
final day without further drama.

Michael Clarke believes Ricky Ponting’s tendency to fire in the biggest contests will be the spark to overcome a long-term period as a batting mortal

Peter English24-Aug-2010Michael Clarke believes Ricky Ponting’s tendency to fire in the biggest contests will be the spark to overcome a long-term period as a batting mortal. Ponting wants to forget the past year, which included a tenderised elbow courtesy of Kemar Roach, and in his past four series has 681 runs at 40.05, figures inflated by a double-century against Pakistan.Clarke, the vice-captain, has watched his leader closely in the nets and spots encouraging signs before huge Test series against India and England, and next year’s World Cup. “He’s a wonderful leader and been an amazing player for such a long time, and he always plays his best cricket in big tournaments,” he said. “I know he is excited about the next eight months.”It is not unusual for elite players to ease off in intensity during smaller series, but it was strange for Ponting’s standards to slip so much against Pakistan in England (average of 24.5), West Indies (34) and New Zealand (23). The only time he broke free was against Pakistan, with his 209 – he was dropped before he scored – pushing his mean up to 63. Since the 2006-07 Ashes series his overall average has dropped from nudging 60 to 54.66.Ponting, 35, insists he has more to show. “Last year for me Test-wise is one of those years where I look back and almost write it off,” he said. “I think I got run out three times, got caught at bat-pad three times. I am working as hard as I have ever worked, if I am averaging 54 now I have to push that up again, up to a level I know I am capable of playing at. That’s the great challenge for me.”Since Roach roughed up Ponting at the WACA, bowlers around the world have sensed an opportunity with short balls. “They have probably changed the way they bowl at me as a result of the start of last summer in Australia,” he said. “I am probably getting more short bowling than I used to get as a result of getting hit on the elbow.”He has no plans to move from No.3 and said it was nothing to do with ego. “I feel when I am playing well that I am the best person for that role,” he said. “I will work hard, try and take my chances and be the player I want to be.”After Ponting comes Clarke, following his switching of spots with Michael Hussey for the Pakistan series. Now 29, Clarke said his position in the line-up isn’t important, but the move is significant as it puts him closer to the No.3 role that he needs to star in if he is to become one of the game’s best.”When I was younger where I batted was probably more important to me but now it doesn’t bother me,” he said. “It’s about whatever Ricky thinks and best suits the team … I am not really stressed about it. I am pretty carefree about wherever I bat and I am going to play the way I want to play, I am going to try and be as successful as I can.”During Ponting’s tough times Clarke said he has been available to take on extra duties. International captains, even those in charge of only two formats, can be over-loaded easily, stealing concentration from their batting.Clarke is starting to know what that is like with extra glare on his Twenty20 strike-rate when he is in charge of that team. “I make it very clear to [Ponting] that anything he needs I am there for him 24-7,” he said. “Anything he needs off the field, on the field, I will be there for him.”

Some critics argue that MS Dhoni is more lucky than good as captain. He doesn’t care; he just keeps winning

Sriram Veera in Johannesburg26-Sep-2010Not sure about familiarity, but success breeds contempt. Throughout this tournament the critics seemed to be waiting for Chennai to stumble so they could have the chance to turn around and say, “Look I told you, these guys were plain lucky. Now they have been exposed”. It’s not so much an anti-team sentiment, but one against their captain MS Dhoni. Many admire his captaincy; some reckon he is pretty lucky.Like most successful teams, Chennai did have their share of luck. They had just five days of preparation but the itinerary allowed them to ease into the groove with two facile wins against the two weaker teams in the competition.In the third game Victoria almost choked but hung on to take the game to a super over where they thumped Chennai. The critics jumped in to savour that moment; Dhoni’s luck ran out,’ they said. He should have given Doug Bollinger that over, they said, calling it a “messy captaincy decision”. Some even speculated that Bollinger had stormed off to the dressing room at the end of that over and that he was not happy with the skipper. The retelling of that story had a malicious glee to it.Dhoni, though, offered a perfectly plausible reason for using Ashwin. “He is used to bowling in the Powerplays. He is an aggressive bowler, he has the variety and he is always ready to bowl whenever you throw the ball to him. He wants to perform; he has grown as a player over the last three IPLs.”Chennai’s next game was against Warriors. There was more ammunition to the ‘he is lucky’ brigade. Warriors chose to play a game within a game; they needed 109 to qualify and didn’t extend themselves too much to try to win the game. They seemed content chasing qualification. The critics said if Warriors to win to qualify, they would have won the game and shoved Chennai out of the tournament. Maybe, and maybe not. We will never know.Luck certainly came their way in the next game in the semi-final against Bangalore. The pre-game talk had revolved around how Dale Steyn would harass the Chennai batsmen with his pace and bounce. He didn’t bowl a single delivery, stumbling off after suffering concussion on the field. It was a freak event. With Steyn’s exit, Bangalore had run out of gunpowder. Game over.That evening Dhoni said Steyn could have made things tricky for his batsmen but that’s not his concern. A reporter said the semi-final was boring. Dhoni’s repartee, “So you think we should have run ourselves out?!” It was said with a smile.Tonight, he was a happy man. He said his plan was to keep the spinners for the middle overs so that they could apply the squeeze, as some of Chennai’s seamers weren’t quick enough to use the semi-new ball effectively. It worked perfectly.Sanjay Manjrekar, the former India batsman, nailed the issue perfectly: “Ajit wadekar was also called a lucky captain but when he became India coach in 1993 I realised he had top leadership quality and you realised why he got the results that he did,” Manjrekar says. “The same thing with Dhoni. He is a guy who does things that are supposed to be done and leaves the rest to fate. He doesn’t try to control everything. That is his greatest strength. If you watch Tendulkar in comparison, he tries to control everything.”Dhoni that way takes lot of pressure off himself and he is someone who makes his players feel very secure. He is not a guy that you see outwardly making brilliant moves but he is quietly he is always encouraging his bowlers. When a bowler is hit for a six and if he has bowled a good ball, you will quietly see Dhoni applauding the bowler. That’s all the bowler needs; that his captain has approved that ball.”At the end of the final, Dhoni was asked for the nth time how he keeps his cool, he said, “There is a dressing room to show your emotions. As a captain, you are as good as your side. This is a very good bunch of people and as a captain you just want to channel all the energy into the same direction. The players put in great effort and frankly it feels very good to be the captain of Chennai Super Kings.”The win was extra-special too, as this will be the last time these particular players turn out for Chennai. “It was indeed a very emotional moment,” Dhoni said. “It was the last game for many of us players as a team. However much you try, we can’t retain all. These three years were great; we played good cricket. You develop a special bonding with each other. The dressing room atmosphere was great; not everybody could get a game but there was no ill feeling. Every one enjoyed each other’s company. To end on a high feels really special.”

A round-up of Monday’s matches in the WICB one-day tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2010Jamaica posted their first win in the WICB competition, and sealed their place in the semi-finals, as they trounced Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) by a whopping 207 runs at Kensington Park.Jamaica were in danger of being knocked out of the tournament after their loss to Windward Islands and a no-result game against Trinidad and Tobago, but gained a bonus point against CCC to finish second in the Group A points table, a point ahead of T&T.Their total of 285 was powered by an opening stand of 138 with captain Chris Gayle and Xavier Marshall both hammering half-centuries. Gayle, who was axed as West Indies captain for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, was particularly belligerent as he raced to 72 off 73 balls with four fours and four sixes. Jamaica lost their way after the opening stand as they stumbled from 175 for 3 to 230 for 7, but a late-order flourish from Andre Russell, who blasted 46 from just 22 balls, pushed Jamaica to 285.Jamaica’s bowlers, led by David Bernard, who picked up 3 for 33, then ran through the CCC batting line-up. Miles Bascombe (37) and Gilford Moore (16) were the only batsmen to reach double figures, as CCC were bowled out for a paltry 78 in the 31st over to give Jamaica a win with a bonus point.Defending champions Trinidad and Tobago were not so lucky as they were knocked out of the WICB Cup after an eight-wicket loss to Windward Islands at Sabina Park. T&T were bundled out for 133 in 40.1 overs, which Windward chased down with ease in 33.2 overs.Electing to bat, T&T never got going as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. At 38 for 4 after 15 overs, it looked like they were in danger of being bundled out for less than 100. However, Dwayne Bravo’s 29 off 25 balls with three fours and two sixes, and an uncharacteristically sedate 39 of 69 balls from Kieron Pollard, pushed T&T up to 133. It was an allround effort from Windward’s bowlers as Mervin Matthew, Shane Shillingford and Nelon Pascal picked up two wickets each.Winward got off to a steady start as their openers Devon Smith and Johnson Charles added 38 for the first wicket. Offspinner Sherwin Ganga then picked up two quick wickets – that of Charles and Andre Fletcher – and at 48 for 2, T&T might have hoped for a collapse. But Smith, who was recalled to the national side for the Sri Lanka tour, anchored Winward’s chase with a steady 51. He and Keddy Lesporis, who made 45, ensured there was no collapse as Windward, captained by Darren Sammy, who was named the captain for the Sri Lanka tour, raced to their third straight win in the competition.

Tamil Nadu opener Abhinav Mukund and Saurashtra quick bowler Jaidev Unadkat, both of whom are uncapped, have been named as replacements

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2010India have omitted Gautam Gambhir and Ishant Sharma from the second Test in Bangalore following injuries to their right knees. The squad for that Test, announced hours after the win against Australia in Mohali, includes Tamil Nadu opener Abhinav Mukund and Saurashtra quick bowler Jaidev Unadkat, both of whom are uncapped, as replacements.Mukund, 20, has been a consistent performer in domestic first-class matches since his debut in late 2007. He has nine centuries in 29 matches, and an average of 55.88, and his career highlights include an unbeaten triple-century against Maharashtra in 2008 and a 257 against Hyderabad last season.Unadkat, 18, has been promoted despite not having played a Ranji Trophy match. He first came into the spotlight when his Kolkata Knight Riders bowling coach Wasim Akram endorsed his talent ahead of the 2010 IPL season. Though Unadkat did not make much of an impression in the IPL, he made the cut for India A’s tour of England. He impressed with a 13-wicket haul at Grace Road on first-class debut against West Indies A. He was included in the Rest of India squad for the Irani Trophy game against Mumbai that coincided with the first Test, and he returned figures of 4 for 41 in the first innings to put his name firmly in the selectors’ radar.The youngsters get their chance due to the injuries to two of India’s first-choice players. Ishant had been off the field for much of the first innings due to his injury but returned to play a crucial role in India’s heart-stopping win in the first Test in Mohali. On Monday, he took three quick top-order wickets to deflate Australia’s strong start and on Tuesday he stoutly hung on for a career-best 32 – and a match-turning 81-run stand for the ninth wicket with VVS Laxman.Gambhir, who scored 25 and 0 in the first Test, was hit in the knee while fielding at short leg on Monday when he was trying to take evasive action to save himself from a Michael Hussey sweep off Pragyan Ojha.

Peter English19-Nov-2010Michael Kasprowicz, the former Test bowler, has replaced Darren Lehmann as the Australian Cricketers’ Association president, taking on the role which includes juggling the game’s expansion through Twenty20. Kasprowicz was voted in at the organisation’s AGM in Brisbane on Friday after being nominated by Lehmann, who held the honorary post for four years.”I’ve played 19 years for Queensland and been part of the process, seeing the game evolve from non-professional to where we are today,” Kasprowicz told ESPNcricinfo. “There are some very exciting things happening and exciting challenges and opportunities for both players and the game.”Kasprowicz took 113 wickets in 38 Tests for Australia between 1996 and 2006, but since he’s retired the sport has zoomed off in a new direction. The domestic Twenty20 competition will expand to eight teams next year in the Big Bash League and the explosion of overseas competitions means players will face battles of allegiance between their franchises and countries.Managing the newest format will be one of the key areas under Kasprowicz’s watch. “That’s something pretty exciting in Australian cricket,” he said. “It’s a great thing that we can take the game further, certainly at domestic level. What [the Big Bash League] provides for all the players is more opportunities to get noticed with eight teams in place. There are so many good outcomes that I think everything is looking forward.”The domestic players have lost some ground this year, with the introduction of the split-innings one-day format overlooking the concerns of 78% of ACA members who rejected the idea. Issues are also expected between Cricket Australia and the ACA over how the players will be distributed to the eight Big Bash League teams.”Historically the Australian Cricketers’ Association has always been a voice from the players,” Kasprowicz said. “So in the past our relationship with Cricket Australia has always been good, and I certainly want to be part of that.” The initial meetings could be interesting after Cricket Australia refused to deal with Kasprowicz while he was signed to the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League.Kasprowicz has been a board member of the Queensland Cricketers’ Club for the past two years and his new role will be his first official post with the ACA. He is keen to be involved in the body’s hardship fund, which assists players with health or financial difficulties, and has been a regular member of the ACA Masters teams as they take the game to the country’s regional areas. “One of the things I really want to do is provide benefit for all the members right across the board,” he said.Lehmann said it had been a rewarding four years in the role. “It has given me the chance to stay involved with the game in a new and challenging position outside of being a player,” he said. “I hope my commitment has in some way allowed me to give something back to the game of cricket which has given me so much in life.”

Zaheer Khan, the India fast bowler, has been included in the squad for the remaining three ODIs against New Zealand after he missed the third Test and the first two ODIs with a groin strain

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2010Zaheer Khan, the India fast bowler, has been included in the squad for the remaining three ODIs against New Zealand after he missed the third Test and the first two ODIs with a groin strain. Praveen Kumar, who missed the first two ODIs with a fever, also made a comeback.The Indian selectors also gave Suresh Raina a break for the rest of the series following comments by MS Dhoni saying the batsman needed a rest. Sreesanth, too, didn’t feature in the squad. Both of them will presumably leave for South Africa early to prepare for the Test series, which begins on December 16.Rohit Sharma, the Mumbai batsman who was dropped after the tri-series in Sri Lanka in August, is part of the squad for the fourth and fifth ODIs. Rohit is currently representing Mumbai in a Ranji Trophy game against Gujarat in Valsad, which won’t finish before the third ODI that will be played in Vadodara on December 4.Medium-pacer R Vinay Kumar will stay with the team for third ODI, but will be released to play for Karnataka by the time the fourth and fifth ODIs arrive. The only other change in the squad for the fourth and fifth games is Parthiv Patel taking over wicketkeeping duties from Wriddhiman Saha, who might also be leaving for South Africa.Squad for third ODI: Gautam Gambhir (capt), M Vijay, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, R Vinay Kumar.Squad for fourth and fifth ODIs: Gautam Gambhir (capt), M Vijay, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Parthiv Patel (wk), R Ashwin, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Ravindra Jadeja, Rohit Sharma.

Kamran Akmal and former captain Shoaib Malik have been told that they will not be in contention for World Cup selection unless they submit documents listing their assets and bank accounts to the PCB by December 30

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Dec-2010Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal have until December 30 to provide the PCB with the necessary documents to clear their names for World Cup selection.”The PCB has asked them to submit the documents about their assets and bank accounts by December 30 to be considered in the list of probables for the World Cup,” Subhan Ahmad, the board’s COO, told .The ICC had extended Pakistan’s deadline for the submission of its preliminary 30-member squad for the tournament to January 5, after receiving a request from the board. Kamran and Malik have not played for Pakistan since their controversial tour of England in August and were left out of the tour to the United Arab Emirates. They have also been denied permission to play league cricket in Bangladesh. The PCB has remained fairly tight-lipped about the reasons for their exclusion.Kamran and Malik had both questioned the board’s decision to not clear them for the New Zealand tour. Kamran had written to the ICC asking if he was under investigation and got a clean chit from them. The ICC had sent him and Salman Butt notices during Pakistan’s tour of England in August, seeking information about events related to the 2010 World Twenty20 held in May.Legspinner Danish Kaneria, who has not figured in Pakistan’s one-day plans in recent times, was also earlier given until the end of the year to submit his replies to the board’s integrity committee’s queries, in order to gain clearance to play for the country.