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Claiming his first five-for in Australia since 2015, Peter Siddle also stated a case for his bowling partner James Pattinson’s inclusion

Daniel Brettig in Melbourne 29-Mar-2019Peter Siddle followed his joint destruction of New South Wales – alongside James Pattinson on day two of the Sheffield Shield final – by beseeching the watching chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns to pick both Victorians for this year’s Ashes. He added the reminder that 18 years without a series win in England prove that a different approach to the bowling attack is required.Seaming and swinging the Dukes ball just enough to beat the bat, Siddle provided the ideal counterpoint to Pattinson’s pace and fire as the Blues were obliterated for 121 in reply to the home side’s 289. While his haul of 5 for 28 was Siddle’s first of five wickets or more in Australia since 2015, it was the distinct resemblance of a grey day and mottled pitch to English climes that would have been of interest to Hohns.On day one, the former Australia coach Darren Lehmann had conceded in commentary that it was his mistake as a selector not to trust Siddle to be part of the Australian bowling attack until the 2015 Ashes series had been decided. It’s a decision that Siddle clearly has not forgotten, urging the selectors to choose bowlers fit for the purpose of moving the Dukes ball around to confound England later this year.”It was bittersweet after I got picked and took the most wickets in that last Test on a wicket that probably was the least suited [to] me over the whole series,” Siddle said of the 2015 Oval Test. “I haven’t worried too much about it after playing that Test match and doing what I did. That was enough to knock it on the head and show them what I could’ve done if I had been picked earlier so, so be it. And like Boof [Lehmann] did say, everyone makes mistakes, I make mistakes when I’m out there playing as well, I’ve made mistakes in games that have been crucial. That’s just a part of life, I don’t hold any grudges like that, it’s just part of the game.”It’s something I’ve spoken a lot about over the last couple of years, you go back to results we’ve had and the experience of the bowling attack we’ve had, at times, probably haven’t been the right choices. That’s something that I hope we do manage. I’ve had to play in them and when I first went over there I wasn’t super experienced, did okay but we didn’t win. It’s just about learning from what we’ve done in the past and picking accordingly.”There’s enough players around Australian cricket that have good experience over there. Not to say they’re definitely going to play, but obviously myself because I want to be on that tour, but look at Patto. I know he hasn’t played a lot of Test cricket of late, but he’s been successful when he’s played Test cricket there, and he had that amazing year for Notts two years ago where he destroyed Division One [Two]. So you’ve got to pick players who are readymade to play in those conditions, because they are a lot different to what people expect when they do select normally.”The chemistry between Siddle and Pattinson, both products of the Dandenong club in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, was palpable as they found pads, edges and stumps on the second afternoon, undoing the work of the NSW bowlers Trent Copeland, Sean Abbott and Harry Conway to restrict the Victorians.Siddle’s first over, swerving one ball down the leg side for four byes, was not exactly promising, but he soon locked onto his task to pin Daniel Hughes lbw from round the wicket and set the scene. Pattinson was perhaps fortunate to have Nick Larkin ruled lbw not offering a shot to a ball that may have missed off stump, but there was no conjecture about his scorching deliveries through Jason Sangha and Peter Nevill. Kurtis Patterson, perhaps the Blues’ best chance of a batting riposte, was very nearly lbw shouldering arms to Patterson, before he fell having glanced a Chris Tremain delivery through to a diving Seb Gotch.”We both enjoy playing together and bowling together. I think that shows out on the field and we have a lot of fun. The success we have spurs us both on,” Siddle said. “The way we went about it today and the success we had bowling together, more so what we did in Drummoyne the other week when we took them apart up there, we have fun. I think the pressure we build whether it’s me building pressure, or him scaring them with the pace or swing and me dotting them up at the other end, whatever it might be, we complement each other very well.”We did well here and in other games, but over in England bowling together, it’s not as silly as it sounds to say that we’d be a good pair to have bowling together over there later in the year. There’s still a lot of stuff to be done before then but I think it’s shown over the times in the last couple of games where we’ve bowled together that we’ve taken a lot of wickets one or the other and built a lot of pressure. It speaks for itself in the last three games.”Following back injuries in 2016, it had appeared that Siddle’s time around the Australian Test team was at an end, but prolific displays for Essex in the first division of the county championship last year vaulted him back into the squad for the UAE, with a clear eye towards the Ashes this year. Both Siddle and Pattinson have contracts for county cricket this year, and Siddle agreed he would have a point to prove should he get the chance against England in 2019.Getty Images

“I think so, I talk a lot about how I bowl over there so if I do get picked there’s probably going to be a lot more pressure on me because I’ve spoken a lot about the conditions over there, how they suit me and it’s just going about your business,” Siddle said. “The last couple of years that’s where I’ve probably been better than I probably was when I was younger. [Then] I tried hard, thought too much about the future, looking ahead to other games or staying fit to make sure I get through the series and stuff like that rather than worrying about the game at hand.”Especially the last two years that’s been my sole focus whether I play for Dandenong, state cricket, Big Bash or over in England, just worrying about that game and making every game count. JL [Justin Langer] sent me that message in England last year when I was over there taking a few wickets and he just said ‘Yeah, make every game count’. You’ve just got to stay fit and enjoy the moment because it ends sooner than you think.”The chats we’ve had because I’m playing Division One [for Essex] in theory the sides I’m going to be playing are going to be a lot stronger than the Australia A side. You never really get strong sides in any tour matches or Australia A matches, so the way discussions have been I’ll stay with Essex and play. Could be similar to Patto was well, Patto’s Division One [for Nottinghamshire] and that’s just a bonus for Australia as well. It means we can play more players rather than rock up Australia A with 16 and only play 12, you can actually play if it is all 16 or you might have 20 players all playing at one time in England, with an Australia A game going on.”There was time before bad light brought an early close for Sean Abbott to find a way past the Test opener Marcus Harris, whose first-innings century had set the game up for Siddle and Pattinson to strike.

Jaydev Unadkat and Andrew Tye the only millionaires on day two

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jan-20183:13

Unadkat the most expensive Indian

Making it in the nick of time

Twice Chris Gayle’s name came up at the IPL auction, and twice he failed to get a bid. Just when it seemed like the highest-profile overseas player of the league over its first decade would not be part of the 2018 edition, Kings XI Punjab picked him up, triggering loud applause from all the other franchises in the room. Kings XI got Gayle at his base price, a mere INR 2 crore (USD 312,000 approx).Other high-profile players who benefited from a second chance were India opener M Vijay (INR 2 crore to Chennai Super Kings), wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel (INR 1.7 crore or USD 265,000 approx to Royal Challengers Bangalore), and Australia quick Mitchell Johnson (INR 2 crore to Kolkata Knight Riders), all of whom were bought when they were recalled on the second afternoon after going unsold the first time around. As per the regulations, any player who went unsold the first time – or second, as in Gayle’s case – could be called up again, provided any of the franchises put in a request for the same.

The biggest buys of the day

Seamer Jaydev Unadkat became the first millionaire on day two of the auction, as well as the most expensive Indian buy over the two days. Rajasthan Royals made the winning bid: INR 11.5 crore (USD 1.8 million approx). The bidding went back and forth between CSK and Kings XI till INR 11 crore – the most paid for an Indian on day one – before Royals swooped in.Australia seamer Andrew Tye also fetched in excess of a million – one of only two players to do so on the day – going to Kings XI for INR 7.2 crore (USD 1.1m approx).Karnataka offspinner K Gowtham set the pace early in the day, going for 31 times his base price to Royals for a shade below a million dollars. RCB, KKR and Mumbai Indians were the other teams involved in the bidding, his price rocketing up from INR 20 lakh (USD 31,250 approx) to INR 6.2 crore (USD 968,000 approx).PTI

Nepal arrives

Though there have been 10 seasons of the IPL, it continues to keep throwing up firsts. On Sunday that came in the form of Sandeep Lamichhane, the first player from Nepal to be picked in the auction. The 17-year old legspinner, who has played grade cricket in Sydney alongside former Australia captain Michael Clarke, was bought by the Delhi Daredevils for his base price of INR 20 lakh (USD 31000 approx). Head coach Ricky Ponting said: “The Delhi boys flew him out and saw him bowling in the nets, he was pretty impressive, he might not be ready to play yet but they saw a lot of talent there … it’s only of those speculative bids, see if he can turn into a world class bowler in a few years.”

The Afghanistan quotient

Last year, two Afghanistan players were picked up at the auction. This time that doubled to four: experienced allrounder Mohammad Nabi (Sunrisers for INR 1 crore or USD 156,000 approx) and Under-19 players – both of whom are at the ongoing World Cup in New Zealand – Mujeeb Zadran and Zahir Khan got bids, in addition to Rashid Khan from day one. Sixteen-year-old Zadran, who can bowl traditional offspin and mix it up with legspin when required, was picked up by Kings XI after some extensive bidding for INR 4 crore (USD 625,000 approx). Zahir is a left-arm wristspinner who went to Royals for INR 60 lakh (USD 93,000 approx).

Big guns go missing

It was Royals who opened the bidding overall on a day when in effect 471 new players were up for grabs, plus any of the unsold players from day one. On day one, 78 out of 110 players were bought, with superstars from IPLs past like Lasith Malinga finding no takers.Like on day one, several high-profile names did not get a bid on Sunday, including Australia’s Shaun Marsh, England’s Eoin Morgan, West Indies’ Lendl Simmons, South Africa’s Dale Steyn and New Zealand’s Martin Guptill – Guptill, like Gayle, was called up three times in all, but did not get a bid.

The Right to match rush

The first of the three Right To Match (RTM) cards used on the day was from RCB, on left-arm spinning allrounder Pawan Negi – he was taken off Mumbai for INR 1 crore (USD 156,000 approx). Two more came in quick succession when the pace bowlers’ set began: Royals retained Dhawal Kulkarni (INR 75 lakh, USD 117,000 approx) and Kings XI held on to Mohit Sharma (INR 2.4 crore, USD 375,000 approx).

All in the family

The first sale of the day was another uncapped Indian spinner, legbreak bowler Rahul Chahar. He was picked up by Mumbai for INR 1.9 crore (USD 296,000 approx). Just before lunch, his brother Deepak Chahar was bought by CSK for INR 80 lakh (USD 125,000 approx). Deepak was the top wicket-taker in India’s domestic T20 tournament, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, this season with 19 strikes and an economy rate of 5.58 in nine games.

India’s batting coach Sanjay Bangar said Mohammed Shami was suffering from muscular cramps, not a hamstring issue, which was the reason he continued to bowl at the end of the first day in Rajkot

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-20161:30

‘Dropped catches set us back’ – Sanjay Bangar

On a day that India lost the toss and conceded 311 for 4, there was little consolation for them at the end. Mohammed Shami, who had hobbled off during the middle session with what at the time looked like a hamstring issue, came back in the final session to continue bowling despite obvious discomfort. That he was even taking the risk, suggested it was not a hamstring trouble. India’s batting coach Sanjay Bangar confirmed at the end of the day that it was a cramp, and that Shami was expected to bowl on day two.”As the physio has told us, it was actually muscular cramps,” Bangar said. “And he took an ice bath in that break [when Shami went off before tea]. He was fine to bowl after that. He is being monitored closely. And apart from the cramps, I don’t think there is much to it. Hopefully he will be fresher tomorrow. He will be fitter and raring to go tomorrow in the first session.”That Shami was available in the final session was part of the reason why India didn’t take the new ball even though they bowled 93 overs. In what should be a good sign for England, the ball was reversing even at 80 overs old, which was why India persisted with it, according to Bangar.”You must have noticed that at that time there was a lot of reverse swing on offer,” Bangar said. “Mohammed Shami was available to bowl, even Umesh Yadav put in a valiant effort. Once Shami was not available before tea and after tea for a particular amount of time, Umesh ran in well and got us that breakthrough [Root’s wicket on 124]. He was pretty impressive, getting the ball to reverse both ways. So was Shami. That was the reason we felt that the wicket-taking possibility with the old ball was higher at that point.”India dropped both openers in the slip cordon early on the first morning•AFP

Bangar was hopeful India could turn things around on the second morning. “The game changes very quickly,” Bangar said. “A couple of wickets – obviously they are four down at the moment – a couple of wickets and we could make inroads quickly and wrap them up hopefully within a session and a half. So you never know in cricket. It’s just day one and we would have still been in a good position had we taken probably six wickets and conceded 30 or 40 fewer runs.”Instead of the second morning, though, India had the chance of making those early inroads on the first day when they dropped both the openers early. “The first session of day one of a Test match, there is always something in the wicket,” he said. “Whether you bat first or bowl first you have to make the first session count. Send the right message across. Couple of dropped chances unfortunately didn’t allow us to make those early dents into their batting. They have been actually losing their openers pretty quickly in the couple of Test matches they have played [in Bangladesh]. That set us back a little bit. By lunch we still managed to take three wickets, but we would have taken that at the start of the Test.”On a day that questions were asked of India’s bowling on a pitch that was not turning big, fielders dropping catches and a few of them generally looking listless, the batting coach was left to answer the press conference. He put up a brave face, saying England made the most of the conditions, but also ended it with a rider “on day one”, which could suggest conditions are expected to get worse for batting significantly. “Had we taken those catches our bowlers would have asked questions about their middle order pretty early in the innings,” Bangar said. “Apart from that, due credit to their batsmen who applied themselves really well and made full use of the conditions on offer here on day one.”

Former Australia captain Steve Waugh has thrown his weight behind Steven Smith making the No.3 position his own in Test matches

Arun Venugopal13-Sep-20156:27

‘Australia need to be more mature as a Test side’ – Waugh

Former Australia captain Steve Waugh has thrown his weight behind Steven Smith making the No.3 position his own in Test matches. Smith himself had admitted to being uncertain about his batting spot immediately after being named captain, noting it would depend on the team’s makeup.That line of thinking, however, has been met with opposition from the likes of Ian Chappell and Ricky Ponting who have backed Smith to continue batting at No.3.Waugh felt Smith was improving at No.3, and likened his appetite for run-making to Sachin Tendulkar’s. “I don’t mind him batting at number three. He is improving all the time,” Waugh, who is in India to launch his company’s property portal, told ESPNcricinfo.”His last year has been quite phenomenal. His technique will tighten up a bit. But, he has got a great eye and he has got good placement of the ball. Never seen a batsman hit the gaps as well as he does.”Smith first moved up to No.3 against West Indies in June and has since amassed 791 runs in 13 innings at an average of 71.90. He has scored three centuries, including a double-hundred at Lord’s and a 199 in Kingston.”He has got really good hands and that compensates perhaps for his footwork not being as sharp as some of the other players,” Waugh said. “He is not technically a perfect player, but he has got that inner desire more to score runs, a bit like a Tendulkar. Once he gets a hundred he wants to go on and get a big score every time.”Waugh said Smith the captain needed to find his own leadership style – one that perhaps conformed to his batting philosophy. “I think he’s pretty much an aggressive batsman with a good mindset. I think he takes it into the captaincy as well. He loves batting, he loves scoring runs and the other guys they like his leadership, they follow what he is doing.”Allan Border was a leader by what he did on the field; he led by example. Mark Taylor was more of a talker. I guess I was a pretty aggressive captain. We tried to win at all costs. And then you have got Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting. But he [Smith] has got to do it his way. He can’t copy what I’ve done or what Mark Taylor has done or Ricky Ponting. He has got to find out what his style is.”Smith’s golden run, though, has not altogether rubbed onto Australia, who trudge through a difficult phase marked by the Ashes loss and the retirement of players like Clarke, Chris Rogers and Brad Haddin. In two of their three defeats against England, they lasted no more than three days, which included an embarrassing capitulation for 60 in the first innings at Trent Bridge.Waugh admitted Australia needed to “mature” as a Test side. “We are very good on flat wickets at the moment, but when the ball turns or if there is a bit of swing we seem to be struggling as a batting unit. That’s all about just working a little bit harder, and putting more value on your wicket,” Waugh said.”I think Indian batsmen do that very well. Australians, we have got to learn to do that, and perhaps it’s about acknowledging the tough moments in the game where you just got to get through whichever way you can. And, it’s ok to lose a session, but you can’t lose it disastrously. You can’t lose seven or eight wickets. That is what the team’s been doing. “Waugh, however, believed Australia, with quality personnel at their disposal, would bounce back soon. “We won’t be far away. We have got an exceptional crop of young bowlers who, when they get their maturity and strength together, will be able to take 20 wickets.”The batsmen will come through. I think Usman Khawaja will have a good year this year. He has not picked as yet, but I believe he is a quality Test player. I think Joe Burns can do well. We just need people like the Marsh brothers to lift a bit because they have got a lot of talent. If they can do that, along with Smith and [David] Warner and some other players, we won’t be far away.”

Australia coach Mickey Arthur expressed confidence in Australia’s ability to put the India series behind them and prepare well for the Ashes

Daniel Brettig26-Mar-2013Death by dust in India will make the the green fields of England seem heavenly for Australia’s Test team, which remains on course to be the best outfit in the world within the next two years. No-one could ever accuse Mickey Arthur of being a pessimist, but with the aforementioned statements the national team coach redefined the boundaries of wild optimism while accounting publicly for a deplorable performance on the subcontinent.On the day national selector, John Inverarity declined to guarantee Shane Watson’s place as the vice-captain or even as an Ashes team member, and the seriousness of Michael Clarke’s back and hamstring problems were confirmed, Arthur struck an almost alarmingly upbeat note. Yes, he had fussed a great deal over taking a young team to India and all its attendant dangers, but Arthur had no such qualms about England.”I was always really worried about the conditions in India, especially with a group of young players,” Arthur said in Perth. “Because you can sit and tell players what it’s like to play there, but until you’ve actually experienced it, you don’t comprehend it. The Ashes conditions are a lot closer to what we’re comfortable with, our pace bowlers will be a real factor in England.”Our batters will be more accustomed to those conditions, so I’m confident everything’s still on track. It is disappointing when you have a tour of the subcontinent just before a tour as big as the Ashes, because it does have the ability to pull you off track, but we’re firmly on track for the Ashes and conditions will favour us.”As for the team’s chances of rising from the mid-table ICC ranking they have occupied since 2010 – alternating between 5th, 3rd and the present 4th – Arthur reiterated his argument that the disciplinary action taken against those players who failed to follow instructions would be the start of the climb back to world No. 1.”I think we moved forward, moved in the right direction and, hopefully, if we have our time again, this will be the foundation of something really good for the Australian cricket side,” Arthur said. “We’ve said it numerous times now; we could have carried on and been third in the world comfortably, but we don’t accept that, we want be No. 1 in the world.”We’ve put some stuff in place that we believe can get this team there in the next 24 months.”In India, many of Australia’s players did not only look initially unready for the conditions they faced, but were unable to find the technical and mental wherewithal to learn and adapt with each innings. Irrespective of how the team’s discipline broke down off the field before four players were suspended from the Mohali Test, those indiscretions were arguably less serious than dismissals indicative of plans being ignored, if there were any in the first place.The sweeps played by David Warner and Phillip Hughes in Hyderabad, plus a few other inattentive strokes by Watson at various stages, laid bare a lack of thought and application next to the mental toughness and intelligence shown by India’s young batsmen. This is a problem that will require cure rather than prevention if, as Arthur suggested, there would be only minimal changes to the 17-man squad for the trip to England.”It’ll be similar, I can’t see too many changes,” Arthur said. “We felt we took the best players possible to India, barring one or two guys who were struggling with injuries. And we took a couple of guys who were pertinent to subcontinent conditions. But we feel we had our best young batsmen there; to see them grow through the tour was fairly encouraging, we know they’ve got experience into them now and are going to be better for it.”Arthur added that players knew exactly what they needed to do going forward into the Champions Trophy and the Ashes, but stressed that the side’s batting would have to improve. “It’s disappointing to have only two hundreds over the last couple of months,” he said. “We had a couple of 90s, but we need to start converting and scoring big in that top six. We’ll have a real good quartet of bowlers available to us and we just need to get enough runs to be really competitive in the Ashes.”Between three Australia A matches and two tour warm-up fixtures preceding the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge, Arthur and the Australian selectors will have a far better spread of games from which to pick their best side for England. However, Arthur would not accept the suggestion that more might have been done to get the team in the right space to be more competitive in India.”Everything we did, we’ve done with a lot of reason behind it that’s not always apparent to people who don’t know what’s going on in the inner sanctum,” Arthur said. “We feel we have the best players, they’ll be better for the experience. I think the selections have been good, I think we took the best possible squad out there to perform.”Arthur also said that while the selectors and management did everything they could in the run-up to the India series. “I’m confident, as selectors and management, we’ve done everything in our power to make the guys as good as they can be,” he said. “We had spin camps, prepared the guys endlessly, and ultimately you can’t replicate those conditions under that pressure.”

It was an evening filled with emotion in Mumbai, as former team-mates paid rich tribute to the retired Rahul Dravid at a felicitation

Nagraj Gollapudi in Mumbai27-Mar-2012It was an evening filled with emotion in Mumbai – Rahul Dravid almost cried and VVS Laxman had moist eyes, while Anil Kumble, Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni sang praises of Dravid, one of the flagbearers of Indian cricket’s golden generation.The occasion was Dravid’s felicitation by the BCCI, following his recently announced retirement from international and first-class cricket. Two of the biggest men in Indian cricket, BCCI president N Srinivasan (unwell) and Sachin Tendulkar (reasons unknown) might have been absent, but the event, which took place on the plush lawns of a five-star hotel, was still very well attended. Many prominent former cricketers – including Sunil Gavaskar, Ajit Wadekar, Bishan Bedi, Mohinder Amarnath and Dilip Vengsarkar – and the entire India squad that will play the one-off Twenty20 against South Africa, along with senior BCCI officials, were there.After a recorded message from Srinivasan played out, Kumble, Ganguly, Laxman and Dhoni walked up to the podium to pass on messages of thanks to Dravid. He was ‘Jam’ to his contemporary, Kumble, and ‘Rahul ‘ to younger team-mate and captain Dhoni, who said Dravid was Indian cricket’s man Friday.”He was someone who would walk through obstacles, not someone who would go around the obstacles,” Dhoni said, summing up the character of Dravid who, all the speakers agreed, was always willing to give his all at all times. “He was someone who was ready to do anything and everything needed for the team: whether it came to opening the innings, wicketkeeping, or standing at slips or silly point, his answer was always ‘yes’,” Dhoni said. He also reserved special praise for Dravid’s wicketkeeping skills, saying “some of the catches he took, may be a regular wicketkeeper would never have taken [them]”.Dhoni said it was not only him, but all the younger players who were paying a tribute to Dravid through him. Dravid, he said, always prepared the same meticulous way, no matter who the opponent was.Rahul Dravid said the players’ performance along with the support from the BCCI had helped India move from being regarded as “second-class citizens” to “dictating terms”•AFP

Ganguly, under whose captaincy Dravid played some of his best innings, said having Dravid as a deputy was a ‘pillow of comfort’. He held Dravid and the then coach John Wright responsible for him finishing as one of the most successful India captains. “A lot of people talk about me being the captain, but behind the scenes lot of work was done by you [Dravid] and John, which made Indian cricket successful,” Ganguly said. “To sum-up your career I can say only one word: outstanding, and I’m sure you must be a proud man today. The contribution you made to Indian cricket [was] not just the runs you scored, but [the fact that] you played in an era in which Indian cricket went from strength to strength.”Kumble said one of Dravid’s biggest strengths was his commitment to the task. “We shared a lot of evenings out. He knew what I hated, what I’d order … he’d know what it was. When we were having discussions, we’d be lost in our own thoughts. He would probably be preparing [mentally] for the next day’s batting, or analysing the day’s play,” Kumble said. “This is what his commitment and pride for the game was. This is something that’ll be missed in the dressing room.”Laxman, Dravid’s best man on so many occasions including the historic Kolkata Test against Australia in 2001, said his forte was humility in the face of big accomplishments. “Even after so many achievements, he has always been level headed and for me that is his greatness,” Laxman said in an emotional speech, during which he urged everyone present to stand up and give his friend, Rahul, an ovation.Dravid, who walked in with his family, wife, children, parents and brother included, listened intently to every speaker and did not forget to thank each of these four former team-mates when his turn to talk came around. He said it was the players’ performance along with the support from the BCCI that had helped India move from being regarded as “second-class citizens” to “dictating terms” in international cricket.Before he said his final goodbye, Dravid told Dhoni and the rest of the India squad that he was certain that Indian cricket’s legacy was now in safe hands. “I may not be playing for India anymore but to the present Indian team what I would like to say is: guys, I will watch with great interest what I think is an extremely exciting and really talented group of young cricketers,” he said. “I hope Indian cricket will always be a strong force, both on the field and off the field. And I have no doubt that I would take great pleasure, with a cup of tea and a biscuit in my hand, in watching you guys achieve great things.”

Hashim Amla, South Africa’s opening batsman, said that the pressure is on India ahead of their marquee clash with South Africa in Nagpur on Saturday. “Being at home comes with a lot of expectation,” he said. “I don’t think the pressure is on us as much as

Firdose Moonda in Nagpur10-Mar-2011Hashim Amla, South Africa’s opening batsman, said that the pressure is on India ahead of their marquee clash with South Africa in Nagpur on Saturday. “Being at home comes with a lot of expectation,” he said. “I don’t think the pressure is on us as much as it is on India.”South Africa and India’s match is one of the most eagerly anticipated of the group stage, the juicy steak everyone has been looking forward to after three weeks of appetisers and the occasional chicken dish, still a main, but not the red-meat one. England have served up most of the white-meat, advertising fifty-over cricket with three delicious roasts so far, one where they got burnt by Ireland, one where they returned the favour to South Africa, and that tie with India – cooked just right.Now it’s time to sample one of the dishes that is considered a speciality in this tournament, two of the favourites, blended in one stadium. The teams have been on this menu before, little more than a month ago, when South Africa beat India 3-2 in a closely fought ODI series in South Africa. The ingredients were completely different, with pitches that favoured the local seamers being the biggest change. “We do take confidence from knowing that we’ve beaten India on our home ground but we are not naïve to think this will be the same,” Amla said.Nagpur’s kitchen caters to other tastes entirely, with a pancake of a track that promises runs that will drip like an overflowing pot of honey. South Africa have sipped from those fountains before. Dale Steyn helped himself to 7 for 51 in the Test match and Amla scored his career-best 253 not out in February last year. “The last time I was here I had a good time,” Amla said, holding himself back from licking his fingers or lips, which is what he may have needed to do given the aftertaste this venue must have left in this mouth. “We know the scores are generally quite high here, if I can score the same amount of runs I will be very happy.”Hashim Amla hopes he can feast on the flat Nagpur pitch•AFP

The same amount may be too much to ask in a quick meal like a one-day international, but the substance of what Amla is saying is there. He hopes to spend as much time at the crease as possible, in keeping with South Africa’s philosophy that at least one of their top six chefs must remain in the kitchen to marshal the rest. “You hope somebody in the top six bats a long time so others can bat around him. It is a considered effort. We want the batsmen to score the runs rather than have the tail-enders have to bat.”With the batsmen the ones that are being promised the best of the meal on offer in Nagpur, it leaves little to whet the appetite of the bowlers. India’s attack has come under fierce criticism for being undercooked but Amla predicts that they will still bring their fair share of spice for the South Africans to deal with. “We rate their bowlers,” he said. “Even though we won 3-2 they bowled very well in that series at home.”Although Amla referenced it himself, the snacks shared between India and South Africa a few weeks ago are still thought to have little bearing on this match. Even the way Yusuf Pathan proved himself, with a commanding innings in Centurion against short pitched bowling, is not something South Africa have pondered to any great detail. “We’re not placing too much importance on individuals,” Amla said, while explaining that South Africa is enjoying every meal to the fullest, tasting each dish before going on to the next.They still know that on Saturday, the VCA will be a pressure cooker but Amla thinks that South Africa are not the ones who need to be worried about getting cooked to pulp. “We’ve played in front of big crowd before, it may take five or six overs to get used to the noise factor but it will be a lovely atmosphere.” The dessert, for many, will be if these two meet in the final in three weeks time. It may make all the finger food in between worth it, particularly if they dish out a tasty course this time around.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Marcus North’s century at the Basin Reserve was a career saver

Brydon Coverdale at the Basin Reserve20-Mar-2010Marcus North is a smart man. He knows words can suffice only so long before they must be backed by actions. Even the Australian selectors, so reluctant to change a winning team, have their limits. It is not an exaggeration to say that his century at the Basin Reserve was a career saver. How long it will extend his stay in the Test team remains to be seen, but expect to see him at least for the Ashes later this year.North kept saying he was the man for the job but a slight worry was the presence on tour of Steven Smith, the dazzling allrounder who is everything North is not: young, exhilarating and in wonderful first-class form. Not that it means Smith would be a better Test No.6 than North, but failures in Wellington might have encouraged the selectors to find out next week in Hamilton. Being axed at age 30 is usually permanent.As North strode to the middle in his languid, lopey style, he realised the seriousness of his situation. This was a man who scraped through the home summer with an average of 23 and then went on to struggle in the Sheffield Shield. From his second ball, which was driven confidently straight down the ground for four, he looked like a different batsman. There was no tentative prodding outside off, nor streaky edges that flew past stumps or slips.In truth, some of the Sheffield Shield attacks he has faced over the past month might have tested him more than this New Zealand group, which fed him with half-volleys and moved the ball only a little. But an out-of-form North would still have found ways to hit catches or get caught on the crease. Instead, his driving was wonderful, gaps were found regularly and his timing was perfect – in more ways than one.The innings will ensure that he retains his Cricket Australia contract when the new list is decided in the next couple of months. Had he lost his place in the team, North’s deal would have gone south. It remains a concern that North is a fail-or-fire batsman, for whom middling scores are rare. But he was one of Australia’s best in the Ashes loss and he is desperate to be there for the next battle for the urn.”It was a great experience playing in England but there’s certainly that motivation to play another Ashes series and make things right,” North said. “I guess you never want to be part of a losing Ashes series. Unfortunately my first experience was. But I’ll be doing everything I can over the next three Tests to make sure I’m there for the first Test next summer.”Ricky Ponting wants North in his Ashes line-up as well, and has been one of his staunchest supporters. Ponting and Justin Langer have worked hard in the nets with North this week to overcome a slight technical flaw. North found his eyes weren’t as level as he thought and fixed the glitch, which he believes has helped him hit straight down the ground. Finding the problem is half the battle, and it significantly boosted his confidence after a tough few months.”Without doubt the pressure was there and when you haven’t made a lot of runs in the last couple of months, there is a lot of speculation about your position,” North said. “It’s not a great feeling but you have to try and use the experience to motivate and focus on the job at hand. The three days preparation was ideal, it gave me the background to back myself and where my game is and to keep my mindset simple.”When North reached his century with a lucky top-edged boundary from an attempted hook, he jumped and raised the bat, but it was a mostly subdued celebration. There was a casual kiss of the helmet and a slow stroll to his partner Brad Haddin for a handshake, but less of the raw emotion that Michael Clarke had displayed upon scoring his ton.North can be a hard man to read and rarely looks troubled, but the pressure boiled over earlier in the summer when he swung his bat angrily over his broken stumps after being bowled by Mohammad Aamer at the MCG. This time, the only sign of frustration came when Ponting declared.North had reached 112, had slog-swept a couple of sixes off Daniel Vettori and wanted to capitalise on his opportunity. Haddin hared off the field to get ready for his keeping duties, while North hung back at the pitch, wishing for a few more overs. At least he ensured he will get a few more matches.

Dropped in West Indies, Australia’s long-time No. 3 has switched his focus on what he can do to be playing the Ashes

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Aug-20251:01

Super-sub Labuschagne produced direct hit run-out

Marnus Labuschagne is feeling primed to start his push for a Test recall in time for the Ashes amid the ongoing debate about how Australia’s top three will shape up come Perth in late November.Labuschagne was dropped from the Test side for the first time since 2019 at the start of the recent series in West Indies having averaged 27.82 with one century over the previous two years.There had been some consideration given to him leaving that tour early in order to play either county cricket or for Australia A, but he ended up staying throughout, training extensively with the coaching staff, something he has continued since getting home to Brisbane.Related

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“This [being left out] has given me an opportunity to reflect and not having the pressure of the media saying, ‘Marnus has got to go’,” Labuschagne told in his first interview since losing his spot.”I mean that’s part of the game. There is a tipping point but it’s something I thrive on… proving the doubters wrong and being able to find a way. Missing those West Indies Tests gave me the chance to back and think, ‘This is where I want to be and this is how I’m going to get there’.”After the West Indies Tests, head coach Andrew McDonald said Labuschagne’s absence from the side “wasn’t going to be a huge gap.” He could make a return to Australia colours in the ODI series against South Africa later this month having been retained in that squad then will have three Sheffield Shield matches for Queensland before the Ashes side is named in mid-November.Should he make a compelling case for a recall, there remains the question of where he would return in the order with Cameron Green finishing strongly at No. 3 against West Indies in tough batting conditions although there is a scenario where Green drops back down the order should he be available to bowl.Labuschagne’s last Test before his omission saw him pushed up to open in the World Test Championship final against South Africa where he made 17 and 22 and he would gladly take on the role again should that provide his route back.”I would be happy to do that – I would love to,” he said. “If opener is where I need to bat to be playing in the Test team, that’s fine. If you had asked me where I prefer to bat obviously I have batted at three my whole career, but at this stage you don’t get a choice.”I opened in the World Test Championship final and felt I batted quite well. I got in but did not go on with it.”

Titans were bundled out for 89 following which Capitals finished the chase in 53 balls

Alagappan Muthu17-Apr-2024At the start of the fourth over, Gujarat Titans were projected to reach 169. By the start of the sixth over, they were trending much lower, to 120. In the end, they were bowled out for double-digits, 89. It was their lowest-ever IPL total, having been brought into the tournament in 2022.Four of the six bowlers Delhi Capitals used returned economy rates of 4.5 or less, setting up the batters to go out there and do their thing. The chase was done in 53 balls, with six wickets to spare, and that mattered. Capitals are now in sixth place, above Titans on the points table, because their net run-rate rose from -0.975 to -0.074.

How the Titans fell

A slow, low, and turning pitch had the home team spiralling all through their innings. Shubman Gill tried to get ahead of it by going hard at everything. He hit two cuh-risp fours in five balls and in going for another he got caught at cover. Eventually it became clear why he was so desperate for early boundaries.The ball began holding in the pitch. Wriddhiman Saha went after it but was too early into the pull and dragged it onto his stumps. It began spinning. Tristan Stubbs, who had bowled only 177 balls in his 79-match T20 career, helped himself to two wickets in an over with his offbreaks.Four of the top six with single-digit scores. Rahul Tewatia batting in the powerplay. Sacrificing the option of R Sai Kishore as an Impact Player against the right-hander-heavy Capitals line-up to send in Shahrukh Khan. He was meant to firefight. He was the in-case-of-emergency-break-glass option. He returned with a duck. Out stumped even though the wicketkeeper didn’t collect the ball cleanly. It was that kind of day.Tristan Stubbs is thrilled after Rishabh Pant completes a second stumping – albeit a bit fortuitously – in his over•BCCI

Pant is a joy

Right at the start, a giggle was caught on the mic. It sounded very Rishabh Pant-y. He and Gill were just staring at each other and everybody else was stuck waiting as the Capitals skipper tried to remember what the plan was after winning the toss. “I think we’re going to bowl,” he said.Pant took two catches, one requiring a little more effort than normal, from how he needed to dive low and quickly to his left to take it and then call on DRS to confirm suspicions that David Miller had indeed nicked it.There were a couple of stumpings as well, one that almost didn’t happen. Pant had seen that Shahrukh’s back foot was nowhere near where it needed to be. He was beyond excited. That might have played a part in how he grabbed for the ball, hard-handed, and therefore couldn’t collect it cleanly. But it didn’t matter because the ball just bounced off his gloves and straight onto the wicket, prompting child-like glee at how a mistake he’d made actually turned out okay.This is why the world needs Rishabh Pant. A lot of his fans – and India fans – must be thrilled that he’s back playing cricket again because he is a game-changer. But really, he’s so much more than that. He reminds people to smile. To enjoy themselves. To have fun. Just by smiling and having fun himself.After the eighth over, when Kuldeep Yadav was upset with a wayward throw, acting like he had suffered a mortal wound, Pant ran down to the bowler, put one hand around his shoulders and used the other one to stroke his chest. There, there. Don’t worry. Be happy.He had a good game as captain too, bringing back Khaleel Ahmed for a third over inside the powerplay to see if he could sneak a fifth Titans wicket. That wasn’t possible but a maiden was. For some reason he bowled Stubbs ahead of Axar Patel which turned a score of 47 for 4 to 48 for 6. Pant spent the rest of the innings chirping away behind the stumps. It was like he was never even away.