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Join us for updates, analysis and colour from the first Test in Adelaide

Andrew McGlashan17-Dec-2020*Most recent entry will appear at the top, please refresh your page for the latest updates. All times are local.

9.15pm: What a moment

Just three overs before the new ball was due, Rahane drove the ball towards mid-off, set off for a run but then changed his mind leaving Kohli stranded mid-pitch with no chance of getting back. There was a quick apology from Rahane, who is set to take over as captain after this Test, and Kohli largely retained his composure walking off. Will that be a moment we look back on as defining for the Test?

9.00pm: Virat’s watchfulness

Here’s some analysis from Nagraj Gollapudi:

In the 2018 Adelaide Test, of the 120 deliveries he faced overall, Kohli left alone 20. Today, of the 172 deliveries he has faced before the final hour of the evening started, the Indian captain has left alone 42, nearly 25%. For a batsman who likes to keep the run meter ticking, Kohli has remained circumspect and vigilant in his approach today. As much as Kohli has restrained himself consciously, perhaps he has been helped to settled down by the Australian seamers who today have bowled more back-of-the length and short at Kohli than on good length. Overall Australian seamers bowled 45 deliveries short-of-length and 20 more short. They pitched 45 deliveries on length, which typically forces a batsman to play. In contrast, two years ago at the same venue, the Australian seamers pitched overall 48 deliveries on length, 22 on short-of-length and just 5 short.

8.45pm: New ball looms

Ajinkya Rahane plays a sweep•Getty Images

Australia may not get the full 10 overs with the second new ball due to the over-rates, but they will surely take it at 80 overs. They will hope for a breakthrough before then but Kohli and Rahane have played very well since tea and there is just a little urgency for them to make a breakthrough, although the run rate remains under control. Kohli is playing a masterful innings – feels like he will have a major say before departing this series.

8.05pm: Twlight time

Kohli reached a half-century – the second-slowest of his Test career – as India built steadily after the break with the lights start to take effect. There were signs that Rahane was being a touch more proactive against the older ball – the second new ball under lights will come late in the day depending on Australia’s over-rate. India are going okay, but things can change quickly. Will they try keep the rate ticking up before that new ball?

7.10pm: Tea – India 107 for 3

Another tough session of Test cricket with neither side giving an inch but Australia have extracted the vital wicket of Pujara, who got an inside edge into his pad which was caught at leg slip. The decision wasn’t given on the field and though Pujara started to walk he then stopped with Paine this time calling for the review which proved the obvious edge. Kohli has not been able to break free but is still there ahead of the tricky twilight hour after the break. For the first time this season, Green bowled more than four overs in a spell as he took the attack through to the break alongside Lyon which ensured the main quicks were fresh for a big push under lights. Yesterday, Paine had suggested that Green’s bowling restrictions would be loosened for a Test match.This is what Rahane said about the crucial period of play coming up under lights.

6.45pm: Kohli’s battle

Virat Kohli hits one down the ground•Getty Images

Here’s Dan Brettig from the ground:

Virat Kohli had his gloves targeted in contrasting fashion by both Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc in a testing session after the dinner break, but survived each instance to continue building a platform with Cheteshwar Pujara. Lyon spun and bounced an off-break sharply from middle and off stumps, taking the ball perilously close to Kohli’s glove as he tried to glance. Tim Paine took the catch and there was some thought of a review, but not as much conviction as there might have been had the Australians been able to see the HotSpot replay, which showed a small but clear flare on Kohli’s glove. At the Scoreboard End, Starc was generating plenty of pace, and got one shortish ball to fly through and take Kohli on the glove. The ball popped up tantalisingly, perhaps within the reach of short leg had one still been posted, and there was some delay as Kohli sought treatment for the blow.

And here are some thoughts from Sid Monga:

The obvious question viewers might want to ask is, why India are scoring at under two an over even after close to 50 overs. Even Virat Kohli’s strike rate is in the 30s despite having batted close to 100 balls. The answer seems like a combination of three factors: slow pitch, steep bounce and excellent bowling from Australia. The number of bad balls might be in single figures. Just take a look at the boundaries that have been hit. Kohli skipped down and went aerial against Nathan Lyon. That means risk, and even there Australia have put mid-on back. Then there was the pull balls after Kohli was rapped on the gloves by a Mitchell Starc short ball. That again involved risk, and was also a sort of a message from Kohli. Pujara hit one when Lyon erred on the shorter side. Other than that there has hardly been anything except for the glorious flick by Kohli off Starc and the use of feet by Pujara against Lyon. Other than that, risk-free scoring opportunities have been few and far between.Now India could have taken more risks and in a best-case scenario might have been 130-140 by now, but looking at the bounce that the Australia bowlers are getting and the unerring accuracy, they could have been six down if they hadn’t been this watchful and this expert-like at defence and leaves.

5.45pm: The best vs the best

The contest between Cummins and Kohli continues to be absorbing. Kohli has twice fended short deliveries awkwardly, the first time almost giving a catch to short leg and then sending one through the vacant leg-gully area. Into his 10th over, Cummins had conceded just 10 runs. Lyon’s first over brought more interesting tactics as Pujara immediately looked to take the attack to the offspinner by using his feet. Pujara has comfortably gone past his first century of the series in balls faced. Runs are hard to come by a slow outfield also reducing the value of shots.Here’s Gaurav Sundararaman with a bit more on Pujara’s tactics:

Nathan Lyon has bowled 5123 balls against India. Only Muttiah Muralitharan and James Anderson have bowled more
The Indians have always looked to step out and counter Lyon. Pujara has been instrumental in this. In the 2018-19 season Pujara stepped down 161 times in 406 deliveries he faced Lyon – that is 40% of his deliveries. Already today we have seen glimpses of that from both Pujara and Kohli.

5.15pm: A big two hours

Here’s Sid Monga to set up the second session:

In day-night Tests in Australia, teams average 27.25 runs for a wicket in the first 30 overs followed by an average 30.40 in the next 50 overs. The run rate jumps from 2.79 to 3.24. That is a 16% increase in both runs per wicket and per over. In day Tests played over the same period in Australia, the scoring rate remains the same after the 30th over at 3.11 while the average goes up negligibly from 38.22 to 39.05. The sample size for day-night Tests is small, especially when the variables of bowling under lights are high, but paired with visual evidence of how easy batting looked after around the 30th over, it might be safe to surmise wickets with the old pink ball might be hard work if not bowled under lights. These might be signs the pink ball gets softer than the red ball does. On a slow Adelaide Oval track, this session might just be the best time to bat

4.30pm: Lunch – India 41 for 2

Phew, that was a challenging session of Test cricket. Some very impressive bowling from Australia’s big three has not let India get away at all and they have grabbed the wickets of both openers. India’s big two, Pujara and Kohli, have taken them through to lunch and they have a lot of work to do this afternoon before the final session under lights. Green had his first bowl in Test cricket shortly before the break, starting with a no-ball but hitting good areas throughout in a moment that will have helped settle any nerves. Through the stump mics he appears to have picked up the nickname ‘Junior’.

4.10pm: Cummins’ gem

The pressure paid off for the Australia quicks when Cummins produced a beauty of a delivery which nipped between bat and pad to remove Agarwal. Cummins had barely sent down a delivery off the mark into is fifth over, having conceded just one run, when he made the breakthrough. A couple of overs earlier it briefly appeared his spell was going to end at three overs when Green did some loosening, but Cummins was quick to say he wanted to continue. The wicket brought in Virat Kohli for the first of a maximum of two innings he’ll play in the series. A big early moment in this Test?Here’s some insight from Sid Monga:

The ball that got Agarwal’s wicket was the first one in a while that seamed off the surface. It is credit to Australia’s bowling that they have given nothing away, but it is interesting that the ball suddenly did something in the half hour before lunch. It reminds me of the second tour game that India played, at SCG. Prithvi Shaw and Shubhman Gill ran away against the new ball that did little but again, around the 20-over mark, it began to swing and seam. I am not sure if this is a bit of a feature of the pink ball, a bit like the Duke’s red, which starts to go only after it loses the lacquer a bit. Be very interesting to see if the ball does a little more in the coming hour or so than it did in the hour gone by

3.30pm: Tough work against new ball

Mitchell Starc is mobbed after dismissing Prithvi Shaw early•Getty Images

It has been an intense first hour to the series but India have been able to weather it for just the early loss of Shaw. However, they’ve had some near misses along the way: three times Pujara almost departed – an edge on 0 falling short of Tim Paine, on 2 an edge falling in front of third slip and on 4 and clip evading leg gully. Agarwal also had a left-off, and it was technically a chance as he fended a ball towards Head at short leg but he did not stay low enough. The early spells from Starc and Hazlewood were impressive and asked a lot of questions. In the first hour there was just one boundary, a sweet drive by Agarwal off Hazlewood.

2.40pm: Starc strikes early

One of the debates around the India side was Prithvi Shaw vs Shubman Gill. And that debate will likely rumble on now. Shaw has lasted just two deliveries against Mitchell Starc before getting an inside edge into his stumps. It was predicted by Ricky Ponting on commentary, the ball coming back in from Starc. Some clouds have come over and these may not be bad bowling conditions. Two years ago the India top order made a poor start but were able to fight back, and eventually win, thanks to Cheteshwar Pujara’s brilliant hundred.That was some opening over from Starc…0.1 Starc to Shaw, no run
Good length and a hint of curve into the corridor. Shaw on his toes to get behind the line of this and defend with soft hands0.2 Starc to Shaw, OUT
Inside edge and bowled! There are two problems Shaw is contending with recently – jabbing away from the body and the ball that comes in. This is a combination of both. It’s an inswinger from a good length, just a touch wide of the corridor. He’s looking to drive on the rise and it’s for the initial line. Gap between bat and front leg and half a stride. Not a great looking shot and it’ll feel like a long walk back for him. For Starc – just another day with the pink ball. Fantastic start0.3 Starc to Pujara, no run
Good length, bit of shape in at middle stump. Solidly defended down the pitch0.4 Starc to Pujara, 1 run
Just short of first slip! Starc’s inswinger – even the lack of it – is already playing on their minds. Pujara pushes at this length ball going across him. Caught inside the line. He always plays with soft hands though, and that probably saves him here0.5 Starc to Agarwal, no run
Short of a length, dipping in and rising in the corridor. Left alone0.6 Starc to Agarwal, no run
Full inswinger in the corridor. Half a stride and tentative jab to get this onto pad off the thick inside edge

2.10pm: India to bat first

The coin has fallen in Virat Kohli’s favour. How big a moment will that be? The Australia XI is as expected with Joe Burns and Matthew Wade to open, but first of all it will be all eyes on their strong bowling attack so it’s a good time to read this profile of Mitchell Starc

All the dodging and weaving and prevarication from the Australian camp served only to delay the announcement of a team that was more or less as logically expected. Joe Burns was retained in a big show of faith by the national selectors and their belief in continuity, while Matthew Wade was handed the difficult task of standing in as an opener to create middle order room for Cameron Green’s much-anticipated debut. Tim Paine’s supposed flirtation with a move up the order turned out to be fanciful talk, as he remains locked in at No. 7, while the hosts were also able retain Mitchell Starc in their Test XI despite his recent time away for compassionate reasons.

1.45pm: Debut confirmed

Cameron Green has been handed his Test cap by Pat Cummins. We still await final confirmation on the batting order. Toss coming up shortly. It’s a sunny aftrernoon in Adelaide.Cameron Green pulls on the baggy green for the first time•Getty Images

1.30pm: Australia’s difficult build-up

You can’t say things have all gone to plan for Australia over the last couple of weeks. David Warner’s groin injury, Will Pucovski’s concussion and Joe Burns’ awful form have left some tricky decisions. However, this is how we expect Australia to line-up:Joe Burns, Matthew Wade, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Tim Paine (capt & wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.Here’s a bit more on the Cameron Green story – this ‘best since Ponting’

“To me, Cameron Green is the next superstar of Australian cricket,” Greg Chappell said. “He is a genuine prospect with bat and ball, but I think his future is as a batsman who can offer some quality overs. Cameron is a batsman of rare talent. At 6ft 7in, he could become something very special. I would bat him at No. 6 to start with, but I reckon No. 4 is his long-term position. The sooner he gets to play at this level, the sooner he will become the player that he should be.”

1.10pm: India’s selection

Have they got it right?11:31

Did India make the right selection calls?

1.00pm: It’s here!

Hello everyone and welcome to our rolling coverage of the first Test between Australia and India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. As with so many sporting events this year it has taken a huge amount to get this show on the road – the one-day and T20I matches were a nice starter, but this is the main course. Four Test matches in a month, it will test both sides in many ways, with Australia hoping to avenge the 2-1 loss in 2018-19. On that occasion they were without David Warner and Steven Smith throughout, this time they’ll be without Warner for at least one Test but India will be without Virat Kohli for three. He’s in Adelaide, however, and you feel India have to make the most of that. We are about an hour away from the toss, but we already know India’s XI – in a very positive, assertive move it was named yesterday – and we we know Australia’s with Joe Burns set to keep his place and a debut for Cameron Green. Stay with us (and my colleagues on the live commentary) for all the build-up.

After becoming the most successful Indian Test captain, Kohli gave the credit for the achievement to the team as a whole and the bowlers in particular

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2019India’s win against West Indies in the second Test at Sabina Park not only gave them a 2-0 series sweep and the top spot on the World Test Championship table, but was also their 28th Test victory under Virat Kohli, making him the winningest Indian Test captain, going past MS Dhoni’s 27.Kohli, however, said that the captaincy achievement was just a by-product of the team, and the bowlers, that he had.”Captaincy is just a ‘c’ in front of your name honestly. It’s the collective effort that matters,” Kohli told Ian Bishop in the post-match presentation. “It’s a by-product of this quality team that we have here. If we didn’t have the bowlers that we have, I don’t think the results would have been possible.”Yes, you can score as many runs as you want, but if you look at these guys running in and putting their heart in – I mean [Mohammed] Shami’s spell today, [Jasprit] Bumrah after having a small niggle, Ishant [Sharma] bowling his heart out, [Ravindra] Jadeja bowling a long spell… I don’t think without these bowlers it would have been possible. So I think all the credit has to go to the whole team.”India’s win in the second Test came in the second session on the fourth day, and Kohli was lavish in his praise for Man of the Match Hanuma Vihari, who made 111 and 53 not out to be the standout batsman in the game. One of the features of Vihari’s batting was how well he left the ball and the patience he showed that ultimately resulted in the ball coming to his scoring areas.”You have to be patient on this wicket, select the balls which are in your area to score runs,” Vihari said of his approach. “Because there’s something for the fast bowlers, and it’s very important that you leave well outside off stump and wait for the areas… wait for them to come to you.”Virat Kohli has overtaken MS Dhoni to become India’s most successful Test captain•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Kohli agreed that the pitch dictated the batting game plan, and said Vihari brought calm to the dressing room.”According to the surface, I think it was a top-class innings,” Kohli said. “He’s a guy who’s very sure of his game and it shows when he plays. He looks confident and the dressing room feels really calm watching him bat. I think that’s a quality he possesses naturally because his game is so correct. He’s always willing to improve and is accepting of his mistakes and corrects them immediately, and he’s getting the results pretty quickly.”He plays with a lot of heart, always up to do anything for the team, and that’s why he invariably ends up playing crucial innings for us. It’s a very young career so far, but he’s shown why he’s been backed and selected in this team.”India have been ranked No. 1 in Test cricket since October 2016, with Kohli having led them all through except when he sat out through injury. He assumed Test captaincy full-time when Dhoni announced his retirement midway through India’s tour of Australia in 2015-16, having led in the first Test of the series with Dhoni injured, and then in the last match following Dhoni’s departure. Before the win in the Caribbean, he had led India to their first-ever series win in Australia in 2018-19.

He was among several Indian players, including Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, who appeared for the fitness test at the NCA in Bengaluru

Nagraj Gollapudi15-Jun-2018Ambati Rayudu is likely to lose his place in the Indian squad for the three-match ODI series in England next month after failing to clear a mandatory fitness test. Rayudu was among several Indian players, including captain Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, who appeared for the fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.Rayudu, 32, was one of the architects behind Chennai Super Kings’ title-winning run in the IPL this year. Among the top-five run-scorers, this season was the best IPL Rayudu had, scoring 602 runs at a strike rate of 149.75 including one century.After impressing with his form during the IPL, Rayudu got a berth for the England ODIs, which start on July 12 in Nottingham. However, Rayudu, who last played an ODI in 2016, still had to clear the yo-yo test, made mandatory by the Indian team management and supported by the selectors.Players need to attain the 16:1 mark, the minimum level set for Indian players by the team’s strength and conditioning coach Shankar Basu.Although the BCCI is yet to make the news public, it is understood that Rayudu fell short of the minimum cut-off by a reasonable distance. The selectors are set to name a replacement soon.Fitness has become a key parameter for selection for the Indian teams with the selectors and coaches showing no room for compromise. Last week, the BCCI revealed that Sanju Samson and Mohammed Shami had failed the fitness tests and consequently lost their spots. Shami missed out on being part of the one-off Test against Afghanistan which got over on Friday, while Samson failed to be part of the India A squad to tour England in June-July.

New Zealand fast bowler Adam Milne is in discussions to play in this season’s NatWest T20 Blast as an overseas player

Vithushan Ehantharajah31-Mar-2017New Zealand fast bowler Adam Milne is in discussions to play in this season’s NatWest T20 Blast as an overseas player. Milne’s agent has confirmed that, while a number of clubs were interested in signing the 24-year-old, he has only entered into talks with two, one of which ESPNcricinfo understands is Kent.The signing of Milne would be a boost for Kent, who have struggled to get new recruits through the door at Canterbury. Visa issues have so far prevented Allan Donald from taking his position as assistant coach, though Jason Gillespie provides more than adequate cover as Donald sorts the relevant qualification.Kent were understood to be close to acquiring South Africa pace bowler Duanne Olivier as an overseas player for the first three months of the season. However, just as the club were preparing to announce his signing, Cricket South Africa intervened at the 11th hour to block the move, on the ground of managing Olivier’s workload ahead of the Champions Trophy. Further misfortune arose when two other potential signings on their shortlist went down with injuries.Milne has now emerged as an alternative. One of the quickest bowlers in the world – he has been clocked above 95mph – he is also a fine death bowler, with a record of 21 wickets at an average of 21.80, and an economy rate of 7.36, in T20 internationals. He also offers excellent fielding and runs lower down the order.As ever with Milne, there will be questions over his fitness. This year’s NatWest T20 Blast takes place in a block, with each team playing 14 matches in a six-week period between July 7 and August 18. While a condensed schedule has made it easier for counties to obtain players of Milne’s profile, they will also have to consider managing the workload of a player with Milne’s injury record.He has not played for New Zealand since the World T20 and, while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore at the IPL last April, he suffered a hamstring tear – the first of three issues that meant he did not play again in 2016. Elbow surgery in the summer saw him unable to fulfill a seven-match commitment for Essex in the Blast.He sat out an ODI series in India to regain his fitness but picked up a side strain in the nets at the end of 2016, meaning he had to bide his time until March for a competitive comeback. Both New Zealand and his suitors will be encouraged that he has emerged unscathed from three Plunket Shield matches for Central Districts in the last four weeks.Milne is set to travel to India in the hope of completing his first full IPL with RCB (he missed the 2015 season with a heel injury) and is expected to make New Zealand’s squad for the Champions Trophy in England, which starts in June.

Sydney Thunder became the first team to qualify for a Women’s Big Bash League final as they strangled Perth Scorchers to defend an underpar total of 118 in a fascinating finish

The Report by Will Macpherson in Adelaide21-Jan-2016
ScorecardAlex Blackwell’s 39 laid the platform for Sydney Thunder’s win•Getty Images

Sydney Thunder became the first team to qualify for a Women’s Big Bash League final as they strangled Perth Scorchers to defend an underpar total of 118 in a fascinating finish. Thunder had been the competition’s pace-setters, and are greater than the sum of their parts, while Scorchers had crept into the semi-finals, only for their vaunted batting line-up to let them down.It’s hard to estimate how close the Scorchers came to crashing out in the pool stages. But they went into the final weekend of action in Adelaide having lost two more games than they had won, and knowing that if Brisbane Heat beat Adelaide Strikers, or Melbourne Stars won one of their two games, Scorchers were out. But neither of these eventualities played out, and the Scorchers veritably thrashed the competition’s weakest team, Melbourne Renegades, twice in two days, losing just two wickets in the process, to sneak into this semi-final.This, though, proved a bridge too far. Scorchers had bowled stingily and fielded smartly, but their batting – stuffed with top-order class from around the world – lost its way badly after an impressive start. They had twice lost to Thunder in the pool stages, but six of their seven wins came chasing, so it was something of a surprise when Thunder captain Alex Blackwell won the toss and opted to bat.Katherine Brunt was tough to get away early, and the introduction of Suzie Bates saw Rachael Haynes dismissed as she skied to mid-on. Stafanie Taylor was positive if not fully fluent, heaving Nicky Shaw to leg for six then pulling Bates for four through square leg.Just as Taylor looked to be settling, Nicole Bolton brought Brunt back to bowl her final over. The first delivery was cut behind point for a classy boundary, but two balls later Taylor edged behind when trying to go inside out off a ball too straight for the stroke. Naomi Stalenberg was promoted to push the rate but was gone an over later, slicing to mid-off off Heather Graham.Blackwell and Nicola Carey set about a careful rebuild; boundaries were rare, but the strike was rotated effectively and the pair shared 36. They took 13 from a Bolton over, including a Blackwell straight drive and a Carey flick to leg, both for four, the first of which was the first boundary for 25 deliveries. Erin Osborne was run out by some smart work from Bolton and keeper Jenny Wallace. Blackwell met the same fate off the innings’ last ball, failing to make her ground running a second, but after she and Claire Koski – who struck Bates for a beautiful straight drive – had pushed the score along.Thunder’s innings never got above a run a ball, and a target of 119 did not look enough to trouble this batting line-up.How wrong that proved. Elyse Villani had found form since being dropped from Australia’s squad for next week’s T20Is against India, scoring 72 and a quickfire 43 – both without being dismissed in the romps over Renegades. She was immediately into her work, consecutively pulling, straight-driving and flicking through midwicket for four off Nicola Carey. Charlotte Edwards was in on the act too, cutting Lauren Cheatle beautifully behind point for four more.But Villani was run out by Maisy Gibson, and Edwards struggled to get going as the dot balls piled up and the spinners started the strangle. Edwards tried to hit Osborne over long-on but was caught, before Gibson had Bolton caught at mid-off and Bates offered a return catch, shortly after Gibson had dropping a simpler chance off her own bowling. Gibson’s leggies had produced a mixed bag, often dropping too short or failing to make use of the pitch, but her 2-16 confirmed her status as a star of the future.After a fine performance with the ball, too much was asked of Katherine Brunt with the bat. Fourteen was required off Rene Farrell’s final over, and while Brunt found a lap sweep for four, she was dismissed lbw shortly after. Farrell found a dot to complete a remarkable strangle. It’s taken Thunder’s male counterparts five shots to even reach a semi; the women’s team has a final in the first attempt.

Australia’s Ashes vice-captain Brad Haddin has expressed earnest hope the new coach Darren Lehmann can help provide the rapid fixes the tourists desperately need if they are to seriously challenge England after Mickey Arthur’s “cut throat” removal

Daniel Brettig in Taunton25-Jun-2013Australia’s Ashes vice-captain Brad Haddin has expressed earnest hope the new coach Darren Lehmann can help provide the rapid fixes the tourists desperately need if they are to seriously challenge England after Mickey Arthur’s “cut-throat” removal.As an injury replacement during the shambolic tour of India earlier this year and over the past three weeks as the captain of Australia A, Haddin was a witness first to the decline in the national team’s standards and then to Arthur’s swift exit as a result, across a series of meetings during the team’s match against Gloucestershire in Bristol.Shocking as the initial news had been, Haddin was optimistic that Lehmann’s appointment would provide the supercharge needed for a team short of confidence and balance ahead of the series. This is no more readily apparent than in the team’s batting stocks, where the likes of Phillip Hughes, Shane Watson, Usman Khawaja and the captain Michael Clarke have precious little form behind them.”We’ve got to be accountable as a bowling group and as a batting group,” Haddin said. “All of us as a batting group, there are obviously areas we need to improve in our game, and I’m pretty confident we’ll go in the right direction over the next two weeks. The bottom line is we’ve got to perform and I’m comfortable with where this group’s at. We’ve got the best cricketers in Australia here and I’m comfortable we can move forward with that.”Like his captain Michael Clarke, Haddin accepted the players had to take some responsibility for the fate that has befallen Arthur. But he was swiftly on-message to avoid too much introspection over the events of the past few months. After all, only two weeks out from the toss of the coin at Trent Bridge there is scarcely a second to waste on solid knocks and second thoughts.”It’s not something that we have to deal with every day, the loss of a coach,” Haddin said. “But from our point of view we’ve got to make this a fresh start. We can go over what’s happened as much as we want an analyse what’s gone on but the bottom line is we’ve got to move forward as a cricket team and we’ve got to start performing.”It’s obviously disappointing for Mickey. He’s put a lot of time and effort into this team, but it’s a fresh start and we’ve got to make sure we’re in the right frame come that first Test. We as a group have to be accountable for where we want to take this team, and we’ll see how successful that is. We’re pretty comfortable now with moving forward. It’s not hard to be motivated by this tour.”I don’t think a day like this is needed to remind everyone of how high the stakes are playing for Australia. This is cut-throat, this is the pinnacle of what we all do as coaches, players, support staff, everyone. And one thing with this group I’ve noticed – we’re a very talented squad and as guys we just need to move forward as a cricket team and become better as a team moving forward and I’m very confident that can happen.”Recalled to the Australian team as the kind of senior player so desperately missed since the retirements of Michael Hussey and Ricky Ponting, Haddin can recall his days jousting with Lehmann as opposing captains in domestic matches between South Australia and New South Wales. But over the past three weeks as the captain of Australia A, Haddin has watched Lehmann’s coaching work up close, and liked what he saw.”It was an enjoyable A tour, we got out of it exactly what we needed leading into this series,” Haddin said. “We had a lot of players at different stages in preparation, guys on their first tour, guys getting ready for the Ashes, and Darren and Troy [Cooley] were very positive about the cricket we wanted to play and that we wanted to win three matches. Darren was very aggressive in his approach there. He wanted us to get the game moving forward and win cricket games. That’s what we did.”We’ve sat down as a group and planned what we want to do over the next couple of weeks leading into the first Test. As a group we’re pretty clear on what we want to do, we’re at different stages as players, but we’re all on the same path here trying to get to this first Test. It’s a new start.”

Nottinghamshire maintained their push for the Clydesdale Bank 40 semi-finals with a straightforward 88-run victory over Scotland at Trent Bridge.

22-Jul-2012
ScorecardNottinghamshire maintained their push for the Clydesdale Bank 40 semi-finals with a straightforward 88-run victory over Scotland at Trent Bridge.Samit Patel led the way for the hosts with 82, while fellow England hopeful James Taylor contributed 68 and Adam Voges an unbeaten 64 as Nottinghamshire made 265 for 5 after winning the toss and batting first. Patel then picked up 2 for 39 with his left-arm spin as Scotland were bowled out for 177, with fellow spinners Voges, 3 for 37, and Graeme White, three for 42 also among the wickets. Ryan Flannigan top-scored for the visitors with 38.The win moves Nottinghamshire second in Group B, one point behind leaders Hampshire, who have played a game more.Having won the toss on a gloriously sunny afternoon, Nottinghamshire skipper Chris Read chose to bat first on a wicket that had seen little action from their rain-affected County Championship match with Surrey on the previous four days. The decision looked like a mistake when Gordon Goudie had Michael Lumb lbw with the first ball of the match, but despite a low and slow pitch, the home side steadily increased the tempo to finish on a score that proved well beyond the visitors.Taylor and Alex Hales put on 82 in 12 overs for the second wicket, with Hales contributing 37 from 35 balls before he was stumped off the left-arm spin of Jean Symes.Patel took his time to get going – with Nottinghamshire having a 10-over spell in the middle of their innings without a boundary – before he drove Majid Haq through the covers to release the shackles. His partner Taylor was generally content to pick up singles in his 82-ball innings, ending when he top-edged an attempted reverse-sweep off Haq to backward point.That brought Voges to the wicket, with the Australian taking advantage of the batting powerplay to race to 50 off just 35 balls in the penultimate over after Patel was yorked by Goudie, who also had Riki Wessels caught at deep square leg.Scotland were never in the hunt but also did not help themselves with two run-outs, although Josh Davey was unlucky to see Harry Gurney deflect Calum MacLeod’s drive onto the stumps at the bowler’s end.Nottinghamshire overcame the setback of seeing seamer Darren Pattinson limp off the field after only two deliveries with a suspected groin strain, and the left-arm spin trio of Patel, Voges and White strangled the life out of the Scottish innings.

Tim Paine has spent his past two tours doing little but running the drinks, so captaining Australia A in Zimbabwe will be a welcome task

Brydon Coverdale24-Jun-2011Tim Paine has spent his past two tours doing little but running the drinks, so captaining Australia A in Zimbabwe will be a welcome task. The squad flies out on Saturday for a triangular one-day series against the hosts and South Africa A, before a pair of four-day games against Zimbabwe, and the selector Greg Chappell will be there taking notes ahead of Australia’s trip to Sri Lanka in August.Phillip Hughes, Usman Khawaja, Michael Beer and Jason Krejza are among those who will be hoping to impress Chappell and win immediate promotion, while younger men like Nic Maddinson and Mitchell Marsh are just happy to be part of the tour. Paine himself is a unique case; he has four Tests to his name but knows he won’t add to that tally in the near future unless Brad Haddin is injured.That’s the life of the backup wicketkeeper, as Haddin learnt when he spent the better part of a decade waiting for occasional chances to replace Adam Gilchrist. Paine was part of the World Cup squad but didn’t play a match, and had one outing in the ODI series in Bangladesh that followed, and now he’s looking forward to getting plenty of game-time in Zimbabwe.”It can be frustrating but at the same time I loved every minute of both of those tours,” Paine told ESPNcricinfo this week. “To get the chance to go to a World Cup was outstanding. Hopefully at some stage down the track I can go to another one and be the main keeper, that would be a great result. It can get a little bit frustrating sitting on the sidelines but at the same time I realise how lucky I am to be there.”Paine, 26, has come a long way in the space of a year; he won his first baggy green against Pakistan last July and impressed with both bat and gloves. He then went on to stand in for the injured Haddin on the October tour of India, where he posted two Test half-centuries and confirmed that he has the temperament and maturity to be a fine Test player.The selectors certainly rate him highly. After leading the Prime Minister’s XI in January, he was swiftly thrust into the national Twenty20 vice-captaincy behind Cameron White when Australia played England the same month, and he can further enhance his leadership credentials by steering an Australia A side with a mix of experience and youth.”This tour and as much last year the Prime Minister’s XI, they’re both big honours to be named captain of those sides,” he said. “I’m certainly thrilled to be given the opportunity. It’s something I enjoy doing but it’s something I realise I need to improve and want to improve. The more opportunities I get, the better I’ll be.”Paine has Callum Ferguson as his vice-captain for the Zimbabwe tour, which will feature several interesting subplots as the competition for places in the squad for Sri Lanka intensifies. Hughes can seal himself as the immediate opening replacement for Simon Katich with one big score, while Khawaja also wants to impress and make sure he remains in the Test squad.The spin bowl-off between Krejza and Beer in the four-day side could determine who gets the job for the first Test against Sri Lanka, with Beer not having won a Cricket Australia contract despite being the incumbent. Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus also want plenty of wickets as they prepare for Sri Lanka, and they won’t want to be outbowled by fellow fast men Trent Copeland and Mitchell Starc.And with several months now having passed for World Cup post-mortems, Australia’s management and selection panel will be keen to see how the spinners Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe, the allrounders Luke Butterworth and Mitchell Marsh, and the batsmen Aaron Finch, Nic Maddinson and Matthew Wade perform in the 50-over format.The squad has been preparing for the past three weeks in Brisbane under the supervision of the Australia A coach Troy Cooley and his assistant Jason Gillespie, who will help the fast bowlers on the tour. Paine said the players were ready for some time in the middle against quality opposition.”It’s an important tour for everyone,” Paine said. “There’s two lots of guys, there are the guys who have played international cricket, who are looking to get either back into the team or on to tours, then you have the younger guys who are getting their first opportunity to play cricket overseas against international sides, so it’s exciting for them.”It has been very busy the last two or three weeks. We’ve been training every day, so it’s been good for the boys to get back into it.”

The final day of the second unofficial Test was abandoned without a ball being bowled, due to rain

Cricinfo staff26-May-2010
ScorecardThe final day of the second unofficial Test was abandoned without a ball being bowled, due to rain. The match was headed towards a draw at the end of the third day, with West Indies A ahead by 105 with seven second-innings wickets in hand. West Indies took the two-match series 1-0 after winning the first Test by 114 runs in Dhaka. They reached the final of the tri-series but went down by five runs to South Africa A in a high-scoring contest.