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ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit15-May-2012

Match facts

Wednesday, May 16, Mumbai
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Mumbai Indians’ on-field behaviour has been appalling this season•AFP

Big Picture

The contrast between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians was there to see on Monday. Knight Riders’ batting, dependent so much on Gautam Gambhir’s golden run this season, lost momentum after his dismissal against Chennai Super Kings. Mumbai Indians’ line-up recovered from 51 for 5 to chase down 172 against Royal Challengers Bangalore.After a run of six consecutive wins, Knight Riders lost their previous two games while Mumbai Indians racked up consecutive wins. Rohit Sharma’s fluent hitting stunned Knight Riders the first time these sides met this season on May 12 at the Eden Gardens.Mumbai Indians return to Wankhede Stadium after two away games. They have lost four out of seven home matches this season, and Harbhajan Singh has said that they haven’t known what to expect from the Wankhede pitch.Both teams would want to finish in the top two to boost their chances of making the final and avoid the eliminator. Knight Riders’ loss to Mumbai Indians in their final league game last season dragged them down to fourth position; they then went on to lose the eliminator to third-placed Mumbai Indians.Sachin Tendulkar could miss the match as he is expected to take his oath as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha in New Delhi.

Form guide

(most recent first, completed games)
Mumbai Indians: WWLWW
Kolkata Knight Riders: LLWWW

Watch out for

Mumbai Indians’ on-field behaviour has been appalling this season. Their captain, Harbhajan Singh, not known for his calmness, has been involved in a confrontation with umpires, as has been Munaf Patel. Munaf has, in fact, been downright boorish, having repeated arguments with umpires and several batsmen. Ambati Rayudu was the latest transgressor on Monday, losing his entire match fee for his bust-up with Harshal Patel of Royal Challengers.While Jacques Kallis is usually a steady scorer, this season has been a crawl even by his modest standards. A strike-rate of 104.94 in 13 innings has gone largely unnoticed due to Gambhir’s brilliance. Kallis, however, has taken 10 wickets at an economy-rate of 7.45.

Stats and trivia

• Gambhir has made six half-centuries this season. The rest of his team mates have just contributed three.
• Mumbai Indians have a home win-loss ratio of 1.54 in the IPL; Knight Riders have an away win-loss ratio of 1.00.
  

  Quotes

  “He had told me during the match that if I bat for 20 overs, I’d win the match. When I returned, he caught hold of me and said, ‘I had told you so’.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has begun the process of setting up a Twenty20 league in the country by soliciting proposals for the creation of such a tournament from a number of companies, a board official has said

Umar Farooq and Tariq Engineer01-May-2012The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has begun the process of setting up a Twenty20 league in the country by soliciting proposals for the creation of such a tournament from a number of companies, a board official has said. Eight companies, including Ten Sports, Nimbus and Geo TV, have already made their pitches to the PCB, while another three are expected to do so this week.”The purpose of the sessions was to hear the ideas and concepts and each one came with in-depth studies,” Subhan Ahmed, the board’s chief operating officer, told ESPNcricinfo. “We have no fixed ideas, and are being open minded, but one thing we know is that we do not want a clone of the IPL or BPL. Our product won’t resemble the conventional type of league and even the name won’t be the Pakistan Premier League (PPL).”Ahmed said the board would evaluate all the proposals once the presentation process ends next week. The board is believed to want to hold the tournament in October, but security concerns could force them to adjust their dates. No international cricket has been played in Pakistan since the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009 and the possibility of having international players participate would depend largely on the level of security provided for the tournament.Ahmed said the board has informed the government of their plans at a preliminary level and that they have been assured of the government’s support in this regard, but a detailed security plan will only be put together once the structure of the league has been determined.
“Let things be chalked out and then we will take the government on board at a higher level for the detailed security plan for the event.”He also said that there are parties who have offered to bring in “foreign players as a part of their support to Pakistan”.The PCB is keen to launch a league of its own because there is plenty of interest from the business community in the country. “They understand how much money is involved in it and they are ready to invest and endure the cost of such a league,” Ahmed said. “So realistically there is less of a chance that we have to look outside Pakistan to generate money for the event.”The concept of a T20 league in Pakistan was first raised by former PCB chairman Naseem Ashraf who wanted to launch a league to rival the IPL in 2009. However, the idea was dropped after then president Pervez Musharraf was removed from power. Pakistan players were part of the inaugural IPL in 2008 but have not played in the tournament since the terrorist attack on Mumbai later in the same year.

Johan Botha has vowed that he will not stand in the way of South Australia’s young spinners this summer despite being a guaranteed starter as the state’s new captain for the next two years

Brydon Coverdale02-Jul-2012Johan Botha has vowed that he will not stand in the way of South Australia’s young spinners this summer despite being a guaranteed starter as the state’s new captain for the next two years. Botha began pre-season training on Monday in Adelaide, where he will be based for three weeks before he flies out to prepare for South Africa’s tour of England and the ICC World Twenty20.The trips will be Botha’s last for his country before he focuses his attention solely on the Redbacks, who won the Ryobi Cup last summer but did not win a match in the Sheffield Shield. The state’s decision to bring in Botha to replace Michael Klinger as captain, which was announced in March, was a surprise and came after he impressed the state coach Darren Berry during his stint with the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League.Botha has not played first-class cricket since December 2010 but Berry said his solid record with both bat and ball was secondary to his fiercely competitive nature and international experience in the decision to hand him the captaincy. Botha said he was conscious that his role in the side would need to vary depending on who else was available in any given match.”If Nathan Lyon is there he will be the No.1 spinner. If there’s anyone else coming through, say if Cullen Bailey comes through and bowls well again, then he’ll be the No.1 spinner,” Botha told ESPNcricinfo on Monday. “I’ll be there for the support role and to help where I can. I can bat in the top six, so that helps the balance of the team. If there are guys who are bowling better than me then definitely they will be the No.1 spinner.”Botha’s versatility – he averages 34.60 with the bat and 31.75 with the ball in first-class cricket – will make him a handy addition for the Redbacks, whose players are largely familiar with him through his work with the Strikers last season. However, he conceded that stepping straight in as captain in the Shield and Ryobi Cup sides would be a very different scenario.”It is a challenge. But sometimes you just have to get out of your comfort zone,” Botha said. “I’m going to lean big time on Maxy Klinger and Chuck [Berry] and all the experienced players to help me through, especially the first few months and the first season. I’m not just going to take it on my own to run the show my way. I’m definitely going to lean on the other guys.”[My role is] just to give the players the freedom to express themselves. I think it’s important to let the players express themselves and tell them that it’s fine if you fail every now and then. On certain days one or two guys are going to perform and it’s going to be their day and some days it’s not going to be your day. It’s important just to let the players relax and understand that.”Botha will be in charge of a side boasting several men pushing for international honours, with Daniel Christian and Callum Ferguson expected to sign new contracts within the coming days. Phillip Hughes, who has joined the state from New South Wales, is another man who will remain in the minds of the Australia selectors but Botha said it was important Hughes focused himself solely on the task at hand.”He’s an exciting player and he’s the type of player who needs a bit of freedom to go out there and express himself,” Botha said. “I think he puts a lot of pressure on himself. I’m sure myself and Chuck will have to relax him and tell him to just get out there and play, and not to worry about the Australian squad at the moment. Those things will take care of themselves.”He’s got a different technique but he gets the job done. I’m always happy with that. I don’t necessarily want pretty looking guys in my team, I want guys who can get the results. He’s going to fit right in. We’re just going to let him go out there and perform for us.”Hughes and Botha will be the state’s two key imports this summer as they aim to find a way to succeed in the longer format, although Botha may miss the start of the Shield season if South Africa progress to the World T20 finals. Although Botha, 30, was expected to remain an important T20 player for South Africa, he said the national coach Gary Kirsten had been understanding of his decision to move to Adelaide.”It is a big decision but the last six months I’ve been training with the national side and sitting out of most of the games, especially in one-day cricket,” Botha said. “I spoke to Gary and he said I’ll be in the T20s but he can’t guarantee my spot in one-day cricket. That made my decision a little bit easier.”I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. Myself and my family, we might never go back or we might go back after two years. It’s hard to say. You never know what’s going to happen in the future.”

Australia’s Usman Khawaja scored his maiden one-day century for Derbyshire as they recorded a CB40 double over the Unicorns with a 35-run victory

15-Jul-2012
ScorecardAustralia’s Usman Khawaja scored his maiden one-day century for Derbyshire as they recorded a Clydesdale Bank 40 double over the Unicorns with a 35-run victory at Chesterfield.Khawaja made 104 from 109 balls and shared a century opening stand with Chesney Hughes who made 66 out of Derbyshire’s 235 for 7.Luis Reece led the chase with 59 from 63 balls but his dismissal in the 35th over ended the Unicorns’ slim hopes and they were bowled out for 200, with Mark Turner taking four for 54.Derbyshire’s only previous victory in the competition was against the Unicorns in early May and Khawaja and Hughes put them in a strong position to repeat that success with an opening stand of 138 in 26 overs.Not surprisingly after so much rain, the pitch was slow but both batsmen reeled off some handsome strokes on a rare day of sunshine and blue skies.Hughes scattered spectators behind the long on boundary by driving Bradley Wadlan’s slow left-arm spin for the first six of the innings and Khawaja matched his partner when he swept Luke Beaven over midwicket in the next over.Khawaja’s cover driving was a highlight of Derbyshire’s innings and after reaching his fifty from 66 balls, he pulled a second six off Reece who put down a sharp return chance when Hughes was on 55.Hughes sliced a drive to cover three overs later but Khawaja moved smoothly to his hundred before he was bowled trying to reverse sweep and that sparked off a collapse which saw six wickets fall in 25 balls.Wayne Madsen miscued a drive, Dan Redfern failed to clear long on and Garry Park, playing against his younger brother Craig, went first ball when he chipped a catch to cover.Jon Clare got off the mark with a six that flew into a row of portable toilets but Glen Querl struck twice in the final over as the Falcons fell well short of the total Khawaja and Hughes put them on course for.But it was still a demanding target for a team that had not previously scored 200 in the CB40 this season although they got off to a flier as James Ord and Wadlan plundered 30 from Turner’s opening three overs.Ord unleashed one of the shots of the day when he straight drove Turner into the timber-framed pavilion but Clare cut short what was developing into a dangerous partnership when he trapped him lbw in his first over.Wadlan skied a sweep at Durston to mid-on but former Leicestershire wicketkeeper Tom New kept the Unicorns in the hunt against the county he played for on loan with 31 before he was caught behind in the 21st over.When ex-Somerset stalwart Keith Parsons was run out for a duck in the same over, the Unicorns chase was faltering and Craig Park narrowly avoided matching his brother’s first ball dismissal when he was dropped by Richard Johnson, who was making his debut on loan from Warwickshire.Reece swept David Wainwright for six to reach 50 but when he sliced Turner to cover, the game was up and the fast bowler wrapped up victory with his fourth victim in the 39th over.

Somerset defeated Scotland by 53 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis system after rain affected their Clydesdale Bank 40 fixture

19-Aug-2012
ScorecardSomerset defeated Scotland by 53 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis system after rain affected their Clydesdale Bank 40 fixture.Scotland won the toss and decided to bat first but were bowled out for 163 and were indebted to Preston Mommsen’s 67 to even take them that far. Rain ended the match after 22.4 overs of the Somerset reply, with their total of 133 for 3 – built around Arul Suppiah’s half-century – far in excess of the revised target of 81.It was Somerset’s sixth CB40 victory in a row and maintains their hopes of a semi-final berth which seemed unlikely after they opened their campaign with four straight defeats followed by a no result.Scotland were dealt an early blow when opening batsman Ryan Flannigan was dismissed for just eight after offering a return catch to Peter Trego, leaving the hosts at 22 for 1. Calum MacLeod was bowled for 14 by Steve Kirby with no addition to the score and debutant Robert Mutch then took the wickets of Richie Berrington and Jean Symes to put Somerset in a commanding position.Mommsen added some resistance to the innings with a gutsy score of 67 but was fast running out of partners as the middle order began to crumble, with Ewan Chalmers falling for four and Craig Wallace trapped lbw for a duck off the bowling of Abdur Rehman.Somerset quickly worked their way through the tail, although Safyaan Sherif added a score of 20 and Mommsen was the last wicket to fall. Kirby finished with two for 22 and Mutch began his Somerset career with 2 for 46.Despite losing opener Trego for 15 Somerset made a solid start to their run chase. Chris Jones was next to fall for 24 as Mommsen took the catch from Majid Haq’s bowling, but by that stage Somerset were 90 for two after a stand of 71 between Jones and Suppiah.The latter made 56 from just 45 balls, with seven fours and a six, to steer his side towards the victory target before his was the last Somerset wicket to fall when he was bowled by Haq.Jos Buttler hit five fours and a six to score a rapid 29 not out while James Hildreth was also still at the crease on nine not out when the heavens opened and Somerset were declared the victors.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) have scrapped two Tests from Sri Lanka’s tour of the West Indies next May and instead plan to play an ODI tri-series involving India

Andrew Fernando11-Sep-2012The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) have scrapped two Tests from Sri Lanka’s tour of the West Indies next May and instead plan to play an ODI tri-series involving India. The decision also means that players from both teams will remain available during the IPL, which runs from April 3 to May 26 next year. The teams were scheduled to play two Tests, three ODIs and two Twenty20s as per the Future Tours Programme. It is unclear if the Twenty20s will remain part of the tour.SLC chief executive Ajit Jayasekara denied the motive for foregoing the Tests was to avoid a clash with the IPL, but failed to provide an alternate reason. He said the WICB had put forward the idea, and the SLC had agreed to the change in schedule after holding discussions. Jayasekara said scheduling an ODI series instead of following the FTP would end up being “more lucrative for the board”.WICB corporate communications manager Imran Khan said that all three boards had agreed in principle to the tri-series. Dates and details would be finalised following final sanction from the BCCI. Incidentally, national boards receive 10% of each player’s salary from the IPL.This will be the second time Sri Lanka have foregone a Test series which clashes with the IPL. In 2009, they declined to replace Zimbabwe in England, when Zimbabwe were unable to tour for political reasons. In 2011, several players, including Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, missed tour matches playing in the IPL ahead of a three-Test series in England, which Sri Lanka eventually lost 1-0.West Indies spin bowler Sunil Narine also missed two Tests against England due to his IPL commitments, though he did play in the third Test. Chris Gayle did not feature in that series due to a standoff with the board, which has since been resolved.The change in the tour programme is also a continuation of the SLC’s recent trend of culling Tests from Sri Lanka’s schedule. Two tests against India in July became five ODIs and a Twenty20 and the three Tests scheduled for England in March became a two-Test series as the IPL approached. With the schedule now adjusted, Sri Lanka will not play an away Test against a top-eight opposition between January and December.The BCCI did not confirm India’s involvement in any change of plans. “We have been told about this but the matter is being discussed. Nothing has been decided or finalised yet,” a senior BCCI official said. During its annual meeting in Malaysia, the ICC had decided not to create a window for the IPL, as they did not want to set a precedent of domestic tournaments taking priority over international cricket. “Once you provide a window for one particular member, you have to be conscious of the fact you may well have to do it for other members,” then ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in June. “Hence why we have not been supportive of a window specifically for any one of those domestic leagues.”

Craig McDermott, the former Australia fast bowler, has been appointed the bowling coach bowling coach for the World Twenty20

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Sep-2012Craig McDermott, the former Australia fast bowler, has been appointed Ireland’s bowling coach for the World Twenty20, beginning later this month. He will join the team for the pre-tournament training camp in Colombo ahead of the tournament in Sri Lanka.McDermott, who earlier this year quit as Australia’s bowling coach for personal reasons, called the assignment an “exciting opportunity” that would help his coaching career. His most recent assignment was with the Australia team at the Under-19 World Cup held last month.”I am looking forward to working with Phil [Simmons] and his team at the World T20 in Sri Lanka,” McDermott said. “They have a well balance squad and I am looking forward to getting stuck into preparing them for the World T20 in our training camp in Colombo.”The announcement was made by Ireland Cricket chief executive, Warren Deutrom, during a farewell function before the team’s departure for Sri Lanka. “Coach Phil Simmons and Cricket Ireland Performance director Richard Holdsworth were keen on the appointment of Craig McDermott and since he was available, we have managed to secure his services for a limited time, that is for the World T20 and the build up before that,” Deutrom told ESPNcricinfo.”The funding for the appointment emanated from the ICC high performance program, which has provided the two associates (Ireland and Afghanistan) playing in the World T20s with financial support,” he said.Holdsworth said he was delighted to have brought McDermott on board Ireland’s coaching set-up. “He is vastly experienced both as a top class player and more recently specialist bowling coach,” Holdsworth said. “Having recently been bowling coach to the Australian team, his insights into their players will help the team prepare for our match against them on September 19.”

Azhar Mahmood produced a remarkable all-round performance to send Auckland through to the main draw of the Champions League

The Report by Alex Winter10-Oct-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAuckland won both their qualifying matches to claim a place in the main draw of the Champions League•Getty Images

Azhar Mahmood produced a remarkable all-round performance to send Auckland through to the main draw of the Champions League. His unbeaten 55 blazed Auckland’s trail to a target his 5 for 24 had ensured was paltry. Their second victory wrapped up Pool 1, with Hampshire and Sialkot now unable to qualify.Despite their schedule in the qualifying tournament lasting two days, Auckland had spent two weeks in South Africa and their preparations proved worthwhile as they became the first New Zealand team to make the main draw of the Champions League.Mahmood benefitted from bowling and batting at the right time. With the ball in the first innings, he was able to use a pitch that began a touch sticky to induce five loose shots, but the surface was more conducive to clean hitting in the second innings. Mahmood slammed four sixes in his 31-ball knock and became the fifth player to score fifty and take five wickets in a Twenty20.His performance handed Auckland a second victory at a canter. The target was largely conquered before Mahmood’s innings in a Powerplay where Auckland scored 50 for 1. Hampshire by contrast had limped to 29 for 3 in their first six overs. The difference was that Hampshire bowled too full. Martin Guptill and Lou Vincent filled their boots; Vincent disappointed to slap the final ball of the sixth over to extra cover, and Guptill hung his head after swinging Shahid Afridi to long on, both following entertaining innings.But Azhar Mahmood ensured Auckland did not just meander to the target. He lifted Chris Wood over the leg side for his first six in the eighth over, and added further maximums with a slog sweep off Afridi and a heave over long-on and slap over extra cover against Liam Dawson – the second of which found the swimming pool.The match was a major anti-climax for Hampshire. In 2010, they announced a grand deal with Rajasthan to form a global franchise with clubs from other countries, setting up a travelling circus of money-spinning tournaments. But all that materialised of that deal was Hampshire becoming the “Royals,” in line with the Indian franchise.On the back of that deal, Hampshire would have expected to be performing on a world stage sooner than the 2012 Champions League. This was their first appearance in the competition but their active participation lasted just 34.3 overs.Auckland’s comfortable victory against Sialkot presented them with a chance to confirm their passage into the main draw of the tournament and they did so with a second chase that was set up by another miserly display with the ball.The seamers again enjoyed the surface after Gareth Hopkins had won another toss. It was slower that Wanderers and at first offered tennis-ball style bounce. As such, timing was difficult for the batsman. Clean hitting in the first innings was at a premium and the method of dismissals demonstrated their struggles.James Vince managed to time one six into the stands but his second attempt found mid-on from high on the bat; Jimmy Adams drove loosely outside off and edged behind; and Shahid Afridi – at No. 4 despite his very poor recent form – Sean Ervine and Glenn Maxwell all perished to catches in the deep. The damage was 77 for 5 in the 14th over.Hampshire’s debut rather flashed them by and it took Michael Carberry to prevent total disaster. Carberry’s timing was horrendous for the majority of his 65-ball innings but he stuck it out and made a half-century that put something on the board for Hampshire. He took nine runs off Kyle Mills’ opening over – three more than Mills conceded in four overs against Sialkot – with a gloved hook that went for six encapsulating the batsmen’s struggles on a slightly underprepared wicket.Carberry tried to lay a platform but batting didn’t get easier. He was alone though in hanging around and working the bowling to accumulate a score. Slogging as the entire middle order did was a waste of time. Carberry managed some acceleration with two boundaries in Andre Adams’ final over and two more as Michael Bates closed the innings.He fell trying to swing Mahmood over long-on and it was he that profited most from the errant strokes of much of the Hampshire order, returning 5 for 24 – his best figures in a Twenty20. The wickets of Vince and Adams came in his first over; four balls of his second were enough to lure Afridi into a slog. His final over saw Liam Dawson backing away and slapping to extra cover and Dimitri Mascarenhas carving a full ball to deep cover point. He could have have had a six-for but spilled a catch running back from his final delivery.Mahmood copped a fine at the end of the match. He was reprimanded, and fined US$1000, for breaching the tournament’s code of behaviour after dismissing Dawson. Mahmood pleaded guilty to a code relating to, “pointing or gesturing towards the pavilion in an aggressive manner by a bowler or other member of the fielding side upon the dismissal of a batsman.”

Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor showed refreshing patience and application to wear down the Sri Lanka bowlers for the better part of three sessions to set a solid platform for a big score

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran25-Nov-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKane Williamson was five short of his third Test century before rain arrived•Associated Press

In an otherwise one-sided tour, New Zealand finally took ownership of an entire day. Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor showed refreshing patience and application to wear down the Sri Lanka bowlers for the better part of three sessions to set a solid platform for a big score. All talk of a bouncy pitch and seaming conditions were put to rest as the bowlers struggled to create chances, with both batsmen adding an unbeaten 209.One of the main reasons for New Zealand’s slump in Test form was the inability of their batsmen to occupy the crease and build partnerships. New Zealand have only five century stands this year, the highest being 124 between Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum against Zimbabwe in Napier, until Taylor and Williamson overtook it, against a far superior bowling attack in foreign conditions.Taylor, himself struggling for consistency, had spoken about taking an aggressive approach to help his side compete better. However, unlike his blistering century in the Bangalore Test, Taylor was more watchful and with Williamson focused on wearing down the bowlers. New Zealand were more watchful from the second session, offered no chances and that was largely because their defence was more watertight. Both progressed at similar pace, and while Taylor brought up his eighth Test century, Williamson was five short of his third century before rain forced an early finish.The pair came together at 14 for 2 and it was an opportunity for New Zealand to put to practice all talk of showing better application with the bat. Taylor survived a few nervy moments, edging a drive wide of the slips on 14 and getting a thick inside edge off a square drive that went for four. A controlled upper cut over the slips got him going and it helped that Williamson got a measure of the conditions early and looked to be positive.While Taylor looked edgy at the start, Williamson didn’t. He began with a neat punch off Nuwan Kulasekara past the covers and once spin was introduced in the 15th over, he used his feet well. Rangana Herath posed questions straightaway when he got one to turn and grip from middle stump and nearly shave the off stump, one that had Williamson foxed. There weren’t too many such unplayable deliveries as the day wore on. Williamson didn’t let that trouble him as he charged Herath and lofted over mid-on and followed it up with a neat extra-cover drive.Taylor reached his fifty in the first over after lunch with a glance to fine leg off Shaminda Eranga and Williamson approached his milestone with two boundaries off the same bowler. Sri Lanka bowled 14 consecutive overs of spin, with no success. Suraj Randiv operated with a slip and a backward short leg and managed turn and bounce but the batsmen managed to smother the turn. He even bowled to a 6-3 on-side field from round the wicket, with a deep backward square leg for the sweep but the batsmen didn’t oblige. At one point, Herath had a short extra cover and a silly mid-off, but none of those field sets induced false strokes.Only five boundaries were scored in the second session, as the pair focused on rotating the strike, with the field getting more defensive. Kulasekara, who was brought back into the attack after a long spell of spin, couldn’t get the old ball to swing. An edged boundary to third man took Taylor into the 90s, but he wasn’t in any hurry to reach his century, ensuring New Zealand went to tea unbeaten.Taylor reached his century with a clip to deep square leg off Eranga and carried on with some pleasing drives off the fast bowlers. There was reverse swing after tea, but the batsmen negated it well. Williamson, who showed a lot of patience against the spinners, punched Herath against the turn to find the boundary that took him to the 90s.The only time Sri Lanka tasted success was in the first half an hour. Guptill, already struggling for runs, managed a thick outside edge to Angelo Mathews at slip to give the hosts a breakthrough in the first over.McCullum went forward to defend close to the pads but unfortunately, the umpire failed to spot a thick inside edge and sent him on his way. A peeved McCullum didn’t hold back his glare at the umpire as he walked off at 14 for 2 in the fourth over. From then on, it was all New Zealand.

Australia’s chairman of selectors, John Inverarity, has declared Michael Clarke only had a 50-50 chance of playing the Boxing Day Test and said Mitchell Starc was almost certain to be rested due to his heavy workload

Brydon Coverdale in Melbourne23-Dec-2012Australia’s chairman of selectors, John Inverarity, has declared Michael Clarke only had a 50-50 chance of playing the Boxing Day Test and said Mitchell Starc was almost certain to be rested due to his heavy workload. On Sunday, Clarke jogged at half pace on the MCG under the watchful eye of the team physio Alex Kountouris, as he continued his recovery from the hamstring injury that forced him to retire hurt while batting during Australia’s win over Sri Lanka in Hobart.Clarke did not bat at training on Sunday and had his troublesome muscle strapped with an ice-pack while his team-mates worked in the nets in Melbourne’s extreme heat. He took part in long discussions with Inverarity and the coach Mickey Arthur, and while Clarke remains in contention to lead the side on Boxing Day, Inverarity said a conservative approach would be taken regarding Clarke’s fitness.”He’s travelling optimistically and well. But he’s 50-50 as to whether he’ll be fit enough to play on Boxing Day,” Inverarity said. “He’s a very precious asset and I would go low risk. He’s always upbeat, he desperately wants to play. But we certainly don’t want to push him especially hard in a Test for him to break down.”Shane Watson will captain Australia if Clarke is ruled out, and he would become the 44th man to lead Australia in a Test. It is an elite group that does not include some of Australia’s greats – Victor Trumper and Shane Warne, to name just two men who did not captain Australia in Tests – and Watson said he had learnt plenty about leadership while filling in for Clarke during eight one-day internationals earlier this year.”It’s about as big as it gets for an Australian cricketer,” Watson said. “There’s no doubt if that opportunity arises it certainly would be … an amazing opportunity to think something like that has come along in your life. But I’m trying not to get too far in front of myself at the moment.”The thing that really stood out to me [in the ODIs] was to trust my gut instinct. Until you captain a side you don’t really realise the intuition you’ve developed over 10 or 11 years of first-class cricket and also being around some of the best players who have ever played for Australia. Intuition really does come to the fore and you’re able to do things tactically that you didn’t think you had in you.”If Watson leads the side, he will almost certainly be without the left-armer Starc, who is not injured and bowled in the nets on Sunday, but is expected to be rested. At 22, Starc is one of the younger members of Australia’s fast-bowling group and after the breakdowns of James Pattinson and Pat Cummins, the selectors are wary of asking too much of Starc, despite the fact that he has taken 14 wickets in the past two Tests.”He’ll either play Melbourne or Sydney, but it would make some sense that he misses this one and plays Sydney rather than goes Hobart and then Melbourne,” Inverarity said. “It’s about bowling loads. The science behind it is that they’ve got to build up their bowling loads so the oscillations are not very significant. If they do become reasonably significant, as they have done for Mitchell, then you enter a danger period, a high-risk period.”Should Starc sit out, that would mean a Test debut for the Tasmania fast bowler Jackson Bird, who would join Peter Siddle, Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Lyon in the attack. The backup batsman in the squad, Usman Khawaja, batted in the nets on Sunday and even sent down a few offspinners, preparing for what will be his first Test in more than a year, if Clarke is ruled out.