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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.

Brian Lara has said that the administrative infrastructure for cricket in the West Indies has to improve before the team can become consistently competitive again

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2011Brian Lara, the former West Indies captain, has said that the administrative infrastructure for cricket in the West Indies has to improve before the team can become consistently competitive again.Lara, who scored 11,953 runs in 131 Tests, was speaking at the World Travel Market in London last week, where he was part of a contingent representing Trinidad & Tobago as a tourist destination. He was not surprised West Indies failed to hammer home the advantage in the first Test against India, and ultimately ended up losing by five wickets.”[We] still have a very long way to go,’ Lara told the . “I would not have been surprised if we won this game, because I know what we are capable of — sporadic, good sporadic performances — one here, one next year, but in terms of consistency, Trinidad, West Indies lack that, and that is not something that you regain overnight.”I think our infrastructure is terrible administratively, we have got it wrong on many occasions.”A key problem, according to Lara, was the tumultuous relationship between the cricket board and the players. “Our player-board relationship — that has gone wrong for many years, gone sour, and we need to improve these things, fix it, set a base, get the infrastructure in, and then think about five, ten years down the line.”So it might be a dismal outlook, but if we keep just trying to put a plaster on every sore that we have, it’s not going to work. So I hope one day somebody’s going to take it up and really get things going.”Lara said there was still plenty of cricketing talent in the region, but it needed to be developed and nurtured properly. “On any given day, I think we’ve got the best talented cricketers in the world,” Lara said. “It’s always been the case over the years, since even before my days … cricket has gone a long way now. Talent is only a very small part compared to 20, 30 years ago, when it was a major part — your physical fitness, your talent — that played a bigger role.”Now [with] technology, there is a lot of things coming into play, and I say it all the time — we in the West Indies take very good talent and make it average, and people like Australia and England and India take average talent and make it very, very good, and that is where the problem lies.”

Officialdom in Pakistan has finally made contact with Zulqarnain Haider in a continuing bid to find out the exact nature of events prior to the wicketkeeper’s sudden fleeing of Dubai for London

Osman Samiuddin12-Nov-2010Officialdom in Pakistan has finally made contact with Zulqarnain Haider in a continuing bid to find out the exact nature of events prior to the wicketkeeper’s sudden fleeing of Dubai for London. The PCB chairman Ijaz Butt spoke with Haider on Thursday and Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Pakistan’s high commissioner to the UK, also met with the 24-year-old.Though Haider told a local news channel that support and assistance had been offered by Ijaz Butt, a board spokesman said the purpose of the communication had been solely “to find out what made him do what he did.” The PCB’s three-man fact-finding committee – comprised team manager Intikhab Alam, the security manager Major Najam Javed and a senior board official Subhan Ahmed – has also been trying to establish contact, without success so far.Questions, however, are still being asked about Haider’s actions five days after the event. He insists he fled because of threats he received after turning down the approaches of an unidentified man who wanted him to be involved in fixing the last two ODIs against South Africa.In an interview with the fourth ODI, in which his unbeaten 19 helped Pakistan home in a nail-biter. Taffazul Rizvi, the board’s legal advisor, asked why Haider waited until Monday before deciding to leave; the latest the approach could have occurred was Thursday (the fourth ODI was on Friday), which means he waited four days before leaving.”In our culture, when are you worried about your family’s safety, you run to their side,” Rizvi told the . “Whereas he has run to a different country.”Reports have also emerged indicating Haider was on the verge of being dropped from the one-day line-up. The influential Urdu daily claimed in a front page report, citing team sources, that Haider was not inked in to be a part of either the fourth or fifth ODI. Instead, in a bid to find a better balance to the side, the team management was keen on doubling up Umar Akmal as a batsman-wicketkeeper in his place.But an ankle injury prevented Umar Akmal from playing the fourth ODI and though he fulfilled that role after Haider’s departure in the last ODI, claims he would have done so regardless of Haider’s status. The report suggests that Haider had been told of his ‘resting’ the evening before the last ODI.Haider, who has sought asylum in the UK and retired from international cricket, also said that he handed over two letters he received in his Dubai hotel room to the ICC’s anti-corruption unit. ESPNcricinfo understands, however, that the ICC at least has not received any documents yet from the player.

Manoj Tiwary, the Bengal captain, has lashed out against some of his players, whom he has accused of pursuing “individual goals” and not performing as a unit

Cricinfo staff28-Nov-2009Manoj Tiwary, the Bengal captain, has lashed out at some of his players, whom he said were pursuing “individual goals” and not performing as a unit, following his team’s drawn game against Saurashtra in Kolkata. Saurashtra piled up 650 in their first innings and bowled out Bengal for 456 to enforce the follow-on.Reacting to the below-par performance, Tiwary said: “It’s time to bid goodbye
to our reputation and play as a unit now in the present context. Instead of playing for individual goals, our players need to focus on the team goal. There is a room for improvement in that area.”Saurashtra gained three points from the game as a result of their first-innings lead while Bengal had to settle with one. The teams are separated by just one point on the Group B table, with Bengal ahead.Tiwary asserted the need for introspection among the players in the side. “We need to sit together, discuss what is going wrong and rectify our mistakes,” he said. “We have tough two matches ahead (against Uttar Pradesh and Delhi).”Tiwary led a team that included former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who managed just 16 in Bengal’s first innings. When asked if Ganguly will participate in Bengal’s upcoming fixture against UP, Tiwary said: “I don’t know. He is in the best position to answer this.”

Senior pro takes the reins as Somerset prepares for new era of women’s cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2025Sophie Luff has been named as Somerset Women’s first professional captain, for the inaugural season of the new Women’s County competition.Luff, 31, played for Somerset’s age groups before making her debut for the senior women’s team in 2009. She has featured in 74 List A matches for the club, scoring 2330 runs at 43.14 with a highest score of 138 not out. She has also played in 68 T20 matches, scoring 1675 runs at 35.63.She previously captained the county side between 2017 and 2022, and was also an ever-present for the Taunton-based Western Storm, having been named captain in 2020.She was the first player to make 100 appearances for Storm and during that time scored over 1760 runs in List A cricket at 50.54 with a best of 157 not out. Her T20 record for Storm included 850 runs at 25.90 and a best of 78.The former England Academy, Development and Under-19 international has also represented Welsh Fire, London Spirit and Southern Brave in the Hundred.”It feels like I’ve really come home this winter,” Luff said. “I’m excited to be leading such a great group of girls, and to be able to do this at my home club and to become the first-ever professional captain gives me an unbelievable sense of achievement and fills me with pride.”Somerset County Cricket Club means an awful lot to me. I used to come here when I was young and watch the likes of Marcus Trescothick, and it’s where I fell in love with the game. I’ve been involved with the club for a very long time and this group has got the opportunity to set the standards for how we want Somerset Women to play.”This club has a tremendous history and has had some incredible captains over the years. To have my name on that list is incredibly special and is a real privilege.”Somerset Women Head Coach, Trevor Griffin, added: “Sophie has proved during the course of her career that she is a genuine leader both on and off the field. She has the respect of everyone in the dressing room and is a model professional. Her wealth of experience will prove invaluable alongside her outstanding understanding of the game.”Sophie is passionate about cricket and passionate about this club. Her genuine understanding of what it means to represent Somerset means that she will lead by example every time she takes to the field.”SCCC Director of Cricket, Andy Hurry added: “Sophie is very much a part of the DNA of women’s cricket in the region. She is an inspiration to her teammates and a role model for young cricketers across the South West. Her tenacity and will to win are second to none, and she possess an abundance of the necessary traits required to be a successful captain and leader.”

Cameron Bancroft played excellent for his 74 but Sydney Thunder came up just short on an excellent T20 pitch

AAP19-Dec-2023Matt Short’s masterclass and Adam Hose’s clutch hitting at the death lifted Adelaide Strikers to a thrilling six-wicket win over the Sydney Thunder at Adelaide Oval.After Cameron Bancroft (74) anchored the Thunder’s 200 for 7 on Tuesday night, Short (82) led the reply superbly in his first match as permanent captain before Hose raised victory with two deliveries remaining with a towering six.Short, who pounded six sixes in his 41-ball knock, and unrelated namesake D’Arcy Short (66) put on 139 for the first wicket and had the hosts in control before the skipper’s departure saw the scoring rate slow.Chris Lynn was uncharacteristically subdued as the asking rate escalated to 35 required from the last three overs.Strikers took the power surge and lost Lynn, bowled by a Zaman Khan yorker, before Jake Weatherald was run out in amateurish fashion, beaten by Zaman’s direct hit while dawdling to the non-striker’s end.Matt Short played a blistering innings to help set up the chase•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

But Hose (28 not out off nine balls) kept his cool, striking three boundaries off Nathan McAndrew in the 19th over before going 4-2-6 off Zaman in the 20th immediately after Weatherald’s embarrassment.Earlier, Bancroft continued to press his claims for higher honours, translating his rich red-ball form to the shortest format and giving Thunder a strong platform.English opener Alex Hales was bowled by Matt Short attempting his fourth successive boundary before Matt Gilkes departed first ball during a frenetic powerplay.No. 3 Ollie Davies fell to a superb catch from Matt Short before Bancroft and Alex Ross (46) combined for an entertaining 82-run stand for the fourth wicket.Daniel Sams appeared to hurt his right hip flexor while tumbling for a run in his brief innings but was able to bowl, seemingly without discomfort.Big Englishman Jamie Overton impressed in his BBL debut, snaring 2 for 29 and taking a wonderful outfield catch to dismiss McAndrew in the 20th over.

Most of the players who have nominated for the draft are unlikely to be involved in Pakistan’s international commitments

Umar Farooq22-Aug-2022The PCB has given no-objection certificates (NOCs) to 43 of its players, to be listed in the BBL’s overseas draft, just a few weeks after rejecting an initial list of players.When the first list of 98 overseas players, who had nominated themselves for the BBL draft, came out last month, no Pakistani players were in it. In the new batch of nominations, Trent Boult, Shadab Khan, Andre Russell and Jason Roy were among the big names confirmed as platinum players. Shadab, in fact, headed a sizeable contingent of Pakistan names, including the likes of Mohammad Amir, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal and Wahab Riaz.Related

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None of the multi-format stalwarts – such as Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi – are in; they will be a central part of Pakistan’s home season with Tests against England and white-ball series against New Zealand and West Indies, all between December and February, before the PSL starts in mid-February.Most of the players who have nominated for the draft are unlikely to be involved in Pakistan’s international commitments, or even in domestic first-class tournaments – the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy clashes with the start of the BBL.Asif Ali, a certain pick in Pakistan’s T20I squad, was part of the earlier list, which was denied NOCs, but is in this batch. Asif, Shadab and Shahnawaz Dahani are most likely to be available – if picked at all – only partially in the BBL because of their involvement in Pakistan’s short-format sides. Azam Khan is also in the nominated list, having signed on as the first Pakistani player in the UAE-based ILT20 recently. He is, however, awaiting an NOC to play in that league.The process of issuing NOCs for participation in overseas T20 leagues was one of the issues raised by a group of players before signing their central contracts with the PCB recently; in particular, the timeframe between a request and a response from the board.NOC-related issues led to a near-strike in November 2019, which eventually helped put in place a policy [available on the board website] that the PCB formalised in issuing NOCs: that allows players to seek NOCs for three overseas leagues excluding the PSL.There has been some frustration among players who feel they will miss out on the big-money leagues in the UAE, and CSA’s upcoming league, to add to their absence from the IPL.There was a suggestion at one stage that the PCB might compensate players for not playing in other leagues, but the contract offered made no mention of it. Players eventually signed the contract on the basis that discussions, including around NOCs, will resume after the Asia Cup.

Stevens becomes oldest Championship centurion since 1986

ECB Reporters' Network09-Apr-2021Veteran allrounder Darren Stevens starred with an unbeaten century to put Kent in the driving seat on a rain-affected second day of their LV= County Championship clash against Northamptonshire.Stevens, who will celebrate his 45th birthday later this month, struck 116 not out – his 35th first-class hundred – and became the oldest player since 1986 to register three figures in a County Championship fixture. He shared partnerships of 74 with Harry Podmore and 63 with Miguel Cummins for the last two wickets, shepherding Kent to a first-innings total of 455 at Northampton.Afternoon rain restricted the Northamptonshire response to just 15.2 overs, although a flamboyant undefeated 54 by Ricardo Vasconcelos enabled them to make swift inroads on the deficit, reaching 91 for 1 at the close.”I’m really appreciative of the tail helping me out,” Stevens said. “I was an angry man when Podmore got out because I thought we were going really nicely and I’d not batted with Miguel before! So I said to him ‘do you want to face spin or seam?’ and he said ‘I’m good, man’. Finally getting to 450 was great and we’re pleased with that.”We bowled pretty poorly but Miguel looks like he’s a bit of a handful and I think he’ll be key for us. I think that’s one of these situations where seamers are looking to tie an end up while the quicker bowlers hopefully do the damage.”Northamptonshire’s hopes of wrapping up the visitors’ innings quickly in the morning gained a boost in the fourth over as Tom Taylor removed Matt Milnes, steering him to Alex Wakely at second slip. However, Podmore proved a capable foil for Stevens, who was largely content to keep picking up singles as his partner slammed a string of boundaries off Ben Sanderson to reach 29.Offspinner Rob Keogh finally broke the ninth-wicket stand, tempting Podmore into a swing across the line for Adam Rossington to complete the stumping, but Kent were by no means finished.With debutant Cummins blocking confidently and rotating the strike, Stevens inched towards his hundred, clipping Nathan Buck over square leg for six before pulling the single that raised the landmark from 120 balls. There seemed no end to the home side’s frustration when Vasconcelos, at slip, was unable to cling on to a sharp chance from Cummins, but Taylor eventually dismissed the left-hander for 24, blasting out his middle stump.The players returned after lunch sporting black armbands and lined up on the outfield for a two-minute silence to mark the Duke of Edinburgh’s passing before Northamptonshire began their reply.Podmore took some punishment at the hands of Vasconcelos, his first three overs going for 31 as the opener unleashed a spate of cuts and cover drives to bring up his half-century in 45 deliveries. Vasconcelos put together a brisk opening partnership of 77 with Ben Curran, the only Northamptonshire casualty so far after chopping Cummins’ third ball on to his stumps for 24.

Australia’s victories so far have been huge ones, but Sri Lanka have a good record at MCG

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan31-Oct-2019

Big picture

Margins of 134 runs and nine wickets (with seven overs to spare) have made the opening two matches of this series horrendously one-sided.David Warner has filled his boots while Aaron Finch, Steven Smith and Glenn Maxwell, who has now sadly stepped away from the game for a period of time, profited from time in the middle. But Australia’s middle order has barely needed to pad up. The bowling has been impressive although has hardly been tested by some insipid Sri Lanka batting.So it’s on to Melbourne for the final match, a place where Sri Lanka have enjoyed some success against Australia in this format with two wins from two matches. They should have strong support, so hopefully those things combined can help rouse them from their slumber, although it may not be enough to bridge the gap – or chasm – that appears to exist between the two teams.Quite how much Australia are learning is a moot point, but they have certainly looked a slick outfit with the makings of a team that could be formidable on home soil in next year’s T20 World Cup. It would be interesting to see how the likes of Ashton Turner, Alex Carey and Ashton Agar respond under some pressure with the bat, but can Sri Lanka get them in that position?

Form guide

(last five completed matches)
Australia WWWWL
Sri Lanka LLWWW

In the spotlight

Billy Stanlake made an excellent return to Australia colours with 2 for 23 on a Gabba pitch that provided him with plenty of bounce. It’s not very often you see a short leg in place during a T20I, regardless of how much the opposition is struggling. The question for Australia is how they fit him in when all first-choice players are available – Kane Richardson would seem the most vulnerable.It might sound harsh just a few weeks after a 3-0 series win in Pakistan, but the whole Sri Lanka team is under the scanner after these two matches. The highest individual score is 27 and they have managed three wickets in total, while conceding 10.63 runs per over. You would hope the only way is up from there.

Team news

Maxwell’s withdrawal from the squad means that Ben McDermott is likely to bat at No. 4. The other decision to make is whether to rotate any of the pace bowlers.Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch (capt), 3 Steven Smith, 4 Ben McDermott, 5 Ashton Turner, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Ashton Agar, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Billy StanlakeSri Lanka made three changes in the previous match so may well see this as a chance for more mixing and matching given they have been so heavily beaten both times. Kusal Mendis has made scores of 0 and 1 opening the batting.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Kusal Mendis, 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Aviska Fernando, 4 Kusal Perera (wk), 5 Niroshan Dickwella, 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Isuru Udana, 9 Lakshan Sandakan, 10 Lasith Malinga (capt), 11 Nuwan Pradeep

Pitch and conditions

The MCG has come under significant scrutiny for its pitches over the last couple of years and there has been extensive work done to try and revilatise them. A T20I will probably not give a full picture of how things will play, but it should be an early indication. Weather-wise, it’s been a hot few days in Melbourne and it’s expected to touch the low-30s again on Friday.

Stats and Trivia

• Warner needs 63 runs to have the most in a bilateral T20I series – the record is currently held by Colin Munro with 223.
• Sri Lanka’s two previous T20Is at the MCG were a two-run victory in 2013 and a last-ball five-wicket win in 2017.
• Australia have one previous 3-0 win a T20I series, against England in 2013-14.

Hampshire’s new signing Aneurin Donald gamely took up wicketkeeping duties after Tom Alsop damaged a thumb but it didn’t turn out well

ECB Reporters Network and ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2018
ScorecardAdam Lyth completed his first Specsavers County Championship century since last June during the morning session of a rain affected third day against Hampshire at Emerald Headingley, helped in no small part by an emergency appearance behind the stumps by Aneurin Donald which did not go all that well.Opener Lyth reached 100 for the 23rd time in his first-class career as Yorkshire strengthened their grip on this penultimate round clash against Hampshire who nevertheless had cause for relief when their Division One safety was mathematically confirmed by Worcestershire’s defeat at Essex.Craig White, Hampshire’s coach, said: “The last few years we’ve been coming into the last game of the season in a massive relegation battle. With one game left, knowing we’re safe is quite a relief actually. But we haven’t been at our best in this game compared to the last couple where we were very good.”Lyth all but killed Hampshire’s prospects of a successful final-day chase when he advanced from 60 overnight to 134 not out. Yorkshire, leading by 27 on first innings, stretched their lead to 314 with five wickets remaining before rain arrived during the lunch break and washed out the remainder of the day.If Yorkshire force victory on the final day, they will also confirm their Division One status. A draw would leave them needing a maximum of just two points from next week’s final round clash with Worcestershire at New Road, so they would be satisfied with that outcome as well.Lyth has endured a largely frustrating season, with only two half-centuries prior to this. He completed a fifth-wicket stand of 133 inside 42 overs with Jonny Tattersall, who added 43.Both men were dropped during the 33 overs bowled – Lyth twice – on a disaster-strewn emergency session with the gloves by substitute fielder Donald who dropped two catches and contributed to the missing off another one.Donald took the gloves following a left thumb injury suffered by regular keeper Tom Alsop. Alsop went for a scan with Hampshire fearing a fracture and ligament damage and he has already been ruled out of their final Championship match next week against Lancashire at the Ageas BowlDonald, diving to his right, impaired first slip Ian Holland when Tattersall, on 16, got an edge off Kyle Abbott as he tried to leave alone. Lyth was then dropped twice, both times by Donald off Liam Dawson’s left-arm spin.The first came when he was on 80 – Dawson’s first ball of the morning. The second came when he was on 94. And next ball, there was a convincing appeal for caught behind turned down by umpire Graham Lloyd.Dawson took the only wicket to fall during the morning, Tattersall caught at short fine-leg sweeping as the score fell to 265 for five in the 73rd over.