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England’s old stage-seizer sparks anarchic scenes on thrilling fourth day at Edgbaston

Vithushan Ehantharajah19-Jun-2023The devil on Joe Root’s shoulder just before 11am. The demon terrorising Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith just before 7pm. A day in the life of Stuart Broad is rich and varied.On Monday, Broad added a new entry to his roller-dex of Ashes moments. A vital top-order dual hit on Labuschagne and Smith in the space of 12 deliveries means we enter the final day of a compelling first Test with victory as likely for England as Australia.Removing the No.1 and No.2-ranked batters in the world is worthy of dedicating a thousand words to Broad, particularly at a time when England were desperate for something to take with them into Tuesday. Most of those words might as well be Broad’s own from back in April, when he claimed he’d invented a mystery outswinger in order to get Labuschagne and Smith uncertain outside off stump … which is exactly what they proved to be when they came into his sights this evening.But we know the 36-year-old Broad does not simply bowl ‘top-of off wobble-seam, top-of-off wobble-seam, surprise outswinger’. He is a rambunctious spirit possessing an inner light that is less soothing and more strobe – and evidently infectious, as Root found out before walking out to play a reverse-ramp to the first ball of the morning, delivered by Australia’s skipper Pat Cummins”I sit next to Rooty in the changing room, and he just went, ‘I fancy a reverse-scoop for six, first ball’,” Broad revealed. “I said, ‘If it’s in your gut, you’ve got to go for it – that’s what we’re about.’ And he goes, ‘I’ll decide when I’m walking out’. Obviously he didn’t change his mind.”Root missed with that initial gambit. But the statement had been made. The dressing-room and crowd were immediately dialled up to 11. For that agenda-setting first half-hour, he remained a batter possessed, going on to successfully scoop Scott Boland for six and four in successive deliveries, until – with the field now dancing to his beat – he reverted briefly to more typical accumulative nudges. But then, on 46, he skipped down the track to Nathan Lyon and was stumped for the first time in his career.Stuart Broad wheels away in delight after dismissing Steve Smith during an inspired spell•AFP/Getty Images

It was from that point on England began losing their grip on the game, having had a fist-full of it at 129 for three – a lead of 136 – with Root and Harry Brook at ease and scoring freely. Were it not for important late-order runs, this game might be skewed much further Australia’s way. Broad finished unbeaten on 10 but ensured that 44 more were added during his time at the crease, alongside Ollie Robinson and James Anderson.”Today’s just been one of those days that sums up Ashes cricket really,” Broad said. “You’re getting ahead of the game, then you lose a wicket, you think you’re getting ahead of the game, then you lose a wicket again.”As for those key dismissals, Broad was asked if he has a mental edge over both, particularly after handing Labuschagne a first golden duck of his career in the first innings, as part of a haul of three for 68 that included bagging David Warner for a 15th time. “Be nice, wouldn’t it?” he said with a smile. “I’ve had a lot great battles, and they’ve probably won most of them.” He’s certainly winning this one.Related

• Ollie Robinson 'doesn't care' about reaction to Usman Khawaja send-off

• Australia breathe fire in the Birmingham rain: 22 balls of drama in the dark

• Australia's 'three No. 11s' in spotlight after England target tail

• Moeen Ali feels the pain, but should the finger be pointed at England?

• Edgbaston Ashes classic brewing as Stuart Broad breaks game open

“One thing we know as a bowling group, you’ve got to try and put them under pressure early,” he added. “They’re the sort of guys, if they get to 30, 40, they don’t give it away cheaply. We know as a group we want to try and make them play as much as we possibly can early. They’ve scored a lot of runs against us as a group, so to see the back of them twice in this Test match without too much damage is awesome.”For Broad to have had the match he has so far is a testament to Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. As much for the rejuvenation in the quick’s career under their tenure as for the decision to select him in this fixture. Smith’s demise – the ball seaming away after angling in to catch an edge through to Jonny Bairstow – was Broad’s 50th wicket under the new regime, taking him to 587 overall.There is one more day for Broad to impose himself on this game, then plenty more beyond that, with four Tests to come. And as much as his own individual plans to the likes of Usman Khawaja and Travis Head will determine who ends up on top, there is a more collective approach to be adopted around striking a balance between attack and defence with unconventional fields, bordering on rascal.”When you’ve got a set target to defend, you’ve got to keep one eye on the boundaries as well,” Broad said. “And actually, on a pitch like this, where it’s quite slow and hard to create a mistake from a batter, you don’t want to leak too many runs easily waiting for that ball to break through. I think we’ll be smart with the fields we use. We need to protect the boundaries in certain players’ strengths. But ultimately our No.1 focus is to take wickets, and how do we do that? From creating pressure.”You’ll probably see more fielders scattered around, almost like in-out fields. You know how Warnie used to bowl?” he added. “He’d have four people around the bat and three people on the boundary. Three an over is not hurting you, then you get the wicket and you can apply some pressure.”Joe Root was egged on by Broad to deploy his ramp shot to the first ball of the day•Getty Images

Citing Shane Warne felt like a deliberate nod to the 2005 fixture here, which England secured by two runs on a pulsating final day. The similarity between the targets – 282 then, 281 now – and the fact Tuesday is also sold out adds to the sense that this Ashes series will recreate that great spectacle of 2005.”I’m quite conscious I don’t want to build up too much hype of that ’05 Edgbaston because I’m not sure we want that going to two runs tomorrow from our point of view, do we?” Broad said.But a veteran whose success has fundamentally come from his unrivalled feel of the game is all too aware of how the cards are lining up, on the field and off it. Four days in, it’s not hard to imagine that day five will be every bit as gripping as what’s gone before.”It does feel like the same energy as ’05,” Broad said. “And if we have a series like that we’re going to inspire a lot of kids to play the game, aren’t we?”

England are coming off victory in Pakistan while the home side have rested key bowlers

Andrew McGlashan08-Oct-2022

Big picture

Day by day, match by match, we are getting closer to the real thing. Neither Australia nor England have been short on T20Is of late and now they face each other for three more, beginning in Perth before two more back across the country in Canberra.The sides have been doing a fair amount of tinkering with their teams in recent games, but it has been as much to do with workload management as anything. Barring late-injury dramas, it still feels they are close to knowing their World Cup XIs – England perhaps have two spots up for most debate and for Australia, provided Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis can bowl, it still appears just the final batting place to resolve.While there is nothing hugely significant riding on this series – the main thing will be certain players finding form and others avoiding injury – it has the makings of a very good contest. Australia found their groove in the second outing against West Indies while England played some excellent cricket in Pakistan to take the series 4-3 with wins in the last two games.Related

• Jos Buttler: 'Managing risk is a big part of T20 batting'

• Fit-again Stoinis not feeling threatened by Green's emergence

• Smith's T20 World Cup hopes hang by a thread as 'incredible' David shines again

• Buttler eager to unleash Stokes, but World Cup doubts remain over Livingstone

The short nature of this trip to Perth, which is not an ideal schedule for the home side, and was not the original fixture until this game was moved west after the venue lost its ODI against South Africa, means Australia will field a fresh frontline attack from Friday in Brisbane with only Cameron Green of the five bowlers used with the squad.For Green, provided he is in the XI, this will be his first international on his home ground with Perth having not staged international cricket since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. If Marsh, Stoinis and Ashton Agar play, Western Australia will be well represented. Josh Inglis is also in the squad along with former WA player Tim David.Depending how England manage their fast bowlers, there is the enticing prospect of seeing Mark Wood operate on a Perth pitch after he sent down some thunderbolts in Pakistan.

Recent form

Australia WWLLW (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
England WWLLWMitchell Marsh will hope to make an impact on his home ground•Getty Images

In the spotlight

Ben Stokes is now a two-format player having retired from ODIs earlier this year, but he hasn’t played a T20I since March 2021 against India. Rightly or wrongly, his career in the format is still most-remembered for being taken for four sixes by Carlos Brathwaite in the final over of the 2016 T20 World Cup final. He has never quite found his perfect role in the England side, with a top score of 47 not out in 28 innings and 19 wickets with an economy of 8.77. There is a squeeze of highly-destructive hitters in England’s middle order, so it’s a rare occasion of the pressure being on Stokes to prove he should be among them.This is a big week for Marcus Stoinis. He has struggled to stay on the park in recent months and his side injuries are frequent enough to be something of a concern. But he had a significant part to play in Australia’s World Cup triumph last season and he is important in balancing the side, although his bowling is not of Green’s quality. He has every right to be in the World Cup XI, but he’ll want to make this series count.

Team news

Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell have all stayed on the east coast and will rejoin the squad in Canberra, so there will be four new bowling options. It would make sense to give Kane Richardson and Agar a game after their recent side issues as they are in the World Cup squad, but it could also be another opportunity for Nathan Ellis to impress. Steven Smith is likely to be forced out of the XI as Australia may continue to tinker with their batting order.Australia (probable) 1 David Warner, 2 Cameron Green, 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Aaron Finch (capt), 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Tim David, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Daniel Sams, 9 Ashton Agar, 10 Nathan Ellis, 11 Kane RichardsonLiam Livingstone is not available for selection as he continues to recover from an ankle injury while Chris Jordan may be held back for the Canberra games. Captain Jos Buttler will return at the top of the order, which leaves the major selection call between Alex Hales and Phil Salt to partner himEngland (probable) 1 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 2 Alex Hales/Phil Salt, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Reece Topley

Pitch and conditions

There hasn’t been much cricket at this ground over the last couple of years – just a handful of BBL and WBBL matches – but it’s normally a good pitch that offers pace for bowlers and batters to work with, although it is still early in the season. The forecast is, by Perth standards, on the milder side with just a very slim chance of a shower.

Stats and trivia

• England featured in the first international at Perth Stadium, an ODI in 2018 which they won by 12 runs
• In the one previous T20I at the venue, Australia cantered home by ten wickets against Pakistan in 2019
• Aaron Finch needs 12 runs to become the first Australia men’s player to reach 3000 T20I runs. Smith needs three runs and Matthew Wade 28 for 1000 in the format.

Quotes

“Adapting to conditions quickly is going to be a key factor for us to get up and running. It’s all about peaking at the right time for this World Cup.”
“Don’t leave any energy in the tank. Give it our best shot. We are here on home soil. We want to entertain and we want to take it deep. We have to start well against New Zealand.”

The allrounder was added to the England squad ahead of the Lord’s Test against India

Matt Roller11-Aug-20210:50

Moeen is a massive part of the entertainment of our franchise – Livingstone

Liam Livingstone has admitted it is “obviously disappointing” for players to be pulled out of the Hundred for international duty but has backed Birmingham Phoenix to cope with the absence of their captain Moeen Ali for the final two group games.Moeen, Phoenix’s leading run-scorer, captain and poster boy, was added to England’s squad ahead of Thursday’s second Test at Lord’s after their 93-run win against Welsh Fire at Edgbaston on Monday, which sent them top of the men’s points table. Saqib Mahmood, the Oval Invincibles seamer, was also added to the Test squad at short notice on Wednesday following Stuart Broad’s injury, and both players will miss the final two group games with their availability for the knockout stages unconfirmed.Related

• Moeen Ali recalled to England squad

• Root hopes Moeen can carry Hundred form into Tests

• Broad ruled out for rest of Test series vs India

Players named in England’s Test squad for the first Test were only made available for their respective teams’ first two games of the tournament, with Welsh Fire (who missed their captain Jonny Bairstow) and London Spirit (who were without Mark Wood, Zak Crawley and Dan Lawrence) particularly hit.Livingstone, who will stand in as captain in Moeen’s absence, said that he would be a “massive miss” and that it was “disappointing” for star names to be pulled out of the Hundred at short notice, but conceded that they had been “very lucky” to have him for as long as they did after he missed out on the squad for the first Test.”Any time you miss someone like Mo it’ll be a massive miss,” Livingstone said. “He’s obviously a big part of our attack and a massive part of our batting line-up, but his calmness around the dressing room is something that you can’t replace. He’s given us freedom, as a squad, to go out and enjoy our cricket, and we’ve not taken things too seriously – we’ve gone out and enjoyed ourselves and it’s gone really well. He leaves us in a good position for these last two games and hopefully we can get him back later in the tournament.”If you look at us as a team, Mo is a massive part of us, and I see Mo as a massive part of the entertainment of our franchise. Certainly as a spectator, you want to be seeing the likes of Saqib and Mo doing their thing. That’s what you come to cricket grounds wanting to watch, that sort of players going to work. It’s obviously disappointing but if anyone deserves a call-up to the Test squad at the moment it’s probably Mo. They’re missing that type of player, someone who can bat and bowl, so Mo thoroughly deserves his chances of going back and playing Test cricket.”Let’s hope he gets a go on Thursday and does what we all know he can do. He’s a great man to have in your side and we’ve been very lucky to have him for six games – he could have been in there from the start and we’d have had him for two. We’ve been lucky to have him as long as we have.”Moeen is likely to be replaced in the side by a specialist batter, with Daniel Bell-Drummond and Chris Cooke both in contention to return, but Livingstone was unable to confirm whether Tom Abell – an £80,000 signing in February’s re-draft – would be fit to play after spending the last two months sidelined by a hamstring injury he picked up playing for Somerset.Livingstone’s captaincy experience is limited to a season as Lancashire’s club captain in 2018, when he stepped down after their relegation from Division One of the County Championship, but he said that he saw the two roles differently.”I think it’s going to be very different,” he said. “This is just making a couple of decisions on the pitch and we’ve got a lot of experienced cricketers anyway. I think as a county club captain, there is a lot more responsibility than what I’ll have in the next couple of games. We’ve got a great opportunity to push our way into the finals.”You play these tournaments to get into finals. We’ve set ourselves up and have a great opportunity, even more so the lads that are coming in now. It’s a great learning experience and the boys are really excited for the two games to come.”

Bangladesh name familiar-looking squad for T20 cricket’s showpiece event in Australia

Mohammad Isam30-Jan-2020Rumana Ahmed and Panna Ghosh have been included in the Bangladesh squad for the Women’s T20 World Cup, which begins on February 21 in Australia. The experienced duo replaces Rabeya Khan and Suraiya Azmin, who were part of the side for the India tour earlier this month.Rumana, the legspin-bowling allrounder, has recovered from a knee injury, which kept her out of action for several months last year including the T20 World Cup qualifiers. Panna, who has taken 31 wickets in 37 T20Is, is a seam bowler.The rest of the squad bears a familiar look. Salma Khatun leads the side that includes seamer Jahanara Alam, who played in the Women’s T20 Challenge in India last year, and Nigar Sultana, who has made 309 runs at 44.14 in the last 12 months.Bangladesh will reach Brisbane on February 3, after which they will play three tour matches on February 7, 10 and 12 at the Gold Coast District Cricket Club ground. Their official warm-up matches are against Thailand (February 16) and Pakistan (February 20), before their tournament opener against India on February 24.Squad: Salma Khatun (capt), Rumana Ahmed, Jahanara Alam, Shamima Sultana, Murshida Khatun, Ayesha Rahman, Nigar Sultana, Sanjida Islam, Khadija Tul Kubra, Panna Ghosh, Fargana Haque, Nahida Akhtar, Fahima Khatun, Ritu Moni, Sobhana Mostary

With the Bangladesh government yet to issue permission for the women’s team to tour Pakistan, concerns about whether the series may go ahead at all are increasing

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Oct-2019Concerns are growing that the Bangladesh women’s team, due to tour Pakistan for 11 days starting October 23, may not visit after all. The tour, which comprises two T20Is and three ODIs, all in Lahore, was believed to be a near certainty to go ahead as far as both boards were concerned, but is still awaiting clearance from the Bangladesh government.The clearance was thought to be a formality despite the fact touring teams to Pakistan have, since 2009, needed extensive security guarantees from the PCB. Sri Lanka concluded a tour of Pakistan earlier this week that saw them play three ODIs in Karachi and three T20Is in Lahore, and although several leading players pulled out citing security concerns, the series itself went off without a hitch.The status of the women’s tour could also have an impact on the men’s team, pencilled in to tour Pakistan in January. BCB’s cricket operations committee chairman Akram Khan told reporters they would “only get the full details once the security team goes to Pakistan. As you all know, the BCB president mentioned how security is the top priority on tours after the New Zealand incident [when a terrorist killed 50 people inside two mosques in Christchurch]”.Khan would not be drawn on whether the women’s tour getting the go-ahead would de facto be a green light for the men’s series, too. “Security is definitely a concern but at the same time, we have to think about the development of women’s cricket. But I have said it repeatedly that only when we get the government’s green signal, will we go forward.”Ten days out from the women’s team’s scheduled arrival and with no confirmation, the PCB is understandably concerned. Aside from the logistical and financial hurdles delays would represent to the board, given the significant security effort that needs to go into assuring visiting teams are safe, the PCB is eager to begin a process of normalisation for international cricket in Pakistan. There was talk of Ireland visiting in the near future, and the PCB announced the entirety of the PSL would take place in Pakistan in 2020, in addition to a potential Test series against Sri Lanka.Even if the Bangladesh women’s tour was to proceed, the three Indian members of the support staff will not be travelling to Pakistan. Head coach Anju Jain, assistant coach Devika Palshikar, and trainer Kavita Pandey will be absent, the BCB saying they wanted to avoid visa-related difficulties because of the strained political ties between India and Pakistan. A number of Indian nationals involved in the TV production of the recently concluded Sri Lanka series were granted visas however.Earlier this year, Karachi hosted West Indies women for three T20Is. The Bangladesh women’s team last toured Pakistan in 2015, while the men’s side hasn’t visited since 2008.

Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram both got hundreds and put on 243 for the opening wicket to put South Africa in command after Bangladesh had elected to field

The Report by Mohammad Isam06-Oct-2017Stumps
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:18

Elgar, Markram punish another poor decision

Fourth umpire Adrian Holdstock held up the ball for the camera soon after he had handed over the second new ball to the on-field umpires in the 86th over. As he rolled the ball around in his hand, it was hard to make out the seam, which had become very dark. It certainly looked like a ball that got a fair beating, as South Africa ended the first day on 428 for three.Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram plundered the Bangladesh bowlers to score hundreds. Markram’s 143 was his maiden century, having missed out in Potchefstroom when he tried to help Elgar reach his century. This time there were no regrets from either opening batsmen.Elgar and Markram also became only the third opening pair to put together a 200-plus partnership after being put into bat. They had gotten rid of early-season nerves in Potchefstroom, so all they had to wait was for a bad ball every over. For most part of the first two sessions, the Bangladesh bowlers obliged and the home side scored at 4.75 on the day, striking 58 boundaries.Mustafizur Rahman, the sole survivor in a revamped bowling attack, was slightly better than the others, although Subashis Roy took two wickets. Rubel Hossain took one wicket but he conceded runs at more than five an over for 18 overs. Taijul Islam, who replaced Mehidy Hasan as the sole specialist spinner, gave away 98 runs in his 19 overs.South Africa’s 428 for 3 is now also the second most runs scored against Bangladesh on the first day of a Test match, and the third time any team has scored more than 400 runs on the first day against them.

Kayes to be monitored after blow to knee

Imrul Kayes will be assessed overnight for swelling on his knee, said Mushfiqur Rahim at the end of the first day’s play. He was hit there during the 35th over from an Aiden Markram outside edge and didn’t return to the field for the rest of the day.
Mushfiqur added that Shafiul Islam was selected in Bloemfontein because of a shoulder niggle he sustained during the first Test.

Only for a short period on either side of the tea interval, the Bangladesh seamers looked threatening. Their short-ball barrage produced the wickets of Elgar and Markram. Temba Bavuma also fell during that short burst, caught behind off Subashis.But Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis got back control with a 140-run fourth wicket partnership, ending the day on 89 and 62 respectively. Their settling-in period didn’t last for too long as they took advantage of an older ball that wasn’t doing anything other than hitting the boundary boards.The day had started pleasingly for du Plessis. Mushfiqur’s decision to field first was once again instantaneously ridiculed by what du Plessis had to say about the pitch – that there was nothing wrong in it to bat first, so he wouldn’t mind doing so.The Bangladesh bowlers too didn’t support their captain in the first session, giving away 126 runs without picking a wicket. Mushfiqur, also, was quite impatient as he used up four bowlers in the first six over – after Subashis Roy had bowled one bad over – trying to switch Mustafizur Rahman’s end.Spin was brought just after the hour-mark, but to no avail. In the 10th over, Elgar was troubled twice by Mustafizur, but the South Africa openers remained unscathed for the rest of the session.Both reached fifties in the morning session, with Elgar speeding away to 72. He was the first to reach the three-figure mark too, completing his fifth century of the year and tenth overall. He hit ten boundaries between cover and mid-off.But Markram was shadowing Elgar’s score, going after Bangladesh’s bowling at the start of the second session. He was extremely productive in the zone between mid-on and midwicket, and used his wrists to adjust for length and speed, as he hit nine boundaries through there. He reached his hundred three overs after Elgar’s, a well-deserved ton for the newcomer who then brought up 200 runs for the opening stand.To slow down South Africa, Mustafizur started to bounce Elgar in one of his spells. It nearly yielded him the wicket but wicketkeeper Liton Das dropped a tough chance that was going over his head. Subashis picked up the wicket soon after however, with Elgar top-edging a pull to Mustafizur, the man who had initiated the move in the first place.It gave Bangladesh something to celebrate as South Africa remained in complete control of the second session too, adding 130 runs in 27 overs during the period.Shortly after the lunch break, Markram fell to a Rubel Hossain yorker that was mixed in between regular short deliveries. Bavuma fell for seven but that was the last time Bangladesh had a reason to smile in yet another forgettable day in their South Africa tour.

As new faces arrive to freshen up the squad for the ODI series, Australia will hope whatever combination they go with can put the Test fiasco behind and make a fresh start

Brydon Coverdale20-Aug-2016A change of clothing, a change of ball, a change of format, a change of personnel. A change of fortune? Australia would certainly hope so. After the humiliation of the No. 1 Test side in the world being whitewashed by the No. 7, Steven Smith’s men are now searching for a win – any old win – to restore a little bit of self-confidence. There are two pieces of good news for Australia that will encourage them ahead of this five-match ODI series.One: Rangana Herath is not playing. The man who claimed 28 wickets in the Test series retired from ODIs earlier this year. Two: the Australians might find the pitches for the ODI series a little more to their liking. Of course, it should be noted that there was nothing wrong with the Test pitches. But surfaces designed for 50-over matches and plenty of entertainment – those will suit Australia more.Just as in the Tests, Australia enter this series as No. 1 in the world – the difference is that their lead is so sufficient that even a total disaster will not see them drop from the top spot. A change of personnel will bring some freshness to the group. From outside the Test squad come James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Adam Zampa, George Bailey, Travis Head and Matthew Wade.Still, that leaves nine members of the ODI party who must shake off the disappointments of the past month and find fresh spark in the shorter format. Along with Smith, and his deputy David Warner, there is Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Moises Henriques. Mitchell Marsh was originally named in the squad, but has been sent home to rest.”No matter where you play, if you’re not winning, things are going to be a little bit flat,” Faulkner said in Colombo on the eve of the first ODI. “But we’ve got some new faces, and I’m one of them, that come into the group and bring some energy and some excitement for the five games and the two T20s after that.”Faulkner is, at least, certain to play the first match, after being dropped at the end of the ODI tri-series in the Caribbean in June. But what the rest of Australia’s XI will look like remains a mystery. The axing of Glenn Maxwell, Australia’s reigning ODI cricketer of the year, alters the balance of the side, while the return of Warner from injury and the inclusion of Shaun Marsh create a top-order glut.The likelihood is that Warner and Finch will open, and it would take a brave selector to leave Marsh out, given the form he displayed in the Colombo Test. That might in turn make it hard to find room for Khawaja, who was second only to Smith on Australia’s run charts in the West Indies tri-series. But the dropping of Maxwell from not only the XI but the wider squad shows that almost nobody is safe.”Besides the skipper, no one else is really guaranteed a spot in the side,” Finch told reporters in Colombo on Friday. “You have to be performing all the time. You just have to keep getting the business done, and if you don’t, there’s always someone breathing down your neck for your spot.”When you’ve got young guys performing well, Travis Head to go to England and get 175 [for Yorkshire] and play well in the last domestic one-day summer, there’s always someone breathing down your neck. So you have to be performing all the time, or have a real lot of credits in the bank.”One player with almost unlimited credits in the bank is Starc, the Player of the Tournament in last year’s World Cup and arguably the most dangerous wielder of a white ball at pace in the world right now. Not only that, but Starc is coming off the sort of Test series that would seem fanciful for a fast bowler in Asia: 24 wickets at 15.16, a wicket every 26 balls. The only question is whether the selectors may wish to rest Starc at some point during the ODI series.The other query around Australia’s attack is whether they will opt for one or two spinners. The young legspinner Zampa has shown remarkable poise during his first year as an international cricketer and is coming off an outstanding Caribbean Premier League season. He should be the starting spinner, ahead of Lyon, who in any case could use a break after sending down 154 overs in the Test series, the most for any bowler from either side.Whatever side Australia’s selectors come up with, at least they can view this change of format as a fresh start.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is hopeful that the funds it has expended in clearing Kusal Perera of doping charges will be covered by the ICC

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-May-2016

‘WADA code ineffective in safeguarding clean athletes’

Tony Irish, the executive chairman of FICA (Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations), has expressed his concerns over some of cricket’s anti-doping regulations following the ICC’s withdrawal of disciplinary proceedings against Kusal Perera.
“We are pleased that the right result has been achieved and welcome the decision, however, this case brings to light several issues in regard to anti-doping regulation in cricket” Irish said in a statement.
“The damaging impact of the error on Kusal’s career is not to be underestimated. He has been removed from the game for a significant period of time in the middle of a developing career, for reasons which have been found to be unjustifiable.
“The case highlights many of the pre-existing concerns held by FICA and athlete representatives around the world around the inflexibility and unfairness of the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) code, the requirement for sports to be compliant and its appropriateness for sophisticated team sports such as cricket. We have voiced these concerns to the ICC over the past year, and will seek to discuss this further.
“The concerns raised have included the view that the WADA programme is ineffective in safeguarding the interests of clean athletes and is open to penalties being imposed on players who are not ‘cheats’.
“FICA is supportive of fair, proportionate and appropriate measures to ensure that cricket is a clean sport. However, the game must ensure that any measures are effective and tailored to the game of cricket.”

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) could not rule out further legal action after the ICC withdrew its charges against wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Perera, board president Thilanga Sumathipala said. SLC is unlikely to initiate a lawsuit against the ICC, but was hopeful that the funds expended in clearing Perera will be covered by the governing body. The Qatar-based lab whose findings led to Perera’s five-month suspension will also come under scrutiny.”We have to definitely get our costs back,” Sumathipala said. “By that I mean the direct costs. The indirect costs are colossal. So we will discuss that separately.”Sumathipala said the board had spent at least 13 million rupees (approx. USD 92,000) on the case. This included the money spent on a polygraph test on Perera, a hair analysis commonly used in forensics and a separate urine test, the results of which all helped leverage Perera’s case and bought his legal team time. SLC had also paid for the consultation of UK-based Morgan Sports Law firm, during the challenge on the lab’s findings.Sumathipala said the board would discuss the matter with Perera and the nation’s sports ministry before any further action is decided upon.”We got the hard part right and now we have a definite claim, now that we have proved our player is innocent,” Sumathipala said. “I’m sure Sri Lanka Cricket will go forward and discuss with ICC. We can’t sour the relationship also. If the sports minister has a directive that is separate, we want to discuss that as well. Definitely the player has a claim.”Sumathipala also likened the results of Perera’s case to Muttiah Muralitharan’s campaign to have his action, and later his doosra, cleared by the ICC. On that occasion, Muralitharan’s action proved a catalyst for further scientific testing, which ultimately led to a landmark change in the ICC’s playing conditions – specifically, 15 degrees of flexion was deemed legal, as almost all bowlers were found to straighten their arms.In addition to consulting local and foreign legal teams, SLC and Perera’s management also approached chemical pathologists and independent lab operators for their views.”We decided to go the scientific route,” Sumathipala said. “We have seen SLC do the same thing in the past with the straightening of the arm issue. We did it after Murali was no-balled in Boxing Day 1995. Then we did it again when the doosra was banned. Once we concluded that route, we were that much stronger with the ICC.”Prompted by our scientific evidence, we have taken the ICC to a different level about how they should process this kind of situation in the future. We’re happy about that. We’ve taken an approach that we’re not sure anyone has taken in the past. We were very happy.”Sumathipala said the board believed in Kusal from the outset. His board had initially set aside five million rupees to fight the case, but that figure was repeatedly revised upwards.”We spoke about this at the board and we decided that we trusted him, and that he was telling the truth. We decided to represent him as best we can. We thought that we would be able to get him cleared, so we set aside 15 million rupees to spend on him, which is unprecedented for this board.”Perera is eligible for selection for Sri Lanka with immediate effect, but the selectors have not yet decided whether to add him to the Test squad currently in England.

Former Pakistan cricketers Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar, who are in India as part of ‘ commentary team for the India-South Africa series, will return home before the fifth ODI in Mumbai

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2015Former Pakistan cricketers Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar, who are in India as part of ‘ commentary team for the India-South Africa series, will return home before the fifth ODI in Mumbai. The early departure is a security precaution, following Monday’s anti-Pakistan protests by the Shiv Sena, a regional political party, who stormed into the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai ahead of a scheduled meeting between BCCI and PCB officials.Akram’s agent Arsalan Haider confirmed that the pair would commentate on the fourth ODI in Chennai and return on October 23, two days before the Mumbai ODI.The news broke soon after the ICC withdrew Aleem Dar, the Pakistani umpire, from the last two ODIs. An ICC release cited “Monday’s incident in Mumbai where a group of extremists stormed into the BCCI office” as the reason for its decision.On Monday morning, a short while before BCCI president Shashank Manohar and PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan were to discuss a proposed India-Pakistan series in December, a group of 50 workers from the Shiv Sena stormed into the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai, shouting anti-Pakistan slogans and demanding the cancellation of the series.Dar, who is a member of the elite panel of ICC umpires, had officiated in the first three ODIs, and was also scheduled to umpire in the fourth and fifth ODIs, in Chennai and Mumbai. However, the Shiv Sena threatened to stop Dar from officiating in the Mumbai ODI, forcing the ICC’s hand.”Under the present circumstances, it will be unreasonable to expect from Aleem that he will be able to perform his duties to the best of his abilities,” an ICC spokesperson said.Shortly after the protests, Anurag Thakur, the BCCI secretary, was asked about the incident, and whether the board could guarantee Dar’s safety.”There was a possibility of a protest in Saurashtra too where more than 50000 spectators attended. What is the threat and what is the perception, I can’t get into it,” Thakur said. “India has to host the World Twenty20 in 2016 so it is the responsibility of every Indian to maintain the image that we have of appreciating and enjoying performances of even the opponents. Political issues should be kept aside.”The ICC on Tuesday said in a release that umpire S Ravi would stand in place of Dar for the fourth ODI in Chennai in “exceptional circumstances” as it would lead to two Indian umpires on the field, after BCCI and CSA agreed to it. Ravi was initially supposed to officiate for the ongoing Test series between Pakistan and England in the UAE. The ICC did not name Dar’s replacement for the fifth and final ODI in Mumbai.*1620GMT: The story was amended to include news of Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar’s early departures

Umar Amin’s 99 led Pakistan A to 244 for 5 on the first day of the first unofficial Test against Sri Lanka A in Colombo

ESPNcricinfo staff06-May-2015
ScorecardKhurram Manzoor hit 82 off 128•AFP

Umar Amin’s 99 led Pakistan A to 244 for 5 on the first day of the first unofficial Test against Sri Lanka A in Colombo. Amin and Khurram Manzoor provided the guts of the visitor’s effort, putting on 135 for the second wicket after Umar Siddiq had fallen early. Manzoor hit 82 off 128 balls before being given out lbw to offspinner Tharindu Kaushal.Amin was involved in a 51-run stand with Ali Asad after Manzoor’s departure, but was out on the brink of what would have been his 11th first-class ton. Kaushal claimed his wicket as well. There was little else of note in Pakistan’s batting card. Siddiq and Ali Asad made only minor contributions, and Ali Waqas was out for a duck.The two offspinners – Kaushal and Dhananjaya de Silva – took two wickets apiece. De Silva returned the day’s best figures of 2 for 28 from 13 overs.