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As reported by Irish Sunday World journalist Kevin Palmer, Liverpool are on the brink of securing a £70m move for Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk in the January transfer window.

Securing the defender’s signature would end the saga surrounding Liverpool’s long-term interest in the player and perhaps go a long way to fixing a defence that has shipped far too many goals in the English Premier League this season.

Van Dijk hasn’t quite hit the heights he is capable of this term, but is still a quality option and coming into his prime at 26 years of age, would be a significant acquisition for any of England’s top clubs.

Supporters generally seem excited by the prospect of signing him in January, many believing he is exactly what they need to sort out Jurgen Klopp’s defence.

However, there are some dissenting voices with some feeling the potential fee would be far too large and others worried about his form this season so far.

Fans took to Twitter to discuss it all…

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After impressing Arsene Wenger on a short trial, Arsenal have completed the signing of Bristol Rovers goalkeeper Matt Macey, The Metro reports.

Macey, 18, has signed a four-year contract with the Premier League leaders in a deal thought to be worth around £100,000.

It’s believed that Macey also had offers from Everton and a number of Championship sides, but opted to move to Arsenal as he has always had his heart set on a move to The Emirates.

The League Two strugglers tweeted yesterday that the move had been completed, stating: “Goalkeeper Matt Macey has now joined Arsenal #bristolrovers.”

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The 6 foot 6 inch shot stopper, who has already played for the Arsenal U-21 side is aiming to be Arsenal’s number one goalkeeper in the future, but the teenager will have to be patient as he will have the likes of Wojciech Szczesny, Lukasz Fabianski, Emiliano Viviano and Damian Martinez to get past first.

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Liverpool arrive at Carrow Road this Saturday desperate for a first Premier League victory under Brendan Rodgers.

The Reds were unfortunate to lose at home to Manchester United last weekend, and will be without Jonjo Shelvey following his controversial red card in that fixture.

Martin Kelly will also be missing, following the news he will be sidelined for six months with a knee injury sustained in the closing stages of Sunday’s defeat.

Although centre-back Daniel Agger has a good chance of being fit for Liverpool despite being carried off on a stretcher last weekend.

The Denmark international sustained bone bruising in the defeat by United but could retain his place in the starting line-up, although forward Fabio Borini (ankle) is rated at 50-50, after he was withdrawn at half time of the same game.

Norwich will be without on loan Tottenham forward Harry Kane, who looks set to miss six weeks after damaging his ankle in the 1-0 win over Doncaster in midweek.

Nuri Sahin is set to make only his second Premier League start for Liverpool since joining on loan from Real Madrid. The Turkish international grabbed both goals as Liverpool recorded their first domestic win of the season at West Brom in the league cup on Wednesday evening.

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The corresponding fixture last season saw Luis Suarez steal the show, scoring a sublime hat trick as Liverpool ran out 3-0 winners.

Prediction: Norwich 1-2 Liverpool 

The visitors have not beaten Australia in Australia – in any format – for the last 15 games; but with a World Cup qualification battle looming, they need to overturn history

Brydon Coverdale12-Jan-2017

Match facts

January 13, 2017
Start time 1320 local (0320 GMT)1:12

Pakistan face an upward challenge in ODIs

Big Picture

After Pakistan’s losing streak last week extended to 12 consecutive Tests in Australia, they must be hoping that a change of format will bring a change of fortunes. Perhaps it will, though much remains stacked against them as they begin a series of five ODIs with the opener at the Gabba on Friday. Their record in ODIs against Australia in Australia isn’t a whole lot better than their Test history, having lost their last eight. In fact, across all formats, Pakistan have lost their last 15 games against Australia in Australia, their last win having come in an ODI at the WACA in 2005.Adding to the challenge for Pakistan, they are facing the No.1-ranked ODI side in the world, and are themselves ranked eighth. It is a precarious position for Pakistan, who are at serious risk of failing to qualify directly for the 2019 World Cup. The eight highest-ranked sides as at September 30 this year will earn automatic qualification, while the remainder will be forced to take part in the World Cup Qualifier in Bangladesh in 2018. Every ODI win in the next nine months is therefore critical for Pakistan.And they will begin this series with a weakened squad, having lost both Mohammad Irfan and Sarfraz Ahmed, who have both flown home to Pakistan for family reasons. But Australia also enter this series with a new-look side, which might give Pakistan a glimmer of hope. The tall and very raw fast bowler Billy Stanlake will make his debut at the Gabba, along with middle-order batsman Chris Lynn. And David Warner will have a new opening partner – Travis Head – after Aaron Finch was dropped. George Bailey has also been axed, and it means that for the first time since June 2012, Australia will play an ODI with neither Bailey nor Finch. Josh Hazlewood is also out of this first game, being rested after a heavy workload in the Tests.

Form guide

Australia: WWWLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)


Pakistan: WWWWL
After a difficult summer, Glenn Maxwell has finally broken into the playing XI•Getty Images

In the spotlight

It has been a difficult summer for Glenn Maxwell, who was named in the squad for the Chappell-Hadlee Series in December but was left out of all three games. Before the series, Maxwell had caused controversy with comments about batting behind Matthew Wade in Victoria’s Sheffield Shield side, and was fined by Australia’s team leadership group. But perhaps it’s a case of new year, new beginnings. Finally, he is back in Australia’s XI, and will play his first ODI since the tri-series in the West Indies last June. And expect him to be ahead of Wade in the batting order.Nearly two years have passed since Umar Akmal has played an ODI. His most recent appearance was in the World Cup quarter-final between Pakistan and Australia at Adelaide Oval in March 2015, a match best remembered for Wahab Riaz’s fiery battle with Shane Watson. But Umar is back in favour, and is coming off an innings of 54 from 39 balls in the tour match against a Cricket Australia XI at Allan Border Field on Tuesday. Having spent so long out of the ODI setup, he may just have something to prove.

Team news

Steven Smith confirmed Australia’s XI on the eve of the match, with Head named to open alongside Warner, and Lynn and Stanlake set to debut. Legspinner Adam Zampa and batsman Usman Khawaja miss out.Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Travis Head, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Chris Lynn, 5 Mitchell Marsh, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 James Faulkner, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Billy Stanlake.Mohammad Hafeez was a late addition to the squad and could be rushed in for the first game. With Sarfraz unavailable, Mohammad Rizwan is expected to take the gloves. The make-up of Pakistan’s attack is uncertain, though it is likely only one of Imad Wasim and Mohammad Nawaz will play.Pakistan (possible) 1 Azhar Ali (capt), 2 Sharjeel Khan, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Babar Azam, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Mohammad Amir/Junaid Khan, 10 Wahab Riaz, 11 Hasan Ali.

Pitch and conditions

High scoring is possible at the Gabba – in the two most recent ODIs there, targets of 300-plus were successfully chased down. However, if the conditions suit, the ball can also swing around a lot – in 2013, Australia were rolled for 74 by Nuwan Kulasekara and the Sri Lankans in a Brisbane ODI. The forecast for Friday is for a hot day and a top of 34C.

Stats and trivia

• Australia have dominated recent encounters between these sides, winning 16 of their past 20 ODIs against Pakistan
• It may not quite match Australia’s Test record at the so-called Gabbatoir, but of their past nine completed ODIs at the ground, Australia have lost only one
• Pakistan would need to win the series in order to move ahead of Bangladesh and into seventh position on the ODI rankings

Quotes

“It’s nice to have three guys who can get it up around 150kph – it’s never nice to face.”

West Indies allrounder Kieron Pollard will miss the remainder of Cape Cobras’ Ram Slam T20 Challenge after injuring his right knee during the clash against Knights in Paarl

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2015West Indies allrounder Kieron Pollard will miss the remainder of Cape Cobras’ Ram Slam T20 Challenge after injuring his right knee during the clash against Knights in Paarl.Pollard picked up the injury while turning quickly to field a ball, but despite experiencing discomfort, he returned to bat in the second innings, hammering 23 off 12 balls to power his team to a four-wicket win. A CSA release later confirmed that Pollard will return to the Caribbean on Wednesday for treatment.”We are severely disappointed about the loss of a stalwart like Kieron,” Paul Adams, Cobras’ coach, said. “Kieron has given his all. The fact that he went out to bat after he got injured, underlines his dedication and commitment to the team. He has been an inspiration to the whole squad.”Pollard was named the Ram Slam T20 Challenge player of the year during the 2014-15 season, as he ended the tournament with 14 wickets and 243 runs from 11 matches, helping Cobras to the title.The news also came as a blow to the Adelaide Strikers, who confirmed that Pollard was ruled out of the upcoming Big Bash League season, scheduled to begin next month. The Strikers, who announced the signing of England legspinner Adil Rashid last week, will now have to find another international signing to replace Pollard.”This is obviously terrible news and our first concern is that Kieron can make a full recovery from his injury,” Tim Nielsen, the SACA high performance general manager, said. “He’s become a regular at Adelaide Oval and I’m sure both our fans and players will be devastated not to see him in Strikers’ colours.”Kieron is a unique player because he has all-round ability as a batsman, bowler and fielder, so it’s going to be difficult to replace him but we’re investigating all options and will try to find the best fit for the team. Our first match against the Melbourne Stars is less than four weeks away now, so there’s a lot of work to do but we’re confident we can find a suitable replacement.”

Brendan Taylor has given Zimbabwean Test cricket a pass mark after their drawn series against Bangladesh

Firdose Moonda in Harare29-Apr-2013Brendan Taylor has given Zimbabwean Test cricket a pass mark after their drawn series against Bangladesh. Although their dominance in the first game put the hosts in position to claim a series victory and set them up to win consecutive Tests for the first time in 12 years, Taylor regarded it as achievement enough that they shared honours overall.”We’ve gone forward, especially considering the way it went for us in West Indies,” Taylor said. “It does take character to win Test matches and we leveled it. It’s not the end of the world that we didn’t win. There’s still plenty of cricket to play and hopefully we will keep getting better.”Zimbabwe were blanked across all formats in West Indies a month ago but it was their Test defeats which stung hardest. Their batsmen were outspun by Shane Shillingford and Marlon Samuels and made to look like amateurs.Zimbabwe were desperate to overturn that and do some damage control to their reputations. Twin centuries from Taylor and a hundred from Hamilton Masakadza went some way to doing that but overall, Zimbabwe’s batting was what let them down. Their top order proved fragile and dented their hopes of saving the second Test, which Taylor said were still alive overnight.”We thought batting out the day was the more realistic goal. We felt if we could bat around Hamilton and take it hour by hour then we could get there,” he said. “But there were too many soft dismissals.”Taylor put Zimbabwe’s batting inconsistencies down to mindset rather than inability. “It’s our mental process. We practice really hard and technically we are ok but guys do work for a good solid hour and then find ways to get out. If we can all dig deep and find our ways to be a little sharper that will be good.”Despite the rest of the line-up making similar mistakes, Taylor was pleased with the progress they made overall. “Our middle order is looking strong again,” he said. Malcolm Waller scored a half-century, Graeme Cremer notched up his highest Test score and Keegan Meth and Shingi Masakadza are proving handy lower-order all-rounders.Taylor was particularly impressed with the showing of Shingi, the younger brother of Hamilton. He was Zimbabwe’s leading wicket-taker with 10 at an average of 16.80, accepted the job of nightwatchman and performed it well and contributed with the bat in his regular position as well. “I am very pleased with the way he bowled. He is one hell of a trier,” Taylor said. “He has got such a big heart and he never stops giving his best. If we had eleven of him, we’d have a pretty good side.”But not even Shingi could bowl as well as Zimbabwe hoped when they put Bangladesh in to bat on what they thought was a lively surface. It turned out to be a far tamer strip than the one on which the first Test was played on the same ground and the Bangladesh batsmen settled on it quickly.Taylor stood by his decision to try and make first use of it. “There was definitely enough for the fast bowlers. We didn’t hit the right areas consistently enough and we allowed them to score freely. It’s hard to come back from that. We didn’t back up anyone. Keegan Meth contained nicely from one end but Kyle Jarvis was trying too hard and we let the pressure go from the other end. Kyle still has a long to go as a bowler and I’m sure he will bounce back stronger.”Taylor thought the same of his whole team, who will have a healthy dose of Test cricket to measure themselves against this year, with incoming tours against Sri Lanka and Pakistan scheduled. “We knew we didn’t help ourselves in this match but we are growing,” Taylor said. “Bangladesh probably won two-thirds of the match and we had too many bad sessions. We were just outplayed but we will get better.”

Ramnaresh Sarwan and Josh Cobb ended their century droughts as Leicestershire’s batsmen dominated

20-Apr-2012Leicestershire 318 for 7 (Sarwan 105, Cobb 105) v Derbyshire
ScorecardRamnaresh Sarwan and Josh Cobb ended their century droughts as Leicestershire’s batsmen dominated the second day of the County Championship match against Derbyshire at Derby.Sarwan celebrated a first-class hundred for the first time in 26 months while Cobb’s was his first since his maiden century four years ago. Sarwan was out for 105 after sharing a fourth wicket stand of 141 in 33 overs with Cobb who also made 105 as the visitors reached 318 for 7 before bad light ended play seven overs early.Leicestershire had been in trouble in the morning when they lost their second wicket to the 12th ball of the day with only 25 on the board. Tony Palladino claimed his 12th victim of the new season when Jacques Du Toit was caught behind down the leg side for 14 and both Greg Smith and Sarwan had to fight hard to stay in before rain forced an early lunch.Sarwan survived a fierce chance on 24 to Dan Redfern at extra cover three balls before the interval, but he did not give another until he had reached his first century for Leicestershire in his second match for the county.Smith helped him build a solid platform with 33 in three hours before he was bowled trying to cut David Wainwright but the tempo increased with the arrival of Cobb who took the attack to the bowlers. He pulled Wainwright for two sixes on his way to his first Championship fifty since 2010 and Sarwan also came down the pitch to loft Wes Durston over the long on boundary.Cobb pulled Wainwright for a third six after tea before Sarwan reached three figures from 183 balls when he tucked the left-arm spinner behind square for his 16th four. Derbyshire finally got rid of him when he pulled Ross Whiteley low to deep square-leg leaving Cobb to make his way to his first hundred since 2008.The 21-year-old got there when he steered the 155th ball he faced to the vacant third man boundary for his 12th four but he added only three more runs before he missed a big drive at Mark Footitt and was bowled.Derbyshire picked up another wicket when their former player Wayne White was caught behind cutting at Whiteley, but the day still belonged to Leicestershire although with more showers forecast for the weekend, the chances of a positive result in the match look slim.

Warwickshire have been penalised eight points after an ECB Pitch Panel deemed the pitch at Edgbaston for the Championship match against Worcestershire to be “poor.”

George Dobell at Edgbaston13-May-2011
Scorecard
Vikram Solanki was struck on the back of the head after ducking into a bouncer from Boyd Rankin•PA Photos

Warwickshire have been penalised eight points after an ECB Pitch Panel deemed the pitch at Edgbaston for the Championship match against Worcestershire to be “poor.”The panel, chaired by former Sussex and England seamer Tony Pigott, cited “excessive uneven bounce” as the main problem. Warwickshire could have been penalised 24 points had the panel found the pitch to be ‘unfit.’With Vikram Solanki taken to hospital after sustaining a fearful blow on the head and numerous other stoppages as batsmen took painful blows on the body, this game has been reduced to a farcical state by a pitch unsuited to professional cricket.Some will argue that conditions are not that bad. And it’s true, no doubt, that there were far more testing tracks in the days of uncovered pitches and helmetless batsmen. It may also be true that the techniques of modern batsmen are not what they once were. But make no mistake: this is an unusually poor pitch; certainly the worst that this writer has witnessed. The sight of a ball taking off from a length and clearing the wicket-keepers’ head by ten feet, as has happened here, is very rare.How has this happened? Well, the pitch was far too dry at the start. As a result, there were cracks in the surface that have widened as the match progressed. Any ball hitting them could rear or scuttle without any apparent pattern. Just about every batsman has sustained a blow at some stage and it is only due to good fortune and the excellence of modern protective equipment, that no-one has suffered a serious injury.Warwickshire had various factors to use in mitigation. They have just installed, on the insistence of the ECB, a new drainage system and new sand-based outfield to speed the drying process. They have also just built an enormous new stand. All these things, they argue, have changed conditions at the ground and altered the drying process. As a result, the groundstaff have misjudged the amount of watering required and the allowed the pitch to become too dry.Lessons will have been learned. There’s no reason to suggest there should be a problem by the time the Test against India begins here in August.That, Warwickshire say, is quite different to a director of cricket requesting a bowler-friendly track to aid his side. They also point out that there have been many games with lower scores and many games finishing in fewer overs.The shame of the pitch debacle is that it will detract attention from a quite outstanding debut from Chris Metters. Only one of Metters’ six wickets – the one he took from his first ball of the third day – was due to the poor wicket (Alan Richardson was powerless to withdraw his bat from one that spat and took the edge), with the other five the result of an immaculate line and length and a probing style that will bring him many more victims. He already has the best Championship innings analysis in the history of a Warwickshire man making his first-class debut. And, when he bowls in the second innings, he will be on a hat-trick.Perhaps, however, the pitch problem might highlight the excellence of Mohammad Yousuf’s contribution. He has been quite outstanding in this game. Yes, this Worcestershire attack is modest, but on this pitch, his first innings century and his second innings of 68 were almost unbelievably high scores.This game will be remembered more, however, for the sight of a highly-skilled, highly-experienced batsman clutching his head after ducking into a short-ball from Boyd Rankin. In truth, Solanki did not play the delivery terribly well, turning his head on the ball, and taking the blow just below the ear in an area unprotected by his helmet. The ball may well not have misbehaved, either, but Solanki was, understandably, reluctant to trust the capricious pitch and failed to commit to the shot he might have played in other circumstances. Thankfully, X-rays showed no serious injury and Solanki returned to the ground in the evening. He should be able to bat on the final day.Meanwhile Naqaash Tahir claimed three for eight in eight overs to suggest Worcestershire will get nowhere near their target of 328 to win. Tahir saw one take off and catch the edge of the helpless James Cameron’s bat, before Matt Pardoe was beaten by one that kept low and Alexei Kervezee was punished for planting his front foot by one that swung back into him. Had rain not robbed almost a session from the day, the match might well have finished on the third day. As it is, they resume on day four needing another 292 to win.Earlier Warwickshire declined to enforce the follow-on after Metters struck with the first delivery of the day. Instead, they extended their advantage to 327, with Yousuf again producing a masterclass of batsmanship.He had some fortune, however. No batsman, not Sobers or Bradman or Tendulkar, could have played the delivery that spat from a length and took the shoulder of Jonathan Trott’s bat, or indeed, the one that reared and took the edge of Varun Chopra’s bat to give Damien Wright his 400th first-class victim.Yousuf was simply fortunate enough not to receive such a ball. He did, however, take a horrid blow in the chest from one that nipped back, while Rikki Clarke fell to a tentative prod two balls after receiving one that cut back sharply and struck him in the body. Ian Bell prodded a return catch after receiving one that stopped on him.Trott, it should be noted, has now had four Championship innings and received three unplayable balls and a poor umpiring decision. Not perfect preparation for a Test series, is it?Ominously for Warwickshire, the Pitch Liaison Officers were ordered to take a stricter approach this year. But, it is worth noting that the umpires did not report this pitch. Instead, the ECB acted on the enquiry of a newspaper journalist covering the game and sent the PLOs as a consequence. Quite why the umpires didn’t report some concerns about the surface is hard to say.It’s believed to be more than 20 years since a Test ground was penalised for a sub-standard first-class pitch (Trent Bridge were penalised 25 points in 1989). It’s not the sort of history the new Edgbaston wanted to make.

Michael Clarke deserves a chance to change and there is no rush for an overhaul of the Australian side

Peter English17-May-2010Michael Clarke is the best batsman by far in Australia’s Test team and comfortably the least productive in Twenty20s. He is also the captain and has led the side in 15 matches, winning 12 times and losing once. It was a big defeat – the World Twenty20 final – but his leadership is not what is in doubt. He is still being groomed for the Test captaincy and his current troubles will develop his experience base for Ricky Ponting’s role when the incumbent steps down.It is two years until the next global Twenty20 event and Clarke is unlikely to be there unless he transforms his batting approach of slicing gaps into more bombing of balls into grandstands. As Clarke understands, subtlety is not necessary in this format. By sprinting singles and finding regular twos, he thought he was doing the right thing by his team. He wasn’t.”I certainly know they [my performances] haven’t been up to scratch through this whole tournament and probably in Twenty20 cricket in general,” Clarke said after the final defeat in Barbados. “I’m sure the selectors will sit down and have a look and if I’m not the right guy for No. 3 and the captaincy then they’ll make that decision.”Australia need more of Clarke’s Christchurch outlook – he blasted 67 off 45 balls there in February – and less of his jogging in the Caribbean. In seven games he managed 92 runs at an average of 15.33 and a strike-rate of 80.70, making him the side’s modern-day incarnation of Geoff Marsh, the batting anchor of the 1980s. The next lowest strike-rate, including the bowlers, was Brad Haddin’s 102.08.He deserves a chance to change and there is no rush for an overall. This is not like the 50-over World Cup, which signals a clear-out as teams re-focus for an event four years ahead. Before the next World Twenty20 there are oodles of opportunities for players to emerge through the various domestic leagues. Except for Clarke.By being a Test and one-day master Clarke won’t be able to practise raising his short game. International Twenty20 engagements over the rest of the year are rare and there will be only three on offer for Australia during the home summer. New South Wales, his state side, are not in the Champions League, he doesn’t play in the IPL, and he won’t get to turn out in Australia’s Big Bash.If he can’t morph into a batting hare, a smooth transition will be much easier to achieve next year. Ponting, 35, will probably retire from ODIs at the end of the World Cup in April, having attempted a fourth win in a row, and Clarke can take over in a format he is at one with. That will allow him to shed the Twenty20 demands and let the regeneration of the T20 set-up to occur with a new leader. Cameron White is the current vice-captain but the personnel in this squad can alter so rapidly that Tasmania’s George Bailey might also be a contender.Until then Clarke must remember the strokes of his youth when he bats in Twenty20s. The drives over cover, the hooks in the air and the freedom of belting the ball without worrying about the consequences. This was the attitude that blew him into Test cricket with a century on debut in Bangalore – he hit four sixes to Adam Gilchrist’s three – and another one in his first game at home against New Zealand. At the Gabba he reached three figures with two pulled fours and a three in the over before lunch.At the time he was the breathtaking wonder boy of Australian cricket. After he was cut from the Test side a year later he eliminated those riskier elements, growing into the country’s most professional batsman, and hasn’t been able to re-programme them.”That’s the thing, if I play like that, that’s probably why I got dropped,” Clarke said in November. “You have your day in the sun sometimes then miss out five times.” One awesome day every six matches in Twenty20 means there is no talk of you getting the sack.

The batter collided with a boundary board during fielding practice ahead of the T20Is

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2025New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra has been ruled out of the Chappell-Hadlee T20I series against Australia after suffering a major laceration to his face during training on Tuesday.Ravindra collided with the boundary boards during fielding practice at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. He passed initial concussion tests but his injury required significant stitching.Related

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Allrounder James Neesham, who was part of the New Zealand side for the T20 tri-series in Zimbabwe during July where he played one match, has been called up as his replacement.”We’re all really disappointed for Rachin to be forced to miss the series,” head coach Rob Walter said. He sustained a major laceration to his upper lip and nose area which required specialist and intricate stitching and will take time to heal.”Rachin is obviously an important player for us, but his health and wellbeing is our top priority, and so the decision was made to send him home to recover with an eye to being available for the England series in two weeks’ time.”Ravindra has enjoyed his most successful run in T20Is during this year with scores of 69, 30, 3, 63 and 47 in his last five innings.He adds to an extensive list of absentees for New Zealand in this series. They are missing captain Mitchell Santner (abdominal injury), Will O’Rourke (back), Glenn Phillips (groin), Finn Allen (foot), Adam Milne (ankle), Lockie Ferguson (hamstring) and Kane Williamson (unavailable).While Neesham has been added to the squad, top-order batter Tim Robinson is another option for the starting XI on Wednesday. The three matches against Australia take place across just four days.