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ESPNcricinfo previews the second Test between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Colombo

The Preview by Andrew Fernando23-Nov-2012

Match facts

November 25-29, 2012
Start time 1000 local (0430 GMT)Doug Bracewell might find the bouncier P Sara pitch more suited to his kind of bowling•Associated Press

Big Picture

The second Test at the P Sara Oval finds the two teams heading in seemingly opposite directions. Sri Lanka had not won a Test series in three years until they defeated Pakistan at home in July, and if a manful recovery with the bat and ruthlessness with the ball in the Galle Test are any indication, they are a side who have reclaimed the fight they had misplaced following the 2011 World Cup and have begun to make winning a habit again.Sri Lanka’s pace bowlers were effective on a dry surface, landing heavy blows on New Zealand’s top order before Rangana Herath arrived to deliver the coup de grace. Herath himself continues to progress, having become the top wicket-taker in 2012 with his 11 wickets in Galle. Sri Lanka may also have uncovered a fast bowler with enough command of pace, seam and reverse swing to become a potential long-term spearhead in Shaminda Eranga. Their batting also seems less prone to the sporadic collapses that plagued them in the 12 months before the Pakistan series.New Zealand meanwhile, have slid to their worst losing streak since 1955. Their batsmen have been working on their technique against spin in the nets since their three-day loss, but even the two extra days may not be enough to rebound from a performance as woeful as their 118 all out in their second innings in Galle. Though they are short on time to vastly improve their techniques, they must acquire the psychological steel to survive at the crease for long periods against fine bowling. Their plight may not be as hopeless as it seems, as the bouncier P Sara pitch will assist their seam bowlers in the same way it assisted England’s in March, when they squared their two-match series with Sri Lanka, after also losing the first match in Galle.For Sri Lanka, this Test shapes as a doubly crucial fixture, as it may be their only real test before their first Test against Australia in Hobart. The considerable talent in New Zealand’s fast bowling unit was evident in Galle, and with the Canberra pitch on which Sri Lanka are scheduled to play their only warm-up match having a reputation for being on the slow side, the bouncy Colombo venue might serve as an opportunity for the team to pre-tune their techniques before they land in Australia. It may also give the hosts the opportunity to settle on a first-choice seam-bowling unit for the Tests to come, or at least, a chance to gauge how effective Nuwan Kulasekara’s new ball partnership with Eranga might be Down Under.

Form guide

Sri Lanka: WDDWL (Most recent first)
New Zealand: LLLLL

Player to watch

Doug Bracewell has been one of New Zealand’s most consistent performers since making his debut just over a year ago, but he was unable to find the right length in Galle and went wicketless while his teammates prospered. But unlike Galle, the P Sara pitch often rewards hit-the-deck bowling and Bracewell’s back-of-a-length seamers may be more effective this time round.Suraj Randiv was put under some pressure by chief selector Ashantha de Mel, who said his place in the XI might be under threat if he does not have a good first Test. He too was less successful than his teammates in the first Test, despite bowling some tight spells, but the selectors seem to have backed him in the end, naming him in the squad to Australia as the second spinner. Sri Lanka are unlikely to leave him out in Colombo unless the pitch is uncharacteristically green, and a bagful of wickets there will do his confidence some good.

Teams news

Tillakaratne Dilshan has been passed fit and Dimuth Karunaratne will make way for him. Karunaratne’s second innings 60 in Galle has put some pressure on Tharanga Paranavitana though and Paranavitana will be keen to embed himself in that second opener’s spot, which is the only position in the Sri Lanka batting order that isn’t nailed down at present.Kulasekara and Eranga are the likely new-ball pair, and Chanaka Welegedara will only play if a third seamer is deemed necessary.Sri Lanka (probable): 1. Tillakaratne Dilshan/Dimuth Karunaratne, 2. Tharanga Paranavitana, 3. Kumar Sangakkara, 4. Mahela Jayawardene (c), 5. Thilan Samaraweera, 6. Angelo Mathews, 7. Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), 8. Nuwan Kulasekara, 9. Suraj Randiv, 10. Rangana Herath, 11. Shaminda Eranga.Tim Southee, whose terrific second-day spell breathed life into the first Test, is also doubtful for the second. New Zealand have two more seam bowlers in their ranks, but have said legspinner Todd Astle might get a debut – particularly if Southee cannot play.James Franklin had a woeful first Test with the bat, as epitomised by his 44-ball 3 in the first innings, and New Zealand may consider dropping him to play five bowlers.New Zealand (probable): 1. Martin Guptill, 2. Brendon McCullum, 3. Kane Williamson, 4. Ross Taylor, 5. Daniel Flynn, 6. James Franklin/ Todd Astle, 7. Kruger van Wyk, 8. Doug Bracewell, 9. Tim Southee/Todd Astle, 10. Jeetan Patel, 11. Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

The Colombo weather has largely held over the past week or so, and the only showers have been in the evening. A little more rain is forecast for the coming week, but if it follows the recent pattern, it may not have a major effect on the cricket. However, being November, there is always the chance of a front moving in and bedding down.

Stats and trivia

• The victory in Galle was Sri Lanka’s fourth Test win since Muttiah Muralitharan retired in July 2010
• Before the Mumbai Test between England and India began, Rangana Herath was leading Graeme Swann by one wicket in 2012, with 46 victims. Herath had played four fewer Tests
• Tim Southee’s has an average of 26.23 for 2012, while his career average is 37.85. He has more wickets (17) and a better economy rate (3.16) this year than in any preceding calendar year
• The P Sara Oval has had only one draw since 1993, but New Zealand were involved in that occasion in 2003, when Stephen Fleming hit an unbeaten 274.

Quotes

“We’re not thinking we can’t compete with them. We think we can win this Test match and that’s what we’re going out to do. Everyone needs to step up, learn from what happened in Galle and move forward.”


” We will definitely look to keeping the Kiwis under pressure as they have the firepower with both bat and ball so there’s no room for any complacency.”



ESPNcricinfo’s Plays of the Day from the second Twenty20 between South Africa and Australia in Johannesburg

Firdose Moonda at the Wanderers16-Oct-2011Welcome of the day
The Johannesburg crowd gave former captain Graeme Smith a particularly unpleasant reception when they booed the announcing of his name on the loudspeaker, but it was Wayne Parnell who received an even nastier hello. Making his return to the international team after a difficult year that was dotted with injury, Parnell was introduced in the sixth over. His extra pace was supposed to the factor that would create a threat on the Wanderers pitch and while he had the gas, he started off without control and as his first ball strayed onto Shaun Marsh’s pads to be sent screaming through midwicket for four. Marsh went one better the next delivery and creamed Parnell over cover for six to give him a rude return to the big stage.Catch of the day
Heino Kuhn had a good game, taking three catches and his athletic effort for the second one would have got him noticed by the selectors. Shaun Marsh got an under edge to a Rusty Theron delivery that went swirling and twirling down towards backward point. Kuhn had scurried over, called for it as the third man came in and was under it in time to pouch it comfortably. Footwork of the day
After three, expensive overs, Parnell redeemed himself, but not with his cricketing skills. Mitchell Marsh attempted to hustle a single after an inside edge of his pads dropped at his feet. Parnell was speedy in his follow through, saw the ball in striking distance, aimed for the stumps and scored. His kick broke the wicket and Cameron White, who was the non-striker, was run out.Anticipation of the day
Smith did not take first guard with Doug Bollinger set to open the bowling so Hashim Amla had to deal with the first six balls from the left-armer. Tension rose as the third over approached, with Smith taking guard. The wait before the first delivery of that over seemed longer than the duration of the match itself and when Bollinger bowled it and Smith got an ugly flick to fine leg for one, a breath could be taken. Later that over, Smith redeemed himself to the Johannesburg crowd with a finely placed shot that went for four. The cheers told him he was being forgiven.Assault of the day
All the big talk around 18-year-old Pat Cummins has turned into big action and the teenager has had some of the best in the world rattled with his skill. In his first over, he beat Smith’s outside edge, got him to pop up a leading edge two balls later and made good use of full, wide deliveries. But it was in his second over that he really got going. First, he removed Colin Ingram off the inside edge, and then persisted with an attacking full line, mixing things up with a slower ball bouncer. The next one was quicker and a confused JP Duminy edged to David Hussey at slip. The result was a double-wicket maiden; good enough at the best of times but exceptional in this format.Firework of the day
Theron and Parnell had pulled South Africa from a required run rate of over 12 to less than a run a ball. They struck five fours and three sixes and took the game away from a stunned Australian attack. Fireworks went up up bigger and higher around the field with every blow, but the most explosive came off Theron’s bat. With six needed to win off the last over, he got down on one knee and mowed Hussey over midwicket to send the Wanderers into a frenzy. The 33,000-strong crowd were on their feet with cries off ‘Ole, Ole’ doing the rounds. Victory had finally come to Johannesburg after the last few internationals here ended in defeat.

Ricky Ponting admitted that his team had been wary of VVS Laxman, fully fit or otherwise, going into day five

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2010Australia’s bowlers had been wary of VVS Laxman, despite his bad back, going into the fifth day at Mohali, Ricky Ponting has said. Laxman overcame his injury to play another nerveless innings against his favourite opposition and shepherd the tail to victory.”Just having some dinner last night with a few guys I was sitting with, I really felt that [we should beware] the wounded player [Laxman], and batting down the order I felt he would make a big contribution today,” Ponting said. “I was trying to make sure that we weren’t thinking they were going to be a batsman down again in the second innings and get too carried away.”Laxman batted at No. 10 in the first innings and sat out the fourth morning as Australia set India a target. He could not bat at his usual No. 6 position on the fourth evening as India’s chase ran into rough weather. The Indian team said he would bat on the last day if required, and he walked out at the fall of the nightwatchman Zaheer Khan. Laxman stood tall as India lost wickets and guided the tail to victory.”Even with that [bad back] today he showed what sort of class player he is,” Ponting said. “He has been a bit of a thorn in our side there’s no doubt about that, I guess him and Sachin [Tendulkar] would be the two who’ve done the most damage over the years, a couple of guys who’ve played a lot against us and have got good records against us. I hope his back’s pretty sore for next week as well and he can’t play.”Things went against Australia through the fifth day. Doug Bollinger, who had joined the team late after the Champions League, was forced off the field with an abdominal strain in the middle of a very good spell. Then, with India’s last pair requiring six runs to win the game, Pragyan Ojha survived a close lbw shout and Steven Smith missed a direct hit that could have ended the match, but ended up conceding four overthrows.”That’s what we expect from our guys, we expect that when there’s a half chance there that they’ll want to take it. There’s no blame at all towards Smith for having a shot at the stumps, if that was me I would have done exactly the same thing.”It probably doesn’t help,” Ponting said of Bollinger’s hurried preparation for the game after the Champions League. “But he had been bowling, and that was one positive for Doug, that he had been playing competitive cricket. He probably hasn’t been bowling the amount of overs in the Champions Leauge that some of the others have had coming over here, but he has been playing and arrived a couple of days before the game.”I thought his spell today was probably the best he’s bowled during the game, so disappointing for him to go down at the end there. I went to grab his hat off him for the start of his next over and he said he felt some pain in one of his abdominals, and being a fast bowler and having that sort of injury I just sent him off the ground straight away.”The match was marred by some questionable umpiring decisions. Michael Hussey and Gautam Gambhir got rough calls on the fourth day, while Ishant Sharma was sent on his way today with the game in the balance, before the lbw appeal against Ojha. After a match of such close margins, Ponting reaffirmed his faith in the UDRS, the use of which had been refused by India at the start of this series.”I’m a big supporter of the UDRS, I actually queried the ICC before the series started about the reason why we weren’t using the system,” Ponting said. “One thing I know about the system so far is that you definitely get more correct decisions in a game of cricket than you do without it, we understand how difficult a job it is for the umpires out there. There’s no doubt, take this Test match alone, with the use of the system here I think we would’ve have a lot more right decisions in the game.”

Yet another of Australia’s bowlers, Moises Henriques, has been hit by injury and will return home early from the tour

Cricinfo staff04-Nov-2009Moises Henriques has become the latest Australian bowler to be hit by injury and take an early flight home. News of Henriques’ injury – a tweaked right hamstring picked up in the field during Monday’s victory in Mohali – came only a day after Peter Siddle was sent home due to stiffness in his left side, also picked up in Monday’s match.They will be replaced by Victoria all-rounder Andrew McDonald and New South Wales fast bowler Burt Cockley, who will join the squad in time for the sixth ODI in Guwahati on Sunday.The squad has already lost Brett Lee (elbow), James Hopes (hamstring) and Tim Paine (finger), and was without first-choice players Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Nathan Bracken and Callum Ferguson when the series began.Henriques himself was a replacement player who joined the group mid-tour when Hopes was ruled out. His departure could mean an ODI debut for either the spinner Jon Holland or the fast bowler Clint McKay, both from Victoria, with Ben Hilfenhaus set to return to the starting line-up for the fifth ODI on Thursday in Hyderabad.”Moises complained of some discomfort after the fourth ODI in Mohali,” team physiotherapist Kevin Sims said. “He had an MRI scan when we arrived in Hyderabad which showed signs of injury to the right hamstring. The medical staff believe the injury will not recover sufficiently for him to participate in the last week of the tour and therefore we have decided he will return to Australia where he will continue his treatment.”McDonald is one of the newcomers in the Australian squad in the last 12 months, having played four Tests. He was very impressive for Victoria in the Champions Twenty20 League in India, taking nine wickets, including a match-winning four-wicket haul against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Cockley is just a season old for New South Wales and in 2008-09, stormed to the top of the state’s Sheffield Shield wicket list.”Andrew played very well for Victoria in the recent Champions League in India, was in very good form in the first Sheffield Shield game, scoring a hundred and bowling impressively on a batsman friendly Adelaide wicket and backing that up with a dominant display in Wednesday night’s Ford Ranger Cup match
,” Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said. “We are sure that Andrew will grab his opportunity and perform well in the Australian one-day set up.”Burt is someone who the National Selection Panel has identified in the last 12 months as someone who could have an impact at international level. He performed well in the recent Ford Ranger Cup game against Western Australia (taking four wickets) and we think he will be well suited to Indian conditions.”The captain Ricky Ponting said he felt for the injured players. “It’s disappointing to see these guys go down, because you know how much they want to play and be a part of the series and do the best they can to win games and win series,” Ponting told AAP. “So it’s more disappointing for them moreso than anything. I’m sure everyone who’s returned back home would much rather be here with the series as it is at the moment, but we’ve got what we’ve got.”Coach Tim Nielsen applauded the depleted team for performing above expectations. “In the ideal team, we [first] had James Hopes and [then] Moises batting at No. 7 along the line,” Nielsen said. “We don’t have those players now. The bowling also needs to adjust to the conditions and then we would decide the batting line-up. It is not simple or easy. We have to ensure that we have five bowlers, plus a spare bowler, to ensure one guy doesn’t have an off day.”The most difficult (thing), I suppose, is players getting hurt (so frequently) which means there is a change in the team in every game we have played. Having said that I’m pleased with the way the players have fought hard. The young players have come up to take up different roles.”At least the long-term news for some of the key members of Australia’s side is good. The Cricket Australia physio Alex Kountouris said Lee and Clarke were not far away from playing cricket again, while Paine should be able to start training by the end of the month.”Brett has seen a specialist and CA medical staff in Melbourne,” Kountouris said. “He had a scan that confirmed the cause of the pain as being a long-standing bone spur near the elbow joint. It is felt there is no major problem with the joint and we are optimistic that he may be able to resume bowling fairly soon, possibly some time next week.”Tim Paine saw a hand specialist in Melbourne today and Tim doesn’t require surgery to the fractured ring finger of his left hand. He will recommence cricket training in approximately three weeks time. Michael [Clarke] is making good progress and it’s hoped he’ll play for New South Wales before the first Test against the West Indies.”

Bangladesh ended the second day of the Test 101 runs behind with seven wickets left in their second innings

Himanshu Agrawal22-Oct-2024Stumps Seven balls after bringing the light meter out for the first time on day two, the umpires pulled the plug on the day’s play because of bad light. If that was somewhat abrupt, a third-umpire decision that took its time coming added drama to what turned out to be the last delivery of the day.Mahmudul Hasan Joy, on 38, decided to skip out of the crease to Dane Piedt, and missed the ball with his wild swing. The ball bounced a fair bit, and wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne collected it in front of his right shoulder and whipped the bails off. The TV umpire saw multiple replays and concluded Mahmudul was not out – the bat was behind the line but in the air, but it seemed to have lifted after being grounded once. Verreynne’s expression showed how tight it was.Related

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The day belonged to Verreynne, who hit his second Test century in the afternoon session. That, combined with Wiaan Mulder’s maiden half-century and Piedt’s resistance from No. 10, took South Africa to 308 despite them being 108 for 6 at one stage. And with a cushion of a 202-run first-innings lead, Kagiso Rabada struck twice early in the second innings to have Bangladesh at 4 for 2, before a fightback from Mahmudul, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim.Shadman Islam and Mominul Haque fell for single-digit scores within the first four overs for the second time in as many days, as Rabada extracted plenty of pace and bounce with the new ball. His wickets came off back-of-a-length deliveries. In the third over, he got one to nip into Shadman, who inside-edged to short leg, where Tony de Zorzi took a sharp catch to his left. Three balls later, Mominul went defending but got an outside edge to third slip, where Mulder went low to grab a dipping ball.Mahmudul and Shanto added 55 to rebuild briefly, before Keshav Maharaj trapped Shanto in front. Maharaj got a full delivery to turn in from outside off, and Shanto, who had opened his stance up in looking to defend, was struck on his back leg, which was dragging towards off.Mushfiqur then hit an entertaining 31 off 26 deliveries in an unbroken stand of 42 with Mahmudul to ensure there was no further damage, although Bangladesh still ended the day 101 runs behind South Africa.Hasan Mahmud took two wickets in the first session•BCB

The advantage South Africa enjoyed was down to Verreynne. He swept every other ball that came his way, and when he finally missed one, he was stumped by Litton Das. That ended South Africa’s innings at 308 but by then, Verreynne had raced to his hundred. He took just 144 balls to score 114, becoming only the third wicketkeeper-batter from his country to get a Test hundred in Asia. Fittingly, the landmark came off a paddle sweep off Taijul Islam in the 86th over.Both Verreynne’s sixes were pumped once he was past the three-figure mark: one a slog-sweep off the wicketless Nayeem Hasan, and the other a pull off Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Just before that, Mehidy had broken a frustrating ninth-wicket stand of 66. Piedt, who batted solidly, nudged and pushed his way to 32 before he was trapped in front off the 87th delivery he had faced. It turned in and he was given out on field. Piedt reviewed, and it returned an umpire’s call. And immediately after Verreynne’s second six, Mehidy slowed the ball down to have him stumped.Earlier, the overnight pair of Verreynne and Mulder took their seventh-wicket to 119. The pitch seemed to have settled nicely for batting on the second morning, with no apparent turn available for Taijul. Verreynne particularly looked assured against Hasan Mahmud, who had started the day alongside Taijul, nudging the pacer past mid-on for three, and clipping and driving him for boundaries.Wiaan Mulder made 54, his highest Test score•AFP/Getty Images

Taijul then had Mulder poking, only for the outside edge to fall short of slip. That had as much to do with Mulder playing with soft hands as the slowness of the surface. Mulder and Verreynne adjusted to the pitch, and calmly did the job against the spin of Taijul and Nayeem.Both batters used the sweep and the reverse sweep to great effect despite Nayeem turning the ball in appreciably on occasion. That was down to them taking a good stride forward to get to the pitch of the deliveries, and playing their shots with confidence. They played 38 sweeps – or reverse sweeps – against spin on the second morning, and got 59 runs off them, including seven boundaries and a six.Bangladesh posted a man close in at square leg to prevent the batters from earning easy runs from the sweep, and yet Verreynne got to his half-century when he drilled one to the man there. Mulder then got to his half-century at the start of the 64th over, when he cut Nayeem for four behind point.Shanto had brought Mahmud back into the attack, and he struck back-to-back blows. First, he pitched on a back-of-a-length outside off, the ball holding its line. Mulder went for the punch, but edged to wide slip. Next ball, Mahmud went much fuller, reversing the ball into Maharaj and beating his defence to uproot off stump.But Piedt, who was in next, not only denied Mahmud a hat-trick, but also annoyed Bangladesh no end.

He has been named Australia’s T20I captain for South Africa tour, and could also be in the running for the ODI job full time

Andrew McGlashan09-Aug-20232:25

George Bailey: Ideal world would have two captains, not three

Mitchell Marsh, Australia captain. It’s a phrase that would have appeared very unlikely a couple of years ago, but now the allrounder is preparing to lead the team in the T20I series in South Africa. He might also be a frontrunner for the role permanently heading into next year’s T20 World Cup, and perhaps for both white-ball jobs before long.Marsh is the first to admit that he made mistakes earlier in his career, but has reflected on his pride at not giving up in his ambitions of making a sustained success of international cricket, which last month included a remarkable return to the Test side with a century at Headingley.He could now start the home summer as the favourite for the No. 6 role ahead of his close friend Cameron Green, but the more immediate focus for him will be a first crack at international captaincy, and then playing a key role in the ODI World Cup in India. Marsh may also stand-in for Pat Cummins during the ODIs in South Africa, with the regular captain recovering from a fractured wrist.Related

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“It’s pretty crazy how it all works out,” Marsh told SEN radio after being confirmed as Aaron Finch’s replacement as T20I captain. “Very proud moment. Probably not something I’d ever thought I would do, but really looking forward to the opportunity of going to South Africa.”Marsh, who was an Australia Under-19 captain, previously relinquished the role at Perth Scorchers when he felt he couldn’t give it his full focus as he tried to return to national colours, and last year largely ruled himself out of the ODI job after Finch’s retirement – although national selector George Bailey believed that was Marsh not wanting the headlines – but nearly 12 months on, he is now much more secure of his standing.”Guess I’m very proud that I’ve stuck at it, and been through a little bit of adversity through my career – through my own fault, mind you – but [it’s] nice to be recognised in our group as a leader,” he added. “Think anyone who works hard and is driven to succeed in whatever field they are in, and they come up short, it can be bloody hard to be honest with you, and I’m really proud of the fact I’ve never really given up.Mitchell Marsh made a remarkable return to the Test side with a century at Headingley•Getty Images

“I’ve also [been] through those lessons learnt to enjoy every part of my life – the ups and downs – and try to take a lot of learnings from my failures, and understand that whatever you do in life – whether it’s cricket, sport, [or] business – you are going to fail, and it’s [about] how you deal with those failures. Hopefully that will help me with my leadership, and [in] trying to win a few games for Australia.”Marsh believes T20 cricket is the toughest format to captain, given the game can swing on very small margins, but he is looking forward to the challenge in South Africa. Although his appointment is only for that tour, he is now strongly placed to take the job full time and will a leading candidate to add the ODI format as well after this year’s World Cup, with Bailey saying a single white-ball captain would be the preference.”It’s certainly the hardest [format],” Marsh said. “I’ve gave up captaining the Scorchers… that was mainly around [when] I was really striving to play for Australia, and I didn’t feel like I could give it everything. It’s really hard to balance that. You’ve got to put a lot of time into getting things right tactically, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge and will have plenty of good people around me to help. I’ll lean on others, which has been a really important learning for me as a leader.”Staying fit for extended periods has previously been one of Marsh’s challenges. He opted to undergo ankle surgery last year which ruled him out of the BBL, and that is an issue which will need to be continually managed. But getting through three consecutive Ashes Tests was a big tick for him, albeit he did pull up sore at Old Trafford.”I’ll have to keep looking after myself and keep working with the great staff at Cricket Australia and the WACA, and make sure I can stay on the park as much as I can,” he said.Reflecting on how his Test career was revived in England, when he replaced the injured Green at Headingley, he added: “I probably spent a fair chunk of my red-ball career trying to bat like Steven Smith, Marnus [Labuschagne], Usman Khawaja – those guys that can bat for six hours – but ultimately that’s not who I am; that’s not me as a cricketer.”I don’t have the best defence, but I know when I’m in a really good frame of mind mentally and in an attacking frame of mind, that I can defend well and keep good balls out. Outside of that, I really want to play the way I want to play.”

Former Australia spinner joins after serving coaching apprenticeship with Brisbane Heat and Queensland Fire

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2022Ireland have announced the appointment Nathan Hauritz, the former Australia spinner, as their spin bowling coach.Hauritz, 40, took 128 wickets for Australia, playing all three formats in a nine-year international career. He retired from the game in 2016, and has been coaching with Brisbane Heat in the BBL and women’s team Queensland Fire since 2020.He is due to join up with Ireland in August, subject to a work permit being issued. As part of the role, he will work with the senior men’s and women’s squads, as well as players in the pathway system.”The opportunity was too good to not even think about,” Hauritz said. “I love discussing spin bowling from all facets, and to be able to do that in an international environment while travelling the world, how could you not want to do it.”My particular interest as a coach is the tactical and mental side of spin bowling. When you play at the top level of cricket your game is generally in a pretty sound space, but more often than not it comes down to how you perform on the day that needs the most work. I believe my career and experience will help me communicate with, and support the development of, our current groups of spinners. It’s an incredibly exciting time to be part of cricket in Ireland.”Hauritz was one of a number of spinners picked to try and fill the void left by Shane Warne in the Australia Test team, featuring in the 2009 Ashes and taking his maiden five-for against Pakistan later that year. He had a longer run in the ODI team, for whom he played against Ireland in 2010.”I fondly remember playing a tour game for Australia against Ireland at Clontarf back in 2010,” Hauritz said. “We were actually in a spot of bother in that game – we were under the pump early from the Irish openers. I was lucky enough to take a couple wickets and we won the game. But the main thing that sticks in my mind was that it was an amazing atmosphere.”Hauritz represented both Queensland and New South Wales in first-class and List A cricket, as well as featuring for Brisbane Heat, Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash.Richard Holdsworth, Cricket Ireland’s high performance director, said: “We’re delighted that Nathan will be joining the high performance staff and look forward to getting him over here to start working with our spin groups. Filling this role now completes our elite coaching restructure and provides what we believe is a great coaching and support team around our performance squads.”Not only will Nathan’s skills and experience be invaluable to our spinners in both the men’s and women’s squads, but he will also be looking at the next generation coming through the pathway system.”

They will meet the Perth Scorchers at Canberra on Thursday

Daniel Brettig31-Jan-2021Sam Heazlett and Jimmy Peirson took full toll of some obligingly loose death bowling from the Sydney Thunder at Manuka Oval to rocket the Brisbane Heat into a preliminary final meeting with the Perth Scorchers, also to take place in Canberra on Thursday after a late change due to a snap lockdown in Western Australia.The Heat had control of the Thunder’s innings for most of its journey thanks to a tight initial powerplay and then quality overs of spin from Mitchell Swepson and Marnus Labuschagne. However some characteristic big hitting from Ben Cutting allowed the Thunder to hammer 48 from the final four overs of their innings and set-up a defendable tally.A couple of early wickets gave the Thunder further reason for optimism, but Heazlett held his nerve to get himself set alongside Labuschagne, before counter-attacking boldly and in the end definitively in the company of the wicketkeeper Peirson. The Heat, having won two finals in a row from fourth on the table, are now two more wins from plucking the title itself.Heat plans give and take awayQuite transparently, Brisbane’s new ball plan called for a single over from Xavier Bartlett before he was subbed out for Morne Morkel. But so well did Bartlett bowl, bending the white Kookaburra late and at decent pace, that not only should he have had Usman Khawaja out lbw but his opening maiden raised questions of whether or not the Heat should divert from the blueprint and give him another over. Chris Lynn elected not to step in, handing the ball to Ben Laughlin and leaving Bartlett’s contribution to end with 1-1-0-0.Whatever the debate over this decision, the Heat ended up enjoying much the better of the powerplay anyway. Laughlin should have had Alex Hales caught at short third man only for Mark Steketee to mistime his jump and see the ball skate through his unsteady fingers. Steketee, though, bowled beautifully at the other end, rewarded when Hales jammed a catch to mid on to depart for just eight after a dominant BBL.Swepson’s middle overs, Cutting’s late showMuch as Khawaja and the captain Callum Ferguson tried, the Thunder were unable to build much momentum at all through the middle overs, held back largely by the spin of Swepson and Labuschagne on a surface that gave them just enough assistance. Swepson’s command of changes in pace while bowling a stumps-threatening line was testament to his evolution over recent years. Alex Ross and Daniel Sams were both beaten comprehensively on the back foot to each be lbw, while at the other end Labuschagne tempted Khawaja into a stumping.Mitchell Swepson celebrates with team-mates after dismissing Alex Ross•Getty Images

At 8 for 134 with 10 balls remaining, the Thunder were staring at the sort of total they had themselves successfully chased to knock out the Adelaide Strikers at the Gabba. Cutting, though, had plenty of reason to be focused against the Heat after a running verbal battle with his former club for much of the season. He was able to find the range of Morkel, cracking one six over midwicket in the 18th over that pinged off the top of the Bradman Stand, then following up with two more telling blows in the 20th. Brendan Doggett chimed in with a couple of boundaries and suddenly the Heat was facing a pursuit closer to 160.Heat regather after initial reversesWhen Joe Denly and then Lynn were dismissed cheaply by the hard new ball, the Heat captain causing scenes of unrestrained jubilation when he miscued Doggett wretchedly to mid off, the game was drifting very much towards the Thunder. Brisbane’s response may in the past have been to panic; certainly that had been a not uncommon occurrence in recent seasons. Instead, Labuschagne and Heazlett took their time, calmly allowing the required rate to drift towards 11 per over but building a base from which to attack.Importantly they did not allow Tanveer Sangha or Chris Green to be as impactful as their Heat counterparts, leaving plenty of overs for the pacemen to bowl in the closing overs. Labuschagne’s exit, to a highly debatable run out decision when it could not reasonably be determined whether the bails had been first dislodged by the ball or Sam Billings’ gloves, looked to be a blow to the chase, but also allowed the busy Peirson to enter the fray with plenty of balls to spare.Heazlett and Peirson bring it homeWhat the calm, “take it deep” attitude of the Heat did was it presented a scenario where the Thunder bowlers could not afford to miss their marks as the overs ran out. Heazlett was by this time well established at the crease, familiar with the pace of the pitch, and able to capitalise with some panache from all the various errors in line and length the Thunder’s pacemen proceeded to serve up. Peirson was as effective himself, their left-right combination helping to bring further errors from the bowlers, with the runs piling up at better than two per ball.There will doubtless be plenty of post-mortems from the Thunder and their coach Shane Bond on why the Sydney side’s bowling fell apart so completely. But the value of set batsmen for the closing stages was writ large across a stand worth 92 from 44 balls, bringing a conclusion that was both dramatic in its turnabout but also remarkable for how much ease the Heat ultimately won with. For Heazlett, given an arguably premature ODI debut in New Zealand as far back as 2017, it was a cathartic performance; demonstrating quality that has seldom been seen on this stage. A light sprinkling of drizzle in these overs made the ball fractionally greasy, aiding Heazlett as he feasted square of the wicket.

There is no official word on the salaries for domestic cricketers yet

Mohammad Isam11-Oct-2019Each of the seven Bangladesh Premier League teams for the upcoming season of the T20 tournament must have an overseas quick bowler who bowls above 140kph and a legspinner, who has to bowl four overs in each game, the Bangladesh Cricket Board director Mahbubul Anam has announced.But he didn’t provide any clarity on how much the domestic cricketers would be paid. Khaled Mahmud, another BCB director, had recently said that the board, which has taken over the running of the BPL from the franchises, would try to match what the players receive as match fees for T20Is, but there has been no official confirmation of that. It’s important to remember that if a top domestic player takes part in all the BPL matches, the amount he makes will still be well short of what he would have made in the BPL previously.”The players shouldn’t be worried about money,” Anam said. “We are holding this tournament by keeping them in mind. Salary isn’t very important, but it will definitely be respectable.”Each team must also have an overseas coach, physiotherapist and trainer, while local coaches can only work as assistants to the head coaches. Anam also said that each team must appoint a BCB director as the team director.ESPNcricinfo understands that the order about the 140kph quick bowler and legspinner has come from the Bangladesh team management, which, Anam said, has been concerned about the side’s ability against the two kinds of bowlers when playing internationally.”BCB wants this BPL to be about improving Bangladesh’s cricketers in T20s, so we want to make sure that our batsmen and bowlers get enough opportunities [against quicks and legspinners], something that was not possible when it was a franchise-based BPL,” Anam said.The BCB has reportedly received 390-plus registrations from players to be included in the draft, and there have also been requests put in by several coaches. With the BCB stipulating a sponsor for each team, they can bring overseas players from outside the draft too. Paying foreigners high salaries, however, might not sit well with domestic players, especially as the BCB’s message for the 2019-20 BPL is to be fully focused on the local talent.As reported by ESPNcricinfo, the next edition of the BPL will not be a franchise-run affair and, instead, be owned by the BCB following a clash between the board and six of the seven existing team owners, Dhaka Dynamites the only exception.

Desire for austere ceremony has ruled out the fascinating prospect of Indian cricketing royalty’s presence for Imran Khan’s inauguration

Danyal Rasool and Umar Farooq02-Aug-2018Plans to invite foreign dignitaries, including some of India’s greatest cricketers, to Imran Khan’s impending inauguration as Prime Minister of Pakistan have been shelved. Fawad Chaudhry, the spokesperson for the party Imran heads, said Imran had ultimately decided on a “simple ceremony” that would include just a few of his close friends.That was a 24-hour turnaround in which Imran’s party had first floated the tantalising possibility of the likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev flying in for the inauguration. Chaudhry had confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that enquiries had been made of the Foreign Office to see if foreign delegates could be invited to the oath-taking ceremony. Those in line for invitations to the event included Gavaskar and Kapil, contemporaries of Imran in his cricketing heyday, as well as Navjot Sidhu. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi was also in the frame for an invitation, but the change of stance today means those high-profile guests from across the border will not attend.”The PTI chairman [Imran Khan] has directed us to stage the oath-taking event with austerity,” Chaudhry told . “He will take his oath in a simple ceremony at Aiwan-e-Sadr (President House). It has been decided that no foreign personalities will be invited to the ceremony — it will be a completely national event. Only a few close friends of Imran Khan will be invited. There will be no show of extravagance at the event.”Imran, whose party the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won the most seats in the country’s general elections last week, is effectively Pakistan’s Prime Minister-elect, with his inauguration likely to be days away. His decision to invite cricketers who were among the biggest rivals of his career appeared to be, prima facie, an extension of the agreeable tone he struck towards India in his unofficial acceptance speech following the elections.Imran has enjoyed convivial relations with most of his contemporaries across the border. When he was an opposition leader in Pakistan’s parliament in 2016, he was a high-profile attendee in Kolkata for the India-Pakistan game at the World T20, and was part of an entertaining evening after-dinner talk on a panel that also included Kapil. The pair were two of the great quartet of allrounders that dominated the game in the 1980s, alongside Ian Botham and Richard Hadlee.Kapil was among the first from the cricketing fraternity to send his congratulations to Imran following his party’s victory, saying it “felt really good” to see a cricketer he had played alongside become Prime Minister of his country. Sidhu was particularly effusive in his praise of Imran following the election, calling him a “pure soul who led from the front”.Long-suffering fans across both sides of the border may have drawn a flicker of hope from this recent outpouring of warmth for the India-Pakistan on-field rivalry, currently on hold by factors unrelated to cricket. Political tensions have meant the two countries haven’t played any bilateral cricket since Pakistan toured India in 2012 for two T20Is and three ODIs, while the last time they clashed in a Test match was back in 2007. Of the Indian side currently playing the first Test against England at Edgbaston, only two players – Dinesh Karthik and Ishant Sharma – have played a Test against Pakistan. India and Pakistan will clash in the Asia Cup in the UAE in September.The last time Gavaskar toured Pakistan as a cricketer also had heavy political overtones. It was the ill-fated tour of 1984, which saw an ODI between Pakistan and India in Sialkot cancelled halfway through after news broke of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination, with the tour immediately called off. Gavaskar was never to play in Pakistan again.*Aug 2, 1215 GMT: The piece was edited to reflect the fact that Imran Khan decided against a lavish oath-taking ceremony, effectively ruling out the possibility of Kapil Dev and Sunail Gavaskar’s attendance at his inauguration.