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Ellyse Perry made another half-century before the England spinner showed her value

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-2022Sydney Sixers made it two from two early in their WBBL campaign after an all-round display led by Suzie Bates’ sizeable contribution with the bat, another half century for Ellyse Perry and a superb performance from Sophie Ecclestone.After Alyssa Healy fell in the fourth over, charging a slower ball from Darcie Brown having not found her rhythm, Bates and Perry added 131 for the second wicket in a stand that lasted until the penultimate ball of the innings.The pair never quite fully cut loose, but after Sixers ended the powerplay on 1 for 24 there was a steady build throughout the innings with the ninth over going for 15 and the 13th 16 runs. Bates had been 23 off 30 balls before latching onto Amanda-Jade Wellington’s second over.Perry’s 58 off 44 followed her 55 off 48 in the opening match against Brisbane Heat while Bates, against her former club, made her first major contribution with Sixers. Darcie Brown’s bowling stood with 1 for 20 from four overs including 14 dots. Ash Gardner faced just one ball and launched it for six.Deandra Dottin gave Adelaide Strikers a rapid start to the chase with 25 off 16 balls with three sixes before being well caught at mid-off against Ecclestone.Ecclestone then produced a direct hit from mid-on to run out the well-set Laura Wolvaardt and in her next over with the ball was rewarded for some nice flight when Tahlia McGrath drove to cover to swing the match decisively Sixers’ way.The asking rate continued to rise and the loss of Bridget Patterson and Mack in the space of three balls left far too much to do for the lower order.

He will return to Lahore to undergo a four-week rehabilitation programme at the high performance centre

Umar Farooq08-Jul-2021Haris Sohail has been ruled out of the England tour with a grade 3 hamstring injury and will return to Lahore by the first available flight to undergo a four-week rehabilitation programme at the high performance centre. He was meant to make a comeback in ODIs after he was dropped last year after the Zimbabwe series.Pakistan have not named a replacement because they are carrying a large squad and have the options of Sohaib Maqsood, Saud Shakeel and Agha Salman to fill in.Sohail was dropped from the Test side as well after the New Zealand tour earlier this year and since then he only played four List A games – for Balochistan – in January. He scored an unbeaten century in four games in the Pakistan Cup, scoring 164 runs but he missed a big chunk of the tournament when he was in New Zealand. He was picked for the ODIs in England after missing out in the series against South Africa.Pakistan landed in England on June 25, started training on June 28, and Sohail complained about a strain in his leg muscle after two net sessions. He pulled out of the first intra-squad practice game on July 1 and later missed the second one as well. An MRI scan on Wednesday confirmed he had a tear in his hamstring. The PCB said he sustained the injury during a training session in Derby last week.”I was keenly looking forward to the ODIs as part of my objective to contribute in the side’s success and also cement my position in the side,” Sohail said after being ruled out of the tour. “I am disappointed that my tour has been cut short, but I will return to Lahore and undergo a rehabilitation programme so that I can fully recover for the 2021-22 season.”Sohail, who made his international debut in 2013, is considered one of the finest batters in Pakistan but was never able to cement his place. In 2015, he was “spooked” in his Christchurch hotel room and he returned home without playing for Pakistan after the frightful experience.Earlier this year he was named in the Test squad for New Zealand, but he missed the training sessions and practice match owing to a thumb injury. He later turned up to play both the Tests and scored 3, 9, 1 and 15 before being dropped across formats.In the last eight years, he has played 16 Tests (847 runs at 32.57), 42 ODIs (1685 at 46.80) and 14 T20Is (210 at 19.09, strike rate of 102.94).Last year he pulled out of the England tour due to the Covid-19 pandemic as he decided not to stay in isolation, which was a mandatory quarantine period for all foreigners travelling to the UK.Pakistan’s three-match ODI series begins later today in Cardiff, which will be followed by three T20Is on July 16, 18 and 20. The side will depart for the West Indies on July 21 where they will play five T20Is and two Tests from July 27 to August 24.

De Grandhomme and Neesham return to strengthen their middle order

The Preview by Deivarayan Muthu04-Feb-20206:58

Agarwal, Shaw opening would be great – Bangar

Big Picture

November 25, 2019. The last time New Zealand actually won a game. They’ve been winless in nine matches across formats since, and injuries have weakened them further. Their captain and premier batsman Kane Williamson has now joined Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, and Matt Henry on the injury list. Add to that, they will be without head coach Gary Stead, who has taken a break and has handed over the reins to bowling coach Shane Jurgensen for the three-match ODI series against India.Wednesday’s match will be New Zealand first ODI since Super Over against England last year. New Zealand have lost three more Super Overs since. Having hit rock bottom in the T20Is against India, the only way for them is up.They will welcome back Tom Latham, who has recovered from a finger fracture, and has proven his form and fitness in the 50-over Ford Trophy. In the injury-enforced absence of Williamson, Latham will also stand in as captain and will take back the gloves from Tim Seifert, who isn’t part of the ODI side.Jimmy Neesham, fresh off winning the Super Smash with Wellington Firebirds and a List A best of 5 for 29, returns to the side, as does fellow allrounder Colin de Grandhomme. The comebacks of Latham, Neesham, and de Grandhomme spruces up the middle order that struggled to finish games in the shortest format.India, too, are missing some of their first-choice players, including white-ball vice-captain Rohit Sharma, who will miss the following Test series as well. However, unlike New Zealand, India have ready replacements who have had a taste of 50-over cricket in New Zealand, having been part of the shadow A tour. They will be buoyed by how they shook off the jet lag and bossed New Zealand in the T20Is, just days after their 2-1 come-from-behind ODI series win against Australia at home.With both Dhawan and Sharma suffering injuries, Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw are set to slot in at the top and make their ODI debuts together. On the eve of the ODI series opener, captain Virat Kohli confirmed that KL Rahul will continue to bat in the middle order. This ODI series could be another chance for Manish Pandey to showcase his middle-order gears.

Form guide

New Zealand TWLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India WWLWWALSO READ: Who is Kyle Jamieson? 0:48

Star Sports Game Plan: New Zealand’s morale will be low – Laxman

In the spotlight

Henry Nicholls is no dasher like Colin Munro at the top, and instead is more adept at building an innings. His solidity could be the ideal foil for the more attacking Martin Guptill at the other end in New Zealand’s post-World Cup period. The left-hander is coming off Ford Trophy scores of 120, 62, and 55.Around this time in 2018 in New Zealand, Prithvi Shaw led India Under-19s to World Cup glory. Two years later, he is ready for his ODI debut, with Kohli stating that India aren’t looking at ODIs as preparation for the T20 World Cup across the Tasman Sea. Having been banned for a doping violation last year and overcome fitness issues, Shaw will be eager to make his second coming count.

Team news

Mark Chapman is likely to take up Williamson’s No.3 position, and New Zealand could consider resting Tim Southee, who had a horror T20I series. Instead, Auckland’s beanpole quick Kyle Jamieson could make his international debut. New Zealand might also have to choose been Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner on the spin front.New Zealand: 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Henry Nicholls, 3 Mark Chapman, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Latham (capt & wk), 6 Colin de Grandhomme, 7 Jimmy Neesham, 8 Mitchell Santner/Ish Sodhi, 9 Kyle Jamieson/Tim Southee 10 Hamish Bennett, 11 Scott KuggeleijnIndia, too, might have to choose between Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. Mohammed Shami is likely to return after being rested for the last two T20Is. Neither Kedar Kadhav or Shivam Dube inspire enough confidence and might miss the cut.India: 1 Mayank Agarwal, 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul (wk), 6 Manish Pandey, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal/Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohammed Shami/Navdeep Saini, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Pitch and conditions

The Seddon Park pitch that was used the third T20I wasn’t too flat and the ball did hold up in the second innings then. The weather is expected to be pleasant for the during of the game.

Stats and trivia

• Shaw and Agarwal will be the fourth Indian opening pair to make their ODI debuts together. Incidentally, Dilip Vengsarkar and P Sharma opened together on debut in New Zealand in 1976.
• Latham has an excellent ODI record against India, having made 593 runs in 13 innings at an average of nearly 54 and a strike rate of 90.53
• At six feet and eight inches (2.03 metre), Jamieson is the tallest cricketer in New Zealand.

Quotes

“You want to play every game you can for New Zealand and [I was] pretty disappointed to miss out on the T20 squad for the series just gone.”
“We’re not looking at preparing for the T20 World Cup through this series, IPL will be the right platform.”

Danyal Rasool at Cape Town04-Jan-2019For the second time in as many Tests, Pakistan found their celebrations cut short by the third umpire after thinking they had made a crucial breakthrough.In almost identical fashion to Dean Elgar’s overturned dismissal in Centurion, which prompted such a fierce reaction from Mickey Arthur, Azhar Ali was once again the slip fielder in the spotlight as he stooped to gather Temba Bavuma’s outside edge.At Centurion, Bruce Oxenford had consulted with his on-field colleague S Ravi and deemed Azhar to have taken a clean catch as he gave a soft signal of ‘out’, and he did so once more here in Cape Town.This time, however, Ravi was the man in the third umpire’s chair, and after much deliberation, he decided that Azhar had failed to get his fingers fully underneath the ball. The decision was overturned, much to the crowd’s delight and Mickey Arthur’s chagrin.Arthur, Grant Flower and Sarfraz Ahmed had all said after Centurion they thought the incorrect decision had been made, with Arthur storming into the third umpire’s office to protest, earning himself a sanction and a demerit point.Here, however, he managed to restrain himself to his chair, though the frustration was evident on his face once more.Compare and contrast for yourself with ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball commentary on the two incidents:8.5 Shaheen Shah Afridi to Elgar, no run, length, outside off, and draws the outside edge! It’s been taken by Azhar Ali, but they want to check this. The soft signal from the umpires is OUT! Superb ball, pitched in that length that drew him forward, took the outside of the bat as he poked at it, and flew low to Azhar’s right at first slip. He went low and gathered it, and seems to have done enough! He was confident immediately after completing the catch, and Elgar was also looking to walk to the change rooms immediately afterwards. I think the TV umpire will rule this in favour of the fielding side…OH NO? NOT OUT! That was close!43.3 Mohammad Abbas to Bavuma, no run, drags him out, locates the edge… and first slip snags a low catch! Or does he? Bavuma is going to hang around and wait for any hint of doubt. The soft signal from Bruce Oxenford is out, though this is a helluva tough one to call either way… Does the ball touch the grass as Azhar attempts to scoop it up? The third umpire, S Ravi, decides it does! So the decision is overturned and Bavuma gets a lifeAt Centurion, Elgar’s dismissal would have reduced South Africa to 16 for 2, chasing an awkward 149. At Cape Town, Bavuma’s wicket would have been Pakistan’s second in as many overs, and left them five-down and still 21 runs in arrears.

Matt Renshaw’s hold onto an opening spot for Australia looks shakier by the day after he made another low score for Queensland and then saw his national captain Steven Smith occupy his first-slip position

Daniel Brettig13-Nov-2017Getty Images

Matt Renshaw’s hold onto an opening spot for Australia looks shakier by the day after he made another low score for Queensland. He also saw his national captain Steven Smith occupy for New South Wales the first slip position which the 21-year-old had occupied solidly over his first 10 Tests.In making a start before edging a typically precise Trent Copeland delivery behind to Peter Nevill, Renshaw added 16 to a recent red-ball sequence of scores that reads 45, 5, 4, 22, 17, 16, 1 and 19 since the first Test in Bangladesh. Such has been the debate around his place, with the Western Australia coach Justin Langer piling on the pressure among others, that Renshaw’s opening partner David Warner advised him to “steer clear of the newspapers”.”I want him to score runs this week. He has been under a bit of pressure this week, there has been a bit of talk in the media,” Warner said about Renshaw before the game. “You have to keep putting the numbers on the board. As a youngster, I would be steering clear of newspapers this week.”However, there was an even more tangible sign of shifting opinions when Renshaw walked out to bat. Smith, who typically fields at second slip whenever Copeland is in the NSW Shield XI and did so most recently in the opening round against South Australia, had swapped from second to first for this match, his last before the Gabba Test. The move indicated Smith felt a need to prepare for a different role from the one he generally fills as captain of Australia, and an indicator the selectors may be about to jettison Renshaw.More certainty was provided by the No. 3 Usman Khawaja, dropped in Bangladesh but in sturdy touch, while providing the spinal contribution of a Queensland innings that otherwise struggled for traction on a well-grassed Allan Border Field pitch that offered seam movement and the odd bit of variable bounce.Khawaja’s duel with Nathan Lyon was particularly arresting, while Copeland and Doug Bollinger also made the ball move around. NSW also found it difficult when they batted in the evening session, losing Nic Maddinson, Warner and then Smith in the final over of the day to a ball that leapt at him from Jack Wildermuth and was taken at short leg. Smith indicated the ball may have hit the arm rather than bat.

Rilee Rossouw has said that the team is unaffected by the talk going around on the decision to drop Hashim Amla from the XI

Firdose Moonda04-Oct-2016Rilee Rossouw was called up to South Africa’s ODI squad as a replacement for the injured AB de Villiers, ahead of the match against Ireland at the end of last month. He ended up replacing an ill Hashim Amla at the start of the Australia series last week. To say that Rossouw had big boots to fill is not an understatement. But try two fifties in two matches on for size, and it seems Rossouw could be a perfect fit.So, why the in-house handwringing from captain Faf du Plessis, who said he wanted Amla back in the XI but the selectors decided otherwise? “Hashim averages 52 in one-day cricket, so, for me, you can never replace that,” du Plessis said. “And if you miss one game for the flu, then it’s always the respect that you’re given to come back into the team. So, if it was my decision, I would definitely bring him back, and the same with the coach, but the selectors felt the combination at the top was working really well.”Perhaps, the stand-in captain just wants protocol to take precedence, and it seems he is not the only one. Television and social media commentators were aghast at Amla’s omission on Sunday, and there is every indication that he will be back for the third ODI. And where will that leave Rossouw, mentally and literally? “When we had our team culture camp, we spoke about our playing bubble. People can say what they want to say, as long as it doesn’t affect how we are going about our proceedings and how we play,” Rossouw said. “If Hashim comes back and I am playing, I will probably slot into the middle order.”Rossouw has batted at Nos. 4-7 in 18 of the 33 ODIs he has played, and come out at No. 3 eight times, so he is most familiar outside the top two but more successful in it. In the seven matches in which Rossouw has opened, he has averaged 39.57 – compared to an overall average of 35.53 – and scored one of his two hundreds and two of his seven fifties. He admitted he prefers getting to the crease as early as possible, and that the constant shifting up and down the order is challenging but possible with proper preparation.”I don’t mind anywhere in the top of the order. I prefer the new ball, while the Powerplay is still on so I can pierce the field and play good cricket shots,” he said. “It’s very difficult to change batting positions. It’s about how you prepare for where you are going to bat. If your preparation is good enough for the scenario out there, then your execution should follow.”Rossouw was fairly pleased with his execution so far in this series, barring the failure to get to three figures. “I am quite disappointed in that. In the first game, the reverse sweep is my shot, so if I go out to that, it is hard lines, but it’s my shot,” he said. “I am more disappointed with the way I went out at the Wanderers. It was quite soft.”At Centurion, Rossouw was out lbw, attempting a reverse sweep off the first ball he faced from Adam Zampa. At the Wanderers, he miscued a pull shot, and though the selection of both strokes is questionable, Rossouw insisted the second one was worse because he played it when he was closer to his century. “I have been hard on myself for that. I pride myself in making the most runs that I can. So 75 is all right, it’s good, but I am more interested in the three figures.”Without a hundred, Rossouw knows it will be more difficult to keep his place, especially in a line-up that should welcome Amla back at some stage, and with a crammed middle order. Du Plessis and JP Duminy have both found their touch, leaving little for David Miller and Farhaan Behardien to do, and Rossouw will have to displace one of them if he moves down. “It’s a tough gig, because if you are not performing, there’s a guy that can do the same job as you, if not better,” he said. “When you put on that shirt, you want to perform and do your best because you know there’s someone else who can take your spot.”At least South Africa have the problem of plenty, unlike their opposition, who now face three must-win matches if they are to win the series. Although Australia have appeared a little flat so far, Rossouw expects them to surge back, especially when they hear of South Africa’s intention to close out the series with two games to spare.”If they don’t bounce back, then they don’t deserve to be the best team in the world. I am sure they will come out fighting with big swings, and it’s up to us how we will counter-punch,” he said. “The guys had two serious performances and we are ready for the third game tomorrow, and we want to wrap it up. Australia are the best team in the world. If you give them a sniff, they come back hard. We want to finish this series tomorrow.”

Ten out of the 16 South Africa A players have been hospitalised in Chennai, forcing their match tomorrow against Australia A to be postponed to Tuesday

Alagappan Muthu in Chennai09-Aug-2015Ten out of the 16 South Africa A players have been hospitalised in Chennai, forcing their match on Monday against Australia A to be postponed to Tuesday. A press release from CSA said the squad had been “ravaged by food poisoning.” As a result, India A, who were due to have a day off, will step in and play Australia A on Monday, with the BCCI confirming the change in schedule.Half the South African A roster had fallen ill overnight and Quinton de Kock, who had only flown in last afternoon, was thrust into the XI to face India A today. He managed a gritty century in conditions he has a history of struggling in – slow, turning pitches. But as well as he coped with the challenge from underfoot, the overhead conditions became a little too much. He did not keep wicket, but even fielding on a severely hot afternoon took its toll. He was seen cramping and, in the 32nd over, had to go off the field. CSA has confirmed he was among those who was hospitalised.Opener Reeza Hendricks, middle-order batsman Khaya Zondo and left-arm seamer Mthokozisi Shezi had not been fit prior to the start of the match, but all three were forced to play because South Africa A did not have enough players to field. The three players also ended up going to the hospital during the course of the match.Things were so dire that South Africa A’s video analyst Hendrikus Coertzen and India A’s Mandeep Singh had to be roped in as substitute fielders. Their reserves list for today included Wayne Parnell, Beuran Hendricks, Cameron Delport, Cody Chetty and Keshav Maharaj. But only Hendricks and Maharaj came out as a substitute fielders.

Ian Bell’s third one-day century guided England to a consolation victory in the fifth and final ODI to bookend an ultimately disappointing tour with a second win

The Report by Alan Gardner27-Jan-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIan Bell scored his third ODI century as England ended the series as they began, with a victory•BCCI

Ian Bell’s third one-day century guided England to a consolation victory in the fifth and final ODI against India to bookend an ultimately disappointing tour with a second success. Although the series was already lost, a 3-2 defeat represents a marked improvement on recent efforts in the country, but Alastair Cook’s chief regret will be that his side took so long to put in a second accomplished performance, after they had taken a 1-0 lead in Rajkot a little more than two weeks ago.The bowlers, lead by Tim Bresnan, Steven Finn and James Tredwell, had made good use of Cook winning the toss to restrict India to 226, despite a fighting 83 from Suresh Raina, and England looked to have a modest hike ahead of them in order to secure only a third ODI win against India at home in 23 attempts. At times, the target seemed to loom higher than the Himalayas visible behind Dharamsala’s multicoloured pavilion but Bell is an experienced climber these days and Eoin Morgan brought along his spare oxygen canister to ease the ascent at the end.

Smart stats

• Ian Bell’s century was the ninth by an England batsman in ODIs against India in India. The last century was scored by Andrew Strauss in the 2011 World Cup game in Bangalore.

• Bell’s century was his second against India and third overall. His strike rate of 79.02 was his lowest for a 100-plus score.

• Tim Bresnan’s 4 for 45 was his fourth haul of four or more wickets in ODIs. His best bowling performance of 5 for 48 also came against India in the 2011 World Cup.

• For only the fourth time in ODIs against India, England had three fifty-plus stands for the first four wickets. All four instances have come in ODIs played in India.

• Suresh Raina’s 83 was his 11th half-century against England and second in consecutive matches. In 27 matches against England, Raina has 997 runs at 47.47.

• Raina became the fourth batsman overall and the first Indian batsman to make four fifty-plus scores in four innings in a bilateral ODI series. Only Yasir Hameed has had more fifty-plus scores (5) in a series (max five innings).

• The number of runs conceded by James Tredwell (25) is the second-lowest by an England spinner in a completed spell in ODIs against India since 1990.

Like Raina, whose fourth half-century in as many innings helped drag India from a potentially disastrous 79 for 5 earlier in the day, Bell was not entirely secure at the crease, twice edging past his stumps early on and struggling to time the ball as the surface got slower. But he stuck around as England lost two wickets for 11 runs in 6.2 overs and after a diligent, restorative partnership with Joe Root, he began to look more imposing, stepping out of his crease to hit the disappointing R Ashwin for six and striking timely boundaries whenever the asking rate began to enquire a little more urgently.Although Root was bowled by Ravindra Jadeja, slogging across the line in ungainly fashion after another level-headed knock, Morgan buckled down before adding a few flourishes of his own to ease England past their target with 16 balls to spare. At 1317 metres above sea level, the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium is among the loftiest international grounds in the world and Morgan seemed keen to see just how far he could hit a six in the thin mountain air.Despite being described as a match of “no consequence” in some local papers, India chose not to experiment with their line-up, again leaving Cheteshwar Pujara on the bench. They could perhaps have done with his monkish self-discipline, as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli departed to consecutive deliveries via loose drives outside off to trigger a top-order collapse. It was left to Raina, India’s leading run-scorer in the series, and Jadeja, who has also toyed regularly with England over the last month, to pull things together with a spiky, 78-run partnership, before some late hitting from the tail, combined with a rash of dropped catches, helped the score towards respectability.Before the match, Raina had expressed a desire to usurp one of his colleagues up the order and he made good use of a longer spell at the crease after coming in during the seventh over. A harsher judge, however, may conclude that he failed to construct the truly big innings that the situation provided an opportunity for.England have been quiescent opponents in the past for Raina, who improved his average against them to 47.47 with his 11th fifty, but he was allowed let-offs on 5 and 61 before pulling idly to midwicket with a hundred in sight. The first was a difficult, diving chance that would have completed a hat-trick of slip catches for Tredwell but the latter opportunity, grassed by Cook at backward square leg, was much more straightforward.Perhaps Raina was deserving of some benevolence after the fiery start England’s bowlers made in chilly, if bright, conditions. The Dalai Lama is based in exile at nearby McLeodganj but the early exchanges were far from peaceable on a hard, fast surface with enough juice in it to make a Tibetan monk sit up and blink.There was initial seam movement on offer for Finn but it was Bresnan who made the first incursion, removing ersatz opener Rohit. Having timed one exquisite square drive for four, Rohit attempted a reprise to a slightly wider delivery that drifted further away from his crease-bound push, the ball slicing off the outside edge to the right of Tredwell at second slip, where he took a tumbling catch. The very next ball produced a facsimile swish from Kohli, though Tredwell went in for a bit of variety on this occasion, juggling the ball three times in front of the kneeling Cook before grasping it for good with a giddy grin.When Yuvraj got a thick edge to point trying to turn Finn through square leg, the match was beginning to resemble an early season encounter in England – at least in temperature and bowling conditions, if not the setting. It could have been even better for England had Raina’s edge off Chris Woakes – replacing Jade Dernbach – stuck but he battled pugnaciously after being hit on the shoulder by his first ball, from Finn.Tredwell has spent the one-day series doing a passable impression of Graeme Swann, particularly to left-handers, and he had Gautam Gambhir caught by the sprawling Bell at point. The wicket came from Tredwell’s second ball, an immediate, Swann-esque intervention, and England’s delight ratcheted up further when Finn won an lbw decision against MS Dhoni. Only during the spells of the part-time bowlers, Root and Samit Patel, did India’s batsmen display any sense of comfort. Their combined 11 overs cost 80 runs as Raina gave India one last spin of the prayer wheel in pursuit of 4-1 – but he could not turn a molehill into a mountain.

Cameron White has been dumped as Australia’s Twenty20 captain and replaced by George Bailey for the two matches against India next week

Brydon Coverdale23-Jan-2012Cameron White has been dumped as Australia’s Twenty20 captain and replaced by George Bailey for the two matches against India next week. And Australia’s selectors have announced the surprise recall of the 40-year-old spinner Brad Hogg, who made a T20 comeback this summer and has been the standout slow bowler in the Big Bash LeagueIn a major shake-up eight months before the ICC World Twenty20, the new selection panel under John Inverarity has sent a clear message that the T20 side needed refreshment. Australia made the final of the 2010 World T20, but since then they have lost seven matches and won only two, and sit fifth on the ICC rankings behind England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Africa.The appointment of White as captain when Michael Clarke retired from the format last January was made by Andrew Hilditch’s selection panel with a view to building towards this year’s World T20, to be held in Sri Lanka in September. However, White made just 55 runs at an average of 7.85 in the BBL this season and Inverarity’s panel has made the change with at least four matches on Australia’s schedule before the World T20.Bailey, the captain of Tasmania and a team-mate of White at the Melbourne Stars, has not been in outstanding form either, having scored 114 runs at 19. However, he was viewed by the selectors as the right man to lead the side, with David Warner his vice-captain, while the Test vice-captain Shane Watson was not considered for the two games against India due to his ongoing injury problems.”The Australian T20 team has been ranked a rather disappointing sixth in the world and we’ve certainly considered that the team needs refreshment,” Inverarity said in announcing the squad in Melbourne on Monday. “It would be fair to say the national selection panel has been discussing this T20 squad for six or seven weeks.”If you look at [Bailey’s] record as captain … I’m of the view that Tasmania have done particularly well in recent years because of the leadership they’ve had, the well-defined leadership of Daniel Marsh and … then George has taken over. Last season they won the Shield under George, the year before they won the one-day competition under George. The results are there.”He’s widely respected throughout Australia. Those who play with him regard him very highly as a captain and as a leader. We’ve seen from Michael Clarke’s leadership, he has done very well not least because of his astute decision making on the field and George certainly has that too.”The decision means Bailey, 29, will play his first match for Australia in any format next week, and he will do it as captain. Bailey has been part of an Australian squad in the past – he was called up for the ODIs in New Zealand in early 2010 when Clarke returned home for personal reasons – but did not win a cap.

Australia T20 squad

George Bailey (capt), David Warner (vice-capt), Travis Birt, Dan Christian, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Brad Hogg, David Hussey, Brett Lee, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Clint McKay, Matthew Wade (wk)

“It has [come out of the blue] in some ways but it’s something I feel like I’m ready to do and I’m very excited by,” Bailey said. “I think once you have been captain and played in the team for a little while, any time you’re on the field you’re always thinking. I haven’t captained during this Big Bash but even so I’ve always been thinking about what I’d be doing in similar circumstances, who I’d be bowling and field placements and things like that. I don’t think that part of you ever goes away.”When he walks out as leader for the T20 at Sydney’s Stadium Australia next Wednesday and the match at the MCG two days later, Bailey will be in charge of a new-look side. The fast-bowling allrounder James Faulkner will be in line for his debut, while the batsman Travis Birt has earned a recall nearly two years after his last international appearance.But the big talking point, besides the captaincy, was the recall of Hogg, whose left-arm wrist-spin has been a major reason the Perth Scorchers have made the BBL final. Hogg retired from all cricket four years ago but made his T20 comeback this summer, and Inverarity said if all went well, Hogg would be part of Australia’s squad at the World T20 in spinning conditions in Sri Lanka this year.”In my conversation with Brad it was that it would be the World Cup and that if he was selected our interest with him wouldn’t go beyond that,” Inverarity said. “Of course it could change. But that’s the general intention … Two months ago we probably weren’t thinking about Brad Hogg. [BBL] games have changed when he’s come on to bowl. He has been outstanding.”The inclusion of Hogg meant there was no room for Steven Smith or Steve O’Keefe, two slow bowlers who had been part of the T20 side in recent months. Xavier Doherty was the other specialist spinner named to take on India. Brett Lee, Clint McKay and Daniel Christian will round out the attack, while Matthew Wade was not surprisingly named as the wicketkeeper.Michael Hussey was not named in the squad but Inverarity clarified that his exclusion was a workload issue. Hussey almost singlehandedly blasted Australia into the final of the World T20 in 2010 with a brilliant innings in the semi-final, and although he has not played a T20 international in a year and a half, he is expected to be part of the squad when Australia play two matches in the Caribbean in late March.”Mike is being rested for this,” Inverarity said. “Mike has had a pretty gruelling schedule of Test matches – Sri Lanka, South Africa, New Zealand and India. I had a chat to Mike in Perth about a week ago and we’re looking to give him a little bit of a break here, and probably in the early stages of the ODIs so he comes out fresh. We’re also keen to try some of these younger players. But at this stage there’d be no doubt that Mike Hussey would be playing in the T20s in the West Indies.”

Several leading players have added their voices to the debate over the involvement of Associate nations in future World Cups

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2011Several leading players have added their voices to the debate over the involvement of Associate nations in future World Cups, with England offspinner Graeme Swann asking: “Why would you want to take the world out of the World Cup?”Under current ICC proposals the Associate nations could be excluded from future World Cups from 2015, when the tournament could be reduced to just 10 teams, but Swann and a number of other cricketers from Test-playing nations interviewed by disagree with the move. “Yes, of course the emerging nations should stay in it,” added Swann. “Shocks can happen.”While a bloated World Cup schedule and a preponderance of one-sided, uneven games in the early stages of the world tournament have drawn criticism in the past, it appears that the players themselves would not like to see the so-called ‘minnows’ excluded.”There’s no reason why you can’t have those teams in the competition,” added Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait. “To play against the best players and sides in the world is massive and I wouldn’t want to take that away from anyone.”AB de Villiers added that he saw value in the smaller nations’ involvement in major tournaments. “It makes it more colourful and it’s good for the growth of the game,” he said. “Playing on the subcontinent levels things out and they can be harder than the best teams because their bowlers are slower and it makes it tough for batsmen.”Brendon McCullum was not unequivocal in his backing of Associate involvement in the World Cup, but did highlight the potential for smaller nations to inflict embarrassing defeats. “It’s great from their perspective that they’re there,” he said. “Does it diminish the value of the tournament? I’m not entirely sure. They’re in at this stage, so we should respect that. It’s a little bit scary actually. All you think about is playing the knockouts, winning the big games. But to be part of the big moments you’ve got to overcome the banana-skin games.”Indian batsman Suresh Raina added that he believed it was only fair that the Associates play in the World Cup as they don’t take part in big international series and need some way to learn and improve, and veteran Kenya batsman Steve Tikolo strongly echoed his sentiments.”The World Cup offers us the chance to test ourselves against the Test nations which we rarely do nowadays,” said Tikolo, who was part of Kenyan teams that beat West Indies at the 1996 event and reached the Semi Finals in 2003. “If we can do well, then we can really push our case to have more games against the bigger teams. They’re the matches that everyone will judge us by.”The ICC have indicated that they are yet to make a final decision on qualification procedures for the 2015 World Cup and have made the seemingly placatory move of announcing plans to expand the World Twenty20 to 16 teams. “How the 10 members are to be determined is still to be decided,” insisted Dave Richardson, the ICC’s general manager for cricket. “It could be the full members only but it could be not.”