All posts by n8rngtd.top

Initial allocation of men’s Finals Day tickets sells out within 24 hours, with total sales passing 100,000

Matt Roller14-Feb-2020The ECB has claimed that initial sales for the Hundred have “surpassed expectations”, with an initial allocation of men’s Finals Day tickets selling out within 24 hours of the priority window opening on Wednesday.Around 75,000 tickets were sold in the 24 hours after that window opened, on top of the 25,000 that had been purchased by county and MCC members in an earlier priority period. An ECB press release pointed to the fact that over two thirds of tickets were sold to under-45s, in an attempt to demonstrate that the new competition has succeeded in appealing to a younger audience.There are limited tickets available for the Hundred’s opening game between Oval Invincibles and Welsh Fire at The Oval, while season-ticket packages have sold out at Lord’s. A handful of season tickets remain available for The Oval.ALSO READ: Scheduling clashes set to reduce overseas player availability for the HundredECB chairman Colin Graves suggested in December that an occupancy rate of 60-65% was the minimum expectation, and that anything above that mark would represent a success for the competition. The governing body has previously denied downplaying attendances at the T20 Blast, the existing short-form tournament contested by the 18 counties, and tickets for that competition go on sale at the start of March.While it seems that there will be few problems shifting tickets at the London grounds, games elsewhere could be a harder sell. As reported by ESPNcricinfo, some venues fear that the decision to stage games on every day of the week could cause them problems, although ticket prices are generally lower for games on Mondays and Tuesdays.To take Cardiff as an example, Glamorgan’s seven games at the venue in last summer’s T20 Blast attracted a total attendance of 31,266 – an average of 4,467 at a 16,000-seat stadium – and while the county stressed that clashes with other sporting fixtures in the city and poor weather had affected their crowds, the fact that Welsh Fire’s men’s side will play two home games on Sunday evenings and another on a Tuesday is a cause for concern.The most expensive ticket for a men’s game at Cardiff is currently £22. Men’s fixtures at Lord’s and The Oval are the costliest, with the most expensive tickets currently priced at £35. That figure will rise after April 22. Tickets for children aged 6-15 are £5 each, while children under five are free with an adult. All standalone women’s fixtures have a maximum ticket price of £10.”We are pleased the competition has been met so positively by sports fans,” Sanjay Patel, the Hundred’s managing director, said. “Our ambition is always to grow cricket and bring new audiences into the game.”Our priority will now be in managing the strong demand for tickets alongside our desire to see large numbers of young families attending. Despite a busy summer sport schedule, the Hundred is clearly being viewed as an unmissable summer event.”

England’s 46-run victory over West Indies takes them a step closer to the title decider

The Report by Valkerie Baynes01-Mar-2020England took another step towards the title decider by booking their place in the semi-finals with a convincing victory over West Indies in Sydney. Before her side left for the tournament, England’s new Australian coach, Lisa Keightley, had stated that she expected her charges to be in the final and, while their wobble against an impressive South Africa in their opening match raised concerns that objective might be under threat, their latest performance confirmed it remains the basis of their expectations.Natalie Sciver set the tone with another half-century to lead England to a competitive total on a pitch where, earlier in the day, South Africa had managed 136 for 6 in advancing to the knockout stages with victory over Pakistan. Sophie Ecclestone finished the job with an emphatic 3 for 7 off 3.1 overs. The bowlers were undermined by some sloppy fielding from England, but a spate of troubling injuries for West Indies helped to put the result beyond doubt.England bowler Kate Cross was taken to hospital after hurting her ankle during the warm-up. While Cross has not played so far in the tournament and was not due to face West Indies, any enforced absence would rob England of an option at the business end of their campaign. But it was a groin injury to West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor, that led to her being stretchered from the field after retiring hurt on 15, that put a serious dent in her side’s prospects of taking the fight to England. Taylor played no further part in the game as England moved to the top of Group B with a superior net run rate to South Africa, who also have six points with a game in hand. Their opponents will be decided in the final round of matches, with India already through, and Australia and New Zealand primed for a winner-takes-all clash on Sunday.Stunning SciverSciver’s rich vein of form continued, her third fifty in four innings at this World Cup had match-winning potential all over it. Sciver made 57 off 56 balls on a slow pitch, following innings of 50 in a losing cause against South Africa, an unbeaten 59 against Thailand and 36 against Pakistan.Sciver’s command of the innings became ever more important when England’s other in-form batsman, Heather Knight, was run out through what looked like a lack of urgency on the part of the England captain. She ambled through for a single and was found short of her ground as Shakera Selman fired the ball in from short midwicket. Like Knight before her, Sciver fell slightly tamely with an over of the innings to come, spooning a catch to Hayley Matthews at midwicket, but her touch is undeniable.Top-order shuffleEngland’s top order has been a talking point so far in this tournament, with Tammy Beaumont being pushed down the order – ostensibly due to her superior skills at the death – in favour of an opening partnership of Danni Wyatt and Amy Jones. The jury remains out after Beaumont was moved back up to the top after Jones had struggled with scores of 23, 0 and 2. Beaumont was out for a second-ball duck, playing round a full Selman delivery which pinned her plumb in front of the stumps.But if that part of the switch didn’t pay off, then Jones’ free-flowing cameo at No.6 against West Indies certainly did. She scored an unbeaten 23 off 13 balls, including three fours, to provide England with some vital late momentum as they claimed 36 runs in the final three overs. While Beaumont and Jones have opened together in ODIs in recent times, that effort, along with Wyatt’s solid 29 off 27 balls at No.1, looks to have cemented their respective roles for the final matches.Taylor troubleWhen Taylor was stretchered off with an apparent groin injury, the wind seemed to go out of West Indies’ sails. Taylor struck a Sciver delivery towards cover and set off but could barely manage to hobble through and collapsed to the ground clutching at her upper thigh in obvious agony. The same motorised stretcher that had driven Cross from the ground before the match was called upon again and Taylor retired hurt.It was not the only worrying injury for West Indies, with Britney Cooper rolling her ankle as she ran between the wickets and battling with discomfort for the rest of her innings, which by necessity consisted of her taking aim at the boundary rather than seeking singles. She was out attempting a big shot off Ecclestone only to find herself stumped.Spin twins… triplets?Ecclestone was in the thick of the action, dismissing Deandra Dottin with just her sixth ball, in the third over of West Indies’ chase. Ecclestone tempted Dottin into a pull that wasn’t there to be had, and Sciver took a low catch at short midwicket. Ecclestone also took the last wicket, pegging back Anisa Mohammed’s off stump to seal the win and claim her 50th wicket in T20Is. That a proven performer like Ecclestone was delivering wickets was no surprise, nor was it that Sarah Glenn, a legspining revelation for England in the past few months, was also instrumental. Glenn finished with 2 for 16 from her four overs, giving her six wickets for the tournament so far at an average of 11.33 and following her her 3 for 15 in the previous match against Pakistan.On a pitch that was conducive to spin, England opted for a third specialist in the area, Mady Villiers. Making her World Cup debut and playing just her fourth T20 international, offspinner Villiers opened with a wicket maiden when she took a sharp return catch with just her fourth ball to dismiss Shemaine Campbelle, all the while avoiding a near collision with non-striker Chedean Nation.

Kevin Roberts also said there remains a possibility the men’s team could tour England

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2020Kevin Roberts, the Cricket Australia chief executive, has given India’s tour a “nine out of 10” chance of happening later this year as the game grapples with how to resume amid the Covid-19 pandemic.He also indicated there was a chance Australia could still undertake their limited-overs trip to England which was originally schedule for July but could happen in September.The visit of India is vital to Cricket Australia’s financial future with a figure of A$ 300 million attached to it. There have been some positive noises from the BCCI around making the trip that would include four Tests and three ODIs – with a suggestion more one-dayers could be added – even if India are required to quarantine on arrival.ALSO READ: Cricket’s comeback from Covid-19: the state of the gameThe expectation remains that there will not be crowds at matches during the Australia summer and there could yet be a restricted number of venues used for internationals to aid bio-security measures.”I guess there’s no such thing as certainty in today’s world so I can’t say 10 [out of 10], but I’m going to say nine out of 10,” Roberts told . “With the variable being, who would know whether we can have crowds … I’d be really surprised if we can’t get the Indian tour away. But I wouldn’t, hand on heart suggest we’ll have full crowds from the start. We’ll just have to see how that goes.”Virat Kohli and Tim Paine shake hands after the series•Mark Evans/Stringer

It could yet be that the Australia men’s team resumes action overseas with Roberts not ruling out that the tour of England can proceed. CA is in regular conversations with the ECB as they plan for bio-secure series against West Indies and Pakistan in July and August.”I think there’s some chance we could send a team over,” Roberts said. “Obviously we won’t jeopardise the safety of the players, but the best test of that is that the West Indian and Pakistan tours of England before we’re due to tour. We hope they go off without a hitch.”The T20 World Cup, which was scheduled at the start of the Australian season in October and November, is unlikely to take place. Further ICC discussions will happen later this month with the expectation it will be moved to some point in 2021 – perhaps a 12-month delay.Afghanistan are due to visit Australia for a one-off Test in November but it remains to be seen whether that will stay in the schedule. There was also set to be a limited-overs series against Zimbabwe in August, staged in the northern parts of the country, and while that has not yet been officially canned it is not expected to take place although Darwin in the Northern Territory will be the first place in Australia to see cricket resume next month.

Babar Azam’s Team White close first day of the intra-squad game at 231/8 against Azhar Ali’s Team Green

ECB Reporters Network 18-Jul-2020Pakistan’s fast bowlers fired a warning ahead of their exchanges against England on the opening day of an intra-squad warm-up match at Incora County Ground in Derby. Naseem Shah, who at 16 became the youngest to take a Test hat-trick earlier this year, and Mohammad Abbas shared six wickets for Team Green, led by Test captain Azhar Ali, against Babar Azam’s Team White, who closed on 231 for 8.Shan Masood top-scored with 42 and Mohammad Rizwan was unbeaten on 41, but Babar made only 12 on a day when Naseem’s youthful promise shone as brightly as the July sunshine.The 17-year-old has been tipped as a future star and it is not hard to see why on the evidence of this performance. Operating off a short run, he generated considerable pace on a slow pitch and troubled all the batsmen, although he had to wait until after lunch for his rewards.Frustration best summed up his morning as he twice appealed imploringly to umpire Steve O’Shaughnessy for lbws against Masood, who, with Imam-ul-Haq, was forced to concentrate on survival in a first hour which brought only 33 runs.Both became more expansive after that, although Masood was missed off a sharp chance to first slip on 23. But at lunch, Babar’s decision to bat was vindicated with his team 86 without loss.The balance shifted in the afternoon as first Abbas and then Naseem worked through the top order before Yasir Shah’s legspin snared two teammates in the evening session.Only six runs had been added when Abbas, who was to have joined Nottinghamshire this year before his contract was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, had Masood caught at second slip, and although Haider Ali drove Abbas for a huge six onto the media centre, he became the second of Naseem’s victims.Earlier, by pitching the ball up and concentrating on off stump, Naseem allowed little margin for error and when he found enough movement to defeat Imam’s half-forward push, Martin Saggers upheld his appeal. Babar edged his first ball narrowly past leg stump but Naseem was celebrating again when Haider was taken low at second slip.Fawad Alam, adopting a Shivnarine Chanderpaul-like stance, never looked convincing and needed treatment and a new helmet after he was clattered by a skiddy Naseem bouncer.But it was Babar who went just before tea when Iftikhar Ahmed grabbed a smart catch at first slip and Fawad dragged Yasir to wide mid-on.Naseem lured Shadab Khan into pulling a short ball to deep backward square and after Yasir had Sohail Khan lbw, Abbas returned to have Shaheen Shah Afridi caught at third slip. That brought in Kashif Bhatti, only restored to the squad yesterday after a precautionary period of self-isolation, and he announced his return by driving the last ball of the day from Yasir for six.

Players from both teams will arrive in the UAE on September 17, he says

Nagraj Gollapudi and Varun Shetty20-Aug-2020There is a likelihood England and Australia players may not need to skip their teams’ initial matches in the upcoming IPL as long as they undergo “stringent” testing processes once they land in the UAE. The group of players from both teams, which will be involved in a limited-overs series from September 2 to 16, will arrive in the UAE on September 17, according to Sanjeev Churiwala, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s chairman.According to Churiwala, the Royal Challengers squad’s Indian contingent, led by their captain Virat Kohli, will land in Dubai on Friday. The squad, Churiwala pointed out, would also be joined by the South African trio of AB de Villiers, Chris Morris and Dale Steyn, who will fly out of South Africa this weekend. Sri Lanka pacer Isuru Udana, meanwhile, will join the squad on September 1.Also, the squad will have a preparatory camp from August 29, with support staff receiving clearances to fly to the UAE and set to arrive soon.There has been uncertainty over the participation of England and Australia players for the first few matches as the IPL had recently indicated to franchises that it was unlikely to relax the mandatory seven-day quarantine period that players had to undergo after arriving in the UAE. That period also includes team members clearing three tests before they can start training.A total of 29 Australian and English players are set to feature in IPL 2020•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

As many as 29 England and Australia players are spread across the eight IPL squads. The worst hit could be Rajasthan Royals as some of their main players – such as Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Steven Smith, Ben Stokes and Tom Curran – could be playing the bilateral series in England until September 16. The Royals COO, Jake Lush McCrum, had recently said even though those players “may miss the first match due to the protocols”, the franchise would benefit overall as the England-Australia players would be “competing against each other in a high-quality series right before the IPL, which has many positives because it’ll enable them to be at full match fitness”.Churiwala clarified that the as per the final set of the tournament’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), the players travelling from the England-Australia series will need to follow strict protocols to ensure they seamlessly pass from one biosecure bubble (in England) to the other (in the UAE).”For the players landing after the England and Australia series, on September 17, that is very close to our matches,” Churiwala said. “The BCCI have also issued very detailed SOPs and procedures to be followed by these players in terms of their participation.”What the SOPs say very clearly [is] that they can participate without quarantine, provided they satisfy certain very stringent conditions. And they’re very, very stringent. Very clearly after the players have played the [international] series, they have to continue to be in the biosecure bubble. Right from the biosecure bubble, they have to go straight to the charter flight without getting into the extensive migration procedures, and without getting in touch with the general public.”Churiwala said if any member from the travelling group breached any protocol, that person would need to undergo the six-day quarantine upon landing in the UAE and clear three Covid-19 tests in that week before joining the squad.”All these players will be travelling by exclusive charter flights. They will undergo tests before arrival and if everything is [fine], they’ll be fit to play the game. If not, of course, they will have to quarantine and have to undergo three rounds of tests before participating.”Churiwala said he was optimistic only because all the boards and the IPL had placed safety as a priority and the safety protocols were “mutually aligned”. “Given that they [the group from the England-Australia series] are already serving a bio-bubble requirement, it will be an extended bio-bubble for them as and when they land. Under no circumstances are BCCI or franchise owners saying we will compromise on the procedures. I am very clear.”Churiwala said without the IPL schedule in hand it was difficult to predict to “what extent” the players from England and Australia could possibly miss out. “At the moment, even the [IPL] schedule has not been very clearly announced, we will just see if all players can play or some of them will have to miss matches. We don’t know as yet.”Barring English and Australian players, most of players would be available on time for the games. We’ll have to see the exact schedule of the matches and to what extent our English, Australian players can participate. We just hope they don’t breach any of the bio-bubble procedure requirements, so that they can make themselves available as and when we start our first match.”De Villiers, Morris, Steyn to reach UAE on August 22
According to Churiwala, Royal Challengers’ South African contingent will arrive in the UAE by August 22. ESPNcricinfo understands the trio of de Villiers, Morris and Steyn have got the permission from the South African government to travel for the IPL, and they are expected to take a flight this weekend to join up with the Royal Challengers squad in Dubai.Churiwala said it is “all clear” as far as the South African players participation was concerned – de Villiers, Steyn and Morris are currently without central contracts and hence do not need to participate in the ongoing culture camp organised by Cricket South Africa for contracted players. ESPNcricinfo understands that non-contracted players were free to leave earlier than the contracted players, who will be at the camp until August 22.

Essex seamers thrive in challenging conditions as Lord’s stages first first-class match of season

George Dobell23-Sep-2020Somerset 119 for 4 (Byrom 51*, Davies 19*) v EssexIt’s one of the great ironies of the season that the first-class competition should be named in honour of Bob Willis.While Willis was, without doubt, a passionate supporter of the game in England, he wasn’t necessarily a supporter of the county game. There were, he thought, too many first-class counties, playing too many games. He had long recommended a significant restructuring.So it may prove a fitting legacy if this year’s competition provides the precedent for change. Certainly it appears as if next year’s competition, which will be recognised as a county championship, is set to feature three conferences instead of the two divisions to which we have become accustomed over the last couple of decades. This final, and the Bob Willis Trophy, may well become a fixture of the summer.You suspect, however, that Willis would think such change did not go far enough. And as his face smiled down on Lord’s throughout much of the first day of this match – the scoreboards here featured a picture of him whenever rain intervened – you could almost imagine him passing judgement on what he saw. “Unacceptable, Charles. Of course it’s raining. It’s winter.”This was not, it must be admitted, a vintage day of cricket. Rain flirted throughout and the temperature was so low a polar bear wouldn’t go out without a muffler. And while this season of all seasons, it is hard to criticise – this competition has been an elegant solution to a horrendous challenge – the game has some thinking to do if it continues to plan for showpiece events at this time of year. We are, it might be remembered, still 10 days away from Finals Day at Edgbaston.That Somerset have a foothold in the game is largely due to Eddie Byrom. Perhaps, had the likes of James Hildreth been fit and Tom Banton available, Byrom might have missed out. He went into this match averaging 17 in the competition this season, after all, and with a top score of 30. He had not made a Championship half-century since June 2018.But here he looked compact, patient and, having played himself in, surprisingly fluent. After taking 25 balls to make his first 11 runs, he hit six fours in 17 balls as Aaron Beard, in particular, strayed just a little full and just a little towards the leg stump. His ninth four, the one which brought up his half-century – a glorious straight drive that flew back past Sam Cook – was the shot of the day. He resumes on day two just five short of career-best score against a first-class county; his two centuries have come against Cardiff MCCU and Bulawayo Metropolitan Tuskers.Essex will be the happier of the sides, though. While there was just a little assistance from the overcast conditions and this fresh surface – they are playing on the pitch last used for the 2019 Ashes Test; the one where Steve Smith sustained the blow to the neck from a Jofra Archer bouncer – it was relatively benign by comparison with many of the tracks used in the competition this season.Against an attack featuring Sam Cook and Jamie Porter, Somerset’s challenge will be no easier on day two. While neither are blessed with great pace, they bowl an immaculate line and length and, in conditions offering just a fraction of assistance, test the technique and temperament of any batsman. Here both men delivered six maidens each and conceded just over two an over. The pressure on the batsmen rarely relents.The best example of this came with the wicket of George Bartlett. Five maidens in succession saw Bartlett, with 12 runs from his first 46 balls, tempted by one outside off stump which he might have been best to let go. Instead he attempted a drive which resulted in an edge to first slip; Sir Alastair Cook made no mistake.By then, Sam Cook had already dismissed both openers. Tom Lammonby, playing across a full one which may have swung a fraction, fell to Cook’s third ball before Ben Green was bowled through the gate by one that may have come down the slope a little.That left Somerset in some trouble at 52 for 3, with Tom Abell’s promising innings ended by an outstanding catch by Essex keeper, Adam Wheater. Diving down the leg-side, Wheater clung on to the ball millimetres above the grass after it appeared to brush Abell’s glove and thigh on its way.”When me and Porter bowl in tandem we like to keep it tight,” Cook, who took his 100th first-class wicket with the dismissal of Lammonby, said later. “Especially on days where there might not be much assistance in the pitch.”It is important to build pressure through the run-rate and force the batter to make false shots. We set out to keep the run rate below 2.7 an over and we did that well.”Earlier Somerset had stuck with the side that secured their place in the final with victory at New Road, which meant no place for Dom Bess in his final match before departing for Yorkshire. Essex, meanwhile, recalled Nick Browne in place of Feroze Khushi. Bowling first was the obvious choice for either side winning the toss, with Tom Westley the lucky captain.After play, Ben Green reasoned that 250 was probably a par score. But you suspect that Essex batting line-up may think it is somewhere higher. Seven of this Essex side average in excess of 35 in first-class cricket; only one of those to have played more than 10 first-class games in the Somerset side averages even 33. Byrom has kept his side in the game, but they have some batting ahead of them if they are to give their admirable bowling attack a fighting chance.

New Zealand were given a confidence boost by victory in the last T20I but still look short of spin resources for the conditions

Andrew McGlashan02-Oct-2020Australia will reacquaint themselves with ODI cricket on Saturday after a gap of 12 months with a 20-year record of dominance over New Zealand to protect and the chance to equal a world record if they are able to win the Rose Bowl 3-0.Meg Lanning’s team currently sit on 18 consecutive ODI wins having most recently played the format last October against Sri Lanka. Three victories over the next few days would take them level with the 21 consecutive wins put together by Ricky Ponting’s side in 2003.Defeat in the final T20I was a reminder that they may not have it all their own way, but New Zealand have not held the Rose Bowl one-day trophy since 1999 and were beaten 3-0 in the previous series, which was held in Australia in early 2019 although they should have won the opening match in Perth.”We’re definitely aware of it, not necessarily within what we are talking about but you see it in the media,” allrounder Jess Jonassen said. “It’s been an incredible achievement so far to have won so many on the trot.”It’s not a record we are necessarily setting out to try and break because we know of the calibre of players in this New Zealand set-up. They have any number of people who can take any game away from you. We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves. If we do get to that position, hopefully we can go for a clean sweep. The noise and the chat around that world record would be pretty much at the forefront by then.”For New Zealand, having ended a 13-match losing streak across formats against Australia by winning the final T20I, they are able to head into the series with a lift to their confidence.”The great thing is we are now able to play three [ODI] games in six days, like everyone else we haven’t had much opportunity to do that,” head coach Bob Carter told ESPNcricinfo. “It’ll be really good to get a gauge and really test ourselves with that batting order, how we respond to playing a 50-over game, developing those skills you need through different phases.”They are hampered on this trip by the absence of offspinners Leigh Kasperek and Anna Peterson, especially as the Allan Border Field pitches are being used multiple times and offering considerable help to spin, leaving a lot on the shoulders of Amelia Kerr, but Carter is keen to look at the bigger picture.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“The thing to understand is as a team, we need to build our depth,” he said. “Can we build it to the level of England or Australia? Maybe not, but then again you can say that sometimes reflects in the men’s game, but we know how wonderfully well the Blackcaps do in all the major competitions. For me that’s what I’m trying to transfer from my high performance role to the White Ferns, try and express to the girls that we are able to produce significant performances.”Not having the two offspinners, who are very fine bowlers, was something that we had to look at. And again, this about us trying to create some depth. The bonus for us that Maddy Green, who would be considered as a developing offspinner, has now shown herself that she can bowl two overs for six [in the last T20I] and pick up a valuable wicket. Sometimes you’ve got to adapt because you’ve got what you’ve got. Amelia has now started to really find her rhythm after not bowling for some time. And the seamers, it’s great to see Lea Tahuhu, running in how she is, and Rosemary Mair.”There has also been the positive return to international cricket for Amy Satterthwaite who looked in excellent form during the last two T20Is. “She’s been working two or three times a week since early June and also been doing all her strength work,” Carter said. “It was a case of her proving it to herself. I personally wasn’t surprised how well she played; think she might have surprised herself.”The challenge for them against Australia, even with the hosts missing Ellyse Perry, is significant – there have not been too many close matches in the run of 18 wins; the five-run win against New Zealand last year and a two-wicket margin against England among a lot of one-sided outings. They are a team that does not want to stand still.”We just want to live our team values and one of those is being fearless,” Jonassen said. “Over the last few years, we’ve really grabbed the concept of fearless rather than reckless and think that has allowed us to push to envelope in 50-over cricket as well.”I was only talking to someone the other day that when I came in playing National League, 180 was seen as a good score and 200 was almost the mental barrier over the opposition, whereas now it’s 250-260 and sometimes that’s not enough. The more that we are playing fearless cricket from a batting perspective that will always push the game forward.”New Zealand captain Sophie Devine has said that the last 12 months has been about building self-belief in her team. This series will be another test of how deep that runs.

Tasmania face a tough task to save the game on the final day after Neser continued his fine start to the season

Andrew McGlashan12-Oct-2020Whether Michael Neser ever earns the Test cap that he surely deserves will probably be less about what he does and more about whether injuries or loss of form afflict those ahead of him. However, he can’t do much more than the last three days against Tasmania, where he followed his 5 for 32 with a maiden first-class century as Queensland pushed for victory.It was the first time since Mitchell Johnson in 2010 that a Sheffield Shield player had taken a five-wicket haul and score a hundred in the same game – and extraordinarily it would be followed an hour later by Ashton Agar in the game on the next-door ground.Neser was first included in a Test squad for the trip to the UAE to face Pakistan in 2018 then was part of the 2019 Ashes party before being ever-present in squads last summer against Pakistan and New Zealand yet he still waits for that debut with Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and James Pattinson in the incumbents.If that changes this summer against India remains to be seen, but more performances like this will provide food for thought for the selectors – and not just for his strongest suit with the ball. A first-class batting average of 24 with 11 fifties (and a List A high score of 122 off 81 balls in 2017) before today showed that he was more than useful – he has a technique and the time to play the ball comparable with top-order players – his century against Tasmania was an innings full of command and control.Neser’s innings started in the final over of the second day and he was soon into his stride on the third morning before Jimmy Peirson became the dominant partner in a seventh-wicket stand of 86 which knocked the stuffing out of Tasmania before ending when Piersen was caught low down in the gully.Mark Steketee (23) provided good support in a stand of 58 but when Neser was joined by No. 11 Mitchell Swepson he was on 88. A boundary off Riley Meredith took him into the 90s then Swepson survived an over from the part-time left-arm seam of Jake Doran to allow Neser a dip at the century.He did not waste any time, swatting consecutive short deliveries from Meredith over midwicket, the second greeted with a loft of the arms and the bat as he reached his hundred from 156 balls comfortably eclipsing his previous first-class best of 77. There was further merriment until he finally slogged one in the air against Beau Webster.Neser could not add to his wicket tally during the final session, but Queensland chipped away at the Tasmania top order. Alex Doolan edged a drive to slip, Charlie Wakim played over a full delivery from Swepson – who bowled an impressive 11-over spell for 15 runs – and Ben McDermott edged behind as they stumbled to 3 for 60.

He also isn’t too perturbed about talks around having to deal with the short-pitched stuff from Australia’s quicks

Shashank Kishore22-Nov-2020Rohit Sharma is all but likely to partner Mayank Agarwal at the top of the order should he be cleared to fly for the Tests in Australia, but he isn’t too fussed over his batting position.”I will tell you the same thing that I have told everyone all this while. I will be happy to bat wherever the team wants me to, but I don’t know if they would change my role as an opener,” Sharma told PTI.Having started his career in the middle order, Sharma transitioned to become a Test opener during India’s home series against South Africa last year and found immediate success. He topped the series charts with 529 runs in four innings, including three centuries.The combined tally of 525 runs between Sharma and Agarwal across both innings of the first Test in Vizag is a national record, bettering the 414 by Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan. Along the way, Sharma also became the first Indian to score two centuries in his first Test as an opener, having slammed 176 and 127.After that, he opened just twice in the subsequent series against Bangladesh before an injury ruled him out of India’s most-recent Test series in New Zealand, which they lost 2-0 in February.”I am sure the guys already in Australia must have figured out what are the options when Virat [Kohli] leaves and who are the guys who will open the innings,” he said. “Once I reach there, I will probably have a clearer idea of what’s going to happen. I will be okay to bat wherever they want.”Sharma wasn’t included in the original Test squad for Australia due to a hamstring injury he suffered during the recent IPL in the UAE, which forced him to miss four games for the Mumbai Indians. He was, however, added to the Test squad once it emerged that his injury wasn’t that bad. He is currently at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for rehabilitation. On Saturday, he said the “hamstring is feeling absolutely fine, just started the process of getting it nice and strong”.ALSO READ: Ian Chappell: Australia-India series might hinge on who makes better selectionsSharma had featured in just two of the four Tests on India’s previous tour to Australia in 2018-19, scoring a highest of 63 not out with India looking for a declaration in the first innings of the third Test in Melbourne. But having been on every tour to Australia since 2008 – where he first burst into the ODI scene with a match-winning partnership with Sachin Tendulkar in the first of the tri-series finals in Sydney – he felt the surfaces are a lot more batting-friendly now.”We talk about bounce, but except for Perth, over the past few years, the other grounds (Adelaide, MCG, SCG), I don’t think have that much bounce,” he said. “Nowadays, especially while opening the batting, I will have to think about not playing the cut or pull shots and focus on playing in the ‘V’ and as straight as possible.”Among the better players of the pull shot currently, Sharma isn’t too perturbed about talks around having to deal with the short-pitched stuff from Australia’s pace attack of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.”We talk about bounce on Australian tracks. But tell me how many people got out on bouncers during the last series?” he asked. “When we played in Perth in 2018-19, it was Nathan Lyon who got eight wickets including a five-for. In Australia, half the job is done if you can start well upfront.”With new ball, whoever bowls – whether it’s Starc, Cummins or Hazlewood – they will obviously pitch it up, swing the ball and the bouncer would be used sparingly. They would try to ensure with the new ball that they would get some movement off the air or off the pitch. With the new ball, everybody in the world loves to bowl up and send down one odd bouncer here and there. So majority of the deliveries will be up and towards the bat and not short.”Sharma admits playing red-ball cricket after more than a year would be a challenge, but the key is to not think too far ahead.”It’s going to be challenging. In general, international cricket is never easy, whichever format it is,” he said. “When you had such a long layoff [from international cricket], it becomes all the more difficult. So I would be focusing on basics of red-ball cricket and then you can top up with other things. That’s how I would like to take it forward. You can’t just jump the gun and think too far ahead.”

Kyle Jamieson, meanwhile, reckons Pakistan have a ‘par’ total on a pitch made for quick runs and quick wickets

Umar Farooq03-Jan-2021Azhar Ali believes Pakistan’s first-innings total of 297 is “decent and enough to build on”, given the grass cover on the pitch at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. That said, he felt there were runs to be had on the surface provided the batsmen stayed focused throughout, and left balls on length.Azhar fell seven short of scoring his 18th Test hundred, after anchoring two vital partnerships that revived Pakistan after they had stumbled to 83 for 4 shortly before lunch. First he added 88 with Mohammad Rizwan, who counterattacked with a brisk 61 off 71 balls, and then another 56 for the sixth wicket with Faheem Ashraf.Pakistan scored quickly throughout their innings, particularly in the post-lunch session when they made 130 runs at 4.33 per over.”I knew that the first couple of hours will be tough and obviously when you see this much grass on the pitch you have to focus for a longer time,” Azhar said at the end of the day’s play. “We were positive, especially when the ball is in your zone you must score off it, on these kind of wickets, because you’re going to get one good ball at some stage. You have seen the run rate was good so it’s a good enough pitch to score runs but obviously in between you need to leave on length, which was the key in my batting.”If you look at the pitch it’s a decent total, especially batting first. It’s been tough all day so we feel we have enough runs on the board and we can build on it tomorrow.”Kyle Jamieson was New Zealand’s most threatening bowler on the day, picking up his third five-wicket haul in just his sixth Test match. He had the top order reeling with a spell of 8-3-26-3 before lunch, and ended the innings with figures of 5 for 69 in 21 overs. He looked unplayable at times, especially when he dismissed Fawad Alam with a short ball that came back into the left-hander and reared towards his head.Azhar faced 37 balls from the 6’8″ Jamieson, scoring 26 runs including five fours.”The guy is quite tall and hitting good lines and lengths and swinging the ball both ways, so it was fun and tough as well,” Azhar said of his contest with Jamieson. “With this height we obviously needed to consolidate as much as we can. But when the ball is there to hit and whenever we got the opportunity we did score boundaries as well. But it was a tough spell to negotiate and at the end of the spell Rizwan got out when he was hitting the ball quite nicely but as far as that partnership was concerned we were very happy, especially the way we scored the runs during that period, it was fantastic.”Kyle Jamieson dismissed Fawad Alam with an unplayable short ball•AFP via Getty Images

Nearly 58% of Pakistan’s runs came in boundaries. Jamieson, who conceded 12 of the 43 fours struck on the day, said there had been more scoring opportunities for the batsmen here than during the first Test in Mount Maunganui because the pitch here had demanded fuller lengths from the bowlers, and consequently afforded them a smaller margin for error.”It was frustrating,” Jamieson said of the Azhar-Rizwan partnership. “I guess the difference between Bay Oval and here is, our natural length at Bay Oval was back a little bit, so when your natural variation is slightly fuller or slightly wider they don’t score as quickly, whereas at grounds like this, when your length needs to be fuller, it does provide scoring opportunities. It kind of felt like we were beating the bat a lot and they were also scoring freely, and that’s a tough one to get your head around. That’s two of probably their best batters, and it was I guess a pivotal time to pull them back and get one of them back in the sheds.”Jamieson said the pitch at Hagley Oval, over recent seasons. has usually lent itself to matches moving at pace, both in terms of runs and wickets.”I still think it’s down to the lengths you need to bowl,” he said. “We’ve seen in games gone by here and certainly in domestic cricket as well, that when your length is fuller, it’s pretty hard to nail that every time, and your natural variation, which is just either side of that, it does provide scoring opportunities. Through my five or six years I had playing domestic cricket down here, I guess that was certainly the case, where guys scored quicker but things happened quicker from a bowling point of view as well.”Going into the second day, Jamieson agreed with Azhar’s assessment about Pakistan having a decent total, but was confident his side could handle the tests thrown at them by Pakistan’s bowlers.”I think it’s a good one,” he said about Pakistan’s total. “I think it’s it’s probably par. I think they played well but like we saw, it was still good enough to to score and it wasn’t impossible to bat. So, you know, there’ll be challenges, I guess, in terms of the ball moving and potentially with bounce and and sideways movement, but it’s nothing new than what our guys have seen for four years and years. It’s a reasonable total and I think how we start will be pretty important.”