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A collective batting performance from the Australia Under-19 top order helped the side beat New Zealand Under-19 by eight wickets, as they took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Apr-2013
ScorecardA collective batting performance from the Australia Under-19 top order helped the side beat New Zealand Under-19 by eight wickets, as they took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.Chasing 241, the Australia openers got off to a strong start, as Matthew Short and captain Damien Mortimer added 109 runs at over six runs per over. Short struck a brisk 73 off 60 balls, which included 12 fours, before being dismissed by Rakith Weerasundara in the 18th over. After Mortimer fell in the 26th over, Sean Willis and Kelvin Smith added 101 runs for the third wicket, hitting well-paced half-centuries, to take their side home with more than five overs to spare.Earlier, Australia pace bowlers Matthew Fotia and Guy Walker took three wickets each to restrict New Zealand to 240 for 8. Walker was particularly effective against the top order, dismissing opener Weerasundara for 36 and then Shawn Hicks and captain Leo Carter in quick succession. A 77-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Henry Collier and Ken McClure revived the New Zealand innings, with Collier scoring a solid 133-ball 86. However, the loss of quick wickets towards the end of the innings meant that Australia were left with a modest total to chase.

ESPNcricinfo previews the second West Indies-Australia Test, in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale15-Apr-2012

Match facts

April 15-19, Queen’s Park Oval
Start time 1000 (1400 GMT)If Shivnarine Chanderpaul finds a partner who is willing and able to stay at the crease with him, Australia could face another lengthy stay in the field•AFP

Big Picture

The teams have moved on to Trinidad and the big question for Darren Sammy’s West Indies side is how they can recover from the disappointment of losing a Test that was there for them to win. For the first three days at Kensington Oval, West Indies were on top. When they dismissed Michael Hussey early on the fourth morning and held a 200-run lead with only four more Australia wickets to take in the first innings, West Indies were in a position from which they simply should not have lost the match. But Australia’s fighting qualities, Michael Clarke’s aggressive declaration and the home side’s fragility combined to create a memorable finale to the Test, as Australia bowled West Indies out cheaply a second time and then chased down 192 with the light fading late on the fifth afternoon.Sammy and the coach Ottis Gibson must find a way to instil belief in West Indies players whose confidence was shot by those last two days in Barbados. The spin-friendly conditions in Trinidad might help them, for Devendra Bishoo bowled well in the first Test without reaping significant rewards. It could boost Nathan Lyon too, who did not have his finest Test and needs to regain his self-confidence. Most importantly, West Indies have to find a way to play out five days of a Test at high quality. In 2008, they matched Australia for a few days of each Test but were always let down by a trough at some point in the game. It happened again in Barbados last week.Australia can take a lot from the way they fought back from a losing position. Theirs is a side with a mixture of experience and youth, and they have now won five Tests in a row, not losing since New Zealand surprised them in Hobart in early December. Clarke’s captaincy credentials were already high and have been boosted further by his declaration when still behind in Bridgetown, in an effort to force a result. His confidence appears to be rubbing off on his men. If they win in Trinidad they will retain the Frank Worrell Trophy and will win the series, so West Indies cannot afford to be slow out of the blocks in this match.

Form guide

West Indies LDLLW (Most recent first)
Australia WWWWW

In the spotlight

How do you solve a problem like Shivnarine Chanderpaul? Eventually Australia managed to do so in the second innings in Bridgetown, when he was squared up by Ryan Harris, but he had already made an unbeaten first-innings century. It was the fifth hundred Chanderpaul had made in the seven home Tests he has played against Australia. His last nine home innings against them read 104, 118, 11, 107 not out, 77 not out, 79 not out, 50, 103 not out, 12. If Chanderpaul finds a partner who is willing and able to stick with him, Australia could face a long, long time in the field.Ricky Ponting is the only member of this Australia squad who has played a Test in Trinidad, and it was one of his very best. Back in 2003, Ponting scored 206 and 45 at Queen’s Park Oval, and it was his first Test double-century. Last week in Barbados he was the unfortunate victim of a Shane Watson-scripted run-out and in the second innings was bowled when a ball stayed very low. However, he is coming off one of his finest Test series, against India, and will be keen for a long stay in the middle.

Team news

West Indies have included the offspinner Shane Shillingford in a 14-man squad and given the nature of the pitch they will consider a two-man spin attack in Shillingford and Devendra Bishoo, with Narsingh Deonarine as a backup. Should they include Shillingford, Fidel Edwards might be the man to miss out, for Kemar Roach was more of a threat in Barbados.West Indies (possible) 1 Adrian Barath, 2 Kraigg Brathwaite, 3 Kirk Edwards, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Narsingh Deonarine, 7 Carlton Baugh (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Shane Shillingford, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Devendra Bishoo.Australia will consider two spinners as well, but including Michael Beer at the expense of one of three in-form fast bowlers would be a big call. Were they to make that decision, Ben Hilfenhaus might be the unlucky one to miss out, given that the pitch will also help fast men who attack the stumps, but the more likely scenario is that no change will be made from the side that won at Kensington Oval.Australia (possible) 1 Ed Cowan, 2 David Warner, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Ricky Ponting, 5 Michael Clarke (capt), 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Peter Siddle, 9 Ryan Harris, 10 Ben Hilfenhaus, 11 Nathan Lyon.

Pitch and conditions

The Trinidad pitch was very dry on the day before the Test and is expected to provide significant assistance to the spinners, so much so that it even drew comparisons to Kanpur from Australia coach Mickey Arthur. Rain is expected to affect every day of the Test.

Stats and trivia

• Shivnarine Chanderpaul needs 176 runs to become the second West Indies player to reach 10,000 in Tests. Given that he averages 81.40 per innings in home Tests against Australia, it is not out of the question he could reach the milestone in this match
• Of the five home venues at which West Indies have played the most Tests, their record is the worst at Queen’s Park Oval, where they have won only 18 of 57 Tests

Quotes

“We spoke about it, we just need to be mentally prepared to bat in two innings of a Test match.”
“I think in [sharply spinning] conditions you just have to have a plan and stick with it through thick and thin, and that’s probably been my attitude towards spin bowling my whole career. I do get out to spin bowling but I do find I have a plan against spin bowling and I’m going to back that.”

Given the deep pockets of their respective IPL franchises, and the compelling talent at their disposal, it is surprising that neither Mumbai nor Delhi have managed to win the IPL yet

The Preview by Nitin Sundar09-Apr-2011

Match facts

These two men are now team-mates. It happens only in the IPL!•Getty Images

Sunday, April 10
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)

Big picture

It’s the clash between the two biggest cities in India, and arguably the biggest cricketing centres in the country. Given the deep pockets of their respective IPL franchises, and the compelling talent at their disposal, it is surprising that neither side has managed to win the IPL yet. Mumbai endured a forgettable first two seasons before sparking into life last year. Yet, they were pipped at the final hurdle by a Chennai side with better big-match temperament. Delhi muscled their way to the semi-finals in 2008 and 2009 before choking in the knockouts. Last year was even worse, as they stuttered at the end of the league stage and missed out on the semi-finals.If anything, Delhi will find the going even tougher this year. The addition of two new franchises and the churn at the auctions have resulted in a massive drain of talent from their side. AB de Villiers, Daniel Vettori, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dirk Nannes and Paul Collingwood have all moved away – names big enough to form a new IPL team, may be the Delhi Exodus Eleven?Yet, Delhi have managed to retain their biggest player. Virender Sehwag plays Test cricket at one-day pace and ODIs at Twenty20 pace. It leaves him in a quandary while playing the shortest form of the game – there’s no higher gear left for him to find in Twenty20s, and he succumbs attempting outrageous shots. This year, he will want to temper his aggression, given that he has David Warner and Aaron Finch in his side, two of the most exciting Australian Twenty20 talents. Morne Morkel is an impressive addition to the bowling attack, but unless Irfan Pathan steps up, Delhi will struggle to contain good batting line-ups.Mumbai once again look great on paper. They lost Zaheer Khan and Saurabh Tiwary in the auction, but have held on to their remaining game-breakers. In addition, they have pulled in Rohit Sharma, who walks on water every IPL season before inexplicably slipping into laziness for the rest of the year. Sachin Tendulkar, as always, holds the key, but all eyes will be on old buddies Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds. On the international stage, they could barely stand each other’s presence, but the beauty of franchise cricket is that it has managed to bring them together and might even spark off an interesting friendship. Mumbai will hope Munaf Patel can plug at least a part of the Zaheer-shaped void in the side.

Team talk

Kieron Pollard and Lasith Malinga are automatic overseas picks for Mumbai, barring injury worries. Davy Jacobs and Dilhara Fernando will hope to take the other two spots, unless Mumbai choose to go the Kolkata way and go in with fewer than four foreign players. Aditya Tare is a specialist wicketkeeper, but Ambati Rayudu was preferred last year. Jacobs is also capable of doing the job behind the stumps.Delhi’s fate will hinge on how quickly Irfan Pathan can rediscover his swing. And on whether Ajit Agarkar can, at long last, find a way to bowl economically. Given the absence of big names, this could be their season for team efforts. Warner is expected to open, while Andrew McDonald and Morkel are shoo-ins for the starting XI. Naman Ojha may be pushed down the order, though he is likely to keep wicket if he plays.

In the spotlight

Davy Jacobs took over leadership of the floundering Warriors franchise, and turned things around with his inspiring presence, guiding them to the final of the 2010 Champions League. Though Mumbai did not play Warriors in that tournament, Tendulkar would have noted Jacobs’ exploits at the top. Jacobs’ batting technique is founded upon an ability to jump back deep in the crease and plunder anything marginally outside off stump, with a powerful uncocking of the wrists. Will Tendulkar nominate Jacobs as his opening partner?The portly, bespectacled, gum-popping Aaron Finch was the other batting hero of the Champions League. He has the ability to pace an innings perfectly, and murder spinners when they err in length. R Ashwin found this out the hard way when Chennai lost to Victoria in a group game in the Champions League. Will Harbhajan Singh have better plans in place?

Prime numbers

Plays of the Day from the IPL fixture between Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals in Delhi

Jamie Alter at the Feroz Shah Kotla31-Mar-2010
Shaun Tait had an utterly forgettable day•Kanishkaa Balachandran/ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Nervy start
Early signs were that Rajasthan Royals were on going to have their task cut out. Shane Warne again opted to start the innings with Yusuf Pathan’s offspin, and Virender Sehwag thumped a six and four to get the crowd going. In the second over, bowled by Sumit Narwal, the previous game’s centurion David Warner was dropped on 1 by Siddharth Trivedi at mid-on. Warne then gave the ball to Adam Voges for some left-arm spin and Sehwag smacked two boundaries.How quickly the tables turn
A high-octane fourth over snapped Delhi’s momentum. Narwal had his revenge first ball of the next over when beat Warner’s bat with a lovely yorker. Immediately, he set off in wild and understandably animated celebrations, sort of like what Monty Panesar used to do in his days playing for England, only minus the goofy leap and inability to connect palms with the nearest fielder. Two balls later the bowler was again buzzing all over the place after Sehwag top-edged a skier to deep square leg.Ojha to the rescue
During the aforementioned double-wicket over, the Rajasthan wicketkeeper Naman Ojha’s alertness saved his side five runs. Gautam Gambhir charged Narwal and got an inside edge. The ball beat Ojha and was headed at the helmet placed a few yards behind him, but he turned and sprinted after it, then dived forward to stop it hitting the helmet. Talk about a speedy recovery.Colly’s gotta go
Start as you mean to go on, goes the old adage. That’s just what Paul Collingwood tried to do after Delhi were jolted by the loss of their dynamic openers. He made excellent contact to the first ball faced, pulling Shaun Tait for six, and followed up with two boundaries. With a strike-rate of 200, Collingwood was run out by some excellent fielding. Gambhir struck the ball to Voges’ right at point, but Collingwood was hesitant initially and a late reaction sent him packing. After a blazing start, Collingwood had problems switching gears and was out for 16 from eight balls.A much-needed over
Delhi’s innings had been deprived of momentum from the start, and just when an excellent stand was shaping to explode, Gambhir was dismissed to leave the hosts at 148 for 6 after 17 overs. Enter Shaun Tait, who Warne said at the toss had been eager to really flatten Delhi with his pace. Who was left deflated was evident after the over, which cost 20. Tait began with a beamer that flew away for five runs, and a well-set Dinesh Karthik carted the last three deliveries for boundaries.All hot air
Tait’s evening finished with him becoming the proud owner of the most expensive spell in this IPL. Andrew McDonald hit the first ball for four, and Karthik dumped the fifth for six. But off the ball before, Karthik had refused a single to cover. It transpired that Tait had said something to Karthik, and clearly the batsman had something to respond with. Tait did pick up a wicket with the final ball of the innings, but with figures of 1 for 53, out of which Karthik scored 27, it was evident who had bragging rights.Good arm
Delhi’s assistant coach Eric Simons rates Sarabjit Ladda, the legspinner drafted into the squad this season, as a real talent. Ladda hasn’t returned that praise with a bag of wickets so far, but he used his right arm to good affect. Voges clipped a slower ball past midwicket but some hesitancy saw him shoo back Abhishek Jhunjhunwala after he was a ways down for the second. Ladda, having sprinted across in the deep, returned a sharp and flat throw to Karthik who broke the sticks with Jhunjhunwala well short of his crease.Time-out or time waste?
Just what was the point in taking the two-and-a-half-minute strategic break after 16 overs of Rajasthan’s woeful chase? At the juncture the game was done and dusted with the visitors on 111 for 8 and needing 78 runs from 24 balls. There was nothing strategic happening in the middle during the time-out, apart from a few swigs of coolant, a dab of the towel here and there, and a punch of the gloves.What possibly could Tait have been told – to try and make up some of the 53 runs he’d bled with the ball? Two balls after the interval and Ladda had Paras Dogra stumped. Chalk that down to a good ole’-fashioned swing-and-miss rather than the result of any strategy. The IPL needs to reconsider this policy in one-sided matches such as this.

James Sales’ maiden List A century sets up Northamptonshire’s first win of the campaign

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay15-Aug-2025Northamptonshire 321 for 8 (Sales 117, Robinson 63, Broad 59) beat Durham 171 (Raine 31*, Chahal 3-30) by 150 runs A superb maiden List A century from James Sales – 117 off 110 balls – set Northamptonshire Steelbacks up for a first Metro Bank One-Day Cup win in four games this season, by 150 runs at the expense of Durham at the Banks Homes Riverside.The young Steelbacks side kick-started their Group B campaign following a No Result and two defeats as they successfully defended a commanding 321 for 8 total. Durham, meanwhile, suffered their third defeat in five to threaten their chances of a top-three finish for knockout qualification.Having elected to bat, Northamptonshire were advanced by centurion Sales, who was well supported by New Zealander Tim Robinson’s well-paced 63 off 69 balls and Justin Broad’s more aggressive 59 off 45.Durham then lost early wickets and never realistically threatened. They were bowled out for 171 inside 32 overs. Indian Yuzvendra Chahal finished with 3 for 30 from six overs of leg-spin.Sales, who hit his three sixes down the ground off spin and seam, was strong on both sides of the wicket as he accelerated through his innings having come to the crease at 31 for 1 in the ninth over.The 22-year-old right-hander batted through until the 48th over when he holed out to wide long-on against Ben Raine’s seam.New-ball duo Mitchell Killeen and Paul Coughlin struck twice apiece, but Durham relinquished control of the innings from 35 for two in the 10th over.Killeen had bowled captain Lewis McManus, Coughlin had Ricardo Vasconcelos caught behind by debutant 17-year-old wicketkeeper Robbie Bowman.Sales shared century partnerships for the third and fourth wickets with overseas Robinson and Broad en-route to his fifty off 65 balls and his century off 101.He dwarfed his previous List A best score of 35, though has three Championship hundreds to his name through last season and this.Durham, missing linchpin wicketkeeper-batter Ollie Robinson because of a family funeral, failed to gain control with the ball on the same pitch used for Tuesday’s defeat to Middlesex when the visitors chased an English List A record 388.This pitch was good, but it wasn’t the absolute featherbed of a couple of days ago.The home side lost Coughlin to a suspected shoulder issue having bowled nine overs.The Steelbacks were excellent having failed to reach 230 in either of the first two games played, and they continued their good work when it came to the defence, reducing Durham to 49 for four inside 11 overs.Left-arm quick Liam Guthrie struck twice, as did Luke Procter with his seamers. Alex Lees, Will Rhodes and Colin Ackermann all fell.But the headline dismissal was the first – four for one at the start of the second over – when ex-Northamptonshire opener Emilio Gay was trapped lbw stuck on the crease for a second golden duck in as many matches following disappointment against Middlesex.This was Gay’s first appearance against Northamptonshire since leaving Wantage Road late last summer.And when South Africa Test batter David Bedingham, on 30, miscued Broad’s fifth ball to mid-off, it felt like a decisive blow at 78 for five in the 15th over.Debutant Bowman encouraged for 27 and George Drissell bettered that with 30. But they fell to the spin of Rob Keogh and Yuzvendra Chahal as the score fell to 150 for seven in the 29th.Chahal forced a discomforted Coughlin to miscue to cover before bowling Killeen as he struck twice in the 31st over.Seventeen-year-old debutant off-spinner Nirvan Ramesh then wrapped things up with his maiden first-team wicket, Archie Bailey caught behind. He bowled a tidy 4.2 overs for 23.

In two games at Chepauk in IPL 2024 so far, fast bowlers have picked up 18 wickets, while spinners have four (and none of those have gone to CSK)

Alagappan Muthu07-Apr-2024

Match details

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Chennai, 7.30pm IST (1400 GMT)

Big picture – A changing Chepauk

The focus at CSK seems to have shifted this year. A team that had relied on their spinners and the way their former captain used them to suffocate oppositions has, so far, played its home games in conditions where the ball isn’t even stopping on the pitch, let alone turn off it. In the two matches it has hosted in IPL 2024, Chepauk has offered 18 wickets at an average of 28 to the fast bowlers, but only four at an average of 47 to the slow bowlers. CSK’s share in those wickets: 13 for the quicks and zip, nada, nothing for the spinners.Related

• Angkrish Raghuvanshi has limitations, but he won't let them come in his way

• Ruturaj Gaikwad, the anchor at the top weighing CSK down

• Which IPL team has made the best use of the Impact Player rule?

KKR won’t mind that things are shaping up that way because if there is opportunity to hit through the line of the ball, they have the best line-up to exploit it, starting with Sunil Narine, who has responded with a big shot to 44 of the 65 balls he’s faced. That isn’t just aggression. That’s addiction. Having previously been forced to push him down the order to accommodate Venkatesh Iyer, KKR have gone back to their pinch-hitter to give them those high-impact starts and he hasn’t disappointed.CSK, after two losses on the road, will be wary of the threat they face. Their batters will once again bear the responsibility of getting a par-plus total, like they did against Gujarat Titans, which brings their wildcards into the picture. Shivam Dube is excelling in his role as spin-hitter again with a sky-high strike rate of 214 – only Abhishek Sharma (231) has gone better (minimum 18 balls faced). But the rest of them – Rachin Ravindra, who has the potential to do the Narine job for CSK, Ajinkya Rahane, whose transformation continues to surprise, and Daryl Mitchell, who is having a slowish start to the season – have work to do.

Form guide

CSK LLWW
KKR WWW

Team news and Impact Player strategy

Chennai Super Kings

Matheesha Pathirana was doing a little bit of bowling on Sunday, with CSK bowling consultant Eric Simons saying he was left out of the last game as a precaution. It is still unclear, though, if he is ready to play on Monday. Ditto for Mustafizur Rahman, who had to leave for home to work on getting a US visa, but is understood to be on his way to India and should link up with the team soon. Moeen Ali could keep his place given he hits Narine at a strike rate of 181 in the IPL (20 off 11 balls, two dismissals) and offers an offspin option against the left-hand batters of KKR.Likely XII: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), 2 Rachin Ravindra, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Shivam Dube, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 MS Dhoni (wk), 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Tushar Deshpande, 11 Mukesh Chaudhary/Shardul Thakur, 12 Maheesh Theekshana/Mustafizur Rahman1:07

Raghuvanshi after cracking 54 off 27 balls: ‘I just backed my instincts’

Kolkata Knight RIders

Nitish Rana, who hasn’t played since KKR’s opening game, tweeted that he “can’t wait to get on the field”, so he might be in line for a return. Harshit Rana, though, who didn’t bowl in their last match despite being in the XI, arrived in Chennai with his arm in a sling. Angkrish Raghuvanshi might continue to be their Impact Player, swapping in or out for a bowler.Likely XII: 1 Phil Salt (wk), 2 Sunil Narine, 3 Venkatesh Iyer, 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 Angkrish Raghuvanshi/Nitish Rana, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Rinku Singh, 8 Ramandeep Singh, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Harshit Rana/Vaibhav Arora, 11 Varun Chakravarthy, 12 Anukul Roy/Suyash Sharma

In the spotlight – Andre Russell vs CSK

Andre Russell is the second-quickest-scoring batter so far in this IPL with a strike rate of 239. He loves playing against CSK. Four of his 11 IPL fifties have come against them. He is in form. He is feeling fit. And he is on a mission to make that West Indies team for the home World Cup. Taking him down is going to be hard work.CSK’s best option to deal with him is Pathirana, if he’s fit (1 run off 3 balls, one dismissal). But keep an eye on Ravindra Jadeja as well. His head-to-head with Russell in the IPL is 32 runs in 25 balls.

Pitch and conditions

The average first-innings score at Chepauk in IPL 2024 is 189, which is a serious increase from where it was (164) in 21 matches across the previous three years. So strap in and get ready for some runs.Expect MS Dhoni to be the centre of attention at Chepauk – not for the first time, not for the last time•BCCI

Stats that matter – Power-hitting masterclass on the cards

• KKR have been bossing it in the powerplay this year, going at 12 an over. Only Sunrisers Hyderabad (11.66) are getting anywhere close to the kind of explosive batting ability they have shown in the first six overs. Their opening partnership, which was trundling along at a strike rate of 109 and 131 in the last two years, is flying now. Narine and Phil Salt have a strike rate of 172 together.
• CSK, though, will hope that they can make home advantage count. They have won nine of the 13 games between these two sides at Chepauk.
• Some of the best death-overs (17-20) batters in the IPL will be on show tomorrow. Rinku Singh (26) is two away from beating Shimron Hetmyer (27) as the best six-hitter in this phase of play since IPL 2022. MS Dhoni (20) and Russell (18) are not too far behind either.
• In light of that, CSK would dearly love Pathirana to be back starting for them. He has an economy rate of 8.5 in the back-end – only Jasprit Bumrah (7.53) and Mohsin Khan (7.57) go better (minimum 24 balls bowled). Pathirana looks to be their best option to contain a KKR line-up that has power where it counts most.

Quotes

“We aren’t overly concerned about Ruturaj. He’s a quality cricketer. It hasn’t worked out but that’s the nature of high-octane cricket. You have to go out there and play with a degree of confidence. You have to go out and play with a degree of risk-taking and it’ll come. He’s that kind of a person, he’s been really calm and focused on what he wants to do and there’s not much concern in that respect.”
“I feel a lot of teams and franchises today want power players who can hit boundaries and sixes which is why you see a lot of that. But I feel the game still revolves around players who can accumulate runs like a Virat Kohli. But eventually this game is about playing with a higher strike rate, whether that be singles, doubles or fours, that’s your formula to success and I feel it’s a very individual thing.”

South Africa’s batters will need to dig deep as visitors look to bounce back in what are expected to be better batting conditions

Firdose Moonda24-Dec-2022

Big Picture

It’s every cricketer’s Christmas dream: a Test match at the ‘G, with a big crowd in attendance. While Australia’s players experience this annually, for everyone in this South African squad, it is their first time featuring in this iconic occasion.None of them were part of the 2008 squad that stunned Australia and claimed South Africa’s post-readmission series win in the country. But, from what they’ve said in the build-up, almost all of them were awake in the wee hours of the morning, watching in wonder as a team who had not been beaten in 28 home series since 1992 were brought down to earth by JP Duminy and Dale Steyn.Related

• 'You're always in the game' – Lungi Ngidi enjoying golden age for fast bowlers

• Boland 'trying to push' to get a spot in Boxing Day XI as selection dilemma continues

• Hazlewood vs Boland: is Australia's bowling hierarchy about to change?

• David Warner: a giant among openers, among the best Test batters at his peak

In the years since, Cricket South Africa sought to keep their team at home over the festive period – a reasonable plan considering it is prime summer in South Africa too, but a far less successful one than Australia’s. None of the three venues CSA have tried to host the Boxing Day Test – St George’s Park, Kingsmead and SuperSport Park – are ever as full, or as intimidating, as the MCG.That last thought is something South Africa will have to guard against as they enter what is a must-win Test if they hope to keep the series, and their hopes of extending their winning streak in Australia to four successive series triumphs, alive. For them to stand a chance, they will need significant improvements in the batting line-up that has been dismissed for under 200 in their last six Test innings. They’ve spent the build-up working on both technique and mindset and maintain the mantra that if they can just give their “best in the world” – as Dean Elgar calls them – attack something to defend, they’ll be in the driving seat.Australia’s bowlers won’t take kindly to effectively being called second (or perhaps even third) best and, having already rolled South Africa twice in Brisbane, will back themselves to challenge them again. On paper and experience, their batting is vastly stronger than South Africa’s and even though they relied on one innings – Travis Head’s – to take the opening match, they’ll want to tick off a second success this summer, well before they get to Sydney. Australia have not lost a Test series since December 2021 and have only lost one Test in this WTC cycle.South Africa’s hopes will once again rely on their bowling unit•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Form guide

Australia WWWLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa LLLWW

In the spotlight

David Warner will be capped for the 100th time at the MCG, an occasion that may have seemed unlikely when he made his debut on the back of his reputation as a white-ball basher in 2011, and unlikelier still after his last series against South Africa, in 2018. He is one of Australia’s boldest players, on and off the field, and heads towards this major milestone without much form. Since scoring his last hundred in January 2020, Warner has played 15 Tests, scored 678 runs, including two nineties and a 50, and averages 26.07. In 2022, he averages just 20.61, and there are questions about how much longer he will keep playing the longest format. The answer may come at the MCG.Given South Africa’s batting woes, it seems cruel to single out one player but Sarel Erwee must be eager to put in another score of significance, especially after fellow openers Tony de Zorzi and Jordan Hermann piled on the runs in the domestic four-day competition back home. Erwee has not gone past 26 in his last six innings but has only scored one hundred and one fifty in his eight Tests. That’s not too bad a return, especially considering the conditions South Africa have played in, but he will know they’ve dropped openers for less.Can Scott Boland rip up the MCG again?•Associated Press

Team news

Pat Cummins confirmed the XI on Christmas Day with hometown cult hero Scott Boland retaining his place. A tough decision was actually avoided with Josh Hazlewood making his own call that he wasn’t quite ready for a return after his side strain.Australia: 1 David Warner, 2 Usman Khawaja, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Travis Head, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Scott BolandSouth Africa had finalised their XI on Christmas Eve, but the only thing they were willing to give away was that any changes would be made in the line-up, not the team composition. That means they will continue with a 6-5 split, allowing all four specialist quicks and the spinner to take the field and have not been drawn into lengthening their under-fire batting line-up. If a switch happens, it’s likely to be in the top three where Rassie van der Dussen, who returned from a broken finger in Brisbane, could make way for Theunis de Bruyn.South Africa (possible): 1 Dean Elgar (capt), 2 Sarel Erwee, 3 Rassie van der Dussen/Theunis de Bruyn 4 Temba Bavuma, 5 Khaya Zondo, 6 Kyle Verreynne (wk), 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Lungi Ngidi

Pitch and conditions

The Gabba was given a below average rating for extra bounce and occasional excessive seam movement and inconsistent bounce, and the MCG produced a low-scoring Test last year. So, what are the odds on another bowler-friendly surface? Less than you’d think, it seems. The general consensus is that this MCG pitch will do a little less than its 2021 avatar, with both teams hopeful it will produce a good contest between bat and ball. Two days before the Test, South Africa’s speedster Anrich Nortje said he expected good pace and bounce but not as much sideways movement as Brisbane.The Test is set to start in hot and humid conditions. Melbourne is forecast to be 32 and 36 degrees on days one and two, with the possibility of some showers on the opening morning, before a wetter third day will give way to cooler temperatures on the last two days.

Stats and trivia

• Both Warner and Elgar are within sight of milestones after beginning their international careers at the Under-19 World Cup in 2006. Warner is 78 runs away from 8000 Test runs and will become the eighth Australia to reach the landmark, while Elgar needs 24 runs to reach 5000 Test runs. He will be the eighth South African to get there.
• Usman Khawaja needs 34 runs for 4000 in Tests
• South Africa have played 12 Tests at the MCG, and won three. Since readmission, they have played five Tests at the venue and only lost two, with two draws and their famous 2008 victory.

Quotes

“There would have been a part of everyone that would’ve felt a little bit aggrieved if Scott missed out.”
Pat Cummins on Scott Boland“We will try and get a lunch in somewhere but it’s obviously a PG-rated lunch. If the game was on the 28th, it might have been a bit different.”

Spin might not play as a big a role in the UAE in October-November as anticipated, says England captain

Matt Roller21-Jul-2021Eoin Morgan does not expect pitches to be conducive to spin in the T20 World Cup in October-November, and feels there are still spots up for grabs in the England set-up despite the fact that they will not play another T20I before naming a provisional squad for the tournament in mid-September.England have never bowled as many overs of spin in a T20I series outside of an ICC event as they did against Pakistan (28 in three games), and with the World Cup scheduled to be played in the UAE (some first-round matches will be hosted in Oman) immediately after the rescheduled IPL, there had been suggestions that playing on slow, spin-friendly pitches would serve them well for the tournament.Related

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Morgan, however, suggested that venues in the UAE were used to a heavy load of games, and that based on his previous experiences playing there, spinners should not be expected to be significantly more effective than seamers.”We know as a side and a squad how good we are when wickets are good to bat on,” Morgan said on Tuesday night, after England beat Pakistan in their third T20I to seal the series 2-1. “We know our weakest point is when it’s not so easy, and tonight, I don’t think it was. There was a bit of an extreme circumstance where the ball turned a lot and was quite slow off the wicket [so the win was] extremely positive.”Today, going in with a different-balanced side – not necessarily going in with two out-and-out spinners and making up overs with a couple of allrounders – if you add Ben Stokes into that to cover another allrounder’s position, or Sam Curran, that presents a strong 12 or 13 within itself if we do play on wickets that turn a lot, [but] I am not anticipating that to happen. Having played in the UAE recently at the time of year that the World Cup is going to take place, the ball actually didn’t turn a great deal.”The IPL was played there after I can’t remember what tournament when we were there last time around [in 2020] and the wicket was still fine, good, held together really well. The curators there did a great job. I don’t think they will [spin]. They might, but I don’t think they will. If you go IPL and then you have the very start of the World Cup in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Dubai as opposed to having it in Oman as well, that might play a part but I think they can host a lot of cricket. They’ve been used to it for a while.”Morgan also left the door open for players to make a late push for inclusion in the squad through performances in the Hundred, having previously suggested that Tymal Mills, the left-arm quick, could bowl himself into contention. He also suggested that the make-up of England’s squad would depend on the venues they are due to play at, which are yet to be confirmed.”It’s going to be role-dependent,” Morgan said. “Hopefully our fixtures and venues are announced before we have to announce the squad and then we can map out the roles that we might need in various different strongest XIs and then we can work back from there. If we end up playing all our games at Abu Dhabi, or all our games at Sharjah, it creates different challenges. If they’re spread out, we’d need a more versatile squad.1:01

How long was Liam Livingstone’s monster six?

“We want as many options as possible. We are continually monitoring different guys. There are certain players we look at that that could have avenues in: guys that do things differently, left-armers, guys that bowl at pace or have a huge impact on the game, predominantly hit boundaries with the bat. There is still opportunities for guys to do that in the Hundred, and have an outside chance.”England face several tough choices heading into the World Cup, not least since Liam Livingstone was named player of the series after furthering his case for inclusion in the starting XI. Dawid Malan, who is averaging 26.80 with a strike rate of 114.52 in T20Is this year following his 31 off 33 balls on Tuesday night, looks vulnerable as a result of Livingstone’s success, but Morgan said he still saw Malan playing “a big role” for England.”Just because he’s had a quiet series doesn’t mean he’s not a good player,” Morgan said. “He’s done exceptional things for us over a long period of time. I think today’s game, the way he played actually suited his game more than most. He’s a guy that can take time and can go through the gears whereas actually, the majority of our team and the majority of our batting XI can’t. So when the scores are a little bit lower, he doesn’t have to push himself as much as he normally does or has done in an England shirt to date.”Liam is a guy we have wanted to find more out about. He’s certainly grown in stature, probably in the last year or so with his involvement in and around the group. When guys haven’t had opportunities for a number of years, having been involved for a short period of time, we look at how they come back in: have they improved certain things? I think Liam has improved a huge amount, and would say that himself. Other guys like Saqib Mahmood have done the exact same.”

The tournament is scheduled to start on August 8, but the government has pushed back the August 1 reopening of the country’s main airport

Madushka Balasuriya02-Jul-2020Sri Lanka Cricket is hopeful the Lanka Premier League will go ahead as scheduled in August, despite the Sri Lankan government pushing back the August 1 reopening of the country’s main airport in Katunayake.Sri Lanka’s sports ministry last week gave a go-ahead for the tournament, which has been scheduled from August 8 to 22. The date had been scheduled taking into account that Sri Lanka would be opening its borders for foreign arrivals on August 1.”We’re hoping to speak to His Excellency [president Gotabaya Rajapaksa] and see if we can come to a decision,” SLC CEO Ashley de Silva told ESPNcricinfo. “Sri Lanka has done very well in containing the coronavirus as opposed to other countries in the region, and as such we have had a lot of interest from foreign players in taking part in the tournament.”The LPL will see five teams taking part, with SLC still accepting tenders regarding franchise ownerships. Players will be selected through an auction process similar to the one popularised by the Indian Premier League, with each team allowed a maximum of six foreign players in a squad and four in the playing XI.The tournament will be played in either double or single round-robin format, followed by semi-finals and final.The length of the tournament meanwhile hinges not only on Sri Lanka opening its borders but also on whether SLC is able to come to an agreement with the BCCI over a tour of Sri Lanka, also in August. If the BCCI agrees, the tour would likely take place following the LPL, which in turn would shorten the tournament, explained de Silva.”At the moment we’re looking at 23 games, but if India agrees to play then it will most probably come down to 13.”An inbound India tour would be a significant boon to SLCs finances, which has been hit by the postponement of tours by England earlier this year, and most recently by Bangladesh, who were set to tour Sri Lanka in July but pulled out citing a lack of match preparedness owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.In terms of health and safety measures, any tour or tournament will see a significant reduction in crowds, with SLC planning to allow only up to 20% of stadium capacity, though the finer details are still to be ironed out.

Chennai Super Kings stomped all over Kolkata Knight Riders to register a seven-wicket victory and claim pole position halfway through the IPL season

The Report by Mohammad Isam09-Apr-2019Chennai Super Kings stomped all over Kolkata Knight Riders to register a seven-wicket victory at Chepauk and claim pole position halfway through the IPL season. Deepak Chahar’s early wickets and the spin trio of Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir and Ravindra Jadeja held back the Knight Riders line-up with accuracy, before the 109-run chase was dealt with quite easily by the hosts.Knight Riders managed to get past the three-figure mark mainly due to another major contribution from Andre Russell, who was unbeaten on 50 off 44 balls. It wasn’t one of his special knocks, though, as the Chepauk pitch unsurprisingly offered more to the spinners.MS Dhoni completes a stumping•BCCI

Faf du Plessis, who was unbeaten on 43 off 45 balls, and Ambati Rayudu handled spin better, as they ensured an easy chase. But it was set up by how Chahar started the game, taking three wickets at the top which took the wind out of the Knight Riders innings.Chahar blows the topChahar’s reputation for being one of the most effective Powerplay bowlers got further enhanced after a three-wicket burst, as Chris Lynn, Nitish Rana and Robin Uthappa were all dismissed in his first three overs, reducing Knight Riders to 24 for 4 by the fifth over.All three fell trying the cross-batted pull-shot, with Lynn being trapped lbw while Rana and Uthappa were caught at short and deep midwicket respectively. Chahar’s initial breakthroughs provided the perfect platform for Super Kings’ spinners who then grabbed control.Knight Riders sink to spinHarbhajan had already got one wicket when Chahar was on fire at the other end during the Powerplay. He had the dangerous Sunil Narine toe-ending a slog which was caught at point. Tahir then removed Knight Riders’ captain Dinesh Karthik and Shubman Gill in consecutive overs. Both batsmen were caught trying to play the flick, Karthik caught at short midwicket while Gill had the googly slip through his bat and pads, to be stumped. Harbhajan added a second in his second spell, having Piyush Chawla stumped in the 16th over.Russell’s lone handDespite walking into the middle with the score at 44 for 5 in the ninth over, Russell rallied the Knight Riders’ floundering innings right till the end. He slammed Harbhajan and Chawla for sixes in between getting dropped by the former at midwicket, when on 8.When Knight Riders slipped to 79 for 9 in the 17th over, Russell farmed the strike with Harry Gurney, ensuring he faced 16 of the 21 remaining deliveries. He managed to hit two more sixes although his arms started to hurt by all the swinging of the bat.Super Kings undeterred by early blowsNarine removed Shane Watson and Suersh Raina in the first five overs but du Plessis and Rayudu eased their concern with a 46-run stand for the third wicket. They hardly pressed the panic button, and were only on the lookout for a boundary when presented with a bad ball or a big gap.Rayudu fell with 28 runs required in the last 5.2 overs, but du Plessis and Kedar Jhadav got them home with 16 balls to spare.