All posts by h716a5.icu

Rilee Rossouw has been called up to the South African Test squad, as a replacement batsman after Quinton de Kock was ruled out of the series with an ankle ligament tear.

Firdose Moonda21-Dec-2014Rilee Rossouw has been called up to the South Africa Test squad as a replacement batsman after Quinton de Kock was ruled out of the series with an ankle ligament tear.Rossouw, 25, has not played any cricket since December 12 and is nursing a finger injury, which indicates Temba Bavuma, the Lions No. 3, could make his debut in Port Elizabeth.Rossouw, who has played nine ODIs and three T20s for South Africa, did not play in the recently completed first-class fixture for the Knights against the Titans and was ruled out of their next match, starting on December 27 as well. On Monday, Knights’ coach Sarel Cilliers said: “Rilee is still struggling with that finger of his, so under the medical committee’s advice we’re not going to play him in the two Sunfoil Series games so that he can try and get ready for the West Indies T20 series.”Despite that, Rossouw has been called up to the national squad, following for both remaining Tests against West Indies following seasons of bubbling under the surface. Rossouw boasts a first-class average of 44.83 and was eighth on last season’s first-class competition run-scorers’ list. He has only played one first-class game this summer but enjoyed a successful late winter tour of Australia, where he scored a double-century for South Africa A in an unofficial Test against Australia A.He shared in a stand of 343 with Bavuma, who scored 162 in the game and will likely play ahead of Rossouw if South Africa opt for a batsman to play in de Kock’s place. Their other option would be to go into the game with only six specialist batsmen and play their full complement of bowlers which includes four frontline seamers and a spinner. Robin Peterson, the only slower-bowler in the squad, missed out in the first Test at Centurion as South Africa opted to go all-pace but on what is expected to be a slower track at St George’s Park, they may turn to him.What is more certain is that AB de Villiers will be asked to keep wicket for the rest of the Test series, even though he carries a chronic back problem. With no other gloveman in the squad, South Africa have no choice but to task de Villiers’ with the job, although they may relieve him of the duties for the limited-overs’ matches, especially as the World Cup draws nearer.With de Villiers’ fitness in mind, South Africa may make use of Morne van Wyk in the T20s and ODIs against West Indies, especially because the vastly experienced gloveman can also open the batting as de Kock did. Van Wyk is currently the one-day cup’s second-highest run-scorer with 353 runs from five innings, including two centuries. He was part of the 2011 World Cup squad and led the Dolphins at the Champions League T20, so he also has big tournament experience, should he be needed at the World Cup, if de Kock does not recover in time.If de Villiers can cope with the keeping duties in the shorter formats, then South Africa will only need a replacement opener for de Kock. Richard Levi would be the frontrunner for the spot after a strong showing in the domestic 20-over competition where he was the leading run-scorer. Henry Davids, who was second, could also be considered, along with third-placed Reeza Hendricks. Alternatively, South Africa may look at the one-day cup statistics where Andrew Puttick tops the charts.

BCB president Nazmul Hassan has warned Bangladesh could lose its ICC membership if it doesn’t hold a board election in line with ICC guidelines

Mohammad Isam19-Jun-2013BCB president Nazmul Hassan has warned Bangladesh could lose its ICC membership if it doesn’t hold a board election in line with ICC guidelines. The country’s High Court earlier this year challenged the legality of the newly amended BCB constitution, and that has held up the elections which were supposed to take place within 90 days of the ad-hoc committee taking over the BCB.The ICC has reportedly set guidelines for cricket boards to minimise government interference and make sure that the board presidents are elected, not selected. Accordingly, on March 1, 2012, the BCB directors amended the board’s constitution but it had to wait for the approval from the National Sports Council, the regulatory body of sports in Bangladesh. Due to the delay in getting the approval, the BCB had to be run by an ad-hoc body from late November after the elected body’s reign expired.”We had to change the constitution to follow ICC guidelines so that’s how the 2012 draft came about,” Hassan said. “If we don’t do the election according to ICC’s guideline and the court declares the 2008 constitution valid, Bangladesh stands to lose its ICC membership.””We need a constitution to run the election, and I have two at the moment. One from 2008 and the other done in 2012. The latter constitution was sent to the BCB ad-hoc committee by the National Sports Council. But since this 2012 draft is with the court, our election is being delayed.”Hassan reminded that the changes asked to be made by the ICC have to be taken into account, although ICC president Alan Isaac said in November last year that the major change, that of reduced government interference, is still under review.”In the last [ICC] board meeting, we were told that every board has to bring about certain changes to their constitution. But unless the High Court decides on our board’s constitution, we don’t have much to do. We are seeking legal opinion because the ICC has set a timeframe and bindings. We have to do something within these limitations.”

New Zealand Cricket’s board of directors is set to undergo an overhaul, following the boardadoption of a new constitution at a special general meeting on Friday

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2013New Zealand Cricket’s board of directors is set to undergo an overhaul, following its adoption of a new constitution at a special general meeting on Friday. As per the new constitution, an “appointments panel” will recommend candidates for the eight-member board of directors, and the 28 members of the NZC will then vote to endorse – or reject – the candidates.While the current directors are eligible to seek re-election to their posts, NZC chairman Chris Moller announced at the meeting that he would step down from the role in September, following the elections. “I have been chairman of New Zealand Cricket for three years and a director for five years, the same duration that I chose to be involved in New Zealand Rugby and being chairman is a hugely time consuming role,” Moller was quoted as saying in a NZC release. “I also think it is in the best interests of cricket in New Zealand for a new chairman to be inducted into the ICC during the tenure of Alan Isaac as president.”It was decided that the appointments panel will comprise a convenor who is nominated by the board, the chairpersons of three of the major associations (the six major associations will be represented on the panel by annual rotation) and one person nominated by Sport New Zealand, the government organisation responsible for sport. The first panel includes NZC president Stephen Boock as convenor, Auckland Cricket chairman Rex Smith, Northern Districts Cricket chairman Lachlan Muldowney, Otago Cricket chairman Murray Hughes and Sport New Zealand’s John Wells.As per the new process, vacancies on the board of directors will be publicly advertised, and anyone can apply for the posts. The adverts will go out on July 13, and the appointments panel will process the applications over the next ten weeks. It will advise NZC of its recommended candidates on September 10, and the voting will be on September 19 at the board’s next special general meeting. Until then, the current directors will remain office.The new board of directors, based on the appointment panel’s recommendations, might be paid salaries. This recommendation is pending approval from the board; it will have to be ratified at its annual general meeting.The new constitution was drawn up in consultation with “a wide cross-section of the cricketing community”, including the NZC’s six major associations and 22 district associations. Previously, the directors were appointed by one NZC board member, one representative of the major associations and two persons from the New Zealand Institute of Directors, an organisation that promotes best corporate governance.

The backdrop to the Basin Reserve, one of the most picturesque cricket venues in the world, will change significantly if the go-ahead is given to build a flyover close to one corner of the ground

Andrew McGlashan in Wellington16-Mar-2013The backdrop to the Basin Reserve, one of the most picturesque cricket venues in the world, will change significantly if the go-ahead is given to build a flyover close to one corner of the ground.The project, part of a nation-wide road-improvement scheme, will see an elevated section of road about nine meters high skirt the north of the ground in order to alleviate traffic congestion around the Basin. It is expected to be rubber-stamped later this year although there is strong opposition from those who feel it will ruin the viewing experience while there are also worries over noise and pollution.Most vocal among these is Save the Basin who are lobbying to have the plan shelved. They argue that a tunnel would be a better option or a modification to the current roundabout network around the Basin while they are also worried about the impact on the heritage listed buildings in the area, not just at the cricket ground.”The Transport Agencies own ratings found the development would have negative impacts in seven of the nine categories, particularly the heritage of the area,” Tim Jones, from the Save the Basin campaign, said. “Cities around the world are deciding against flyovers for a host of reasons. We feel there are viable alternatives.”However, if the roadway is constructed it will not impact the ground itself. Cricket Wellington, who have been in long talks about the proposal with the New Zealand Transport Authority (NZTA), have given their support on the basis that suitable shielding be provided to hide the flyover.To that end, the ground is negotiating for a new stand to the left of the current pavilion. It will not be used for spectators – Cricket Wellington say they do not want extra capacity – instead it will provided enhanced player facilities to replace the current dressing rooms that have become outdated.Peter Clinton, the chief executive of Cricket Wellington, said: “The proposed plans for the flyover have always been that any structure would not impact the actual physical boundaries of the Basin. The plans are that it would skirt 20 metres north of the boundary of the ground.”Obviously there are some concerns around the visual impact and noise impact on any sport going on in the ground. The Trust has been very robust in its view on this, and has been from the start, that it won’t necessarily object to the building of the bridge – as it is known – as long as the environment inside the Basin isn’t compromised.”The other current key issue for cricket in Wellington is the allocation of World Cup matches for 2015 event that will be jointly held between New Zealand and Australia. The city have put in a joint bid between the Westpac Stadium, where one-day internationals and Twenty20s are held, and the Basin Reserve who hope to be chosen as a warm-up venue.Although, aesthetically, it would be ideal to have tournament matches at the Basin there is an acceptance that the Westpac is the more suitable location for limited-overs cricket with a larger capacity and floodlights. The construction schedule for the flyover would also have it being built during the World Cup.However, there are some scheduling issues to overcome before the Westpac is guaranteed matches as they are due to host the Rugby 7s during what would be the ICC blackout period around the World Cup and the venue is also used for the Wellington Phoenix football team.

Preview of the match between Pune Warriors and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Pune

The Preview by Nikita Bastian16-Apr-2013Match factsApril 17, 2013
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Pune Warriors will hope for another Steven Smith special•BCCIBig PicturePune Warriors against Sunrisers Hyderabad might not be one of the most high-profile matches of the IPL, but both teams have played better than expected already in this competition. While Sunrisers have already recorded wins against Royal Challengers Bangalore (holding their own in a Super Over) and (a much-fancied but underperforming) Delhi Daredevils, Warriors pulled off a huge upset on Monday, beating Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk.The biggest plus for Warriors is that, ever since they broke their 11-game losing streak with a seven-wicket win against Rajasthan Royals on April 11, their batting has managed to put together moderate totals at least. After being bowled out for 104 and 99, they’ve scored over 140 in their next three games. There is still a lot of work to do though; against Super Kings, they looked on target for a lot more than the 159 they ended with, but the middle order, bar Steven Smith, could not build on Aaron Finch’s blitz at the top. Sunrisers will draw confidence from the fact that one of Warriors’ batting flops came against them: when the teams met three days into the tournament, Sunrisers managed to defend 126 at Uppal, with Amit Mishra causing trouble with turn and loop, and Dale Steyn making short work of the lower order.Both teams have decisions to make about their playing XIs. Warriors’ Yuvraj Singh had to sit out of the Super Kings match due to a recurrence of a back problem, and will not be fit in time for Wednesday’s match either. Full-time captain Angelo Mathews – who had to sit out in Chennai due to the ban on Sri Lankan players there – should return, but with Finch, Smith and Mitchell Marsh all doing well, it could be at the expense of stand-in leader Ross Taylor. Warriors must be mulling whether they want to disturb their winning combination at all. Sunrisers have the option of playing the West Indies captain, allrounder Darren Sammy, who arrived from the Caribbean a couple of days ago after the birth of his daughter. However, with Kumar Sangakkara and Dale Steyn being sure starters, they would have to pick between Thisara Perera and Cameron White if they want to play him.Players to watchApart from taking that spectacular boundary catch against Kolkata Knight Riders last season, Steven Smith was one of Warriors’ few bright sparks, scoring 362 runs at 40.22 in an otherwise forgetful 2012. After being made to sit out Warriors’ first four games this season, he produced what turned out to be the match-winning innings against Super Kings. After Warriors had inexplicably slowed down after Finch’s assault, Smith provided the final surge: his unbeaten 39 came off 16, going after Dirk Nannes and Dwayne Bravo. The shot of the game was a reverse-flick for six over third man. If Warriors are to improve on their record this season, Smith will have to play another central role in their campaign.Compared to some other teams in the tournament, Sunrisers have quite a solid bowling line-up: Steyn, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra … The same cannot be said of their batting. There’s Kumar Sangakkara and Cameron White, with Parthiv Patel playing the supporting role, but not much else – at least on paper. Hanuma Vihari, Akshath Reddy, Ravi Teja and the other local batsmen, while they have had their moments, are yet to contribute defining innings. At some point, Sunrisers will need them to play a winning hand and it is left to be seen whether they can step up.Stats and Trivia Parthiv Patel needs one more run to get to a 1000 IPL runs. His runs have been spread across stints with Chennai Super Kings, Kochi Tuskers, Deccan Chargers and Sunrisers Hyderabad. In Warriors’ previous game, against Mumbai Indians, Ashok Dinda went at 15.75 runs an over – that equaled the record for the most expensive spell in IPL cricket, alongside Varun Aaron’s in the second qualifier in 2012Quotes”They can make the last four. They have some big hitters in Uthappa, Finch, Taylor, Smith and Marsh, who can win on their own.”
“Yuvraj is not going to be playing in the next game but hopefully he is ready for the game after that. Obviously he is a big part of our team and it affects the balance of our team when Yuvi doesn’t play.”

While the big boys of world cricket are bellowing about their hopes of winning the World Cup the little guys are contemplating their chances too. Just not for World Cup. Zimbabwe are targetting 2023

Firdose Moonda23-Jan-2015While the big boys of world cricket are bellowing about their hopes of winning the World Cup – South Africa in the literal sense, Australia with dominance in a triangular series at home, New Zealand by breaking records – the little guys are contemplating their chances too. Just not for World Cup.”By 2023 we want to be contending for the World Cup. That’s the aim,” Alastair Campbell, Zimbabwe Cricket’s newly-appointed managing director said. “It’s not an aim that’s unrealistic. It’s achievable. We’ve got a long-term view on this.”Campbell was given the organisation’s top job at the beginning of the year and put in charge of healing an ailing operation left embarrassed by the team being blanked in Bangladesh late last year. The former captain, who was previously the convener of selectors and in charge of the cricket committee, will oversee everything from finances to future cricketers and has put an eight-year plan in place to do that, with an eye on that year’s World Cup to measure his progress.”This is an executive role. It comes about because the board have found a real need for Zimbabwe cricket to progress in the right direction. After the Bangladesh tour, nobody had a pleasant word to say about Zimbabwe cricket. The results weren’t of the required nature and there has been fall out from that. There is a new coach, a new structure will be put in place and that falls under my plate,” Campbell explained in his first interaction with media on Thursday in Harare.”After this World Cup, we no longer automatically qualify unless we are in the top eight. We will have to go to a qualifying tournament and if we don’t qualify, that will have dire consequences for the game in Zimbabwe. So we need to create viable player pathways so that we identify talent and make sure that we are nurturing that talent.”And when we’re talking eight years, guys that are 15, 16 and 17 now those are going to be our World Cup contenders then, so that’s where the effort needs to be spent. We need to make sure our under-19 and under-17 sides are competitive and are getting access to the most professional coaching available. That’s easier said than done because a lot of that stuff takes money.”That is the one thing ZC have struggled for more than anything else. Their cash-flow problems have included mismanagement of an ICC loan, two crippling player strikes in as many seasons over non-payment and they remain knee-deep in debt. But Campbell, who is also an entrepreneur, is looking to change that by creating a more transparent financial model of which they hope investment will form the foundation stone.”My staff and I are going to go out there to local and international corporates and engage them to play a part in development structures,” Campbell said. “But we want to make sure we are not paying lip service to our development structures and there is tangible coaching going on and tangible benefits from the money that is being put in. We need to make sure we are accountable for the funds. It is a big task but we are going to start from square one again and make sure we build up slowly.”After attracting companies such as Stanbic Bank to back their T20 competition, ZC lost significant chunks of sponsorship when the honeymoon period after their Test comeback ended. Zimbabwe’s wider financial crisis was one reason for that, ZC’s own murky finances another and Campbell has promised there will be no repeat of the latter. “Maybe in the past some of the corporates have felt that ZC hasn’t been accountable enough for cash that has been given. We want to say that from now on every dollar you give us, there is some tangible reward and result from that,” he said.Money will go into academies and age-group teams as well as the domestic game. Campbell said ZC would even look into “reopening” the Southern Rocks franchise in Masvingo, which was dissolved at the start of this season, once they have got themselves on stable ground. For now, any money obtained will be spent on coaching but also on developing less technical aspects of the game.”There’s so many things that come into making a good sportsman. Donald Bradman said cricket is 90% mental and we need to nurture that mental side. Too much of that is neglected,” Campbell said. “Everyone thinks that if you hit a thousand balls every day that will make you a good player but if you can’t handle pressure, you’re not able to play on the big stage.”The immediate future presents the biggest stage and although Zimbabwe are not among the candidates who can win the World Cup, Campbell is expecting a certain minimum from them that he hopes will serve as the drawcard for the first investments. “We’re hoping our team can go to the World Cup, do well and be competitive. We’re under no illusion that we need to beat Ireland, we need to beat the UAE but against those other sides we need to be competitive,” he said.”Sometimes it’s the manner in which you lose. That’s what irritated the cricketing public – the way that the team have lost. You want to see them being competitive. If they’re competitive to the last five overs, they’ve had a good game. But if the game is gone in the 30th over and everyone turns off the TV and Zimbabwe have lost, that’s when people get irritated. I hope our guys can go there, take advantage of playing on a world stage and come back with their heads held high because that helps with the commercial side of the game. If you have a team that’s competitive, a team that’s winning some of the time. a team that’s seen to be improving, people are willing to part with their money because they see its nice being associated with a good brand.”But he also allowed himself to dream a little bit about some of the upsets Zimbabwe could pull off. “India are in their pool and they have already been on the road for three months so they will be tired and there’s a sniff there,” he said. “Pakistan are unpredictable. We’ve beaten them before, we can beat them again.” Everyone, even the boss, can dream a little.

Rajasthan Royals were knocked out of the playoff race by a stifling spell of legspin bowling from Amit Mishra

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran18-May-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Akshat Reddy top scored in Deccan Chargers’ successful chase•AFPRajasthan Royals needed to succeed in their final two matches to have a chance of qualifying. They would have expected to win the first of those: against Deccan Chargers who had been victorious in only two matches of 14 this season, and only won once in 18 matches at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Instead, they were knocked out of the playoff race by a stifling spell of legspin bowling from Amit Mishra which sucked the momentum out of Royals’ innings, tying them to their lowest total of the season.After Royals chose to bat, Chargers were their usual woeful self in the Powerplay overs, putting down three catches to reprieve each of Royals’ top three. Royals’ highest run-scorer this season, Ajinkya Rahane, was dropped in the first over by wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel, but Chargers weren’t made to pay as Dale Steyn had Rahane edging to slip in the next over.Royals have won the three games Shane Watson has fired in this season, and lost the three he failed in, highlighting how important he has become to the side’s fortunes since his arrival from the West Indies. Watson, too, was given a life in the fifth over, as Shikhar Dhawan couldn’t latch on to a diving effort at midwicket. On the very next delivery, Ashish Reddy let a drive from Rahul Dravid through his fingers at mid-on, conceding a boundary. The over ended with Watson blasting a straight six and Chargers demoralised.Mishra lifted them with his first ball. It drifted in and spun away and Watson ended up playing inside the line to be bowled. The biggest wicket had been taken, and in Mishra’s next over, he got another breakthrough as a quicker googly left Stuart Binny bowled and clueless. He continued to get plenty of spin through his spell, mixing in googlies with his legspinners and bowling the odd delivery from wide of the stumps to change the angle.Even Chargers’ fielding lifted after Mishra’s intervention, with both the catching and ground fielding improving. Dravid’s fight came to an end in the 12th over as he chopped a wide delivery to little-known Queensland batsman Chris Lynn, who nearly shelled it before grabbing it on his second effort.The acceleration for Royals now had to come from Owais Shah, playing in place of the injured Brad Hodge. He wasn’t at his most fluent today though, struggling against the accuracy of Chargers’ bowling. It wasn’t just that Steyn was proving unhittable, even the Indian contingent of Gony and Veer Pratap Singh kept the batsmen mostly down to singles.Only 65 runs came in the final ten overs, which meant Chargers were in with a chance of ending Royals’ chances and also their horror run at home. Shikhar Dhawan continued to be one of the bright spots of Chargers’ campaign, with only Chris Gayle scoring more than him this season. He and 21-year-old Akshat Reddy added 60 in seven overs to put Chargers on course.Midway through the innings Chargers were so relaxed that their coach Darren Lehmann and stand-in captain Cameron White were exchanging a joke in the dug-out. It wasn’t a cruise to victory though as Reddy and White were dismissed in the space of seven deliveries, after which the boundaries proved elusive. Siddharth Trivedi choked the runs, giving away only 20 in four overs, and memories of the match-winning situations that Chargers have slipped from this season come back. There was no heartbreak for the fans however as Ashish Reddy slapped a couple of boundaries to finish off Royals.

Alviro Petersen, the South Africa opener, will join Somerset as their overseas player for the first part of the 2013 season

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2012Alviro Petersen, the South Africa opener, will join Somerset as their overseas player for the first part of the 2013 season. Petersen, who has previously played for Essex and Glamorgan, will be available until the start of the Friends Life t20 competition.Petersen, 31, is currently on tour with South Africa in Australia, making 64 on day one of the first Test. He scored 241 runs at an average of 61.00 during South Africa’s 2-0 Test series win in England early this year, including his Test-best score of 182, and has accumulated almost 10,000 first-class runs at just under 40 in his career.”I am very pleased to have signed to play for Somerset for the first part of next season,” Petersen said. “Somerset are a successful team in all forms of cricket and I look forward to becoming part of the set-up and hope that I can help them to win some trophies in 2013.”South Africa have a light schedule next year, with their Test series in Sri Lanka having been put back until 2015, and their Test captain, Graeme Smith, has already signed for Surrey. Petersen could be involved for the ODI leg of the tour to Sri Lanka, still scheduled for July 2013, although his last one-day appearance came in January.Petersen will follow in the footsteps of compatriot Vernon Philander, who played five Championship matches for Somerset at the start of 2012, as well as Smith, who led the county to their most recent silverware in winning the Twenty20 Cup in 2005. South Africa’s Richard Levi and Albie Morkel also turned out at Taunton last season, in the FLt20, with Pakistan spinner Abdur Rehman replacing Philander during the second half of Somerset’s Championship campaign.Somerset will be Petersen’s third county in three seasons. He captained Glamorgan in 2011 but abandoned a plan to play for them as a Kolpak signing this year, having been recalled by South Africa. A move to Essex then sparked anger at the Welsh county; a century on his return to Cardiff was Petersen’s response.”We are delighted to have signed Alviro Petersen,” Guy Lavender, the Somerset chief executive, said. “He is an exceptional player and has an impressive record, which he demonstrated during this summer’s series against England and we look forward to welcoming him to Taunton in the spring.”

Cameron White smashed an unbeaten 49-ball 84 to help Melbourne Stars thump Melbourne Renegades by nine wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2014
ScorecardCameron White struck six fours and four sixes during his 49-ball 84•Getty ImagesNineteen sixes were showered at the Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, as the spectators were treated to a scrumptious display of big hitting from both the Melbourne Stars and the Melbourne Renegades.In the end though, the Stars overhauled 164 quite easily, thanks to the captain Cameron White’s 49-ball 84 – his 24th Twenty20 fifty – that completely took the match away from the Renegades.The Stars, who now move to the top of the table by virtue of their nine-wicket win, were comfortable throughout the chase, and were rarely threatened by a Renegades bowling attack that failed to produce a consistent, if not threatening, line and length.James Pattinson conceded just two runs off the first over of the innings, but White smoked Matthew Gale for three fours in the second to get the team underway. While White was aggressive, his opening partner Luke Wright was more content picking up singles to keep the runs flowing and rotate the strike. Wright was eventually dismissed for 17 after the pair had made 69 from eight overs, but there was to be no reprieve for the Renegades.Glenn Maxwell combined with White for an unbroken second-wicket association that yielded 98 runs from 50 balls, and ultimately took the Stars over the line with 22 deliveries remaining.The Renegades bowlers were all expensive, particularly Aaron O’Brien who leaked 26 runs in the 13th over. Maxwell finished unbeaten on 58 with two fours and six sixes, and sealed the victory with an outside edge that raced past the keeper for four.That the Stars had to even chase that much in the first place was due to Aaron Finch and Tom Cooper’s fourth-wicket stand of 102 which helped the Renegades recover from a slow start. The Renegades, choosing to bat, were reeling at 3 for 17 thanks to Jackson Bird’s triple strike in the second over, before Finch and Cooper counterattacked by striking seven fours and eight sixes between them.Cooper fell for a 44-ball 60, but Finch remained unbeaten on 84, with six giant sixes, including one off James Faulkner that he pulled straight up to the roof of the stadium. The team finished at 5 for 163, but in the end, it proved to be well short of a total intimidating enough to worry White and Maxwell.

India will have their first on-field action on their tour of Australia on Thursday, December 15, when they take on a Cricket Australia’s Chairman’s XI in a two-day game

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2011India will have their first on-field action on their tour of Australia on Thursday, December 15, when they take on a Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI in a two-day game.Peter George, who made his Test debut against India in Bangalore last year, and Tom Cooper, who played for Netherlands in the World Cup, are the best-known faces in the Chairman’s XI side. Ed Cowan, one of the candidates for a batting slot in the Australian squad, was to originally captain the side but was pulled out to represent his Big Bash League side. Cowan, and other bigger names in Australian domestic cricket, like David Warner, Phil Hughes, Usman Khawaja and Doug Bollinger, will be in for India’s second tour game, which begins on December 19.Not a first-class game, India’s first outing is expected to allow all the specialist batsmen in the squad to have a hit and all the specialist bowlers to bowl. However, the second half of India’s touring party reached Canberra only in the wee hours of Wednesday, so it is possible the likes of Virender Sehwag might be rested. “We would like to give our youngsters an opportunity of course; some of us haven’t played much cricket over here,” MS Dhoni, the India captain, said. “It’s slightly different, so we will try to make the most of it.”Medium-pacer George, whose first Test wicket was Sachin Tendulkar, said his side will provide decent opposition to the tourists. “We definitely don’t want to give them a nice walk in the park,” George said. “Cricket is definitely a game of momentum, and if you start to get on a bad roll it tends to snowball a bit, so if we can manage to do our bit to help the Aussies and peg the Indians back in these games it would be good.”Dhoni also said the game was important in terms of building momentum. “The first game is always important; if you have momentum on your side it always [builds up],” he said. “You don’t really want to lag too much behind right from the very start, so a good start is crucial.”This is India’s first overseas trip after they were whitewashed in England, where their insufficient preparation came in for sharp criticism. Dhoni said that aspect can be ruled out this time. “We are here close to 12 days early and if 12 days are not enough then one month wouldn’t be enough so we have to adapt to the conditions.”