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Ricky Ponting has always been a tough cricketer. But his emotional side, for once, came to the surface when he spoke after his final Test for Australia

Brydon Coverdale at the WACA03-Dec-2012For a moment, Ricky Ponting was a kid again. As he sat in the WACA gym and spoke one last time as a Test cricketer, the emotion finally got the better of him. Ponting, perhaps the toughest competitor of his cricketing generation, fought back tears as he thanked his family for all of their sacrifices. His wife Rianna was there with his daughters Emmy and Matisse. His parents, Graeme and Lorraine, were there too. It was a rare glimpse of the human side of one of sport’s hardest men.To understand Ponting, you have to understand his roots. Australia’s most prolific run scorer was raised in working-class northern Tasmania and when he was nine or ten, he used to ride his BMX all around Launceston and the surrounding areas to watch the Mowbray Cricket Club play. He would sit in the change-rooms, rummage through the players’ bags when they were on the field and try on their gloves, hold their bats. He helped run the scoreboard at the NTCA ground when Tasmania played there, for a few dollars a day.At 11, Ponting was playing third-grade cricket with his father; when he became a first-class player, he financed new club-rooms with his first sponsorship payment. He learnt the value of the baggy green when his uncle Greg Campbell, Lorraine’s brother and also a Mowbray player, played Test cricket briefly in the late 1980s. Ponting now lives in Sydney but has never changed clubs; if he was to play a club match again it would be for Mowbray.Ponting walked off the WACA on Monday afternoon having equalled Steve Waugh’s record of 168 Test appearances. Nobody has been part of more victories than Ponting. He has played 560 international matches in 15 countries around the world, or 24 if the individual nations that make up the West Indies are taken into consideration. As Ponting sat back and for the first time reflected on his 17-year international career, he became emotional when he considered where it all started.”I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the opportunities I was given by them at an early age,” Ponting said of his parents. A cough, as he held back the tears. “It’s getting a bit harder”. Sniff. “The Mowbray Cricket Club, if they see me up here like this at the moment they’ll be all over me. That’s the place I learnt the game and the person I am was moulded from my background and my upbringing. What you’ve seen over 17 years is a result of my early days at the Mowbray Cricket Club. Thanks to the boys back there.”Tough as they make them in Mowbray, there wouldn’t have been a dry eye there either. Ponting still keeps a close eye on his club’s scores. In fact, he keeps a close eye on everything related to the world of cricket. The kid who sat in the change-rooms and listened to the first-grade players tell stories about the match they’d just played still exists. That’s what will make retirement so difficult for Ponting. Cricket has been his life.It is no surprise that he will play on for Tasmania this season, like a junkie being weaned off slowly. From Perth, he will fly to Tasmania to start training for the Hobart Hurricanes. The Big Bash League starts later this week and Ponting will be part of it. Always renowned as a realist, the dreamer in Ponting came through when he considered watching Australia’s next Test, against Sri Lanka in Hobart, and joked about warming up with the Test players and earning a late call-up.”You ask the boys in the dressing room, they reckon I don’t miss a ball that’s bowled anywhere around the world,” he said. “Of course I’ll keep an eye on it because I’ll miss not being out there. I’ll be interested to see who comes in and slots into the No.4 spot and I’ll be interested to see what the bowling attack looks like for Hobart.”The way it works out I’ll probably be down there anyway. I’ve got some training to do for the Hurricanes, leading up to that game, so I’ll probably be in Hobart just before that. Who knows, I might even be around for the first day of the game. If I am, I might even join in the warm-up with the boys and see if there’s just one more chance!”There’s that kid in the change-rooms again. Pick me! Let me play!But for all of his cricket passion, Ponting knew the time was right to walk away from the international game. His scores over the past few weeks have confirmed it. Not that he had given up hope of ending with a match-winning hundred.”I had a bit more of a fairytale ending in my own eyes than what’s happened this week,” Ponting said. Just then, the pipes in the WACA gym began to squeal, almost drowning out his voice. “Still things are going badly for me here as well! It’s been one of those weeks.”Apart from when discussing his family, Ponting was relaxed in retirement. He joked about the standing ovation he had received, and the one given to his nightwatchman Nathan Lyon on the first day. He thanked the media for promoting the game and held no grudges about the criticism levelled on him in recent times. He finished with a brief thought about his legacy.”Hopefully my impact and input on Australian cricket has left something behind. Thank you.”

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has called up 21 players for a conditioning camp starting Wednesday at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium

Cricinfo staff04-Aug-2010The Bangladesh Cricket Board has called up 21 players for a conditioning camp starting Wednesday at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium. Most of the country’s first-choice cricketers are on a break after a packed season, and the camp is mainly for players hoping to either break into the national team or looking to cement their place in it.With Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons on vacation, his deputy Khaled Mahmud, the former national captain, will oversee the camp. “Basically the board arranged the camp for the players who were out of the national team and as well as players like Mohammad Ashraful who didn’t play enough matches in the last few tours,” Mahmud said.Mashrafe Mortaza, the captain, had said last month that he was ‘concerned’ by the performance of the bowlers after the side slid to embarrassing defeats against Associate nations Ireland and Netherlands. Mahmud said the camp would lay emphasis on bowling skills. “We will mainly focus on the fitness but work on the skill as well, especially with the bowlers. Our bowling has been struggling in the last couple of series and I believe this was because of the inexperience.”A preparatory camp for the World Cup will be organised for the national team players later this month, most likely starting from August 20.

The Bombay High Court has directed that Sharad Pawar be made party in a petition regarding the levy of entertainment tax by the Maharashtra government on IPL matches held in the state

Cricinfo staff05-May-2010The Bombay High Court has directed that Sharad Pawar, the federal agriculture minister and president of the Mumbai Cricket Association, Lalit Modi, the suspended IPL chairman, and Chirayu Amin, the interim chairman, be made party in a petition regarding the levy of entertainment tax by the Maharashtra government on IPL matches held in the state. While hearing arguments on Wednesday, it also raised the question of whether a minister being a member of a cricket body constituted a conflict of interest.The court’s direction and observations came on a public interest litigation that challenges the Maharashtra government’s decision to waive entertainment tax for the recent IPL season. The petitioner – Subhash Desai, a member of the Shiv Sena political party – claims that in January this year the state government, of which Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party is a member, decided to levy the entertainment tax on IPL but the decision was not implemented.The exemption is estimated to have cost the government several crore rupees.”If a minister holds a post in a cricket association, and the state cabinet is to decide on granting some exemption to the association…perhaps conflict of interest may arise,” the bench observed, while seeking the federal government’s view on whether any “conflict of interest” arose if a minister was a member of a cricket body.The BCCI’s counsel contended that Pawar currently had no connection with the BCCI or IPL, though he headed the apex cricketing body two years ago. However, the petitioner contended that since the finance portfolio in the Maharashtra government was with the NCP, the decision not to levy the tax was “politically motivated”.”This is a very important issue,” the bench said, seeking the assistance of the additional solicitor-general of India, who represents the Union – also impleaded in the case – on this.The court observed that “prima facie this activity (IPL matches) is covered under entertainment tax. If there is no exemption, then state has no option but to recover it”.The court adjourned the hearing till June 22.

Australia batter should be fine to play in next week’s final, despite taking a hit to his left elbow in nets a couple of days ago

Osman Samiuddin03-Jun-2023David Warner would like to see the World Test Championship (WTC) final played as a three-Test series instead of a one-off game.Australia take on India at The Oval from June 7, the first step in a big six months for them as they challenge for the Test title, the Ashes and then the ODI World Cup. Warner has played in World Cup finals before – has won them too – but is looking forward to a first five-day title.”I think it’s great,” he said ahead of a training session in Beckenham. “I have been – I won’t say critical – but I do think it should be at least a three-game series with Test cricket only. You play two years of good cricket, then you play on a neutral venue against an opposition. We’ve all played here before but [this game is] not against the same [host] nation.Related

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• David Warner hoping for SCG farewell from Test cricket in January 2024

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“It’s a great reward for the two best teams. Two world-class bowling attacks bowling with a Dukes ball on foreign land. It’s great and we’re excited for that.”Given an increasingly cramped calendar and the demands on a schedule a three-Test series will make on any host nation, it is unlikely Warner’s wish will become reality anytime soon. Speaking last week, the ICC’s general manager cricket, Wasim Khan said that though there is constant review of the structure, the current feedback from members was that the league and one-off final was “continuing to work as it is”.Members have committed to the league and final for the next eight-year cycle.

Warner cops blow on elbow but he’s good to go

Warner should be fine to play in the final, despite taking another hit to his left elbow in nets a couple of days ago. It hit him on the same spot as the Mohammed Siraj delivery in the second innings of the Delhi Test earlier this year. That blow resulted in a hairline fracture which ruled him out of the remaining two Tests of the series.”It was sore, it got me right on the same point from a different angle,” he said. “It went numb, had to get it strapped. It’s fine now, a little bit sore. Luckily it didn’t hit me on top.”The last one hit from above and had a hairline fracture. This one was a straight blow on the corner of the elbow which was quite sore. Just one of those things, you get hit, you get hit, can’t do anything about it.”Warner goes into the final with questions around his Test form. He averages 26 since the start of 2022 but said he’d been batting in the nets better than he ever remembers.”I remember 2013, I was in the nets and copping it left, right and centre in the media about getting bowled by Mitchell Starc and all the other guys and how I wasn’t in form in the nets. I found that a bit bizarre because I’m probably one of the worst netters going around. But here, I’ve actually been superb, in terms of how my feet have been moving. My energy’s been moving, I’ve been up and about. I’m probably batting better than I ever have in the nets.”David Warner gets cracking as Australia get ready for the WTC final•ICC via Getty Images

With a Test underway at Lord’s already and the Ashes to start in just under two weeks, the WTC final – in England but without England – has had to fight a little for its share of the attention. Warner, at least, was clear about his immediate priorities: Stuart Broad later, Mohammed Shami and Co for now.”I haven’t really worked on that [plans for Broad] yet,” he said. “I’m concentrating on the WTC final. Mohammed Shami and [Mohammed] Siraj and Shardul Thakur is what’s on my mind first. That’s what important to us right now, then I’ll switch on and worry about Stuart Broad if they select him for the first Test this time.””We’ve played some outstanding cricket over the last 18-24 months. We know what India will bring to the table. It’s a great neutral venue, two world-class bowling attacks with a Dukes ball and from a batter’s perspective, I can’t wait to get out there.”

Sanju Samson’s side will need to find a recipe for success. And soon

Alagappan Muthu21-Apr-2021

Big picture

AB de Villiers is in form. Glenn Maxwell is thriving. A hard-hitting team somehow found a way to adapt to the slowest pitch in the IPL.When Chennai provided even the slightest hint of a batting track, Royal Challengers Bangalore racked up 29 boundaries against a pretty decent bowling team.Imagine the damage they can do at a place like Wankhede. An unbeaten start to the tournament with their key players clicking. All they need now is a Virat Kohli masterclass.Rajasthan Royals are just as dangerous with the bat. They’ve threatened to chase down 222. But they’ve also crumbled from 87 for 2 to 95 for 7. Sanju Samson, their captain, had a wry smile on his face when he spoke about this nature of theirs at the presentation in the last match. He’ll need to find a fix for this, fast.

Team news

While he did not play any part in the Royals’ games so far, one of their batting options, Liam Livingstone, has left the IPL with bubble fatigue.Finn Allen is a big hitter. Wankhede is a tiny ground. It’s a match made in T20 heaven and on a podcast with commentator Ian Smith, Royal Challengers coach Mike Hesson suggested they might take advantage of that. Allen hit 71 off 29 the last time he played a cricket match.

Likely XIs

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Virat Kohli (capt), 2 Finn Allen, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 AB de Villiers (wk), 6 Kyle Jamieson, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Shahbaz Ahmed, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalRajasthan Royals: 1 Jos Buttler, 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal/Manan Vohra, 3 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 4 Shivam Dube/Shreyas Gopal, 5 David Miller, 6 Riyan Parag, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Chris Morris, 9 Jaydev Unadkat, 10 Chetan Sakariya, 11 Mustafizur Rahman13:15

जिंदगी की जद्दोजहद से सोना बनकर निकले साकरिया

Strategy punt

• Shreyas Gopal has dismissed de Villiers four times, and Kohli three times in T20 cricket. Royals might find that head-to-head is worth exploring again.
• Yuzvendra Chahal has dismissed Samson five times in T20 cricket. He has also dismissed David Miller three times in five innings in the IPL. The Royal Challengers already use their ace legspinner as a middle overs wicket-taker. Based on those head-to-heads, wickets are likely to be on offer.

Stats that matter

• Even though he has had to deal with Chennai slow, spinning conditions, de Villiers has been IPL 2021’s most destructive death-overs (16-20) batter. He has made 75 runs off 30 balls at a strike-rate of 250. Thanks to him, Royal Challengers have maintained a run-rate of 11.75 in this phase of the game
• Royals, meanwhile, have one of the worst performing death bowling attacks this season, leaking 12 runs per over. This match-up is not going to go well.
• Royal Challengers bought Maxwell to attack spin and to give them power through the middle overs (6-16). So far, it’s worked a treat. He is the only player in this IPL to have scored more than 100 runs against spinners, he hasn’t been dismissed by them. He has also made 125 runs in 87 balls in the middle overs (6-16) this IPL. Only Shikhar Dhawan (145 off 93) has done better.
• Chetan Sakariya has used his left-arm angle very shrewdly against right-hand batters. Of his six wickets this season, five have been right-handers. There are three huge ones in the Royal Challengers line-up that Royals will want him to take out.

For former Australia batsman played seven seasons for the state

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Aug-2020Chris Rogers, the former Australia batsman, has been named head coach of the Victoria men’s team.Rogers, who scored over 25,000 first-class runs and appeared in 25 Tests, played seven seasons for Victoria and won two Sheffield Shield titles with the state.He fills the role vacated by Andrew McDonald’s move into the Australia set-up as Justin Langer’s assistant coach. His deal runs until the end of the 2022 season.Rogers was appointed to Cricket Australia’s high performance team in early 2018 where he undertook had a variety of roles including head coach of the Australian Under-19 team for the World Cup earlier this year.”I’m really excited about the job and I’d like to thank Cricket Victoria for the opportunity. It feels a bit like I’ve come full circle in playing for Victoria for seven years and now coming back into the fold as the senior coach,” Rogers said.”I’m looking forward to working with this talented squad of players and coaches. I’ve been lucky enough to work with many of the Victorian players in recent years and I look forward to working with them to achieve individual and team success.””Due to the impact of coronavirus, we know this season will come with some very new challenges for us, but we’ll continue to prepare as best we can and come ready to play when the time is right.”Rogers was preferred ahead of Brad Hodge in the final running for the position. The recruitment process included Cricket Victoria’s general manager of Cricket Shaun Graf, Victoria captains Peter Handscomb and Meg Lanning, Cricket Victoria CEO Andrew Ingleton and former Victoria coach Greg Shipperd.”I’ve known Chris a long time now having been involved with his initial recruitment from WA,” Graf said. “His desire to get the best out of the talent he was given will hold him in good stead as he prepares our young talented squad for the challenging season ahead.”He’s worked extensively with elite talent throughout the CA pathway system and has shown an ability to improve and develop players for the long-term. On the field he was an extremely gritty competitor, we know he’ll bring that determination and resilience into the squad.”

RCB have released Marcus Stoinis, Dale Steyn, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Colin de Grandhomme and Tim Southee among others

Nagraj Gollapudi15-Nov-20199:03

Six takeaways from the IPL retentions list

Chris Lynn (Kolkata Knight Riders), Jaydev Unadkat (Rajasthan Royals) and Varun Chakravarthy (Kings XI Punjab), the three-most expensive buys at the last two IPL auctions, have been released by their respective franchises. Also back on the auction block is South Africa allrounder Chris Morris, who had been retained by Delhi Capitals before the 2018 auction but was released as the IPL trading window closed on Friday evening India time.Royal Challengers Bangalore released the most number of players (12) followed by the Knight Riders and the Royals (11 each), Mumbai Indians (10), the Capitals (nine), Kings XI (seven), Chennai Super Kings (six) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (five).Overall, Kings XI will have the fattest purse walking into the December 19 auction, to be held in Kolkata, with a kitty of INR 42.70 crore which they accumulated by shedding expensive buys from the last auction. This included Chakravarthy, the Tamil Nadu mystery spinner, who was the joint-most expensive pick along with Unadkat, at INR 8.4 cr, in the 2019 auction. Chakravarthy, who played just one game last IPL, was sidelined with an injury for the majority of this year, making it an easy decision for Kings XI to let him go.The Mohali-based franchise also released Australia quick Andre Tye, who recently picked an injury. Tye, one of the best death bowlers a few years ago, had struggled last IPL and had been bought by Kings XI in 2018 for INR 7.2 cr. The other expensive buys offloaded by Kings XI included England allrounder Sam Curran (7.2 cr in 2019) and young Punjab wicketkeeper-batsman Prabh Simran Singh (4.8 cr in 2019). Another significant release by Kings XI was South Africa batsman David Miller (3 cr in 2018), who had spent eight seasons at the franchise since 2012. However, diminishing returns from Miller are likely to have gone against him eventually.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Miller’s was not the only such case. Two other senior and long-time loyalists, Robin Uthappa and Piyush Chawla were released by the Knight Riders, who are believed to have not been impressed by the ineffective display from both players in the last two years.Uthappa and Chawla were bought by the Knight Riders in 2014. In the 2018 auction the franchise had bought them back through right-to-match cards: Uthappa for a handsome price of 6.4 cr and Chawla for 4.2 cr. However, the 30-year-old legspinner struggled last season and had his worst IPL year in 2019, in terms of economy rate, picking just 10 wickets in 13 matches and leaking 8.96 runs per over. Uthappa, once a matchwinner for the Knight Riders, too, was not at his best in IPL 2019: he managed just one half-century for his 282 runs in 11 innings at an average of 31.33 and strike rate of 115.10.Another example of how much franchises wanted value for money was Lynn. The Australia opener, who was bought initially in 2014, was bought back in the 2018 auction by the Knight Riders for 9.6 cr, making him the most expensive overseas buy. The Knight Riders spent so much because they wanted an aggressive opener, which Lynn had proven himself to be with his explosive batting.In 2017 Lynn played just seven matches for the Knight Riders, but scored 295 runs at an average of 49.16 and strike rate of 181, the highest for anyone who scored over 100 runs that season. However, in the last two seasons his strike rate dropped to the 130s even though he played most of the matches in 2018 and 2019, with three and four half-centuries respectively. The franchise is believed to have had second thoughts this time as they felt they could instead invest in another player who could give similar returns at a lower price, or buy Lynn back for a cheaper rate.Morris, too, had to endure the pain of becoming the only retained player in 2018 to be released this time. He joined the Capitals in 2016, and was the second player retained by them Capitals ahead of the 2018 auction, at 11 crore. However, Morris would have probably sensed the writing was on the wall. In the nine matches he played in 2019, he took 13 wickets but at an economy rate of 9.27, while scoring only 32 runs in six innings with a strike rate of 86.48.Overall, 71 players were released by the eight franchises including 34 overseas names. There will now be a total of 73 slots available at the auction on December 19, including 29 overseas players. One franchise that is likely to be aggressive that day are the Royal Challengers, who revamped their coaching staff with the antipodean pairing of Mike Hesson and Simon Katich as the team director and head coach respectively. Royal Challengers released seven overseas players on Friday, more than any other franchise, and are now left with just AB de Villiers and Moeen Ali among their foreign names.

While in Harare, a rain-hit contest between Tuskers and Eagles yielded no result

Liam Brickhill06-Dec-2018Results SummaryZimbabwe’s domestic season is underway after the first round of Logan Cup matches in Harare and Kwekwe.Fast bowler Carl Mumba burst back onto the Zimbabwean domestic scene with a match haul of 8 for 24 to demolish the reigning Logan Cup champions Mountaineers at Kwekwe Sports Club. Building on captain Tarisai Musakanda’s maiden first-class hundred, Rhinos reached 232 in their first innings, the highest score of the match.Peter Moor’s second-innings fifty helped Rhinos set Mountaineers 245 to win despite Donald Tiripano’s 5 for 42. That total was well beyond them when Michael Chinouya’s incisions rocked the top order, and Mumba then tore through the tail to pick up the remarkable career-best figures of 6 for 7 in the second innings, Moutaineers crumbling to 140 all out. There is not much room for error in the six-match Logan Cup competition this season, and the pressure is on Mountaineers not to slip up again if they are to retain the trophy.At Harare Sports Club, persistent rain had the final say in a closely-fought contest between Mashonaland Eagles and Matabeleland Tuskers. Having been put in by Eagles captain Tino Mutombodzi, Tuskers were carried by Craig Ervine’s 141 in their first innings, reaching 313. An all-round effort from the bowlers then restricted Eagles to 284, Chris Mpofu playing a vital hand by dismissing Cephas Zhuwao when the big-hitting left-hander had raced to a 45-ball 60.Cunningham Ncube’s battling 77 held Tuskers together in their second innings in overcast conditions well suited to swing bowling, with no other batsman making more than 14 in the innings. Eagles bowled Tuskers out early on the final morning, and their pursuit of 211 to win fired in fits and starts but was still on track when rain stopped play.Eagles were 155 for 4 when the weather intervened, the captains eventually shaking hands for a draw when it became apparent no further play would be possible.On the national radarWith a couple of the established names in Zimbabwean cricket away playing T20 (and even T10) franchise cricket elsewhere, the first round of Logan Cup matches was an opportunity for those on the fringe to start staking a claim. Mumba’s dramatic return will not have gone unnoticed, while in the same game Musakanda’s maiden first-class ton showed positive signs for his continued development, with Musakanda having made the runs batting out of position as an opener. Tiripano also recorded his fourth five-wicket haul in First Class cricket during the game in Kwekwe, while in Harare Ervine’s 10th first-class hundred (as well as some summer rain), helped Tuskers secure a draw.Top performerMumba had not played any professional cricket since seriously injuring his knee in Hambantota during Zimbabwe’s tour of Sri Lanka last year. The injury required reconstructive surgery on his knee, as well as nine months of rehabilitation work, but his performance against Mountaineers suggests that Mumba has lost none of his zip, and he could well find himself back in the national set-up, especially with the pace cupboards a little barer since Blessing Muzarabani’s departure for Northamptonshire.Admittedly, Mumba was also aided by a slightly spongy patch on the Kwekwe Sports Club pitch, but no bowler from either side was able to exploit the conditions as effectively as he was. His analysis is the best in Zimbabwean first-class cricket for any bowler taking six wickets in an innings, beating that of the great bowler Joe Partridge who took 6 for 13 for this country against North-Eastern Transvaal in Pretoria back in 1955-56. However, it does fall short of the amazing feat of left-arm spinner Keith Dabengwa, who in 2006-07 took seven wickets for just one run for Westerns against Northerns in the Logan Cup at Harare Sports Club.

Shaun Marsh’s ability to play match-winning innings in the past and his experience pressed his case for an Ashes selection, even as other batsmen failed to cope with the pressure of vying for a spot in the squad

Daniel Brettig19-Nov-20172:25

Know your squad: Whitewashers, dark horses and novices

Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann says Shaun Marsh’s proven ability to play match-winning international innings – albeit sporadically – and greater experience pressed the selectors to return him to the Test team for a ninth time as other batsmen failed to stand up to the pressure of vying for an Ashes berth in the opening Sheffield Shield rounds.Marsh’s best innings, including a century on debut against Sri Lanka in 2011, and a vital hundred alongside Steven Smith against South Africa at Centurion in 2014, have demonstrated that his best is more than good enough. However, injuries and intermittent runs of poor scores, most recently against India earlier this year, have contributed to his on-again-off-again role in Australian cricket.However, it seems now that his advancing age and presence in numerous Australian squads helped the selectors to choose him rather than looking towards a younger option. Lehmann emphasised the fact that no one could afford to make mistakes around a home Ashes series that many jobs at Cricket Australia hinge upon, underlining why the selectors had looked towards the well-traveled figures of Marsh and also the wicketkeeper Tim Paine, who made his Test debut as far back as 2010.”He’s one of the class players,” Lehmann told . “His record in the county season [for Yorkshire] was excellent, his JLT Cup form was unbelievable and he’s got 50 or 60 and he got 90 against Hazlewood, Starc and Cummins on a wicket at Hurstville. He’s in good form and we’d like a little bit of experience there. We think he can do that, he’s played vital knocks for us at various stages throughout his career, we hope we’ve got him at the right time and he can do it again.”Lehmann indicated that Glenn Maxwell had not had his card marked never to play Test cricket again despite the decision to drop him for this series, noting that the Victoria batsman had been unable to make the hundred that might have seen him retained. “No definitely not,” Lehmann said. “We wanted him to make big hundreds, he had a couple of opportunities against South Australia in the Shield game where he got a pair of 60s. He could’ve got 180 and really stamped his authority on that spot. He’s well thought of, so there’s no drama there, we just went with the in-form batter Shaun Marsh.”As for Paine’s return to the team after years of struggles with a repeatedly broken finger and then finding himself out of the Tasmanian side due to a lack of runs, Lehmann said he wanted the 32-year-old to make the spot his own. He also hinted at how others – notably the New South Wales gloveman Peter Nevill – had failed to make any runs when placed under pressure to earn a Test berth.Getty Images

“It’s really his to lose now and performances will count,” Lehmann said of Paine. “We know that and we said that [in] those first three Shield games performances do count, and it was interesting to see some people handle that pressure well and some people probably didn’t handle it as well as others.”We know he’s a class keeper, so that wasn’t the issue, and none of the other guys really grabbed their opportunity. It was really tight between all the keepers and he gets the nod. It’s a tough call, Alex Carey probably didn’t do enough that we wanted. He’s going to be a player of the future, and I’m sure he’ll play for Australia. There’s no doubt about it at some stage, and we went for a touch of experience there and hopefully Painey will do the job, which I’m sure he will.”It’s a big series, we can’t afford to have any mishaps behind the stumps, and we think Painey will deliver that for us, he’s a good competitor, so that’s the way we went. It was a tough call, one of the toughest selections you’re ever going to have in a Test side, and people are going to like some of them or not like some of them, that’s part and parcel of the job.”Another player who did not stand up to the pressure of spots available in the Ashes team was the South Australia captain Travis Head. Lehmann revealed he had spoken to Head about his mental approach, advising that the left-hander was perhaps trying too hard.”I spoke to him the other week when I was in Adelaide,” Lehmann said. “I said it looks like he’s trying too hard almost to be perfectly honest, so desperate to play really well, he loves playing for his country and his state and he just looks a bit eager at the moment. That’s a challenge for him and I’m sure he’ll adapt and come back a better player.”The decision to drop Matt Renshaw for Cameron Bancroft means David Warner will go into the Ashes with yet another opening partner – after Phillip Hughes, Ed Cowan, Chris Rogers, Shaun Marsh, Joe Burns and Renshaw. “That’s a lot of turnover and we’d love someone to really grab it. Obviously we hoped that was Matt Renshaw but at the moment he hasn’t really grabbed it I suppose especially in those three [Shield] games, and Cameron Bancroft we hope he’s the one. You’ve got to give him an opportunity and he’ll get plenty of opportunities to perform. He’s made his runs opening the batting and he’s just irresistible with the form he’s shown in the last few weeks.”The role of Smith in the selection process has also been under recent scrutiny, but Lehmann emphasised it was a case of consulting the captain without granting him the final say. “We take inputs from him, he’s a pretty important player and you want the captain to have what he wants, within reason,” Lehmann said.”He doesn’t have final say but he certainly gets brought into the conversation. The selectors are there to select. Steven gets a say and I’m working with Steve all the time. The other [selectors] see the games that we don’t always get to see. It was a really tough selection, so we’ve got to make sure he’s comfortable, selectors are comfortable and now it’s a case of what I’d love to see is everyone getting behind the group of players and supporting them to play well for Australia. That’s all we want.”

It took until the final session of the fourth day, but this absorbing Test took a decisive swing as England’s prolific lower order carried the lead away from West Indies

The Report by Andrew McGlashan28-Aug-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIt took until the final session of the fourth day, but this absorbing Test took a decisive swing as England’s prolific lower order carried the lead away from West Indies. Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes sped to a 117-run stand for the eighth wicket, to build on the work of Joe Root, Dawid Malan and Ben Stokes to tire out a three-man pace attack. Such was England’s surge that they were able to declare to leave a target of 322.Stokes and Malan, with contrasting half-centuries, had pushed England ahead with a stand of 91 but three wickets in 22 balls for Roston Chase opened the door. When Jonny Bairstow dragged on an ugly-looking reverse sweep, the lead was 158. By the time Moeen found long-on, just 23 overs later, it was approaching 300. And still there was no stopping England. Woakes eased to a 99-ball fifty and in a sign of the collective effort, England’s total was their highest without a century.On only four occasions have England overturned a bigger deficit than 169. One of them, famously, came at Headingley in 1981 when, incidentally, the stand that turned the match was worth 117 between Ian Botham and Graham Dilley. The partnership between Moeen and Woakes won’t go down in cricket folklore in quite the same way, but victory for England would be a remarkable turnaround even if the romantics (and those not associated with the England team) would probably have preferred the remarkable story of a West Indies victory.Moeen Ali’s thrilling counterattack put England into control at Headingley•Getty Images

Their openers negotiated six overs before the close, but to chase down this target would be the most extraordinary twist of the lot. Only Bradman’s Invincibles have chased a bigger target on this ground, although perhaps England’s own pursuit of 315 against Australia in 2001, scored almost entirely on the final day against a fine attack, offers a glimmer of hope. There were signs, however, in a testing last over of spin and bite that Moeen will be able to have a big say with ball after his batting heroics.Having been on top, or at worst even, for much of the first three days West Indies couldn’t sustain themselves long enough to make the final decisive inroads into England’s batting. When they emerged after tea the lead was still under 200, but a filthy over from Kraigg Brathwaite (whose action was reported after the first Test) set the tone for a period of play in which control was completely lost against Moeen at his counter-attacking best.When it needed one more big push from Shannon Gabriel, he hit the wall. He and Kemar Roach, who also wasted the second new ball, had bowled for most of the first hour amid West Indies’ early push for wickets, and when he returned after tea, Gabriel’s first two overs went for 28.The list of self-inflicted problems also grew. Devendra Bishoo, who had bowled just two of the first 70 overs in the innings, had Moeen caught behind off a no-ball on 32. It was an excruciatingly close call from S Ravi, with no recourse to check, in a match where plenty of no-balls have been missed but there was no reason for Bishoo to be so close to the line. Earlier in the day, Malan was dropped at slip on 29, one over after Root had departed, caught at the second attempt by Shai Hope in the gully. It could have been a crucial double breakthrough, but instead it was a reminder of Root’s own let-off, 62 runs earlier on the third day, when Shai’s brother, Kyle, had been the culprit.Malan’s innings was the least eye-catching of the day – he added 40 off 121 balls to his overnight score – and his tendency to drive away from the body should have brought his downfall, but Kieran Powell was put off at first slip when Shane Dowrich dived across him. Had it been taken, England would have been five down with a lead of 44. But he played an important part in forging England’s position and in a batting line-up that doesn’t lack for stroke-makers, the ability to soak up deliveries is valuable. The innings has probably booked him an Ashes tour.He was never fluent, needing 162 balls for his fifty, but he featured a stand of 118 with Root before the 91 with Stokes, who followed up his first-innings century with a 92-ball fifty. It was the second time Stokes had scored a century and a fifty in the same Test, the other being against New Zealand at Lord’s in 2015 when England also managed overturn a significant deficit. He was especially fluent after lunch, adding to the list of the blistering drives which have studded his performance across this match, as he took advantage of a tiring Gabriel with four boundaries in 11 balls.However, the shot that brought his dismissal should not escape some criticism, particularly as England’s lead had yet to get out of sight. Credit is due to the bowler, Chase, who got the ball to grip a touch out of the rough but picking out a man on the fence first ball after a break is not a good look.There was less blame attached to Malan’s dismissal. Earlier in the over, Chase had got a ball to jump from the rough and almost lob to point – something that will interest Moeen with ball in hand – and he was caught on the crease when a delivery straightened to take off stump. Bairstow was quickly out of the blocks with four boundaries, but then tried to reverse sweep Chase out of the rough and dragged on. England were far from safe, yet by the end of the day they were the only side with a realistic chance of victory.