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Four Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is now make up the tour earmarked for February-March 2021

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2020England men’s upcoming tour of India in February-March 2021 will feature four Tests instead of the five originally, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly confirmed on Tuesday.With 2021 being a T20 World Cup year – India is slated to host it in October-November – the extra Test has now been scrapped to accommodate two additional T20Is. That means the tour, which the BCCI hopes to host entirely in India, now comprises four Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is.England were earlier scheduled to tour in India for three T20Is and as many ODIs in September, but it was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the uncertainty over the status of the 2020 T20 World Cup, which was scheduled to be held in Australia in October-November.”England is touring India for four Test matches, three ODIs, and five T20Is,” Ganguly said at a virtual event. “It is easier to have bilaterals than having eight-nine-ten teams, which gets difficult, but we have to keep assessing the situation.”A lot of people are talking about the second Covid wave. We’re already hearing of cases being on the rise again in Mumbai and Delhi, so we have to be careful and make sure everything is in order.”As such, the UAE, which hosted IPL 2020, continues to remain a back-up venue, not just for the England series but also IPL 2021 that will follow immediately.”The next IPL is five months away and we’re very much trying to have it in India,” Ganguly said. “I always tell people that they need to be here to see what the IPL means to India. We’re also going to be hosting domestic cricket in India.”The details of the domestic season haven’t been announced yet, although it is understood that the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the domestic T20 competition, and the Ranji Trophy, the first-class competition, are the only two tournaments that can be accommodated in a short window. Plans for Under-19s and the women’s season are still being worked out.”We have had extensive discussions on domestic cricket and we have tentatively decided to start the competitions from January 1, 2021,” Ganguly had told PTI in October. “We will certainly have the full-fledged Ranji Trophy. [But] it will probably not be possible to hold all tournaments.”We also have elaborate plans for our age-group and women’s cricket. We will start with the Ranji Trophy and then we will also have the other tournaments between March and April.”

Josh Richards and Dominic Hendricks scored centuries for the Lions as they chased down a record total

Firdose Moonda26-Nov-2020Results Summary The defending champions, the Lions, registered their first win of this season’s competition by chasing down a record total against the Knights at the Wanderers. Their 336 for 6 beats the previous best, 310 for 8 by Australia in the 2011/12 season, and finished off a remarkable comeback for the hosts, who were behind by 98 runs in the first innings.The Knights were kept to 300 in their first innings, thanks largely to Sisanda Magala’s 6 for 60 and held together by half-centuries from Grant Mokoena and Migael Pretorius, who then took 4 for 40 against his former franchise. The Lions never quite got their reply going and went from 47 for 5 to 202 all out. That gave the Knights a perfect platform to bat the Lions out of the match and when they stretched the lead to 283, with six wickets in hand they may have thought they were on track. But the Knights lost 6 for 44 and set the Lions 334 to win.Centuries from openers Josh Richards and Dominic Hendricks, who shared a stand of 256, took the Lions to the brink and the middle order finished off. Despite the victory, the Lions remain more than 20 points behind the Knights in Pool B.Also on the Highveld, the Warriors chased 218 to beat the Titans at SuperSport Park, to earn their first win of the competition and deny Aiden Markram victory despite his twin centuries in the match.After six Covid-19 related absences from the first two rounds, the Warriors were back to full strength for this fixture and the difference in morale and performance showed. They bowled the Titans out for 320 and then piled on 392 in their own first innings.By the time the Titans erased the 72-run deficit, three of their top four were dismissed and they had to rely on Markram and the middle order to set the Warriors a competitive target. Only one batsmen other than Markram got past 30, and the Warriors were required to chase 218. They made tricky work of it, but won by three wickets to close the gap between themselves and the Titans to less than 18 points in Pool A.The Cobras lie at the bottom of the pool and are the only team not to have won a match after the first three rounds. They held on for the draw against the Dolphins in Durban after failing to bowl the Dolphins out in either innings and being set 295 runs to win. The Dolphins declared their first innings closed on 389 for 8, built on a century from Khaya Zondo. In reply, Tony de Zorzi top-scored for the Cobras with 58 as they were dismissed for 312, 77 runs behind.Fifties from the Dolphins top three and a scoring rate of 4.34 runs to the over saw them declare again on 217 for 4 on the final day, setting up a thrilling last two sessions. They had 62 overs at the Cobras, who needed to score at close to five runs an over to win. The Dolphins might have fancied their chances when they had the Cobras 66 for 3, but Pieter Malan and Aviwe Mgijma dug in, and though both of them were eventually dismissed, the Dolphins could not nip out the last four wickets. The Dolphins are also at the bottom of their pool, Pool B, but are less than 10 points behind the Lions. On the National Radar Markram’s return to form could not have come at a better time, with the Test series against Sri Lanka a month away and decisions to be made about both the opening spot and the captaincy. He scored 149 and 121, almost 45% of the Titans total runs in the match, and sits in second place on the overall run charts. Less encouraging were the performances of Dean Elgar (20 and 6) and Theunis de Bruyn, who bagged a pair. While both Elgar and de Bruyn have centuries to their names in the tournament so far, Elgar has gone to add to half-centuries to that but de Bruyn’s three ducks and a 13 may see him slip down the order of preference.Also of interest is two-time Test cap Senuran Muthusamy’s performance for the Dolphins. He was promoted to opening the batting and scored 79 and 56 while also eight wickets in the match (four in each innings) with his left-arm spin. Muthusamy now sits in joint fifth place
on the wicket-charts and though South Africa are not short of left-arm slow bowlers, having an all-round option is always handy. Top Performers Though Markram has all but secured the Test opening spot, Sarel Erwee continues to impress and remains the leading run-scorer. Erwee registered a third score of 50-plus in his third match, with 56 in the second innings to help the Dolphins set up their victory push. No.3 batsmen Keegan Petersen also scored 56 while in the first innings Zondo’s hundred will be noted with interest, especially after his struggles for form since being on the fringes of the national side.Other batsmen who showed signs of strong form are Dominic Hendricks, who scored a second century in successive matches, Richards, whose hundred was his first at franchise level and Sinethemba Qeshile of the Warriors, who scored 97.With Tabraiz Shamsi on international duty, the Knights’ Pretorius is now the leading bowler with 16 wickets to his name. Warriors’ left-armer Marco Jansen is in joint-fourth place and took seven wickets against the Titans while exciting young quick Lifa Ntanzi, claimed 3 for 51 in the first innings for the Dolphins against the Cobras.

Of the issues the hosts must sort, the top-order problems seem the most pressing

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Oct-2019

Big Picture

Yes, even the first-string Sri Lanka had lost their four most-recent T20I series, and sure, Pakistan topped the rankings, but there are no two sides that revel quite as much in chaos as these two, so in some ways, a comfortable series victory for the underdogs is not a huge surprise.The two matches so far have followed a remarkably similar script. Sri Lanka have got a half-century and a big partnership from their top three, and then a strong finish. Their quicks have then struck early blows, and despite the occasional good partnership from Pakistan, Sri Lanka have managed to keep the required rate climbing through the middle overs. In the first match, Pakistan’s last seven wickets fell for 33. In the second, their last five went down for 20.The two players catching the most heat so far have been Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad, who have produced four awful innings between them. Akmal’s successive golden ducks have basically been an invitation for a punchline. Shehzad has arguably been even worse, chewing up 25 Powerplay deliveries for his 17 runs across the two games. Babar Azam’s rare failures haven’t helped either, nor has the fitful form of the rest of the middle order.A whitewash will be a coup for Sri Lanka, and a significant early obstacle for the new lord commander of Pakistan cricket, Misbah-ul-Haq. Of the issues the hosts must sort, the top-order problems seem the most pressing.

Form guide

Pakistan LLLWL (completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka WWWLL

In the spotlight

Part of Pakistan’s good T20I form in 2018 had been down to the bowlers, and Mohammad Amir had as good a year as anyone, going at 6.57 in nine appearances last year, taking 14 wickets at 15.50. He had not gone wicketless in eight previous T20Is before this series but has now failed to take a wicket through the first two matches in Lahore. With a confident opposition top three to contend with, Pakistan need their quicks to fire in the last match.In all four of Sri Lanka’s innings on tour, Dasun Shanaka has played good knocks befitting the situation, finding late boundaries when Sri Lanka are looking to finish fast, and rebuilding when they have lost early wickets. He had been disappointed to miss out on a World Cup spot but has perhaps now done enough to firm up a place in the first-choice XI in both limited-overs formats.

Team news

Iftikhar Ahmed may come in for the run-less Akmal. Perhaps Pakistan will also consider Haris Sohail instead of Shehzad.Pakistan (possible): 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Babar Azam, 3 Ahmed Shehzad, 4 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt, wk), 5 Iftikhar Ahmed, 6 Asif Ali, 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Mohammad Amir, 11 Mohammad HasnainAlthough ordinarily a team might be tempted to trial inexperienced players once a series has been sewn up, a whitewash will mean a lot to this Sri Lanka team, and they are unlikely to change their side.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Avishka Fernando, 3 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 4 Shehan Jayasuriya, 5 Minod Bhanuka (wk), 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Isuru Udana, 9 Lakshan Sandakan, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Nuwan Pradeep

Pitch and conditions

There has been a little dew around in Lahore, but not so much that it has had a substantial effect on the game. The pitch is expected to be decent for batting again.

Stats and trivia

• Amir’s 0 for 40 on Monday were his worst figures since the 2016 T20 World Cup.
  
• Seven members of Sri Lanka’s XI had played fewer than ten T20s at the start of the series.
  
• Sri Lanka have never won a T20I series 3-0.

Having slipped to 3 for 3 in pursuit of South Africa’s 138 for 3, Pakistan were revitalised by a 77-run stand between the duo

Liam Brickhill19-May-2019On Saturday, South Africa completed a tight chase with only a ball to spare to draw level in the series, but Pakistan have now pulled off their own last-over finish in the third T20I to make it 2-1.Having slipped to 3 for 3 in pursuit of South Africa’s 138 for 3, Pakistan were revitalised by a 77-run stand between Nida Dar and Iram Javed, who struck her maiden T20I fifty.Pakistan needed seven from the last over, and South Africa’s decision to leave that over to Nadine de Klerk seemed to have been justified when Javed carved the first delivery out to wide long-on, where Tazmin Brits held a stunning diving catch at the boundary’s edge. But that was as good as it got for South Africa, Sana Mir slamming the first ball she faced to the square-leg boundary and then swiping two more runs in the same area to secure victory with two balls to spare.Pakistan’s turnaround was all the more remarkable considering the trouble they were in at the start of their innings. Shabnim Ismail struck twice in consecutive overs, while left-arm pacer Moseline Daniels also made an early incision to help send Pakistan’s top three back to the pavilion inside the first three overs.Dar and Javed took a little time to get going, and it wasn’t until the final over of the Powerplay that Pakistan finally found the boundary, but they picked the pace up thereafter. Javed took a particular liking to Tumi Sekhukhune’s medium pace, while the pair also combined to plunder 19 runs from Sune Luus’ second over.Their efforts brought the required rate down to a manageable level, and after Dar was bowled by Daniels for 32 in the 12th over, Aliya Riaz helped Javed to keep the momentum going. Back-to-back boundaries off de Klerk took Javed to a 39-ball fifty, and although she and Riaz both fell before the job was done, Mir ensured there would be no further slip-ups.While she was unable to defend South Africa’s total in the final over, de Klerk had played a hand in the most significant stand of her team’s innings, adding 80 for the second wicket with Brits. After a mix-up led to the early dismissal of Lizelle Lee, run out for 2, Brits and de Klerk combined to take South Africa to a steady 31 for 1 at the end of the Powerplay.Brits brought up her maiden T20I fifty off 47 balls in the 14th over before the dismissals of de Klerk and Chloe Tryon in quick succession dented South Africa’s progress and their run rate dipped below a run a ball. Luus’ adventurous innings helped to up the tempo as she dominated a 44-run stand with Brits, who ended the innings with a massive six over midwicket, but thanks to Javed’s personal best with the bat, South Africa were unable to defend their total.The series now moves to Benoni for the final two matches, with the next one taking place at Willowmoore Park on Wednesday.

The team’s plan for their main threat is from out of the box: an article that suggested Kohli is susceptible to deliveries pitched on a full length and seaming into him

Melinda Farrell in Adelaide03-Dec-20182:31

How can Australia tackle the Kohli threat?

Australia are exploring a data-driven, high-risk, high-reward tactic to negate Virat Kohli in the upcoming four-Test series that begins in Adelaide on Thursday.The India captain’s peerless form heading into the series and the challenge of breaking through his formidable defence makes him the most valuable scalp in the visiting side and data produced by Cricviz may have unearthed the most likely method for capturing his wicket.A recent article by Cricviz writer Ben Jones, which analysed Kohli’s batting, caught the eye of some members of the Australian camp, including Justin Langer. The head coach distributed the article among his players before they arrived in Adelaide and ESPNcricinfo understands it has been discussed in a team meeting to establish bowling plans to each Indian batsman.Teams and coaching staff typically use a range of analytics resources and video along with personal experiences and observations to formulate their plans and, while Australia’s final plans for Kohli will ultimately be decided over the next few days – and adapted as the Test and series unfolds – the fact that such an article has even been thrown into the mix shows they are willing to search far and wide while considering ideas from outside the established brains trust.The basic premise of the theory put forward by Jones is that Kohli is most vulnerable to fuller deliveries that deviate in towards the right-hander off the seam. In the eight Tests Kohli has played away from home this year, in South Africa and England, he has been dismissed significantly more often when bowlers have pitched the ball up. Cricviz figures show Kohli averages 46.28 against full deliveries compared to 66.33 against good length balls and 69.33 when facing short-pitched bowling.Virat Kohli strikes a pose during a photo session before the Test series against Australia•Getty Images

The caveat to the approach of bowling full – and it is a significant one – is that it leaves Australia’s bowlers open to the risk of leaking runs; Kohli is brutal in punishing balls that stray a fraction onto his pads.A theory is, of course, only as good as its execution and if Australia do adopt this tactic to the India captain it may be a question of the bowlers holding their collective nerve, particularly if he starts scoring freely. Speaking in Adelaide, Josh Hazlewood acknowledged there was a balancing act in containing Kohli while trying to remove him.”It’s a good point,” said Hazlewood. “He’s one of those guys who can score pretty freely, a number of the guys can in this Indian side, but sometimes those risks bring the most rewards as well. It’s just about weighing that up and assessing how long we stay at each plan for. We
might stay at it for 20 balls or 80 balls, depending on how we feel, and it’s about adapting once we’re on the field.”Kohli’s wicket also falls more often to deliveries that deviate more due to seam rather than swing. This factor could play to the strengths of Australia’s fast bowlers using the Kookaburra ball more than it did to England’s bowlers, who tend to exploit the more swing-friendly elements of the Dukes ball.Kohli has often countered the threat of the moving ball by batting outside his crease, even against those as quick as Mitchell Starc. In the 2014-15 series, when he made 692 runs in eight innings, including four centuries, ESPNcricinfo data logged him facing 142 deliveries that were of a full length. He was dismissed only twice.Bounce is a key factor in Australia as well, although former Australia players Ian Chappell and Jason Gillespie have warned the current set not to overdo the short-ball tactic.So, if Australia’s seamers do find success using full-length in-nippers to arguably the world’s most dangerous Test batsmen, it could go some way to swinging (or seaming) the series in their favour.

Jake Ball and Stuart Broad are doubtful for the Royal London Cup final on Saturday and that is also bad news for England with the first Test around a week away

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge27-Jun-2017
ScorecardWith doubts lingering over Stuart Broad’s fitness for Saturday’s Royal London One-Day Cup final at Lord’s, Nottinghamshire face another anxious couple of days assessing the fitness of a second key bowling asset after injury forced Jake Ball to leave the field during the final session here.Despite playing the injury down overnight, Ball was sent for a scan by the ECB on Wednesday morning, and the selectors will be monitoring the results closely as they prepare to meet to select the squad for the first Test against South Africa at Lord’s next week.The England fast bowler, who had already struck an important blow for his team in this match at the start of Kent’s second innings, pulled up in his follow-through after bowling one delivery of his third over, feeling some pain in his right knee.After receiving attention on the field it looked at first as if he would continue but after a couple of attempts to replicate his run-up to the crease under the supervision of his county physio he asked the umpire for his cap and sweater and left the field, leaving Luke Fletcher to complete his over.Nottinghamshire head coach Peter Moores described his withdrawal as “a precaution” and said his prospects of resuming in this match would be assessed in the morning. However, he is being monitored by Notts and England medical teams, and he will not bowl again in the match.Broad, who was forced to miss this match after suffering a heel injury against Leicestershire last week, was still rated as doubtful on Monday but there was better news today. Put through his paces before play, he appeared to be moving well enough, although Nottinghamshire will be wary of risking any further damage with the opening Test against South Africa just over a week away.After playing his part with a flurry of boundaries with the bat in helping Nottinghamshire to a lead of 191 on first innings, Ball had dealt Kent the early blow they least wanted as they began their second innings against the pink ball in the awkward day-to-night phase.After bowling brilliantly with scant reward in the first innings, with only one tailender’s wicket to show for his efforts, Ball found success in his second over this time, producing a full and fast delivery to which Daniel Bell-Drummond, who had so valiantly held Kent together on Monday, had no answer.Yet Ball’s absence hardly made things easier for Kent, who were four wickets down and still 86 behind at the close. To make matters worse, Sam Billings, unbeaten on 39, now leaves this match to play for the Lions at Worcester. The 20-year-old batsman Joe Weatherley takes his place.Despite a career-best 168 from Steven Mullaney, who was 63 not out overnight, and a partnership of 222 between the opener and Alex Hales, Nottinghamshire had not fulfilled their objective of batting Kent out of the game, losing their last wickets for 41.They fell short even of maximum batting points, which felt almost like a formality earlier in the day when Hales and Mullaney, having come through a tough pink ball baptism on the first evening, plundered runs under the pale sky of the second afternoon.Mullaney, one half of the key partnership in the historic win over Essex that booked Nottinghamshire’s place at Lord’s, completed the 12th first-class century of his career, punching the air as he might after a bout of nausea almost forced him to leave the field in the early part of his innings on Monday.Jake Ball limped off – and that will worry England•Getty Images

Once something of a bit-part player among stars at Trent Bridge, Mullaney has become a key figure in all formats. Always an all-round asset in the one-day sides, he has found his niche at the top of the order in the four-day side, and a useful partnership-breaking bowler to boot. Well respected in the dressing room, he led the side in Chris Read’s absence last season and looks a natural choice to take on the captaincy in his own right when Read retires at the end of the season.As a batsman, he may lack the flair and natural timing of Samit Patel, with whom he shared that epic stand at Chelmsford, and he does not dominate in the way Hales sometimes does. Yet he has the temperament to concentrate for long periods and packs a punch when the moment arrives to up the tempo.He and Hales were together for 47.5 overs for the fourth wicket before Hales was caught on the rope attempting a second six straight off Joe Denly’s leg spin, missing out by 15 on what appeared to be a certain hundred.The innings lost some of its impetus after Hales. Riki Wessels was unusually subdued and Mullaney went an hour without scoring a boundary before a couple in quick succession off Adam Milne eased the pressure.He passed his previous best, 166 against Somerset here last year, with a six off Will Gidman and the applause that accompanied his return to the pavilion, caught behind off Matt Coles, was a measure of his popularity. He acknowledged it properly, too, raising his bat to all corners of the ground.Kent’s bowlers have to be commended for the way they maintained their discipline and in denying Nottinghamshire their full complement of points they might consider they scored a minor triumph.Yet, the possibly unwelcome consequence of this was that it was their batsman who were exposed to the day-into-night phase. After Bell-Drummond, Denly edged a fine, swinging ball from Fletcher to be caught behind before Harry Gurney struck twice, Sam Northeast following a ball outside off-stump to be caught behind, Sean Dickson edging to Brendan Taylor at third slip.July 28, 11.36am – This story was updated with news of Ball’s knee scan

Sandeep Sharma has said he likes to stick to his plans and does not worry too much about leaking runs in the death overs

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Apr-2017Kings XI Punjab’s Sandeep Sharma has been backing his strength to swing the new ball to achieve success against top batsmen in the IPL. Sandeep, who opens the bowling for Kings XI, said after their eight-wicket win against Royal Challengers Bangalore that his thinking is to stick to his plans and not worry about getting hit.”I am backing my strength which is to swing the ball,” Sandeep told . “I have discussed and worked with Virender Sehwag regarding field placements. He has helped me and talked to me about what the placements should be with the new ball, since only two fielders are allowed outside the circle, and how to use them effectively. I am doing that, and so far it has been working well.”I had spoken about my plans in the team meeting as well as with Viru paaji. The thing is most batsmen struggle against swing; so he told me to back my strength which is swinging the ball.”Sandeep opened the bowling with Axar Patel on Monday and bowled a stifling first spell of 3-0-7-1 during which he dismissed Vishnu Vinod for 7. Once Axar dismissed Shane Watson in the first over, AB de Villiers was the only batsman to collect a boundary in Sandeep’s opening spell in which the medium-pacer bowled 14 dot balls. Sandeep revealed how they had planned for Watson’s wicket and said getting some backing from the team management helped him.”I was to bowl my heart out and not think about getting hit,” he said. “Also, I was told never to think about losing my place in the side or being asked to sit out [if I went for runs]. Viru paaji backs [his players] a lot.”We had our plans. Watson doesn’t play too well against left-arm spinners; so [Glenn] Maxwell thought that we could give the first over to Axar and it was good that he got us the wicket.”Kings XI included four frontline pace-bowling options against Royal Challengers with an additional option of allrounder Marcus Stoinis. Even though they restricted the flow of runs by reducing Royal Challengers to 22 for 3 in the early overs, de Villiers’ return to the side with an unbeaten 89 off 46 balls helped them post 148 for 4. De Villiers struck sixes in each of the last five overs and was particularly harsh against Sandeep in the 19th over, scoring 18 from the five balls he faced.”I am not too worried about the death overs; even today the way I bowled, I was executing what I was thinking and planning,” Sandeep said. “AB de Villiers is one of the best batsmen in the world and he even hit some of my good balls. It’s okay. I am executing what I am thinking about. On a different day, against a different batsman, things might be different.”We had made our plans for him. We tried to execute our plans, but he scored against us. He is one of my favourite batsmen, so I am happy for him also.”Sandeep has taken three wickets so far in two matches, conceding 59 runs in his eight overs at an economy rate of 7.37, the best among the Kings XI pacers who have played both their matches.

George Dockrell, the Ireland left-arm spinner, has been named the ICC Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Sep-2012George Dockrell, the Ireland left-arm spinner, has been named the ICC Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year. He was chosen ahead of three of his team-mates Paul Stirling, Kevin O’Brien and Ed Joyce, and Afghanistan bowler Dawlat Zadran.Dockrell, 20, was the leading wicket-taker in the voting period – between 4 August 2011 and 6 August 2012 – taking 43 scalps in ODIs, T20Is and the Intercontinental Cup, the ICC’s four-day tournament for top Associate and Affiliate sides. Dockrell plays county cricket for Somerset, captained Ireland recently in the Under-19 World Cup, and took 14 wickets in T20 internationals, the most by any bowler in world cricket during the voting period.”It’s great to win such an award and especially to be following the footsteps of an esteemed group of players like William Porterfield and Ryan ten Doeschate, and only at the age of 20, I feel very honoured,” Dockrell said after receiving the award in Colombo. “It has been a great year of cricket with I-Cup, U-19s and WCL Championship, and now the WT20, and I’ve been learning a lot to take into this tournament.”It’s good to be setting high standards, and hopefully I will keep performing well for Ireland in the future.”Dockrell became the second Irishman to win the prize, after Porterfield in 2009.

David Warner and Steven Smith have been named as part-time scholars for the 2010 Centre of Excellence intake in Brisbane

Cricinfo staff05-Mar-2010David Warner and Steven Smith are two of Australia’s brightest international hopes but they are being sent back to school this winter by the national selectors. Warner and Smith, who are both in the Twenty20 side, have been named as part-time scholars for the 2010 Centre of Excellence intake in Brisbane.Warner, who was sent home from the Academy in 2007, has played seven ODIs and 13 Twenty20s while Smith made his debuts in both formats this summer. Jason Krejza, the two-Test offspinner, Moises Henriques and Jon Holland are other players who have been chosen in Australian squads to be included in the 11-man part-time unit. They will spend four weeks in Brisbane and be available for the Academy’s matches.The 14 full scholars include a group of fast bowlers who have already made marks with their states and John Hastings, the impressive Victoria allrounder. Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, Luke Feldman and Ben Cutting have caused trouble on the domestic scene this summer while the batsman Luke Pomersbach’s rehabilitation from a drink-driving incident continues after he was given a spot.”I’m excited about this group, which has a good mix of under-19 young guns and experienced players with first-class experience,” the head coach Greg Chappell said. “The lists highlight the depth of talent in Australia and shows that the next generation of Australian cricket is in good hands.” The full scholars will complete an 18-week programme that includes the Emerging Players Tournament and a training camp in India.Centre of Excellence 2010 squad Nic Maddinson (NSW), Jason Floros (Qld), Luke Pomersbach (WA), Nicholas Buchanan (Qld), Mitchell Starc (NSW), James Pattinson (Vic), Nathan Coulter-Nile (WA), John Hastings (Vic), Luke Feldman (Qld), Ben Cutting (Qld), Nathan Brain (NSW), Glenn Maxwell (Vic), Ryan Carters (Vic), Ben Dunk (Qld).

Part-time scholars Usman Khawaja (NSW), Moises Henriques (NSW), David Warner (NSW), Steven Smith (NSW), Jason Krejza (Tas), Mitchell Marsh (WA), Josh Hazlewood (NSW), Jon Holland (Vic), Peter George (SA), James Faulkner (Tas), Alister McDermott (Qld).

Development scholars Alex Keath (Vic), Sean Abbott (NSW), Luke Doran (NSW), Adam Zampa (NSW).

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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“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.”