All posts by h716a5.icu

Somerset’s slim hopes of a quarter-final berth were extinguished by a powerful Kent display

Ryan Bailey18-Jul-2014
ScorecardSam Northeast swung to good effect for Kent•Getty ImagesIt is no coincidence that Somerset’s period as a regular contender for T20 titles was underpinned by the belligerence of Marcus Trescothick up-front. Accordingly, it is hardly surprising that in a season in which their captain has struggled to find any semblance of form, his side have failed to qualify for the knock-out stages of the T20 Blast for the first time in six years.Much like the cataclysmic storm that descended on the south coast, Somerset’s hopes of staging a late charge for the quarter-finals were blown asunder, not by the weather – they were already down and out by that stage – but by a Kent side playing with far fewer inhibitions.In the end, the intervention of the weather was probably a welcome one for the visitors who had plunged to 59 for 5 in pursuit of Kent’s fifth highest total of 195 for 7 in the shortest-format. By the time the umpires ordered the floodlights to be switched off and lowered in the interest of safety, the lights had gone out on Somerset’s limp effort.As he undertook the wicketkeeping duties once again, Trescothick was in prime position to watch another peerless display from Rob Key, whose half-century was the foundation of the hosts’ innings. They are batsmen of the same generation, if not the same ilk but while Key is regarded as a more restrained operator during the twilight years of his career, he has struck a formula in the short-form that Trescothick may take notice of.Trescothick’s average of 5.50 in the T20 Blast is made even more perplexing by a masterly return to form in the Championship. True, Trescothick was unfortunate to clip Ben Harmison to short fine-leg where Daniel Bell-Drummond took a smart catch, high to his right, but it is often said you make your own luck. Key certainly did.Key played with fewer worries. His side’s interest in the competition ended on the back of a six game winless run that sabotaged a promising start and he is rarely considered as a short-form virtuoso in the same way as Trescothick. Yet, his understated approach has been as effective as anything up-front in the Blast this season.An innings that contained four sixes – all of which came from Key shuffling across his steps and utilising Canterbury’s slope towards the car park – broke the back of Somerset. He, alongside Sam Northeast, had the hosts motoring despite losing Bell-Drummond first ball of the match to Dirk Nannes. That was as good as it got for Somerset though.Lewis Gregory, playing in place of the injured Nick Compton, tamely chipped Darren Stevens to mid-on, Peter Trego was undone by one that nipped back down the hill and both James Hildreth and Chris Jones followed in equally docile fashion, for nought. Stevens finished with 4 for 17 including a double wicket maiden.His fireworks with the bat have rarely been required this campaign though. Kent’s fledging batsmen – along with Key – has given them cause for optimism and there was further evidence here that had they not been hit by injuries to their bowling resources, they could and probably should have been challenging for a quarter-final berth.As it was, playing without the pressures that a must-win game brings, they could loosen the shackles and entertain the crowd. Northeast enjoyed his fair share of luck but his stay bookended two drops – one guilt-edged chance by Colin Ingram in the slips which split his webbing – with an array of powerful blows and astute flicks. In putting on 131 with Key for the second wicket, they poured cold water on Somerset’s hopes of a revival.With a first T20 century well within his sights, Key’s dismissal was wholly atypical of what had gone before. Indeed, his lackadaisical approach led to his downfall as a lazy effort in sliding his bat into the crease saw him found wanting when Tim Groenewald exhibited his footballing skills to dislodge the bails.It mattered little, however, as the damage had already been inflicted on Somerset’s campaign and that was before the storm had arrived.

A coveted top-two spot seemed certain for Chennai Super Kings a week ago, but now they are being made to fight for it

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran23-May-20142:52

Guha: Super Kings would want to regain momentum

Match factsSaturday, May 24, 2014
Start time 1600 local (1030 GMT)Chris Gayle gets one last chance to entertain Royal Challengers’ home crowd, who have had little to cheer all season•BCCIBig PictureWhen the two teams met the previous weekend, Chennai Super Kings seemed a well-oiled machine, dropping only two matches against the red-hot Kings XI Punjab in their first ten of the season to be gliding towards a top-two spot. Now, like a distance runner who began sprinting too early in the race, Super Kings are flagging as the finish line nears and three losses in a row have allowed Kolkata Knight Riders to catch up.That top-two spot is no more a foregone conclusion, and the bowling hasn’t been top notch in recent times, but it’s not all gloom. They are still guaranteed a playoff place, their mighty batting still scares most oppositions, and their final game is against the already eliminated Royal Challengers Bangalore.For the third season in a row, Royal Challengers have come up short, failing to make the playoffs. “I am sad and apologise to all amazing RCB fans for the teams poor performance in this IPL. It is heartbreaking that the star line-up failed,” their owner Vijay Mallya tweeted. Perhaps the one thing of interest for Royal Challengers fans is that the team will switch from its regular red-and-yellow outfit to a green jersey for this game as part of the franchise’s ‘Go green’ drive.Form guideRoyal Challengers Bangalore: LLWWL (completed games, most recent first)
Chennai Super Kings: LLLWWWhere they standRoyal Challengers Bangalore: Seventh, with 10 points after 13 matches
Chennai Super Kings: Second, with 16 points after 13 matchesPrevious encounterIn a low-scoring encounter on a ragged spinning track in Ranchi, an AB de Villiers cameo tilted the match Royal Challengers’ way when the two teams met last weekend.Watch out forOne of the troublesome spots for Super Kings has been the quick-bowling partner for Mohit Sharma. The regular has been Ishwar Pandey, who has been tidy but has only five wickets in 11 matches. The other fast bowler they have turned to often is Australia’s Ben Hilfenhaus, who has been expensive in his eight games. John Hastings was unimpressive in his first outing on Thursday, while Ashish Nehra also has had only one game. The other options they have are New Zealand’s Matt Henry and Karnataka’s Ronit More.Royal Challengers could experiment with their XI in a game of little consequence. There have a fairly small squad (21 players), but they still haven’t given a game to some of their lower-profile players. If the likes of Shadab Jakati and Sandeep Warrier aren’t given a go in this match, then when?Stats and trivia Mitchell Starc needs two more scalps to reach 100 Twenty20 wickets. If he gets there on Saturday, he will be the joint-second quickest to get there, in 66 innings, only behind Krishmar Santokie who needed only 54. Only two batsmen have more not-out innings than Dhoni’s 60 (out of 164) in T20 cricket – Kieron Pollard (61 in 205) and Albie Morkel (76 in 214)

After a dramatic last 16, who of the remaining eight sides is most likely to go on and lift the European Cup in Paris?

After just over two months away, the Champions League returned in style, with the last 16 throwing up plenty of talking points and surprises as Europe's elite continue to battle for the greatest prize the continent has to offer.

Defending champions Chelsea remain alive and are joined in the quarter-finals by some of the best teams European football has ever seen, though Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Ajax all fell in the first knockout round.

So, who are the favourites to lift the trophy following the draws for the latter stages, and which teams are set for continental disappointment?

GOAL'sChampions League Power Rankings are here to lay it all out…

Getty Images8Benfica | Last time: 8th

Regardless of who Benfica drew, they were always going to be considered as outsiders for the competition, but they could barely have asked for a more difficult tie than facing Liverpool.

In Darwin Nunez, the Portuguese side possess one of Europe's most in-form attackers, but the Uruguay international will have to produce something special if his team are to make it into the final four.

AdvertisementGetty Images7Villarreal | Last time: 7th

After knocking out Juventus in emphatic fashion in the last 16, Villarreal will fear no one going forward, but a quarter-final tie with Bayern Munich will be far from straightforward.

The Europa League champions have shown they have what it takes to win knockout ties in continental competition, but it feels like taking down the Bundesliga giants might be a step too far for Unai Emery's men.

Getty Images6Atletico Madrid | Last time: 6th

Undoubtedly the weakest side in their half of the draw, Atletico Madrid will have to be at their very best to go all the way to the final, knowing they will have to beat Manchester City and either Chelsea or Real Madrid to do so.

That said, if any team can cause an upset in the competition, it is the one managed by Diego Simeone, and they will not make life easy for City in the quarter-finals as they look to complete a Manchester double in this season's competition.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images5Chelsea | Last time: 5th

Chelsea will take confidence from the fact that they beat Real Madrid in the semi-finals of last season's tournament when they face off again in this year's quarters, but there is no doubt that the circumstances are different.

Not only are Madrid a much better side now than they were then, they could yet have the advantage of getting to play their home leg in front of fans while Chelsea are forced to play behind closed doors at Stamford Bridge amid their ongoing ownership issues.

Between two closely-matched sides, that could make all the difference.

Former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis has been appointed national coach for a period of two years. He will join the team in June

Umar Farooq06-May-20149:10

No problem working with Afridi – Waqar

Former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis has been appointed national coach for a period of two years. He will join the team in June, having previously served as bowling coach of the Pakistan side in 2006-07 and briefly in 2009, and as head coach in 2010-11.”I am extremely pleased to have been selected as the head coach,” Waqar said. “My immediate aim would be to prepare the team for the upcoming busy cricket season including the next year’s ICC Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.”A committee comprising Intikhab Alam (director domestic cricket operations), Haroon Rashid (director game development) and Moin Khan (chief selector) met today in Lahore to review the applicants for the coaching job and “unanimously” recommended Waqar, a choice that was endorsed by the PCB chairman.After Dav Whatmore’s contract with Pakistan ended in February, Moin, who had been the team manager, was named coach and was in charge until the World Twenty20 in April, when the same PCB administration under Najam Sethi that had appointed him, gave him the dual roles of team manager and chief selector of the national team.Waqar had previously quit as Pakistan coach reportedly because of personal reasons, but his differences with former captain Shahid Afridi were a factor during Ijaz Butt’s term as PCB chairman. When asked last week if he was okay with working with Afridi, Waqar said: “Pakistan cricket is like my family and differences aren’t the end of life, so things get better. I am here to serve cricket and want to return what I have learned from my playing career.”During Waqar’s previous stint as Pakistan coach between March 2010 and August 2011, Pakistan endured several off-field controversies – the spot-fixing scandal in England and Zulqarnain Haider fleeing to the UK mid-way through a tour – but their performances were satisfactory. They drew a Test series against South Africa, won one in New Zealand and reached the semi-finals of the 2011 World Cup. After his term came to an end, Waqar applied for the Australia job but did not make it past an interview with Cricket Australia.

Alexei Kervezee’s 110 and 99 from Moeen Ali put Worcestershire well on top at stumps on day three of their Championship clash with Derbyshire at New Road

Press Association29-Apr-2014
ScorecardAlexei Kervezee’s hundred gave Worcestershire control (file photo)•PA PhotosAlexei Kervezee’s 110 and 99 from Moeen Ali put Worcestershire well on top at stumps on day three of their Championship clash with Derbyshire at New Road. Former Netherlands international Kervezee reached his ton off 132 balls and helped the hosts, responding to Derbyshire’s below-par first innings total of 219, reach a hefty 432 for 9 at close.Resuming on 31 without loss, openers Daryl Mitchell and Matthew Pardoe put on 72 for the first wicket before the Derbyshire attack had belated success when Mitchell was caught by Dan Hodgson off David Wainwright for 26. On a frustrating day in the field, spinner Wainwright was the pick of the Derbyshire attack as he finished with 3 for 102 off his 28 overs.Pardoe followed seven overs later, one run short of his half-century, and the visitors scented a change in fortune when Tom Kohler-Cadmore fell lbw to Tony Palladino for 11. But those hopes were extinguished by a fine fourth-wicket stand of 78 between Ali and Kervezee before Ali met Wes Durston’s offspin with a back-foot shot straight at Tim Groenewald just before tea.Kervezee battled on to make his century before he was caught by Wayne Madsen off Mark Footitt to leave Worcestershire on 388 for 7. Jack Shantry’s departure from the next ball left Footitt on a hat-trick, but Footitt would have to wait two more overs for his third wicket of the innings when he had Saeed Ajmal caught by Chesney Hughes for 1.At the close, Gareth Andrew was providing sterling resistance on an unbeaten 71 with last man Charles Morris 13 not out as Worcestershire carved out a lead of 213.

The West Indies Cricket Board has said it expects its revenue to rise by “at least 100%” over the next eight years if the “key principles” of the draft proposal on the ICC’s revenue sharing are voted in

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2014The West Indies Cricket Board has said it expects its revenue to rise by “at least 100%” over the next eight years if the “key principles” of the draft proposal on the ICC’s revenue sharing are voted in.The board issued a statement in support of the “key principles” put forward on day one of the ICC executive board meeting in Dubai, saying it had engaged in “extensive discussions” before concluding that several of the key principles could be beneficial to West Indies cricket.”After extensive discussions and careful consideration the West Indies Cricket Board joined with all other Full Members of the ICC in providing support for key principles relating to the future structure, governance and financial models of the ICC,” the release said.The release listed the benefits the proposals could have for the game in the Caribbean, including the projected monetary benefits. “Based on new proposed system of ICC revenue sharing for the upcoming eight year cycle (2015-2023) WICB projects to receive at least 100% increase on the previous eight year cycle (2006-2014),” the release said.The annual Test Match Fund, which is to support Full Members other than India, England and Australia, will “allow the WICB a financial buffer in the hosting of Test cricket against unprofitable teams”, the release said.Also, bilateral playing agreements, as opposed to the FTP, would mean West Indies “will not be bound” to host those unprofitable tours, it said. “West Indies will have an opportunity, through bilateral agreements, to increase the number of matches and series (Tests, ODIs and T20Is) played annually by the West Indies men’s team against higher ranked opposition and against teams, which are profitable to the WICB. These will include matches and series both in the West Indies and overseas.”Moreover, the BCCI, ECB and Cricket Australia “have all committed” to increased tours to the Caribbean over the next eight years, in addition to the current tours slotted into the FTP, the board said.West Indies will not be affected by the originally proposed two-tier Test system, it said, since they are currently ranked seven on the ICC ratings; while the team is just a five points clear of eighth-placed New Zealand at present, there is a big gulf between eight and nine – Zimbabwe, at nine, are 53 points adrift of West Indies.Also, the key principles on governance, the WICB said, will not have any negative effect on the board since its members are “not in any way excluded from membership or chairmanship of any committee of the ICC”. They will remain eligible to be elected to the presidency, vice-presidency and chairmanship of the ICC, and chairmanship of the proposed ExCo and Financial & Commercial Affairs committees.Following discussions in Dubai on Tuesday, the ICC board settled for a period of consultation between boards and discussion over a set of principles, which, if approved, will grant the BCCI, the ECB and Cricket Australia a bigger share of cricket’s global revenues and a bigger control of the game’s governance. The matter was not put to vote, with four cricket boards – Cricket South Africa, Sri Lanka Cricket, Bangladesh Cricket Board and Pakistan Cricket Board – showing opposition towards such a revamp. New Zealand Cricket, on the other hand, had earlier stated that it was not worried by the proposed changes.The WICB had refrained from commenting on the draft proposal earlier, the release said, since it had wanted to “engage in discussions with fellow Full Members and receive a more detailed and thorough presentation at the ongoing ICC meeting” before reacting.

Graeme Smith will be focusing on the memories of scoring match-winning hundreds against Mitchell Johnson and Australia rather than previous dismissals and broken bones

Firdose Moonda in Port Elizabeth19-Feb-2014Graeme Smith could spend the next 12 hours hearing the crack the bones in his hand made when Mitchell Johnson broke it and wonder when he will have to hear that sound again. But he’d rather spend it thinking about the twin cuts he smacked off Johnson in Perth in December 2008, which took him to his century and set up South Africa’s win. Or about the quiet off-side single he took in Cape Town in 2011 after hammering Johnson for four earlier in the over, which gave him another century in another match South Africa won.The score, as it stands, is level. Johnson has broken Smith’s hand twice in matches in which Australia have defeated South Africa. And Smith has scored two hundreds against an Australia attack featuring Johnson, both times taking his milestone runs off the left-armer and both times in matches where South Africa triumphed. It is those he is going to remember in the lead up to the second Test.”I can go and watch some videos of scoring hundreds against Mitchell, which I’ve done,” Smith said, when asked whether he will do anything specific to prepare for his next encounter with Johnson. And he has asked the rest of his line-up to do the same. “I think every player here has had success against this attack and not so long ago. It’s important not to get caught up in the hype.”Obviously Mitchell has bowled extremely well and bowled aggressively, and we all know that creates headlines, creates stories, creates fanfare. There’s a huge amount of respect in our team for someone who is performing well. But it’s important not to get caught up in that. We’ve had a general group discussion on areas where we want to improve. We haven’t watched any more video or anything different than what we would have done before the first Test. Our mindsets and our gameplans are good. Ultimately it’s about walking the walk now.”Smith’s level-headed approach may smack of someone simply trying to put on a brave face but it has its roots in a good point. Johnson has played 10 Tests against South Africa and taken 54 wickets at a better average (25.66) than his overall one (27.50), which is evidence he has something over them. But there is nothing else that conclusively proves that Johnson has a stranglehold over South Africa.Tale of the tape

Smith’s average v Johnson in Tests is 27.14: 190 runs in 245 balls, 7 dismissals. In South Africa he averages 22 (88 runs, four outs), in Australia 34 (102 runs, three outs)

Johnson has dismissed Smith seven times in Tests, equal with Zaheer Khan. Only Chris Martin (eight) has dismissed him more often

The 10 matches he has featured in against South Africa are split straight down the middle, with Australia’s winning five and South Africa the other five. That means South Africa have as many good memories of playing against Johnson as they do bad ones, which is why Smith does not want to overplay the Johnson factor.He also doesn’t want to place too much emphasis on Australia being some sort of nemesis for South Africa. Given that they have not beaten them in a series at home since readmission, it is clear South Africa do have an extra bone to pick with Australia but Smith does not want them labelled as South Africa’s toughest opposition.He claims they have had to come back against equally daunting teams in the past, most recently in the UAE. “Obviously Australia are playing really well at the moment – they’re hot and they’re in form which is always a challenge,” he said. “But Pakistan in the UAE – going one-nil down there and being able to bounce back in conditions that South African teams have generally found tough was also a challenge.”Then, South Africa’s line-up also struggled against a left-armer in the uber-tall Mohammed Irfan before Zulfiqur Babar and Saeed Ajmal outspun them. Although the margin of defeat in Abu Dhabi was a hefty seven wickets, South Africa were already clawing their way back by the second innings of that match. They nipped out three quick wickets in the Pakistan chase to show signs of improvement ahead of their series-levelling win in Dubai.This time, they are dealing with something different. Johnson delivered a knockout blow in the first innings with his 7 for 68 and South Africa were still dazed in the second. He took another five. AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla are the only two batsmen who seem to be able to deal with him. The rest played shots they would rather forget, which led one Australian journalist to ask whether there was some credibility on the line for South Africa’s batsmen going into this match.Smith brushed it off as an overreaction, the same way he has with most things in the last few days. “One dismissal doesn’t make you lose credibility,” he said. “Anyway, I’ve made a career out of looking ugly.”The South Africa captain will think about that, too, before the first ball is bowled at St George’s Park tomorrow. He has turned the ungainly mow into a shot that can win Test matches and he will need it more than ever over the next five days.

Callum Ferguson, Aaron Finch, Adam Voges and Steve O’Keefe are among the players who will face England in a four-day match in Sydney this week as part of a Cricket Australia Invitational XI

Brydon Coverdale10-Nov-2013Callum Ferguson, Aaron Finch, Adam Voges and Steve O’Keefe are among the players who will face England in a four-day match in Sydney this week as part of a Cricket Australia Invitational XI. As they did for the Australia A squad that played in Hobart last week, the selectors have picked a strong batting line-up featuring several players who could come into international contention soon, but a weakened bowling attack.Ferguson is the only member of that Australia A side who will play in this week’s match, as the severely rain-affected game in Hobart allowed him only 23 balls at the crease for an unbeaten 15. Phillip Hughes was originally meant to be part of the Cricket Australia Invitational XI but instead has been released to play for South Australia, to make way for his state team-mate Ferguson to have some more time in the middle against England.Usman Khawaja, who the selectors had also intended to play against England in Sydney this week, has also been released to play for Queensland, due to their growing injury list. Khawaja will play for the Bulls against New South Wales in Brisbane, while Hughes will play for the Redbacks in Adelaide against Western Australia, in a round of Shield matches that begin on Wednesday, the same day as the England tour game.”In selecting the final XI, we have tried to be flexible given the needs of particular states and individual players following the latest round of first-class matches across the country,” Cricket Australia’s general manager of team performance, Pat Howard, said. “We recognise the injury situation in Queensland, so it is appropriate to release Usman Khawaja from this tour match to support his state.”We have also taken the view that due to the rain-affected match in Hobart, Callum Ferguson didn’t get the depth of international exposure we hoped to give him through his Australia A selection. Through consultation with the SACA, we felt it made sense to select him in the next tour match against England. In light of Callum’s selection, Phil Hughes, who has played a lot of international cricket in recent months will remain with South Australia for its next Shield match.”The invitational side will be captained by the New South Wales wicketkeeper Peter Nevill and will feature mostly New South Wales players, with only Voges, Ferguson, Finch and Ed Cowan coming from interstate sides. Although none of the batsmen are expected to be in contention for the first Ashes Test, they are all close enough to the fringes to hope that a big score against England might help them move closer to a call-up.Ben Rohrer and Ryan Carters round out the batting line-up, while the bowling attack will be made up of O’Keefe and fringe Blues fast men Josh Lalor, Chris Tremain and Nic Bills. Geoff Lawson will coach the side for the four-day encounter at the SCG, which is England’s last practice match before the first Test begins at the Gabba on November 21.Cricket Australia Invitational XI Ed Cowan, Aaron Finch, Callum Ferguson, Adam Voges, Ben Rohrer, Ryan Carters, Peter Nevill (capt, wk), Steve O’Keefe, Josh Lalor, Chris Tremain, Nic Bills.

Mitchell Johnson will ask Australia’s captain Steven Smith and coach Darren Lehmann for shorter spells akin to those he fired down at England last summer

Daniel Brettig in Sydney02-Jan-2015Mitchell Johnson will ask Australia’s captain Steven Smith and coach Darren Lehmann for shorter spells akin to those he fired down at England last summer, after admitting he has throttled back his pace due to the longer stints asked of him against India.Save for an influential spell on the final morning of the Gabba Test, Johnson’s returns have trailed off this summer, while his pace has also been down by around 10km/h on what England and South Africa were subjected to. Key to this high speed were the short bursts of around three overs that Michael Clarke kept Johnson fresh for.However there have been numerous longer spells this season, something Johnson has responded to by reducing his pace in an effort to maintain his energy levels. In a frank admission, Johnson said he wanted to get back to the way he was used by Clarke, and intends to take it up with Smith and Lehmann.”I’ve been bowling longer spells,” Johnson said. “That’s been at the back of my mind where I know I’m going to be bowling four, five, six over spells that I can’t be flat out every ball. It has dropped off a little bit. It’s been a big 15 months as well so it’s tough cricket.”We go out there day in and day out and we work really hard and to be able to bowl 150 every game I’d be dreaming if I could do that. But I’d like to be going back to bowling shorter spells again. Hopefully I can do that in this Test. At the moment I’m just doing what the team needs me to do and that’s bowling those longer spells.”I’ll speak to Steve Smith and Darren Lehmann and see if we can go back to those three over sharp spells because I think that worked really well for us in the past. But that’s just me speaking. They might want me to bowl those longer spells again. Be happier with me bowling an average of me bowling 140 again, and occasionally get it up there as well.”There are several reasons why Smith and Lehmann have been using Johnson differently this summer. Chief among them is that the pitches for the India Tests have been by and large more amenable to batsmen than they were for England, lacking the sort of pace and bounce that promotes batting collapses. But the dropping of Peter Siddle and the need to take care of Ryan Harris’ creaking body have also been factors leading to Johnson being called upon for more draining shifts at the bowling crease.”You like a wicket to break up, that’s what you expect from a five-day wicket. And it looked like a three-day wicket by the end of it,” Johnson said of Melbourne’s seemingly indestructible surface. “And it happened in Adelaide as well, obviously just had the footmarks there which was helpful for Nathan Lyon, but the middle of the wicket, it’s a little bit disappointing.”We played over there [in India] and lost four-nil on some pretty ordinary wickets, I thought, and we were hoping for them to come over here and play on some good, bouncy wickets. I even thought the Gabba wasn’t the normal Gabba. A bit of bounce there but it just wasn’t the same. Wickets have been suited for the batters more than anything I think.”Johnson can be expected to have an extended break during the early part of the triangular ODI series that follows the Sydney Test, before resuming ahead of the World Cup. He said some time away would be needed by all the fast bowlers, not just him, once the SCG match has run its course.”Definitely, all us bowlers feel like we need to have a bit of a freshen up,” Johnson said. “So we’ll just see what happens after this match here. And then we’ve got some tri-series one-dayers, so hopefully I can get a bit of a break at some stage there. If not, I’ve just got to go out there and keep trying to do the best I can.”We’ve just seen that in the last little period, bowlers have been getting a break. I had a break after one-dayers in Perth earlier, which was to freshen me up, and that was really helpful.”One major contributor to the drain of the summer has been the emotional and mental toll of losing Phillip Hughes. Johnson said the team had come a long way since the last time they sat together in the SCG dressing room, when discussing how it would be possible to come back and play cricket at all following Hughes’ death at the ground.”We all didn’t know how we were going to go out there and play, and we weren’t sure if we had enough time and all that stuff and too close to go out there and play again,” Johnson said. “But everyone is sticking together. I remember the first fielding session we had we had a bit of fun, did a bit of dancing, [strength and conditioning coach] Damian Mednis made us do a dance and stuff when he stopped the music or whatever it was. He got us together and we really enjoyed each other’s company.”[The SCG is] going to be difficult for a lot of guys, but the guys who were out there [when Hughes was hit] it’s going to be very tough for them, but everyone has handled it very well and in their own ways, they’ve done it very well. So we’ve been really happy to get a result that we have against India after the passing of Phil and we haven’t been at the SCG yet so we don’t know how everyone’s going to feel.”I don’t know how it’s going to be like afterwards. I guess it will probably be hard, you’ll be able to sit down and think about things. You still find it difficult when you see little tributes around. It still brings a tear to the eye, so it’s been emotional for everyone but I think everyone sticking together has been the best thing.”

Australia’s No. 3 batsman Shane Watson freely admits he will need to carry a far greater burden in Adelaide, both as a top order runmaker and also a change bowler, on what is shaping to be an exceedingly dry and unhelpful surface for the fast men

Daniel Brettig in Adelaide03-Dec-2013Australia’s No. 3 batsman Shane Watson freely admits he will need to carry a far greater burden in Adelaide, both as a top-order run-maker and also a change bowler, on what is shaping to be an exceedingly dry and unhelpful surface for the fast men.Watson struggled to bat with his usual presence in Brisbane, an understandable problem for a batsman who had not made a first-class appearance since the fifth Test of the previous Ashes series in England. But he said there was now no excuse for him to be a peripheral player as the hosts attempt to take a stranglehold on the series by going 2-0 up in as many matches.”Going into the Test match in Brisbane, I had a week or so to be able to build up my Test-match batting and my mental capacity, so that was certainly my biggest challenge,” he said. “I’m going to be in a better place now. I wasn’t able to concentrate for a long enough period of time to be able to bat what I need to in a Test match. It was unfortunate that I wasn’t able to adapt my game quick enough with not playing any four-day cricket or domestic cricket in the lead-up. That’s part of being in international cricket. You have to adapt as quickly as you can, so hopefully I can do that in this Test match straight away.”The other concern for Watson in Brisbane surrounded his recovery from a hamstring strain that had left his status as a bowler in doubt. Ultimately the telling spells of Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and Nathan Lyon allowed Watson the luxury of bowling only two overs for the match, but he agreed far more would be expected on Adelaide’s drop-in pitch, which the ground staff have dried noticeably to attempt to recreate the ground’s traditional five-day deterioration.”It’s going to be a really important part – the amount of bowling I can do to help out our quicks,” Watson said. “If it’s what we think it’s going to be, the wicket will be flat and the bowlers will potentially have to bowl many more overs compared to Brisbane to bowl the English out. That’s a really important role, especially with back-to-back Test matches and how important it is for our quicks to be able to get through this Test, bowl well and pull up well.”We certainly know we’ve got the bowlers to be able to exploit that Perth wicket, so I know how important it is for me to pick up the slack. The bowlers certainly looked after me physically in the first Test, they bowled beautifully well and I wasn’t really called on to bowl, but I know this is my turn to be able to put my hand up and bowl the overs to look after those guys as well.”Australia find themselves in an unfamiliar perch, leading an Ashes series for the first time since 2006. Add to this the fact that they have followed each of their past two Test match wins over England in 2009 and 2010 with immediate defeat int he next match, and Watson acknowledged the challenge of keeping the team level-headed and focused on the task at hand.”It is a different situation to be in, there’s no doubt,” Watson said. “The last three series we’ve played in, whether it’s been England holding on for a draw or winning the first Test, certainly we come in at a different perspective going into the second game. But we know how important it’s going to be to start really well and keep the momentum going. We know how quickly it can change and how quickly the series can change if we don’t give it everything we’ve got and be totally switched on from ball one.”It’s certainly a nice position to be in compared to the last three series I’ve been involved in but I know how quickly it can change. The English don’t like losing, they haven’t lost very often, especially to us, over the last three series so they certainly will be coming together to go whatever they can to get back into the series.”Pivotal to Australia’s pursuit of another win will be the fitness of Michael Clarke, and Watson said the captain would be fine to train on match eve after resting a rolled ankle two days out from the Test. “It was more precautionary today,” he said. “Michael batted beautifully in the first Test, so his preparation was always going to be very good anyway. I know the medical staff is very confident that it was just giving him a break today, and he’ll be training flat out tomorrow ready to go for the Test.”