All posts by h716a5.icu

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.”

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.

Sri Lanka Cricket has begun a campaign to stamp out bowlers with illegal actions from the domestic game

Sa'adi Thawfeeq24-Aug-2014Sri Lanka Cricket has begun a campaign to stamp out bowlers with illegal actions from the domestic game. The drive, which includes schools, started a month ago and has brought encouraging results.Umpires officiating in the ongoing Under-23 division I and 2 tournament were asked to report bowlers with suspect actions. Around 20-25 bowlers have been reported till date, the majority of them offspinners.”This has been an ongoing issue with our cricket and we are now taking radical steps to eradicate this menace which is like a cancer spreading to all corners of the country,” SLC umpires educator Tyron Wijewardene said. “Since we started to crack down on illegal bowling from last month there have been encouraging signs. Bowlers who have been reported once or called during a match have shown a big improvement.”The procedure for reporting of a bowler in Sri Lanka is slightly different to that of the ICC. “If a bowler is reported twice in succession he will be banned from bowling and referred to the SLC coaching department for remedial action,” Wijewardene said. “Similarly if a bowler is called for chucking on three occasions in a match he will not be able to bowl until he is cleared by the coaching department.”The coaching department is headed by Jerome Jayaratne, a former fast bowler, and also has former Sri Lanka spinner Piyal Wijetunge supported by district coaches.After a bowler is reported by the umpires and match referee, a copy of the report is handed either to the bowler or the team manager at the end of the match. The match referee’s copy is sent to Wijewardene who subsequently updates what is called ‘the Grid’ and sends a copy each to the coaching department, the illegal bowling action review committee and to all the umpires and match referees officiating in the tournament.The committee is headed by former national selector Shabir Asgerally and comprises former Sri Lanka fast bowler Graeme Labrooy and PR Paranavitana.Wijewardene, who took up the position in April, said he has conducted workshops in Kandy, Kurunegala, Colombo and Galle in educating umpires on illegal bowling and held a workshop at Ananda College, Colombo for school coaches. He hopes to expand the campaign to Under-19 level prior to the start of the next schools season and later go to the grassroots level of Under-13.”Provincial coaches have also been briefed to rectify suspect bowling actions rather than bring them all the way to Colombo,” said Wijewardene, a former ICC international panel umpire and first-class cricketer.”It’s the fault of the system that from junior levels they don’t detect a bowler’s defective action early in their careers and correct it. These bowlers get exposed once they reach the Under-19, Under-17, provincial or national levels. We hope to completely eradicate this growing menace in the next two to three years.”The reporting and banning of Sri Lanka offspinner Sachithra Senanayake for an illegal action was the trigger for SLC’s campaign. Senanayake was reported in May during the ODI series in England and has since been tested in Cardiff and undergone remedial action in Perth.

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)

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.

Hong Kong pulled off the shock of the tournament thus far beating Bangladesh by two wickets despite the hosts managing to edge past Nepal on net run-rate for a place in the Super 10s

The Report by Mohammad Isam in Chittagong20-Mar-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsNadeem Ahmed picked four wickets as Bangladesh lost their last seven for 23 runs•Associated PressHong Kong gave every Associate nation a reason to rejoice by pulling off the shock of the tournament thus far beating Bangladesh by two wickets in a last-over finish, despite the hosts managing to edge past Nepal on net run-rate for a place in the Super 10s.Haseeb Amjad smacked Abdur Razzak for a six over extra cover to complete the win in 19.4 overs. But the match was set up by their bowlers who bowled out of their literal skins, with Nadeem Ahmed winning the man-of-the-match award for his four-wicket haul. Irfan Ahmed and Munir Dar completed their greatest ever triumph with a cluster of boundaries when the game could have sprung out of their reach.For once, Irfan didn’t get out to the first ball of the innings as Al-Amin Hossain dropped a simple return catch. Then it was Rubel Hossain who dropped him on 12 at short third man and injured himself. But in between and after, Irfan blasted three sixes and three fours in his 28-ball 34 that ate into Bangladesh’s tiny total – their second lowest in T20s. They suffered a collapse too, but it was Dar, the veteran, who stood firm in the end, biffing three fours and a six in his 36 off 27 balls.Dar had to endure a collision with Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim while trying to complete a second run in the 15th over. But fatefully, he found Farhad Reza, a former teammate from the only time he played in the Dhaka Premier League seven years ago, to his liking and smashed 15 runs in the 17th over when they needed 26 runs off 24 balls.Hong Kong, however, waded into Bangladesh with the ball in hand. Left-arm spinner Nadeem took 4 for 21, his best bowling figures in T20s while Nizakat Khan, whose bowling action has a slight Shahid Afridi resemblance, picked up three wickets for 19 runs. Irfan Ahmed’s only wicket started the Bangladesh batting collapse while Tanwir Afzal’s two early wickets helped Hong Kong keep the noise in the ground down.Bangladesh’s descent started, as it does when they play this poorly, in the first over when Tamim Iqbal tried to cut Tanwir’s incoming delivery and had his off stump flattened. Tanwir trapped Sabbir Rahman with another delivery that went in, and replays showed it would have crashed into leg and middle.Anamul Haque and Shakib Al Hasan, perhaps embarrassed by the early wickets or driven by superiority, went after the Hong Kong bowlers till the end of the Powerplay overs. Off the last ball of the sixth over, just after he had struck Nadeem for three consecutive boundaries, Anamul played on to an innocuous delivery. Bangladesh were still going strong in the eleventh over when Shakib played a scoop, tried another and then finally gave a simple catch to deep midwicket. The shot didn’t do justice to the comfort of 85 for 3, but do any of their shots ever?That’s when the rot took over. In the space of 5.5 overs, Hong Kong not just got themselves into the game, they got on top of it and ruled. Mushfiqur’s attempted slog at Nizakat fell at cover’s hands. Mahmudullah was bowled by Nadeem as he tried to pick a single on the off-side, the delivery looking far better in the TV replay as there was a bit of confusion whether Jamie Atkinson had deflected it.Atkinson then gulped in Reza’s edge off Nizakat and then took an even better take off the next ball to dismiss Razzak. It was 101 for 8 in the 14th over. Soon Rubel Hossain was removed by Nadeem, and then with a chance to construct a last-wicket resistance, Nasir Hossain decided to give Al-Amin Hossain the strike. The result was predictable as the No 11 holed out at long-on, a spectacular catch by Babar Hayat, who had earlier let one slip through his legs.The collapse complete with seven wickets falling in 5.5 overs, for just 23 runs. This was a batting disgrace, particularly the attitude that came with the batting.

Kusal Mendis has been named captain of Sri Lanka’s 15-member squad for the Under-19 World Cup, which begins next month in the UAE

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jan-2014Kusal Mendis has been named captain of Sri Lanka’s 15-member squad for the Under-19 World Cup, which begins next month in the UAE. Mendis captained the team during the recent ACC Under-19 Asia Cup, and scored 166 runs at an average of 41.50, including a century against Bangladesh and 52 against India.The squad contains one survivor from the 2012 Under-19 World Cup in Australia in Anuk Fernando. The left-handed allrounder played only two matches, but has since assumed an important role for the side with his left-arm seam and his batting down the order.Hashan Ramanayake, Harsha Rajapaksha and Hashan Vimarshana have replaced three members of the squad for the Asia Cup, where Sri Lanka lost to Afghanistan in their group, but recovered to make the semi-finals. They then lost to eventual champions India.The team will be coached by Naveed Nawaz, who played for one Test and three ODIs for Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka, who have been drawn in Group D alongside New Zealand, England and the hosts UAE, will begin their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Sharjah on February 14. The team will undertake a training camp in Dambulla before leaving for the UAE.Sri Lanka Under-19 squad: Kusal Mendis (capt), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Minod Bhanuka, Hashan Dumindu, Kavindu Kulasekara, Priyamal Perera, Thilaksha Malshan Sumanasiri, Hashan Ramanayake, Binura Fernando, Anuk Fernando, Hashan Vimarshana, AK Tyronne, Lakshan Jayasinghe, Ramesh Mendis, Harsha Rajapaksha

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.”

Division Two promotion hopefuls Lancashire were frustrated by a fine century from Worcestershire’s Moeen Ali at New Road.

22-Aug-2013
ScorecardMoeen Ali impressed last week for England Lions•Getty ImagesDivision Two promotion hopefuls Lancashire were frustrated by a fine century from Worcestershire’s Moeen Ali at New Road. Moeen hit 104 to help lift his side to 287 following a spirited fightback by the league leaders, who were boosted by a four-wicket haul by paceman Kyle Hogg.At the end of the opening day Lancashire’s opening pair of Glen Chapple and Luis Reece safely negotiated a maiden over from Alan Richardson before proceedings were brought to a close.Moeen’s eye-catching innings followed his brilliant 114 earlier in the week in a Yorkshire Bank 40 Group A match against his former county Warwickshire at Edgbaston. He also made an impression last week by scoring 61 for England Lions in a two-day game against the Australians at Northampton.Lancashire also found the 26-year-old difficult to dislodge in their opening Championship match of the campaign when he made 78 in a rain-hit draw against Worcestershire at Emirates Old Trafford.Moeen, whose knock today hoisted him well past the 1,000-run mark in the Championship this summer, reached three figures off 194 balls with 13 fours. It was the 11th first-class century of his career and his third in the Championship this term.Worcestershire made 38 in 13 overs before their opening pair were split up by seamer Tom Smith’s third delivery which accounted for Daryl Mitchell, whose outside edge was snapped up in the slips by Andrea Agathangelou. Mitchell’s dismissal for 22, following a string of impressive limited-overs scores, signalled the start of a half-century partnership between his fellow opener Matt Pardoe and Moeen.They put on 54 in 17 overs before the penultimate delivery before lunch, bowled by left-arm medium-pacer Reece, had Pardoe caught behind for 35 by Gareth Cross to leave the hosts 92 for 2 off 30 overs at the breakThilan Samaraweera struggled to get into his stride and suffered a soft dismissal when, after leaving alone a Hogg delivery, ambled out of his ground to allow the alert Cross to stump him for 6 off 32 balls. His careless departure failed to unsettle Moeen who instantly found a reliable partner in teenager Tom Fell. They joined forces to complete a half-century stand before the taking their side to 196 for three off 64 overs at tea.They went on to add 91 in 29 overs before another slice of carelessness resulted in Fell being removed for 43 when he turned Arron Lilley to square leg and wandered out of his ground to enable Reece to run him out with a smart throw in to Cross. Next ball Ross Whiteley, making his Championship debut for Worcestershire, was bowled by Lilley before the visitors continued their fightback by ousting Joe Leach.Moeen finally fell during the first over with the new ball when he nicked Hogg to Cross after facing 205 balls. Jack Shantry and Ben Cox both fell cheaply as Worcestershire lost six wickets for 37 runs in 15 overs before Richardson and Graeme Cessford topped up the home side’s tally with an entertaining last-wicket stand worth 35.