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Ryan Harris has almost made it. Almost got through three consecutive Tests for the first time in his career. And he has done it – or, almost done it – with style

Brydon Coverdale at Chester-le-Street11-Aug-2013Ryan Harris has almost made it. Almost got through three consecutive Tests for the first time in his career. And he has done it – or, almost done it – with style. Harris has been Australia’s most effective bowler during this Investec Ashes series, having claimed 16 wickets at 21.37, one fewer than Peter Siddle, who has played one more Test. On the third day at Chester-le-Street, Harris was again the most dangerous man in the attack, his speed, accuracy and movement all troubling England.That the hosts got away slightly through Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen and extended their lead to 202 by stumps was not the fault of Harris, who delivered a searing new-ball spell that accounted for all of England’s top three batsmen. The wickets were the main prize for Harris, but the feeling of making through a third consecutive Test – and after a short three-day break, no less – was a major bonus for a man whose body has kept him to 15 Tests in three and a half years.”I’m a little bit tired after today but I feel good,” Harris said. “I’ve come out of it nice and strong. I feel really confident in my body. I’ve had a really good build-up. Unlike in the past I’ve gone from not bowling many overs to bowling lots of overs, whereas this time I’ve spent plenty of time on the Australian A tour and bowled lots and lots of overs and finished off the first-class season back in Queensland and bowled lots and lots of overs”Because I’ve copped a few injuries, I guess you get sore spots here and there and you doubt whether or not it’s going to be bad. Even today I had a couple of sore spots when I bowled a few balls but you … go back and go again and if it doesn’t hurt you’re all right. If it does you’ve got a problem. You’ve always got doubts, but I’m starting to have less and less doubts.”Harris earned his three early wickets in different ways, his superb outswinger clipping the top of Joe Root’s off stump, his accurate bouncer tempting Jonathan Trott, who gloved behind, and his wider ball surprisingly drawing Alastair Cook into a flash outside off. His aggression also nearly had the centurion Bell, who fended a sizzling bouncer off his gloves and fell back onto the ground, almost onto his stumps.”I went around the wicket to try and muck up his feet and the one he hit me, I got it a little bit wide and a little bit full,” he said. “So it was always going to be a short one – one of the next two. I got it on the money but it would have been nice if it had of flown to Usman Khawaja at short leg, that would have been better. It was one of those things where you just have to try. Once he gets in, he is hard to get out.”Bell was mostly responsible for putting England back in the driving position, for batting last on this Chester-le-Street surface will not be easy and Australia cannot afford to let the lead stretch much further. But Harris said a pursuit of 250 to 300 would be achievable and the focus had to be on claiming England’s remaining five wickets as quickly as possible.”The wicket’s holding together pretty well. It might spin a little bit but the ball’s going through nicely. I think it’s pretty evenly poised to be honest,” he said. “It’s hard to say a target. But it is not breaking up as much as we probably thought. It hasn’t had as much sun as it could have had. If it had of been sunny of the past three days it might have been different and dried out a little bit more. There a couple that keep low and misbehave but that’s going to happen.”

Herschelle Gibbs will play for the Perth Scorchers again this season and Shaun Tait has returned to Adelaide to represent the Strikers, having been a disappointment for the Melbourne Renegades last summer

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jul-2012Herschelle Gibbs will play for the Perth Scorchers again this season and Shaun Tait has returned to Adelaide to represent the Strikers, having been a disappointment for the Melbourne Renegades last summer. Seven other players were also signed to Big Bash League teams on Friday, including Luke Pomersbach for the Brisbane Heat, which will be his first involvement in the BBL after he skipped all domestic cricket last season.The only player to change sides was Tait, 29, who is now a Twenty20 specialist and most recently took six wickets in six matches for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL this year. The Renegades last summer tried to base their attack around the express pace of Tait and Dirk Nannes, but Tait managed only four wickets in five games and leaked more than ten runs an over.”I’m champing at the bit to get out there with the Strikers,” Tait said. “With great signings already like Johan Botha, Kane Richardson and Gary Putland, we’re keen to give this competition a real shake. It’s also great to be back home playing cricket in Adelaide.”The only international player to sign on Friday was Gibbs, who made 302 runs at 43.14 for the Scorchers last summer and was the third leading run getter in the competition. Lachlan Stevens, the Scorchers coach, said Gibbs would again be a valuable player for the side.”Herschelle was a crowd favourite and I’m sure all Scorchers fans will be excited to have him back for BBL02,” Stevens said. “We look forward to seeing him bring out the wide array of shots that he demonstrated throughout last season’s competition once again.”The Scorchers also re-signed Shaun Marsh and Michael Beer, while the Hobart Hurricanes confirmed that Tim Paine and Jason Krejza would be part of their squad this year. The Heat signed Pomersbach, Ryan Harris and Ben Cutting.

Claire Taylor roared back into form with a boundary-laden 66 to carry England to 134 before a professional team performance with the ball restricted India to 88 for 8

Liam Brickhill26-Jun-2011England 134 (Claire Taylor 66, Goswami 3-20) beat India 88 for 8 (Brunt 1-14, Wyatt 2-20) by 46 runs
Scorecard
Claire Taylor slapped eight boundaries in her 46-ball 66•Getty Images

Claire Taylor roared back into form with a boundary-laden 66 to carry England to 134 before a professional team performance with the ball restricted India to 88 for 8 and secured a dominant 46-run win at Taunton. England were already assured of a place in the final of the NatWest Women’s T20 Quadrangular Series but there was no let-up in intensity from them and India never threatened to chase down a modest total.England had looked like getting a lot more than their 134 when Taylor and Danielle Wyatt combined in a rapid third-wicket stand of 42 that rattled along at better than eight an over and ensured England took advantage of the fielding restrictions despite the early departures of captain Charlotte Edwards and Laura Marsh, who edged the first ball she faced through to wicketkeeper Anagha Deshpande.Wyatt collected four sweetly-timed boundaries, the pick of which was a lofted inside-out drive over extra cover off seamer Snehal Pradhan, before she chipped a return catch back to Amita Sharma. Sharma was on a hat-trick when she found the edge of Lydia Greenway’s bat first ball, but Claire Taylor denied her the landmark and took England past 100 in allrounder Arran Brindle’s company.In the midst of their 55-run stand – the highest of the match – England looked set to reach at least 160, but Indian captain Jhulan Goswami took it upon herself to claw her team back into the game, bowling Taylor and adding two further wickets as England were bowled out with a ball to spare.India’s chase never got going, however, and fast bowler Katherine Brunt recovered from the disappointment of seeing a catch dropped by wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor to strike the first blow by dismissing Deshpande for a 15-ball 5. India managed just one boundary in the first six overs, a slogged four from Neha Tanwar that brought her her first runs in Twenty20 internationals.After Mithali Raj was run out, England’s spinners took control, with Wyatt completing a good all-round performance with two wickets and Holly Colvin and Danielle Hazell contributing one apiece.India knew they couldn’t make the final of this tournament going into this game, and their disappointment was reflected in their lacklustre performance. England, on the other hand, were already assured of a place and will go into their match against Australia on Monday as the form team.”We could have won,” said a disappointed Goswami. “The wicket and weather was good. The batting let us down totally in the competition. We have not been able to score 100 consistently in the tournament. We are not playing to our potential. We need to definitely change as we are working very hard to sort our problems out with our coaches. We know what mistakes we are making and are working hard to rectify it as well.”We need to play our natural game and not take undue pressure. The bottom line is to enjoy the game. The problem seems to be a mental one more than anything else. We are trying to be over aggressive and putting ourselves under pressure. Bowling and fielding are doing well. But we need to make a conscious effort to individually raise our game.”

Ricky Ponting expects his reign as Australian captain to end if he is not holding the Ashes at the SCG in January

Cricinfo staff02-Jul-2010Ricky Ponting expects his reign as Australian captain to end if he is not holding the Ashes at the SCG in January. Ponting was in charge during the 2005 and 2009 defeats in England, and led his side to a 5-0 whitewash at home three years ago.Despite being one of the game’s all-time greats with the bat, Ponting knows his future depends on the result of the 2010-11 series. “I’d probably be looking for a new job if we lose again,” Ponting told the Daily Mail. “It’s as simple as that. I’ve got the biggest eight months of my career coming up.”Australia face Pakistan and India in two-Test series before the Ashes begin at the Gabba in November and the series is followed by the World Cup. “It doesn’t get any bigger than that and everything I do between now and April will be geared at getting the most out of myself and, most importantly, the group,” he said. “If I’m able to do that I think there are some pretty special things on the horizon for this team.”While the Ashes series is likely to determine what Ponting does next, he said he was not weighed down by the significance of the contest. “I haven’t thought about any added pressure on me,” he said. “I’m just thinking about being the best player I can be and having a significant impact on the Ashes series as a batsman and as a leader. That’s all I can control. I know what it takes to be a good player in a big series and I know what it will take for the rest of the guys.”England have beaten Australia in their most important encounters over the past year. The run began with their Ashes victory at The Oval and continued with a win in the World Twenty20 final and the current one-day series success.Ponting said England deserved the latest triumph but does not think they have earned bragging rights in all forms of the game. “We’re still ranked the best side in one-day cricket and No. 2 in Test cricket,” Ponting said. “Until England get their heads above us in all of the tables then superiority will be with us.”

He made an unbeaten 182 in Galle and helped Sri Lanka move to a commanding position

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Sep-2024Kamindu Mendis became the fastest batter to 1000 Test runs in 75 years, as he hit an unbeaten 182 in Sri Lanka’s first innings against New Zealand in Galle. Having got there in 13 innings, Kamindu equalled Don Bradman’s pace to the milestone. The two of them are now third-equal fastest in Test history, with only Herbert Sutcliffe and Everton Weekes having achieved the feat in fewer innings (both 12).He got there in style too, launching the left-arm fingerspin of Rachin Ravindra for six down the ground to move past the score of 178 that he needed to move to a career tally in the quadruple figures. What is extraordinary about his achievement is that 634 of his current 1004 runs have come from a batting position of No. 7 or lower. This particular innings, however, came from No. 5, with Kamindu having moved up the order starting with this series.Kamindu not only averages 91.27, he’s also scored relatively quickly, maintaining a strike rate of 65.02. Nine times in his 13 innings he’s crossed 50, five times he’s crossed 100, and twice he’s gone past 150 – this 182 not out being his highest score. His average is highest at home, but he has now hit hundreds across three different series this year, in three different countries – Bangladesh, England, and Sri Lanka.Related

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By getting there in 13 innings, Kamindu has easily bettered the Sri Lanka record, previously held by Roy Dias, who had achieved it in 23 knocks. Last year, Yashasvi Jaiswal had become the fastest batter of the 21st century to 1000 runs, getting there in 16 outings.Sri Lanka moved to a commanding position in the Galle Test, thanks in part to Kamindu’s innings. Though he was the top scorer, Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Mendis also scored a century each.

Young quick impressed on recent Australia A tour of New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-2023Australian fast bowler Jordan Buckingham has joined Northamptonshire.Buckingham, 23, impressed for South Australia in the most recent Sheffield Shield season, and has a record of 25 wickets at an average of 26.56 in his first seven first-class matches. That includes being selected for the Australia A tour of New Zealand in April, where he took 6 for 58 in his first appearance, dismissing the New Zealand A top six.”I’m really grateful for the opportunity to represent such a proud club in Northamptonshire during my first stint in the UK.” Buckingham said. “I’m thoroughly looking forward to getting stuck into it this week and to winning some four-day cricket with my new team-mates for the next few games.”Related

• Back injury ends Lance Morris' Ashes dream, IPL key for Josh Hazlewood

• Lance Morris, Chris Tremain sign for Northants

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Buckingham trained with Northamptonshire’s squad this week ahead of their trip to Somerset and is available for the club’s next three LV= Insurance County Championship fixtures.John Sadler, Northamptonshire’s head coach, said: “We’re delighted to have Jordan on board. He’s an exciting young prospect who’s rated highly by Cricket Australia. He showed his quality for Australia A recently and we think he’ll complement our bowling attack well.”Northamptonshire had signed Australian seamers Chris Tremain and Lance Morris, who were due to split six Championship games between them. Tremain has finished his stint while Morris has suffered a back injury, ruling him out of his planned cameo as well as Ashes calculations.

ECB set to appoint interim coach for West Indies tour with squad to be picked by panel

Andrew Miller04-Feb-2022Graham Thorpe has joined Chris Silverwood in paying the price for England’s Ashes debacle, but Joe Root will continue as captain for the upcoming tour of West Indies, after receiving the endorsement of Andrew Strauss, England’s interim director of cricket.Speaking at Lord’s in the wake of Thursday’s sacking of Silverwood as head coach, Strauss – who was himself appointed on Wednesday in place of the outgoing director of men’s cricket, Ashley Giles – admitted that Root was feeling “bruised” after England’s 4-0 defeat in the Ashes, the second time he has led the team to such a scoreline down under.However, Strauss added, Root retains the “energy and motivation” to carry on, as well as the respect of the players – understandably so, after an incredible run of form in 2021, in which he scored 1708 Test runs at 61.00, more than three times more than any of his team-mates, as well as six of England’s seven Test centuries in the calendar year.Related

• Giles sacked as England director amid Ashes fallout

• Giles' fatalism sealed fate – Test revival will depend on tough calls

• ECB investigates after Root, Anderson seen drinking at team hotel

• Police reportedly called due to Thorpe cigar smoking

• England sack Silverwood in wake of Ashes disaster

“Having spoken to Joe, it is absolutely clear the extent of his commitment to taking this side forward,” Strauss said. “He has incredible motivation and energy to do that. He is bruised, and hugely disappointed by what went on in the Ashes but he sets a magnificent example, both on and off the field, so I will give him my full support and make sure he has right structure around him to take pressure off him and make sure he can do his job properly.”Thorpe, however, has become England’s third Ashes casualty in as many days. His position had become untenable in the fallout from a tour clouded not only by poor results on the field, but by reports of an off-field drinking culture and poor fitness levels.With Thorpe’s primary remit being the oversight of the squad’s batters, the fact that England failed to pass 300 in ten attempts during the Ashes told against him, while his fate was effectively sealed following a bizarre incident on the morning after the fifth Test in Hobart, when the police had to be called after he reportedly lit a cigar in an indoor space in the team hotel.However, with the Test squad due to depart for the Caribbean on February 24, in less than three weeks’ time, no interim coaching appointments have yet been announced. Silverwood’s remit was expanded last year to include squad selection, following the removal of national selector Ed Smith last summer – a workload that Strauss described as “an impossible strain” – and as a consequence, the West Indies tour party will be picked by panel, the make-up of which will be determined by the identity of the interim head coach.Potential names in the frame for that role include Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket who has expressed an interest in the post, as well as the Young Lions head coach Richard Dawson, who is currently in the Caribbean preparing for the Under-19 World Cup final, and the incumbent assistant coach, Paul Collingwood, who oversaw last week’s 3-2 defeat in the T20Is against West Indies.”There are some soundings-out to be done, both inside and outside the organisation, and there are some decisions to be made about the actual focus of this tour,” Strauss added. “You can look at it in a number of ways – we are in the business of winning, and it’s very, very important we go out there and win, but it is also about looking forwards, so we have to look at that, both with regards to the interim coach, but also with our approach to selection and everything else associated with that.”England have won just one series in the Caribbean since 1968, and were defeated 2-1 on their last visit, in the spring of 2019. Strauss – who captained England’s tour of the West Indies in similarly chaotic circumstances in 2009 – said the onus was on the players themselves to lift their standards.”I think the players are the ones that go on the pitch, and they are accountable for their performances,” he said. “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see performances have been poor for the last 12 months. Anyone who thinks otherwise is deluding themselves. The players have to hold up their hands, accept they have to get better. They have the best possible example right there with them in the dressing room in Joe Root in terms of what world-class performance looks like. That has to be their ambition, to reach that level of performance.”The job of the coaching staff is to provide the right environment for them to do that. Make sure no stone is left unturned in helping them achieve that. International cricket is a tough old gig and you have to have resilience, toughness, you have to want it. That is the challenge for those players.”I know what it’s like as England captain. There is always scrutiny on your position, especially when you lose Ashes series. I am sure Joe felt that. I think at this moment in time he is 100% the right person to take the team forward. At some stage in the future we will have a new managing director, a new head coach, they will look at things with fresh eyes. For me he’s a great example to those young players and he needs our support right now.”Strauss confirmed that he would not be interested in returning to the England director job on a full-time basis, but said he was “always keen to help English cricket going forward and this role is manageable”.On the subject of who might take charge as Silverwood’s successor, Strauss said that while he wouldn’t rule out Justin Langer – Australia’s current men’s head coach but involved in ongoing internal wrangling about a contract extension – it would depend on the requirements for the role.”Now let’s take a step back. What are we looking for? Are we looking for split coaches or one coach? And what are the requirements in each of those formats, so to speak. Justin Langer, I know him well. On the surface, he’s done a very good job of that with the Australian team. So I wouldn’t rule him out, but I’m sure there are plenty of others as well.”

Sam Curran’s tone-setting 21-ball 31 at the top highlighted Super Kings’ daring approach with the bat

Deivarayan Muthu13-Oct-20202:21

Did Paul Reiffel change his mind after seeing Dhoni?

Sam Curran’s tone-setting 21-ball 31 at the top highlighted the Chennai Super Kings’ daring, new approach with the bat as they put up 167 for 6. After Curran completed the double duty – taking the prized scalp of David Warner in the powerplay – the Super Kings’ slower bowlers took over, smothering the Sunrisers Hyderabad in a passage of play that was straight out of Chepauk. Kane Williamson manipulated the field with a 36-ball half-century and Rashid Khan gave the Super Kings a late scare with 14 off eight balls, but Shardul Thakur and Dwayne Bravo defended 26 off the last two overs, sealing the Super Kings’ third victory in eight games.The result left the Super Kings in a three-way tie in the bottom half of the IPL points table with the Sunrisers and the Rajasthan Royals.With the Sunrisers requiring 46 off 18 balls, MS Dhoni turned to legspinner Karn Sharma over Thakur. After Williamson went four and out, Khan and Shahbaz Nadeem scrambled three boundaries in four balls in a 19-run over. Thakur was thrust into the hot seat for the penultimate over, and after Khan carved a double, Thakur speared an off-side yorker past the tramline. The next delivery was also a wide yorker and just as umpire Paul Reiffel was about to signal a wide, Dhoni protested. Reiffel ultimately deemed it a legal ball and at the end of a five-run over, Khan trod on his stumps and holed out off the same delivery. Bravo then closed out a 20-run win with his yorkers and slower dippers.There were other heroes for the Super Kings as well. Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu, who had struck centuries against the Sunrisers previously, countered Khan and Nadeem as both the spinners went wicketless, conceding 59 runs between them. Dhoni unleashed a whipped six off T Natarajan, and Ravindra Jadeja cracked an unbeaten 25 off 10 balls before knocking over Jonny Bairstow with his arm ball. The Sunrisers were 59 for 3 in the tenth over when Bairstow was dismissed, leaving Williamson and the rest of the middle order with too much to do against Super Kings’ seven-man attack.CSK shake things up

Batting first for the first time this season, the Super Kings pushed Watson down to No. 3 to accommodate Curran at the top. Though Faf du Plessis nicked Sandeep Sharma behind for a golden duck, Curran tonked left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed for two fours and two sixes in the fourth over. In the next over, Sandeep switched to around the wicket and got one to hold its line to clean up Curran. The Super Kings progressed to 44 for 2 in six overs.Rayudu was dropped by Bairstow on 9 and Watson on 20 by Khan off his own bowling as the pair added 81 off 64 balls. Both batsmen took on Khan in his last over, carting him for sixes. Watson was troubled by the left-arm angle and hard lengths of Nadeem, but Rayudu was more fluent against him, even hoisting him over his head for six.Both set batsmen, however, fell in successive overs in identical fashion – holing out off full-tosses. Dhoni and Jadeja then provided the finishing kick, helping the Super Kings take 48 off their last four overs.A spot of Chepauk in Dubai
Armed with a deep bowling attack, Dhoni used all four overs of Deepak Chahar upfront. He went wicketless, but he did find swing and accuracy even though Warner and Bairstow walked at him. Warner was dismissed, by Curran, for the first time in the powerplay this season, and then the Super Kings’ spinners ran rings around the Sunrisers. They even gave Dhoni the luxury of having a slip in the middle overs.By the time Jadeja bowled Bairstow, the Sunrisers were 60 for 3, needing 108 off 10 overs. Karn found sharp turn and teased Priyam Garg before making the incision. However, Piyush Chawla, who had started the season as the Super Kings’ frontline spinner, was barely needed by Tuesday. Imran Tahir, who was ferrying drinks, told the TV commentators that he was “licking his lips” looking at these tiring UAE tracks.Williamson calmly manoeuvred the ball into the gaps and took the chase deep. He was on 21 off 19 at one point, but raised the tempo, finishing with 57 off 39 balls. Khan, who batted at No. 7 in the absence of Abishek Sharma, who was left out for Nadeem, threatened a comeback, but Thakur and Bravo saved the day for the Super Kings.

Here are some key points after the announcement of the fixtures for a tournament that needed a shot in the arm after an underwhelming 2018-19 edition

Andrew McGlashan25-Jul-2019Shorter regular seasonAfter much criticism of last season, the home-and-away part of the season has been cut down from 54 to 42 days, beginning December 17 and ending on January 27 across the Australia Day holiday weekend. It will mean more double-header match days and some busy periods of playing and travel for teams – often with two games in three days – but the new timeframe keeps the majority of the league stage within the school holidays and should help stop the tournament drifting.New finals structureAs part of keeping the regular season alive with fewer dead games, five of the eight teams can now reach a new-look finals stage that gives the teams finishing in the top two a second chance to make the finals. After the competition expanded to a full home-and-away season last year it was clear that there wasn’t enough reward for consistency across the season with the team finishing fourth having the same route to winning the tournament as the side that tops the table. Playing 56 matches to lose just three sides is a lot although the teams in the 4th v 5th match would need to win four consecutive matches to take the title. The new format will also allow a little more time to market and prepare for the final with one of the hosts known a week before it takes place.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Christmas Eve night game ditchedThere have been some minor tweaks within the regular season, among the more significant being scrapping the evening game on Christmas Eve which last season was held at the Sydney Showground featuring the marquee Sydney derby but attracted a very modest crowd. The popular afternoon fixture on the same day – which will be Hobart Hurricanes v Melbourne Renegades – has been retained, but after that it will be about wrapping those last minute presents. For now, Christmas Day also remains clear of a match although that could be something reassessed in the future.BBL v India-Australia ODIAfter the New Year Test against New Zealand at the SCG, Australia’s men’s team won’t be in action on home soil again during the BBL. They are, however, playing a one-day series in India and one of those matches – the third on January 19 – will go head-to-head with the Brisbane Heat facing Melbourne Renegades at the Gabba. There are BBL matches on the days of the other two ODIs, but they are afternoon matches that precede the games in India for television audiences, while there are plenty which follow a day of Test cricket as has been standard.Regional venues retainedThe tournament is again being taken away from the major centers in attempt to spread the game. The Hurricanes will play their first ‘home’ game of the season in Alice Springs against Sydney Sixes – last year’s match at Traeger Park was moved away at the last minute due to an unfit outfield – while the Heat play two games on the Gold Coast over the Christmas/New Year period (December 20 and January 1). The Stars will also play the Hurricanes on the Gold Coast on December 27. There are four fixtures with venues to be confirmed: two for the Thunder who played in Canberra last season, one for Melbourne Stars, which is expected to be Moe in regional Victoria, and one for the Sixers in regional New South Wales.No easy answer to big name overseas starsIt is hoped that by shortening the regular season by 12 days and the whole tournament by a week that it will help attract overseas players who were put off by the length of last season. However, that was only part of the problem and budgets remain a key stumbling block to getting A list stars involved. When AB de Villiers’ signing was mooted, before he pulled out, it would only have been possible with funding from additional sources. There is, though, the chance that Australia’s international players will appear a little more often – those in the ODI squad to travel to India could be available for the final two regular season matches and the final, while any Test-only names who are wanted by BBL clubs will be free after early January.

Pattinson missed the entire last season because of a back stress fracture and will start bowling again this winter

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Mar-2018Australia quick James Pattinson has signed a two-year deal with Brisbane Heat for the Big Bash League. Pattinson, who had been with Melbourne Renegades between 2013 and 2017, missed the entire last season because of a back stress fracture – the fourth such time he had been diagnosed with the injury in more or less exactly the same spot in his back.He subsequently underwent a surgery in New Zealand late last year, the same procedure that helped prolong the careers of former New Zealand quick Shane Bond, and current players Matt Henry, Hamish Bennett and Corey Anderson.”I’m feeling very good physically after the surgery and I’m looking forward to getting back into some bowling during the winter,” Pattinson said. “The facilities at Allan Border Field are second to none so that will also be very helpful as I build towards the coming season.”Pattinson hasn’t played a competitive match since July last year but Daniel Vettori, the Heat coach, believed that his workload could be managed like how his former New Zealand team-mate and former assistant at the Heat, Shane Bond’s had been done.”Knowing how Shane and other bowlers have managed their career in similar circumstances will help us provide the right environment for him to deliver his best,” Vettori said. “As a senior player, James will also have the chance to do likewise and mentor some of our up-and-coming bowlers.”I’m sure the Heat fans will make him very welcome when he arrives and we’re looking forward to some more exciting matches with James in our squad.”Pattinson bolsters a pace attack that includes Mark Steketee, Brendan Doggett, and allrounder Ben Cutting. Pattinson said he was feeling “very good physically” and that he was looking forward to return to action.