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Things are improving, he says, but wants the club to be “kept under review to make sure this really is the start of something important and meaningful”

Matt Roller12-Jan-2022After seeing signs of positive change at Yorkshire CCC since Lord Patel took over as chair, Azeem Rafiq has called upon the ECB to reinstate the club’s right to host international cricket at Headingley.Lord Patel, who replaced Roger Hutton as chair in November, told the on Wednesday that he was “working hell-for-leather” to meet the ECB’s set of criteria before an early-spring deadline, and Rafiq wrote in a newspaper column that he hoped Headingley was able to host internationals in 2022.Rafiq said that the idea that young children in Yorkshire would be “denied the high-level cricket that could inspire them” was “the last thing I want” and that instead of helping to solve the problems in the English game, the club’s suspension from hosting internationals “could end up adding to them”.Related

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“It has been a whirlwind since I appeared in front of MPs almost two months ago, and what Yorkshire and Lord Patel have done to bring change is definitely a step in the right direction,” Rafiq wrote in the . “That is why I believe the time is right to say they should be given back the international cricket so vital to their very survival. The people of Yorkshire should be able to watch England in Test and white-ball games at Headingley this summer.”It just seems outside the county everyone wants to throw the book at Yorkshire and my concern is some want to do that in order to make themselves look better or deflect attention away from their issues. I don’t agree with that because it will not drive change.”The ECB stripped Yorkshire of their right to host international fixtures and major matches in early November until they have “clearly demonstrated that it can meet the standards expected of an international venue, ECB member and first-class county” after describing their handling of Rafiq’s allegations of institutional racism as “wholly unacceptable”.There has since been a mass overhaul of personnel at the club, with 16 staff losing their jobs and Darren Gough hired as director of cricket. The search for a permanent head coach is ongoing, and the club has received more than 80 applicants covering the various vacancies on their coaching staff.Lord Patel has called an emergency general meeting in February in order to vote on changes to the club’s rules•AFP/Getty Images

Headingley is due to stage two men’s internationals next summer, England’s Test against New Zealand from June 23 and their ODI against South Africa on July 24. The fixtures are still listed on Yorkshire’s website, though tickets are unavailable at the moment.”I am not saying everything is now hunky-dory at my old county and we can all move on,” Rafiq wrote. “Yorkshire must be kept under review to make sure this really is the start of something important and meaningful. Everything is not fine yet, not by a long way.”At first in all this I believed international cricket should be taken away from them. But they have done enough to warrant getting it back, for now at least. I want to see England playing at Headingley this summer. I may even pop down to watch myself.”The Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee is due to publish its own report into racism in cricket on Friday, following the conclusion of a series of parliamentary hearings last year, with the ECB’s own investigation yet to be completed.Lord Patel has called an emergency general meeting in February in order to vote on changes to the club’s rules, and has opened applications for six new non-executive directors. He has also proposed that two representatives of the Yorkshire membership sit of the board of director.Meanwhile, Yorkshire are expected to keep their place in Division One of the County Championship, though they could face a points penalty for the 2022 season. County fixtures are due to be published in the next two weeks.

The hosts will miss Hazlewood, but have a ready replacement in Jhye Richardson and might give a bigger role to Cameron Green

Andrew McGlashan15-Dec-2021Pat Cummins’ learning-on-the-fly captaincy will be tested in Adelaide this week as he juggles an attack without one of Australia’s pink-ball spearheads plus the added factor of the day-night element.Cummins – and Australia – have more day-night experience to call on than others. He has been involved in five of the team’s eight floodlit Tests, in which they have a 100% record with five of the wins coming at Adelaide Oval. And while the tactical elements of the format are, perhaps, sometimes overblown – Faf du Plessis’ declaration in the 2016-17 Test is the only example of a captain really thinking outside the box, and that was partly because David Warner was off the field – it will now fall on Cummins’ shoulders to make the decisions needed.Related

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Being a bowler will give him plenty of first-hand knowledge of what can happen in the final session of the day when the lights have taken hold. In the 2017-18 Ashes Test, Australia were on the receiving end of James Anderson and Chris Woakes nipping the ball around after Steven Smith had not enforced the follow-on, but Australia’s advantage was so large that it didn’t change the outcome.”There’s a few different considerations for sure,” Cummins said. “Think you have to earn the right to dictate the timings of the game. There’s a few things you think about if you are in a certain stage, whether you might do a slightly different declaration, but you really have to be in that position. Don’t think you can forward-plan too much.”One hour can be a long time in a pink-ball game. Nothing can happen, or it can be darting around everywhere, you feel like you’ll lose a wicket every ball. You can have a think about planning ahead but you have to play what’s in front of you. It’s still a new format and we are still learning.”In reality, though, Australia have rarely been challenged too hard in Adelaide with their three-wicket win in the first match of the format against New Zealand in 2015-16 the tightest occasion. Whichever team bats first, barring a strange set of circumstances, the timing of a declaration only comes into the reckoning if the innings has gone deep into the second day.”It’s still not a huge sample size but you feel like you learn something new every time you play one,” Cummins said. “You might get a period of play where the ball just starts swinging around and you can’t explain why. We’ve got good experience. Definitely when you start the match you can’t see it playing out exactly like a red-ball game.”This time, though, there is one difference Cummins will need to contend with: the absence of Josh Hazlewood, who has a magnificent record with the pink ball, having taken 32 wickets at 19.90 (although that is still the highest average of Australia’s big three, which emphasises England’s task).However, the attack remains strong with Jhye Richardson a ready replacement, albeit not with the height of Hazlewood. Instead, he will challenge England with sharp, late outswing at around 145kph – which is not a bad skillset for this type of Test. He also averages 19.33 in day-night first-class cricket with five wickets on his debut in a floodlit Test against Sri Lanka.Cameron Green could have a bigger role to play with the ball than he did in Brisbane•CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images

There was a suggestion from Cummins that allrounder Cameron Green – who has the height to match Hazlewood – could see a more prominent role with the ball, having impressed in the Gabba, especially with his dismissal of Joe Root in England’s second innings.”We are really lucky to have bench strength like Jhye to walk straight in,” Cummins said. “Josh is one of the best in the world and is very hard to replace, but think Jhye really is in that upper echelon. He’s been bowling fantastically.”Probably the biggest change is having someone like Cameron Green to lean on as well. Will probably try and get him into the game a bit more. Nathan [Lyon] always finds a bit of spin. We aren’t short of options at any time.”Despite the injury to Hazlewood and the concerns over David Warner’s fitness with how much he will be hampered by his damaged ribs, the majority of the problems remain England’s – largely around whether their batting line-up can post a strong first-innings total, but also balancing an attack to take 20 wickets – as they try to get themselves back into the series.”It went perfectly for us [in Brisbane], no doubt that’s not going to happen every game and certainly won’t happen this series I’m sure,” Cummins said. “We couldn’t be happier with the start but know it’s one match in a five-match series.”That said, Australia’s record in this fixture would suggest that Cummins is well placed to be able to continue his perfect start in the captaincy seat.

Will become the first female standing umpire in men’s first-class cricket in England and Wales

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-2023Sue Redfern will become the first female umpire to stand in a men’s first-class match in England and Wales after being appointed to officiate the LV= Insurance County Championship match between Glamorgan and Derbyshire in Cardiff.Redfern, who became the first full-time professional female umpire on the ECB list last year, has previously made history by serving as the fourth umpire in a men’s T20 international, also at Cardiff in 2021, and becoming the first woman to stand in a Vitality Blast match in June.Related

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“I have worked hard to earn this opportunity and I look forward to taking the next step in my career by umpiring a men’s first-class match,” Redfern said. “That has been an ambition of mine for a long time and, while it is a new challenge that will test me, I know that I am ready for it.”Umpiring has become such a fulfilling part of my life and while my focus is on being the best umpire I can be, I hope my journey can also be an inspiration to others.”When I started umpiring I had to balance other work commitments with my umpiring, but it is now a career I can solely focus on. I am proud of the steps I have taken and that I am proving that opportunities now exist in umpiring for anyone if they’re willing to work hard and dedicate themselves.”

Brisbane Heat will also be missing Marnus Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw for the Challenger final at the SCG

Tristan Lavalette31-Jan-2023Brisbane Heat and Sydney Sixers have been left pondering the sizeable batting holes of their departed Test players ahead of Thursday’s clash at the SCG with a grand final spot up for grabs.Heat captain Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw, along with Sixers opener Steven Smith, will be unavailable for the ‘Challenger’ final due to being part of Australia’s Test tour of India.The Heat trio sparked a resurgence with the team winning six of their last seven matches after being mired for much of the season near the bottom of the ladder.They each made important contributions in finals victories on the road against Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Renegades to have Heat positioned for an unlikely tilt at a second BBL title.Related

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But without three of their top four, Heat’s batting depth will be tested as they recalled Nathan McSweeney, Max Bryant and Sam Heazlett to curb an expected fired-up Sixers attack, who were clobbered by Scorchers batters Ashton Turner and Cameron Bancroft in the qualifying final.McSweeney has only played three matches this season, but notably smashed 84 off 51 balls against Sixers in Heat’s 15-run victory at the Gabba in a high-scoring contest on January 1.Once part of a devastating opening partnership with Chris Lynn, big-hitter Bryant failed to fire from seven matches this season and averaged just 15.71.The 27-year-old Heazlett has not played this season, but the bright finals lights shouldn’t faze him having mustered 48 BBL matches over the past seven seasons.”We have lost some of our Australian players but the guys we are bringing in have played the format before so I don’t have a problem with it,” said Heat coach Wade Seccombe. “They have performed when they came in.”Sixers don’t have as many holes to fill, but nonetheless need to replace Smith, who lit up the BBL with ballistic batting marked by consecutive centuries.Nathan McSweeney will return to Brisbane Heat’s line-up•Getty Images

“We’ve played 10 games without Steve and had a few wins along the way so we’re familiar with this group,” said veteran batter Jordan Silk, who re-signed with Sixers on a three-year deal.Sixers appear to have a ready made replacement in stalwart Daniel Hughes, who has been a reliable batter for Sixers over the years but restricted to just three matches this season.”[Hughes] has trained well, he’s been great around the group all year. He’s probably one of the more unlucky players in the competition to not be playing,” Silk said. “He’s been a reliable performer at the Sixers for a number of years.”There are other options with Kurtis Patterson, who starred as an opener during Perth Scorchers’ title-winning run last season, possibly being considered to move up the order having batted at No. 3 since Smith’s return.While allrounder Hayden Kerr could rekindle his elevation from last season’s corresponding match, where he memorably hit an unbeaten 98 as an opener to lift Sixers past Adelaide Strikers in a last-ball thriller.”[Kerr] is a vital piece for us down in that middle to lower order,” Silk said. “Whether we’d see his value at the top in a game like this, I’m not sure what’ll happen there. He’s almost been probably too good at the role he’s played at six to warrant moving him.”As they eye a seventh grand final appearance, Silk said Sixers would target Heat’s new-look batting line-up.”They have some big holes from a batting sense,” Silk said. “Looking back to the game at the Gabba, where they were without those [Test] batters, [Josh] Brown and McSweeney stepped up. Queensland produce very good cricketers. We will do our research so we can stop them.”The winner plays Perth Scorchers on Saturday at Optus Stadium with a crowd of more than 50,000 expected.

Brett Lee is unsure what his body will allow him to do next

Peter English17-Nov-2009

Lee’s latest setbacks

2006-07
Tears ankle ligaments in New Zealand, misses 2007 World Cup
2008-09
Suffers giardia during India tour
Broken foot leads to more surgery
2009
Side strain rules him out of first three Tests of Ashes tour and not picked for final two
2009-10
Elbow problem sends him home from India one-day series and recurs in Sydney on Sunday

Self-belief has been one of Brett Lee’s best assets along with extreme speed. Throughout his Test career, which began with a wicket in his first over, Lee has known what was going to happen next, whether it be achieving a milestone or pin-pointing a date for his return from a well-managed injury. This time, coming to the end of an awful year, he is unsure what his body will allow him to do next.The bone spur problem in his right elbow means he will probably face surgery and be out for up to three months, ending his chances of appearing in a Test this summer. Previously he would have accepted the setback with a grimace and headed for the surgeon, physio and fitness trainer to plot a way back.Following his recovery from foot surgery at the start of the year came a side strain that kept him out of the Ashes in the middle of it, and with this latest problem he is starting to doubt whether he will play a 77th Test or take a 311st wicket. His last appearance was at the MCG last December when he limped off to the surgeon.”At this point in time I do not need to make a call,” he said at the SCG. “I still want to play for Australia but that all depends on how the operation takes place and then how the fitness is and how much I want it.” He finds the prospect of not playing Test cricket “scary and challenging”, but as he accepts this injury his mind switches from being desperate to play on to thinking about signing off.Desire has never been a problem before, not when he thought his career was over after breaking the same elbow in 2001, or when he was sitting behind Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus and Stuart Clark in the pecking order during the fourth Ashes Test in Leeds. He was fit, ready and shattered when the team was named, but he still wanted to field under a baggy green. Now he craves – and needs – a break.”I have had setbacks before and I can’t see why I cannot come back from this, but I also, to be honest, need to get away from the game for a little while to work out what my future holds,” he said. “I want to have this forced rest and if surgery needs to happen that means anything from six to 12 to 14 weeks away from the game, which would be the perfect opportunity for me to get away from everything and work out what I want from cricket.”He sounded like Shaun Tait when he stepped off the international circuit due to mental and physical exhaustion caused by the depression of so many comebacks. It won’t just be care for Lee’s 33-year-old body that will be needed over the next couple of months.Another issue pecking at him has been being away from his young son Preston for the long periods demanded of a player wanting to appear in all forms of the game. Since the start of last year’s India tour Lee has been troubled by personal problems as well as fitness ones.”The hardest things for me over the past 12 months were getting injured during the Ashes but, most importantly, being six months away from my little boy, that has been really tough,” he said. “They are all things I need to weigh up.” Don’t expect him to be flying out of Sydney any time soon.While any comeback will be subject to a number of fitness and family conditions, one thing is not negotiable. “If I can’t bowl fast then I won’t bowl,” he said. His job has led his body to this rickety condition but he has always refused to follow the method of Dennis Lillee, who extended his career by slowing down and focussing on swing and seam.For Lee it has always been about speed. “When you try to bowl 155kph for over 16 or 17 years, there is a lot of wear and tear on the body,” he said. “I will try to get the elbow right.”If I don’t play another game for Australia or play another game of cricket again then yes, I am very pleased with what I have achieved. It’s more than I would ever had expected at the age of 10. But I still think there is a lot of cricket left in me yet, which is why I am not making any call on my future.”

Allrounder bats through day for unbeaten 150 as Derbyshire wilt in face of Division Two leaders

ECB Reporters Network11-Sep-2019
Since marking his Championship debut in 2018 with a half-century at The Oval against a rampant Surrey, Lancashire have struggled to know quite what to do with the prodigious talents of Bolton-born allrounder Josh Bohannon.Well wonder no more. Moved up and down the batting order throughout this season, 22-year-old Bohannon entered the stage late on the first day at the fall of the Red Rose’s first wicket and was still there around the same time 24 hours later, having compiled his debut first-class century and put his county in pole position to beat Derbyshire and claim promotion back to county cricket’s top flight. Three was indeed the magic number.Bohannon’s brilliant knock dominated a day during which Derbyshire’s lacklustre efforts with the ball yielded just a single wicket as they meekly conceded a first-innings lead with none of the fight their skipper Billy Godleman had shown in making a battling century on the first day at Emirates Old Trafford.Early morning rain gave the visitors a helping hand in taking time out of the game, but once play resumed at 1.40pm, Derbyshire needed their bowlers to step up too. That they comprehensively failed to do so was in no small part down to Bohannon, who alongside opener Keaton Jennings, made steady progress throughout the afternoon session.Jennings, who has enjoyed another stuttering season in his quest to return to the England fold, was the only wicket to fall before tea, when he misjudged a sharply spinning delivery from Hamidullah Qadri and watched in horror as his off stump was knocked back. Jennings had made 38 and played his part in a second-wicket partnership of 63 with Bohannon, who reached his fifty from 107 balls with seven fours and one six as the Derbyshire attack was slowly ground down during an increasingly chastening session.Progress had been slow previously, but the introduction of Liam Livingstone provoked a change in pace with both players on the attack as the fifty partnership was reached in 45 balls with Bohannon unbeaten on 69 at tea alongside Livingstone on 22 not out.While Livingstone was typically belligerent after the break, it was Bohannon who became the main aggressor as the pair reached their century partnership from 120 balls before the latter reached his own personal milestone from 173 balls with 15 fours, two sixes and one giant leap of celebration.If Derbyshire had any fight left it was soon distinguished as Bohannon and Livingstone sailed past the 150 partnership for the third wicket with Lancashire’s former captain bringing up his own half-century from 68 balls before the pair posted the county’s highest partnership this season when they reached 153.Barely a half-chance had presented itself all day and considering Derbyshire endured a scruffy afternoon in the field, summed up the unfortunate Ravi Rampaul performing a painful splits at mid-off at one point, it’s doubtful they would have even have taken it.At around 5.30pm, Lancashire moved into the lead, knowing that matching or bettering Glamorgan’s result would mean promotion. With Livingston unbeaten on 70, a lead of 25 with eight wickets in hand and the third-wicket partnership totalling 194, it feels like an inevitability. For Bohannon, who reached his 150 just before the close, it would be an achievement to savour.

Concerns over talent pathways may lead to rejig of England’s Performance Programme

George Dobell03-Jul-2019The ECB have announced that David Parsons is to leave his role as England Cricket’s Performance Director in July.Parsons joined the ECB in 2000 as National Coach, was promoted to National Spin Bowling Coach in 2005 and was appointed to role of ECB Performance Director in 2007. Since then, he has overseen the development of the England men’s pathways, including the running of the National Performance Centre at Loughborough University.His departure may well signal the start of a significant restructure of the ECB’s ‘pathway’ programme. There has, for some time, been disquiet about the lack of relative lack of performance of the pathway in comparison to the investment made and, when Ashley Giles was employed was director of the England men’s teams, part of his remit was to both cut costs and improve the output of Loughborough.The development of fast and spin bowling is likely to focus much of his attention. The fast bowling programme has already been discontinued on the basis that it cost lots and delivered little, with recent graduates seemingly more likely to suffer injury than improve in pace or potency.Much the same could be said about the development of spin, with Kent’s decision to release Adam Riley – not so long ago thought of an off-spinner with Test potential – last week adding credence to the theory that Loughborough sometimes does more harm than good. Certainly the inference of comments from Paul Downton, the Kent director of cricket, was not flattering.”Adam has been with Kent for a long time,” Downton told the BBC. “We remember back to 2014 when he had a great summer with Kent, was being talked about in the press as a future England spinner and won a place on the England Lions tour.”Unfortunately, while on that tour working with the Lions coaches he tried to bowl a bit quicker and, in doing so, he lost his action. He’s now spent nearly five years trying to find his way back to that kind of form. But I think we got to a point where we just realised it wasn’t going to work from his point of view, or our point of view.”As a result, the futures of Kevin Shine, the ECB’s lead fast bowling coach, and Peter Such, the ECB’s lead spin bowling coach, would appear to be particularly uncertain.There may be change to the Lions programme, too. While there is an understanding that playing in such a team narrows the gap between the international and domestic games, the reluctance of counties to schedule fixtures during the English season – they play just one first-class game this season – has diminished the need for any sort of permanent restructure around it.That could lead to a change of role for Andy Flower, the former England coach. He is clearly a man with knowledge and experience that is an asset to the ECB, but it could be he has outgrown most of the roles available to him at the organisation. He has recently applied for a county job or two – he narrowly missed out on the Warwickshire role that went to Paul Farbrace – but it may be a job with a county or even another country now beckons.It is likely the ECB will announce more overseas placements for young players in future. Not only would this prove cheaper, it is thought likely to encourage independence and maturity among developing players. Some at the ECB are concerned that some young players have become just a little soft and just a little entitled by their early exposure to England age-group teams. A period fending for themselves, it is reasoned, may do them no harm.Either way, change is coming to Loughborough. A cut in the number in staff is likely, with those who remain asked to be a great deal more accountable.

The board’s CEO Warren Deutrom lays out the obstacles in hosting matches under the current climate

Matt Roller15-Apr-2020Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom has conceded that there is a “high risk” that home series against New Zealand and Pakistan this summer will fall victim to the coronavirus pandemic.The start of the Irish season has already been pushed back to the end of May, meaning that Bangladesh’s scheduled tour for three ODIs and four T20Is has been postponed, and with international travel severely limited as things stand, it is possible that Ireland will not play a single home fixture this summer.New Zealand are due to play three ODIs and three T20Is from June 19, while Pakistan are scheduled to play two T20Is in July in between series in the Netherlands and England.”We’re all going to have to take a pragmatic approach – we just don’t know what’s going to happen even if sport does get back up and running in June,” Deutrom said. “With regards to international cricket, we remain in a wait-and-see holding pattern. Clearly, there is a high risk that our men’s home series against New Zealand and Pakistan… may be postponed if government restrictions remain in place.”Of course, some of the challenge we face in trying to bring some degree of certainty are no different to any other sport with international opposition – for example attaining visas for visiting teams and their support staff may not be possible as the Department of Foreign Affairs and the UK Foreign Office are currently not processing visa applications.”In addition, each country will take the advice of their home government, so teams may not even be in a position to travel to Europe. More specific to our situation, both New Zealand and Pakistan are visiting multiple countries on their tours, so that adds an extra layer of complexity. Then there are more logistical issues such as hotel and international flight bookings, the movement and staffing of broadcast facilities, and complying with the restrictions that may still exist around large group gatherings.”Two weeks ago, NZC chief executive David White indicated that the tour to Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands and the Caribbean was “most unlikely”, while PCB chairman Ehsan Mani told the board’s podcast this week that “preparation for the tour might become an issue if this keeps going the way it is.””It will also depend to a large degree on what the situation is like in England and Ireland,” Mani said. “If those series are disrupted, it will have a lot of impact. [The national boards] will also obviously have a huge financial impact. To reschedule those [tours] to fit into a future FTP will become a big challenge.”Irish cricket faces a further obstacle in that it has no permanent stadium, and relies heavily on temporary infrastructure at home fixtures. “Not only does this extend our lead-times for series preparation,” Deutrom said, “but also – at this time of crisis – we are aware that there is a shortage of temporary or portable infrastructure on the market as most is understandably in use by [Irish and Northern Irish health services].”The groundsman at Malahide – the ground near Dublin due to host both fixtures against Pakistan – has been temporarily repatriated to England by the local club, and Deutrom has previously indicated Cricket Ireland would monitor its readiness to host international cricket once restrictions are lifted.Deutrom also confirmed that the board has taken measures to preserve jobs and “to buffer the organisation through at least the next two months” with revenue shortfalls expected through loss of broadcast and sponsorship revenue. All non-playing staff have taken a 20% wage cut for April and May, while Deutrom himself will take a 25% cut for the rest of the calendar year.Centrally-contracted players have not been asked to take a cut on their retainer, on account of the losses already incurred due to the absence of match fees. “To ask them to take a further cut to their base remuneration… would be unreasonable,” Deutrom said.It remains to be seen how well-equipped Cricket Ireland is to deal with the crisis financially, with the annual report for 2019 due to be published within the next few weeks. The board’s 2018 accounts showed that cash reserves had been depleted to just €13,470 (14,700 USD approx), with the achievement of Test status leading to vastly increased costs, while Mani has warned that many boards will “feel the pinch” of the crisis, not least if the T20 World Cup is postponed.

Dravid feels the lack of hype going into the final could work in India’s favour

Nagraj Gollapudi05-Jun-20232:38

Pitchside: Rahane asked to keep long-term prospects in mind

“The hype not being there might be a good thing.”With that, India head coach Rahul Dravid ended his media conference on Monday.Rohit Sharma’s India have been in England for close to a week. They slipped in quietly, in batches, to the train in the quieter, and picturesque, environs in Arundel. Both teams arrived in London over the weekend, but the buzz was mostly about the FA Cup final, the train strikes, and a bit about England Bazballing Ireland at Lord’s.Related

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The media interactions with the Australian contingent over the past few days have been dominated by Ashes talk, and you wouldn’t be far off the mark if you felt the WTC final was more of a warm-up for the marquee series of the English summer.The Ashes has been a storied cricketing rivalry and the excitement is palpable, and understandable.But Australia vs India has grown into one of the best cricketing contests in the last two decades. Australia captain Pat Cummins acknowledged that at an ICC event on Sunday, saying the one team that had “really troubled” Australia were India, who have now won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on successive away tours.Still, with warm temperatures forecast for the match, the longer boundaries at The Oval, which also has true bounce, has made pundits like Ricky Ponting and Wasim Akram believe Cummins’ team has a slight edge.India, though, are not worried.”Look, whatever will happen will happen in those five days,” Dravid said. “Anything that happens before or after doesn’t really make a difference. Who is the favourite, who isn’t, when two good teams with good players play, whichever team performs well over the five days will win. I have full hope that if we play good cricket – and we have the ability – we have the players that we can pick 20 wickets, we can score runs, I have full hope that we can win this.”Dravid also said India were not going into the match with the baggage of having not won a world title since MS Dhoni’s team lifted the 2013 Champions Trophy, which was also in England. Since Rohit and Dravid took charge, India have featured in just the one men’s T20 World Cup, in the 2022 edition in Australia, where they reached the semi-final.”No, not at all,” Dravid said when asked if India were feeling the pressure. “I mean, we don’t feel any pressure in terms of trying to win an ICC trophy. Of course, it would be nice to do it. It’s certainly nice to be able to win an ICC tournament. But also in the context of things, you look at this and you see this is the culmination of two years of work, it’s a culmination of a lot of success that gets you here. So there’s a lot of positives to take from that to see where you stand on the table, winning series in Australia, drawing series here, being very competitive everywhere that this team has played in the world over the last five or six years.Dravid: “Being competitive everywhere over the last six years, those are things that will never change just because you have or you don’t have an ICC trophy”•ICC via Getty Images

“Those are things that will never change just because you have or you don’t have an ICC trophy. That’s really the bigger picture. But, of course, it’s nice to be able to lift any game of cricket you want to win. This happens to be a World Test Championship final and it would be nice to get on the right side of the result.”Dravid felt it would be stretching the point by attaching the significance of an Indian win in the WTC final to the long-term health of Test cricket, just like India’s ODI World Cup wins in 1983 and 2007 had done for the exponential growth of the white-ball game.”I don’t think you can compare the two. That was a long time ago and they [ODIs and T20Is] still are the new formats of the game. Test cricket has been around a really long time and I’m not sure one match is going to transform things or change things drastically, irrespective of whichever way it goes,” Dravid said. “Test cricket faces unique challenges; it’s a fantastic game which faces some challenges, which is not necessarily going to change [by] the result of one game.”

The Scorchers have built a new squad after last season’s wooden spoon, and the Stars will hope to top last season’s show

Alex Malcolm15-Dec-2019

Melbourne Stars

Captain: Glenn MaxwellCoach: David HusseyOverseas players: Sandeep Lamichhane (Nepal), Dale Steyn (South Africa – first six matches), Pat Brown (England – expected from January 8)Full squad: Pat Brown (overseas replacement), Hilton Cartwright, Jackson Coleman, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Ben Dunk, Seb Gotch, Peter Handscomb, Clint Hinchliffe, Sandeep Lamichhane, Nick Larkin, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Jonathan Merlo, Lance Morris, Tom O’Connell, Dale Steyn, Marcus Stoinis, Daniel Worrall, Adam ZampaLast season: 2ndThey suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the final, collapsing from an unlosable position against the Renegades. But they rode the wave of momentum to make the final after finishing fourth. There were a lot of positives to take out of their best season to date despite the bitter disappointment at the end.What’s changed for the season?They have a new coach after Stephen Fleming stepped down. Former captain David Hussey takes the reigns of a squad that has shaped nicely. They have added Dale Steyn and Pat Brown as their overseas fast bowlers who will play roughly half the tournament each as well as Nathan Coulter-Nile, who is primed to play a big part in what could be his first full BBL for many years. Hilton Cartwright also comes into the squad as an all-round option. He has a modest T20 record with the bat, but he and Coulter-Nile add exceptional athleticism in the field which the Stars view as vital on the wide expanses of the MCG.Australia impactMaxwell’s availability will be a big question. He has been away from cricket since October to manage his mental health, but is back playing club cricket in Melbourne and looks set for the BBL. Normally, he would be an automatic pick for the India ODI tour but the Stars will benefit if he doesn’t go. Marcus Stoinis, Peter Handscomb, and Coulter-Nile could be in the national frame but seem more unlikely than likely, which again helps the Stars. The only man they may miss is Adam Zampa, who will almost certainly travel to India.Player to watchNic Maddinson had also taken a mental health break this season but he is in the form of his life with the bat and seems most comfortable in the Melbourne environment. He could be primed for a big tournament with a settled role.Key stat (Gaurav Sundararaman)Among 32 bowlers who have bowled over 200 deliveries in the last four overs of a T20 match, Pat Brown has the best average – 12.42 – for any pace bowler. His death bowling and variations in the T20 Blast is the reason why the Stars have punted on Brown. It will be interesting to see how he bowls at the bigger grounds in Australia.Chris Jordan ripped through West Indies’ middle order•Getty Images

Perth Scorchers

Captain: Mitchell MarshCoach: Adam VogesOverseas players: Liam Livingstone (England), Chris Jordan (England)Full squad: Ashton Agar, Fawad Ahmed, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Nick Hobson, Josh Inglis, Chris Jordan, Matthew Kelly, Liam Livingstone, Mitchell Marsh, Joel Paris, Kurtis Patterson, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Sam WhitemanLast season: 8thThe Scorchers had been – and still are – the most successful team in BBL history, having not missed the finals in seven seasons, which included three titles. But after finishing top of the table in BBL07 and losing the semi-final, they finished last in BBL08 winning just four games.What’s changed for the season?They have completely overhauled their list. Simon Katich has been working as a consultant with new high-performance manager Kade Harvey. Shaun Marsh (Renegades), Michael Klinger (retired), Nathan Coulter-Nile (Stars), Hilton Cartwright (Stars), Clint Hinchcliffe (Stars), Usman Qadir (not contracted) and David Willey (not contracted) have all departed. They have signed Liam Livingstone and Chris Jordan as new overseas players. Fawad Ahmed comes in from the Sydney Thunder to change the dynamic of the attack with AJ Tye and Jason Behrendorff out injured. Kurtis Patterson has been signed as part of a new-look top order alongside Livingstone.Australia impactThey won’t be as affected as other teams. Australia’s one-day tour of India could see Ashton Turner and Jhye Richardson leave for five games if selected, but it is highly unlikely they will lose any others. Injuries are a bigger issue.Player to watchMatthew Kelly only played seven games last season but he made an impression with his death bowling, taking 11 wickets at a strike rate of 14.7. Given the injuries to key bowling personnel, he will be a pivotal player this season.Key stat (Gaurav Sundararaman)In this day and age, where spin plays a big role in T20s, the Scorchers have predominantly been dependent on their pace bowling to win titles. It has worked for them until last season. In the last edition, the Scorchers took only 13 wickets with spin at an average of 33. No team took fewer wickets with spin. This edition they are looking to better that record with more variety in the attack.