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Australia opt for pace barrage

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Australia have taken a sizeable gamble by naming four fast bowlers for the fourth Test at Headingley. Stuart Clark will make his first appearance of the series at the expense of Nathan Hauritz as Australia attempt claw their way back into the series.The tourists’ move is both aggressive and risky, with the dry Headingley pitch appearing suited to spin. But heavy overnight rain has convinced Australia to punt on an all-pace attack of Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus and Clark in their quest for 20 wickets – a feat they have not achieved in the series to date.Despite declaring his fitness after Wednesday’s training session, Brett Lee has been overlooked for the fourth Test. Ricky Ponting, speaking at his pre-match press conference, echoed the concerns of Shane Watson the previous day by questioning whether Lee has enough miles in his legs to be considered for the potentially decisive fourth Test.A frustrated Lee terrorised Australia’s batsmen throughout Wednesday’s net session, then fronted the media immediately afterwards to declare himself 100 percent fit. That training run came one month and one day after his last fully fledged hit-out against the England Lions at Worcester, prompting concerns over his readiness to withstand the rigours of a full Test match.The Australians have twice paid the price for gambling on Lee’s health in the past year. Selectors persisted with their senior pacemen throughout the 2008 tour of India, despite him arriving on tour underdone and later battling the effects of Giardia. He claimed eight wickets at 61.62 in four Tests. Lee was also selected to play the Boxing Day Test against South Africa with a sore foot that would later require surgery. He was unable to take the field for the entire third day’s play, having managed just 1 wicket for 249 runs in the series to that point.”Brett ran in as hard as he had for a long time yesterday in the nets,” Ponting said. “Most of us batters were on the receiving end of a few short ones. He bowled with some good pace. I’m sure what the selectors will be thinking about right at the moment is if he has done enough bowling at full speed to warrant selection in a Test match. As we know it’s not just one day of bowling, it could be two or three days of successive bowling at 100 percent. That’s what they’ll be tossing up this afternoon.”The actual injury probably went on a little longer than what Brett would have liked and what we would have liked. I think he’s only had a few days of bowling at 100 percent. That’s where we have to listen to what he has to say about how he’s feeling, but more importantly the selectors have to weigh everything up about where we’re at in the series and if we can go in with a guy who has only bowled a couple of days at full pace.”Ponting gave a telling insight into Australia’s selection strategy ahead of the Test when, on Tuesday, he was asked whether Headingley was the place where he would feel most comfortable choosing four pacemen . “It probably is,” he said. “This is a venue that’s actually had a lot of results and when it’s like this and a bit cloudy, the ball tends to swing around quite a lot. So we’ve got to take those things into consideration, one with our selections and two with the guys to play the game. Historically the spinners have found it pretty difficult here.”The forecast doesn’t look great again either so there’s the prospect of a shorter game. The possibility of playing another bowler knowing we can take 20 wickets in a shortened game is something we’ve been discussing.”The case for selection put forth by Clark was a compelling one. The right-armer has bowled with accuracy and consistency in three tour matches – taking nine wickets at 25.00 from 73 overs – and would provide Australia with a containment and pressure-building option they have not possessed all series.Clark is desperate to add to his 90 wickets in 22 Tests and now has the chance to do so after convincing Jamie Cox, the on-duty selector, he was a superior option to Hauritz.”There was a big decision made right before the first Test which way we went with our quick bowlers, and definitely his name is in the running for this week,” Ponting said of Clark.Both Siddle and Johnson are averaging more than 40 for their 10 wickets in three games and have given away around four runs an over. Hilfenhaus has been the most impressive operator on tour but needs some tight support if Australia are going to overcome England.Ponting, meanwhile, noted fragility in England’s batting order, which is now without both Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff.”With Kevin Pietersen out you just read down their list and it looks like a different batting line-up,” Ponting said. “If anything, right through the series, we’ve been just searching a little bit too much for wickets with our quicks. We haven’t been able to build sustained periods of pressure on them. If we can do that I’m sure with their middle order the way it is, we can create a lot of chances. That’s what we’ll be hoping to do this week.”

Wanderers loses England fixtures

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The Wanderers in Johannesburg has lost its fixtures from England’s tour later this year following the suspension of its international status after a dispute between the Gauteng Cricket Board (GCB) and Cricket South Africa (CSA).The GCB had levelled allegations of mismanagement of the 2009 IPL at CSA chief executive Gerald Majola, the BCCI and the tournament organisers soon after the league ended. The GCB was told it would only have its hosting rights reinstated following an apology and that hasn’t been forthcoming.There are three matches affected; the first Twenty20 on November 13 which has been moved to Durban, the first ODI on November 20 now shifted to Bloemfontein and the fourth Test starting on January 14 which will be played in Port Elizabeth.”These changes have been made in terms of a resolution taken last week by CSA’s members forum to suspend all international matches at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg,” said CSA president, Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka.”The forum decided that the suspension will stand until the Gauteng Cricket Board apologises for its unwarranted criticism of the management of the 2009 IPL hosted in South Africa, and until it presents CSA with its conditions for hosting future international matches at the Wanderers Stadium which fall under the auspices of CSA.”These two conditions have not been met, and consequently CSA has informed the ECB that the venues for three international matches against England later this year, which were scheduled for the Wanderers Stadium, have been changed.”An ECB spokesman said: “It’s a matter for the home board.” When England toured South Africa in 2004-05 it was at the Wanderers where they claimed the series-clinching victory as Matthew Hoggard bowled them a final day victory.

Umar shines with century in draw

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ScorecardUmar Akmal scored his fourth first-class century as the match between Pakistan A and Australia A petered out to a draw in Townsville. Chasing an unlikely 318 for victory, Pakistan finished on 5 for 207 with Umar unbeaten on 100 and Sarfraz Ahmed on 50.Umar, the younger brother of the Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, struck 11 fours and two sixes in his 110-ball innings but despite his speed the target was too great. Clint McKay added two second-innings wickets to his six from the first innings, while the spinners Jason Krejza and Jon Holland were both expensive.Australia’s second innings was anchored by the captain Cameron White, who made 77. He was assisted by the wicketkeeper Tim Paine, who finished on 54 not out when the Australians declared at 5 for 256. Australia A coach Mark Sorell said he was pleased with the performance of his team, and the way they had come out on top during some crucial phases in the match.”We played some really good cricket over the four days, another couple of wickets with the new ball to put some pressure on would have been handy,” Sorell said. “We certainly won some key moments in the game and we pretty much drove the game, it was pretty much our game to drive and pretty happy with that and went well. It would have been a good reward for us to get the win at the end of the day but unfortunately it didn’t happen.”Sorell credited the Pakistan batsmen, particularly Akmal and Sarfraz Ahmed, who put on an unbeaten 98-run partnership and helped secure the draw. “A couple of quick wickets after tea would have been really handy and probably would have put us well in control of the game, but to the credit of the Pakistani guys, they played really well and didn’t give their wicket up,” Sorell said. “Those two guys at the end there played very well and proved a tough partnership for us to crack.”The teams remain in Townsville for a second four-day match, which begins on Friday. They then head to Brisbane for three one-day matches and a Twenty20 game.

A sublime knock, and a sucker-punch

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Innings of the dayThe last time Aaron Redmond played international cricket in England, it’s fair to point out he was not a rip-roaring success. In three Tests in 2008 he mustered 54 runs at 9.00, as James Anderson in particular tormented his technique with full and fast swing. Today, on the other hand, Redmond managed nine more than that tally in exactly a sixth of the deliveries, as he scorched Ireland’s job-a-day seamers with 13 fours in 30 balls. At times, it was like watching Geoffrey Boycott in the 1965 Gillette Cup final, as a previously one-paced plodder pulled on his dancing shoes and tripped the light fantastic. Sadly it couldn’t last. But for a man who had never previously been considered even for 50-over internationals, it was some statement.Bowler of the dayNathan McCullum might not have been playing if Daniel Vettori had been risked for this match, but for the second game running his fluster-free offspin proved impossible for the batsmen to dominate. Three overs, 15 runs, and three wickets took his tournament analysis to 7-0-33-4. That would be pretty handy in 50 overs, let alone 20.Six-hitter of the dayFor all Redmond’s ferocity, aerial shots are not his forte. He pierced the gaps with aplomb, but left the clearing of the ropes to his team-mates, in particular Martin Guptill, who went up and under as enthusiastically as Gavin Hastings in a Grand Slam decider. Four times he went all the way, including one shot off Alex Cusack that landed in the top tier of the old lady’s pavilion at mid-on.Sucker-punch of the dayRun-outs are part-and-parcel of the frenetic world of Twenty20, but some are infinitely crueller than others. Take Will Porterfield’s extraction in the first over of Ireland’s run-chase, for instance. Backing up, as one ought to in this format, he was left stranded as Gary Wilson’s punched drive skimmed back down the pitch and flipped the tips of Kyle Mills’ fingers as he stooped to field. The non-striker’s leg stump was plucked neatly from the ground, New Zealand celebrated even before the appeal had been upheld, and Porterfield’s innings was over after one ball.Shot of the dayImitation, as they say, is the sincerest form of flattery. Just as oodles of batsmen in this tournament have been trying out Kevin Pietersen’s switch hit, with mixed success, so today it was the turn of Tillakaratne Dilshan to provide the template for experimentation. Gary Wilson gave his remarkable scoop shot a go shortly before his dismissal, but made only nominal contact. John Mooney, however, got it spot on. Facing up to the unthreatening medium pace of Scott Styris, Mooney transferred his weight to the off side, dropped to his knees, and lapped the ball expertly over his head and all the way to the boundary.Run-out of the dayTake your pick. Porterfield may have been unlucky, but he set an unfortunate precedent, with Mooney, Andre Botha and Trent Johnston all succumbing to a combination of swift fielding and inept calling. Perhaps the most culpable was Botha, who dabbed Nathan McCullum to backward point, and hared off for a non-existent single. In came a diving shy from Styris, and Botha had given up the ghost long before Peter McGlashan had sounded the death rattle.

All-round New Zealand seal comprehensive win

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Aaron Redmond’s early blitz gave New Zealand an advantage they never relinquished•Getty Images

A spate of injuries forced New Zealand to call up Aaron Redmond to their World Twenty20 squad at short notice and throw him into action straightaway against Ireland in their Super Eights’ opener at Trent Bridge. He answered their call with an astonishing innings, piercing gaps in the infield with pinpoint accuracy to blast 63 off 30. His half-century and cameos from Scott Styris and Martin Guptill ensured that a weakened New Zealand did not slip on a banana skin and completed a comfortable 83-run victory.New Zealand were without three of their best players – Jesse Ryder was ruled out of the tournament with an infection while Ross Taylor and Daniel Vettori had hamstring and shoulder injuries – so they sent an SOS to Redmond, playing in the Bolton League in England. He’d never played a limited-overs international but opening in a World Twenty20 match was a seamless transition.Wearing Brendon McCullum’s shirt with the name blacked out, Redmond began by driving a full ball from Peter Connell to the cover boundary, the first in a glut of boundaries. He hit two more fours off Connell’s first over towards backward point and third man before turning his attention to Trent Johnston, who was returning after missing the game against India. The first two balls raced to the point and straight boundaries and the last two were dispatched to square leg and midwicket. Redmond had hit seven fours off his first ten balls.Johnston changed ends but to no avail. Redmond flicked the first ball of Johnston’s second over to the midwicket boundary and lofted the second down the ground. Redmond had contributed 40 out of New Zealand’s total of 44 when Brendon McCullum finally decided to make an appearance and pulled Kevin O’Brien to hit the tournament’s 100th six. However, he failed to clear mid-off while stepping out to Kyle McCallan and holed out soon after.The focus shifted back to Redmond who brought up his fifty, off 23 balls, by reverse-sweeping McCallan for consecutive fours. He had hit no sixes but had 13 fours. Those who watched him struggle during the Tests in England last year would have been surprised for Redmond managed only 54 runs in three matches on that tour. Those who watched him ransack 100 off 56 balls for Otago against Central Districts in the State Twenty20 in February would not.Redmond was eventually lbw to Alex Cusack, playing across the line but had done more than enough to set up the innings. Styris made Ireland pay for Regan West’s missed caught-and-bowled chance by hammering 42 off 25 balls and Guptill launched the ball into the stands four times during his 45 off 32. New Zealand didn’t manage 200, but their total of 198 was beyond the range of Ireland’s guns.Ireland needed a combination of magnificent batting and luck to get near New Zealand and they got neither. Their opener William Porterfield was run out in the first over while backing up too far after Kyle Mills got his fingertips on to Gary Wilson’s firm drive before the ball crashed into the stumps. Their best batsman in the win against Bangladesh, Niall O’Brien, dragged a length delivery straight to mid-on in Mills’ second over.A collapse from 15 for 2, though, was averted by a steady partnership between Wilson and Andre Botha but they were unable to match the asking-rate and had reached only 42 by the end of the Powerplay. The blows that sealed Ireland’s fate, however, came in the space of four balls. Wilson’s attempt to loft Styris over long-off was held by James Franklin and Botha was run out attempting a non-existent single, leaving Ireland on 58 for 4.The ensuing slide was swift and Ireland lost wickets quickly even as the required run-rate soared to 15 an over and beyond. Nathan McCullum prospered, picking up 3 for 15, while his brother Brendon was outstanding in the infield. He scored direct hits to run out John Mooney and Johnston, and took a sharp catch to his right at midwicket to dismiss Cusack. New Zealand may have appeared weak on paper but their performance at Trent Bridge on the day was anything but.

Joseph inspires incredible Kent win

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Division Two

Robbie Joseph produced an inspired spell to finish with figures of 6 for 55 as Kent completed an outstanding come-from-behind 192-run victory against Essex at Chelmsford after being made to follow-on. It was the largest margin of victory by a side that had been asked to follow-on. Joseph, coupled with two early wickets for Wayne Parnell, ripped through Essex’s middle order to leave them 79 for 7 and hurtling towards defeat. However, Ryan ten Doeschate and David Masters then combined for more than an hour to revive Essex’s hopes of escape before a dramatic finish. Masters was caught at silly point, ten Doeschate edged Parnell to the slips and, fittingly, Joseph claimed the final wicket when Danish Kaneria was brilliantly held at fourth slip by Darren Stevens. Kent had batted through the morning session with Stevens remaining unbeaten on 136 after he and James Hockley (72) had added 166 for the sixth wicket to set the stage for a memorable turnaround in a match they looked set to lose less than two days earlier.

Division One

Ashwell Prince continued his impressive form with his first century for Lancashire to help them to a draw against Nottinghamshire at Old Trafford after the top order wobbled. The home side were on the back foot for most of the game and were aided by time lost to the weather, but on the final day it was the efforts of Prince and Mark Chilton that did most the secure the escape. The pressure was on during the morning session after the openers departed early soon followed by Francois du Plessis to leave Lancashire struggling on 39 for 3. However, Prince and Chilton weren’t parted for the rest of the day as they added 191 with Prince reaching his hundred off 152 deliveries. Bilal Shafayat kept wicket for Nottinghamshire during the final after Chris Read returned home for the birth of his child.There was little riding on the final day at The Rose Bowl, but Sussex managed to secure two further batting points were some stubborn lower-order resistance against Hampshire. Matt Prior carried the total past 250 before he fell to James Tomlinson for 140, but Damien Wright (42) and Ragheb Aga (24) added 55 for the ninth wicket to gain a third point before the innings was wrapped up by Liam Dawson. The second half of the day allowed Michael Carberry (72) and Jimmy Adams (55 not out) to spend some time in the middle adding 126 to see out the match.

Edgbaston Test status under threat

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Edgbaston’s future as a Test venue is in doubt after Warwickshire’s plans to develop the ground were deferred by Birmingham city council’s planning committee.Gordon Hollins, the ECB’s head of venue partnership, supported Warwickshire’s plans at the meeting but made a blunt assessment of what delays could mean for the club. “The deferral is very disappointing at a time when several other venues throughout the country are making rapid progress with their redevelopment programmes,” he said.”At present Edgbaston falls someway short of ECB’s facilities criteria in a number of areas which is clearly not a sustainable position if Edgbaston is to retain the right to host major matches.”Test grounds in England have to meet standards set down by the ECB by 2011 to retain their hosting rights and Warwickshire now concede time is running out for them to put their plans for the venue into action. The main stumbling block has been concerns by local residents on the highways and the intensity of the development.”We are very disappointed that the Planning Committee didn’t determine the application,” Colin Povey, the Warwickshire chief executive, said. “Whilst we understand the concerns of some local residents we would have hoped that the wider benefits of the scheme to the city would have been clear.”If Birmingham is serious about being an international city this sort of scheme is exactly what is required. £12 million of annual benefit to the local economy and thousands of jobs that would have been created by the scheme are at risk if this doesn’t go ahead. The longer the council prevaricate on this Edgbaston and Birmingham fall further behind the competition for the staging international cricket in the future.”A number of other grounds, notably Old Trafford, are undergoing work to bring them up to standard and Povey said Edgbaston couldn’t afford to stall development any longer.”There is no doubt that several other cities, including Manchester, will see this as Birmingham shooting itself in the foot,” he said. “All grounds need to meet the criteria for staging major international matches by 2011 and there is no doubt time is running out for us whilst others are already moving ahead with their plans.”

Clark heads for Kent to revive Ashes prospects

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Stuart Clark hopes to restate his credentials in county cricket © Getty Images
 

Stuart Clark has agreed to join Kent on a six-week deal, a stint in which he hopes to demonstrate his enduring class as a fast bowler, and revive his prospects of leading Australia’s attack in the forthcoming Ashes in July.”In Kent’s situation, we were looking for a seam bowler of quality, and that is what we’ve got,” Kent’s chief executive, Paul Millman, told Cricinfo. “He has an excellent attitude, his work ethic is second-to-none, and he brings the professional qualities to our team that Graham Ford and Robert Key will need as we seek a return to first-division cricket.”Clark, 33, claimed 26 wickets at 17.03 in Australia’s 5-0 whitewashing of England in 2006-07, but an elbow injury ruled him out of the current tour of South Africa and allowed the younger trio of Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle to stake strong claims for an Ashes berth.Their combined successes in a memorable series triumph have left both Clark and his new-ball colleague, Brett Lee, fearing for their prospects this summer, but Clark maintains he still has enough credit with the selectors to force his way back into the reckoning.”It’s not going to come down to what I want or what Brett wants; it’s going to be what the selectors want,” Clark told the Sydney Morning Herald. “They are going to chose the top three fast bowlers for the team, and I think I have done enough with my time in the Test team. I feel personally that I am one of those top three at full fitness. I am feeling as fit as I ever have.”Clark is expected to make his Kent debut in the opening County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Canterbury starting on Tuesday, April 21, and a chance to hit a run of form in the English early-season could be exactly what he needs to persuade the selectors of his enduring merits.”I have had success there before [with Middlesex], and I hope that counts in my favour. You have got to be playing well,” he said. “I think I’m the only bowler with experience in those conditions. The only ground I haven’t played at is Cardiff where we’re playing the first Test [from July 8].”

North stakes claim for Test spot

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Simon Katich was particularly harsh on the spinners as he brought up his 45th first-class ton © AFP
 

Marcus North won the battle of Australia’s potential Test No. 6s but it was Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting who really enjoyed some pressure-free batting practice ahead of the first Test. Katich posted his 45th first-class century, and it was one of the more relaxed hundreds of his career, while Ponting cruised to 93 as Australia reached a comfortable 360 for 4 at stumps.The tourists’ strong batting put their disappointing bowling effort in perspective on a pitch that continued to offer no assistance for the bowlers. Katich and Ponting combined for a 185-run partnership that ended when Ponting was adjudged caught at slip when he tried to slog-sweep Imran Tahir, while Katich retired on 124 as Australia were keen to audition North and Andrew McDonald ahead of next week’s first Test.The men are competing for the No. 6 position – assuming Michael Clarke is fit – and they were both watchful early as they took care not to throw away their opportunity. They put together a 47-run partnership that ended when McDonald played back to Tahir and was lbw for 23, before North went on to register a half-century in his first innings for the Australians.North remained cautious but showed his ability to drive through the off side and flick through leg. He finished up with an unbeaten 52, while Mitchell Johnson was on 12 as Australia played out time at the end of the day. The scoring-rate had slowed slightly after Ponting and Katich took to Tahir earlier in the afternoon during their 185-run stand.Like Australia’s Bryce McGain, legspinner Tahir was treated mercilessly on a surface offering no real turn. He went to tea with 70 having been taken from his 11 overs and when he returned for his second spell he was immediately slammed over midwicket by Katich for a pair of sixes.Ponting also enjoyed facing Tahir and one straight-driven six that cleared the sightscreen left the ground and forced a ball change. Ponting struck three sixes and 15 fours in an innings that wasperfectly fluent apart from his first ball, which resulted in a huge appeal for caught behind when he was beaten by a superb legcutter from Ethy Mbhalati.Katich was troubled even less often. He drove the fast bowlers without fuss through the gaps on both sides of the field. When Roelof van der Merwe came on with his left-arm spin, Katich lofted him over midwicket as if he was one of the amateur bowlers playing in a club match adjacent to Senwes Park.For most of the opening partnership Katich had been outscored by Phillip Hughes, who showed glimpses of his class before falling to a cracking bouncer from Mbhalati. Hughes was on 24 when he played back and tried to defend but the rising delivery clipped the edge and flew through to the wicketkeeper. Hughes, 20, was off the mark first ball with a clip to square leg and he struck three boundaries, including a magnificent cover drive off Mbhalati.Australia spent only 2.3 overs in the field on the second morning and it was a much happier attack than on the first day. Ben Hilfenhaus produced a good outswinger that drew an edge behind from Heino Kuhn for 99 and in the next over Doug Bollinger picked up his first wicket with a good bouncer that van der Merwe gloved behind for a first-ball duck.

Ashraful to continue as Bangladesh captain

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There was good news for Mohammad Ashraful and Mashrafe Mortaza, who recently were signed up by IPL teams © AFP
 

Mohammad Ashraful will continue as Bangladesh’s captain until the conclusion of the tour of West Indies in July-August. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) directors decided to retain Ashraful despite his poor form but identified Mashrafe Mortaza, the vice-captain, and wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim as prospective leaders.”The selection of captain and vice-captain was an important issue in the meeting and after a discussion the board decided to continue with [Mohammad] Ashraful and Mashrafe [Mortaza] as captain and vice-captain until the next tour of West Indies in July-August,” BCB’s media committee chairman Jalal Yunus told the . The pressure to sack Ashraful has been growing, with the captain having failed with the bat. The team, however, has been able to challenge higher-ranked teams, beating Sri Lanka and New Zealand in ODIs in the past year, but their inconsistent performances prevented them from gaining series wins.”We also considered Mashrafe, in terms of seniority, and Mushfiqur Rahim, for his maturity, as prospective candidates for the captaincy. Both are captaining their respective club sides in the Dhaka Premier League this season, but the board wants to give them more time to grow in the role. Their captaincy in the Premier League will be monitored and observed by the board.”The board was cautious over giving more responsibility to Shakib Al Hasan, who has been the team’s most consistent performer in recent months, rising to No. 1 in the ICC ranking for ODI allrounders. “He [Shakib] is now in good touch and it would not be wise to disturb him anyway,” Yunus said. “We don’t want to give him any additional burden.”Jamie Siddons, the team coach, made a presentation to the board, and assured the directors that the work on Ashraful, Tamim Iqbal and Junaid Siddique will show consistent results soon. “One of the key features of the presentation was Shakib’s transformation with the bat over the last year,” Yunus said. “The coach showed us Shakib’s backlift when he [Siddons] first came in and his present state which is more technically correct and allows him to play shots more comfortably and freely.”Ashraful, who took charge in June 2007, was pleased the board had backed him. Before the Caribbean visit, the team plays five ODIs and two Twenty20s against Pakistan in March followed by the ICC World Twenty20 in England in June. “I’m really happy that the board kept their faith in me,” he said. “But I have to perform as a batsman first and I believe that I will get the result of my hard work very soon.”The board said a decision on players’ contracts and salary is under process and is expected to be completed in a month. The board will also set up a welfare trust with an initial deposit of Taka 36 lakh. The beneficiaries would include current and former players, scorers and umpires, organisers and BCB staff members. The proceeds from the ticket sales of the first game between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, amounting to seven lakh Takas, will handed over to Manjural Islam’s family. The match was a benefit game for Manjural, who died in an accident in 2007.