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Cricket Australia’s experiment with a youth team in the Matador Cup will continue this summer, with the Cricket Australia XI confirmed as a seventh one-day team for 2016-17

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-2016Cricket Australia’s experiment with a youth team in the Matador Cup will continue this summer, with the Cricket Australia XI confirmed as a seventh one-day team for 2016-17.The CA XI were included alongside the six states in the 2015-16 tournament and the squad was made up of young players who had missed out on selection in their respective state one-day squads.Although they suffered some extremely heavy losses and finished last on the Matador Cup table, they also provided one upset by beating Tasmania by three runs.CA XI squad members included Queensland legspinner Mitch Swepson, who has been chosen in the Australia A squad for a series of upcoming winter matches.”We said initially that we were prepared to back this for a two-year trial and we are sticking to that for the second season as we felt that there were significantly positive results for Australian Cricket,” CA’s executive general manager of team performance, Pat Howard, said.”With the postponement of the Test tour [to Bangladesh] last October, the CA XI came up against very strong state sides, which was wonderful for the competition but was also a tough introduction for the young group. It is important we continue to review the concept again this season, as there were many positives.”

West Indies head coach Phil Simmons has said having more seniors in the T20 side compared to the Test squad is a good feeling as it “makes things easy” for him for the two upcoming T20Is against India in Lauderhill, Florida

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Aug-2016West Indies head coach Phil Simmons has said having more seniors in the T20 side compared to the Test squad is a good feeling as it “makes things easy” for him for the two upcoming T20Is against India in Lauderhill, Florida. As opposed to the inexperienced Test side that lost 2-0 to India, their T20 squad features Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and Kieron Pollard among other specialist T20 players. They will also play under the new captain Carlos Brathwaite after Darren Sammy was dropped from the side.”It’s good to have all the senior guys back and they make things easy for me because it’s a case of them doing all the work and they know this format inside out,” Simmons said on Thursday in Lauderhill. “So it gives me a chance to just enjoy them freeing themselves out there.”Simmons also said being the T20 champions helped the side’s confidence, comparing them with the 1980s’ Test side, which dominated the longer format for years.”In this context, I think it’s a case where we are world champions and it’s something we have made our own, similar to back in the ’80s when we made Test cricket our own. We always had the team to beat in T20 cricket so from that point of view we’ve got a lot better and all the guys are loving playing it. But it’s a stepping-stone to one-day cricket too.”Brathwaite has played only eight T20Is so far and played only the first of the four Tests against India, scoring 0 and an unbeaten 51. While he had recently said the T20 players were “mature enough” to handle a change in leadership, Simmons said the objective of the new captain and the entire side would be to build on the World T20 win in India.”I think his (Brathwaite’s) main mindset is that we have to continue where Sammy left us and the good work that Sammy did in this position,” Simmons said. “I think that’s the mindset of all players that we have to continue the work we did in the [T20] World Cup and before that.”Even though their T20 squad is vastly different from the Test side, Simmons said there would be an “easy” transition in the dressing room because the T20 side has broadly remained the same since the World T20, which they won without Narine and Pollard.”Yeah, it could be a bit different but I think there’s only three players here who played in that [Test] series,” Simmons explained. “So it is not that much of a transition because the three players know how to play this and one of them was the best player in the World Cup, you know, batting wise. I think we are easy with that transition.”We still prepare for the two days here the same way we would have prepared before. It’s just that the Indian team has been together for longer but we are over here preparing and we will do that over the next two days.”Simmons also emphasised on the kind of impact players like Russell and Narine could make in the shortest format. Russell recently struck a 44-ball 100 packed with 11 sixes and played a crucial role, along with Gayle, in taking Jamaica Tallawahs to their second CPL title. Narine took 14 wickets in the CPL with an economy rate of 5.55, and also finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in the tri-series against South Africa and Australia in June.”I don’t think there’s much to be said about Andre,” Simmons said. “From what he’s on the pitch, he just gives everything over there and he’s always going to be our main player for us. Once he starts, with either bat or ball, we are in a position of winning.”I haven’t seen the surface properly yet but Narine played here for Trinidad & Tobago in the CPL and he has done well and adapted well. So I’d like the same from him.”Their squad will also be bolstered by Johnson Charles, the second-highest run-scorer in the CPL, Andre Fletcher, Lendl Simmons and legspinner Samuel Badree, the No. 1 ranked bowler in T20Is, who had injured himself in the World T20 final. Simmons stated that beating India in T20s, just like they had done in the World T20 semi-final in Mumbai, was going to be a bigger motivation than their T20 ranking, which is third currently behind New Zealand and India.”It (ranking) is motivation but I think, as in Mumbai, just to beat India because that’s always going to be the team to beat in T20 cricket because they’ve commanded the format for a long period. So winning against India is always going to be high on the agenda. Where we get after that, we are happy at that.”The only thing that we are doing is that we will prepare as best as we can because India is going to be coming looking for revenge for the semi-final loss and we have to make sure that we are ready for whatever they bring to us.”Simmons was also asked about the recent discussions the WICB held with the players during the WICB/WIPA Players’ Symposium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and he barely commented on that, but sounded more excited about the coming matches at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Lauderhill.”I was there, and I’m happy that discussions were held,” he said. “It’s not about holding discussions; it’s about where you go from there. Let’s see where it takes us.”This is an awesome stadium, awesome! Looking at the CPL, the wicket seemed to be very good too. So if the wicket is as good as it was in CPL in a stadium like this, we are in for a treat over the weekend.”

Gareth Batty branded Surrey’s performance ‘unacceptable’ and ’embarrassing’ as they slumped to an eight-wicket defeat with almost 20 overs left unused in the Royal London Cup final at Lord’s

George Dobell at Lord's17-Sep-2016Gareth Batty branded Surrey’s performance “unacceptable” and “embarrassing” as they slumped to an eight-wicket defeat with almost 20 overs left unused in the Royal London Cup final at Lord’s.Batty, Surrey’s captain, admitted his side had “not turned up” as they succumbed to their second Lord’s final defeat in successive years. Collapsing from 99 for 2 to 136 all out, they gave themselves little chance of defending such a meagre total against a Warwickshire team including players such as Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell.”To lose in this manner is a little bit embarrassing,” Batty said. “We have not really turned up today. We just got it wrong and it hurts like hell.”This was, not for the first time, a disappointing surface for a major match at Lord’s. There are mitigating factors: the redevelopment of the Warner Stand necessitated the use of pitches towards the bottom of the square at the start of the season – they usually start at the top end here – resulting in some overly safe pitches in early season and some unusually dry ones towards the end.Meanwhile, the decision to televise the Championship decider between Middlesex and Yorkshire from the ground next week has forced them to press another mid-square surface for that game. With the ground relentlessly busy and the square exhausted, the groundstaff were left struggling for options.This pitch, then, had already been used for an ODI this season and had been glued to ensure it did not break up. That is unusual at Lord’s and resulted in neither side knowing quite what might constitute a par score. The way Surrey started -with Jason Roy, in particular, unleashing some magnificent strokes – it appeared 280 might be on the cards but, as the pitch slowed and Warwickshire’s bowlers began to gain spin and seam assistance, the relatively inexperienced middle-order failed to adjust.It was not easy, though. Jeetan Patel, bowling noticeably quicker than either of Surrey’s England spinners, was markedly the best potent of the slow bowlers on display. Gaining sharp turn at times, he built pressure in a masterful spell that was well supported by Ateeq Javid’s own waspish spin and Oliver Hannon-Dalby’s control and variations. And, with Tim Ambrose taking a sharp stumping off a leg-side wide and Laurie Evans taking an outrageously good catch to end Roy’s dangerous innings, Surrey were allowed no release.Batty refused to blame the surface, though. “We’re not blaming the pitch, absolutely not,” he said. “We’ve no one to blame but ourselves.”It was obviously a tired surface, but it certainly wasn’t a 136 all out surface. We just didn’t adapt to what was put in front of us unfortunately and they bowled well in the conditions. We were around 90 odd for 2 so to be 136 all out was not acceptable.”This defeat will sting Surrey. But, trophy or not, they can console themselves with the knowledge that they are a club progressing nicely. Not only have they achieved a respectable finish in the upper half of the Championship table – a decent effort for a recently promoted side – but, by the time the ECB finish naming their squads for tours this winter, they will have contributed 10 players to various teams.Players such as Zafar Ansari are part of Surrey’s future•Getty Images

Their youth system also contributed nine (10 if you include Gareth Batty, who left Yorkshire for the club while still a teenager and say he considers himself “absolutely a product of Surrey”) players to the two sides here, with Evans and Rikki Clarke having started their careers at the club. Yes, they use their financial might at times. But they produce players, too.”The club have made progress,” Batty said. “We’re not the finished article but when we do become that, we’ll be the finished article for quite a long time because of the age of the squad and the quality we have in different positions in the squad.”We dropped off a cliff today, but we’ve played good consistent cricket in this competition. In the Championship we had a real purple patch in the middle when we played some excellent cricket and challenged the best teams in the country and some wonderful players. We didn’t start well and had we started better who knows where we would have been. In Twenty20 we missed out on qualifying for the quarter-finals by a point, so we’re not a million miles away.”We’ve played some very, very good cricket. When these young lads do get picked for England they’ll be ready to go.”There is a wider context, too. After defeating Somerset here in 2011 to win the CB40 final, the club went through a wretched period that saw the team shattered by the death of Tom Maynard. Life will never be quite the same for any of those that were at the club at the time but there is a bond between many of these young players that will not easily be broken. Certainly they have faced far greater setbacks than the loss of a cricket match.”Some of this group went through some horrible times a few years ago,” Batty said. “So you can be relatively philosophical at times. Sometimes it can be straightforward a bit more bat and ball, but it doesn’t feel like that right now. This group of players know they can be together for a very long time and they should be thinking that this is just the start of opportunities.”Sometimes you can lose with dignity. I hope we lost with dignity and we allowed Warwickshire to enjoy what was a very fine performance. Hopefully we become better people and men because of that.”Batty’s on-field persona is not to everyone’s taste. But, as he signed autographs – he gave his runners-up medal to one young fan – and apologised to supporters, it was a reminder that he has shepherded this club through some dark days with a calm head and a strong constitution. That the club – and its crop of young players – can now look forward to a bright future is, in no small part, thanks to him. Long after he has gone, they will owe him plenty.

Shaun Marsh and Ashton Agar have been named in Western Australia’s squad for next month’s Matador Cup, despite both carrying injuries that will likely prevent them from being available for the start of the tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-2016Shaun Marsh and Ashton Agar have been named in Western Australia’s squad for next month’s Matador Cup, despite both carrying injuries that will likely prevent them from being available for the start of the tournament. Fast bowler Jason Behrendorff has also been included and will make his return from a lengthy lay-off, having not played since the BBL in January due to a stress fracture of the lower back.Western Australia have named a near full-strength group for the one-day tournament, with only Mitchell Marsh unavailable due to Australian duties and Nathan Coulter-Nile injured. However, Shaun Marsh’s broken finger and Agar’s shoulder injury will likely mean they are unavailable until later in the tournament, in which case WA can apply to Cricket Australia for injury replacement players.”It’s great to see Jason [Behrendorff] back in the squad after a long time out,” coach Justin Langer said. “He’s a consummate professional with his rehab and has been diligent throughout so we’re confident he can return to his best during the Matador Cup.”It’s great to have Adam Voges here to lead the side, while we’ve got good experience with players like Michael Klinger and Nathan Rimmington around him.”Western Australia squad Adam Voges (capt), Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Hilton Cartwright, Michael Klinger, Shaun Marsh, David Moody, Joel Paris, Nathan Rimmington, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Jonathan Wells, Sam Whiteman.

Steve Waugh has indicated a willingness to consider the role of selector after it emerged that the panel’s chairman Rod Marsh will vacate his post at the end of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2016
Steve Waugh, the former Australia captain, has indicated a willingness to consider the role of selector after it emerged that the panel’s chairman Rod Marsh will vacate his post at the end of the season.Series defeats in Sri Lanka and South Africa have renewed focus on the Australian team’s performance, and there is tension in the air as Steven Smith’s team look to rebound by winning at home.Marsh’s decision not to seek a contract renewal was announced after the South Africa ODI series ended in a 5-0 defeat, and he will not be the only man under pressure, should results go badly this summer.Pat Howard, the head of team performance, is also out of contract next year, and will be looking to recast the selection panel before that time. Darren Lehmann, the national team coach and selector, has had his contract renewed until 2019.Waugh, whose twin brother Mark has been a selector since 2014, said he would be open to joining the panel. “I’d listen to it if the opportunity came up, but there are a lot of things you’ve got to throw into the mix and see whether it’s the right time,” Waugh told the . “I think there are a lot of good cricket brains in Australia. No one has asked me, but I’d listen to it.”Aside from a brief chat during the 2015 World Cup, Waugh has seldom been seen near the Australian side since his 2004 retirement, but has remained a respected voice and was a member of the Argus review panel in 2011, alongside fellow former captains Mark Taylor and Allan Border.Waugh perceives 2016-17 to be a pivotal summer for Smith in particular. “You always have a honeymoon period. The first six to 12 months, everything is fantastic. You make all the changes and they work,” Waugh said. “Then, the reality sets in and it’s a bit harder than that.”I think losing that series in Sri Lanka probably was a bit of a shock to the system. I thought our fielding was very poor, which is unlike Australia, and that sort of set the benchmark for the rest of their cricket.”[Smith] will be having a good look at himself, his captaincy style and which players he wants in the team. These six Tests in Australia could well define his captaincy going forward. I think if they have a good series in Australia and the team stays stable, and they respond to his leadership, then it’s great for him, but if things don’t go well, it will be a challenging time for him, particularly after the last few losses. But, as a captain, the one thing about Steve Smith is he’s amazing in the way he responds when things are down.”Waugh also noted Smith’s recent comments about the “quiet” nature of numerous members of the Test team and wanting to see a more boisterous group.”That’s when he’s got to get together with the selectors and say ‘this is the type of player I want in the side’,” Waugh said.
“I’m sure he’ll be talking to Rod Marsh and the selectors, saying, ‘look, we need a bit more life, a bit more talk and attitude and a bit more Aussie Way’. That may define some of the selections in the first Test. If he wants more talk out there, he’s definitely got to get it.”

It took, perhaps, a little longer than may have been expected but India duly cantered to an eight-wicket victory in Mohali and unassailable 2-0 lead in the series

The Report by Andrew McGlashan29-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:54

Ganguly: India’s strategy of playing an offspinner worked

It took, perhaps, a little longer than may have been expected but India duly cantered to an eight-wicket victory in Mohali and an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. That it was not until after tea that they knocked off the runs was largely down to a resilient display from Haseeb Hameed, batting at No. 8 due to his finger injury which was confirmed as tour-ending, who ended unbeaten on 59. But the target was swiftly dealt with by Parthiv Patel’s unbeaten 54-ball 67.Hameed’s innings put into context the wasteful batting that had pockmarked England’s performance. They were chasing the game since the opening session, when they handed three of the four wickets to fall to India, who only briefly let them back into the contest during a frenetic period after tea on the second day when they lost 3 for 8.England began the fourth day 56 behind with six wickets hand and though Joe Root helped them erase the deficit during the morning session, two further wickets had been shipped by then. When Root departed for 78, sharply held at slip, there were visions of a swift conclusion to the match but Hameed dug in and Chris Woakes played positively to persuade India that the second new ball was needed. It was used with potent effect by Mohammed Shami who claimed two wickets in three deliveries. Hameed was eventually left stranded when James Anderson was slow coming back for a second run.M Vijay’s diminishing returns since his century in Rajkot continued when he fell for a duck, edging a short ball from Woakes to slip, but Parthiv led India’s surge to the target – in the process creating a potential selection-poser should Wriddhiman Saha be fit – while Cheteshwar Pujara was content to play within himself, avoiding a regular diet of bouncers, until top-edging a sweep with 15 required.It was noticeable how England’s quicks went for a concerted short-pitched attack early in India’s chase, something that had been missing with the game in the balance on the third morning, but barring Ben Stokes’ herculean efforts they were out-bowled by the India pacemen.That was no better highlighted than by Shami’s use of the second new ball. He rattled Woakes with a short ball, which hammered into his helmet and dislodged the stem guard, and followed up with another pinpoint short delivery which Woakes could only fend behind to the keeper. Two balls later, Adil Rashid was also bounced out, hooking to fine leg.The extent of Hameed’s injury was still not clear when he came in below Jos Buttler, but Alastair Cook confirmed after play that he required surgery. It was to his immense credit that he did not appear in significant discomfort although he did need further painkillers during his stay.It took Hameed 19 balls to get off the mark and he needed 111 deliveries to score his first boundary, which came with a slog-sweep against R Ashwin. He had also been given a life on 6 when Parthiv could not gather a tough chance off Ashwin. When he was joined by last-man Anderson he had 23 off 127 balls, but then showed the other side to his game. He took on Shami and, when he was somewhat surprisingly removed from the attack, continued to take on both Aswhin and Ravindra Jadeja with his fifty coming up off 147 deliveries when he slog-swept for six over deep midwicket.It had not taken long for India to make their first breakthrough when nightwatchman Gareth Batty propped forward at Jadeja’s second ball of the day and was given lbw. Root and Buttler responded with intent: Buttler came down the pitch to loft Jadeja over long-off and Root scampered hard between the wickets. For a short period it was reminiscent of a one-day partnership and Virat Kohli relaxed his attacking fields a little.However, when a batsman such as Buttler is keen to dominate – which was not without merit – the scouts in the deep become wicket-taking catchers and so it proved when Buttler miscued Jayant Yadav to deep midwicket.Hameed was never going to opt for the Buttler route so it was left to Root to do the majority of the run-scoring while he bedded in. Shami went short at him for a brief period, to try and target the injured hand, but with the old ball the pacemen’s main threat continued to be reverse swing with both Shami and Umesh Yadav finding prodigious movement on occasions.Root’s half-century, his second-slowest in Test cricket, was brought up with his third boundary and he then became engaged in a tussle with Ashwin. A cover drive and strong sweep went Root’s way, but attempting another sweep he was fortunate to escape as it looped over the wicketkeeper. It was another bowling change which ended his resistance – another call that worked for Kohli in this match – when Root drove at a delivery from Jadeja which gripped enough to take the edge. Both sides’ catching has been fallible in this match, but Rahane’s snaffle to his left was superb.

Moises Henriques commanded a focused Sydney Sixers to a nine-wicket win over Sydney Thunder in the opening match of BBL 2016-17

The Report by Daniel Brettig20-Dec-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSydney Thunder made a sobering start to their defence of the Big Bash League title won last summer, well beaten by a focused Sydney Sixers on the opening night of the tournament at a sold-out Sydney Showgrounds. After the Thunder lost a ruinous 5 for 15 midway through their innings, the Sixers’ captain Moises Henriques combined with Daniel Hughes to drive the Sixers home.Captain in commandHenriques led the Sixers with plenty of panache on the night, shuffling his bowlers expertly and not being spooked by the crushing way the Thunder ended their Powerplay, racing to 64 for 1. Instead he used spin to shift the game’s momentum on a somewhat tacky surface, ensuring the hosts finished some way short of their desired total.He followed up with an innings of common sense and plenty of strength, taking a particular shine to the offerings of his state team-mate, Pat Cummins. As plenty of batsmen the world over can relate, muscling Cummins is no easy task. Henriques’ reward was the top score of the match, and a winning start to the Sixers’ campaign.Bat in blackA technicolour crowd of 21,798 was in good voice throughout, but there were more than a few gasps when Andre Russell walked out brandishing a jet-black bat – a sight not seen since the little-remembered Stanford T20 tournaments in the Caribbean. While the Sixers’ gloveman Haddin noted on the broadcast that the ball bore a few black marks for Russell’s contact, a CA spokesperson confirmed it was all above board.”A player can use a coloured bat subject to CA approval. The bat may be the same colour as the Club’s primary colour, or black. CA retains the right to withdraw approval in its absolute discretion. The umpires can also request a player change the bat if they believe it affects the integrity of the match.”Spin shiftWhen the fifth and sixth overs of the Thunder innings – bowled by Joe Mennie and Doug Bollinger – went for a combined 39 runs, the Sixers seemed to have lost their early control over proceedings. However Henriques refused to panic, instead reverting to Steve O’Keefe’s spin and the slinging action of Sean Abbott. The next two overs cost only seven, and meant Eoin Morgan was spoiling for a boundary when the new Australian citizen Johan Botha entered the attack. First ball and a slow, spinning off break attracted the faintest of touches from Morgan through to Brad Haddin.That wicket led to another tight over, this time costing only three, and Henriques then swung Mennie back into action against batsmen now questioning themselves a fraction. Jason Roy flew through the air at backward point to snaffle a cut shot from the captain Ben Rohrer, a critical wicket given there is no longer a Michael Hussey or Jacques Kallis adding their knowhow to the Thunder line-up. Two balls later Jake Doran also fell, this time lbw, pushing momentum well and truly towards the Sixers.When Russell’s black-bat cameo was ended by a Bollinger short ball, Henriques pulled another clever rein by posting Daniel Hughes at slip for Chris Green, who obliged by edging directly to him. In all the sequence had cost the Thunder 5 for 15 in 23 balls, a period that was always going to leave them within range of the Sixers’ power-hitters.Hunter and huntedFor the first four years of the BBL, the Sixers were Sydney’s dominant team, the Thunder their underachieving western counterparts. Last season turned things on their head, as the Thunder soared to the title while the Sixers did not even reach the semis. An off-season to think about that scenario clearly left an impression on the Sixers, who have stolen an early march, not only their crosstown rivals, but also the competition as a whole.

He became the first Australian to hit a century and take three wickets in an ODI, but despite his brutal 146 not out off 117, New Zealand held on for a six-run victory at Eden Park

The Report by Daniel Brettig29-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKane Williamson runs out Josh Hazlewood to win the game•Getty Images

Kane Williamson held his nerve, ran the last man out with a direct hit and stopped Marcus Stoinis seven runs short of pulling off the most miraculous of Australian chases in an Eden Park ODI.Stoinis’ unbeaten 146 turned a comfortable New Zealand victory into an utterly thrilling encounter. And yet he was only on the tour because the first-choice allrounder Mitchell Marsh was resting a shoulder problem. Stoinis joined a motley assortment of other second-choice players standing in for the captain Steven Smith, his deputy David Warner and the wicketkeeper Matthew Wade among others, but the innings he conjured was among the finest played for Australia in recent memory, showing equal parts composure and brutality. Stoinis was the first from his country to wallop a century and pick up three or more wickets in the same match.The visitors had slid as far as 54 for 5 when Stoinis arrived at the crease, and he took his time in the company of James Faulkner before taking the game on with immense courage and power even as Australia’s wickets started to run out. His tally of 11 sixes, most hit straight or in the arc between midwicket and mid-on, was the highest ever in an ODI at Eden Park. As a breakout performance it recalled Andrew Symonds against Pakistan at the 2003 World Cup – Stoinis and Australia will hope so.The arrival of last man Josh Hazlewood pushed Stoinis into a corner from which he could only attack, and he piled up 54 runs in four overs without the No. 11 ever having to take strike. Ultimately it was the search for a single that ended things, as Williamson struck with an underarm from short mid-on to dismiss Hazlewood when only seven runs were required from 19 balls – a fair measure of how destructively Stoinis had played.Memorable runs followed up a fine spell with the ball from Stoinis, who bowled his 10 overs straight through the middle of the innings as the Australians held New Zealand to a manageable 286. While numerous chances went down, 29 extras conceded, and a Hazlewood one-hander on the boundary became six when the paceman’s foot brushed the rope, regular wickets throughout prevented the hosts from creating the sort of momentum required to pass 300.Marcus Stoinis’ 146 not out was the second highest-score ever made by a batsman at No. 7•Getty Images

In his second ODI appearance, Stoinis prospered with his muscular medium-fast bowling, beating Williamson and Martin Guptill for pace in the air and off the wicket on his way to a three-wicket haul. Travis Head was also handy with his part-time offspin, coaxing Ross Taylor to drag on onto the stumps.Guptill had appeared to be the New Zealand’s best hope of a big score before he fell to Stoinis, and it took an innings of impressive composure from Neil Broom to take them beyond 250. Eventually, his 73 off 75 balls proved just about enough.Australia had been forced into a hurried reshuffle on match morning, with Finch taking over leadership from an injured Wade after Smith and Warner both missed the tour. The resultant changes to the Australian top order left them vulnerable to intelligent New Zealand bowling, and the early overs saw a steady procession of wickets that suggested this would not be a close encounter.Finch and Head were out trying to assert themselves early on, via a pull to square leg and an upper cut to third man. Shaun Marsh’s return to Australian colours ahead of the India tour ended with dance down the wicket to Mitchell Santner and a comfortable stumping for Tom Latham. Either side of his dismissal, Peter Handscomb and Glenn Maxwell both edged length deliveries behind, and when the debutant Sam Heazlett also offered up an edge, the score fell to 67 for 6 and New Zealand looked sure winners.What followed reflected tremendous credit on Stoinis, but also on how Twenty20 has influenced the thinking of batsmen around the world. Stoinis and Faulkner were happy to let the required rate blow out to near 10 an over, getting themselves in and working out the vagaries of Eden Park’s drop-in pitch and short boundaries before accelerating.Pat Cummins played his part by striking the ball cleanly to help Stoinis bring the asking rate down, before Santner earned another stumping with his slower pace, flight and spin. Mitchell Starc was unable to contain himself when presented with Santner’s last delivery and was caught on the midwicket boundary, before Stoinis caught fire with a barrage of sixes to take Australia so close to a win they had no right to expect for most of the afternoon.Tom Latham, with two stumpings and three catches, equalled the New Zealand record for most dismissals by a wicketkeeper•Getty Images

Wade had been ruled out due to a back complaint he reported on match eve. His absence meant Handscomb took the gloves, and also that the young Queensland batsman Heazlett made his debut in the middle order. Heazlett was included in the squad without having played a single domestic limited-overs match for his state and was listed to bat at No. 7.There was next to no swing for Starc with the new ball after Finch sent New Zealand in to bat, and it was a short ball from the left-armer that brushed Tom Latham’s glove to offer Handscomb a catch behind the wicket. Guptill and Williamson appeared to be setting a sound platform before the captain squeezed a Stoinis delivery off bat and pad to backward point, and a similarly promising stand between Guptill and Taylor ended when the latter fell to Head.Stoinis then found a way past Guptill and coaxed Colin Munro to pop a catch to mid-on, leaving Broom and James Neesham with the salvage job. Neesham played with particular verve and was looking to accelerate further when he was well held by Head on the midwicket boundary for 48.Santner and Tim Southee did not last long, and Broom eventually miscued a length ball from Faulkner to long-on as the overs ticked down. Trent Boult connected with a couple of meaty blows, which in the final analysis gave Williamson’s men just enough breathing room to contain the Stoinis Hurricane.

Wriddhiman Saha, who has been out of action since straining his left thigh during the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam, is set to make a first-class return in the Irani Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jan-2017India Test wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, who has been out of action since straining his left thigh during the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam, is set to make a first-class return in the Irani Cup. Saha has been named in the Rest of India side that will take on Ranji Trophy champions Gujarat at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai from January 20 to 24.Cheteshwar Pujara will lead the Rest of India squad, which also includes Saha and Karun Nair among players who featured in India’s most recent Test series. There is plenty of first-class experience in the squad, which includes the likes of Abhinav Mukund, Manoj Tiwary, Shardul Thakur, Pankaj Singh and Shahbaz Nadeem, as well as a sprinkling of young players such as the left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav, the wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan and the seamer K Vignesh, who enjoyed a breakthrough season with Tamil Nadu.The Rest of India squad was the first one picked by the three-man selection committee comprising MSK Prasad, Devang Gandhi and Sarandeep Singh, after Gagan Khoda and Jatin Paranjpe were removed in keeping with the Lodha Commitee’s recommendations.Rest of India squad: Abhinav Mukund (Tamil Nadu), Akhil Herwadkar (Mumbai), Cheteshwar Pujara (Saurashtra, captain), Karun Nair (Karnataka), Manoj Tiwary (Bengal), Wriddhiman Saha (Bengal, wk), Kuldeep Yadav (Uttar Pradesh), Shahbaz Nadeem (Jharkhand), Pankaj Singh (Rajasthan), K Vignesh (Tamil Nadu), Siddarth Kaul (Punjab), Shardul Thakur (Mumbai), Akshay Wakhare (Vidarbha), Ishan Kishan (Jharkhand, wk), Prashant Chopra (Himachal Pradesh).

A decision not to use DRS when Shaun Marsh was given lbw while padding up to Umesh Yadav contributed to Australia’s 75-run defeat in Bengaluru

Daniel Brettig07-Mar-2017A disastrous DRS misunderstanding between Australia’s captain Steven Smith and the No. 4 batsman Shaun Marsh helped set them on the path to defeat in Bengaluru, one that allowed India back into a bare-knuckle fight for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Twice Smith appeared to have established useful stands in pursuit of a target of 188 for victory and an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match series, first with David Warner and then with Marsh. Warner was lbw to R Ashwin while attempting to sweep, and on review was found to be have been struck in line with the stumps by the barest possible margin, therefore upholding the decision.That left Australia with a solitary review when Marsh shouldered arms to Umesh Yadav’s delivery from around the wicket and was hit on the pads in the vicinity of the off stump. After Nigel Llong raised his finger in response to the appeal, the two batsmen got together to chat about using DRS.”We weren’t entirely sure,” Smith said. “I sort of said “go” as in “go have a look at it” and he sort of turned around and started walking, so I should’ve probably put my hands up and done it.”HawkEye showed the ball wouldn’t hit the wicket and Smith admitted it had been an unfortunate way to lose a batsman who had been in good form. “Obviously we saw the replay and it was missing the stumps so it would’ve been a nice one to review,” he said. “It perhaps could have been important. Shaun was looking pretty good. It was a disappointing wicket at the time, but that’s the game of cricket, you have to move on and try and do what you can from there.”Marsh’s dismissal left Australia with only two specialist batsmen in Smith and Peter Handscomb. After they were separated by the captain’s subsequent lbw, the end came quickly, exposing the limitations of Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade and the tail on a fiendishly difficult pitch and handing the match to India by a more comfortable margin than what seemed likely for most of a very memorable Test.”On a day four wicket that’s pretty challenging, you need a few things to go your way, you need a bit of luck and today wasn’t our day,” Smith said. “We competed very hard, this morning we bowled well and got the breakthroughs we needed to and got ourselves batting, but 188 was always going to be a difficult task. We probably just needed one or two batsmen to stand up a little bit more and try to get us close to that score.”In assessing where the visitors lost the thread of a contest they had begun in fine style on day one after losing the toss, Smith pointed to shortcomings in their bowling in the second innings. Rather than being patient – a quality they showed in spades throughout the first day in Bengaluru and throughout the first Test in Pune – Smith conceded his men had rushed a bit. By the time they regained the right tempo, India’s lead was past 150.”I think when we came out and bowled we were probably rushing a little bit, almost expecting things to happen instead of getting to the basics and executing our skills,” Smith said. “We were a little bit off with our lines and lengths, gave them a few too many freebies in the first innings as well.”On this wicket, it was about maintaining your line and length and letting the wicket do the work. There was a lot of natural variation in this game and at times we got a bit too wide or a bit too full and we weren’t able to continually hit those areas we were able to hit and that relieved the pressure [off India] a little bit.”What we did this morning was what we needed to do yesterday, and if we did that, things could certainly be different. But credit to the way the guys came out and did it today, 188 was always going to be a difficult task. Ashwin went to work on a wicket that was certainly suiting him and their quicks bowled in some very challenging areas.”Australia must now overcome the mental hurdle of losing a match they had made much of the running in. “It’s disappointing but I’m still proud of the way the boys competed,” Smith said. “When we came over here we were written off and expected to lose 4-0 but the boys have competed incredibly hard over the last two Test matches, so if we can continue to do that then hopefully we can get some more results go our way.”