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Australia have named their squad for next week’s first Ashes Test, but their starting line-up is no clearer. Xavier Doherty and Callum Ferguson were the major surprises in a bloated 17-man group that also included Usman Khawaja, Ryan Harris and Peter Sidd

Brydon Coverdale15-Nov-2010Australia have named their squad for next week’s first Ashes Test, but their starting line-up is no clearer. Xavier Doherty and Callum Ferguson were the major surprises in a bloated 17-man group that also included Usman Khawaja, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle, but there was no place for the backup opener Phillip Hughes, who was the only unexpected omission.The squad, which is bigger than England’s touring party for the entire series, will be trimmed to 12 or 13 after this week’s round of Sheffield Shield matches before the first Test begins at the Gabba next Thursday. The selectors are also keen to see how some of the contenders perform for Australia A in their match against England starting on Wednesday in Hobart.The four-day game between New South Wales and Tasmania shapes as a particularly fascinating contest, with the spinners Hauritz and Doherty to go head to head on an SCG pitch that should offer assistance. The inclusion of the left-armer Doherty, who made a promising ODI debut this month but was viewed as a limited-overs specialist, has placed extra pressure on the incumbent Hauritz, who has struggled over the past month.”Nathan Hauritz has performed exceptionally well over the past 12 months for Australia,” the chairman of selectors, Andrew Hilditch, said. “One of the biggest decisions we will need to make is whether we go into the first Test in Brisbane with a right-arm offspinner or with the variation of a left-arm orthodox bowler.”Xavier Doherty has been very impressive in both limited-overs and first-class cricket, in particular last season and the start of this season, and it will be a great opportunity for us to observe both of the spinning options in the Sheffield Shield clash between New South Wales and Tasmania at the SCG this week.”Hilditch’s comments suggest the selectors are not considering an all-pace attack at the Gabba, where the seam-friendly conditions sometimes encourage sides to risk leaving out their frontline spinner. That means the most likely pace attack is Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Doug Bollinger, who made a promising return in club cricket on the weekend.Bollinger has been out with an abdominal strain since the first Test in India last month, and he collected 1 for 30 in ten overs for Fairfield on Saturday. He will continue his return in the Sheffield Shield game and providing he comes through unscathed, will be a certain starter on a Brisbane surface that should offer him some assistance.His recovery also reduces the chance of Siddle being included for his first Test since January, while the in-form Harris would need to also shake off a knee problem if he was to make the side. Harris bowled himself into contention with a match haul of 9 for 140 for Queensland at Bellerive last week but after the match had a swollen knee – he had surgery on the joint during the off-season – and his availability won’t be known for several days.”Ryan Harris has a chronic knee injury that requires ongoing management,” the team physio Alex Kountouris said. “As such he will not play in the next round of Sheffield Shield games or for Australia A starting 17 November to allow his knee to fully recover. His availability for the first Ashes Test will determined later this week.”There are unlikely to be any surprises in Australia’s batting line-up, although they are waiting to confirm the fitness of Michael Clarke, who suffered a recurrence of the disc problem in his back while playing for New South Wales on the weekend. Clarke will sit out of this week’s Sheffield Shield match but he is hopeful he will take his place at the Gabba.”I’m not going to play against Tasmania on Wednesday,” Clarke said. “I’m going to give myself another few days off to get my back right. But I’m confident that if I do all the right things over the next week I’ll be 100% ready to go come Brisbane.”Unless Clarke succumbs to the problem, there shouldn’t be any changes to Australia’s established top six, meaning Khawaja and Ferguson will have to wait to receive their baggy greens. Their selection is a strong indication that they will be vying for a position in the middle order should the selectors lose faith with Michael Hussey or Marcus North during the summer.The exclusion of the opener Hughes is a sign that Simon Katich will be fit for the Test, having been out of action due to a broken thumb. Katich made his comeback in grade cricket on the weekend, making 94 for Randwick-Petersham, and will line up for New South Wales in their four-day match this week.Australia squad Simon Katich, Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Marcus North, Usman Khawaja, Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin (wk), Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Xavier Doherty, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus, Doug Bollinger.

Kenya allrounder Collins Obuya has called on his team to step up after a series of losses in their preparation for the 2011 World Cup

Cricinfo staff20-Aug-2010Kenya allrounder Collins Obuya has called on his team to step up after a series of losses in their preparation for the 2011 World Cup. Kenya have lost their previous seven ODIs and finished last in the World Cricket League Division One in the Netherlands. They were also beaten in each game they played against Indian domestic sides Gujarat Cricket Association XI and Baroda Cricket Association XI in Nairobi.Obuya, however, has been one of Kenya’s more consistent performers in this lean phase. “We need to work harder and if it all goes well and if we keep doing the right things and in the best way possible, we should be alright. However, I am so happy that I am managing to get runs on the board and my confidence has come back.”Obuya won a memorable game for Kenya in the 2003 World Cup against Sri Lanka, where he grabbed a five-for with his leg-spin. Getting a win under their belt to break the losing trend, he said, was crucial to restoring the team’s confidence.”We need to start winning matches as that will give us confidence,” said Obuya. “We need to see batsmen getting runs and staying at the wicket for longer while the bowlers need to bowl much better. If this can be achieved, then I have no doubt we will do well.”There’s so much talent and potential in the team but a lot needs to be done on an individual level. We need to continuously strive to get better as well. The team needs to get cohesion and the young players need to be encouraged. We also miss experience which is important for the team in those kinds of matches.”Kenya will, however, have the experience of Steve Tikolo for the World Cup after the former captain made himself available for selection months after walking out on the team.

A review of the fifth round of games in the 2009-10 Plunket Shield

Cricinfo staff15-Dec-2009 Central Districts’ openers turned around a match in which they were not in the reckoning at any stage, to hand Wellington an unlikely defeat at Basin Reserve. As impressive as the result was the emphatic manner in which it achieved – for the loss of just one wicket.
Set 443 in 105 overs, Central began the final day requiring 374. Openers Peter Ingram and Jamie How seemingly took it upon themselves to win the game – they added a record 428 runs before How departed for 176, including 25 fours and three sixes. He was, however, overshadowed by Ingram whose unbeaten 245 came off only 286 balls and included 36 fours and a six. The partnership eclipsed the previous first-class opening record for New Zealand, set in 1971/72 by Glenn Turner and Terry Jarvis against the West Indies.Before the epic stand, Wellington would have expected to win a game they dominated from the outset. An unbeaten 220 from Luke Woodcock and a century from tailender Ili Tugaga rescued them from 215 for 8 to an imposing 440 in their first innings. In response Central frittered away a solid start and lost their last eight wickets for 57 runs to fold for 205, Andy McKay and Jeetan Patel picking up four apiece. The hosts pressed home the advantage through Cameron Merchant’s 93, piling up 205 runs in 54 overs and setting a fourth innings target that would have been safe for at least a draw. Someone forgot to tell the visitors’ openers though.Corey Anderson and Hamish Bennett bowled Canterbury to a ten-wicket victory over Northern Districts at Seddon Park. Beginning their second innings 84 runs behind, Northern collapsed for 111 with only three batsmen managing double figures. Anderson picked up five wickets for 22 while Bennett scalped four to put their side in sight of a victory that was duly earned by the openers who knocked off the target of 28.Earlier, a steady bowling display led by Brandon Hiini’s medium-pace ensured that Northern managed only 205 in their first innings. Opener Michael Parlane’s 65 was their lone bright spot before he became the second of Hinii’s four wickets. Canterbury’s reply was rocked early as they lost Rob Nicol and Peter Fulton with just one run on the board. Centurion Johann Myburgh then combined with Michael Papps to steady the ship and later secure a first innings lead of 84 – a deficit that Northern Districts barely managed to wipe out in the second dig.An unbeaten 152 from Neil Broom guided Otago to a five-wicket victory against Auckland at Colin Maiden Park. Chasing a tricky target of 314, the visitors got into trouble losing three quick wickets to be reduced to 154 for 5. Broom then joined forces with Leighton Morgan to take his side home in the 80th over.The hosts will look back at the match with mixed feelings, having recovered from 136 for 9 in the first innings to make a fist of it. Warren McSkimming was the chief wrecker, snaring 5 for 17 in his eleven overs before a tenth-wicket stand of 93 between Andrew de Boorder and Peter Erasmus took the hosts to 229. Otago also relied on a lower-order rear-guard effort to secure a 41-run first innings lead. Greg Todd anchored the innings with an unbeaten 78 even as opening bowler Michael Bates picked a five-for. Auckland then seized the initiative through Jeet Raval’s century and solid supporting acts from Gareth Hopkins and Reece Young. McSkimming picked four more scalps to finish with an impressive match tally of 9 for 79, but he could not stop Auckland from reaching 354. Broom’s effort however settled the issue in Otago’s favour.Northern Districts maintain their lead at the top of the table despite their defeat while Wellington move down the table to fifth place, only ahead of Auckland who are still searching for their first victory after five games.

Kian and Michael Blignaut, twins and sons of former Zimbabwe allrounder Andy Blignaut, also feature in the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-2025Simbarashe Mudzengerere has been named the captain of Zimbabwe’s 15-member squad for the men’s Under-19 World Cup, which takes place from January 15 to February 6.Mudzengerere, a right-hand batter and medium pacer, has captained the Under-19 national side since making his debut for them against Ireland, in Harare, on April 10 this year. He bowled a tidy spell of 1 for 28, before returning to make 37 from the middle order in a successful chase.Their squad also features Kian and Michael Blignaut, who are twins and the sons of former Zimbabwe allrounder Andy Blignaut.The U-19 coach, Elton Chigumbura, said: “We are going in with a winning mindset. This group can compete with, and beat, the best teams. Success will come from executing our processes, staying disciplined and sticking to our roles. If we do that consistently, we give ourselves a real chance to go all the way.”Zimbabwe are co-hosts of the tournament, alongside Namibia. Harare Sports Club and Takashinga Cricket Club in Bulwayo, and the Queens Sports Club in Harare, will be hosting matches played in the country. On the pressures of playing at familiar venues, Chigumbura said: “Playing at home is an advantage – we understand the conditions and we will have great support behind us.”The tournament features four groups, consisting of four teams each, with each side facing the three others as part of their group stage fixtures. Zimbabwe have been placed in Group C: they will be playing Scotland on 15 January, England on 18 January, and Pakistan on 22 January. After a Super Sixes stage, the top four teams then face off in the semi-finals on February 3 and 4, before the winners play in the final at Harare on February 6.Zimbabwe begin their preparation with warm-up matches against United States of America on January 10, followed by New Zealand at Masvingo Sports Club on January 12.Zimbabwe squad for U-19 World CupSimbarashe Mudzengerere (c), Kian Blignaut, Michael Blignaut, Leeroy Chiwaula, Tatenda Chimugoro, Brendon Senzere, Nathaniel Hlabangana, Takudzwa Makoni, Panashe Mazai, Webster Madhidhi, Shelton Mazvitorera, Kupakwashe Muradzi, Brandon Ndiweni, Dhruv Patel, Benny Zuze

The battle for supremacy in Group C of the T20 World Cup heats up

Sreshth Shah07-Jun-20241:03

Is Kane Williamson’s lack of match practice a worry for NZ?

Match details

New Zealand vs Afghanistan
June 7, Providence, 7:30pm local

Big picture: NZ face a tricky start

Since 2015, no team has been more successful in making it to the knockout stages of a World Cup than New Zealand. They’ve made the semi-finals in each of the six white-ball events since – including three finals – and yet, the trophy cabinet is empty. But if they don’t hit the ground running right away in a group that also includes co-hosts West Indies, their current campaign could very well end early.They take the field for the first time on Friday and a challenge awaits them straightaway. Guyana has been the most spinner-friendly venue of T20 World Cup 2024 and Afghanistan are arguably the strongest spin-bowling outfit in the world. When you take into account New Zealand’s less-than-ideal prep with no official warm-up games played, one wonders if they will turn up undercooked against a unit that has Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi and potentially Noor Ahmad.However, one of the reasons why New Zealand did not play a warm-up was because many of them were at the IPL, and those franchise regulars like Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner and Trent Boult could make a difference. They are also boosted by the return of Finn Allen and Devon Conway from injury, and their various right-left batting options gives them various batting strategies.New Zealand have a few spin weapons of their own too. The West Indies is Santner’s favourite place to bowl in, where he averages 16.83 with an economy of 5.50 in T20s. Across the last two T20 World Cups, no bowler has had a higher average release point (2.27m) than Santner. This uniqueness and his ability to vary his release speed and angle will keep all teams on their toes this World Cup.The left-arm spin of Ravindra and the offspin of Phillips gives them flexibility, allowing them to field a strong side without Ish Sodhi in the XI. Factor in the swing of Boult, the pace of Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson, and a string of other seam options, and New Zealand are still very much a threat. For Afghanistan’s batting, that remains the biggest challenge on Friday. They’ll look at the settled opening pair of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran to put up a strong platform in pursuit of a second win in two games.

Form guide

New Zealand LWWLL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Afghanistan WWWLW

In the spotlight – Williamson, Conway and Farooqi

Kane Williamson and Devon Conway are two of New Zealand’s top-three batters with next-to-zero game time recently. Conway missed the IPL with a finger injury that needed surgery while Williamson got only two games for Gujarat Titans. Neither have played a T20I game since January, but their experience is irreplaceable, especially if conditions are once again tricky for batting. Conway is proficient in scoring against all kinds of spin, however, Williamson could get bogged down by those who turn their stock ball away him, striking at only 106 since the T20 World Cup 2022.1:37

McClenaghan floored by Afghanistan bowling attack

Fazalhaq Farooqi showed against Uganda in Afghanistan’s first game that it’s not all about spinners in their team. In Providence, where this game will be played as well, he found significant deviation off the pitch and swung the ball nearly 2.5 degrees in the powerplay, more than twice that of the other bowlers. His 5 for 9 against Uganda was the fourth-best bowling figures in T20 World Cups, and Afghanistan will look for breakthroughs from him early so that the spinners could apply the squeeze sooner.Related

• Jimmy Neesham: 'I've embraced walking towards pressure in big moments'

• Williamson: 'Afghanistan have one of the better bowling attacks in the T20 World Cup'

• New Zealand battle rain and jetlag ahead of crunch World Cup opener

Team news: NZ assessing combinations

There are no injury concerns on either side. Afghanistan are likely to field the same XI while New Zealand will be considering their spin vs seam balance. Their resources are plenty: even if they keep out Mark Chapman, Michael Bracewell, Tim Southee and Sodhi, they still have eight bowling and eight batting options.New Zealand (probable): 1 Devon Conway, 2 Finn Allen (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Mark Chapman/Rachin Ravindra, 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 James Neesham, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Trent Boult, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Lockie FergusonAfghanistan (probable): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Najibullah Zadran, 4 Mohammad Nabi, 5 Gulbadin Naib, 6 Azmatullah Omarzai, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Karim Janat, 9 Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Pitch and conditions: Spin and rain on the radar

The pitch in Guyana has been sluggish, making chasing the preferred way to go. Since 2022, teams chasing have won 19 of the 27 games and two of the three games in this World Cup. The average first-innings winning score is around 184, however, chances of a shortened game are high with some rain forecast through the evening in Providence.

Stats that matter

• Spinners have an economy of 5.28 in Guyana at this World Cup and have taken 17 wickets, averaging 17.82 apiece. No other venue has seen more than seven wickets to spinners.
• Boult has only three T20I wickets in 13 innings across 26 powerplay overs since 2022, averaging a surprising 67.33 in the phase.
• In matches between Full Members since the last T20 World Cup, Afghanistan’s spinners have the best average (19.45) and economy (6.72).

Quotes

“I think we saw in the 50-over World Cup we’re able to compete with any side in the world. And that’s our philosophy here. So, every game that we play, we expect to put ourselves in a winning position. Or fight to win every single game. So tomorrow that’s no different.”
“We’ve been predominantly training in the day and there are some large differences between day and night in terms of conditions. But from the couple of matches that have been played, it looks like a reasonable wicket, a good wicket, a fair wicket at the same time. Bit there for the bowlers but equally decent for the batters.”

After leading South Africa women to a 2-2 draw against the world champions at their home, Chloe Tryon hoped the team would be battle-ready at the World T20

Liam Brickhill11-Oct-2018South Africa women have reached two semi-finals in world tournaments in the last four years, and allrounder Chloe Tryon believes they are good enough to go a step further and become the first South African cricket team to claim a world title when they go to the Caribbean for the Women’s World T20 in November.”We know that we are good enough to win the tournament and we are hoping to prove to the world that we are that strong,” Tryon said. “We want to go there and win the competition. But we are not going to get carried away – we’ll take it one game at a time.”South Africa just got home after a promising tour of the West Indies, in which they shared the one-day series 1-1 and fought back from 2-0 down to hold the reigning world T20 champions to a 2-2 draw in the T20s. Tryon captained South Africa in the T20s, after Dane van Niekerk rolled her ankle, and reckoned the experience had been a valuable one in the lead-up to the World T20.”We learnt a lot on our trip now, which is going to be important come the World Cup,” she said. “There is obviously a lot we need to work on, but we have a good idea of what we need to do at the competition in order to do well, having recently experienced the conditions.”I felt that in the ODIs we did lose it a bit,” she admitted. “We were doing a lot of the basics wrong. Yes, it is a bit slow here, but we know we should be better. But, overall, I think we learnt a lot from being here. The team has grown a lot from the ODIs and coming back from 2-0 down to level the series, so I’m really excited to go home, work on those things and come back ready for the World Cup.”Looking back at the ODIs, we were unlucky with the one game that got rained out. I felt we were in a position where we could win that game, and unfortunately, conditions are something you cannot control. It was a bit of a challenge, but the way we went about it was really good. It’s just a few things to work on, but it’s nice to go home with the series shared.”Her rapid 31 in the final T20 tipped that match decisively in South Africa’s favour, but Tryon’s returns from the series were middling, and she said she would spend the two weeks until South Africa’s departure for the World T20 honing her role as the team’s finisher.”I still feel that I can finish off games more,” she said. “I do want to be the match-winner for the team. Obviously, there’s still a lot to work on. I still feel that I lose a bit of concentration now and then, but I need to be more focussed if I want to be there for the team at the crucial stages in the end.Apart from acclimatising the team to conditions they are hoping to prosper in next month, the trip to the Caribbean also allowed the coach and selectors a good look at some of South Africa’s rookies. Three of them – Tumi Sekhukhune, Robyn Searle and Saarah Smith – could make their World Cup debuts as a result.”I felt they did really well,” Tryon said of the new players. “I’m very impressed with Tumi, Saarah stood up when we needed her the most. Robyn and Faye [Tunnicliffe] did really well in the last game, so it’s nice that these girls got some opportunity in the middle. I hope they can now take it back home and know what it means to be here and the level we play at.”

The left-arm spinner pulled up with a stiff back in the second Test and will stay in Colombo to receive treatment. Two players will be added to Sri Lanka’s squad for the third Test

Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Aug-20170:57

Quick facts – Herath, Sri Lanka’s MVP

Rangana Herath will be rested for the third Test at Pallekele after pulling up from the second Test with a stiff back. Two players will be further added to Sri Lanka’s squad to replace Herath and the already-injured Nuwan Pradeep.Though there is no injury to Herath as such, he has had a heavy workload over the past three weeks, in which he bowled 71.1 overs in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, as well as a combined 91 overs in the two Tests against India. Considering his age, and the fact that Sri Lanka will have to play a Test series against Pakistan over the next two months, the selectors have made the decision to leave him out.”This is where our player management comes in, because we don’t want to break anyone,” SLC cricket manager Asanka Gurusinha said. “We made the call not to risk Herath because he’s also bowled close to 200 overs in the three Tests. That’s a lot for his body.” Herath also confirmed he will stay in Colombo and receive treatment, rather than traveling to Kandy with the team.Though he has had a modest series against India so far, Sri Lanka’s attack will nevertheless be significantly weaker in his absence. He was the best of their bowlers at the SSC, taking 4 for 154, and had also taken 11 wickets in the difficult victory against Zimbabwe at Khettarama. Dilruwan Perera will now be the senior spinner, with left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara and left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan also in the squad.Herath is the fourth Sri Lanka player to become unavailable during the India series, after both Asela Gunaratne and Pradeep picked up injuries in the first and second Tests respectively, and Suranga Lakmal was ruled out by a back complaint. Herath is not in the habit of missing Tests, however. The last Sri Lanka match he missed had come more than two years ago – against Pakistan in July 2015 – and that was because he was dropped from the XI. The last Test for which he was unavailable was the 2014 Boxing Day Test against New Zealand in Christchurch, when he was nursing a leg injury, and also attended the birth of his second child.The Pallekele Test is scheduled to begin from August 12. It is, however, a dead rubber, with India having already won the series 2-0.

Australia took a 2-0 lead in the five-match ODI series against India after chasing down 309 for victory in the second ODI in Brisbane.

The Report by Brydon Coverdale15-Jan-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:00