Tim Nielsen, the Australia coach, says his team was surprised by the intensity of the ICC World Twenty20, which left Ricky Ponting, Shane Watson and Michael Hussey suffering hamstring injuries. Despite Australia’s fitness problems leading into a limited-overs tour of India, Nielsen said the tournament in South Africa had been beneficial ahead of a busy 18 months.”It’s probably been a really good physical workout for us,” Nielsen told . “It’s been nice that the bowlers can get through four overs and they don’t have to flog themselves early in the year, so hopefully there is a lot of benefit to get out of it.”Nielsen said the seven-match ODI series in India would now seem like “a lazy old day in the sun playing Test cricket” in comparison to the Twenty20 competition. “It’s so fast,” he said. “We’ve only played one-off games in the past, so playing in a tournament where every game counts really means the pressure stacks up a bit, and then you factor in all the travelling and training and it’s quite an intense few weeks.”Although Ponting is expected to take part in some of the India games, Hussey and Watson have been sent home to recuperate ahead of the opening matches of Australia’s domestic season, which starts in just over a fortnight. Australia are already without Shaun Tait, whose recovery from elbow surgery has taken longer than expected. James Hopes, Brad Haddin and Adam Voges have been added to the squad to tour India.Adam Gilchrist said the players entered the World Twenty20 under-prepared so they would not tire too quickly as their international schedule becomes more hectic. “We knew we were underdone,” Gilchrist said in the . “We realised that very quickly.”However, he was pleased with the way Australia’s attack handled the pressure in South Africa and he said Mitchell Johnson’s form – he claimed eight wickets at 19.12 and went for 6.37 an over – was promising. “I really like the way the ball is coming out for him at the moment,” Gilchrist said. “Our bowlers have been pretty spot-on every game.”After the India series, which ends with a Twenty20 match, Australia’s players will have two and a half weeks without international cricket before their two-Test home series against Sri Lanka. The calendar eases slightly through December, with three ODIs and a Twenty20 against New Zealand, followed by India’s visit that begins with the Boxing Day Test.
The good news was that England cruised through their first, and only,practice game against an unheralded side; the bad news is that AndrewFlintoff, who smashed a breezy 59 with the bat, revealed that he will notbe bowling in the opening game of the Champions Trophy, a crucial clashagainst India on Sunday.”I won’t be bowling this Sunday,” Flintoff told reporters at the end of atiring day in the field. “As for the series, I’m bowling in the nets,trying to build it [the ankle] up. As for an exact date as to when I’ll be bowling again,I’m not sure. I’ve bowled two or three times in the nets and it’s feelingstrong but that’s something that we’re assessing day by day.”Speculation has been rife about Flintoff opening the batting in thetournament and his entry at No.3 today lent more weight to that theory.Flintoff, though, played his cards close to his chest. “Today, we had theorder we had,” he dead-batted. “Going into Sunday, we’d need to discusswith the coach and decide. We have quite a few options we can take butit’s something we’ll finalise before Sunday.”Flintoff was visibly sapped at the end of a demanding day under the Jaipursun but he brushed aside suggestions that the weather might affect histeam’s chances. “I thought we coped quite well with the heat last time,”he reasoned, talking about England’s visit to India earlier in the year,when they encountered temperatures so oppressive that a few players neededsaline drips. “We have experience in playing in extreme heat. It’ssomething we’re aware of. We’re getting accustomed to it in the last fewdays.”Just as they’d done against Pakistan, England played both their spinners -Jamie Dalrymple and Michael Yardy – in the warm-up game as well. “Weplayed two spinners today and they’re obviously vital members of our sideas are the pace bowlers. We’re quite fortunate to have three allroundersin the side – Collingwood, Yardy and Dalrymple. They all bat well and bowltheir overs. We also have Rikki Clarke. It gives us a lot of depth.”
Andrew Strauss and Shane Warne were the star performers on the opening day of the deciding Ashes Test at The Oval. It was only right that the start of such an important match produced another see-saw day, which left the destination of the Ashes as delicately poised as when play began. Strauss’s seventh Test century was the mainstay of England’s stop-start innings and Warne’s 5 for 118 meant Australia were always in contention as he again manfully carried the attack.Everyone at The Oval, and the millions watching the action around the world, hoped for a day that would stand the test of this amazing series and begin a fitting finale – they were not disappointed. There was something for all; from the watchful accumulation of Strauss, the stunning strokeplay of Andrew Flintoff, the mastery of Shane Warne and the sheer determination of Australia not to let go of their little urn.Each of the sessions was its own mini-drama. Following a rollicking start by Strauss and Marcus Trescothick, Warne began yet another master class of legspin. Then Strauss and Flintoff built their brilliant fourth-wicket stand of 143 as England took control in the afternoon. But, Australia weren’t finished and with three late wickets they claimed the final-session honours.Following the opening stand of 82 the major contribution to England’s innings was the partnership between Strauss and Flintoff, which produced two contrasting knocks from two contrasting players. Strauss has not always been at his most fluent during this series but had his game in top working order from the start of play.His judgment of what to play and what to leave was excellent, as was his shot selection. He played carefully against Warne and was content to pick his runs off the quicker bowlers as England consolidated following their mini-collapse against Warne where they lost 4 for 49. Flintoff played well within himself – aware of the importance of his wicket to both teams – but still timed the ball with effortless ease.
Ricky Ponting was faced with a familiar problem of who to bowl in place of McGrath and Warne. Brett Lee was not at the top of his game – firing too many balls down the leg side – and for every impressive delivery Shaun Tait produced there was another four-ball just around the corner. Strauss and Flintoff waited for these looser deliveries and generally found the boundary despite the now-obligatory defensive fields. Even when England were four wickets down, following their midday wobble, Ponting often resorted to one slip and only had the confidence to attack the batsmen while Warne was bowling.Confidence is something that exudes from Flintoff and he opened his shoulders after playing himself in, taking three consecutive fours off Warne to reach his fifty before launching him into the stands for a majestic straight six. Strauss moved along in more measured fashion and reached his second Ashes century off 150 balls.But then another shift in momentum took place. McGrath removed Flintoff, with Warne again in the thick of the action – but this time with his catching. Flintoff prodded at a ball outside off stump and Warne took a sharp, low catch stood at the solitary slip. Paul Collingwood, England’s only replacement player throughout this Ashes series, did not last too long as he attracted one of the few balls from Tait that would have threatened the stumps. Collingwood was beaten for pace by a yorker, although replays showed the ball struck him just outside off stump. The Australians won’t care about that – they will think they are owed a couple of decisions in their favour.Warne claimed his fifth wicket when he removed Strauss half an hour before the close thanks to a brilliant piece of anticipation from Simon Katich at silly point, holding on to the pad-bat chance inches from the ground. It was fitting that Warne claimed the final wicket of the day as he was the man who ignited Australia during the morning session.Although it had all been plain sailing in the opening hour for Trescothick and Strauss, Warne said, before this match, how determined he is to make a mark in his final Test in this country and again he let his actions to the talking.
With the seamers being taken at over four-an-over Ponting was again forced to throw the ball to Warne inside the first hour. The outcome – certainly on the form of this series – was predictable. There has hardly been a moment when Warne hasn’t been having an influence on the situation. On almost every occasion when Australia have needed a wicket Warne has put his hand up. He came to the fore again as he removed Trescothick – courtesy of a stunning catch by Matthew Hayden at slip.He struck again to remove Michael Vaughan, who clipped a catch to Michael Clarke at midwicket before capping a great morning fightback when Ian Bell was trapped lbw for a duck by the slider. Warne was producing all his variations, including the rarely seen googly and Australia had suddenly grabbed the advantage out of nowhere. Their position was further enhanced when Kevin Pietersen fell shortly after lunch to a poorly judged and executed whip across the line. It was not the consolidation that England required.But any thoughts that England may start to think about playing for draw were rapidly banished by Strauss and Flintoff, and any thoughts that Australia were going to lose their grip on the Ashes without the toughest of struggles was dispelled by their subsequent surge of wickets. The series deserves a fittingly thrilling and gripping finish and on the evidence of today that is what it will get.
EnglandMarcus Trescothick c Hayden b Warne 43 (82 for 1) Michael Vaughan c Clarke b Warne 11 (102 for 2) Ian Bell lbw Warne 0 (104 for 3) Kevin Pietersen b Warne 14 (131 for 4) Andrew Flintoff c Warne b McGrath 72 (274 for 5) Paul Collingwood lbw b Tait 7 (289 for 6) Andrew Strauss c Katich b Warne 129 (297 for 7)
In our globalised world we are not divided by international boundaries, but we are separated by language, which leads you to wonder just how Bob Woolmer and Inzamam-ul-Haq manage? At press conferences Woolmer fields the questions in English, followed by Inzamam who tackles the ones in Urdu.After Pakistan’s defeat of India I asked Woolmer why Pakistan were now more focused than a few months earlier against India. Woolmer diplomatically replied that he hadn’t been involved with the India series, so was unable to specify what had changed, but was satisfied with the commitment of his team. My attempts to subvert the process by asking Inzamam the same question in Urdu met a rather grumpy response. I was wrong, he suggested, to imply that Pakistan had found it hard to beat India in the home series and his team was as focused as ever.Inzamam, I’ve come to learn, is a man who defends his decisions and his behaviour as stoutly as he defends his wicket. This is an admirable trait in a captain – but so is a touch of contrition, and after the incredible decision to bat first at the Rose Bowl perhaps a spoonful of contrition would not have gone amiss.First, let’s be clear, there are certain signs that the team of Bob and Inzy is heading on an upward trajectory. Pakistan’s bowlers perform with a dash of discipline, the fielders have a swagger of professionalism, and the batsmen appear to have a plan. These developments are a miracle. But Pakistan cricket, and Bob and Inzy in particular, have much to consider, and the main points are these:
All teams make mistakes, and take silly decisions, but this seems to happen to Pakistan at an alarming rate. With due respect to the acumen of Pakistan’s think-tank, batting first on a cloudy morning, before 11am at the end of September in England, on a difficult track, is hard to explain. The explanation that the pitch might have favoured the spinners later on might have made sense if the spinners in question were not Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik, and the fast bowlers were not Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami, backed up by two reasonable seamers — and if the match were being played at Karachi.
Woolmer has done a great job of talking up Inzamam as captain, and certainly he is a better captain and a more responsible batsman now than a year ago, but you still have to worry about him as a tactician. The decision to bat first is one thing, but the subsequent decision not to use Afridi, after claiming that the track would suit spinners, was bordering on the ridiculous. This is not to say that Afridi would have won Pakistan the game, but in a desperate situation a sentient captain would try anything and gamble on success. Inzamam can certainly lead in the middle, bat in hand, yet a question-mark remains over the rest of the time.
A more fundamental problem still is the inability of Pakistan’s players to play the moving ball. At home against India they were undone by the gentle swing of Lakshmipathi Balaji and the more extravagant movement of Irfan Pathan. At the Rose Bowl, West Indies’ gentle swingers did for Pakistan’s top order. Correcting this immense deficiency against the moving ball must be a real worry for Woolmer, and has to be a priority. Top-order batsmen at the highest level should not be surrendering so easily. There is a deeper problem here, one that questions the way Pakistan’s cricketers develop in their early years: much talent but little technique.
A final worry is that Woolmer has promised consistency in selection — and delivered, which is commendable, yet this has been coupled with a surprising rigidity in batting order and approach. Might a little unpredictability help here? Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, or even Shoaib Akhtar thrown up the order for a quick fling is a tactic not to be forgotten.Pakistan’s approach has changed in many ways since Woolmer became coach — in many ways that inspire confidence for the future — but one aspect that remains bewildering is the extreme variability in performance. Unless Woolmer finds a solution for this unpredictability his time with Pakistan will remain bitter-sweet.Kamran Abbasi is a London-based cricket writer and acting editor of the British Medical Journal.
After making a huge success of a career in cricket, Steve Waugh is all set to try his hand at acting. According to Robert Joske, his manager, Waugh will star in an English movie which will be shot in India. Joske made the announcement in Kolkata, during Waugh’s visit to Udayan, a home for the children of leprosy patients.Joske said that the script, written by an Australian writer, was almost ready. “Waugh will be the central character in the movie to be shot in India. Most probably he will play himself. It will be a feel-good movie involving the children of Udayan. Waugh is looking at an Indian film-maker to direct the film and an Indian producer to finance it.” Joske didn’t reveal the location where the film would be shot.This news is likely to increase speculation about an impending end to Waugh’s cricketing career, but the man himself gave no such indication, stating that he was still excited by the prospect of playing a Test series, even against Bangladesh. “Whenever we play a new country, it’s always an exciting challenge. It’s a great experience to play a new team.”Waugh dismissed the notion that motivating himself would be a problem. “Playing for Australia is enough motivation,” he said. “There should not be any need for motivation when you are playing for your country. I would love to play for Australia as long as I can.”Waugh, who has been associated with Udayan for more three years, admitted that there were activites other than cricket which kept him busy. “If I think I can’t improve then there are other things to do, like being in Udayan,” he said. “Cricket is not the only thing for me. I’m playing only a small role in helping children at Udayan.”Meanwhile, Bangladesh took a day off from cricket, visiting a Gold Coast theme park on Wednesday, a day before the start of a three-day match against the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy (CBCA). The opposition will be even more challenging than the Queensland Academy of Sport, against whom Bangladesh lost by 29 runs in the tour opener. The CBCA line-up has four players with first-class experience: Scott Meuleman, Luke Ronchi and Peter Worthington have all played for Western Australia, while Mark Cleary has represented South Australia.Dav Whatmore, the Bangladesh coach, announced that he was looking for allround improvement. “We’re looking to improve in every department and get accustomed to the conditions as best as we can and just to play some good percentage stuff.”Bangladesh will play two Tests and three one-day internationals on their month-long tour. The first Test starts on July 18 at Darwin.
Next week, the Sri Lankan cricket board will unveil a new-look first-classtournament, which they hope will revitalise domestic cricket in Sri Lanka.
STAGE ONE – QUALIFICATION
Super Group
NCC
BRC
COLTS
SSC
Super Group teams play each other
Teams in group ‘A’ or ‘B’ play other teams in their respective groups
Top three in each group qualify for super league
Group A
CCC
Panadura SC
Sebastianites C&AC
Galle CC
Air Force SC
Ragama CC
Group B
Tamil Union C & AC
Bloomfield C&AC
Moors SC
Antonians SC
Kurunagala YCC
Chilaw Marians CC
STAGE TWO – SUPER LEAGUE
Super League
NCC
BRC
COLTS
SSC
Group A -1
Group A -2
Group A -3
Group B -1
Group B -2
Group B -3
Teams only play sides that they have not played before
Points gained against sides played in first round are carried through
Top four qualify for semi finals
STAGE THREE – FINAL STAGES
Semi Final
Number 1 v Number 4
Number 2 v Number 3
Final
Winner SF 1 v Winner SF 2
The board, though, has stopped short of introducing the two-divisionstructure championed by some, in favour of a hybrid format that balances thetwin objectives of increasing competitiveness and protecting the health ofoutstation clubs.According to Sidath Wettimuny, Interim Committee member with overallresponsibility for cricketing matters, the clubs, who had been considered apotential barrier to change, have “enthusiastically accepted” the blueprint.The future of the Premier League has long been the source of intense debate.Last year 18 teams and 404 players participated in the tournament. Matcheswere too frequently one-sided, low-key affairs that failed to adequatelyprepare players for the harsher, high-pressure environs of internationalcricket.This year the number of teams has been trimmed to 16 and the competition hasbeen spilt into three separate stages: a first round in which teams seekqualification for a Super League, a ten-team Super League from which the topfour teams proceed to a semi-final and then final.The top four sides in last years tournament – NCC, BRC, Colts, SSC – form a”Super Group” that automatically qualify for the Super League. The remainingtwelve teams are spilt into two groups of six. Each team play the others inits group and the top three in each qualify for the Super League.Whilst the qualification process is in full swing the four “Super Group”teams play each other, the result and points from which they then carrythrough to the Super League. Qualifiers will also carry through the pointsgained against their fellow group members, who they will not play again inthe Super League itself.The new format means that the best teams (the Super Group) will no longerplay hopelessly one-sided matches against the weakest teams. Excluding thesemi-finals and final the “Super Group” sides will play nine matches and theother Super League qualifiers will play 11 compared to the 12-15 played lastyear.It is hoped that the introduction of a knockout finale will further increasethe competitiveness of Super League by keeping all the teams in the huntright up to the end.Crucially, the matches are being also being scheduled to ensure theparticipation of the Sri Lankan national players. The first stage will startat the end October and finish before the West Indies and Zimbabwe tour,during which time the clubs will play the Premier League Limited OversTournament. When the Asian Test Championship is completed (early February)the Super League will commence.Wettimuny, speaking to CricInfo, said: “We wanted to play less matches andmake those more meaningful. The better teams will now play the better sidesand there will be a maximum of 11 matches.”With the introduction of the semi-final and final clubs will be in the raceright up until the end which will ensure that at the end of the day thechances are that you will have the rightful winner.”The format will be criticised in some quarters for being overly complicated.The simpler option would appear to have been two divisions with eight sides,which would reduce the amount of cricket even more. This, though, would bepolitically unacceptable to the clubs.Wettimuny argued: “We can’t afford to reduce the number of sides at thisstage. We would kill cricket in the outstations unless we combined some ofthe clubs. You must remember that out top players are now coming from theseareas.”Indeed, the health of outstation cricket is considered so vital that thecricket board has been trying to persuade the clubs to accept a radicalplayer re-distribution plan.The board has proposed that it centrally contract high profiles players, whowill then play for some of the lesser-known clubs in the outstation areas.It is hoped that this would stimulate greater interest in the clubs, arrestthe present migration of talent into Colombo and, ultimately, increase thecompetitiveness of the outstation clubs and the tournament itself.Although apparently acceptable to the players themselves, who would anywaybe selectively contracted to clubs close to their family roots, the clubshave voiced concerns and the plan is likely to be postponed until next year.Wettimuny remained realistic: “We have now, at least, have come up with agood tournament. They are other things to be done, but we have to take itone step at a time.”According to Wettimuny the new tournament is also commercially moreattractive. The BCCSL is already speaking to potential sponsors and tointerested television broadcasters about a daily highlights programme.In truth, further change is needed to the Premier League, such as animprovement in the pitches, practice facilities, greater financial supportfor the non-international players. There is no doubt, however, that theproposed changes represent an important step forward.
Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo are some of the prominent players who will feature in the inaugural Pakistan Super League (PSL), a franchise-based T20 tournament to be held in Doha in February 2016. The players’ interest in the tournament could stem a desire to be match-fit ahead of the World T20 which begins a month later in India.The agency that manages Gayle, one of the most valuable Twenty20 players, confirmed that he had signed the pre-draft agreement on Monday. Darren Sammy and Sunil Narine along with former England batsman Owais Shah will also be part of the PSL draft pool. It is understood that the Pakistan Cricket Board, owners of PSL, are seeking at least 25 overseas players for the tournament.”Obviously top guns like Gayle are stars who attract fans,” Najam Sethi, head of PCB Executive committee, said. “They lend commercial value, showbiz glitz and tournament credibility. They are also sources of inspiration and emulation for our budding players.”The first edition of PSL will feature five franchise-based teams from the provincial capitals – Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta and Islamabad – with prize money of $1 million. The tournament is scheduled to run from February 4 to 24 and will feature 24 matches.This will be the first major cricket tournament hosted by the Qatar capital, which will also host the 2022 edition of the football World Cup. The PCB had originally wanted to conduct the PSL in the UAE, where Pakistan have been playing their international matches. But they were forced to look for an alternative venue after being told by the Emirates Cricket Board that it was hosting the Masters Champions league (Twenty20 tournament featuring retired cricketers) on same dates.The PSL matches will be played at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium, with a capacity of about 13,000. Last year it was used for a women’s limited-overs tri-series involving Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka.Last week, the PCB had roped in former captains Ramiz Raja and Wasim Akram as ambassadors for the first season. Both of them had been tied with the Masters Champions League, but Akram said, “I’m up for leaving anything for Pakistan cricket. I don’t want to earn money by playing cricket but instead want to give something back to my nation. We signed with MCL and had to work for them, but my priority is to help our country’s cause.”The logo of the PSL will be revealed in a ceremony on September 20, but the PCB said finding stakeholders to bid for the franchises and the broadcast rights is still a work in progress.
In addition to its long-standing reputation as one of English football’s premier cup competitions, the League Cup’s record of showcasing the talents of football’s brightest young things has increasingly become its trademark. As we look forward to the next round of the competition, FootballFanCast pays tribute to Arsene Wenger, the man who has arguably done more than anyone to give youth a chance in the League Cup.
Arsenal will travel to Reading in the next round of this year’s Capital One Cup and it’s almost certain that, as he has done throughout his career, manager Arsene Wenger will take the opportunity to give a few of his younger players the chance to take the stage. When you hear about the Capital One Cup as a breeding ground for stars of the future, the Frenchman is often, and rightly, put forward as the architect of the trend.
Earlier this season, Wenger used the Capital One Cup third-round tie at home to Coventry to blood three more youngsters – Argentine goalkeeper Damian Martinez, Swiss centre-back Martin Angha and German winger Serge Gnabry (as a substitute) all featured in the comfortable 6-1 victory.
Arsenal’s starting line-up in that match also included Ignasi Miquel, Nico Yennaris and Francis Coquelin, as well as senior players Johan Djourou and Andrei Arshavin. The bench featured another four players unfamiliar to most Arsenal fans, with goalkeeper James Shea, defender Hector Bellerin and midfielder Thomas Eisfield joining Gnabry. Though the nature of the League Cup may have changed in the last couple of seasons, Wenger remains unwavering in his aim to blood young players through the competition.
It’s been a particularly successful policy for the Gunners in the past decade. Wenger’s policy of turning to youth in the early 2000s, when his first great Arsenal team began to break up, required Arsenal to re-tool somewhat on the fly. The likes of Fabregas and Senderos were rushed into first team action, perhaps a little before their mentor might have liked, and the League Cup – where Arsenal play lower-league opposition early in the season – was an excellent opportunity for Wenger to give his young charges more playing time.
Many of the most prominent players to have emerged from the youth teams into Arsenal’s first team under Wenger’s tutelage have done so by making their debut in the League Cup. Ashley Cole, Johan Djourou, Philippe Senderos, Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas, Gael Clichy, and Wojciech Sczcesny.
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Today, with seven trophy-less seasons weighing him down, Wenger’s determination to invest in youth appears to have taken a back seat, with the last two summers welcoming the arrivals of Mikel Arteta, Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud, Per Mertesacker and Andre Santos, among others. And while many have criticised his policy to the League Cup in recent years, it should be pointed out that Arsenal have reached two of the last six League Cup finals – fielding near-full strength teams on both occasions, but going down by identical 2-1 scorelines to Chelsea (2007) and Birmingham City (2011).
In last week’s club AGM, Wenger stated that qualification for the Champions League was just as important as winning a title and ending the club’s drought. Any manager, though, would be foolish to turn down the chance of lifting a trophy – especially when, as in Wenger’s case, he could use the chance to allay some fears into his leadership. One only has to look at the Frenchman’s response to the first-leg semi-final defeat to Ipswich in 2011 to see just how much he values the opportunity to secure some silverware – and if he gets a chance to swing for the Capital One Cup this year, you can guarantee Wenger will take it.
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMahela Jayawardene’s second fifty as an opener converted a potential tricky chase of 176 into a cruise for the Adelaide•Cricket Australia/Getty Images
Beware the wounded cricketer. At the end of the fourth over of Adelaide Strikers’ chase, Mahela Jayawardene – looking in simply sumptuous form – pushed Josh Lalor to short fine leg, and sprinted through for a single, as fast as his little legs would carry him. In doing so, perhaps with all 38 of his years showing, he overstretched, and felt one of quadriceps sting.This would be a situation relished by Brisbane Heat, on their last legs in BBL 2015-16. But, after five minutes of work treatment by the physio, Jayawardene picked himself up, pulled up his trousers (literally) and drilled James Hopes on the up through the covers for four to move to 31 off 13. By the over’s end, the Sri Lankan had driven Hopes down the ground for a stunning six. Jayawardene was not going to die wondering, and it was the foundation he set up courtesy a 30-ball 53 that helped the Adelaide Strikers move up to the top of the points table as they chased down 176 with eight balls to spare and eight wickets in hand.By the time Jayawardene’s innings had died, in the tenth over, wrongly adjudged leg before attempting to reverse sweep off a Samuel Badree googly, the Heat were on their knees, and the damage had been done. Before his injury, Jayawardene had consecutively top-edged Andrew Fekete for six, cover driven for four, then middled a pull for six; afterwards (despite some near-suicidal running from Tim Ludeman) he was ramping Ben Cutting over the keeper’s head, and skipping towards Badree and firing the ball back past him for four to bring up a second consecutive half-century since moving to the top of the order against Scorchers on Tuesday.A loss here meant Brisbane Heat’s last two games – both away from home – are irrelevant. Heat have been much improved, but they ran into a more efficient unit on Friday. Earlier, for once, Chris Lynn did not top score; Jimmy Peirson notched a fine half-century, standing and delivering, carting the ball down the ground, and targeting the leg-breaks of John Holland, before falling to Travis Head’s part-timers when ready to push on.Lendl Simmons was given leg before to Michael Neser’s second ball, but Chris Lynn appeared to shine briefly to help overcome the early damage. Billy Stanlake’s rangy seamers were dispatched for three fours in an over. Ben Laughlin was consecutively driven for four, past the umpire, then through the covers, but the introduction of Adil Rashid – now the competition’s highest wicket-taker, with 12 scalps – did for Lynn, as he tried to slog sweep against the spin and was caught at deep midwicket.Rashid’s four overs went for just a single boundary, and 17 runs, and his last delivery snared the Heat’s last dangerous hitter, Ben Cutting, bowled by a beautifully disguised googly. When Rashid was done, lusty hitting from Nathan Reardon, and a wonderful finish from Hopes, who took Neser’s final over for 17 with some impressive swiping across the line, carried Heat to 175 for 6.In response, Jayawardene’s early assault had done the damage, but Ludeman and Head picked up where he left off, accepting regular gifts from the Heat. If it was careless to allow a limping Jayawardene to amble between the wickets for ones and twos, it was downright irresponsible to drop Head on 4 (Sam Heazlett at backward point) and 7 (Josh Lalor, running in from backward square); plenty more sloppy fielding followed.As Ludeman anchored, playing conventional strokes, including a glorious cover driven four to move to 49, Head played himself in then freed the arms. They would become the first top three in BBL history to all reach 50 in a single innings, a stat in stark contrast to Peirson’s being the first 50 for the Heat this season not coming from Lynn’s bat.Lalor found a fine 14th over to briefly put Strikers’ brakes on, before Head began batting like it was the last night of 2015 all over again. Andrew Fekete played the role of Sean Abbott, driven over long-off, then twice pulled over square-leg, all for six. When he was caught swinging across the line (a ball after hitting Cutting down the ground for another six to bring up his half-century), Brad Hodge came out to drive down the ground and see them home. As their march toward a home semi-final continues, Strikers will hope the quad injury of their other elder statesman (and new lynchpin) Jayawardene is not too serious.
New Zealand’s preferred Twenty20 line-up appears far from settled after they abandoned plans to bat Jacob Oram at No. 3 and hand Gareth Hopkins the wicketkeeping duties. A disappointing pair of warm-up matches over the weekend forced a rethink from the coach John Bracewell, who last week said their practice matches would “simulate closely” the format they would use in the ICC World Twenty20.Their opening game is against Kenya this evening (New Zealand time) and Bracewell has now decided Brendon McCullum can handle the glovework as well as opening the batting. “This gives us tremendous firepower right through the middle order with Dan Vettori probably coming in at No. 8,” Bracewell told .Bracewell had initially said Hopkins’ ability as a “death-hitting” specialist would make him a valuable lower-order player. However, he failed to score in their warm-up loss to West Indies and made 6 late in the innings against Australia.There were also plans to use the left-handed Oram at No. 3 to break up New Zealand’s string of right-handers but he was almost knocked out by a Brett Lee bouncer on Saturday. He fell for 4 and was rested the next day against West Indies.Peter Fulton, who came in at first-drop on Sunday and made 51 from 43 balls, will stay in that position. “By putting him up to No. 3 means we can take some pressure off Jake [Oram],” Bracewell said.