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Mark Stoneman scored a chanceless unbeaten 181 to continue his impressive form for new county Surrey as they took the first-day honours against Essex at Guildford

ECB Reporters Network09-Jun-2017
Scorecard1:00

County Championship Round-up: Stoneman goes big for Surrey

Mark Stoneman scored a chanceless unbeaten 181 to continue his impressive form for new county Surrey as they took the first-day honours against Essex at Guildford.The 29-year-old left-hander’s third century since he moved to the club from Durham last winter helped them reach 353 for 5 after they had been put in by Essex in the battle between two sides looking to put pressure on Division One leaders Hampshire.Stoneman still has ambitions to play for England and is certainly the in-form opener in the country at the moment. Former England captain Alastair Cook, who had the best view in the house at first slip, would have been impressed with the quality of Stoneman’s ball-striking, particularly square of the wicket and through the off side.He did not offer a chance against an Essex attack depleted by the absence of seamer Matt Quinn for much of a rain-shortened day after he went off with back spasms.Stoneman watched three partners depart at the other end before sharing a stand of 186 in 41 overs with Dominic Sibley, whose 69 was his third Championship half-century of the season, to alter the course of the day.Jamie Porter had claimed two wickets with the new ball, including Kumar Sangakkara for just four, to help reduce Surrey to 89 for 3 after morning rain had delayed the start until 1.10pm.Porter claimed his 150th first-class wicket when Rory Burns swished outside off stump before picking up Sangakkara, who came into the game with 876 first-class runs already this season but aimed an expansive drive at Porter and fell for just four. With Neil Wagner drawing Scott Borthwick forward and finding the edge Essex would have been pleased with their early work.But Stoneman was soon into his stride. He collected leg-side sixes off Porter and off-spinner Simon Harmer, who bowled 17 overs either side of tea, and 15 boundaries in a 118-ball hundred which he reached shortly after tea.Mark Stoneman struck his third hundred of the summer•Getty Images

His next 50 came off 55 deliveries and he passed his previous best for Surrey, 165 against Warwickshire in the opening game of the season, when he drove a ball from Ravi Bopara back past the bowler to the boundary.Sibley was starting to plck up the pace, having reached 50 off 99 balls, when Essex captain Ryan ten Doeschate dragged Surrey back with two wickets in successive overs.Sibley, who hit nine fours and two sixes, was caught behind off ten Doeschate’s sixth ball and in his next over he trapped former Essex team-mate Ben Foakes leg before as he played across the line.But Sam Curran gave Stoneman excellent support and reached a 54-ball half-century with his tenth boundary in the last over of the day. The pair have added 73 for the sixth wicket so far, Stoneman having so far faced 221 balls with 21 fours and two sixes.

Liam Livingstone arrived at the crease at the end of the first over of the day and spent much of the rest of it – either side of a three-and-a-half hour delay for rain – compiling an unbeaten 108 from 152 balls

Alan Gardner at Taunton02-May-2016
ScorecardLiam Livingstone raises his bat after scoring his maiden hundred•Getty Images

This time last year, Liam Livingstone made headlines around the world after smashing 350 off 138 balls in a club match for Nantwich. At the time, he had not played for Lancashire’s first team and it was only a couple of weeks ago that he was deemed ready for a first-class debut; now he has a maiden first-class hundred to his name and, if it won’t quite make the national news, it will be warmly received back at Old Trafford, as well as in his home county of Cumbria.Batting down at No. 7, Livingstone arrived at the crease at the end of the first over of the day and spent much of the rest of it – either side of a three-and-a-half hour delay for rain – compiling an unbeaten 108 from 152 balls. It was a crisp, invigorating knock that helped pierce the gloom in Taunton, eventually allowing Lancashire to declare their first innings in evening sunlight and have a few overs at Somerset before the close.There might yet come a time when Lancashire supporters greet reports of a substantial middle-order contribution with the response: “Livingstone, I presume?” This was the 22-year-old’s second first-class innings and, having scored 70 on debut against Nottinghamshire a fortnight ago, his average stands at 178.00. He is collecting some big numbers.With a cover drive that practically left scorch marks on the already furrowed Taunton outfield, there looks to be much to recommend Livingstone’s game – albeit this was not the most challenging of surfaces to bat on. As Livingstone approached his milestone, one Somerset supporter in the new Pavilion Stand could be heard bemoaning “This pitch is dead!” in the manner of someone discussing the future prospects of a Norwegian Blue.Lancashire had involved Livingstone in limited-overs cricket – he played every match of their title-winning NatWest T20 Blast campaign last season – and he has expressed a desire to make an impression across all formats this year. He spent the winter playing in Perth, where he worked on his legspin with Australia’s Brad Hogg, though it might be a while before he has to fall back on his second string given current form. There were also sessions with Justin Langer’s former batting mentor, Neil “Noddy” Holder; here it was the Somerset bowlers who were slayed.Livingstone’s other notable episode in 2015 was to be cut by a glass during a bar-room altercation after Lancashire’s Blast quarter-final win over Kent. There was nothing remotely controversial about this innings, aside from a few Pietersen-esque whips to leg as he advanced down the pitch. He went to 97 with a mighty six off Jack Leach, before nudging a couple to reach his hundred in the following over, to loud applause from the visiting balcony.Lancashire must now buckle down to the task of taking 20 wickets if they are to force a result over the next two days. Whether you consider this sort of contest attritional or nutritional, it is going to require some fibre from the bowlers to break the game open after 34 overs were lost to rain.At one point, it looked as if the demands on Somerset’s attack would be even greater, with Jamie Overton gingerly walking off after completing his fourth over of the day. However, the arrival of several heavy showers – which gave Somerset’s new drainage a good test – allowed him time to recover, although his luck did not improve as Kyle Jarvis joined forces with Livingstone during an 80-run stand for the ninth wicket.Despite another demur showing, the surface initially appeared to be a little racier – the Ann Summers in Taunton proclaimed this to be “Spank Holiday Monday”, after all – and Tim Groenewald had Alex Davies caught behind flirting outside off stump in the first over of the morning.Lancashire avoided any further peccadillos in the first hour. After one run had been scored from 32 balls, Livingstone stroked Craig Overton through the covers to bring up the Lancashire 300, though progress remained on the steady side and no further batting points were accrued. Livingstone’s second boundary was less controlled, a thick outside edge flying wide of the slips, while from the other end Groenewald got one delivery to rear sharply at Croft.Both batsmen were content to be watchful and wait for their rewards to come, an approach that looked likely to bear fruit as Chris Rogers again wasted little time in bringing on his spinner. Leach was given no opportunity to settle, however, as his second over was pumped for 17, with Croft and Livingstone taking it in turns to cart him beyond the ropes.Leach was swiftly replaced by Somerset’s back-up left-arm spinner, Roelof van der Merwe, whose flatter, quicker delivery accounted for Croft, caught behind trying to cut six runs short of his century. Lancashire’s captain punched his bat as he walked off, in frustration at missing out, but Livingstone would not make the same mistake.

Victoria Sporting Club, Prime Bank Cricket Club and Gazi Tank Cricketers all recorded big wins in the Dhaka Premier League

Mohammad Isam02-Oct-2013Prime Doleshwar came crashing down after four big wins, when Victoria Sporting Club handed them a nine-wicket defeat in the Dhaka Premier League.After deciding to bat first at the BKSP-3 ground, Doleshwar were bowled out for just 85 runs in 26 overs. Victoria’s Sri Lankan pace bowler Shalika Karunanayake and seamer Soumya Sarkar took three wickets each, while Sajedul Islam and captain Nasir Hossain picked up one each.Doleshwar were always going to be in trouble when Tillakaratne Sampath, Mominul Haque and Roshen Silva all failed in this game.Anamul Haque and Karunanayake then added 81 runs for the second wicket to take Victoria to an easy win, completed in 14.3 overs. Victoria join Doleshwar in the top of the table with four wins from six matches.Abahani however remain in tenth position, after suffering their fifth defeat. This time, Prime Bank Cricket Club crushed them by 120 runs at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium.Prime Bank batted first after winning the toss, and despite losing an early wicket, they began brightly. Saikat Ali (59) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (69) added 82 for the second wicket, before Lahiru Thirimanne struck a breezy half-century.Abahani lost wickets regularly in their chase, never quite finding a rhythm. They missed the in-form Mosaddek Hossain in the middle-order. He has left for West Indies with the Bangladesh Under-19s squad, having been the joint highest-scorer in the league with 320 runs.Prime Bank captain Enamul Haque jnr picked up four wickets while offspinner Fariduddin Masud took three.There was a heavy defeat for Mohammedan Sporting Club too, who went down by 103 runs to Gazi Tank Cricketers. It was their third loss in a row, after having won the first three games.They inserted Gazi Tank at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra, and had the early momentum. But Mahmudullah and Raqibul Hasan struck fifties to lift Gazi Tank from 95 for four. The pair added 94 runs for the fifth wicket, with Mahmudullah warming up nicely for the upcoming Test series with 68 off 78 balls. Raqibul was the top-scorer, making 75 off 65 balls with six fours and a couple of sixes.Ejaz Ahmed and Upul Tharanga kept Mohammedan in the hunt for a while. Opener Ejaz smashed three sixes in his 43-ball 42, but Tharanga saw wickets tumble at the other end. He made 56 off 72 balls, but by the time he was dismissed, Gazi Tank had the ascendancy.Ashar Zaidi, the 32-year-old left-arm spinner, took three wickets in seven overs while Mahmudullah picked up two.

Two wickets for Luke Fletcher put Durham in trouble on a curtailed first day at Trent Bridge

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge15-Aug-2012
ScorecardLuke Fletcher enabled Notts to cope without Andre Adams•Getty Images

As is the way of things, by the time play would have been ending the clouds were high and the sky was clearing nicely to the west, promising an evening as clear and calm as the morning had been. In between, Nottinghamshire endured the frustration of a promising start thwarted as they seek victory in a match they believe they must win to retain realistic prospects of regaining the County Championship they surrendered to Lancashire last year.Only in the morning session was play possible yet it had been a productive one against expectations for Nottinghamshire, who faced a Durham side apparently on the up while having to deal with the worst absenteeism they have faced all summer. Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad do not really count in that regard, but with James Taylor now in the senior England fold and Samit Patel still involved at Lions level, their batting is clearly undermined. To make matters worse, two of their first-choice bowling attack, Harry Gurney and Andre Adams, are injured. Given that he has taken 54 wickets, more than any bowler in the Championship, the loss of Adams, to a hamstring injury suffered at Taunton last week, is a serious blow.Yet, having won the toss and put Durham in on a wicket that was well grassed in the middle at least, their progress was better than they may have anticipated.Luke Fletcher, who has had injuries and fitness issues and had not played in the Championship since April, was recalled, eager to impress. He did so, too, taking two of the four wickets. Fletcher opened the season with seven in a win over Worcestershire at New Road yet took only one more in 61 overs in the three subsequent matches, hastening his return to the Second XI and allowing Gurney and Andy Carter to overtake him in the pecking order.With Gurney nursing a hip injury, it was always likely Fletcher would return and he ran in with a clear sense of purpose. In a soundly economical opening spell, his first reward came with a ball that swung just enough to make Will Smith look foolish for offering no stroke. When he returned in the half-hour before lunch his fourth delivery was good enough to deny Mark Stoneman a half-century, the opening batsman pushing at one that took the edge and offered Chris Read his second catch.The first by Read had seen off Phil Mustard, who was slow to leave the crease after driving a little loosely at a ball from Carter. Perhaps he was unsure there had been contact, or else it was simply disappointment, after a confident start, that his plan to build on back-to-back centuries in 40-over matches had been denied so soon.All this had taken place to the accompaniment of the drone of a police helicopter and the wailing of sirens as a drama was unfolding barely half a mile away, where armed robbers held up a local Post Office. Happily no one was hurt.Such distractions cannot help a batsman’s concentration, although it ought not to have played a part in Smith’s dismissal. Keaton Jennings, the 20-year-old former South Africa Under-19s captain who is playing in his second Championship match, may have had more of an excuse. He was leg before when he missed a ball from Ben Phillips that appeared not to deviate significantly.It is left to Dale Benkenstein and Paul Collingwood to bring their experience to bear regardless of objects in the sky when play resumes. Nottinghamshire, who are 21 points behind Warwickshire and 10 behind second-placed Sussex, may get Swann or Taylor back, in which case either Graeme White or Steven Mullaney will make way, although it is more likely that Durham will benefit from the release at Lord’s of Graham Onions, for whom Mitch Claydon will stand down.

Canada have announced their squad for the upcoming ICC America’s T20 tournament in Florida

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jul-2011Canada have announced their squad for the upcoming ICC America’s Twenty20 tournament in Florida. Jimmy Hansra will captain the side for the competition in Fort Lauderdale, which starts July 17, after Ashish Bagai resigned as captain following the World Cup. Many of the first-choice players are resting, in preparation for the upcoming Intercontinental Cup game against Afghanistan.Rizwan Cheema, Hiral Patel, Ruvindu Gunasekera, and Parth Desai head the list of players staying in Canada to prepare for Afghanistan while Harvir Baidwan and Khurram Chohan are completing successful stints in England.Vimal Hardat, vice-president of the Canadian board, said he was confident the team would put up a strong showing in the America’s tournament. “Having already qualified for the T20 Cricket World Cup Qualifier [in 2012] we saw this as a good chance to have some of our prospects test themselves as well as to give our more senior players a chance to get ready for Afghanistan,” Hardat said. The four-day match against Afghanistan will be played in Ontario from August 2.Squad: Jimmy Hansra – BC (Captain), Waleed Ahmed (Manitoba), Trevin Bastiampillai (Ontario), Grant Broadhurst (Alberta), Satsimranjit Singh Dhindsa (Ontario), Zahid Hussain(Ontario), Usman Limbada (Ontario), Deepak Pabla (Quebec), Cecil Pervez (Ontario), Parveen Saroye (Alberta), Jason Sandher (BC), Jonathan Snow (BC), Hamza Tariq (Alberta), Khusroo Wadia (Ontario).

New Zealanders endured poor passages of play in the latter stages of either innings, but did enough to seal victory against Sri Lanka Board President’s XI in their first match on tour

Cricinfo staff04-Aug-2010
ScorecardNew Zealanders’ seamers had the home batsmen in trouble early on•AFP

New Zealanders endured poor passages of play in the latter stages of either innings, but did enough to seal victory against Sri Lanka Board President’s XI in their first match on tour. The win was easier than suggested by the eventual three-wicket margin, as Ross Taylor and Scott Styris struck fluent fifties before the visitors crossed the line with 72 balls to spare.BP XI elected to bat first, but did not account for their opponents’ inspired fast-bowling pack. Things began to go awry in the third over when Daryl Tuffey breached Mahela Udawatte’s defence with nine runs on the board. Dinesh Chandimal was run out for two in the next over, exposing the middle order. They did not fare too well as three wickets fell for the addition of just one run: Lahiru Thirimanne edged Tuffey behind, while Chamara Silva and Thilina Kandamby did likewise against Tim Southee and Jacob Oram respectively. The score read 34 for 5 in 12 overs and BP XI desperately needed a repair job.Kosala Kulasekara put his head down in the company of Milinda Siriwardana and they steadied the ship, adding 29 in 10.4 overs before Clint McKay got into the flow of things, getting the former to give Gareth Hopkins his fourth catch behind the wickets. With both teams having twelve players to choose from, BP XI were batting fairly deep and it worked in their favour. Farveez Maharoof kept Siriwardana company for a 64-run stand for the seventh wicket, off 93 balls. Just when they looked set to step up, New Zealanders managed to dismiss both batsmen before they could reach fifties.That the hosts had something to bowl at was down to the effort of Thisara Perera who stunned the bowlers with an impressive assault. Southee suffered the most damage, going for 64 while the rest of his colleagues finished with respectable figures. Perera smashed eight fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 39-ball 62, as the last 7.5 overs went for 81 runs. Seekkuge Prasanna gave him good support, lashing a six and two fours in his 18 as BP XI finished with 219.New Zealanders’ chase faced an early setback when Nuwan Pradeep got BJ Watling to nick one behind for four. However, Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor made light of his fall, adding 65 at better than a-run-a-ball. Guptill struck three fours in his 33-ball 26 before Prasanna struck him in front of the stumps. Thereafter Scott Styris laced into the bowling in an aggressive partnership with Taylor to put the result beyond doubt.Taylor played some pleasing shots, picking seven fours and a six before Kandamby sent him back after a partnership of 95 in 14.1 overs. Styris smashed two sixes and five fours, racing to 57 off 45 balls before he too fell to Kandamby’s wiles in the 30th over. New Zealanders had a few nervous moments, losing Grant Elliott and Hopkins, with 23 runs still to get. Oram however held one end up while Tuffey lashed four fours to ensure there was no upset.

Guyana, meanwhile, will host the final in 2025, for the fourth straight year

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2024Barbados’ Kensington Oval will host the CPL final for the first ever time, in 2026. Guyana, meanwhile, will host the final in 2025, marking the fourth straight year that the CPL final will be held at the Providence Stadium.In a press release on Friday, the CPL announced that it had agreed one-year deals with the two venues to host the final for the next two years.”I want to take this opportunity to wish Guyana Amazon Warriors all success on behalf of all Guyanese as we try to make it two in a row,” Mohammed Irfan Ali, the president of Guyana, said just before Amazon Warriors, the defending CPL champions, booked their berth in Sunday’s final. “To all the other teams we wish you well as we play together in unity. I am also very delighted to announce that Guyana will be hosting CPL 2025 finals.”Barbados Royals are two-time CPL winners, having last lifted the trophy in 2019.”Guyana and Barbados have been amazing partners for CPL over the last 12 years and it is really exciting to be able to announce that they will be hosts for the finals in 2025 and 2026 respectively,” Pete Russell, the CPL CEO, said. “We would like to thank the governments of both Guyana and Barbados who have agreed to play host to the conclusion of CPL.”Amazon Warriors beat Royals in the second qualifier, as quickfire knocks from Moeen Ali, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Shai Hope helped them chase down 149 inside 15 overs. Warriors will now play St Lucia Kings for the title, on October 6.

Bowler admits to rustiness after injury, but warns he’ll be ‘done’ if conditions are same all series

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jun-2023James Anderson has admitted that the Edgbaston pitch for the first Ashes Test was “like kryptonite” for him, and warns that if the surfaces for the remaining four matches of the series prove to be similarly flat, then he will be “done”.Anderson, who turns 41 next month, returned the disappointing figures of 1 for 109 in 38 overs during Australia’s two-wicket win in the first Test, and was noticeably overlooked for the crucial new ball when England were striving for a breakthrough on the tense final afternoon.He was unlucky in his first spell of the second innings, when Usman Khawaja – Australia’s player of the match – edged at a catchable height past Jonny Bairstow in Anderson’s first over. But overall, he conceded that his body had felt rusty in his first outing since picking up a groin strain while playing for Lancashire in the County Championship last month.Related

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“This is an Ashes series. It is a big deal,” Anderson wrote in his column in The Telegraph. “When you play on a flat pitch like the one at Edgbaston and take a wicket, a bit more emotion does come out because you have worked extra hard for it.”That pitch was like kryptonite for me. There was not much swing, no reverse swing, no seam movement, no bounce and no pace. I’ve tried over the years to hone my skills so I can bowl in any conditions but everything I tried made no difference. I felt like I was fighting an uphill battle. It’s a long series and hopefully, I can contribute at some point, but if all the pitches are like that I’m done in the Ashes series.”With Anderson below his best, England struggled for penetration at key moments at Edgbaston, and having encountered some difficulty in dislodging Ireland on the final day of their recent Test at Lord’s, there will doubtless be some temptation to bring in the extra pace of Mark Wood for next week’s second Test at the same venue.Anderson, however, is confident that he will be better for the game-time, regardless of his disappointing showing.
“There was a bit of rustiness but I gave it everything I could,” he said. “Having played for a long time, I realise you can’t take wickets every game. Sometimes it is not your week. It felt like that for me. I know I wasn’t on top of my game this week. It was not my best performance. I know I have more to offer and contribute to the team.”The body felt quite good. There is some stiffness but I put that down to the unique conditions. We were running in on a very soft outfield then landing on a rock-hard pitch and that takes its toll on the body more than normal. All the bowlers were feeling that a bit.”Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson led the line for England’s quicks at Edgbaston, with Robinson returning the commendable figures of 40.4-12-98-5 across the two innings. However, his performance was equally notable for his on-field run-in with Usman Khawaja, which has since developed into an ongoing feud with Australia’s media as a whole, following more outspoken comments in his column for Wisden.com.Anderson even stepped in to pull Robinson away from a contratemps with Khawaja in the second innings, but insisted in his column that he wouldn’t be encouraging him to tone down his attitude as the series progresses.”I don’t want Ollie to change,” Anderson said. “I like him getting fired up. He bowls better when he is in that mood. From personal experience, I know I bowl better when I am a bit more aggressive and intense.”I stepped in to chat to Ollie when he and Usman were having an exchange of views in the second innings. It was gentle stuff, they were just talking cricket.”Whenever I watched cricket as a kid I wanted to see bowlers fired up. It makes for better theatre and is a lot more enjoyable to watch. Everyone is just encouraged to be themselves in our team. Some people don’t like getting into a verbal battle. Some do. Robbo thrives on it.”

“I now know the pattern of Test cricket, how long I should bat to get big runs”

Mohammad Isam24-May-2022Knowing his responsibility, understanding the pattern of the game, avoiding looking at hard numbers and changing his training method are some of the things that have helped Litton Das become a more consistent Test batter.Litton’s 141 in the first innings against Sri Lanka in Dhaka is his third Test hundred in the last six months when he has averaged 56.15, after spending six years as an underperforming enigma.Litton said that he is enjoying the responsibility put on him by his team-mates, who believe he can get them big scores. For long, Litton has been regarded as the most talented batter of his generation, with most of the senior cricketers often batting away media criticism towards him. Litton is however more interested in biding his time in the lower middle-order, despite his form.Related

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• All the records Mushfiqur and Litton broke during their 272-run stand

“It stays in the back of my mind that my team wants me to play a big innings,” Litton said. “It helps me knowing that the team depends on me. Where did I score my runs this year? There will be more opportunities. When the senior brothers will not play, I will get my chance (higher up the batting order). I don’t see how I can bat up. I am fine with where I am.”Litton said that when Ashwell Prince was Bangladesh’s batting coach, he explained to him the necessity to bat for time in Test cricket. He added that taking his eyes off from his career numbers has also helped him. Litton, however, remained mum about what changes he made in his training method.”I now know the pattern of Test cricket, how long I should bat to get big runs. What he explained to me, really helped me. I still follow those words.”When I used to see (my statistics), I saw that I was on the backfoot. There was a challenge to go forward. I no longer see (my statistics) because I am more focused on going ahead. I don’t know how far I can go.”Litton’s confidence showed in how he kept hitting pull shots whenever the Sri Lankan pace duo of Asitha Fernando and Kasun Rajitha pitched short and bowled bouncers at him. He scored 47 runs off 28 balls square of the wicket and behind square on the leg side, during his innings.”I think I have been playing the pull shot quite well in the last year-and-a-half. The control was with me. I believed that I could get out of the situation if he was bowling short. I can keep scoring. I kept playing the pull shot because I had the confidence to play the pull,” he said.Litton’s 141 was part of a 272-run sixth wicket stand with Mushfiqur Rahim, who was unbeaten on 175 when Bangladesh were bowled out for 365. In an innings where six batters got out for ducks, the partnership created all sorts of records.”Mushy and I batted under pressure. We wanted to put together a big partnership, and whatever we did, it was good for the team. I have had a number of 150-plus stands with (Mushy) . We knew that we had to make 300-plus batting first in Mirpur. We wanted to bat long since our top-order failed.”When I go to bat, even if the team score is 300 runs, I am under pressure. When I am batting at five wickets down (quickly), I am still under pressure. I start from zero. The normal conversation with Mushfiq was to drag the innings as much as possible. Our first target was to play till lunch.”Bangladesh will consider themselves slightly ahead of the curve after they took Kusal Mendis’ wicket late on the second day. “They are still far behind (Bangladesh’s first innings score). We will have a big chance if we can take one or two early wickets tomorrow. We will be in the backfoot if they can get close to our score or even take a lead,” Litton said, warning that the Mirpur pitch is already showing sign of variable bounce.”It was certainly uneven. One of the first two balls I faced today, was uneven. It was slightly better than the typical Mirpur wicket. I think as the Test wears on there will be deliveries that are more uneven.”

Rohit Sharma will open for India, while Will Pucovski is expected to make a highly anticipated debut for Australia

Karthik Krishnaswamy06-Jan-202110:48

Can Warner and Rohit hit the ground running?

Big Picture

They lost key players before the series, they’ve lost a few more since its start, and they’ve been rolled over for their lowest-ever total. It’s a wonder that India are still holding themselves together, never mind level in the series and looking, by some measures, a better side than Australia in their own conditions.They’ve done this not by becoming more Australian in their approach but by trusting methods that work for them at home: bowling at the stumps rather than in the corridor outside off, and giving themselves insurance by setting strong leg-side fields. Oh, and spin has played as important a role as pace.But for how long can they keep this run going while losing fast bowlers, one after another, to injury? They played the first Test without Ishant Sharma, played the second without Ishant or Mohammed Shami, and now, at the SCG, will be without Ishant, Shami and Umesh Yadav. This would be like Australia losing Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson to injury and being left with Pat Cummins partnering a pair of rookies.In Test cricket, a team is as good as the weakest link in its bowling attack. At the MCG, Mohammed Siraj showed more control and skill than any fast-bowling debutant could reasonably have been expected to, especially away from home, ensuring India didn’t have a weak link that stretched the other bowlers and gave their opposition a pressure-release valve. They will hope Navdeep Saini can pull off something similar at the SCG, even if Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin continue to perform at absurdly high standards.India will need all their parts to work smoothly together, because Australia, for all their flaws, remain a formidable side at home. Thirty-six all out may have been one of the game’s mysterious outliers, a result of the conditions and the planets aligning to turn every error into a dismissal, but it happened primarily because Australia turned in a fast-bowling performance of the highest quality. Their quicks, Cummins in particular, were perhaps just as good with the new ball at the MCG, even if the scorecard didn’t reveal it.Both teams will have rejigged top orders, with David Warner and Rohit Sharma set to return from injury and Will Pucovski making a highly anticipated debut. Both attacks will have new problems to solve, and if either opening combination can survive the first hour-and-a-half, the tone of the series could be transformed. What Steven Smith and Cheteshwar Pujara would give to start their innings against an older ball, against bowlers in their second spells, and with one or two fewer catchers around the bat.Who’ll be the happier captain after the SCG Test?•Getty Images

Form guide

Australia: LWWWW (last five Tests, most recent first)
India WLLLW

In the spotlight

Australia have endured their slowest-scoring home series of the century, and couldn’t be happier to see David Warner back in their side. Warner has a formidable record in home Tests, averaging nearly 66, but Australia are taking a risk by playing him because he hasn’t fully recovered yet from the groin injury he suffered during the ODI series. There’s also the small matter of Jasprit Bumrah to negotiate for the first time in Tests, as well as R Ashwin, who has dismissed Warner more often in Tests than any other bowler bar Stuart Broad.India have an opening batsman to welcome back as well. Rohit Sharma has batted at the top of the order in only five Tests so far, but averages 92.66 there. He hasn’t played Test cricket since November 2019, though, and he’s never opened overseas. If he can see off the first spells of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, though, he could make a huge difference to a side that has only managed opening partnerships of 7, 0, 16 and 0 through the series so far.

Team news

Australia have not announced their XI yet, but the indications are that David Warner and Will Pucovski will open the batting, with Joe Burns and Travis Head dropping out of the side.Australia (probable): 1 David Warner, 2 Will Pucovski, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Matthew Wade, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Tim Paine (capt & wk), 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Josh Hazlewood.The two main questions facing India were where Rohit Sharma bats, and who comes in for Umesh Yadav. The answers are: at the top of the order, in place of Mayank Agarwal; and Navdeep Saini.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 5 Hanuma Vihari, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Navdeep Saini, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Jasprit Bumrah.Related

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Pitch and conditions

Persistent rain in the lead-up to the Test match – and the uncertainty over whether Sydney would host it at all, following a Covid-19 outbreak in the city’s Northern Beaches area – have hampered preparations at the SCG, but its curator Adam Lewis has promised a hard pitch with plenty of grass on it. The traditional turning track at the SCG is now largely a thing of the past, but India’s two spinners will be encouraged by the fact that Kuldeep Yadav picked up a five-for here two years ago, and that Nathan Lyon bagged a ten-wicket match haul against New Zealand last year.Rain has lately bedeviled the SCG at this time of the year, contributing to three draws in the last six Tests at the venue, but the forecast is reasonably encouraging, with mild showers predicted on the first two days and mostly dry weather thereafter.

Stats and trivia

• India have won only one of their 12 Tests in Sydney – an innings win engineered by Bedi, Chandrasekhar and Prasanna over a Packer-depleted Australia side in January 1978 – but they have come close on numerous other occasions, with resolute Australian batting, a lack of penetration in their bowling, and/or rain preventing them from pulling off big New Year’s wins in 1986, 1992, 2004 and 2019.
• India have often looked uncomfortable against Nathan Lyon’s dip, turn and bounce over their last two tours of Australia, but the numbers show their own spinners may have outbowled him. Lyon has taken 25 wickets in six Border-Gavaskar Tests in this period, at an average of 31.36. R Ashwin (20.37), Ravindra Jadeja (24.30) and Kuldeep Yadav (19.80) all have better averages in these games, and Ashwin and Jadeja have achieved better economy rates than Lyon’s 2.67 too.
• Lyon needs six wickets to reach the 400 mark in Test cricket.
• Cheteshwar Pujara is 97 runs short of the 6000 mark in Tests, and Ravindra Jadeja 74 short of 2000.

Quotes

“We’ve got a great record here and for a lot of our guys it’s their home ground so they certainly love playing here, they love being at home and they enjoy the conditions. All of our bowlers are New South Welshmen so they know the wicket very well, they exploit the conditions very well and they bowl really well as a group here. The same with our batting. Our two best batsmen – this is their home ground, this is where they do their best.”
“As a team you have three-four plans and you have to see which plan works on a given day. You have to see the wicket as well. But yes we have got three-four plans. We know if plan A doesn’t work for us, we go to plan B and C. It is important to plan well especially when you come to Australia. We know they are a very good team, a very dangerous team. Depending on the situation, depending on the wicket, conditions, also bounce off the wicket, we plan accordingly.”