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Meg Lanning and Elyse Villani feasted on a toothless Sri Lanka Women attack as Australia Women revived their World T20 campaign with a nine-wicket win in Delhi

The Report by Shashank Kishore in Delhi24-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMeg Lanning formed an unbeaten 98-run stand with Elyse Villani to take Australia home•IDI/Getty ImagesMeg Lanning and Elyse Villani feasted on a toothless Sri Lanka Women attack to convert a tricky chase of 124 into a cakewalk as Australia Women revived their World T20 campaign with a nine-wicket win at the Feroze Shah Kotla in Delhi.The match was set up by legspinner Kristen Beams and Jess Jonassen, the left-arm spinner, who broke Sri Lanka’s back with the wickets of Dilani Manodara and Chamari Atapattu, who made 38 apiece. Then, an unbroken second-wicket stand of 98 that was studded with two belligerent half-centuries studded Australia’s dominance as they won with 14 balls to spare.Sri Lanka opted to bat, but didn’t help themselves by gifting wickets away on a platter after a platform was set by Atapattu and Manodara. The pair put together 75 off jut 61 balls as Sri Lanka’s hopes of touching 140 received a boost, before the slow bowlers, who were flat and fast to begin with, found their bearings to stem the run flow.Beams drew Manodara forward, only to deceive her in the air as a thin inside edge rattled into the stumps in the 11th over to give Australia brief respite. Then in her next over, she had Anushka Sanjeewani stumped as relief turned into delight for Australia. Atapattu’s wicket completed the collapse as Sri Lanka, motoring along at 75 for 1 hit a road block at 93 for 4.From there on, the innings was largely reduced to a struggle as the batsmen struggled to put bat to ball. Megan Schutt, was particularly impressive, as she brought out different variations of her cutters to pick up the wickets of Eshani Lokusuriyage and Prasadani Weerakkody to prevent a late onslaught. The last four overs yielded just 19 as Sri Lanka finished at least 15 short of what they looked set to get.Australia’s top order was blown away inside the first three overs in both their previous outings. But that had little bearing on their approach as Alyssa Healy and Villani came out playing shots. While Healy was bowled for 12 after being deceived by Inoka Ranaweera’s left-arm spin, Lanning threw the bowlers off guard by improvising on the face of a largely one-dimensional attack that failed to create enough opportunities.Eight boundaries in the first six overs gave Australia enough leg room to nurdle the bowling. But Lanning wasn’t in the mood for charity as she kept Australia in fourth gear throughout, displaying ability to not just bring out the big shots but also use her wrists and delicate dabs to pinch runs at every opportunity. Lanning’s effervescence seemed to rub off on Villani, whose belligerence left Sri Lanka with no answers, her fifty coming off just 36 balls, severely denting Sri Lanka’s net run-rate and with it their aspirations of a berth in the final four.

India’s national selection panel is likely to ponder over the composition of the team’s spin attack when they sit down on Thursday in Delhi to finalise the squad for the three-Test series in Sri Lanka

Amol Karhadkar22-Jul-20151:56

Kalra: Naman Ojha could be picked as reserve-keeper

India’s national selection panel is likely to ponder over the composition of the team’s spin attack when they sit down on Thursday in Delhi to finalise the squad for the three-Test series in Sri Lanka.Harbhajan Singh has seemingly justified his recall with decent outings in the Bangladesh and Zimbabwe ODIs, and is set to be given a full series, while R Ashwin, too, is ready to roll in what would be his maiden Test series in Sri Lanka. With two spots locked in the XI, the selectors will have to decide on the back-up spinners.Karn Sharma, who was the third spinner in the Test squad in Bangladesh, got injured ahead of the Zimbabwe tour. It is understood, however, that he has recovered from his finger injury and is available for selection. Still, Karn is not assured of a spot, with three other players competing for the third spinner’s position, even though Ravindra Jadeja has fallen out of the radar in recent months.Axar Patel, considered to be a like-for-like replacement for Jadeja, has put in consistent performances in limited overs. Also, the fact that Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha have been rewarded with India A call-ups indicates that Sandeep Patil’s panel has not written the pair off completely. Interestingly, it was Mishra and Pragyan who shouldered the responsibility in India’s last Test series in Sri Lanka, in 2010, when Harbhajan returned home after the first Test.With opening batsman KL Rahul also returning to top-flight cricket after recovering from a bout of dengue fever, 14 of the 15 members, barring Karn, who were originally selected for the lone Test in June are likely to be persisted with.The other point of discussion would be whether to add a reserve keeper in the squad. MS Dhoni’s Test retirement will give Wriddhiman Saha, who was Dhoni’s understudy in Sri Lanka in 2010, his first full series behind the wickets. Considering that it is a three-Test series, if the selectors decide to include a reserve keeper and expand the squad to 16 members, Naman Ojha will be the frontrunner for the position. Naman, who was in the Test squad for the final match against England last year, was also with the squad in Australia till the first Test as Dhoni had missed out with injury.While the seven batsmen select themselves, the selectors are likely to persist with captain Kohli’s demand for an aggressive pace attack.

USA wicketkeeper Steven Taylor and Canada offspinner Nikhil Dutta have been awarded full Caribbean Premier League contracts after successful tryouts with the Barbados Tridents and St Kitts & Nevis Patriots respectively

Peter Della Penna22-Jun-2015USA wicketkeeper Steven Taylor and Canada offspinner Nikhil Dutta have been awarded full Caribbean Premier League contracts after successful tryouts with the Barbados Tridents and St Kitts & Nevis Patriots respectively. They two became the first Associate players from the Americas Region to become part of a CPL squad.After participating in an ICC Americas squad camp last December in Barbados, Taylor and Dutta were two of six players shortlisted for a chance to compete in a trial with West Indies U-19 cricketers for a final roster spot in their nominated CPL franchise.Taylor, 21, first rose to international prominence at age 18 in October 2012 when he was the only US player chosen as part of the International World XI captained by Sanath Jayasuriya in a series of T20 exhibition matches in Karachi as part of an effort to encourage international teams to resume touring Pakistan. He was the first US player to score a T20 century and was USA’s leading scorer at the 2013 World T20 Qualifier in the UAE with 271 runs at an average of 38.71.Tridents coach Robin Singh has worked with Taylor since 2011 when Singh was the USA U-19 coach first at a regional qualifier in Florida and then again at the U-19 World Cup Qualifier in Ireland. Since then, Taylor and Singh have continued to forge a solid bond during Singh’s stints as a coach for the USA senior team on a tournament by tournament basis at various ICC events.Dutta, 20, was the 2013 ICC Americas U-19 Division One tournament MVP when he helped Canada qualify for the 2014 ICC U-19 World Cup in the UAE. He was Canada’s leading wicket-taker at the recently concluded ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament in Indianapolis, taking 12 at an average of 9.41, giving strong indications that he would make the cut with the Patriots. Dutta is considered somewhat of a mystery spinner with a delivery style and repertoire similar to Sunil Narine.Despite being given full contracts by their franchises, both Taylor and Dutta may have limited availability for the tournament after both were named last week to represent their countries at the ICC World T20 Qualifier in Ireland and Scotland. All teams are scheduled to arrive on July 3 for the tournament with USA and Canada’s first official group matches taking place on July 10. The World T20 Qualifier final is on July 26 in Dublin, the same day as the CPL final in Trinidad.Aside from the two Associate players, former West Indies U-19 captain Ramaal Lewis received a contract from Jamaica Tallawahs while reigning West Indies U-19 player of the year Shimron Hetmeyer signed on with the Guyana Amazon Warriors. The other two emerging talents to receive CPL contracts were Gidron Pope from the St Lucia Zouks and Mark Deyal for the Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel.

Newcastle are reportedly eyeing a surprise swoop for former Chelsea and Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku.

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Chelsea ready to sell Lukaku for £37mNewcastle ready to splurge on Belgian strikerLukaku is apprehensive about PL returnWHAT HAPPENED?

The Belgian has been in sublime form for Jose Mourinho's AS Roma in Italy, scoring nine goals in just 15 appearances so far in the campaign. And a recent report from Belgian outlet indicates Newcastle's interest in him. The Magpies see Lukaku as an ideal addition to bolster their attacking options for the next season, providing competition for in-form players Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson.

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However, Lukaku, despite past success in the Premier League with teams like West Brom, Everton, and Manchester United, is reportedly hesitant about returning to England. The 30-year-old, who rejoined Chelsea in 2021 for a record £97.5m, failed to revive his glory days in the Premier League and was shipped out on loan after he managed to score just 15 times in 44 appearances.

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Roma are keen on signing him permanently and it is believed that the striker will be happy to continue at the Italian capital. Sources suggest Chelsea would consider an offer of around £35m for Lukaku next summer, a significant drop from their initial investment. Nevertheless, as a Premier League rival, Newcastle might face demands for a higher bid.

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The tug-of-war for Lukaku will only increase if he continues to fire on all cylinders until the end of the campaign for Roma. Even if Mourinho bids adieu to the club next summer, Antonio Conte could potentially take over the reins and the striker is well-versed with his methods since their Inter days. However, Lukaku might need to reduce his £325,000-a-week wages to half of the amount if he wants to stay back in Italy.

Ryan Reynolds really does have a heart of gold, with a huge donation made to help cover the medical bills of ex-Wrexham star Martyn Chalk.

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Hollywood star dipping into his own pocketDone so on a regular basis alongside McElhenneyChalk among those to benefit from generosity WHAT HAPPENED?

Former Red Dragons midfielder Chalk finds himself stranded in Thailand after suffering a serious accident that has left him with multiple fractures and a broken femur. Before being unable to travel home, with a two-month stay expected in the Far East, the 54-year-old – who spent six years the Racecourse Ground between 1996 and 2002 – must cover the costs of any treatment that he has received.

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A GoFundMe page was set up to aid those efforts, with an initial target set out of £1,000. Wrexham co-owner Reynolds has decided to match that figure by himself, with the Deadpool actor once again putting his hand into his pocket.

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Reynolds, along with fellow co-chairman Rob McElhenney, has invested heavily in Wrexham as a football club and the community that the Welsh outfit serves. Rewards have been found on the field, with promotion secured back into the EFL, while the city is now thriving after figuring prominently in the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series.

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Reynolds helped the wife of Red Dragons star Anthony Forde to get a second opinion on the brain tumour that left her in a “living nightmare”, while money has been donated to various other causes that are tied to the now League Two promotion-chasing outfit.

Wrexham are looking to enjoy another FA Cup run in 2023-24, but that competition has cost them Aaron Hayden after losing the defender to injury.

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Welsh outfit in cup actionDefender forced off earlyParkinson changing plansWHAT HAPPENED?

Hayden, who has endured his fair share of misfortune on the fitness front in recent times, lasted less than 15 minutes of a second-round tie with Yeovil at SToK Racecourse. The sight of him slumping to the turf left Phil Parkinson with an early tactical tweak on his hands.

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Hayden went down after seeing Ollie Palmer net the opening goal of the game. While delighted to hit the front, the Red Dragons were left frustrated at seeing an important part of their defensive plans forced from the field.

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Hayden was replaced by James Jones, as Parkinson tinkered with the approach that had been drawn up prior to kick-off. With Jones more at home in the middle of the park, George Evans was asked to put his versatility to good use by slipping into the back four.

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Wrexham will be hoping that Hayden’s injury is not too serious, allowing him to return to action in the not too distant future, but they will have the January transfer window to work with – as co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney make more funds available – if reinforcements are required at the turn of the year.

Only one player from outside Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund makes the top 20, but who are the best options for your Ultimate Team this year?

Getty20Leon Goretzka – Bayern Munich – CM – 84The now 24-year-old Goretzka rather burst onto the FUT scene back in 2018 with a slew of special cards, and he hasn't looked back since. Another slight upgrade this season sees one of the most balanced midfielders in the game get even better. With only six in-game stats below 75, standing at 6'2" with a 4* weak foot, expect Goretzka to be in every other team you face this year.AdvertisementGetty Images19Kingsley Coman – Bayern Munich – LM – 84Another of the young players expected to lead Bayern into a bright future, wing wizard Coman's slight upgrade this year suggests he's on the right track. Plenty will be annoyed to see his skill moves drop down to 4* but with pace to burn and excellent dribbling stats, he's still going to be dangerous.Getty18Jadon Sancho – Borussia Dortmund – RM – 84The saviour of English football started last season as a silver card, but he's now going to be one of the most dangerous widemen in the game. Plenty of pace, incredible dribbling stats, 5* skill moves and a 4* weak foot, plus he was born in the year 2000 so the existential crisis he'll trigger in older opponents will give you a psychological edge. ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty17Julian Brandt – Borussia Dortmund – CAM – 84This is a very nicely well-rounded card. An upgrade after last year's Team of the Season and a switch infield from the wing means Brandt feels like a brand new player, and he looks like a perfect attacking fulcrum. Lanky, with 4* skill moves and weak foot and good creative and attacking stats across the board, he looks an excellent option behind your strikers.

Both New Zealand and South Africa are no strangers to World Cup semi-finals, but neither has ever made it through to the biggest game in cricket yet

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan23-Mar-2015Match factsMarch 24, 2015
Start time 2pm local (0100GMT)There has been no team as spectacular as New Zealand in this tournament•Getty ImagesBig PictureNine World Cup semi-finals, zero World Cup finals. New Zealand and South Africa are no strangers to the last four, but neither has ever experienced the ultimate shoot-out. That will change for one of the teams as Melbourne beckons for the winner.Six months ago if you had asked for a prediction of this fixture it is likely that South Africa would have been favoured. Now the hosts can rightly be considered the smart money. At the very least, it is the too-close-to-call match-up that the contests should be at this stage of the tournament. The four best teams are in the semi-finals.New Zealand are on the most glorious of runs: nine ODI wins and counting. Each match of this tournament has thrown up new heroes: Brendon McCullum, Corey Anderson, Tim Southee, Kane Williamson, Daniel Vettori and, latterly, Martin Guptill can be known as the Super Six, while they have had more than a little help from their team-mates.South Africa’s tournament has not been anywhere near as seamless with the notable group-stage defeats against India and Pakistan, the latter of those at Eden Park. However, their overwhelming performance in the quarter-final against Sri Lanka – their first World Cup knockout victory – has ensured that, at least for a short while, AB de Villiers can experience something his predecessors have not. Winning a crunch game.But now comes another one. The teams met in the knockout stages four years ago – the quarter-final – where New Zealand won by 49 runs in Dhaka and the contest boiled over when de Villiers was run out. The feats in Sydney will not mean a jot if they cannot progress further.The build-up to this match has been starkly different for each side. South Africa’s quarter-final was the first to be played which has given them time to settle back into Auckland, so much so that they opted not to train on Monday – they did the same the day before the Sri Lanka match. New Zealand have played, travelled, prepared and must now play again. It is far removed from the week-long build-ups that have almost become agonising during the second half of their group campaign.As well as being the last match for either side at the tournament, this will also be New Zealand’s last match as a host nation. The country has staged a wonderful event. They deserve a memorable encounter with which to sign-off.Form guideNew Zealand WWWWW (last five matches, most recent first)
South Africa WWLWWIn the spotlightMove aside Brendon McCullum and Trent Boult. There is a new hero in town. Martin Guptill rewrote the record books in Wellington, but now he must refocus having had barely any time to come down from the high of his unbeaten 237. That could be both a positive and a negative; he will never have felt better, but the expectations are now huge. He also has an awful record against South Africa: an average of 11.50 in 11 ODIs, including two ducks and seven single-figure scores.The fifth bowler has long vexed South Africa, but they appear to have bitten the bullet and played to their strengths with seven batsmen and four frontline bowlers. That means the role of JP Duminy is crucial and he performed it to perfection – or, in fact, probably better than de Villiers could have dreamt of – against Sri Lanka by firstly restricting the scoring then bagging one of more unnoticed hat-tricks. However, against a New Zealand batting line-up that does not hold back, he should be tested. And so should South Africa’s tactics.Teams newsAdam Milne’s heel injury, which has ruled him out of the tournament, means an enforced change for New Zealand. It would be quite a turnaround if Matt Henry was rushed straight in, but it is a possibility after Mitchell McClenaghan’s poor outing against Bangladesh and the fact that Kyle Mills is not a like-for-like replacement.New Zealand (probable) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Brendon McCullum (capt), 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Grant Elliott, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Daniel Vettori, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Matt Henry/Kyle Mills, 11 Trent BoultSouth Africa’s one decision seemingly rests on Vernon Philander v Kyle Abbott. Abbott helped set the tone against Sri Lanka but Philander’s extra batting is also valued. De Villiers has a minor throat infection and didn’t train on Sunday, but said the entire squad is fit and available.South Africa (probable) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 Rilee Rossouw, 6 David Miller, 7 JP Duminy, 8 Dale Steyn, 9 Vernon Philander/Kyle Abbott, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran TahirPitch and conditions”Players can get sucked in by the short boundaries and scores have tended to be lower,” Grant Elliott said of Eden Park, earlier this week. The surface is rarely anything but true, but offers encouragement through pace and bounce – a facet both teams possess. McCullum expected less swing than the Australia match as conditions are not as humid. Each side also has a quality spinner, too, should it grip.The forecast is a little mixed, but the occasional shower seems to the worst that could happen.Stats and trivia Trent Boult needs two wickets to become New Zealand’s leading bowler at a World Cup, overtaking Geoff Allott’s 21 victims in 1999 Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers have 40 ODI hundreds between them. The likely New Zealand XI has 34 Corey Anderson needs three wickets for 50 in ODIs. He currently has the fourth-best strike-rate of a bowler with more than 40 ODI wicketsNew Zealand’s run rate in the mandatory Powerplay overs of 7.54 is easily the best among all teams in this tournament. Australia are next with a rate of 6.16. South Africa are fifth with a run rate of 4.95Quotes”Any game you play, some get more nervous than others but the general feeling is that we can’t wait to get out there and test our skills against a very good South African team and in a crunch game. The way we dealt with the expectations of the last game should hold is us in reasonable stead.”
“It would be silly to focus too much on the cricket they’ve played. They’ve played really well but if we play to our full potential, no one is going to stop us. I need to make sure they are confident mentally and fresh physically.”
keeps his focus on his own team rather than New Zealand

Paul Horton’s first century of the Championship season could hardly have been better timed, or of greater value, for a Lancashire side fighting for their Division One lives

David Lloyd in Taunton29-Jun-2014
ScorecardPaul Horton made his first Championship hundred of the season to prop up Lancashire•Getty ImagesIt wasn’t chanceless and, for the most part, it owed more to hard graft than carefree strokeplay. But Paul Horton’s first century of the Championship season could hardly have been better timed, or of greater value, for a Lancashire side fighting for their Division One lives.Given that overhead conditions allied to a dry and previously used pitch offered swing and seam bowlers something all day – as well as yielding encouraging bounce, plus a bit of turn, when George Dockrell got to work – judgement on who holds the balance of power might best be left until after both sides have batted once.What can be stated with a fair degree of confidence, though, is that Lancashire would have been in a real pickle by now but for Horton. And it is also reasonable to say that the opener needed these runs every bit as much as his county, having totalled just 90 from his previous eight Championship innings.When Horton finally fell to the second new ball, he had scored 140 of his side’s 219 for 6 (which is near as two thirds of the runs) and been responsible for 21 of their 24 fours. True, Jos Buttler drove a couple of sixes on his return to Somerset but, like all batsmen bar one, he fell the wrong side of 20.Horton so nearly made it through to stumps unbeaten and was clearly pained to fall lbw with four overs remaining. By then he had batted for six-and-a-quarter hours and was enjoying his most productive spell at the crease, having scored 40 runs from 47 balls after raising his bat for the hundred. Still, it added up to a day’s work to cherish.”I was averaging under 30 this year and it’s things like that which drive me on,” the 31-year-old said. “I haven’t done my job well enough for the first 10 games – I get paid to score runs for Lancashire. So it’s a special moment when you make a hundred.”Glen Chapple’s decision to bat first was reasonable enough, even though the surface had more than a tinge of green about it when play began 65 minutes late following a morning shower. Batting in the fourth innings could be a real trial, not that it was a walk in the park first up – as a run rate that stayed below two-and-a-half an over for most of the day would suggest.Having suffered their first defeat of the season when losing to Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge last week, Somerset were buoyed by the return to fitness of both Alfonso Thomas (back) and Lewis Gregory (hamstring) – recoveries that meant new recruit Tim Groenewald was kept waiting for his debut. And but for Horton, they would have had the visitors on the rack by mid-afternoon.The new ball beat the bat on a fairly regular basis, a couple of edges landed close enough to fielders to spark “did it carry?” debates and it soon became apparent that Lancashire were more likely to take centre stage at nearby Glastonbury tonight than soar to the heights of last week’s 650 for 6 declared against Northants.The first snick that really mattered, though, came when the visitors were already three down and Horton earned four runs for a false shot against Gregory that appeared to brush the fingertips of James Hildreth at first slip as he dived left.Having just secured a battling half-century, Horton deserved a bit of good fortune. And another slice came his way, on 81, with Hildreth this time getting two hands to a boot-high opportunity off Peter Trego’s bowling. But it would be wrong, very wrong, to suggest the opener rode his luck. He defended resolutely time and again, when resolute defence was required, and put away the bad or inviting ball with great certainty. Not that there was too much bad stuff, particularly from Thomas and Gregory who posed difficult questions all day long.After one day, this is still anyone’s match. But already it is a match Horton should remember with great fondness, at least from a personal point of view.

Ryan Harris will miss the Gabba Test with a slight strain to his quadriceps and Peter Siddle has been dropped

Brydon Coverdale16-Dec-20142:41

MacGill: Siddle might never play for Australia again

Ryan Harris will miss the Gabba Test with a slight strain to his quadriceps and Peter Siddle has been dropped from the attack that bowled Australia to victory in the Adelaide Test. Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood will make his long-awaited Test debut on Wednesday and left-armer Mitchell Starc has been recalled after last playing in the loss to Pakistan in Abu Dhabi.The stand-in captain Steven Smith announced the team at the Gabba on the day before the Test, also confirming that he would move up to No.4 in the batting order with Shaun Marsh to slot in at No.5. Smith said he was hopeful that Harris would be fit for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne but the selectors could not risk him given the short turnaround since Adelaide.”Ryan Harris pulled up a little bit stiff and sore from Adelaide,” Smith said. “He’s got a slight quad strain. Darren Lehmann has always said if our bowlers aren’t 100% fit going into the match we won’t be playing them. It’s very unfortunate for Ryan but hopefully he gets his body right soon.”I think he’ll be okay in a couple of days. It’s just going into a Test match if you’re not 100% fit that’s the way it goes with this team. Hopefully he gets a bit of work done with the physios in the next couple of days and can start running and hopefully he’ll be fine for Melbourne.”The extra bounce on offer at the Gabba played some role in swaying the selectors towards choosing the tall Hazlewood and Starc. Siddle picked up only two wickets in the Adelaide Test and had a difficult tour of the UAE, and now faces the prospect of slipping below the younger members of the pace attack in the pecking order.”In regards to the inclusion of Mitchell Starc, I think we just wanted to play a bowler with a bit of extra pace and bounce,” Smith said. “Mitchell went back and bowled really well for New South Wales in the last couple of Shield games and deserves his spot.”It’s obviously very disappointing for Peter Siddle, who’s been a terrific bowler over a long period of time. He’s certainly not out of the loop. He’s still in and around the team and hopefully he’ll get another game soon.”Hazlewood, 23, will finally earn his first baggy green after being part of the Test squad on a number of occasions. Smith has played plenty of state cricket for New South Wales with Hazlewood and is impressed with the way he has developed.”It’s very exciting, I’ve watched Josh very closely over the last couple of years at New South Wales and he impresses me every time,” Smith said. “He’s only getting better and better. This pitch out here is going to suit him perfectly. He’s very skilful for his age, and I’m just looking forward to seeing him zing a few through and bowl with that extra pace and get that extra bit of bounce as well.”I think that’s part of the reason Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have been included in the team. It’s traditionally quite a fast and bouncy wicket and it looks no different out there for this Test match. Hopefully after the wickets we’ve played on recently in Test cricket, the Adelaide Oval and the two in the UAE, it’s exciting for our fast bowlers to finally have something that’s going to have a bit of liveliness to it.”The three changes to the team also involve Shaun Marsh coming in for his first Test since the tour of South Africa earlier this year. He will move into the No.5 spot, his typical batting position recently for Western Australia, and Smith said he was happy to moved up the order and take on extra responsibility in his first Test as captain.”I’ve had a chat to a couple of the senior players and the coach about it,” Smith said. “I just thought taking over the captaincy and a bit of extra responsibility that I’d step up to No.4 and get the job done there. I don’t think there’s a big difference between batting 4 and 5, so that’s just the way I’ve gone with it.”Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Chris Rogers, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Shaun Marsh, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Josh Hazlewood.