After a lean first two Tests, in which he managed just 34 runs in four innings, Joe Burns hopes that he – and his team – can put in an improved performance in Colombo

Daniel Brettig10-Aug-2016Joe Burns’ arms are scarred. The scars come from diving forward onto the abrasive squares of Sri Lankan cricket grounds in pursuit of catches at short leg. Painful as they are, deeper scars have been inflicted on Burns’ confidence as a batsman this tour, in which his struggles have been emblematic of a collective Australian failure not seen in many a long year.Having gone to India with Australia A last year, and again this year with a pre-tour advance party, and then spent two weeks in Colombo before the Tests began, Burns had seemingly been well prepared for the task. But from the moment he was bowled by a Rangana Herath skidder on the first afternoon of the series, Burns has slipped down an Asian wormhole of doubts and second guesses well known to plenty before him.In the second innings at Palekelle he was clean bowled by a Lakshan Sandakan special just when he looked to be getting set. He gifted Vishwa Fernando a first Test wicket in Galle with a hook to square leg, and then picked out cover when he attempted to take the attack to Herath in the second innings. If he has followed a personal mantra not to repeat the same mistakes, that is scant consolation for a return of 34 runs in four innings.”I’m not really one to be in or out of form,” Burns said in Colombo. “For me, every innings is different. I just try to focus on making sure I’m not making those same mistakes over and over. And in a place like the subcontinent, there’s so many things that you can learn from the experience that you don’t really worry about form, it’s about executing different game plans and developing different skills.”As a batter, you want to give yourself a chance to get in; it’s always disappointing to get out early in your innings. Especially in these conditions, you know it’s going to be tough to start. I guess that was the most frustrating thing about the second innings in Kandy – you know, when you do get a start you need to push on and make a game-changing score.”That’s probably been the most frustrating thing for me so far on the tour, having an opportunity there in Kandy to really go on with it, and not take that opportunity. Like I said, we don’t make any excuses, we just try to learn as much as we can. I’ve learned a hell of a lot over the last four innings, and hopefully I’ll take those lessons forward from here.”For a batsman raised on the hard, true Gabba surface, these lessons have been something like a young student’s first forays in Latin or quantum physics. Burns agreed it took courage to go away from what was comfortable and familiar in order to succeed in Asia, but also acknowledged this could not be used as an excuse for poor batting displays.”When you grow up, you learn a game, you play all your domestic cricket in Australia,” Burns said. “Some guys are lucky enough to play in the IPL or in County cricket and you get a taste of different experiences. I guess the courage comes when you’re asked to change your game in the cut-throat environment of the pressure-cooker that is international cricket. It does take courage.”I think all our boys are doing that. The results probably don’t show that so far. That’s why everyone wants to get back out there and prove it to ourselves, prove it to the world, that we are good enough to take the game on and to adapt our game and have success globally. Not only that, but to play well for Australia. We’re two-nil down in a series. It’s very frustrating at the moment. It’s a tough spot to be in. I feel like we’re doing everything we possibly can to turn it around.”Burns: “I guess the courage comes when you’re asked to change your game in the cut-throat environment of international cricket. It does take courage.”•AFP

All that is left for Burns, and for others such as Usman Khawaja and Adam Voges, is to hope they are retained for the dead third Test – Rod Marsh and Darren Lehmann will discuss team selection on Thursday – and then attempt to show evidence of learning. Australia must now be looking upon this match as much for next year’s tour of India as the saving of face in Sri Lanka.”It would mean a hell of a lot,” Burns said of making consolation runs. “The series has gone now, but you’re playing for your country. There’s so much pride to play for in the third Test, not just for the country but as a group. We’ve gone through a little bit of a tough time. But if we can turn it around and put in a good performance, it would be huge. I know all the boys are extremely motivated.”We’re doing absolutely everything we can to turn it around. We just have to trust that putting work into your game will get the results. International cricket is challenging because you play all around the world. To be an international cricketer you want to have success all around the world. That success hasn’t come so far in the first two Tests, with the losses that we’ve had.”But you want to be a part of winning teams as a group but also as an individual to be putting in strong performances around the world. That is what drives us as individuals and as a team. That’s why we’re working so hard and trying to be really open-minded to develop game plans and skills that are going to allow us to have success for a long period of time as a group.”As for fielding at short leg, the scars, bruises and near misses to the helmet have not yet dissuaded Burns from the job – something else for the selectors to keep in mind. “I don’t hate it because I feel like I’m always in the game in the subcontinent,” he said. “I feel like it’s an important position.”At times it is quite painful and scary. You can sometimes hear the ball fizzing past you. You can certainly feel it hit you when it does. Whenever you get scared you kind of just look at the badge on your helmet and it makes it all worthwhile.”

Former Indian fast bowler Javagal Srinath has urged India’s fast bowlers to embrace the challenge of “adverse conditions” over the next few months, when the team plays 13 Test matches at home

Gaurav Kalra23-Sep-20164:10

‘Test matches bring out more depth in your cricket’

Former Indian fast bowler Javagal Srinath has urged India’s fast bowlers to embrace the challenge of “adverse conditions” over the next few months, when the team plays 13 Test matches at home. Srinath, who claimed 236 wickets in a 67-Test career, said this unusually busy home season was a “boon” for India’s core group of fast bowlers as it presents a rare opportunity to develop their skills.”By the end of these 13 Test matches, you can become a completely transformed bowler,” Srinath told ESPNcricinfo. “Where will you get this opportunity? Normally you get three-four Tests, then a break, then you play ODIs, and T20s have come in now, then another break and you come in for the Test matches. The ball is different, the conditions are different, so again you have to come back and bowl and get back into the rhythm.”Here, every month you have a couple of Test matches which means you don’t have to practice, you just have to bowl well in the Test matches. Every ball bowled in a Test match is a well-thought-out ball, you don’t take it lightly. That’s where the learning happens, and you try to understand a batsman in a much better sense. You go deeper into a batsman’s mindset, you start thinking… Psychologically you will be far better when you start thinking every ball.”I think Test matches bring more depth in your own cricket. The body becomes stronger with that much bowling, the right kind of muscles will start developing, so you have to maintain yourself. It is about doing the right kind of gym, what kind of work you have done in the off season, all those things do matter. Your mindset should be very positive that this is a great opportunity and I want to make the best of it. Its not about sustaining yourself, its about going for a win every time.”Adverse conditions are bound to be there. There are wickets which are slower. But the balls that are used in India, they do reverse. You get more chances and you are more effective when the ball is older, so I think that’s another skill you need to add on to your bowling. Sometimes flat wickets can be a little dampening [for the spirit] but I feel it’s a wonderful opportunity to play 13 Test matches in a season.”India fielded Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami as their two frontline fast bowlers for the first of the 13 Tests this season, which is currently underway in Kanpur. Two other fast bowlers were part of the squad – Ishant Sharma, who would have likely been the first choice in the XI, was forced to withdraw from the squad after contracting chikungunya. Bhuvneswar Kumar, who claimed match figures of 6 for 46 in India’s win in the St Lucia Test in the West Indies last month, was benched.According to Srinath, with it being unlikely that India will add another seamer to the playing XI in the upcoming home Tests, the mindset of the incumbent bowlers should be to try and earn selection for each of the Tests over the season and not concern themselves with the nature of the tracks on offer.”What is better conditions, can you really prepare a fast track which will last five days in India?” Srinath said. “Your strength is spin, you have to blend these two, spin and pace, together. Winning Test matches is important, so for that you need to reverse engineer your side accordingly. These fast bowlers who are there at the top, their mindset should be they need to play all the 13 Test matches. If you play one or two and are out, then the next guy plays a few and is out, that intermittent presence will not help the team at all because you are not doing any justice to your own talent, you lose rhythm very quickly, you just come and fill in overs – that’s not what you want. If two bowlers play all 13 Test matches, you see them at the end of it, they will be a different class altogether.”If you sit in the dressing room thinking that the pitch is slow and get into the negative frame of mind, it won’t help. You are young, your body is keen to do a lot of hard work, put it to work and make sure you bowl every ball. Just don’t go and fill in numbers there, be a part of the collective bowling unit and chart the batsmen out.”The absence of a specialist bowling coach among India’s coaching staff is something that has come under some scrutiny of late. While Sanjay Bangar and R Sridhar are batting and fielding coach respectively, there is no one in charge of the bowlers. Srinath laughed off any concerns on that front, insisting that in head coach Anil Kumble, the leading wicket-taker in India’s Test history, there is all the expertise the bowlers need.”Don’t worry about it, Anil will sort it out,” he said. “He has tremendous knowledge about the game, we don’t have to look anywhere else, just go talk to him, he knows what to do.”Asked whether he himself could be a contender for the role, Srinath offered a straight bat. “I am happy doing my match refereeing at the moment.”

David Payne took four wickets and scored a fourth first-class half-century but Gloucestershire ended day two behind the game at Northamptonshire.

ECB Reporters Network13-Sep-2016
ScorecardDavid Payne enjoyed an impressive all-round day•Getty Images

David Payne took four wickets and scored a fourth first-class half-century but Gloucestershire ended day two behind the game at Northamptonshire. The hosts closed their second innings 44 without loss, leading by 109.Payne removed four wickets in 11 balls in the morning session to whittle Northamptonshire out for 326 before his half-century helped boost Gloucestershire to 261, reducing the first-innings deficit to 65.But it was Northamptonshire who ended the second day on top as Ben Duckett gave their second innings a bright start following Rob Keogh’s 4 for 67.Keogh helped reduce Gloucestershire to 158 for 7 before Payne followed up his career-best 67 not out at Cardiff last week with another half-century to provide the visitors with a second batting point.He survived a diving chance offered to Rory Kleinveldt at third slip on 10 but thereafter played with composure. A loose drive sped away to the third man rope for his ninth four and a single took him to fifty in 57 balls.Together with Jack Taylor, they began a smart recovery shortly before tea. Keogh had Will Tavare caught at short midwicket after a dogged innings trying to regain form, before Phil Mustard tried to drive outside off stump and got a thin edge to David Murphy.Before Keogh’s wickets, Azharullah made the breakthrough after lunch with a delivery that nipped away from Hamish Marshall to clip the outside of the off stump and Steven Crook fired a full straight delivery into Craig Miles’ stumps to leave the visitors in trouble.They had hoped to be in a better position after Payne ran through through Northants’ lower order in 11 balls, taking the four remaining wickets without conceding a run. Crook fell second ball of the day trying to late cut and getting a thin edge to Mustard, four balls later Kleinveldt drove loosely to extra-cover.Murphy scored Northants only runs of the day with an edge to third man before Payne returned to have Azharullah smartly held at third slip by Marshall. Ben Sanderson lost his off stump next ball as Payne, wicketless on the first day, finish with 4 for 57.In reply, Gloucestershire lost Chris Dent to a thin edge behind and Gareth Roderick to a better catch from Murphy for Kleinveldt’s second wicket. When George Hankins slapped a pull to square leg and was very well held by a diving Adam Rossington, the game was back on an even keel but the hosts had taken control by stumps.

Sri Lankan legspinning allrounder Jeevan Mendis has signed for Derbyshire for the first half of the 2017 season

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-2016Sri Lankan legspinning allrounder Jeevan Mendis has signed for Derbyshire for the first half of the 2017 season.Mendis’ arrival continues the emphasis on legspin for next season with Mendis due to be replaced after the ICC Champions Trophy at the end of June by South Africa’s experienced leggie Imran Tahir.He will feature in the first-half of the Specsavers County Championship and also the group and knockout stages of the Royal London One-Day Cup.Mendis has played 70 limited-overs matches for Sri Lanka since making his debut in 2010. Derbyshire’s director of cricket, Kim Barnett, said: “He is an experienced match-winner who will also help our talented youngsters.”Meanwhile, John Sadler, who was Derbyshire coach during a disastrous 2016 campaign, which included a winless Championship campaign in Division Two, has left the county by mutual consent.Sadler’s departure became likely after Barnett announced a comprehensive restructuring of the coaching department. John Wright, the former India and New Zealand coach, has already been named as a specialist T20 coach – the first such appointment in county cricket.

Alastair Cook said England could “hold their heads up high” despite a 246-run defeat to India in the Visakhapatnam Test

George Dobell in Visakhapatnam21-Nov-2016His words were incongruous in context with the scorecard, but you knew what Alastair Cook meant when he said his England team will leave Visakhapatnam with their “heads held high”.While there should never come a day when a defeat this crushing – in terms of runs, India have only beaten England once by a larger margin than the 246 here – is accepted without pain, you knew what Cook meant when he said his side had “a lot of reasons to be encouraged”.The end came quickly. After admirable defiance on day four, England subsided so quickly that, wicket to wicket, they lost all 10 in their second innings for only 83 runs.Clearly that isn’t good enough. But there were several unplayable deliveries (it is an overused word, but apt for the balls that dismissed Haseeb Hameed and Zafar Ansari) and several that were hugely demanding. Ben Stokes also received a beautiful delivery; it was no disgrace to be dismissed by it.Perhaps the margin was a little misleading, too. England had decided to concentrate on crease occupation, inspired by South Africa lasting 143 overs in Delhi a year ago, and reasoned that, if they could survive 150, they would be close to safety; Cook admitted it may have been a mistake. They made little effort to chase their improbable target. True, it didn’t work out and true, had they played more aggressively, the margin might have been smaller. But they might have lost on day four, too.In truth, by the time England began their second innings, this game was gone and there is no tactic that could have brought it back.This was a game lost on the first two days. By dropping Virat Kohli on 56 (he scored 248 runs in the game and the margin of victory was 246; you don’t have to be a genius to understand his influence) and losing five wickets before stumps on day two, England sustained injuries from which they could not recover. As well as Stokes and Jonny Bairstow batted on day three, as well as Cook and Hameed batted on day four and as well as England’s bowlers – their seamers, in particular – performed on both, the wound was too deep.”When you concede 455 and you’re 80 for five, it’s a long way back,” Cook said. “That cost us the game. Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes showed character and if you take Kohli’s runs out of their second innings – obviously you can’t do that – they only made 120. But when you’re behind it’s very hard to recover in these conditions. It’s all about first innings runs. We showed some good skill and fight, though.”We made a conscious effort to play the way we did in the fourth innings. Of course, when it does not work you feel you could have been more positive. But you make a decision as a captain. We came up a bit short. We fought so hard. I’ve got myself to blame.”Clearly the toss was important, too. But Cook was careful to honestly acknowledge its influence without hiding behind it as the reason for defeat. He knows that once sides start looking for excuses, they are already beaten.”We can all agree it was a good toss to win,” he said. “The first day was the best day to bat. It became harder to score.”On these two wickets, it has been very advantageous to bat first. But it doesn’t guarantee any result. India fought hard and came out with a draw and we weren’t good enough to do it. Those five wickets on day two meant that we weren’t capable of getting close to their first innings score.”They bowled well. They are good bowlers in these conditions. But in Rajkot we got over 700 runs and here we made them work really hard in the last innings. They are good bowlers, but they are not supermen by any stretch of imagination.”Chris Woakes looks almost certain to return in Mohali for the injured Stuart Broad. While there can be no complaints about the performance of England’s seamers in Visakhapatnam, England did – for the first time in a while – appear to have something of a tail. The last three batsmen scored 17 between them in the first innings and the last four nine between them in the second. James Anderson recorded England’s first king pair since 1906. It’s not one of the records he will cherish.There will be more concern about the No. 4 position, though. Ben Duckett never looked likely to score runs here with a first-innings dismissal suggesting at technical deficiencies and a second-innings dismissal suggesting a scrambled mind. Seemingly lacking confidence in his defence – not least because of the repeated manner of his dismissals against offspin – he snatched at a sweep like a drowning man snatching at driftwood. Afterwards Cook referred to a “technical flaw” and seemed to be preparing the ground for a change. It would be a surprise if Duckett played in Mohali.”The difference from playing in Northampton to playing here is quite stark,” Cook said. “Suddenly every innings is scrutinized. Suddenly this technical flaw – whether it’s a technical flaw or not – people are aware of it and there’s no doubt it affects guys. Ben is a really talented cricketer and I think we’ll see a lot more of him in an England shirt. Whether he plays in Mohali or not, the selectors will have to take a call on that.”The problem England have is the form of their alternatives. Gary Ballance was dropped after the Dhaka debacle having averaged only 19.90 in the six Tests since he was recalled in July and failed to reach 30 in his last seven innings. He has actually started to bat nicely in the nets and that first-class record (he has an average of 47.38 with 29 centuries) reminds us he is a player of some pedigree. But it would be a surprise if England came back to him just yet.That leaves only Jos Buttler from a squad that looks a batsman short. Buttler has only had one first-class game in the 12 months since he was dropped. While few would dispute his talent, there is a reason he was dropped and it was, in part, due to his struggles building an innings. He has scored only four first-class centuries – both Woakes and Adil Rashid have double that number – and a first-class batting average of 32.07. He looks most likely to play, though.Ben Duckett’s tough tour continued with another dismissal to R Ashwin•AFP

Ansari’s place will come under scrutiny, too. He endured a quiet game in Visakhapatnam, taking no wickets and scoring only four runs, but he was clearly not well (he vomited on the outfield at one stage) and suffered a back spasm, too. It remains to be seen if he is England’s best left-arm option (Samit Patel would have offered better batting against spin; Jack Leach better bowling), but it would be harsh to judge him on this showing.”He’s had a tough three days physically,” Cook said. “We do think he’s got a role to play, but obviously physically we have to make sure he’s all right. It’s tough enough conditions when you’re operating at 100%, so if you’re not, it’s not ideal.”Broad, though, gained great praise from his captain for his whole-hearted, skilful performance in demanding circumstances. There was no five-wicket haul but, when Broad looks back on this Test, he might reflect on it as one of the displays of which he could be most proud. The tendon injury he sustained on the first day renders it most unlikely he will be fit to play in Mohali.”To get through like he did was an extraordinary effort,” Cook said. “I think he was in a lot more pain than people know and he showed a hell of a lot of character. It’s probably one of the main reasons why he’s been one of England’s greatest bowlers. When it got really tough, he stood up, he bowled his overs and got on with it.”We don’t know enough about the injury yet because it’s quite an unusual one, but yes, if he plays in Mohali, he’ll be a big risk.”Despite the magnitude of defeat, Cook remained relatively upbeat. Partly because of England’s success in coming from behind in 2012 – they lost the first Test in Ahmedabad on that occasion – and partly because his side have, for large periods, competed well, he could envisage a way in which success could be achieved. They ‘just’ have to take every chance and cut out the bad sessions.”What’s giving me belief is that, over 10 days of cricket, we have competed very well in India in their conditions,” he said. “Yes, we have lost by a big margin. But it was a massive toss to lose and in certain periods of game we played some good cricket.”We have put their batters under a lot of pressure. Adil Rashid has been excellent in these two games, a real step up for him. Moeen Ali bowled really well and Jimmy Anderson was good on his comeback. So there have been a lot of good things. But we have got to put the whole game together to beat India. If we can get ahead of them in Mohali, then we can put pressure on them.”Yes, we’ve lost this game, but we’ll hold our heads up high. There are a lot of reasons to be encouraged.”

The pink ball, floodlights and the Gabba’s often lively pitch will make for a high octane contest between two sides well stocked with speed

The Preview by Daniel Brettig14-Dec-2016

Match facts

December 15-19, 2016
Start time 1300 local (0300 GMT)3:31

Coverdale: Pakistan quicks could cause trouble under lights

Big Picture

A day-night Test for Brisbane has been unveiled in order to draw greater crowds to the Gabba, but the combination of the pink ball, floodlights and the ground’s often lively pitch will make for a high octane contest between two sides well stocked with speed. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have both prospered here in the past, the latter notably putting on a sublime display on debut against India to help deliver a victory in Steven Smith’s first match as Australian captain. Starc, meanwhile, has been shifting up through the gears since he was rushed back from injury against South Africa, and appears to be finding his very best rhythm in time for Brisbane.Pakistan, of course, have a surfeit of pacemen capable of making the ball bend, in Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Amir a left-arm combination duo capable of reducing any batting order to ruins. Dangerous, too, will be the wristspin of Yasir Shah, on a ground Shane Warne has always professed to love, though Australia’s batsmen have historically attacked visiting spin bowlers with significant success in Brisbane – just ask Graeme Swann. Critical to the visitors’ chances of unseating the Australians at a ground they feel more at home at than any other will be the holding of catches – scores went down during the recent series loss in New Zealand, with the fielding coach Steve Rixon trying to rectify that in Australia.While the hosts have plenty of advantages, not least greater experience against the pink ball, it should not be forgotten that Australia’s confidence is only in the very early stages of restoration, following five consecutive defeats that culminated in the Hobart humiliation. Pakistan, by contrast, were humbled across the Tasman but have a far sturdier record behind them earlier in the year – the share of a series in England to briefly claim the world No. 1 ranking was a remarkable achievement. In what shapes to be one of the captain Misbah-ul-Haq’s final series, a victory in Australia would be the sweetest icing on his cake. To start that quest at the Gabba in conditions that will suit his pacemen but challenge his batsmen will turn to be either a blessing or curse

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)


Australia: WLLLL

Pakistan: LLLWW

In the spotlight

So far this summer, Usman Khawaja has batted with plenty of determination to succeed, cutting down on some of the more flamboyant strokeplay he offered up last season to become a senior member of the Australian top order. His sound judgment of line will be critical in Brisbane, a ground he knows well as captain of Queensland. It will be up to him, Matt Renshaw and David Warner to ward off Pakistan’s considerable new ball threat.Before England, before the no-ball, before the prison sentence and the exile from the game, Mohammad Amir came to Australia as a teenager on Pakistan’s last Test series visit and impressed all with his speed, swing and stamina. Older and wiser, he still has the ability to swing the ball at high pace, and has the potential to cause chaos in the Australian batting order if he gets it right – and if Pakistan are able to hold onto their catches.How the Gabba pitch plays under lights will be a question on the minds of both sides•Melinda Farrell/ESPNcricinfo

Teams news

Australia are set to take an unchanged team into the Gabba Test following their victory, also with the pink ball, over South Africa in Adelaide.Australia (probable) 1 Matt Renshaw, 2 David Warner, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Peter Handscomb, 6 Nic Maddinson, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Josh Hazlewood, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jackson BirdMisbah-ul-Haq and Yasir Shah were both missing from Pakistan’s previous Test XI against New Zealand, but both are expected to resume their customary positions in Brisbane.Pakistan (probable) 1 Sami Aslam, 2 Azhar Ali, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Wahab Riaz, 9 Yasir Shah, 10 Mohammad Amir, 11 Rahat Ali

Pitch and conditions

Kevin Mitchell Jnr, the Gabba curator, is shaving the grass on the pitch down to 2mm – considerably shorter than for the Adelaide day-night Test and a pretty standard level for any Gabba Test. “Pretty well standard, along the same lines as normal,” he said. “We’ve got a reasonable amount of grass cover on the wicket so we think that’s going to play the same as a normal day Test.”The surface will nonetheless be hard and bouncy with some lateral movement on offer for the pacemen early on. The unknown is how it will play at night – the pink ball can be expected to swing. The weather forecast is fine initially with the chance of some rain over the weekend.

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan have never beaten Australia in Brisbane, losing three times and drawing once
• The most recent meeting between the sides was in the first Test of the 1999 series. Australia won by 10 wickets in what was Adam Gilchrist’s debut match
• Pakistan drew series in Australia in 1976-77 and 1978-79 but have lost every series since – seven in all

Quotes

“For us the key is adapting to conditions, and if we can adapt to conditions quick enough we’ll be fine. I constantly remind the players if we can be getting 270, 280, 300, we’re in the game because we’ve got the ability to take 20 wickets.”

Western Australia extended their lead with a solid batting performance against Tasmania on day two of their Sheffield Shield game in Hobart

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Hilton Cartwright struck nine fours and four sixes in his 145-ball 94•Getty Images

A solid first-innings batting effort from Western Australia extended their advantage against Tasmania in their Sheffield Shield match in Hobart. Resuming on 1 for 149, Western Australia went on to post 410 on the back of fifties from Hilton Cartwright (94), Cameron Bancroft (84) and Josh Inglis (55).Bancroft and Cartwright added 98 for the second wicket, but Tasmania’s bowlers chipped away thereafter, reducing Western Australia to 8 for 369. Wicketkeeper Inglis, batting at No. 7, struck a counter-attacking half-century off just 48 balls to push Western Australia’s lead to 212. Cameron Stevenson picked up three wickets, while Simon Milenko and Cameron Boyce took two wickets each.Tasmania lost their openers within the first four overs of their second innings. In the eighth over, Alex Doolan was caught off fast bowler David Moody and Beau Webster was dismissed four overs later, as Tasmania slumped to 4 for 37. George Bailey and nightwatchman Stevenson took Tasmania to stumps, still trailing by 154.

A round-up of the Ford Trophy matches on February 4, 2017, also featuring Luke Ronchi’s return from injury

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Feb-2017Allrounder George Worker dazzled with bat and ball at picturesque Pukekura Park, smashing 181 off 143 balls to power Central Districts to 401 for 8 in 50 overs, before taking a career-best 4 for 36 to help skittle Northern Districts for 174. Having opened the batting, Worker treated the sprinkling of people watching from the sun-dappled terraced gardens to 19 fours and seven sixes, and Jesse Ryder and Will Young also made rapid 80s to take Central Districts to their third 400-plus total at the venue since December 2014. It was their fifth score in excess of 400 since March 2013. Central Districts were in with a chance of beating their highest List A score- 417, also against Northern Districts – but they slipped from 322 for 1 in the 43rd over and lost seven wickets for 70 runs.Faced with an asking rate of eight per over from the start, Northern Distracts had a terrible beginning to the chase and slumped to 44 for 5 in the 13th over. There was no coming back from that and Worker claimed the last four wickets with his left-arm spinner to dismiss Northern Districts in 35.3 overs. Scott Kuggeleijn made 65 off 57 balls but Tim Seifert’s 40 was Northern Districts’ next best score. Ajaz Patel, another Central Districts left-arm spinner, took 3 for 61 in the 227-run victory, which earned a bonus point to lift them above bottom-placed Otago in the competition.File photo: Luke Ronchi came back from injury to pick up four dismissals•AFP

Luke Ronchi’s return to competitive cricket after a groin injury was a happy one at Basin Reserve. He took four catches and struck a 39-ball 31 to help Wellington beat Otago with four wickets and 144 balls to spare, and top the Ford Trophy points table.Ronchi had a lot of work put on his plate from 25-year old seamer Ian McPeake, three of his four wickets being batsmen nicking to the wicketkeeper. But it was Otago who were left grumbling as they crashed to 153 all out in 38.2 overs. Only two batsmen made it past the 20s, the opener GW Croudis and Christi Viljoen, the former Namibia fast bowler who was contracted to the side in June 2016. Ronchi’s fourth dismissal helped offspinner Jeetan Patel finish with 3 for 23 in 7.2 overs.Wellington’s chase was a little more harried than they would have liked. They’d gunned down half their target in the 14th over but then lurched from 77 for 1 to 79 for 3 and then 131 for 3 to 147 for 6. But the target was so small it was always within range. Hamish Marshall top scored with 42, 38 of those coming in boundaries. Tom Blundell, who was released from the New Zealand squad playing the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, fell for 28 off 34 balls.Todd Astle picked up 3 for 51 to go with his 48 off 42 balls•BCCI

Todd Astle made 48 off 42 balls in the middle order, and picked up 3 for 51 so Auckland‘s middle order did not enjoy a similarly fruitful day, and led Canterbury to a 25-run victory at Colin Maiden Park.Astle’s innings built on the good work from opener Chad Bowes, whose 57 was his first score over 20 in the season, and Henry Nicholls, who made 65 off 77 balls. Captain Andrew Ellis spent eight minutes at the crease to harvest 29 runs, with three fours and two sixes, to drive the total to 276 for 7.Auckland’s innings revolved around their captain Rob Nicol’s 76, but with wickets falling around him – five in the last 10 overs with his dismissal starting the slide in the 42nd – they could only get to a score of 251 for 9 in their 50 overs. Astle took out Nicol, the No. 4, Robert O’Donnell, the No. 5, and Michael Barry, the No. 7, to ensure his team kept the upper hand throughout the innings. He was well supported by seamer Will Williams, who took 3 for 39 in his fifth List A game.

ESPNcricinfo’s wrap of the second day of the Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and South Australia in Sydney

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Ed Cowan scored his third hundred in four games•Getty Images

Ed Cowan’s dominance of the Dukes ball in the Sheffield Shield continued as he plundered his third century in four matches to help New South Wales into a strong position at stumps on the second day against South Australia in Sydney. Cowan ended the day unbeaten on 125, with Peter Nevill on 1, and the Blues had cruised along to 4 for 333, already holding a 104-run advantage over the Redbacks.In the first half of the Shield season, before Christmas, Cowan did not manage a century against the Kookaburra balls, but since the Dukes have been introduced in the second half of the campaign he has made 212, 0, 115, 51* and now 125*. In this match he came to the crease at first drop, with the score on 1 for 82 after Daniel Hughes fell for 26.Opening the batting in his first Shield match following his axing from the Test side and subsequent time away from the game, Nic Maddinson flew to 70 from 60 deliveries before he was caught behind off the bowling of Daniel Worrall. But Cowan had plenty of support from Kurtis Patterson (52) and Moises Henriques (54) as the Redbacks struggled to make inroads.South Australia had started the day on 5 for 169 but added only 60 for the loss of their final five wickets. Callum Ferguson failed to add to his overnight score and was caught off Pat Cummins for 75, before Alex Carey chipped in with 56. Cummins finished with 4 for 57 in his first innings of Shield bowling for nearly six years.

Virat Kohli has indicated his friendships with Australian players had been irrevocably damaged, following the conclusion of the Test series in Dharamsala

Melinda Farrell in Dharamsala28-Mar-20172:46

Smith disappointed with BCCI, Kohli says ‘friends no more’

A contentious, fractious and ill-tempered Test series has claimed a final victim: Virat Kohli’s relationships with Australian players, the Indian captain said, have been irrevocably damaged. Tensions continued to simmer even after the conclusion in Dharamsala, with Steven Smith apologising for his behavior during the series, but also registering his disappointment at another bit of off-field sparring.Before the four-Test series began, Kohli had spoken warmly about his friendships with all of the Australian players but indicated that would not affect the upcoming series. When asked if he still felt the same way after India won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2-1, Kohli was blunt in his reply.”No, it has changed,” he said. “I thought that was the case, but it has changed for sure. As I said, in the heat of the battle you want to be competitive but I’ve been proven wrong. The thing I said before the first Test, that has certainly changed and you won’t hear me say that ever again.”

Kohli’s pre-series comments

“I’m really good friends with all these guys off the field,” Kohli had said before the first Test in Pune. “I know them really well, but I know where to draw the line of friendship. “When you step onto the field, I could be playing against my big brother it wouldn’t matter.”

Smith, meanwhile, admitted his emotions had got the better of him at times during the series and offered an apology for his behaviour. He first apologised on the televised post-match presentation and then reiterated it in the following press conference.”I set myself high standards and I wanted to lead from the front with my performances” Smith said. “I have sort of been very intense in my own little bubble and at times I have let my emotions and actions just falter a little bit throughout this series and I apologise for that.”That’s a big stride for me moving forward and something I can really learn from and continue to grow as an individual and as a leader.”Smith, however, expressed disappointment with the BCCI for airing on-field exchanges between R Jadeja and Matthew Wade through a video clip on its website, in which umpire Ian Gould could be heard trying to intervene.”Yeah, I was a little bit disappointed that the BCCI sieved through the archive to find a conversation out on the field that was happening between Matty and Jadeja,” Smith said. “It’s happened between both sides throughout this series, so the fact they’ve done that to us is a little bit disappointing.”Usually what’s said on the field should stay on the field. It’s been a hard-fought series and guys are going to say things here and there, their emotions are going to be high. And so they should be in such a big series. So I was a little bit disappointed by the fact the BCCI did bring that out.Kohli also fired back at sections of the media who criticised his behaviour and form throughout an unusually lean series: he made only 46 runs in three Tests.”As I’ve said before, it’s not in my control,” said Kohli. “I’ve heard a very wise person tell me that when a person is down, the weak come out and speak about him. It takes courage to speak about someone when they are on top. It’s fine, I was targeted individually and I hadn’t done well in the series. So opportunities galore for everyone to come out and speak about me.”When I’ve done well in the past, people have spoken about me. When I haven’t done well I obviously expect them to come out and say all sorts of things. It’s obviously very easy to sit at home and write a blog or speak behind the mic. I think that’s easier than coming out and competing on the field.”That’s all I have to say about that.”