All posts by h716a5.icu

Mushtaq Ahmed is to join Surrey as ‘coach and mentor’ on a month-long contract

ESPNcricinfo staff16-May-2012Mushtaq Ahmed is to join Surrey as ‘coach and mentor’ on a month-long contract. Mushtaq, the former Pakistan legspinner and current England spin bowling coach, will link up with Surrey on June 20 and depart on July 20.The deal will reunite Mushtaq with his former captain at Sussex, Chris Adams, who is now team director at Surrey. The pair combined to take Sussex to the club’s first County Championship title in 2003. They won it again in 2006 and 2007.”He will be a magic guy to have around in terms of the environment in the dressing room and is one of the best people I’ve ever come across in terms of assessing the mood of a side and having a positive influence on tactics both before and during a game,” Adams said.”We have a few young spinners at the club at the moment so there is also plenty of work to be done there as well – and I also want to use him with the Second XI and PG Academy, as well as setting up some sessions with batsmen from throughout the club on how to play spin.”We’ve got him here for a month and we’ll make sure we’ll work him hard – I’ve told him it’s going to be the same as when I captained him, he’ll be getting through 45-50 overs a day.”

Phillip Hughes’ fine form in county cricket has helped win him a call-up into the Australia A side to side to play England Lions at Edgbaston

George Dobell11-Aug-2012Phillip Hughes’ fine form in county cricket has helped win him a call-up into the Australia A side to side to play England Lions at Edgbaston, following an injury to Peter Forrest.Hughes, 23, who is in England playing for Worcestershire as their overseas player, scored a century at the same ground this week and became the first Worcestershire opener to carry his bat in a first-class game since 2008. He is leading the club’s averages in all formats of the game, with a first-class average of 45.12, a T20 average of 100.50 and a List A average of 97.80.Kevin Sims, Australia’s A rehabilitation manager, said: “Peter Forrest sustained a minor side strain in the match against the England Lions at Old Trafford and with only one match remaining we have decided to send him home to prepare for the upcoming season.”Hughes, who has not played Test cricket since December, missed out on the original selection for the A tour, but has continued to work on his technique after it was exposed at the top level. His century against a strong Warwickshire attack this week was his first in first-class cricket since September.His call-up is not such good news for Worcestershire. Sitting at the foot of the Division One table, they are already struggling for reliable batsmen and face an uphill battle to avoid relegation. Hughes will miss their Championship match against fellow strugglers Lancashire at New Road, but should be back ahead of the CB40 game against Leicestershire.The first unofficial Test of the two-match series between Australia A and England Lions ended in a draw. The second begins at Edgbaston on Tuesday.

Peter Roebuck, the respected cricket commentator and columnist, has died in South Africa

Brydon Coverdale, Daniel Brettig and Firdose Moonda12-Nov-2011Peter Roebuck, the respected cricket commentator and columnist, has died in South Africa.South African police have released a statement confirming that Roebuck took his own life.”This office can confirm that an incident occurred last night at about 21.15 at a hotel in Claremont where a 55-year-old British national who worked as an Australian commentator committed suicide,” the statement said. “The circumstances surrounding this incident is being conducted. An inquest docket has been opened for investigation.”Roebuck was in South Africa covering Australia’s ongoing Test tour, including as a radio commentator for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). He was spoken to by local police on his return to the Southern Sun Hotel Newlands on Saturday night after he had been out to dinner.In addition to his work in print and radio, Roebuck was also a widely read columnist for ESPNcricinfo, contributing his views in both written and audio form. His last column had expressed cautious optimism about the progress of the Australian team. Sambit Bal, editor of ESPNcricinfo, said Roebuck had always pressed the importance of avoiding nationalism in how the game should be viewed.”He was a rare global voice in the game,” he said. “He used to say that there was too much nationalism in cricket writing. His writing was devoid of any allegiance to nation, team or any player. I cherished his friendship and counsel.”Roebuck was born in Oxford on March 6, 1956, the son of two schoolteachers and one of six children. He was an accomplished batsman for Somerset and went on to captain the county to success in the 1980s. He also led an England team against Netherlands.In 335 first-class matches, Roebuck made 17,558 runs at 37.27, with 33 centuries. His playing career was overshadowed to some degree by a drawn-out feud with other Somerset players, which led to the removal of Joel Garner and Viv Richards, and the exit of Ian Botham.As Roebuck’s cricket developed, so did his writing. , his journal of the 1983 season, established him as one of cricket’s most insightful voices, and he would go on to write numerous other books, including an account of England’s Ashes success in Australia in 1986-87.Roebuck chose to leave England eleven years ago after being involved in a controversial court case. In 1999, he was accused of caning three teenage South African cricketers who had stayed with him in his house near Taunton, Somerset. In 2001, he pleaded guilty to three charges of common assault at Taunton Crown Court, and was given a suspended sentence of four months for each count, the sentences suspended for two years. At the time, he had said, ”Obviously I misjudged the mood and that was my mistake and my responsibility, and I accept that.”After leaving England, Roebuck divided his time between residences in Sydney, Australia and Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Australia had played a growing part in Roebuck’s life from the early 1990s; he had spent summers there, teaching and playing cricket, then graduating to writing and commentating, before establishing one of his two homes there a decade ago.Roebuck’s columns were fiercely independent, often expressing the contrarian view but at other times articulating the thoughts of many. His views were never more hotly-debated than when the ran a front-page opinion piece in which Roebuck called for the sacking of Ricky Ponting as Australia captain following the acrimonious 2008 SCG Test against India.He was outspoken on numerous topics, not least the degeneration of Zimbabwe cricket, and was also a frequent questioner of the game’s administrators and money-men. He wrote critically of the influence of betting, both legal and illegal, within the game, and warned against the proliferation of cricket without meaning or context.

In what has already been a champagne year for Test cricket, Chanaka Welegedara and Rangana Herath set Sri Lanka up for what could be the biggest Test upset of 2011

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran27-Dec-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Chanaka Welegedara dismissed four of South Africa’s top five•Associated PressIn what has already been a champagne year for Test cricket, Chanaka Welegedara and Rangana Herath set Sri Lanka up for what could be the biggest Test upset of 2011. There were no signs of Durban’s famed Green Mamba – tides which are rumoured to make the Kingsmead track juicy – but that didn’t prevent South Africa from being knocked over for their lowest total against Sri Lanka. While the lower order had to deal with some sharp spin, the specialist batsmen didn’t have to face any snorters, which makes the collapse more baffling.An assured stand of 76 for the fourth wicket between Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers showed how few gremlins there were in the surface, but collapses on either side of that partnership had South Africa scrambling to avert the follow-on. Their tail managed to achieve that, before Welegedara completed his five-for and ended the innings by getting Marchant de Lange to edge to the keeper. de Lange’s 7 for 81 had limited Sri Lanka to 338 in the morning, but instead of a well-earned rest after becoming the eighth debutant to take a five-wicket haul this year, he had to bat in the gloom towards the end of the day.The substantial lead of 170 did not seem likely even after Thilan Samaraweera became only the second Sri Lanka batsman to make a Test century in South Africa. de Lange had ripped out the final three batsmen for three runs, but unfortunately for the home fans the wickets continued to tumble even when South Africa were batting.Two overs after lunch, Jacques Rudolph continued the trend of batsmen throwing away their wickets, by helping a short ball on leg stump to deep-backward square leg. Graeme Smith followed minutes later, as he fished without footwork at a Chanaka Welegedara delivery to give wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal his first Test catch. It got a lot worse in Welegedara’s next over as Jacques Kallis edged to slip to collect a rare Test duck, leaving South Africa at 27 for 3.South Africa still had two of their most bankable batsmen in the middle – Amla and de Villiers – and they revived the home side by comfortably playing out the rest of the session. de Villiers was subdued, but Amla showed his wide range of whiplash shots through the off side. There were several punches through cover for four and the point boundary was peppered as he pounced on the wide deliveries offered. Dilhara Fernando, regarded as the spearhead of the Sri Lankan attack, was only brought on as the fourth-change bowler, but even his introduction didn’t stop Amla, who lashed three fours in one over to cruise towards another half-century.If South Africa were breathing easier at tea, when they were 100 for 3, they were left gasping by what followed after the break. de Villiers chased a half-volley so wide that he ended up on his knees as he edged the ball to second slip. Welegedara had his fourth important wicket two overs later when Amla was caught behind pushing at a delivery angling across.That put Sri Lanka in charge, and two players whose places in the South Africa side are under scrutiny were left to launch a rescue effort. Questions over Mark Boucher’s batting ability will intensify after his poke to gully off Rangana Herath for 3, but there will be even more pressure on Ashwell Prince after his botched reverse-sweep against the spin, that too when South Africa were 119 for 6. With Herath proving too good for Morne Morkel, South Africa had lost five for 16.Dale Steyn didn’t get a wicket in a completed Test innings for the first time since 2008, but he still made a crucial contribution as he shepherded South Africa past the follow-on mark. The final two wickets put on 49, again showing that this wasn’t a pitch impossible to bat on.South Africa’s capitulation made Samaraweera’s century – only his second outside Asia -even more significant. He and Herath defied the home side for more than an hour in contrasting style: Samaraweera was 14 short of his hundred overnight and was in no hurry to reach the landmark, while Herath swung at everything, playing some comical yet effective flat-batted swipes against the hulking fast bowlers.Samaraweera got to his century soon after drinks, pushing the ball towards cover for two, before exuberantly celebrating the milestone by pretending to shoot at someone in the dressing room. Herath was also enjoying himself, with consecutive boundaries, both confident steers past cover point as Sri Lanka moved to 335 for 7 before de Lange’s burst brought the innings to a quick end.South Africa had some cheer late in the day, when Tillakaratne Dilshan perished for 4, but Sri Lanka are still in pole position to extend the home side’s Durban jinx.

Chris Rogers scored his fourth century of the season but promotion hopefuls Middlesex had to settle for a draw on the final day of their rain-affected Division Two match against Glamorgan

10-Sep-2011
ScorecardChris Rogers scored his fourth century of the season but promotion hopefuls Middlesex had to settle for a draw on the final day of their rain-affected Division Two match against Glamorgan at Cardiff.Rogers made 121 as Middlesex declared their first innings on 302 for 8 – a first-innings lead of 145 – with Will Owen taking 5 for 124. But Glamorgan’s fifth-wicket pair of Mark Wallace and Stewart Walters ensured their side batted out for a draw and when stumps were drawn they had made 178 for 4 – a lead of 33. Middlesex took nine points from the game to Glamorgan’s five.Middlesex began the day with a slender lead of 12 runs, knowing that a victory would seal both promotion into Division One as well as the Division Two title, and all in a contest which had seen the loss of 198 overs on the first three days. Middlesex resumed on 169 for 4 and went on the hunt for quick runs as Rogers completed his century from 121 balls with 12 fours.As the fifth-wicket partnership developed John Simpson went to his 50 from 80 balls. But Owen made his first breakthrough to grab the prized wicket of Rogers, who edged a short rising delivery behind. It ended a stand worth 145 in 27.2 overs.Wallace, who was captaining Glamorgan in the absence of an unwell Alviro Petersen, took his second catch to dismiss Gareth Berg, who edged an attempted cut off Owen. Simpson looked on course for a century after swatting Owen for six into the grandstand but next ball the bowler got his revenge by bowling the Middlesex wicketkeeper for 95.Owen sealed his maiden championship five-wicket haul when he had Steven Crook caught at deep backward square. Tim Murtagh brought up the Middlesex 300, whereupon they declared after 90 minutes’ batting during which they added 133 runs in 20 overs.With Petersen still indisposed, Nick James opened with Gareth Rees and the pair saw Glamorgan safely to lunch. But after the interval Rees edged Gareth Berg to third slip. Will Bragg needed 26 to become the first Glamorgan batsman to 1,000 runs but he could only managefour before being caught in the gully off Steven Crook.James had done a good job in deputising as opener but a run short of his maiden half-century he was undone by Ollie Raynor’s spin, trapped leg before. Glamorgan reached three figures shortly before tea but in the final over before the interval Jim Allenby edged a rising delivery from Murtagh behind.But any chance of a Middlesex win was dashed by an unbeaten 70-run partnership between Wallace and Walters. In the process Wallace passed Jimmy Stone’s club record of 959 runs – the highest made by a specialist wicketkeeper in a season in first-class cricket for Glamorgan.The result leaves Middlesex 12 points clear at the division’s summit, with Northamptonshire, Surrey and Gloucestershire able to overhaul them in a fascinatingly poised final round of matches.

ESPNcricinfo previews the CLT20 match between Cape Cobras and Trinidad & Tobago

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit03-Oct-2011Match factsCape Cobras v Trinidad & Tobago, October 4, Chennai
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Can the T&T bowlers choke the opposition again?•AFPBig PictureAfter the last-ball and one-wicket loss to Mumbai Indians, and the Super Over defeat to New South Wales, one wondered what Trinidad & Tobago would come up with next. Along with MI, T&T did their best to infuse excitement into a tournament that has struggled to pull in crowds. They finally managed to get it right against Chennai Super Kings to give themselves an outside chance of making the semi-finals. T&T have one last opportunity, against Cape Cobras, to add more thrills to the Champions League. It is a must-win game for both sides.While T&T’s spinners will look to use the slowness of the Chennai pitch to their advantage, they would have also noted that the Cobras batsmen struggled more against the Super Kings’ seamers in their only loss so far.A win tomorrow will put Cobras at the top of Group A and ensure their qualification for the semi-finals. Victory alone will not be enough for T&T, though, as they will need the Super Kings to beat New South Wales to force a three-way tie for the second place.Watch out for …Unlike the T&T spinners, there is nothing mysterious about medium-pacer Kevon Cooper but he has gone for just over five runs an over in the tournament. Even fellow Trinidadian Dwayne Bravo could not go after him in the death. Cooper’s 28 at a strike-rate of 280 was the difference against the Super Kings. T&T’s next best strike-rate was 121. Cobras will have to be wary on both fronts.You either get Herschelle Gibbs early or else he gets you. New South Wales didn’t, and suffered. Super Kings did, and got a target that could be chased. Gibbs will go after all the sliders, wrong ‘uns and flicked legbreaks that the T&T spinners try against him. Who will get whom?Team newsBarring last-minute injuries, neither side has reason to change their XIs.Stats and trivia Not surprisingly, slow and low Chennai is where batsmen have struggled the most. It has the lowest average per wicket, 21.22, and the lowest economy-rate, 6.80, of the three venues used in the tournament T&T’s loss to MI was only the 11th instance of a Twenty20 being decided by the smallest margin of one wicket off the last ball.Quotes”There is still a remote chance of us qualifying. God only knows what will happen in the last game but we still hold faith that we will qualify for the semi-finals.”
“We are playing T&T at the end, so their spinners are not complete unknowns to us. We have done a little bit of work on how to face them.”

Zimbabwe Cricket have confirmed that Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand will be touring the country in the course of a busy schedule in 2011

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Mar-2011Zimbabwe Cricket have confirmed that Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand will be touring the country in the course of a busy schedule in 2011 that includes both one-day internationals and Test matches, as well as a triangular series including South Africa and an Australian A side.”The Zimbabwe Cricket team is scheduled to have a busy schedule in 2011-2012 season commencing in August,” ZC managing director Ozias Bvute told in Zimbabwe. “Tours have been confirmed with Bangladesh, Pakistan, New Zealand and a triangular series against South Africa and Australian ‘A’ sides.”Bvute admitted frustration at Zimbabwe’s performance at the World Cup, where the team thrashed Canada and Kenya but struggled to be competitive against the top sides. He suggested that more matches against strong teams was the key to Zimbabwe’s development.”There is a lot of disappointment after our inability to progress to the quarter-finals at the World Cup, however, given the schedule of matches lined up over the next four years we feel this should adequately prepare our team for the next World Cup.”Zimbabwe’s home season begins with Bangladesh’s visit between July 1 and July 22. The two teams have been regular opponents in recent years, having played 18 ODIs against each other since January 2009, with Bangladesh winning 13 of those games. Zimbabwe will play a one-off Test match and four ODIs against them before Australia A arrive for a one-day tri-series also involving Zimbabwe and South Africa, and two four-day matches against the host. Match details are yet to be confirmed at this stage, but the tour will run from late June to late July.Pakistan then visit for another Test match, three ODIs and two Twenty20 matches from July 26 to August 19. New Zealand, who sent an A side to Zimbabwe for an unofficial Test series against Zimbabwe A last year, have not yet finalised dates for their tour.Understandably, the squads for visiting international sides are yet to be named, but Cricket Australia’s National Selection Panel has announced a provisional 24-man squad which will be trimmed in May.”We have given the provisional squad advanced notice for this tour to allow them sufficient time to prepare for the series pending selection in the final squad,” said National Talent Manager Greg Chappell. “The Australia A program in recent years has played a big role in readying athletes for the rigors of international cricket, with players such as Tim Paine, Callum Ferguson, Cameron White and Mitchell Starc all coming into the Australian set-up at varying times over the last couple of years and having an impact.”This group is a cross section of the best young players in the country. Some of them have already had a taste of international cricket and show signs of being among those that will be the backbone of our teams in the future, while the others have shown enough in domestic cricket to suggest that they are the type of cricketer that we will need to be able to challenge India, South Africa, England and Sri Lanka for supremacy in the next few years.”With the new World Test Championship and the new ODI ranking periods beginning straight after the ICC Cricket World Cup and with tours to Sri Lanka and South Africa later this year and New Zealand and India touring Australia next summer, it will be a great opportunity for these young players to show their skills and put their name forward to be part of this challenging period for Australian cricket,” added Chappell.The last time an Australian representative team visited Zimbabwe was in 2008, when a Centre of Excellence Scholarship team toured Africa.Provisional Australia A squad: George Bailey, Michael Beer, Luke Butterworth, Trent Copeland, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Patrick Cummins, James Faulkner, Callum Ferguson, Aaron Finch, Peter George, Jon Holland, Phillip Hughes, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Nicolas Maddinson, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Stephen O’Keefe, Tim Paine, James Pattinson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

Newcastle United have reportedly now ‘made’ a club-record ‘offer’ to sign Darwin Nunez in the summer.

The Lowdown: ‘Marquee’ signing

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) reportedly want to make a ‘marquee’ signing this summer, and Nunez tops that list.

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Described as an ‘absolute beast’ by Liverpool podcaster Hari Sethi after an impressive performance in the UEFA Champions League against the Reds, the six-foot-two starlet has notched up no fewer than 32 goals in just 37 games in total over all competitions so far this season (Transfermarkt), and will no doubt be on a lot of club’s radars come the transfer window.

The Latest: Offer made

As per transfer insider Santi Aouna, the St. James’ Park faithful have now ‘made an offer’ for Nunez ‘in recent weeks’, but ‘several’ clubs in Europe are ‘trying’ to sign him from Benfica.

He expanded in his article for Foot Mercato that the North East club have offered ‘more than’ €60m (£49.6m) for his signature, but face competition from PSG, FC Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Atletico Madrid.

The Verdict: Unlikely

Given the calibre of clubs interested, and off of the back of the season that he is having, it seems highly unlikely that the Magpies would be able to persuade Nunez to move to Tyneside.

They would not be able to offer him any European football, and so it is too early in their project to be going for names currently being chased by what seems like half of the big teams in Europe.

However, he is only 22 years of age, and so the Uruguay international could be one that they look to target in the future, once the PIF project is fully firing.

In other news, find out which Van Dijk-like colossus NUFC have now sent scouts to watch here!

Glamorgan Dragons opened their Friends Life t20 campaign with a comprehensive victory over Middlesex Panthers in Cardiff

03-Jun-2011
ScorecardGlamorgan Dragons opened their Friends Life t20 campaign with a comprehensive victory over Middlesex Panthers in Cardiff but not before the match was thrown into disarray by floodlight failure.The Dragons won the toss and proceeded to score 199 for 4 – their highest ever t20 score at the ground – with skipper Alviro Petersen leading the way with 72 from 48 balls. In reply the Panthers made a good start but lost wickets at regular intervals to reach 121 for 6 after 14.5 overs when three of the four floodlights went out.After a delay of nearly 40 minutes, the players and umpires – Nigel Cowley and John Steele – appeared to have shaken hands. But the floodlights came back on and play resumed at 10.40pm with the Panthers requiring another 62 for victory from 3.1 overs.They only managed 16 of them as they were bowled out for 137 handing Glamorgan the victory by 45 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis Method.The Dragons got off to a solid start in front of a crowd of around 5,000 as opening pair Mark Cosgrove and Alviro Petersen putting on 63 for the opening wicket in 7.1 overs. The Panthers hit back when offspinner Paul Stirling had Cosgrove stumped from his first ball.But despite the loss of Cosgrove, Petersen and Jim Allenby kept the scoring rate up. Petersen struck his first T20 half-century for Glamorgan from 37 balls and with Allenby put on 82 from 55 balls before the latter holed out to long-off.Petersen also holed out to cover in the next over, but the big hitting continued apace with Chris Cooke, a 25-year-old debutant, striking three straight sixes off Steven Crook as 23 came off the penultimate over.Glamorgan then gambled by giving offspinner Robert Croft the opening over, but it failed to come off as the veteran was struck for 16 – Stirling plundering 15 of them. But Stirling went for one big shot too many and was caught at mid-on by Allenby attempting to clear the rope.The Panthers continued to keep up with the asking rate and had reached 60-0 after six overs, but the Dragons hit back with a brilliant one-handed catch by Croft removing Scott Newman (23).That set the tone for Glamorgan as the home side took wickets at regular intervals and Middlesex slipped from 87 for 3 to 116 for 6. The sixth wicket saw Graham Wagg take a brilliant catch at long-on to send Glamorgan towards the win before the floodlights went out.On their return from the light failure, Wagg and Alex Jones took two wickets each to complete a comprehensive win.

ESPNcricinfo previews the second Twenty20 between Australia and England at Melbourne

The Preview by Sahil Dutta and Liam Brickhill13-Jan-2011Match FactsJanuary 14, Melbourne
Start time 19.35 (08.35 GMT)Shane Watson had an almost perfect outing at in the first Twenty20 but still came out on the losing side•Getty ImagesThe Big PictureAustralia’s one-wicket defeat in the opening Twenty20 of the two-match series summed up the season that Shane Watson and his team are having. The stand-out performer on either side, Watson added four wickets to his rollicking half-century and was named Man of the Match, but still ended up on the losing side as England squeezed home from the final ball. Such are the vicissitudes of Twenty20 cricket, where victory can often depend upon a slice of luck at the right moment. Australia’s morale will not have been helped by yet another loss to add to their recent string of disappointments.Wednesday’s match in Adelaide had the air of a new beginning for Australia, with Cameron White taking over the leadership of the T20 side and Tim Paine acting as his deputy. There were also a few fresh faces, with Aaron Finch and Steve O’Keefe, and the return of a veteran in Brett Lee, but the changes weren’t enough to secure the win Australia so desperately need. While they will hope for better in Melbourne on Friday, particularly from a sluggish middle order, England are developing a psychological hold over them that will be hard to shrug off.The visitors are, of course, world champions in this format, but several members of the team have been relegated to the sidelines for much of the Australian tour. Ajmal Shahzad and Michael Yardy were still more than competent with the ball, however, and Eoin Morgan showed no rust whatsoever as he provided backbone to the middle-order with a fluent 43. It wasn’t quite the same story with Steve Davies and Luke Wright, who survived a combined total of four deliveries, and it was left to a nerveless Chris Woakes – on England debut – to see the side home.It is surely a challenge for both teams to maintain focus on the task at hand with a World Cup just over a month away, but England are on a successful roll and Australia are headed in the opposite direction. The harder task for the hosts might be to re-discover the self-belief that makes all the difference in closely-fought games.Form guide(most recent first)
Australia LLLLL
England WWWWWWatch out for…Cameron White’s tenure as Australia’s fifth Twenty20 captain did not start ideally – making just 6 as his side slipped to a narrow defeat – but his brand of clean hitting could light up the MCG. He has had limited-overs success against England before and currently has more sixes than fours in Twenty20 cricket. A natural leader, he will be keen to stamp his authority on his first series in charge.Steve Davies only faced two balls in Adelaide. It was enough to display both his classy strengths – natural timing and flair through the off side – and weaknesses – needlessly hitting the ball in the air. He is under pressure after Matt Prior’s good showing in the Ashes but if he can find some luck early on he may take to Australia’s pacey new-ball offerings.Team newsAustralia’s power pack of vein-popping batsmen and fiery fast bowlers almost pulled off a win against England, which may be enough for White’s side to stick with the formula. If there is a change it may be in Lee being replaced by the young fast bowler James Pattinson, who could start his career on his home ground in Melbourne.Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Aaron Finch, 4 David Hussey, 5 Cameron White (capt), 6 Steven Smith, 7 Tim Paine (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Steve O’Keefe, 10 Brett Lee/James Pattinson, 11 Shaun Tait.After clocking up another win, their eighth in a row, England will be in no mood to change. Especially as Ravi Bopara is not in the squad to challenge Luke Wright’s position.England (probable) 1 Ian Bell, 2 Steven Davies (wk), 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Paul Collingwood (capt), 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Luke Wright, 7 Michael Yardy, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Chris Woakes, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 Ajmal Shahzad.Stats and trivia If Australia lose again they will set a new team record for the most consecutive defeats in Twenty20 cricket. Though they still have some way to go before catching Bangladesh’s unwelcome run, which currently stands at 12. Luke Wright’s second-ball 0 gave him the unwanted joint title for most ducks in a Twenty20 career.Quotes”Never in doubt.”
Chris Woakes knew something we all didn’t in that final over in Adelaide.
“When England needed a big shot they found it.”