The returning David Warner should open, and Steven Smith can move down to No. 4 or No. 5, says the former Australia captain

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Mar-20192:13

Will be surprised if Khawaja isn’t in the World Cup squad – Ponting

If David Warner and Steven Smith return to the Australia squad for the World Cup, will there still be room for Usman Khawaja, their star of the 3-2 ODI series win in India, in the XI? Ricky Ponting certainly wants that to happen, saying that Khawaja, if required, could even drop down to No. 3 to accommodate Warner at his favoured position at the top of the order.ALSO READ: Khawaja makes a statement, and a strong case, for the World Cup“I think we all saw, over the last few weeks, just how skillful a player Usman Khawaja is and can be, and I think when you see him play like that, it just makes you wonder why he doesn’t do it a bit more regularly. I think that’s the disappointing thing as far as he is concerned,” Ponting said at a Delhi Capitals function ahead of the IPL of the man who topped the run-getters’ chart for the five-match series with 383 runs, including two centuries and two half-centuries.”I would be surprised if Khawaja wasn’t in the squad. Warner and he can be in the same squad; they might not necessarily play in the same XI. Or who knows, they could, you know: Khawaja could probably slot down at three when Warner comes in, and Steven Smith might bat at four or five or something, just to shore up those middle overs.”It’s a toughie for the selectors, Ponting, who will join the Australian team as its assistant coach after the IPL, conceded, with the team having tried out many players in the almost-year since Smith and Warner were banned for their roles in the ball-tampering scandal in the Newlands Test against South Africa.”It’s going to be a tough job for the Australian selectors. The fact that they have played so many players over the past 12 months and given opportunities to so many players, it’s probably created a situation now that they have 20 players they’d want to have in their World Cup squad. But they have to cut that back down to 15. It’s a good position for the Australian team to be in. Thankfully I’m not a selector, because that’s going to be a tough job,” he said.Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly, coach and advisor with Delhi Capitals respectively, share a laugh at a press event•PTI

One of the trickier bits for the team is the form of Aaron Finch, their limited-overs captain. Finch has endured a poor run of form across formats of late, with the 93 he scored against India in the third ODI his only major score. He will lead the team in the upcoming series of ODIs in the UAE against Pakistan too, but his form will most certainly be under the microscope.Ponting said he was “pretty sure” Finch would lead Australia at the World Cup, adding that he should make use of Smith’s presence on the field when necessary.”He (Smith) is still out on the field, so he can help Aaron Finch out. I think that’s the way the team will work. With David Warner and Steve Smith coming back, you’ve got two very experienced players coming back into the line-up, and two very, very good players. So I would imagine that Aaron Finch would be leaning on Steven Smith a lot for a bit of advice, maybe leading into the games, as far as their preparations and everything is concerned, and maybe a bit of advice and knowledge as the game is being played,” Ponting said.”I don’t see it as a concern. I think it showed great character from Aaron Finch to be able to, even though he wasn’t playing well personally for a long time, to come to India and play that one really good innings where he made 97 [93]; but to be able to lead well when he wasn’t playing well says a lot about him. What we know about Aaron Finch is that he is a very, very good white-ball player, he’s probably been Australia’s best one-day player for the last couple of years.”It’s a good sign for Australia that even though he’s out of form, if he gets into form just before the World Cup, then it’s a real positive for Australia.”The series win in India has changed people’s perceptions about Australia. They had been in a trough of sorts for the best part of 2018, but beating India has come at an excellent time keeping the World Cup in mind.”It’s funny how quickly things can change. Two weeks ago, not a single person in the world would have given Australia a chance of winning the World Cup. On the back of three really good wins over here, everyone’s talking about Australia again,” Ponting said.”What’s happened of late, I don’t think any team will be taking Australia for granted, as they won’t take India for granted on the back of losing that series. Everyone’s making a lot about the result from Australia and being a bit more negative towards India. There’s no need for that at all. This Indian cricket team is a very, very good cricket team. Whatever position they have up for grabs in their batting order [the No. 4 batsman], they’ll fill that with a quality player. And they will go into the World Cup as one of the favourites, if not the favourite.”

England allrounder reflects on incident that threatened his career in first full interview since being acquitted of affray

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Apr-2019Ben Stokes has said the chain of events that escalated from his fight outside a Bristol nightclub in September 2017 may be the “the best thing that could have happened to me”, as he reflected on his brush with career oblivion in his first full interview since the incident occurred.Speaking exclusively to ESPNcricinfo during a visit to a children’s charity in Jaipur, Stokes – who is playing for Rajasthan Royals in this year’s IPL – said that his lifestyle had been transformed since he was acquitted of affray at Bristol Crown Court in August last year.And, having missed last year’s Ashes tour of Australia after being suspended by the ECB pending the police investigation, Stokes said that he is doubly determined to win this year’s World Cup on home soil, because “I don’t want to be remembered as the guy who had a fight in the street”.”Thinking all this is going to be taken away from me might be the thing that has changed the way I do things,” Stokes said of an episode which dogged his career for 15 months before being concluded in December last year, at the completion of the ECB’s Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) hearing. “I was that close to my career ending and being thrown away just like that. Maybe that is it.”It sounds silly but, could Bristol have been the best thing that could have happened to me? Who knows. But maybe in terms of my way of thinking.”Stokes said that his off-field activities had changed since his arrest outside Mbargo nightclub at 2.30am, in the wake of England’s victory over West Indies in an ODI in Bristol.”I don’t go out anymore. I mean, I might go out for dinner, but I don’t go out-out [for a big night] anymore in England.”I used to love going out and celebrating with the lads. But we can do that in the hotel and I don’t miss it. I don’t feel that urge any more. Once you make the transition to not doing it then you don’t miss it”It’s pointless. You get recognised and then, after someone has had a few ego boosters, a few vodka and whatevers, they feel they can come up to you and say whatever they feel. There are people ready to target you everywhere you go. I prefer staying in and chatting nonsense with my team-mates.”Stokes added that he had learned a different way to let off steam amid the pressures of being a high-profile sportsman, and accepted that, at the age of 27, he’s reaching the point of his career when he needs to take greater care of his athleticism.”The older you get the harder you’ve got to train,” Stokes says. “You don’t have niggles when you’re 20. But as you get older you start to feel it. I’m only 27 but it is about this age that everything starts to hurt a bit more and it’s harder to get going.”I just feel that the best thing to do if I want to play for as long as possible is be as fit as I can be. I don’t want to look back at the end of my career and say I could have done more and I could have tried harder.”He also insisted that the England team as a whole did not have a “drinking culture”, a claim that was exacerbated by a spate of incidents during the Ashes tour in 2017-18, the trip that Stokes himself missed in the wake of his arrest.”I’m not sure where that phrase came from,” he says. “But it’s very unfair. I guess you put what happened in Bristol and then what happened in Australia with Jonny Bairstow together and, even though they were completely different situations, they involve alcohol, so suddenly it’s seen as a drinking problem. It’s not right the phrase.””That night wasn’t normal,” he added of the Bristol incident. “I hardly drink. I might have a beer or glass of wine over dinner.”Stokes’ involvement with a children’s charity in Jaipur is just one aspect of how he is now seeking to use his high profile to improve the lot of others who are less fortunate than he is.”I know I’m in a very fortunate position. I make a good living doing something I used to do for fun as a kid messing around in the garden. I’m in a fortunate position, so you try and give what you can, I guess.””It is a terrible situation,” Stokes said of the levels of child poverty in India. “But it is good that people are going to hear about it and see what I’ve had my eyes opened to. I’m definitely going to stay involved.”He added: “No matter what happens in life with me now, the Bristol thing will always be there. It’s something I’ll always carry with me. It’ll always be there. Always.”I want to do things on the field to be remembered for. If we win the World Cup, that becomes the first paragraph [of his ESPNcricinfo profile], doesn’t it? I don’t want to be remembered as the guy who had a fight in the street.”

The latest round-up of how the Australians are performing in the IPL and county cricket as the World Cup and Australia A tours edge closer

Alex Malcolm07-May-2019Who’s in form and who’s notJames Pattinson was the only member of the Australia A squads playing overseas this week. He only played once though after Nottinghamshire’s Royal London One-Day Cup clash with Durham was washed out. Pattinson took 1 for 55 from nine overs and made an important 15 from 10 balls in a thrilling win over Northamptonshire.Ashton Turner, another Australia A squad member, oddly didn’t get selected in Rajasthan Royal’s last IPL game against Delhi.Chris Lynn, who is not in Australia’s winter squads, had an excellent finish to the IPL for Kolkata making 46 off 22 against Kings XI and then 41 from 29 in the loss to Mumbai Indians.Andrew Tye dismissed Lynn but had a very difficult season for Kings XI. After being the IPL’s leading wicket-taker in 2018 with 24, and an economy rate of 8.00, he took just three wickets in six games this season with an economy rate of 10.59. In his last two outings he conceded 78 runs in just six overs.#AsheswatchThe Royal London Cup continued in England this week as the County Championship remains on hold with World Cup preparations ramping up. Although 50-over white-ball form may not carry as much weight towards Ashes selection, the Australian selectors are undoubtedly keeping an eye on the players involved.Cameron Bancroft was starved of opportunity this week due to bad weather. Durham’s clash with Notts was abandoned prior to the toss and he was 18 not out when the clash with Yorkshire was washed out after 34.2 overs, a result that eliminated Durham from the competitionMatt Renshaw is putting his hand up for allrounder status in white-ball cricket. He took 2 for 17 from five overs and made 32 not out in Kent’s a big win over Surrey. But his returns with bat and ball against Essex weren’t as fruitful. Peter Siddle didn’t play for Essex.Marnus Labuschagne has been doing plenty of bowling, taking 2 for 57 from his full quote of 10 overs for Glamorgan against Middlesex, but he would prefer a few more runs after making 16 in the loss and became the first List A wicket for Sam Robson’s part-time spin.Jake Lehmann made an impressive start to his short spell with Lancashire•Getty Images

Did you see?Jake Lehmann made an excellent start at Lancashire as a replacement for Glenn Maxwell. He struck 77 not out from 66 balls in a win over Derbyshire. He then followed up with 23 in a loss to Warwickshire.Injury listTurner revealed last week he will need shoulder surgery after the Australia A tour of England. It will be the third procedure he’s had on his right shoulder but he hopes it will fix the issue that has restricted his bowling and throwing.Performance of the weekCallum Ferguson is a forgotten man in Australian cricket. He was in the mix for the ODI tour of India but was dropped from South Australia’s Sheffield Shield team late in the season. He made 103 not out from just 95 balls for Worcestershire on Monday as they chased down 352 with ease at Derby. Ferguson had a great season in the Royal London Cup last year with Worcestershire and will be hoping to carry that form forward.

The left hander is expected to miss at least India’s next two matches and his ability to field will also be a factor in his recovery

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-2019Shikhar Dhawan’s fractured left hand will be assessed after 10-12 days and India captain Virat Kohli hopes the batsman’s positive mindset will help his recovery.Dhawan was injured in the match against Australia played on June 9, during which he scored a century, and therefore the earliest he will go through an examination of how much his fractured hand has mended can only be made after approximately June 21.”Dhawan is going to be in a plaster for a couple of weeks. After that we will assess where he stands,” Kohli said. “Hopefully, the injury heals quickly and he will be available for the latter half of our league games and semi-finals for sure.”From that point of view, we want to hold him back, keep him here because he wants to play. I think that kind of mindset will help in healing the injury as well as he really wants to play.”However, it will not be his ability to bat alone that will be under question. India fielding coach R Sridhar said that the assessment will have to include the load that his hand will be put under once it has mended sufficiently to undergo heavier examination.Sridhar said that “throwing won’t be a problem as it is not his dominant hand” – Dhawan is a natural right hander who bats left handed. What will need to be studied carefully is “the impact while fielding and catching, specially is he is a slip fielder”.Following the washout against New Zealand it is possible Dhawan will miss on not one but India’s next two matches, against Pakistan and Afghanistan. Sridhar said that as far as his department goes, Dhawan would be tested out after 10-odd days, “with lighter balls first and gradually move on to the cricket ball and see how it goes from there, but yes that will be a challenge”.Rishabh Pant has been called into the squad as cover but will not officially be added unless Dhawan fails to recover. Once a player is ruled out of the tournament through injury he can’t be brought back unless another player is injured and the ICC technical committee is satisfied with the replacement. In the short-term India will use KL Rahul in the opening position.

Kent make strides towards victory on third afternoon as Darren Stevens demonstrates timeless virtues

Richard Hobson at The Oval09-Jul-2019On the day the London reported that the ECB had accepted the name of Oval Invincibles for the Hundred side based at the ground next season, the county associated with the place through its cricketing history looked rather more vincible than they would have wished.Kent will enter the final day in the stronger position having established a lead of 98 on first innings and, after Surrey battled through the second session for the loss of only a single wicket, made sufficient inroads after tea to feel that a third win of the season is within their grasp. Just as long as the weather holds and their heads remain level.When bad light halted play with floodlights beaming for the third day in a row, Sam Curran and Rikki Clarke had at least averted the slender possibility of immediate defeat. Surrey will draw some hope from the fact that batting has rarely been simple, and if they can extend the lead to around 150, while taking time out of the game, they may be able to force mistakes. It would help if Gareth Batty recovers from illness to feature.Next summer, these counties will be together for the new concept. The name is said to have pleased both: Surrey have ground recognition, Kent a strong nod to the county motto of Invicta. This goes back to Norman times and means unconquered, although they seem to have remained so not by defeating William the Conqueror but thanks to a mutual agreement not to fight. Perhaps the Oval Pragmatists would be more appropriate.A cheeky soul might ask Darren Stevens what he remembers about motte and bailey castles. True, he was born in 1976 rather than 1066, but he looks a year or two older than 43 and the little hair now left is grey, and light grey at that. When Paul Downton, Kent’s director of cricket, announced the signing of Matt Milnes last September he talked of “building and developing a seam attack that grows to be the best in the country”. But that attack would not be the same without the man who is old enough to be the father of the rest.As in the first innings, the Kent bowlers kept Surrey under near-constant pressure. They maintained a challenging line to the succession of left-handers. Revealingly, the first four wickets all fell to catches by wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson, albeit that of Rory Burns to a gloved attempt to hook. Before that stroke, Surrey were 9 for 1 overall in what had effectively become a four-session game. At that point, Kent took back the initiative.Without being spectacular the hour or so before tea was especially engrossing. A blanket of thin cloud blocked the sky, but it felt warm and close, as though a raindrop might herald a storm just as a wicket might easily spark a collapse. Grant Stewart struck Dean Elgar on the forearm, from the other end Ollie Rayner turned the ball past the bat. Yet Elgar and Burns were batting actively, rotating strike and finding gaps.Elgar nudged and poked and guided, his runs ugly but valuable. Burns, meanwhile, had enjoyed success on the pull from the second ball of the innings when he swatted away Harry Podmore. And so his demise to Milnes came as all the more of a shock. Then, confirming how difficult it has been to begin an innings, Scott Borthwick followed immediately to give Milnes his 39th wicket of the season. His signing from Nottinghamshire has been well and truly vindicated, as they have noticed at Trent Bridge as well as Canterbury.From then on, it became the Stevens Show. Curran, whose instinct is to counterattack, survived appeals for catches behind in successive overs, the second with particular conviction. It barely mattered when Elgar’s stubborn effort ended leg-before on 65 and Jamie Smith quickly fell in similar fashion – not the first and not the last youngster to succumb playing around his front pad with Stevens wobbling the ball late.His figures currently read 4 for 46, and with a breezy 29 before lunch he could reflect on a day’s wage well earned. As it happened, Surrey would have been relatively happy to have claimed the remaining six Kent wickets for 84, keeping the deficit in double figures. The highlight was an athletic diving catch by Mark Stoneman at midwicket to remove Stevens and a high take at first slip by Clarke accounting for Stewart.Clarke had demonstrated remarkable reflexes for a man close to his 38th birthday, and with three wickets in the session he demonstrated what Stevens later confirmed, that youth does not hold a monopoly on quality cricket. Which is not to say that either man will necessarily be sprinting around the boundary for the Invincibles next year. They are too pragmatic for that.

Gary Kirsten will oversee the Cardiff-based men’s team while Matthew Mott will take charge of the women’s set-up

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Aug-2019The ECB has confirmed two more coaching appointments for The Hundred, with Gary Kirsten and Matthew Mott taking charge of the Cardiff-based men’s and women’s teams respectively.Kirsten, the former South Africa opener, coached India to World Cup victory in 2011 and then oversaw South Africa’s rise to the No. 1 Test ranking. He has had extensive experience in the world of franchise T20, working with Bangalore Royal Challengers in the IPL and Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash.”To be involved in English and Welsh cricket from a coaching perspective is something that I have never done,” Kirsten said. “It’s great to be given that opportunity and to come to Cardiff.”This is a new format that I am sure will grow and grow. The real win is that it will grab the attention of families and expose the game of cricket to as many environments and communities as possible.”Mott knows Cardiff well from his time in charge of Glamorgan between 2011 and 2013. He has previously coached in the Sheffield Shield, and took charge of the Australia women’s team in 2015, leading them to the title at last year’s T20 World Cup, and overseeing their successful recent defence of the Ashes in the UK.”Cardiff is a special place for me and my family and that was a big part in my decision to return,” Mott said.”I’ve got no doubt The Hundred will be a success for the women’s game. I’ve got a young son who is a Sydney Sixers fan and he doesn’t see gender – he just sees the team. The Hundred will provide that sort of platform in England and Wales and I can’t speak highly enough of what that can mean for the game.”

Middlesex fall to first defeat of the Blast season in de Villiers’ absence as Gloucestershire sneak home

ECB Reporters Network25-Jul-2019Cheltenham-born Miles Hammond delighted his home crowd with a brilliant array of shots as Gloucestershire inflicted a first defeat on Middlesex in this season’s Vitality Blast.In front of a sell-out 5,000 attendance at a steaming College Ground, the 23-year-old opener smashed 63, including nine fours and three sixes, to help see his side to a two-wicket win after the visitors had won the toss and elected to bat.Without AB de Villiers, who was nursing a hand injury, Middlesex could post only 148 for 9 on the fast-scoring College Ground, Stevie Eskinazi making 40 and John Simpson 42 not out. David Payne claimed 3 for 32, while Ryan Higgins and AJ Tye both returned 2 for 23.In reply, Gloucestershire slipped to 84 for 5, despite Hammond’s efforts, before Benny Howell (33) and Jack Taylor (24) made sure they reached 151 for 8 and won with four balls to spare.Middlesex began like a team who had won their first two group games, as Eskinazi hit three fours off the first four balls of the match, sent down by Payne, and Dawid Malan lofted Graeme van Buuren’s second ball from the other end over deep square for six.But left-arm spinner van Buuren stemmed the early momentum with his next delivery, which saw Malan caught and bowled off a skyer.Dan Lincoln came in at three in the absence of de Villiers for his Middlesex debut. The 24-year-old Surrey-born batsman and Eskinazi, who faced only 26 balls, took the score to 73 before the latter was brilliantly stumped by James Bracey off a Howell leg-side wide.Lincoln, a non-league goalkeeper who was only registered by Middlesex yesterday, made sure the momentum was maintained, hitting Higgins for a straight six, before being caught at deep midwicket off the following delivery for a promising 30.The same over saw Nick Gubbins taken at long-on for a single and at the halfway stage Middlesex were 81 for 4. The visitors were then squeezed by Howell, AJ Tye, Higgins and Tom Smith, losing George Scott cheaply as they added 26 in four overs.Toby Roland-Jones and Tom Helm perished to catches at extra cover off Payne, while Nathan Sowter also succumbed to an attempted big hit, and Mujeeb was bowled by Tye for a duck.Middlesex had lost their early momentum, with a straight six by Simpson off Howell in the 15th over a rare blow of defiance.Gloucestershire’s innings began as their opponents’ had done, Hammond hitting two fours and a six in the opening two overs.But the third saw Tom Helm strike a double blow, having dangerman Michael Klinger caught behind for ten and Ian Cockbain taken at point two balls later to leave the hosts 25 for 2.Hammond continued to attack with a series of sweetly-timed shots that help take the hosts to 59 for 2 at the end of the powerplay. Soon the local boy was raising his bat to acknowledge warm applause for a 26-ball fifty.Bracey and Higgins fell cheaply before Hammond’s superb knock was ended by a low catch from wicketkeeper Simpson off Roland-Jones. At 84 for 5, Gloucestershire had to regroup.Howell, dropped at short cover before he had scored, and Taylor added 45 priceless runs together. Both fell at the end, along with van Buuren, but had already ensured a hugely successful festival for Gloucestershire ended in style, as Smith hit the winning runs.

Third Ashes double-hundred puts Smith into different league as England struggle to 23 for 1 in reply

The Report by Andrew Miller05-Sep-2019England 23 for 1 trail Australia 497 for 8 (Smith 211, Labuschagne 67) by 474 runs

For about two overs on the second day at Old Trafford, Steven Smith looked fallible as he resumed his comeback innings after yesterday’s preamble half-century. Stuart Broad found his edge with his first ball of the day, then induced that rarest of aberrations, a waft outside off from his second.Moments later, it appeared that Smith’s neurotic focus had found the root of his discomfort – a rogue van’s windscreen, visible through the slenderest of gaps in a gate behind the bowler’s arm, and winking at him with unfathomable persistence, much as the North Star might after one too many disco biscuits.But even after a towel had been lodged under the wipers to block out the glare, Smith was unable to settle immediately, and three balls into Jofra Archer’s first over of the day, he pumped a low full toss at a catchable height through the bowler’s outstretched fingers and away to the boundary for four. A final, flighty fence past leg stump followed. And there and then, England knew, deep in their souls, that their window of opportunity had clanged shut.Fidget, shuffle, nudge, smack. Rinse. Repeat. Back and across, coiled like a pinball launcher, way outside off if needs be, to clip a perfectly decent ball off the hip, or to pongo onto the front foot for another freakishly emphatic drive, bat pointing to the precise patch of grass that he had targeted, rubbing in his genius while simply completing the arc of his stroke.For the remainder of his 263-ball, 497-minute stay, Smith batted as if he had never been away – which, but for that delivery from Archer at Lord’s, he might indeed never have been. Once again, he encountered an opposition that ran out of plans and patience in equal measure, as he found sufficient support from, first, Tim Paine and then Mitchell Starc to leave England praying for more rain to assist the series-extending draw that is surely now the limit of their ambitions.By the time he eventually fell for 211, reverse-sweeping the part-time spin of Joe Root (having frogmarched England’s frontline bowlers to the brink of that inevitable declaration), Smith had racked up a nonsensical haul of 589 runs in four innings, at an average of 147.25 that would have been closer to 200 but for his brave but unwise decision to resume that Lord’s knock while displaying the early signs of concussion.Steve Smith celebrates his century•Getty Images

And by the close, the ease of Smith’s own progress had been put into stark perspective by the agonised extraction of England’s own erstwhile No.4, Joe Denly. Promoted to open due to Jason Roy’s clear unsuitability for the task, Denly endured for 23 balls and four sketchily gathered runs, before stabbing Pat Cummins into the midriff of Matthew Wade at short leg, who snaffled the rebound brilliantly in one hand, diving to his right.The difference between Australia’s focus and England’s was as visible in that final half-an-hour with the ball as it had been for so long with Smith’s bat. Starc, armed with the new ball after stewing on the sidelines for three Tests, looked as “cherry-ripe” as Archer in particular has looked fatigued in this contest, while his fellow quicks, Josh Hazlewood and Cummins, were no less eager to show what can yet be achieved on this surface.But it was the energy in the field was the most palpable difference. For if England could be excused for being blown off-track by the howling gales of the first truncated day, today’s (largely) blue skies robbed them of any mitigation. They needed to be at their best on a pivotal day of the series, but they were by and large as poor as they’ve been all summer.Smith’s first century of the day, his third of the series, was a formality – ushered through with a misfield at square leg, and celebrated with a pointed wave of the bat that doubled as a “hello, I’m back”. It was his fifth in his last eight innings against England, his 11th in Ashes cricket, and his 26th in 67 Tests all told. Comparisons with Don Bradman have long been sacrilege in Test cricket, but the relentless weight of these numbers are starting to scotch all complaints.There was, however, one moment that stood head and shoulders above all England’s other errors. Jack Leach has had a storied summer – that 92 as a nightwatchman at Lord’s, that most glorious of 1 not outs at Headingley last week. And with the ball, all things considered, he was probably second only to the toiling Broad as England’s most probing option of the day.But when, with Smith on 118 and showing another fleeting glimpse of mortality against his relative kryptonite of left-arm spin, Leach found the edge of his bat with a flighted, dipping, ripping delivery that sent every data analyst in the game into raptures, the moment was immediately lost as replays showed that he had overstepped by a good half an inch.A spinner’s no-ball is one of cricket’s unforgivable sins, and traumatically for Leach it was only his 13th out of more than 15,000 in his career. But what a delivery to serve one up on. Smith turned on his heel, marching back to resume his innings through a phalanx of crestfallen fielders, who were immediately torn a strip by a livid Joe Root, desperately trying to lift some flat-lining standards. But once again, that window of opportunity was already shut.The absence of Smith, after all, would have meant the presence of another not-Smith – but even the less impossible task of making dents in the rest of the batting order proved to be beyond England, at least at the first grasp. Earlier in the day, Matthew Wade had gifted his wicket with a foul slog to mid-on, where Root clung onto a swirling chance that left him white with relief, but when the under-pressure Tim Paine arrived to replace him, the equally under-pressure Roy dropped a shocker at second slip, the ball barely hitting the heel of his palm before plopping to the turf to leave Broad, the bowler, apoplectic.Paine is without a first-class century in 12 years, and is increasingly lacking in mandate as Australia captain now that Smith, for all his sins, is so clearly restored as the team’s front-man. His removal for 9 would have left him with a highest score of 34 in seven innings. But instead he found the resolve to grind through to a cathartic half-century, albeit that he required another let-off to get there, as Sam Curran – briefly on the field for Ben Stokes – dropped a low pull at mid-on on 49 as Archer bent his back in the best spell of his wicketless innings.Paine didn’t last much longer – he nicked a fine legcutter from Craig Overton’s first ball after tea to depart for 56 – but his presence had augmented Smith’s dominance of a stand of 145, and though Pat Cummins didn’t linger long, Starc’s eagerness to get involved in the series manifested itself in the ideal tailender’s innings.His 54 from 58 balls included seven fours and two sixes, but began as a keen supporting role, just 6 runs from 23 until Smith’s double-century gave him licence to unleash the long handle. Broad was hacked for four fours in a row to kickstart a helter-skelter finale that might have carried on to the close against a despondent attack, had Paine not waved them in with half-an-hour of the day to go.By then, of course, Smith was gone – an event so rare that it would have justified on of the Don’s bespoke “He’s Out!” billboards, had the Manchester Evening News deemed it worthy to publish a special edition. His nudge behind square off Broad pushed him ever further into into the elite of Ashes combatants, with only the Don himself (EIGHT!) and Wally Hammond (4) having recorded more double-hundreds in the game’s oldest rivalry.Either way, his series tally is 589 runs from four innings, one of which was effectively sawn off by concussion. And now, after this latest masterclass, the only dizziness on display is that being induced by the vertigo of his statistics, and the bewilderment of an England opposition that must now be believing that Headingley was a fever-dream after all.

The offspinner believes ‘the characteristics of an SCG pitch is part of our cricket history’

Andrew McGlashan16-Oct-20195:18

What’s the fuss about Drop-In pitches?

Nathan Lyon has implored the SCG not to turn to drop-in pitches following the latest clash between sporting codes which has seen New South Wales’ Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania shifted away from the iconic ground.The game will now be played at Drummoyne Oval – with next week’s Marsh Cup match also moved to North Sydney Oval – after the decision was taken that the wicket block would be at risk from significant damage if it was used this week.The problem has been blamed on the Sydney Roosters’ training session in early October before the NRL Grand Final. It has resurfaced the debate about the usage of the ground with cricket under pressure from the winter sports.Next month’s T20I between Australia and Pakistan will now be the first cricket of the season at the ground followed by New South Wales’ Sheffield Shield match against Western Australia in mid November.Lyon, who has played just three Sheffield Shield matches at the SCG through his career, hopes the ground does not go the way of the MCG, which has had problems with its pitches in recent years, and Adelaide by using drop-in surfaces.”I really hope it doesn’t go to drop-in. I really think the characteristics of an SCG pitch is part of our cricket history here,” Lyon said ahead of his first appearance of the season. “It’s called the Sydney Cricket Ground so I personally believe we should keep the wickets the same, I don’t really want drop-ins.”Though the latest problems have stemmed from rugby league, the SCG is home to the Sydney Swans Australia Rules Football team. Earlier this year their coach, John Longmire, said drop-in surfaces should be discussed.”With a wicket base on the ground, it’s something we’ve always been mindful of, obviously we’d support a drop in wicket if that was part of the discussion,” he said in April. “It’s certainly very important to discuss it, it’s a 12 months a year venue.””It gets highlighted now because there’s more traffic here, and every weekend there’s a game where that hasn’t been the case in the past. Ideally, the winter codes would appreciate having just the same turf all over the ground. We understand we’ve got compromises. They play a lot of cricket here.”In July, the SCG Trust – which runs the ground – formed a committee to consider drop-in pitches. Cricket NSW is strongly opposed to any move that way. “The move to a drop-in wicket with lifeless uniformity will create the risk of boring cricket,” their submission to the committee said.

Steven Smith, Pat Cummins, Tim Paine, Mitchell Starc and Justin Langer on mental health

Daniel Brettig20-Nov-2019‘I’ve got to get away from cricket, or else it captures my whole life’Pat Cummins: I can only speak for myself but it’s hugely important for me. With cricket, being on tour, it isn’t just individual tours, it’s basically our life. We spend 10-11 months of the year on the road, so when I’m touring I’ve got to get away from cricket, or else it captures my whole life. When I can get little breaks I do, and those four weeks were great for me to step away from cricket, not really watch cricket, just live a normal life, have a normal routine, because I don’t think I could do it for 10-15 years just with 12 months of the year all focused on cricket. Other guys might be different, they may play a little bit more, a little bit less. But for me as important as being really focused at training and games is trying to switch off and change my focus to something else every now and then.The last 12 months JL’s been really good at trying to identify breaks where we can. I’ve heard him say a few times ‘I wish I could give you guys a longer break but we’ll have to delay that’. It’s a general conversation. For me the priority’s obviously international cricket and I want to maximise as much international cricket as I can. We try to look through the diary between JL, the support staff and myself and try and map out a plan. But the priority after the Ashes, the non-negotiable, was to have a few weeks off bowling and then the conversation’s around ‘okay, how does that look in terms of games I’m going to miss, how long can we extend that break, can we get it out to four weeks’, so it’s a general conversation between all of us.Steven Smith: I think that’s something that we’re getting a lot better at. Communication with the coach, relevant people that are involved who we can have those honest conversations with about how we’re tracking. It is a pretty hectic schedule nowadays. It’s bloody tough to sustain it for long periods of time, particularly I think for the fast bowlers. It’s extremely difficult what they put themselves through. It’s great that those conversations are happening and we’re trying to keep guys as mentally and physically fresh as they can be.Tim Paine chats with Justin Langer•Getty Images

‘The biggest improvement since I started is the amount of support’Smith We fill out daily how we’re feeling, how we slept … the sleep gets a big red every now and again. We fill out a wellness thing every day. The coach and psych and head of team performance look at our markers daily and it’s upon us to be honest in the way we go about that as well. They can see how we’re tracking and if there’s a change in behaviour, if you’re feeling ill or not sleeping well or feeling a bit off, they’re aware of it. That can sort of start a conversation. Why’s your sleep bad? What’s going on? Why are you feeling a bit off today? It’s good that they do that. It’s good for guys’ mental health and wellbeing.Cummins Lloydy [Australian team psychologist Michael Lloyd] has just about been full-time on tour for the last few years. Lloydy’s brilliant, I’ve known him since 17 or 18 years old and he’s always on tour, if he isn’t he might be away for a week or two, but there’s definitely times where I pick up the phone and speak to him about different things. We’ve got great staff, through the ACA, the player development officers around the states, everyone’s got good contacts with them.That’s probably the biggest improvement I’ve seen since I first started was the amount of support you have around. It’s still up to the player sometimes to pick up the phone and pick up that conversation, but we’re lucky how many resources we have and always trying to optimise that. We get asked about it a lot, how we want it to look like and how we can make improvements. I think if it’s three or four negative things, it goes [from the wellness app] to a group of people and that might have the physios, coaches, mental health, psychologists, and whatever it is, that normally instigates a conversation with the player.ALSO READ: ‘Shows incredible courage to talk about mental health’
‘The only opinions who matter are the ones close to me and the team’Mitchell Starc: I got off social media. Getting older and going through all that the last 12 to 18 months I have been mindful about being pretty level. In terms of opinions, the only ones who matter are the ones close to me and the team. Going in and out of the team early in my career and going through that as a young cricketer [helped me]. The game has changed since I started. Social media stuff comes into it. We have two broadcasters now so there are more demands on the players. Guys are reading and taking note of more opinions now as well. I can only speak for myself but that is what helped me most over the past 18 months was not caring what people think and not reading it and taking that away from my lifestyle and it’s been a lot clearer and a lot more positive.Pat Cummins claims another scalp•Getty Images

‘Having something else in my life it would have alleviated some of the pressure I put on myself’Tim Paine: It can be difficult [to have perspective] and I think it comes as well with experience. I think it’s something you do need to go through at times to come out of it with that knowledge and know-how. I look now at that period of time where I was out injured or I was really struggling now as a real positive in my life, not only in my career. I think it’s made me a much better person. I think obviously going back to when I was 16 or 17 I wish I knew what I knew now and I would have been a lot better at school, because I think having something else in my life it would have alleviated some of the pressure I put on myself to perform. It would have allowed me to go out and play a little bit more fearlessly which I would have loved to be able to do but I’ve never allowed myself to do because I’ve always had all my eggs in one basket. It was a difficult time, but in the end it’s turned out to be a real positive. Cummins: It was really difficult [battling injuries at a young age]. Probably looking back I now realise how much more difficult it was than when I was going through it for the first time – I was a little bit naive. The most obvious example was that every single summer of my life I’d played cricket and suddenly I was a professional cricketer but I was spending my summers not playing cricket, and I just wanted to do what I love doing. I try to keep realising that while I wasn’t playing, I was hanging out with my mates, I was going to the cricket ground and training, so there was a life as a cricketer I was still able to have and Cricket Australia were brilliant with New South Wales, the support staff especially who were my main contact in cricket. They were the ones who kept me motivated and instilled patience in me for those couple of years.‘Health is much more important than another game of cricket’Justin Langer: I’ve learned a lot over however long I’ve been coaching. I’m dealing with young men all the time, so hopefully I’ve got a pretty good feel for how guys are going. But it’s a complex issue – it’s like concussion. There’s a really clear protocol on concussion now and I’m really hopeful, in a really complex matter of mental health, that we can get to a point where there’s really clear protocols and there’s no stresses about it, there’s no indignity in saying ‘I’m not okay’.And then we work out how guys can return to play, whether it’s in the shorter term or in the longer term. I’m sure that’s what we’re all searching for, to make sure that we get that protocol right. I said it one of our players today, at the end of the day the health of our players and the wellbeing is much more important to me than another game of cricket. We saw it with Steve Smith – we would have loved Steve Smith to play the third Test of the Ashes, of course. But it was so clear that he wasn’t right, it was an easy decision. We lost a tough game but it was a no-brainer, and I hope we can get to that point with mental health as well.