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The Matador BBQ’s One-Day Cup final will offer both New South Wales and Western Australia players a final chance to impress Australian selectors ahead of the 2015 World Cup

Melinda Farrell25-Oct-2014A drought will end at the SCG on Sunday. It is only a question of which one.The Australian domestic 50-over competition has undergone a complete overhaul, including multiple name changes and format tweaks, since either Western Australia or New South Wales last lifted the trophy, in 2006.But while claiming victory is undoubtedly foremost in the minds of the players, this tournament has taken on added significance ahead of the World Cup in 2015.Nathan Coulter-Nile has picked up 13 wickets in the tournament and will be eyeing a spot in Australia’s World Cup squad•Getty ImagesSeveral players have already been drafted into Australia’s T20 squad to face South Africa in November, and the opportunity to secure a place in January’s triangular series with India and England remains open to players who rise to the occasion on Sunday’s final.”There’s certainly an awareness there and almost anyone in this competition is a chance of playing in the World Cup,” New South Wales seamer Pat Cummins said. “But, to be honest, it’s not really something we talk about and it doesn’t change the way we play for New South Wales. We’re just trying to win games and, for me, I’m just happy to be back playing.”It is hardly surprising Cummins is enjoying his first season playing for his state since 2011.There is a sense of deja-vu in almost every story involving Cummins ever since his only Test appearance – a recurring pattern of near-comebacks and frustrating injuries.It’s hard to believe that nearly three years have passed since he took seven wickets and hit the winning runs as a brash 18-year-old to secure Australia’s victory over South Africa in Johannesburg. There was a reminder of his all-round value when Cummins struck the winning runs against Queensland to secure New South Wales’ place in the final.Foot and back injuries have plagued his career, but after working on his action with Dennis Lillee, among others, Cummins will join Australia’s T20 squad to face South Africa.”The body feels really good,” Cummins said. “I’ve been back bowling for a long time now and strung together a lot of games in the past ten months so I’m really happy with where I am at the moment and I can concentrate on form and bowling well rather than anything else while I’m playing.”One of Cummins’ fast-bowling opponents in the final, Nathan Coulter-Nile, has no doubt a national call-up for Cummins is just a matter of time.”I think everyone knows that he’s good enough when he’s fit,” Coulter-Nile said. “It’s just a matter of stringing enough games together and he’ll be playing for Australia for a very long time.”While Cummins’ return to the Australian team in all formats appears to be a formality based on his continued fitness, Coulter-Nile knows the final personally gives him an opportunity to force his way back into the Australian ODI squad.Coulter-Nile took 3 for 34 in his last appearance for Australia – against England in January – and, as one of the form bowlers in Australian cricket, he is another player who could pique the interest of selectors.Coulter-Nile has taken 13 wickets from four matches in this competition and claimed Man-of-the-Match honours in Western Australia’s past two matches, including against Victoria where he picked up 5 for 26.”It’s a blessing for Australia that there are so many good fast bowlers,” Coulter-Nile said. “But it’s not so much of a good thing when you’re trying to get a spot and there are only three quicks that can play. It all comes down to form and injury I guess.Form and injuries to other players put Coulter-Nile within touch of an Australian Test debut last summer, when he spent a significant amount of time with the Australian Test squad during the Ashes as cover for Australia’s fast bowling contingent.”I learned that the three quicks we’ve got playing there are outstanding players and the level you have to be playing at is a lot higher than I initially thought,” Coulter-Nile admitted. “Watching blokes like Ryan Harris, Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle bowl, they give nothing away and they give 100 percent for 30 overs a day. From where I was at last year, I knew there was a long way to go.”The selector Mark Waugh has earmarked Coulter-Nile as a Test bowler-in-waiting, and just how far he has come will become apparent in the next couple of months. In the meantime, there’s a drought to break. For one state, or another.

Rahul Dravid said he was happy to see Sreesanth bounce back during Rajasthan Royals’ six-wicket win against Kings XI Punjab after an expensive spell against Pune Warriors

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Apr-2013Rahul Dravid said he was happy to see Sreesanth bounce back during Rajasthan Royals’ six-wicket win against Kings XI Punjab after an expensive spell against Pune Warriors. Sreesanth picked up the wickets of Kings XI openers – Adam Gilchrist and Mandeep Singh – in his first over and was economical giving away 20 runs in his spell.”You have to realise that in T20, you will have bad games,” Dravid said. “It’s part and parcel of the game. Out of four games, Sreesanth’s had three good games. If 75 per cent of the time in the tournament you have good games, then I’ll take it happily. He did really well today and it was good to see him bounce back from the previous game.”Sreesanth drew consistent movement off the Jaipur pitch that offered help to the seamers and, along with James Faulkner and Siddharth Trivedi, helped Royals to limit Kings XI to 124. The Royals had lost four wickets with 46 needed to win, but an unbeaten stand between Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson took them over the line in the last over.”Chasing 125 was not going to be easy on this surface because it was offering movement,” Dravid said. “All wickets should not be of 170-180 runs. 140-150 run wickets can also have exciting games. We are happy with the wicket and don’t interfere with the job of curator. We need to learn to bat better on such wickets.””[Shane] Watson played beautifully to add quick runs and release some pressure. But we got stuck in the middle with fall of couple of wickets but Ajinkya Rahane stood there till the end to steer us home. Sanju Samson also batted beautifully and has shown a lot of promise. All in all, it was a fine team effort.”He also brushed aside any concerns regarding the form of his batsmen, while stating that Brad Hodge’s position in the batting order would depend on the situation the team faces. “As far as the matter of Hodge batting up the order is concerned I feel he has been very good in accelerating at the end overs,” he said. “If the need arises, he can be promoted up the order. The good is thing is that we now have enough cover and options for all positions and can shuffle to meet the demands of situations.”

Australia have named a 15-player squad for the women’s Ashes tour of England, including all 14 players contracted for the 2013-14 season as well as the batsman Sarah Elliott as a Test specialist

ESPNcricinfo staff21-May-2013Australia have named a 15-player squad for the women’s Ashes tour of England, including all 14 players contracted for the 2013-14 season as well as the batsman Sarah Elliott as a Test specialist. Elliott will fly home after the one-off Test and is the only player from outside the contract list to be part of the official touring party, although the 17-year-old Jemma Barsby will join the group in a development role.Australia will be aiming to defend their Ashes title under a new system in which the trophy will be decided based on a combination of Test, one-day international and Twenty20 matches. Six points will be awarded for the team that wins the Test, to be held in Buckinghamshire from August 11 to 14, and two points will be awarded for victories in each of the three ODIs and three Twenty20s that follow throughout the rest of August.”Given the players are in the Australian off-season, the Women’s National Selection Panel felt that it was important to have a number of players resume training in readiness for the upcoming women’s Ashes series,” Julie Savage, the selection chair, said.”As many would be aware, players such as Ellyse Perry and Jess Jonassen are recovering from surgery for injuries incurred last season. It is anticipated that they will be available for the women’s Ashes series, however, the WNSP in selecting an expanded squad that includes standby players, has ensured that there are sufficient players prepared to take on the significant challenge of England on their home turf.”This is a very important series. Australia currently hold the number one ranking in all formats and England will be extremely motivated to change the status quo. The Test match at Wormsley, a venue where Australia has had very little success in the past, will be a massive challenge for the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars.”Ashes squad Jodie Fields (capt), Alex Blackwell (vice-capt), Jess Cameron, Sarah Coyte, Sarah Elliott (Test only), Holly Ferling, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Julie Hunter, Jess Jonassen, Meg Lanning, Erin Osborne, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani.

Johnson Charles, the West Indies opener, who scored his second consecutive ODI century, against Zimbabwe in Grenada, has said his recent success owes to a change in approach over time

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-2013Johnson Charles, the West Indies opener, who scored his second consecutive ODI century, against Zimbabwe in Grenada, said he owes his recent success to a change in approach over time. Charles made 130 in 111 balls to set up a massive victory in the first ODI for West Indies, together with Darren Bravo, who scored his maiden ODI ton.”People know me as ‘Johnson Charles the man who is a blaster’, but I wanted to show that it’s not about what you like, but what you have to do,” Charles said after West Indies’ 156-run win. “My role in the team as an opener is to give the team a solid start and look to bat deep into the innings, and I managed to achieve that today.”Charles made his ODI debut in March last year, got starts in his first few games and then slipped up. He joined the High Performance Centre in Barbados and said he was able to address his problems with the bat there. “I used to look to hit everything but I have realised there is a job to be done as an opener. If I get the ball to hit I will hit it, but I am more selective and I look to build a platform and build an innings. My time at the Sagicor HPC has been the turnaround in my career. The HPC has played a vital role in helping me to refine my game and I have a new kind of confidence that I can play and do well at this level.”I have increased my range of strokes and I now realise I have more scoring options – I look to work the ball into the gaps and pick off runs, not just blast everything out of the ground. This is a special knock for me and I want to dedicate it to the people of my country in St Lucia as we celebrate our Independence Day today.”The game was a significant one for Bravo too, as a century in the 50-over format had eluded him in 50 games before this. He added 80 with Charles for the second wicket in just 62 balls and his own unbeaten innings of 100 included nine fours and four sixes. “I never panicked. I soaked up a lot of balls at the start of the innings as I tried to get myself in,” Bravo said. “Johnno [Charles] was going great guns so my role was just to support him and turn over the strike, as it was a right-hand/left-hand combination. I knew that once I got in I could pick it up at the back end and that is what happened.”The batting Powerplay was just around the corner so it was just a matter of playing it smart. It was a good pitch and the ball wasn’t doing much, so I just had to make sure I kept my shape and played to my strong areas.”

Kings XI Punjab added two India uncapped players – Manan Vohra and Sandeep Sharma – to their squad for the sixth IPL season

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-2013Kings XI Punjab added two India uncapped players – Manan Vohra and Sandeep Sharma – to their squad for the sixth IPL season. Vohra and Sandeep are the two new players after Aniket Choudhary was signed by Kings XI in February.Both from Punjab, Vohra is a right-handed batsman and Sandeep a right-arm medium pacer. Sandeep was a part of India’s Under-19 squad in the 2012 World Cup which India won. He took four wickets in the final and was the joint highest-wicket taker from India with 12 wickets from six matches at an average of 15.75.Both Sandeep and Vohra were part of the India squad in the Quadrangular Under-19 series in Australia and in the Under-19 Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur in 2012. Vohra was involved in a record-chase with Unmukt Chand when India chased 164 against Australia in only 12 overs and Vohra was unbeaten on 79 off 35. Sandeep was India’s highest wicket-taker in the series with eight wickets from four matches at an average of 19.25.While Vohra has played two first-class matches, Sandeep has 12 first-class matches to his name and played for Punjab in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in which his side reached the quarter-finals.Commenting on the signings, Col. Arvinder Singh, COO, Kings XI Punjab, said, “I am very delighted to have a good performers like Aniket, Manan and Sandeep to be part of the Kings XI team and believe they will effectively contribute to the tournament. We wish them all the best and hope that they can utilise this opportunity as a platform to make a mark a niche for themselves as well.”Kings XI play their first IPL match against Pune Warriors on April 7.

Dale Steyn has said that his ODI captain AB de Villiers has given him the “license to run in and try to hit the stumps and attack the body a little bit more”

Firdose Moonda18-Nov-2014Like most of us, Dale Steyn does not always get exactly what he wants, but the last few months have been particularly frustrating for him.South Africa’s premier paceman wanted a Test series win over Australia at home. Instead, he got an on-field confrontation with Michael Clarke. He wanted an apology for the said altercation, but did not get that either. Instead, he got to hear of a few ‘I’m sorries” that Clarke issued in public, and did not accept them. He may have hoped to meet Clarke at the other end of 22-yards but barely got that either when Clarke’s re-injured hamstring ruled him out of the latest South Africa-Australia clash.But there is one thing Steyn has got, thanks to his captain AB de Villiers. “He’s given me a license to run in and try to hit the stumps and attack the body a little bit more,” Steyn said ahead of the third ODI. “So I feel like I might go for a couple more runs, which is fine. Generally when you are attacking, you’re bowling more boundary deliveries but you might pick up a couple more wickets too.”What that means is that Steyn no longer has to concentrate as much on containing, and can focus on two length: short and full, with not much of the in-betweens. “If you want to strike you’ve got to bowl short and attack the body, and then you’ve got to pitch the ball up, hit the stumps and find the edge of the bat,” Steyn explained. “If you want to contain, you kind of bowl that back of a length, you don’t give a guy room, you tuck him up and you don’t give him the freedom to hit you down the ground but also not too short to be able to pull you. It’s never a wicket-taking length, you’re kind of waiting for the batsman to make a mistake.”

If you want to strike you’ve got to bowl short and attack the body, and then you’ve got to pitch the ball up, hit the stumps and find the edge of the batDale Steyn

That is now the task of the rest of the attack, with someone like Vernon Philander taking on a more Test-match-style role in order to tie up an end.”You’re still trying to bowl good lengths to find the edge of the bat when you’re opening up the bowling and I’m speaking specifically on someone like Vernon, he attacks the stumps, he attacks the top of off stump so he’s always in the game with an lbw, bowled, caught behind,” Steyn said. “He would admit himself he’s not the quickest guy in the world to rush you with a bouncer but he does bowl a skiddy bouncer and can catch you off guard at times. But his biggest strength is his line and length and that’s exactly what he does for us in the Test side.”Although Morne Morkel is able to extract significant bounce from certain surfaces, he has also played a containing role by concentrating on tight lines and lengths. Even Imran Tahir has become an important part of the strangle strategy. What South Africa have mainly lacked, though, is an extra bowler, following the injury which ruled JP Duminy out of the series. “It shows how important JP is, he plays such a massive role for us, being able to bowl off spin. We were so lucky to have him,” Steyn said.In both ODIs so far, South Africa have needed Farhaan Behardien’s medium-pace, more so in the second game where Ryan McLaren was left out. Behardien accounted for Shane Watson and as far as Steyn is concerned, showed the importance of having part-timers who are ready to step up.”We did set up the game for Fudgie but the guy’s still got to land the ball in the right place, and pick up a wicket like Shane Watson – that doesn’t just happen,” Steyn said. “The guy is bowling in the nets right now, even AB de Villiers is bowling in the nets. If David Miller didn’t have such a bent right elbow he’s probably also bowl a couple overs”Although Duminy is expected to recover from his knee niggle in time for the World Cup, South Africa understand that they have to come up with contingency plans, in case they have to do without him, or anyone else at the World Cup. To be able to learn that in the same place the tournament will actually be played is even more beneficial.”It’s nice we’re finding out those lines and lengths, getting used to the crowd, getting used to the fields and those sorts of things. It’s very important for us to get that kind of experience.”For Steyn, this is mainly a chance to get the feel of being the assassin-in-chief, which he will be expected to replicate at the World Cup. “It’s a great opportunity for us to figure out how we’re going to pick up wickets, because wickets are what slows the game down quickly, and also what wins you games,” Steyn said ” For me, I can only do that by bowling two lengths, I’ve got to bowl full and short.”

Opening batsmen Dimuth Karunaratne followed up his first innings half-century with an unbeaten 99 in the second innings to put Sri Lanka A in a strong position in Durban

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2012Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsOpening batsmen Dimuth Karunaratne followed up his first innings half-century with an unbeaten 99 in the second innings to put Sri Lanka A in a strong position in Durban. He was involved in a crucial 110-run opening partnership with Dilruwan Perera, who scored 51, to build on Sri Lanka A’s first innings lead of 46 runs.The day had started with the South Africa A side on 211 for 8. But Sri Lanka A’s hopes of achieving a big lead were dented by an 82-run ninth wicket partnership between Wayne Parnell and Simon Harmer. By the time the stand was broken, Parnell had scored 70 – the top score in the innings.However, when Sri Lanka came into bat for the second time, South Africa A bowlers struggled to make inroads. After a century opening stand, Karunaratne continued solidly and took Sri Lanka A past 200 putting Sri Lanka A in a position to square the two-match series.

Johan Botha has been ruled out of the unofficial Twenty20 tri-series between South Africa, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh with a knee injury

Firdose Moonda13-Jun-2012Johan Botha has been ruled out of the unofficial Twenty20 tri-series between South Africa, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh with a knee injury. Botha was due to captain the side in AB de Villiers’ absence but will not make the trip because of a blow he suffered to his left knee during the last week of the IPL, which ended in May. He is in the fourth week of a six-week recovery process.”I got a ball to the knee and didn’t think much of it but I was told to go for an MRI when I got home,” Botha told ESPNcricinfo. “The damage got all the way to the patella [knee cap] and although I can cycle and do most things, the South Africa management was concerned that if I got hit on the knee again or was injured during fielding, that would prolong the recovery [period].”Hashim Amla will now the lead the side and Botha admitted to being disappointed that he could no longer fulfil the role. “Even though I was only captaining because AB wouldn’t be there, I was really looking forward to it,” he said.The series is part of South Africa’s preparation for the World Twenty20 in September but Botha said he is not concerned that he will be short of game-time come the tournament, as there are still three Twenty20s against England ahead of the event. “The Zimbabwe series is important, but for me it may have been a little far out in terms of time. Hopefully, I’ll play in England and get some cricket in there before Sri Lanka. In terms of team combinations, it is disappointing to miss the Zimbabwe series, but I’ll still play before [the World Twenty20].”Botha will be released from his national contract after the World Twenty20 to captain South Australia for two seasons, so the tri-series may have been his last opportunity to lead the South African side. Botha and CSA came to a mutual agreement that the offspinner would be allowed to take a break from domestic cricket in South Africa, because the opportunity to captain an Australian side was thought to be “too good”, to turn down. Botha will still be considered for future South Africa series, though he will not play his domestic cricket at home.

A round-up from the latest matches in the Dhaka Premier Division

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Nov-2013Abdul Mazid struck an unbeaten 102 to guide Kalabagan Cricket Academy to a nine-wicket win over Gazi Tank Cricketers in the Dhaka Premier League. The win took KCA to fourth position with 11 points.It was the first List-A hundred for the opener who struck 12 boundaries and two sixes in his 136-ball innings. He shared an unbroken 150-run second wicket stand with Hamilton Masakadza, who made 77 off 70 balls with five fours and three sixes. Mazid had added 57 for the opening wicket with Avishek Mitra.Earlier, Gazi Tank were bowled out for 204 runs in 49.5 overs. Captain Imrul Kayes’ made 83 but his was the only contribution of note. Aftab Ahmed and Hamidul Islam made 22 each. Maksudul Hasan, Mitra and Zakaria Masud took two wickets each.Left-arm spinner Shamsul Alam’s five-wicket haul put Abahani in more safety after they beat Brothers Union by 27 runs. He finished with figures of 5 for 37 from ten overs.Batting first, Abahani made 227 in 49.3 overs with Greg Smith scoring 62 off 106 balls. Alauddin Babu and captain Shahriar Nafees scored 44 and 43 respectively. Shurawadi Shuvo took four wickets. In reply, Brothers Union were bowled out for 200 runs in 46.1 overs with Jashimuddin top-scoring with 33.Prime Bank Cricket Club crushed Victoria Sporting Club in Mirpur. Batting first, the defending champions were bowled out for 134 runs in the 41st over.Left-arm spin duo Liam Dawson and Enamul Haque jnr took three wickets each while Ravi Bopara took two wickets. In reply, Saikat Ali’s unbeaten 81 off 69 balls, hitting eight fours and three sixes.Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club beat Khelaghar Samaj Kallyan Samity by six wickets. Elias Sunny and Dilshan Munaweera starred with ball and bat for the winning side.Batting first, Khelaghar Samaj Kallyan Samity made 190 in 46.5 overs with Steven Mullaney making 44 and Michael Vandort’s 40. Sunny took 4 for 22 while Nahidul Islam and Angelo Perera took two wickets each.Munaweera then blasted 88 off 81 balls with five fours and five sixes, enough to complete the chase in just 35.2 overs.

Omari Banks, the former West Indies allrounder, has announced his retirement from cricket at 29

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jan-2012Omari Banks, the former West Indies allrounder, has announced his retirement from cricket. Banks, 29, was the first Test cricketer from the island of Anguilla, and represented West Indies in ten Tests and five ODIs between 2003 and 2005. He continued to play for Leeward Islands till 2010-11, after a three-season spell with Somerset ended in 2009.One of the highlights of Banks’ international career was his unbeaten 47 against Australia in 2003 when West Indies famously hunted down 418, still the largest successful chase in Test history. He also captained Leeward Islands on the domestic circuit, and played 80 first-class matches after making his debut in 2000-01.Banks currently works as a physical education teacher in Anguilla, and has also been trying to build a career in music. He is the son of reggae musician Bankie Banx, and his first single ‘Move On’, will be part of his father’s upcoming album, ‘Just Cool’, due to be released on March 6.