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James Pattinson is out of the IPL and may also miss the Champions Trophy to have surgery on what Cricket Australia described as “a non-cricket related medical condition in his lower abdominal region”

Daniel Brettig04-Apr-2013James Pattinson, the Australia fast bowler, is out of the IPL and may also miss the Champions Trophy that precedes the Ashes after he was compelled to have surgery on what Cricket Australia has described as “a non-cricket related medical condition in his lower abdominal region.”The departure of Pattinson to India for his stint with Kolkata Knight Riders was initially delayed until Friday as medical staff awaited the results of tests and the advice of specialists. However, on receipt of opinion that Pattinson should undergo surgery immediately, he has been ruled out of competing in the Twenty20 event, joining the national captain Michael Clarke on the sidelines.Pattinson wishes to keep the condition private, but it is not believed to be serious, nor likely to affect his cricket future beyond the time required to recover from the surgery.”James Pattinson will be having surgery tomorrow for a non-cricket related medical condition in his lower abdominal region that has been troubling him during the latter part of the recently concluded tour of India,” CA’s chief medical officer Justin Paoloni said. “James has undergone tests and consulted specialists since returning from India, and it was felt that surgery is absolutely necessary at this time.”The recovery times will [be] determined once the surgery is completed but James is expected to return to training in approximately four weeks. His preparation for The Ashes is not expected to be affected but his availability for the ICC Champions Trophy will be determined at a later stage.”

Chamara Kapugedera, the middle-order batsman, has been named as a replacement for one of the three injured allrounders in the Sri Lanka squad that qualified for the finals of the Commonwealth Bank tri-series

Sa'adi Thawfeeq02-Mar-2012Chamara Kapugedera, the middle-order batsman, has been named as a replacement for one of the three injured allrounders in the Sri Lanka squad that qualified for the finals of the Commonwealth Bank tri-series. Which of the injured players – Farveez Maharoof, Angleo Mathews and Thisara Perara – is being replaced, has not yet been decided. Sri Lanka will play Australia in the best-of-three finals from Sunday, in Brisbane.Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said that the team management, in consultation with the national selectors, had opted for a batsman. He will fly to Brisbane on Friday night. “The request was for a batsman for the No. 6 position and Kapugedera was picked,” Ranatunga said. “The team management will take a decision tonight, on which of these injured players will be sent home.”Kapugedera, who has not represented Sri Lanka since the World Cup final last April, had shown some form for Nondescripts Cricket Club in the ongoing domestic first-class competition, the Premier League Tier A tournament, scoring two hundreds in his previous four games. The pick of his innings was a 168-ball 158 in the first week of February, which came against defending champions Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club.Sri Lanka entered the final league match – a must-win game for them – without the services of Farveez Maharoof, who picked up a back complaint during Tuesday’s game against India in Hobart. Then, during the Australia chase, Thisara Perara and Angelo Mathews went off the field with injuries. Perera bowled only five balls before walking off with a back problem and Mathews was forced off with a calf injury. After the match, captain Mahela Jayawardene had said that he was hopeful that Mathews and Maharoof would be fit for Sunday’s game, but Perera’s chances of playing were less certain.Edited by Nikita Bastian

Sind’s batsmen came through in the end, but it was a much harder fought victory than it seemed it would be after the first innings

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Mar-2011
ScorecardSind’s batsmen came through in the end, but it was a harder-fought victory than it seemed it would be after the first innings. Sind had amassed a 214-run lead, but after having knocked of that deficit on the third day, Baluchistan proceeded to build a lead on Friday, and ended up setting Sind a challenging total of 236 to win.That target started to look increasingly large, as Sind lost three early wickets. Khurram Manzoor, centurion from the first innings, was out in the first over of the second, edging one to the wicketkeeper off seamer Abdur Rauf. Rauf had picked up six wickets in the first innings, albeit for 143 runs, and his form continued as he took two more wickets to leave Sind 56 for 3.At the other end, Aqeel Anjum seemed to be in a hurry to finish the match on the fourth day itself, and his belligerence kept the run-rate above six runs an over. Anjum finally found support in Hasan Raza, and the two built a 93-run partnership. That seemed to seal the game for Sind, but Baluchistan were given a sniff when Anjum was bowled by left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar for 72 off 55 deliveries.However, Sarfraz Ahmed made sure Sind kept their foot on the gas. He scored his 48 off 49 balls and took Sind home with four wickets to spare. Rauf finished with ten wickets for the match, but the first-innings lead proved too much for Baluchistan to overhaul in the end.They had put up a real fight, though. After resuming on 301 for 5 on Friday, Rizwan Haider, the man who had rescued them with his 81 in the first innings, went on to get a half-century in the second as well. His 62 and wicketkeeper Gulraiz Sadaf’s 48 helped push Baluchistan’s score to 449. It was not enough in the end though.

The buyers of the Kochi franchise have said that, despite what seems to be an “exorbitant” price paid to buy the IPL team, in reality the figure was far lesser when spread over the ten-year contract period

Cricinfo staff28-Mar-2010

Kochi’s five investors

• Anchor Earth, part of the Anchor Group, a diversified FMCG company, represented by Atul Shah and Mehul Shah

• Film Waves, promoted by Harshad Mehta of Rosy Blue Group, a global diamond merchant, who lives in Dubai. Representatives: Keshav T and Kailash Singhal

• Parinee Developers, a Mumbai-based firm, led by Vipul Shah and Bhavya Patel

• Vivek Venugopal, part of Elite and Cholayil group, a successful FMCG group based out of Thrissur, the only Kerala-based investor

• Saket Mehta of Anand Shyam Real Estate, part of the Sur Gems group. He is a 40-year-old into diamond business

• Rendezvous Sports World Private Limited is a part of the consortium, though it has existed for 15 years

The buyers of the Kochi franchise have said that, despite what seems to be an “exorbitant” price paid to buy the IPL team, in reality the figure was far lesser when spread over the ten-year contract period. Rendezvous Sports World Private Limited, a consortium of five companies, bid US$333.33 for Kochi and was awarded the franchise on March 21.”I know it seems we have paid an exorbitant price to buy the team but, if you look at the discounted value of what we are paying over the next ten years, it is not as high as it seems,” Keshav T, one of the investors in Rendezvous Sports World Private Limited, said.Going by the annual expenditure of the eight existing franchises, Kochi will have to shell out at least $33 million (10% of winning bid) annually. Keshav, representing Film Waves, one of five investors that form Rendezvous, said the valuations worked out internally suggested their investment would be secure. “The cost that we pay is based on the business plan, which we feel is viable,” he said at a media conference arranged to discuss plans and reveal various members on the board.It seemed like an entire cricket team was on stage as 12 people, representing various business groups, took their seats, making it difficult to understand who exactly held the controls of the Kochi ship. Shailendra Gaikwad, who runs the Rendezvous group, will be Kochi’s chief operating officer and its public face. The engine room will comprise the five investors (see sidebar) based in different parts of the world, from Kerala to Dubai, with the operational base in Mumbai.Keshav said, though was no long-term relationship of any kind between the partners, some, like him, had been doing business with Anchor Group for two decades. They had worked on the plan for the last six months before deciding to make the move. The seriousness of their intentions can be gauged from the fact that no one backed out of the deal despite the original tender process being cancelled and rescheduled from March 7 to 21. Back then the face of the bid was Jaypee Group, but two weeks later Jaypee decided to opt out, forcing the other partners to hurriedly re-organise things.Doubts were raised about how the two new entrants – Rendezvous and Sahara Group (owners of the Pune franchise for $370m) – expected to recover their investment after paying a sum exceeding the combined value of the eight existing franchises. It remains unclear how many franchises have broken even yet but Keshav said Kochi would not be hindered by such fears because their goals were long-term. “We are there for the long haul and we don’t expect to make profits in the first year. We have the capacity based on the business plan to sustain.”A more immediate worry would be the absence of big names in the auction pool for the fourth IPL, considering the original group of eight teams will have the advantage of retaining few of their best players – both domestic and foreign. Keshav admitted it was unfavourable but said they had to play by the rules. “The fact that teams will be allowed to retain some of their best players will reduce the availability for us,” he said. “But we don’t see that as a major issue. So we don’t expect the best players to play for us in the first year but we definitely will try to hire the best.”When asked if it wasn’t harsh on the two new franchises to miss out on buying the best players, especially when they had spent so much to buy a team, Keshav put a positive spin on it. “Not having the best players cannot be taken for granted at this point in time. There will definitely be opportunities for us to pick players. Already you have seen there are a lot of players who have come up, who have performed very well. So it is not necessary we need established or best players, we will try to get best composition.”Vivek Venugopal, representing the Elite and Cholayil group from Thrichur, the only Kerala-based investor, said the IPL had not “defined” any catchment areas. “There aren’t any specific or defined catchment areas. The players who will not be retained by the eight original franchises will be up for the auction.”

“If you look at this tournament, there have been many ups and downs. So, more than us as a team, the pressure is on the Test-playing nation”

Vishal Dikshit11-Jun-2024The number of upsets – Associate teams beating Full Members – and close finishes in the T20 World Cup 2024 have made Nepal captain Rohit Paudel confident that they can beat an under-pressure Sri Lanka in Lauderhill, Florida, on June 11. It will be the second game for Nepal but a more crucial fixture for Sri Lanka, who are on the brink of elimination after losing their first two matches.”Yeah, absolutely,” Paudel replied when asked about his hopes of beating Sri Lanka. “If you see in this World Cup, you’ll see that the Associate team is beating Test-playing countries. So, it is a motivation for all of us, especially moving forward to tomorrow’s game. So as a team, we believe that we are going to win tomorrow and the way we have been preparing for the last couple of months and the way we have been playing cricket for the last one and a half years, I think the belief is always there in the team and we are looking forward to tomorrow’s game.”We want to go tomorrow and showcase our talent in front of the world.”Related

• 'Assess the situation and conditions' – SL bowling coach Aqib Javed's advice before Nepal encounter

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• Lamichhane lands in West Indies, will play Nepal's last two World Cup league games

The two results that will boost Nepal’s confidence will be USA beating Pakistan and Canada prevailing over Ireland, both results from Group A. Even apart from those, Papua New Guinea gave West Indies a scare early in the tournament and Netherlands nearly pulled off another victory against South Africa in a World Cup. Afghanistan beating New Zealand may not count as an “upset” anymore, but the margin of 84 runs against a much higher-ranked team would have defied many expectations.Paudel said his team would also draw confidence from the fact that it hasn’t been a high-scoring tournament so far and barring the opening game between USA and Canada, venues in the USA have been fairly low scoring. While New York has seen the lowest scores among the three USA grounds, Dallas has also produced scores of 106, 159 and 124 for the teams batting first, after Canada scored 194 in the tournament opener.Rohit Paudel hopes Nepal continue the trend of upsets against Sri Lanka, who have lost two out of two in this T20 World Cup•Getty Images

“Scoring runs is becoming harder due to drop-in pitches and conditions,” he said. “The conditions in New York and Dallas are different from that in Florida. Florida has hosted the India-West Indies game previously. So, I think the conditions then and now are different and in the two-three days we practiced, the wickets looked good. If we respect the conditions and present our skills, we can beat any team. The team believes that. We are very confident for tomorrow.”If you look at this tournament, there have been many ups and downs. So, the team believes, and more than us, as a team, the pressure is on the Test-playing nation. We will utilise the pressure, create the pressure and we want to win the game tomorrow. So, if we do the basic things right, I think we are ahead.”Sri Lanka might have had a tough start to the World Cup with their first two clashes against Full Member sides – South Africa and Bangladesh – and even winning their last two league games may not be enough to make the Super Eight.”I think team Sri Lanka is under more pressure than us,” Paudel said. “And if you look at the conditions in the USA, there are lots of dot balls being played. Yesterday, India scored only 119 [against Pakistan]. I think overall, if you look at the conditions, whoever scores 140 is successful, and I think that’s the winning score if you look at the games. So, there are dot balls in these conditions. Whoever gets a start, they have to utilise it. Plus, like yesterday’s game, batsmen were scoring 30-40, but they were still not able to utilise the start. So, it’s a little difficult for new batsmen to play. I think as a batsman, whoever starts, we have to capitalise and get the team to win. And as a team, I think we still have that belief. The first game didn’t go as we thought, but still, as a team, we believe that we will win the next game. We are looking forward to it. We are very excited.”Lauderhill has played host to 15 completed T20Is in the past, the last of which was in August 2023, when the teams batting first – India and West Indies – had scored 178 and 165 but the teams chasing had won on both occasions. Sri Lanka had played two T20Is on this ground back in 2010 but also featured in the two warm-up games there before this World Cup, in which they first lost to Netherlands and then defended 163 against Ireland.When asked what could be a big threat from Sri Lanka, Paudel said they will have to “tackle” their spinners carefully, who have the exposure of playing “all over the world”.Nepal will get a spin boost themselves with the addition of their star legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who has arrived in the West Indies and is set to play their last two league games against South Africa and Bangladesh in St Vincent. He will miss the game against Sri Lanka, for which Nepal will have 14 players available, because he was denied a US visa twice last month and was a late addition to the Nepal squad for only two games, unless they make it to the Super Eight.

UP Warriorz bowled Mumbai Indians out for only 127, but managed to chase down the target only in the final over

S Sudarshanan18-Mar-2023Sophie Ecclestone hit the winning six against Mumbai Indians•BCCI

On a hot Saturday afternoon at the DY Patil Stadium, draped in blue and nearly three-quarters full, Mumbai Indians finally suffered their first defeat in the Women’s Premier League after five consecutive wins. They are already in the playoffs and are favourites to finish first in the league and go straight through to the final, but the other contenders now know that Harmanpreet Kaur’s team can be beaten.The two crucial points in the race for the playoffs did not come easy for UP Warriorz, even though laft-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone’s outstanding spell of 3 for 15 helped dismiss Mumbai for only 127 on a slow pitch that offered turn, their lowest score batting first. They needed Ecclestone’s batting skills too, as she launched Issy Wong over the straight boundary to seal a tough chase with three balls to spare.

Ecclestone out-spins Ishaque

At one point during Ecclestone’s spell, the broadcasters showed a split screen comparing her load-up and action with Mumbai’s left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque. While Ecclestone is considerably taller than Ishaque, on the day it was her bowling speed that made the difference.The pitch, baked under the hot sun, was aiding slow, spin bowling. Ecclestone, all of 23 years old, is a veteran at extracting assistance when conditions even remotely aid spin. Her first wicket was England team-mate Nat Sciver-Brunt, who went back to a straight ball and played across the line and was trapped lbw.Hayley Matthews is used to playing on slow surfaces at home in the West Indies and looked at ease on this pitch. She scored 35 off 29 balls before Ecclestone got one to grip, and Matthews top-edged her heave across the line and was caught behind by Alyssa Healy. She picked up her third wicket with a delivery that dipped under Amanjot Kaur’s bat to have her stumped. Ecclestone conceded only one boundary in four overs, when Kiran Navgire dropped Wong running in from long-off.Mumbai’s Ishaque, who Ecclestone drew level with at the top of the WPL wicket charts with 12 scalps, had an unsuccessful game in contrast. She finished wicketless for a second match in a row, and her lack of success against UP was because she darted the ball in rather quickly. Two of her faster deliveries – at 89 kph and 90 kph – were hit four boundaries by Tahlia McGrath during a crucial phase of the chase.Yastika Bhatia was bowled for 7•BCCI

Mumbai’s batting depth finally gets tested

Only once had Mumbai lost more than five wickets in their first five games. Their top and middle-order batters – Matthews, Harmanpreet and Amelia Kerr – had contributed so regularly that their strength after No. 6 had rarely been put to the test.In their previous game against Gujarat Giants, Mumbai were nearly in trouble when Wong was out for a first-ball duck, but Harmanpreet ensured they crossed 150. Harmanpreet was key against UP too, as Mumbai lost Yastika Bhatia, Sciver-Brunt and Kerr cheaply. After a steady start, she looked to accelerate against spin, clearing her front foot to slog legspinner Parshavi Chopra through midwicket and dabbing and slicing for boundaries behind point off Chopra and Rajeshwari Gayakwad. But her aggressive approach did not succeed against Deepti Sharma’s offspin and Mumbai’s lower order was exposed in the 14th over.They lost their last five wickets in 40 balls for just 49 runs, and most of those runs were scored by Wong, who smashed 32 off just 19 deliveries. Amanjot Kaur, Dhara Gujjar and Humaira Kazi bat in the top and middle order for their state teams while allrounder Jintimani Kalita is only 19 years old. The inexperience and lack of power down the order hurt Mumbai.

McGrath and Harris counter-attack

Warriorz slipped to 27 for 3 in 6.1 overs, and Mumbai suddenly looked good to defend their score of 127. Faced with doing a repair job without letting the asking rate rise too much, two Australians McGrath and Grace Harris joined forces with the match in the balance. They were the only Warriorz batters to score at more than a run a ball, and their 44-run stand in 5.4 overs brought their team back into the chase.McGrath was dropped first ball when the wicketkeeper Bhatia failed to hold on to a regulation catch off Wong, thereafter both batters feasted on the pace of Sciver-Brunt, Wong and Amanjot. Spin was clearly the order of the day – Warriorz used only two overs of seam – and Mumbai’s tactics of backing their seamers backfire, with Wong going at more than nine an over while Amanjot’s only over cost 11.McGrath and Harris were eventually both dismissed by Kerr’s legspin, and Warriorz needed Deepti and Ecclestone to steer them to victory in the final over.

Bangladesh allrounder says he is rethinking his Test future, and wants to skip ODIs that aren’t part of the Super League

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2021Shakib Al Hasan has cast doubts over his future in Test cricket, as he feels it is “close to impossible” to play all three formats, especially during the pandemic. Shakib also said that he wants to pick and choose ODIs, and avoid playing those matches that are not part of the Super League.Shakib has already skipped Bangladesh’s upcoming Test series against New Zealand that begins on January 1. He cited family reasons, and although it created a bit of controversy, ultimately the BCB granted him the leave. Shakib has been skipping many series since the 2017 South Africa tour, although he was also served a one-year suspension from October 2019 to October 2020 by the ICC.”I know which format to give importance or preference,” Shakib told the Dhaka-based TV channel . “The time has come for me to think about Test cricket. This is the fact: whether I will play Tests or not. And even if I do, how I will play the format. I also need to consider if I need to participate in ODIs where no points are at stake. I don’t have any other option.”I am not saying I will retire from Tests. It might even happen that I stop playing T20Is after the 2022 T20 World Cup. I can play Tests and ODIs. But playing three formats is almost close to impossible. Playing two Tests in 40-42 days is not fruitful. It encourages one to play selectively. I will definitely plan well with BCB, and then go forward. It will be the smart thing to do. If it happens in January, I will know what I am doing for the rest of the year.”Bangladesh are currently vying for an automatic entry into the 2023 ODI World Cup through the Super League. They will play the Super 12s in the 2022 T20 World Cup, while also taking part in the World Test Championship. In the Test tournament, Shakib has played very little cricket.Tamim Iqbal, too, has skipped plenty of T20Is this year including the T20 World Cup, although he hasn’t declared his retirement from the format.The 34-year-old Shakib suggested that the pandemic, and the bio-bubble environment that has come with it, has played a part in this thinking process. He said that spending so much time away from his family isn’t healthy.”It was like life in a jail. It is not like the players roam around a lot during a series. But when you will know it mentally that you can’t go out even if you want to, that’s where the problem lies. New Zealand didn’t even send their U-19 team to the World Cup, thinking about mental health. Coronavirus isn’t going away easily. We have to find out a new way to survive this. I don’t think bio-bubble and quarantine is the best way.”When you can’t meet your three little kids regularly, it becomes an unhealthy situation. It affects their growing up.”

Keeper will leave Bristol at end of season

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jul-2020Gareth Roderick, the Gloucestershire wicketkeeper/batsman, will join Worcestershire at the end of the 2020 season on a three-year-deal.Roderick, 28, has spent eight years as a Gloucestershire player, representing the club 168 times in all formats, and was part of the side that won the 2015 Royal London Cup. His place in the side came under pressure last year due to the emergence of James Bracey, who looks set to be the club’s long-term option as wicketkeeper.Worcestershire’s coach Alex Gidman was a team-mate of Roderick’s earlier in his career, and said that he was the “stand-out” amount the 134 out-of-contract players around the country. He will likely start as second-choice wicketkeeper at the club behind Ben Cox, but will compete as a specialist batsman in the County Championship.ALSO READ: Warwickshire size up move for Bess as Patel successor“Gareth is an established first-class performer and a top-order batsman which again, as we identify the areas in our squad that we need to strengthen, that is one of them,” he said.”Like most modern players, he is well suited to all formats. He wants to improve his T20 cricket as well, which is good to hear, and has a lot of experience in English first-class cricket, which is crucial.””Members were concerned last year, quite rightly, about the lack of runs at the top of the batting order and we’ve made some real effort to improve it,” said Paul Pridgeon, the head of Worcestershire’s cricket steering group.”We’ve signed Jake Libby from Nottinghamshire, had signed Hamish Rutherford as the overseas player, and have now signed Gareth as well. These new signings also help to provide competition and, if you are going to be successful, that’s what you need.””I’m very excited to be joining Worcestershire,” Roderick said. “When I spoke to Alex and he explained the kind of path he wants to take Worcestershire CCC on in the next five years, it became an exciting project to tie myself to.”It has been such a privilege playing for this great club [Gloucestershire]. There are so many people who deserve a massive thank you; from the coaches I have played under and who have helped me so much, through to the fans who have always been behind the team and myself.”

All of the five matches will be played in UAE from March 22, with the fourth one significant to Australia because Warner and Smith will have served out their bans

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Feb-2019Australia will not, after all, play any of their five-match ODI series against Pakistan in Pakistan. The PCB finally released the schedule for the series, which begins from March 22 and sees the bans handed out to Steven Smith and David Warner end in the middle of it.The scheduling of the series has long been a subject of interest, partly because of the PCB’s hopes of organising at least part of it in Pakistan, which would have meant Australia’s first visit to the country in over 20 years. But its timing is important because it could be the scene of the returns to international cricket of Warner and – injury permitting – Smith.The five games will be played across ten days from March 22 to March 31, and kicks off with two ODIs to be held in Sharjah, the first international game the venue will host in over a year. The final two games will take place in Dubai, with the third ODI in Abu Dhabi. March 29, when the fourth ODI is to be played, is the first day Smith and Warner become available again after the bans imposed on them in the wake of the Newlands ball-tampering scandal. Smith though isn’t expected to feature, still recovering from an elbow injury that also ruled him out of the Pakistan Super League.

Pakistan vs Australia in UAE 2019

22 March – 1st ODI, Sharjah (d/n)
24 March – 2nd ODI, Sharjah (d/n)
27 March – 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi (d/n)
29 March – 4th ODI, Dubai (d/n)
31 March – 5th ODI, Dubai (d/n)

For the past few months, the PCB had tentatively harboured hopes of Australia committing to playing some of the five ODIs in Pakistan. Wasim Khan, former chief executive of Leicestershire who recently arrived in Pakistan to take over as managing director of the PCB, had promised he would “ask the question” of CA, assuring them the highest level of security.Earlier this year, CA officially turned down the chance of playing any of the series in Pakistan. At the time, the PCB insisted discussions were still ongoing and had asked CA to at least visit for a security recce. The team may not be traveling but CA will at least gain first-hand experience of the security protocols the PCB puts in place.”The PCB was optimistic it would be able to convince Cricket Australia to send its side for some matches after successfully staging high-profile bilateral international series and the HBL Pakistan Super League matches in the past 18 months,” the PCB director Zakir Khan said. “We are disappointed for the enthusiastic and passionate cricket fans in Pakistan who will now have to wait for some more time before they can see the Australia cricket team live in action for the first time since 1998.”However, the CA has confirmed that they will send their security expert to oversee the execution of security plans for the HBL PSL 2019 matches and bilateral series against other international sides in Pakistan, and will also speak with the ICC-recommended PCB security consultant. In the meantime, the CA have confirmed they will maintain regular contact with the ICC,” Zakir Khan added.Pakistan has seen international cricket begin to trickle back to the country over the past three years with West Indies arriving in April 2018 to play three T20Is in Karachi. An ICC-approved World XI played three T20Is in September 2017, while Sri Lanka played a T20I the following month. The PSL has also begun to move increasing numbers of matches to Pakistan since the 2017 final was held in Lahore. Three further games took place in Pakistan in 2018, with eight scheduled to be played across Karachi and Lahore during the upcoming season of the PSL.

A victory in Sydney will give England the one-day series with two matches to spare as the home side face growing questions over selection and tactics

The Preview by Alan Gardner20-Jan-2018

Big Picture

Rinse, repeat. As in Melbourne, so it was in Brisbane: Australia batted first, found themselves well placed after an Aaron Finch hundred, failed to kick on sufficiently, then watched as England overhauled their target with wickets and overs to spare. After almost single-handedly confounding England during the Test series, now it is Steven Smith’s turn to be frustrated.In truth, things look pretty grim. Australia’s canaries are deep in the coalmine and seemingly struggling for air. They have lost nine of their last 10 completed ODIs and face being beaten by England on home soil for the first time in a decade; 2-0 down with three to play does not leave much room for error and they are set to throw everything at England with their first-choice pace attack.While Finch has been a model of consistency at the top of the order, his team-mates have been unable to carry on the good work. With Smith and Travis Head both apparently out of touch, too much has been asked of Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis, while the decision to bring back Cameron White as a specialist No. 7 also backfired. Chris Lynn’s injury has deprived Australia of a middle-order hitter but the discarded Glenn Maxwell must be looking on with eyebrows raised.For England, the contrast with the Ashes is stark. Imbued with a sense of freedom and certainty in their roles, the limited-overs personnel continue to thrive under Eoin Morgan – whose only (slight) concern is a personal lack of runs. The bowlers were even sharper in executing Morgan’s plans at the Gabba and Chris Woakes then demonstrated England’s depth with the bat to stave off a mini-wobble. The ultra-aggressive approach will come unstuck from time to time but they look in serene form.Joe Root guided the chase as wickets fell•Getty Images

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia LLLWL
England WWWWW

In the spotlight

Finch, David Warner and Smith represents a world-class top three, but Australia’s middle order is looking pretty muddled 18 months out from a World Cup defence. Since the last tournament, their two most productive batsmen at Nos. 4-7 have been George Bailey and Matthew Wade: both of whom appear to be men of the past. Head’s one ODI hundred, meanwhile, came at opener. This much is certain: Australia need a higher output from their engine room.Having seemingly put the trials of the Ashes behind him, Joe Root has once again demonstrated why he is such a highly rated multi-format player (even if his run without a century on tour continues). Innings of 91 not out and 46 not out have calmly steered England in two successful chases, while figures of 2 for 31 with the ball in Brisbane were a reminder that Morgan has a pretty handy sixth bowling option even without Ben Stokes in the side. He will be playing his 100th ODI in Sydney and even with a duck his average will remain over 50 so he will become just the sixth player to have 100 matches and a 50+ average in ODIs.

Teams news

Australia look set to throw everything at England in an attempt to keep the series alive, reuniting the big three fast bowlers for the first time since the Sydney Test. Josh Hazlewood was due to play in Brisbane but was hit by the illness running through the Australia camp, while Pat Cummins was rested. Legspinner Adam Zampa will have to come back into the mix as well, logically as a swap for the failed recall of Cameron White. Tim Paine is set to return in place of Alex Carey, although the debutant keeper was a rare bright spot in Brisbane.
.Australia (probable) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Travis Head, 5 Mitchell Marsh, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Tim Paine (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh HazlewoodThere is no need for England to change unless injuries spring up. That’s tough on the squad players, but victory in Sydney would open up the chance to try a few different things with the series wrapped up. Conditions in Sydney could see the spin trio come to the fore again.
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England (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Alex Hales, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Liam Plunkett, 11 Mark Wood

Pitch and conditions

The last four ODIs on this ground have seen scores in excess of 300. There was turn on offer during the Test, but over the course of a 100-over day it should remain good for batting. The forecast is for a warm, sunny day.

Stats and trivia

• Eoin Morgan needs 14 runs to overtake Paul Collingwood as England’s second-highest run-scorer.
• Travis Head is 54 runs short of 1000 in one-day internationals.
• Chris Woakes is three wickets away from the 100 mark.

Quotes

“It was frustrating… we got ourselves into a reasonable position with 11 overs to go and everything fell to pieces again. Getting to 270 isn’t good enough against a quality batting line-up like England.”
Steven Smith on Australia’s below-par effort at the Gabba“That’s quite smart captaincy from him, to be able to juggle things round and make sure he had plenty of options at the death was crucial.”