Tag Futebol

Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes ensure tourists finish series on top

Tristan Lavalette14-Oct-2022Under pressure Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell fell cheaply, but Australia avoided a clean sweep against England after the T20I series finale in Canberra was abandoned due to rain.After two rain delays in England’s innings reduced the match to 12 overs a side, Australia were in a major hole at 30 for 3 chasing a revised target of 130 before inclement weather ended proceedings with seven deliveries still needed for a result.England skipper Jos Buttler earlier scored his second half-century of the series in another confidence boost.An impressive England have started their T20 World Cup preparation in style after winning the opening two games, played in Perth and Canberra, in mirroring eight-run victories, while Australia have unresolved questions ahead of a title defence.Buttler fires again, Stokes’ late cameoExpected rain caused havoc in England’s innings, totalling 90 minutes, and a truncated match ensued. After being sent in for the third straight match, England were 73 for 2 in the 10th over when the second rain delay hit.On resumption, with their innings almost over, Buttler and Ben Stokes knew they had to go all-out attack. Stokes, who had endured two failures in this series since being backed to bat up the order, didn’t waste time with a pulled six off Maxwell’s first ball back in an indication of what was ahead.Player-of-the-Series Buttler then took over with an assault on quick Josh Hazlewood in the penultimate over, smashing 22 runs to punctuate his brilliant return from injury.In better signs, Stokes was more fluent with 17 off 10 balls although he had a brain fade on the final ball when he smashed Maxwell down the ground and didn’t run thinking he had hit a boundary. But Steve Smith cut it off in the deep forcing a flustered Stokes to scamper for a single amid a near run out in a farcical end to England’s innings.Steven Smith came into the XI for David Warner•AFP/Getty Images

Woakes tears through Australia Chris Woakes returned to the England XI and made the most of his opportunity before rain intervened again. He had two wickets before you could blink by removing Finch first ball of the innings then Mitchell Marsh next ball with a sharp delivery caught at short third off a leading edge.Woakes was denied a hat-trick but picked up Maxwell shortly after to cap his stunning opening burst of 3 for 4 off 2 overs. With competition for England’s quicks fierce, with Sam Curran having starred in the opening two games before being rested, Woakes issued a reminder that he’s arguably England’s best new ball bowler.Australia’s batting continues to misfireWith David Warner resting after a neck injury sustained while landing awkwardly in the field in game two, struggling Maxwell joined Finch at the top. Both batters failed once again with Maxwell’s rut now extending to 24 runs in his last seven T20I innings.Through his all-round talents with ball and in the field, which he showed off with a masterful sliding save in the deep late in England’s innings, Maxwell is an almost certain starter for Australia’s opening T20 World Cup clash against New Zealand but pressure is building.Smith, who earned a reprieve and replaced Warner, would have rued the inclement conditions as he tried to push his claim for a place. He was on 7 from eight balls when the match was finally abandoned.

England and Australia to play five Tests in six weeks; Women’s Ashes commences on January 27

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2021England’s men will begin their attempts to reclaim the Ashes at Brisbane on December 8, with an intense programme of five Tests in six weeks culminating at Perth’s new Optus Stadium in mid-January. The multi-format women’s Ashes will commence shortly after, with Australia looking to a achieve a third consecutive defence across a single Test, three ODIs and three T20Is.With the T20 World Cup being staged in October and November in India, and the likelihood of players arriving in Australia having to quarantine for 14 days, the start of the 2021-22 Ashes has been pushed back significantly. The first Test will remain at the Gabba, where Australia have only lost once since 1988, before a day-night game at Adelaide Oval.With Melbourne and Sydney retaining their traditional Boxing Day and New Year spots, the series will finish up in Western Australia – but not at the WACA, which hosted its last Ashes Test in 2017. This will be the first time since 1994-95 that the Ashes has not concluded at the SCG.Ahead of the men’s Ashes, Australia will face Afghanistan for the first time at Test level in Hobart from November 27 after that meeting was postponed from last season due to the impacts of Covid-19. For the Australian players also involved at the T20 World Cup that will be their only preparation before facing England.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Joe Root has overseen England’s last two Ashes campaigns – a 2-2 home draw in 2019 and a 4-0 loss on the 2017-18 tour – and the challenge this time around will only be increased by a packed schedule and the biosecurity provisions implemented in response to Covid-19.England’s Test specialists are likely to arrive in Australia in advance, with those multi-format players involved at the T20 World Cup joining them. The schedule for warm-up matches is yet to be confirmed, as are rules governing crowds and whether fans can travel from overseas.”In a perfect world, we would welcome England fans back to these shores for a summer of singing and sportsmanship,” Nick Hockley, Cricket Australia’s interim CEO, said. “Of course, we will be guided by the Australian government on all things related to international travel.”He added: “We are absolutely thrilled to announce our men’s and women’s international fixtures for the 2021-22 summer of cricket. The lessons learned from successfully delivering a safe summer in ’20-21 gives us confidence on what we’re able to achieve, and we’re all hoping for a summer of full crowds and an Ashes atmosphere we’re all accustomed to.”The Ashes is one of the great global sporting rivalries and seems to grow ever larger with each series and generation. We cannot wait to host England men over five Tests this summer. The most recent men’s Ashes series was a remarkable contest that captured the imagination of the entire cricketing world and I expect this summer to be no different.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Heather Knight will lead England’s attempts to regain the Women’s Ashes for the first time since 2015, starting with a Test at Canberra’s Manuka Oval. T20I and ODI legs will follow in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne, with points on offer for all the matches. Following the conclusion of the series, both teams will head to New Zealand for the 50-over Women’s World Cup, which was postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic.”An Ashes series in Australia is a global highlight of the cricketing calendar and is always a focus series for England teams,” Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive officer, said.”It’s a hugely exciting prospect that both men’s and women’s squads will be heading to Australia. It promises to be a highly competitive and close contest with teams in both series evenly matched. I have little doubt that the rivalry and drama will once again capture the interest of sports lovers across the globe.”2022 is going to be an amazing year for women’s cricket. With an Ashes, a World Cup in New Zealand and a home Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, this could be a landmark year for our team. It represents a huge challenge, but one Heather Knight and her talented squad are very excited about.”

Men’s 2021-22 Ashes schedule

December 8-12 1st Test, Gabba
December 16-20 2nd Test, Adelaide Oval (D/N)
December 26-30 3rd Test, MCG
January 5-9 4th Test, SCG
January 14-18 5th Test, Perth

Women’s 2021-22 Ashes schedule

January 27-30 only Test, Manuka Oval
February 4 1st T20I, North Sydney Oval
February 6 2nd T20I, North Sydney Oval
February 10 3rd T20I, Adelaide Oval
February 13 1st ODI, Adelaide Oval
February 16 2nd ODI, Junction Oval
February 19 3rd ODI, Junction Oval

Cricket Australia could pull biggest overseas names out of tournament for ODI series against Zimbabwe

Matt Roller12-Feb-2020More than half of the overseas players in the inaugural season of the Hundred could require replacements for part of the competition due to availability clashes, after Cricket Australia confirmed that players selected for a rescheduled ODI series against Zimbabwe will be required to leave the tournament early for a training camp.Ten Australians were picked up in October’s draft, including six top-band £125,000 picks: Aaron Finch (Northern Superchargers), Glenn Maxwell (London Spirit), D’Arcy Short (Trent Rockets), Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc (both Welsh Fire), and David Warner (Southern Brave). Australia used their most recent series involving Zimbabwe – a T20I tri-series in 2018 – to try out fringe players, and their selectors could take the view that pulling players out of a short-form competition soon before a T20 World Cup is counter-intuitive.ALSO READ: The Hundred draft – full squad listsBut with England, West Indies, South Africa, New Zealand and Pakistan all playing international fixtures during the competition itself, it is likely replacement players will be a regular feature. The situation could have been even worse but for the cancellation of Ireland’s planned T20I series against Afghanistan, which was initially expected to clash with the end of tournament and thus rule Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Qais Ahmad out of the final few group games.While the exact dynamics of the replacement process are unconfirmed, replacement players are initially set to be chosen from the pool of players unsold in the player draft, meaning Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Lasith Malinga could yet appear in the competition.Domestic players without a Test central contract will also be replaced in the event of international selection. For example, if Ollie Pope is selected for England’s series against Pakistan, Southern Brave will be able to sign a replacement non-overseas player for the games that he misses in the second half of the tournament.That could cause a headache for counties, who could face losing players from their One-Day Cup campaign at the last minute. Each Hundred team will pick one ‘wildcard’ player immediately after the Vitality Blast group stage to add to their squad, so counties could lose a handful of key players with little notice before the start of the 50-over competition in July.Australia’s three-match series at home to Zimbabwe had initially been scheduled for mid-June, but has now been rescheduled for August. Dates remain unconfirmed, but players will be required to attend a training camp in Brisbane from August 4. While the ECB will hope that Starc, Smith and Warner are not pulled out of their new competition, the fact that the fixtures form part of the new ODI Super League could mean that Australia are unwilling to take them lightly.Anticipated overseas player availability by team (as of February 12, 2020):Trent Rockets:
Rashid Khan – available throughout
D’Arcy Short – will miss final three group games if named in Australia ODI squad
Nathan Coulter-Nile – will miss final three group games if named in Australia ODI squad
Southern Brave:
Andre Russell – will miss at least three group games if named in West Indies T20I squads
David Warner – will miss final three group games if named in Australia ODI squad
Shadab Khan – will miss majority of tournament if named in Pakistan Test squadNorthern Superchargers:
Aaron Finch – will miss final two group games if named in Australia ODI squad
Mujeeb Ur Rahman – available throughout
Chris Lynn – will miss final two group games if named in Australia ODI squadWelsh Fire:
Mitchell Starc – will miss final three group games if named in Australia ODI squad
Steve Smith – will miss final three group games if named in Australia ODI squad
Qais Ahmad – available throughoutOval Invincibles:
Sunil Narine – will miss at least three group games if named in West Indies T20I squads
Sandeep Lamichhane – available throughout
Fabian Allen – will miss at least three group games if named in West Indies T20I squadsManchester Originals:
Imran Tahir – will miss final group game if named in South Africa T20I squads
Dan Christian – available throughout (last played international cricket in 2017)
Mitchell Santner – will miss first group game if named in New Zealand T20I squadLondon Spirit:
Glenn Maxwell – will miss final three group games if named in Australia ODI squad
Mohammad Nabi – available throughout
Mohammad Amir – available throughout (retired from Test cricket)Birmingham Phoenix:
Kane Williamson – will miss first two group games if named in New Zealand T20I squad
Shaheen Afridi – will miss majority of tournament if named in Pakistan Test squad
Adam Zampa – will miss final three group games if named in Australia ODI squad

Australia are currently scheduled to play five ODIs against Pakistan in the UAE in March

George Dobell20-Dec-2018Wasim Khan, the incoming managing director of the PCB, hopes that Australia can be persuaded to return to Pakistan for the first time in more than 20 years in the early months of 2019.Australia, who last played in Pakistan in late 1998, are currently scheduled to play five ODIs against Pakistan in the UAE in March. But Wasim is keen to ensure any perceived security gaps are closed so that Australia can be persuaded to play matches in Pakistan at the start of that series in an attempt to bring regular international cricket back to the country.”I will ask the question,” Wasim told ESPNcricinfo. “We will continue to offer them the highest level security and, if they have any concerns, we will act to meet them.”Pakistan have been obliged to play the vast majority of their international cricket in the UAE since a terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team convoy in Lahore in March 2009. While Zimbabwe played some limited-overs games in Lahore in 2015, Sri Lanka returned for a one-off T20I in 2017 and there have also been appearances by a World XI (2017) and West Indies (2018), the return of Australia would mark a significant step in the nation’s rehabilitation as a cricketing venue.Wasim will also invite an MCC team to tour the country in the coming months – it is understood the subject has already been broached with the MCC chief executive Guy Lavender – and invite county teams to use the excellent academy facility in Lahore as part of their pre-season training plans.Leicestershire, where Wasim remains chief executive until the end of January, are the obvious candidates. They currently have no pre-season trips planned in 2019, with Wasim accepting that such a visit may have to be sponsored by the PCB.A few PSL matches have also returned to Pakistan over the last couple of years, with a number of foreign players involved. Eight fixtures are due to be staged there, split between Karachi and Lahore, in the 2018 season, which starts in February.”It will probably be a process of baby steps,” Wasim continued. “I need to sit down with other boards and ask them: where are the gaps in our plans that worry you? What can we do to assure you? What will it take to get you to come back? I want to hear what concerns they have and find a way of meeting them.”We have excellent facilities. We have a great passion for the game. If we can get more foreign players coming to Pakistan more often, hopefully we can normalise playing in the country again.”

Shamsa Hashmi, former general manager of the Pakistan women side, criticised the former captain’s tactics, and said that she had been trying to control Mir’s ‘manoeuvring and hegemony by counselling’

Umar Farooq05-Oct-2017Sana Mir, recently axed from captaincy, has found herself back in the spotlight as the former women’s general manger Shamsa Hashmi said that she had been trying to control Mir’s ‘manoeuvring and hegemony by counselling’. She criticised Mir’s captaincy over the years, saying she had been discouraging players, and had taken shocking on-field decisions. Mir will be replaced by Bismah Maroof as captain, a decision that is part of the PCB’s revamp of its women’s cricket set-up following the team’s poor performance at the World Cup in June. Shamsa was herself dismissed as general manager.”I never spoke earlier in public about what Sana had been saying, because I was part of the PCB, and I do like to follow the organisation’s obligations,” Shamsa told reporters in a rare media appearance at her home. “I heard she didn’t want to work with the management of the women’s wings, but still she had been working with us for the last two-and-a-half years. Now I don’t know what suddenly went wrong. There may be a lot of factors behind it but she never conveyed those to me, except one. She wanted to have her former fellow players appointed to the selection committee, and one of them she wanted to have as women’s team trainer. I didn’t want to be a part of it, and I told her that I would have to think about it. So if that was the problem, then I can’t do anything about it.”Mir, the team manager, and a couple of senior players had been singled out for blame for Pakistan’s winless World Cup campaign. In a damning report, coach Sabih Azhar accused Mir of adopting a “negative approach” and of being completely self-obsessed. He also complained that Ayesha Ashar – who has been sacked from the managerial post and made interim general manager women wings – paid most of her attention to some senior players and was “cold” towards the younger players.”If we recall our World Cup performance this year, it wasn’t bad at all,” Shamsa said. “But the way players are being used, with rapid batting order changes and unorthodox changes in bowling – these are the things that let us down. I want to recall the England match in which Heather Knight and (Natalie) Sciver scored hundreds, and most of their runs were on the leg, but the field wasn’t adjusted accordingly.”Against South Africa, for example, we lost by [a small margin]. We actually lost the game by conceding 16 runs in the second-last over. Scoring 16 runs in last two overs while chasing is always difficult and I believe that over should have been given to your best bowler which the captain didn’t do. Against Sri Lanka, we lost only because we didn’t take the Powerplay and that was the responsibility of the captain in the middle. So these are the critical things to notice.”Mir, 31, had, before the World Cup, hinted at retiring from the game. The PCB top brass then came up with the suggestion of giving Mir a graceful exit, but later decided to retain her for a few series and assess her individual performance. Mir had also stepped down as captain of the T20 side after 2016 Women’s World T20. “I do respect Sana as a player and since she is captain, I wanted to give her a graceful exit,” Shamsa said. “But as far as her manipulation and hegemony is concerned, I told her we should abide only by merit.”

Sri Lanka Cricket has earmarked Rs 200 million for the construction of two new cricket stadiums in the Northern and North Central Provinces

Sa'adi Thawfeeq06-Sep-2016Sri Lanka Cricket is investing in the development of cricket in parts of the country less exposed to the game by earmarking funds for the construction of two new cricket stadiums in the Northern and North Central Provinces.The executive committee of SLC has given its approval for the two projects to go ahead. The projects, on which work is due to begin in the near future, are expected to cost Sri Lankan Rs 200 million (approximately 1.38 million USD).”We have allocated Rs 100 million each for the construction of a cricket stadium at Polonnaruwa and one at Jaffna,” Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Mohan de Silva, said. “The projects are due to begin very soon.”De Silva said plans for the Polonnaruwa stadium have been finalised and that work would commence soon. The stadium would be part of a larger sports complex that is being constructed in the area. In the case of Jaffna, SLC is still searching for a suitable site close to the main road so that people would have easy access to the stadium.”There is tremendous enthusiasm generated by the Tamil diaspora for a cricket stadium in the north,” de Silva said. “The Jaffna District Cricket Association is taking all steps to make it a reality.”We will initially construct the two stadiums as first-class cricket venues and later develop them into hosting international cricket matches. We want to develop cricket in the north and east and enhance the quality of the game in those areas.”Cricket in the north was hit very badly by the 30-year civil war between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government. Since the end of the war, seven years ago, there has been large-scale development in the region, with sports being one of the key areas.

Led by Dale Steyn, who became the second-quickest bowler to 400 Test wickets, South Africa chipped away at Bangladesh’s line-up reducing the hosts to 246 for 8 at the end of the first day

The Report by Firdose Moonda30-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:21

Trott: Steyn could get 600 wickets

Dale Steyn became the 13th bowler to take 400 Test wickets but South Africa’s part-time spinners enjoyed most of the success on an absorbing day of grind on both sides. South Africa’s bowlers showed more intent and aggression than in the first Test but were made to toil on a slow, dry surface that had been run ragged as early as day one.There were signs of substantial turn, which will suit Bangladesh later on, and it placed added importance on the hosts making the most of what will likely be the best batting conditions of the game. Mushfiqur Rahim’s 65, which included a 94-run fourth-wicket stand with Mahmudullah formed the core of the Bangladesh challenge, which started off strongly but fell away later on. Mushfiqur’s dismissal prompted a collapse of 4 for 31 in the third session to hand South Africa the advantage.The predicted rain did not arrive but clouds lurked around the Shere Bangla stadium for most of the morning session. The moisture they held did not provide any swing for Steyn but he was still South Africa’s best bowler, much-improved from the first Test.He should have had a wicket in the third over of the day when Tamim Iqbal flayed at a full delivery but the resultant edge was out of reach of debutant wicketkeeper Dane Vilas and Dean Elgar could not hold on as the ball dipped on him. Steyn did not have to wait too long for his milestone, though. Tamim could not resist the tempting length and was loose again in Steyn’s next over when he chased a wide ball and edged to first slip, where Hashim Amla collected at chest height.That wicket made Steyn the joint-fastest seamer to 400 Test wickets, equalling Richard Hadlee’s 80 appearances, and the second fastest to the landmark overall. He is the second South African bowler in the 400-plus Test wickets club after Shaun Pollock, who finished with 421 wickets. After the early success, Steyn seemed set to add a few more to his tally but, until he generated reverse-swing later in the day, Bangladesh defied him.Imrul Kayes and Mominul Haque showed impeccable judgment outside off stump and the temperament to withstand the pressure the South African attack piled on them. As a pack, the South Africa pacers forced the batsmen to play more than they did in Chittagong with more attacking lines and lengths. They also used the bouncer more frequently, with Morne Morkel, bowling first change, relying on his stock short ball to intimidate the batsmen.Bangladesh, to their credit, were not so easily bowled over. Imrul and Mominul got into good positions to play the pull and rode the bounce, while waiting to target the spinner. Simon Harmer was introduced in the 12th over and showed confidence in tossing the ball up. The batsmen showed equal confidence in dispatching it.The runs they took off Harmer and part-timer Stiaan van Zyl provided the cushion to see out the pre-lunch squeeze. Steyn returned for a spell, and South Africa only gave away 12 runs in seven overs before the break, but Bangladesh clung on.JP Duminy made his first appearance in the second session and it proved to be a good move. Mominul tried to play a late dab off him but was cramped for room and he edged to Vilas, who took his first Test catch. Nine deliveries later, Duminy rapped Imrul on the back pad in front of middle and off to push Bangladesh towards a mini-collapse.Vernon Philander’s afternoon spell asked questions of Bangladesh’s discipline, particularly when he found some movement as the clouds cleared. He got shape into the right-hander and fished for the edge. Steyn’s reverse-swing threatened to take out the captain when a ball shaved Mushfiqur’s off stump on its way through to Vilas, but no damage was done. Steyn was denied again when Mahmudullah, on 18, was given out lbw off his bowling but the review and replays showed an inside edge.Bangladesh enjoyed relief off Harmer and Morkel, whose threat was negated by the batsmen’s growing confidence, and went to tea in a strong position at 154 for 3. Mushfiqur brought up his half-century, off 79 balls, as the final session got underway and was readying to ensure the day belonged to Bangladesh. He rotated strike with Mahmudullah and milked the spinners as South Africa seemed to be allowing the game to, as Amla would say, “drift.”The captain brought Steyn back as soon as he felt initiative needed to be regained and he struck. Mahmudullah sent a full, straight delivery with a hint of reverse-swing to short midwicket where Temba Bavuma was stationed. Still, Bangladesh were in control, with Shakib Al Hasan joining Mushfiqur.The pair built steadily. Shakib targeted Harmer and the batsmen looked settled when Amla pulled a rabbit out of the hat. With substantial turn on offer, Elgar was brought on for some part time left-arm spin and snagged the big wicket. Mushfiqur came forward to defend a loopy delivery outside off, the ball turned away and bounced and seemed to take the edge on the way through to Vilas. Paul Reiffel gave him out but Mushfiqur reviewed. Snicko showed only a faint spike which may have been the bat hitting the ground but the decision was upheld. Mushfiqur was visibly upset as he walked off, leaving Shakib to marshal the rest.Liton Das showed none of the composure of the first Test when he got a leading edge to sweep Duminy into Elgar’s hands. The Bangladesh tail was staring at facing the second new ball but Amla kept Elgar on, perhaps for a little longer, hoping to take advantage of the turn. Shakib switched to attacking mode to try and add what he could but his fun ended when Steyn and Morkel were brought back on. With the ball still reversing, Morkel got one to swerve across Shakib and took a top edge to gully. Steyn bagged one more to end South Africa’s day strongly and leave Amla with the option of calling on the new ball tomorrow morning.

ESPNcricinfo’s preview of the first Twenty20 between Australia and Sri Lanka in Sydney

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale25-Jan-2013

Match facts

Shaun Marsh’s BBL form has earned him a recall to Australia’s side•Getty Images

January 26, Stadium Australia
Start time 1935 (0835 GMT)

Big Picture

Sri Lanka didn’t quite manage to win the one-day series but they will fancy their chances in this two-match Twenty20 contest. The No.1-ranked T20 side in the world, they are taking on an outfit led by George Bailey that sits in seventh place on the ICC rankings. Not that Bailey’s team bears that much of a resemblance to the side that played at the World T20 last year: of the 12 men in the squad for this game, only six were part of the World T20 group. The selectors have instead rewarded BBL form, allowing men like Shaun Marsh, Adam Voges, James Faulkner and Ben Laughlin another chance at international level. The Sri Lankans, on the other hand, have plenty of international experience in their line-up. The two matches also mark the end of Sri Lanka’s near two-month tour and after their disappointing Test series and shared result in the ODIs, they will be keen to finish on a high.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
Australia LLWWW
Sri Lanka LWWWT

In the spotlight

Twelve months ago, Shaun Marsh‘s international career was on life support. Three months ago it appeared the situation was terminal. A big night out in South Africa during the Champions League did Marsh’s reputation no good – although plenty of Perth Scorchers team-mates had also been out partying – and when the players returned home his form was so poor that he was dropped from the state side. But a productive BBL in which he was the leading run scorer encouraged the selectors to give Marsh another chance in the national T20 side. If he grabs it, 2013 might be a much more pleasing year for Marsh than 2012.Something about T20 cricket just agrees with Lasith Malinga. Only Dirk Nannes has taken more wickets in the format than the 191 Malinga has collected. At times in the BBL he was devastating as batsmen struggled to handle his yorkers, slower balls and bouncers. Although he was overshadowed in the ODIs by Nuwan Kulasekara, Malinga is back in his best format and looms as the key man for Sri Lanka.

Team news

Australia’s batting line-up appears settled, with their main decision surrounding the make-up of the attack. There are four fast men in the squad – Ben Cutting, James Faulkner, Mitchell Starc and Ben Laughlin – along with the spinner Xavier Doherty and the allrounder Glenn Maxwell. They can also extract some overs of spin from Adam Voges.Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Adam Voges, 5 George Bailey (capt), 6 Matthew Wade (wk), 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Ben Cutting, 9 James Faulkner, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Xavier Doherty.Sri Lanka might choose to give the teenage spinner Akila Dananjaya his first outing of the tour, while Ajantha Mendis is also a likely inclusion.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Mahela Jayawardene, 3 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 4 Angelo Mathews (capt), 5 Lahiru Thirimanne, 6 Jeevan Mendis, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Lasith Malinga, 10 Ajantha Mendis, 11 Akila Dananjaya.

Pitch and conditions

This will be Stadium Australia’s second international match, after it debuted last summer with a Twenty20 between Australia and India. In the four BBL games there this season scores were not particularly high, although that was perhaps as much more to do with the Sydney Thunder’s poor form as the venue.”A couple of low scoring games here [during the BBL] so we’ll have a look at that,” Bailey said. “It can be a little slow and the other thing with the drop-in wickets is you don’t get much pace off the square either so a little bit of adjustment. But it is always tempting to see how short it is straight here too.”

Stats and trivia

• Australia and Sri Lanka have met in six T20 internationals. Sri Lanka have won four and Australia two
• This will be Australia’s 59th T20 international and if Cutting debuts, he will be the 60th player to represent Australia in T20s

Quotes

“It’s the same game but just with accelerated decision-making and upping the ante a little earlier [than ODIs]. But I don’t think there’ll be too much as far as new shots or anything like that. I certainly don’t have that up my sleeve. And for those who haven’t been playing the one-dayers it’s perfect preparation – they’ve just come out of the BBL.”

“We would probably say the top seven batters [not just Warner], they’re really good, so we’re not concentrating on any individual, but we as a team have been doing really well in the one day series and we hope to continue in the T20 form as well.”

Abdul Razzaq has said Pakistan must be cautious in their policy of picking young players and should ensure only those cricketers with real talent are given a chance.

Umar Farooq12-Dec-2011Abdul Razzaq, the Pakistan allrounder, has said Pakistan must be cautious in their policy of picking young players and should ensure only those cricketers with real talent are given a chance. In the last two years, Pakistan have handed 11 different players Test debuts, while another five players have earned their first ODI cap. Razzaq said that rebuilding was necessary, but the selectors should be sure the players they back can be successful at international level.”Bringing in young players is a good move and that is an ongoing process,” Razzaq told ESPNcricinfo. “But only talented players, who are tough and have superb class, should be called up.”Pakistan experimented on their recent tour of Zimbabwe and have a couple of young, untested fast bowlers – Mohammad Talha and Mohammad Khalil – in their squad for the Tests in Bangladesh. Razzaq, though, said players should not only be tried against low-profile opposition. “I remember when I debuted in 1996 my seniors gave me a benchmark, and said I had to prove my ability by performing against teams like Australia, South Africa and England. All the newcomers should be tough enough to face that kind of opposition in order to be prosperous and play at least ten years of cricket.”Razzaq, who is set to depart for Australia to play for the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League, said his next aim in international cricket was to play in the 2012 World Twenty20.He said he would concentrate on the shorter formats of the game. “I still have some cricket left in me and the upcoming World Twenty20 is what I am focussing on. Test cricket is behind me; it’s too late for a comeback. I want to make a final call on that but it’s a decision that needs to be taken with the PCB in the loop.”

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, who was rested for the Twenty20 series against Pakistan, picked up three wickets on the second day of the tour game between New Zealand Cricket XI and the Pakistanis at Cobham Oval (New) in Whangarei

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jan-2011Pakistanis 234 for 8 (Misbah 99*, Vettori 3-26, Marin 3-52) trail NZC XI 384 all out (McCullum 206, Tanvir 4-63, Gul 3-61) by 150 runs

ScorecardMisbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, defied the New Zealand bowlers with an unbeaten 99•Getty Images

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, who was rested for the Twenty20 series against Pakistan, picked up three wickets on the second day of the tour game against the Pakistanis, who were struggling in Whangarei despite captain Misbah-ul-Haq’s unbeaten 99. New Zealand, who ended the first day on a comfortable 342 for 4, collapsed to 384 all out on the second morning. Fast bowlers Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir, who shared seven wickets between them, ran through the New Zealand middle and lower order as New Zealand lost 6 for 42.The Pakistani innings got off to a disastrous start as Chris Martin’s early burst left them reeling at 22 for 3 after seven overs. Mohammad Hafeez was the first to go, caught behind off Martin in the first over before Taufeeq Umar was dismissed similarly in Martin’s next over. Younis Khan soon followed, also caught behind for 7.At 39 for 4, when Azhar Ali was trapped lbw by Trent Boult, a familiar Pakistani batting collapse looked imminent but it was avoided through Misbah’s efforts. He had a solid first Test series as captain, scoring three-half-centuries in two matches against South Africa and he continued to be in good touch. He and Asad Shafiq steadied the innings with a 52-run fourth-wicket partnership before Shafiq was dismissed by Vettori.That brought wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal to the crease, who played positively, hitting seven boundaries in his 31-ball 35. His partnership of 57 with Misbah carried Pakistan to 148 before he was dismissed by James Franklin. Misbah also received good support from Abdur Rehman (20) and Umar Gul (24), as the Pakistani lower order showed some fight. Vettori dismissed both Rehman and Gul and Pakistan ended the day on 234 for 8, still trailing New Zealand by 150 runs with Misbah unbeaten on 99.The first Test between Pakistan and New Zealand begins in Hamilton on January 7 and while the visitors will be pleased at how their bowlers bounced back on the second day, the indifferent form of their batting will be a worry.