All posts by h716a5.icu

The Sri Lankans continued to do much as they pleased against Northamptonshire.

Andrew McGlashan at Wantage Road06-Jun-2014
ScorecardLahriu Thirimanne moved to a career-best 156 as Sri Lanka built up a huge total•PA PhotosThe Sri Lankans continued to do much as they pleased against Northamptonshire. The home side, who have a dire first-class batting record this season, having only passed 300 once, stumbled to 146 for 5 in reply to 558 which had been compiled at a merry clip of four an over.The period where the visitors had the ball was the most instructive of the day despite not being confronted with the strongest of batting orders. There is, perhaps, one seam bowling place up for the grabs in the Sri Lankan Test side so there were plenty of reasons for eagerness between the three pacemen given a chance here.Nuwan Pradeep, who holds the unflattering Test average of 89.25, bowled with the most eye-catching pace and also found late movement. His delivery to remove Stephen Peters was a beauty, jumping off a length and nipping away to find the outside edge.His opening partner Chanaka Welegedara has been out of the Test scene for 18 months having suffered a series of injuries but struck with his first legal delivery to inflict the unfortunate start of a golden duck on James Kettleborough’s first-class career. Kettleborough’s pedigree is decent, however, having beaten Alastair Cook’s run-scoring record at Bedford School.Dhammika Prasad, who would offer greater batting depth, hustled in for a brace, holding a return catch offered by Kyle Coetzer at the third attempt at the ball after being upper cut for six. A short while earlier, Coetzer had been missed at slip on 12 when Kumar Sangakkara moved late.Prasad then ended Richard Levi’s stand-and-deliver innings when the South African helped a shorter ball to deep square-leg. Levi, who holds the record for fastest T20 international hundred, is only with Northamptonshire on a limited-overs contract and he has not played a first XI game of first-class cricket since February 2013. Although there was a one-day style to his display there was also a correctness and such is the club’s batting woes they could do worse than considering expanding his deal even though Ian Butler is their current four-day option.As Northamptonshire’s run rate, which hit five an over for the first half of the innings, would attest to, consistency was not the high point of Sri Lanka’s bowling. Bringing some thriftiness to the attack is likely to be Nuwan Kulasekara’s role at Lord’s while Rangana Herath’s return will also help, although Dilruwan Perera, the offspinner, had a useful all-round day with a brisk fifty and a tidy 15 overs.The sight of a ‘retired hurt’ next to a batsman with century in Sri Lanka’s innings may alarm their supporters, but they don’t need to worry. Kaushal Silva, unbeaten on 152 overnight, did not resume his innings on the second morning, officially due to a stomach ailment although he was later well enough to field at short leg.The Sri Lankans gave themselves another three hours of batting against a Northamptonshire attack that was barely first-class standard apart from the wholehearted Steven Crook.Lahiru Thirimanne built on his hundred to the tune of a career-best 156, overtaking by one run his previous mark which came with his lone Test hundred – 155 against Bangladesh, in Galle, in March 2013. He has not played Test cricket since that series but is surely assured of a slot at Lord’s next week.He eventually fell sweeping against Matthew Spriegel and Dinesh Chandimal, less certain of taking his place in the Test line-up, went the same way as he lost his middle stump. Although Chandimal struck seven boundaries in his 47 a reminder of his difficulty against the short ball came early in his stay when he was caught in a poor position by the military medium of Kyle Coetzer. Not a great prelude to potentially facing Stuart Broad, Chris Jordan and Liam Plunkett.The remainder of the innings was largely a merry swing for the Sri Lankans. Perera clubbed his way to 59 with the help of four sixes which included two in three balls against the gentle part-time offspin of Rob Keogh. Time in the middle is always valuable, but often it had been a little too easy.

A dream debut from wicketkeeper Harvey Hosein and a six-wicket burst from Mark Footitt put Derbyshire on top on the opening day of their Championship match against Surrey at The Oval

Press Association15-Sep-2014
ScorecardHarvey Hosein took a record-breaking seven catches on his first-class debut•PA PhotosA dream debut from wicketkeeper Harvey Hosein and a six-wicket burst from Mark Footitt put Derbyshire on top on the opening day of their Championship match against Surrey at The Oval.Surrey lost seven wickets for 58 runs after lunch and were only able to scrap their way to 181 all out through a battling 70 from captain Gary Wilson. It was a poor effort in their final Division Two match of the season and, at the close, Derbyshire were just 17 behind at 164 for 5 in their reply.After a frustrating first session for Derbyshire, the country’s leading wicket-taker Footitt tore through the Surrey top order on his way to 6 for 69 and 18-year-old Hosein marked his first-class bow with seven catches. That tally is the most ever by a keeper on his Championship debut and he is the youngest ever to have six or more dismissals on his debut. Only Bob Taylor, who did it twice, had previously taken seven catches in an innings for Derbyshire.It looked as if it may be a frustrating day for Derbyshire in the morning after winning the toss, as they beat the edge numerous times without finding the edge until Wayne White came into the attack to have both openers, Zafar Ansari and Rory Burns, caught behind.If they felt that was scant reward for their efforts at lunch, Derbyshire were soon feeling happier as Footitt struck with the sixth ball after the interval, helped by a loose cut to point from Steven Davies, and then had Vikram Solanki caught behind to make it 75 for 4. Jason Roy soon followed and when Arun Harinath was lbw, Footitt had his 70th Championship wicket of the season and Surrey were in freefall. Worse still, Gareth Batty went first ball to a flying catch down the leg side by Hosein to make the score 109 for 7.Footitt’s sixth wicket and Hosein’s sixth catch came when Stuart Meaker was dismissed at 117 for 8 and though Jade Dernbach’s response was to throw the bat wildly at everything, the outcome was inevitable and he was bowled by White with the total at 130.But Wilson was not about to abandon the cause and put on 51 for the final wicket with Tim Linley, who hung around stoutly for 1 not out. Wilson finally fell to a short ball from Ben Cotton, also on his first-class debut, as Hosein safely gathered his seventh catch. The Surrey captain’s 70 came off only 80 balls with 10 fours and a six.Surrey were made to wait until the 16th over for their breakthrough before Meaker ended an opening stand of 62 by having Billy Godleman caught at third slip for 28 and opening partner Ben Slater followed three overs later, lbw to Linley for 34.Linley then bowled Cheteshwar Pujara, who played no shot and went for 16, and had Wes Durston caught at second slip before Meaker dismissed Alex Hughes with a fine catch at third slip from Davies. Wayne Madsen survived a tough slip chance on 25 but made it to the close on 48 not out and it will be Hosein who will be with him when Derbyshire look to press on to a first-innings advantage.

Masandawana have already booked their spot in the quarter-finals with a game to spare and they will now face the Sudanese giants on Saturday

Sundowns rested some of their key players during their last game which was a Group A clash against Al Merrikh's Sudanese rivals, Al Hilal Omdurman, on March 19 as the Tshwane giants secured a 4-2 win.

Masandawana will now be looking to end a successful group stage with a win over Al Merrikh.

GOAL takes a look at how the PSL champions could start at FNB Stadium.

BackpagepixGOALKEEPER – Reyaad Pieterse

The towering shot-stopper was given an opportunity to start against Al Hilal and he had a good game between the sticks.

Pieterse is most likely to be handed another starting berth with the club's first-choice keeper Denis Onyango out injured, while the ageing Kennedy Mweene is being rested.

AdvertisementBackpagepixRIGHT-BACK – Thapelo Morena

The speedster has been one of Sundowns' standout performers in the group stage having scored three times in four matches.

Two of his goals came against Al Hilal and he will be keen to continue his scoring form when he faces Al Merrikh.

BackpagepixLEFT-BACK – Divine Lunga

The lanky full-back has impressed whenever he has been given a chance to start for the Tshwane giants this season.

Lunga could be handed a rare start with Lyle Lakay being rested having been part of the Bafana Bafana squad which travelled to Europe for two international friendly games.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

BackpagepixCENTRAL DEFENDER – Rushine de Reuck

Sundowns' first-choice centre back is expected to start having had little game time during the recent Fifa break.

De Reuck featured as a second-half substitute against Guinea for Bafana and he was then an unused substitute against France.

Pakistan Women took their first points of the tournament, successfully defending their total of 119 for 6 against Ireland Women to win by 14 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Mar-2014
ScorecardAsmavia Iqbal struck three times in a tidy spell•ICCPakistan Women took their first points of the tournament, successfully defending their total of 119 for 6 against Ireland Women to win by 14 runs.Both teams were already out of contention for the knockouts, and this being their last game of the tournament, would have been looking to lift themselves off the bottom of the table. That Pakistan managed to do that was mainly down to Bismah Maroof, who kept the innings afloat even as her team-mates failed to make much of an impact around her. She finished unbeaten on 48 – made at the brisk rate of 106.66 – to ensure Pakistan got well past the 100-run mark despite medium pacer Louise McCarthy’s strikes putting the wobbles on them early on.Pakistan’s new-ball bowler Asmavia Iqbal got the defence off to a fine start, striking in the first over to remove Mary Waldron for a duck. She struck twice more through the innings, in a tidy spell of 3 for 18, to ensure Pakistan kept the early advantage she had provided. A couple of run-outs didn’t help matters for Ireland, as they slumped from 77 for 3 in the 15th to 88 for 8 in the 18th. Eventually Ireland were bowled out with three balls to spare, well short of their target.

Sri Lanka have called up fast bowler Shaminda Eranga to their squad for two ODIs against Ireland after Thisara Perera failed to get a visa approved in time

ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-2014Sri Lanka have called up fast bowler Shaminda Eranga to their squad for two ODIs against Ireland after Thisara Perera failed to get a visa approved in time. Thisara is expected to join up with Sri Lanka in England later in the month ahead of a T20 and five ODIs.The Sri Lanka party arrived in Dublin on Saturday but Thisara did not travel with them, after experiencing a delay in getting a UK visa for the main part of the tour. The allrounder, who hit the winning runs in the World T20 final, was part of Kings XI Punjab squad at the IPL in Dubai and was unable to get his passport and documents processed.Eranga is due to leave for Ireland on Sunday. He was not in the T20 squad for England and hasn’t played a limited-overs international since last year but is a key member of Sri Lanka’s Test attack.Sri Lanka have rested five senior players – Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Rangana Herath, Lasith Malinga and Tillakaratne Dilshan – for the ODIs against Ireland, which take place on Tuesday and Thursday next week.

Malcolm Speed and Malcolm Gray, both former senior administrators with Cricket Australia and the ICC, have broken away from their national board’s position by undersigning a formal letter to the ICC and member nations requesting that the “big three” propo

Daniel Brettig26-Jan-2014Malcolm Speed and Malcolm Gray, both former senior administrators with Cricket Australia and the ICC, have broken away from their national board’s position by undersigning a formal letter to the ICC and member nations requesting that the “big three” proposal be immediately withdrawn.The letter, composed by the former ICC president Ehsan Mani in the wake of his damning 13-page assessment of the draft finance and governance proposal that is due to be voted on by the ICC’s executive board this week, is also undersigned by the former West Indian captain Clive Lloyd and former PCB presidents Shahrayar Khan and Lt Gen. (retd) Tauqir Zia and former BCB president Saber Hossain Chowdhury.Ali Bacher, the former managing director of the first South African board after reunification, also came out in support of the argument being made by Mani. In a letter to Alan Isaac, the current president of the ICC, Bacher reminded him of the “animosity” that existed particularly in the Asian subcontinent and the Caribbean, when England and Australia had the veto in the ICC. He said that the working group position paper, if accepted, would “lead to division and strife in world cricket as never seen before.” *But it is the presence of Speed and Gray on the letter that is most significant, for each have remained linked to the workings and decisions of CA in the years since they left formal administrative posts. Speed still retains a close working relationship with the CA chief executive James Sutherland under the banner of the Coalition of Major Professional and Participation Sports (COMPPS). He was also a member of the Argus review panel that charted a new path for the Australian team in 2011.All signatories agreed that the ICC needed to re-examine the conclusions of the 2012 Woolf Report into ICC governance, which recommended, among other things, an improvement in governance standards, the appointment of independent board directors and greater transparency. The text of the letter reads:”We are writing to ask you, the custodians of world cricket: 1. That the Paper by the ICC F&CA Committee should be withdrawn. 2. That the ICC directors and management, its members and other stakeholders are, as a matter of urgency, invited to review and comment on the Governance Report by Lord Woolf and PWC, published in 2012, with a view to implementing its recommendations and improving ICC’s Governance structure, in keeping with contemporary best practice.”Following a long period in senior roles with CA when it was known as the Australian Cricket Board, Gray served as president of the ICC from 2000 to 2003, when he was succeeded by Mani. Speed was the chief executive of the ACB/CA from 1997 until 2001, then served the same role with the ICC from 2001 to 2008. He told ESPNcricinfo that he trusted the motives of the CA chairman Wally Edwards, but held grave doubts about the redistribution model the proposal outlined.”I have no doubt that Wally Edwards has given the matter very close consideration and believes that this is the best outcome for world cricket,” Speed said. “Wally has been in the thick of the debate and I respect his opinion and have no doubt that he is acting in the best interests of the game and Australian cricket.”I cannot see any reason whatsoever why India should receive extra funding from ICC Events at the expense of struggling countries such as Scotland, Ireland, Uganda, Kenya and the other 100 Associate and Affiliate members where every dollar counts. India generates hundreds of millions from domestic and international media and sponsorship rights from matches played against the other Full Member countries.”India already benefits more than any other country from the popularity of the game in India and India’s huge population. It receives this revenue as a result of playing against the other countries. The rationale for ICC Events is to raise funds to support the game across the world. All of the other members need additional funding. Previous Presidents of BCCI were strong supporters of the other countries. Jagmohan Dalmiya as BCCI and ICC President was a pioneer in spreading cricket’s revenues around the cricket world. BCCI needs to reconsider its position.”The letter was accompanied by Mani’s analysis of the proposal, which raised many and varied concerns about the conflicted interests of its authors – the BCCI, CA, and the ECB – and the revenue modelling they are suggesting. Among his reservations was the fact that under the new plan, the game’s developing nations stood to lose an enormous percentage of projected revenue, relative to their current allocation.Mani estimated that under the proposal, Associate and Affiliate Members would lose more than US $312 million in projected revenue, an amount that would instead be redistributed largely to the boards of India, Australia and England.”The biggest gainers are BCCI, ECB and CA. In addition, ICC events for the period 2015-2023 will be held only in India, England and Australia. These Boards will receive hosting fees for the events in addition to the ICC Distributions they propose,” Mani wrote. “A point that also needs to be addressed is; why does BCCI need more money at the expense of other countries? The domestic and international media fees that BCCI receives from playing with other members are massive and underpin BCCI’s financial position. It is the richest cricket board in the world.”If cricket is to grow and develop around the world more investment is required in the Associate & Affiliate countries, not less. The Associate & Affiliate countries represent some of the biggest economies in the world. If cricket could be established properly in the United States of America and China and become an Olympic sport, the ICC could double its revenues in real terms over the next 10-15 years. This requires vision and a less parochial approach.”* – 11.05 GMT, January 26, 2014 – Story updated with quotes from Ali Bacher and Malcolm Speed

A round-up of the Under-19 World Cup playoff matches on February 25, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2014Ken McClure’s second consecutive fifty helped New Zealand Under-19s to a five-wicket win against UAE Under-19s in the Plate Semi-Final in Abu Dhabi. McClure hit seven fours and a six during his unbeaten 62 to help New Zealand chase down 141 in 30.2 overs.UAE, put in to bat, were unable to gather any momentum as their progress was halted by wickets at regular intervals. Kyle Jamieson provided the first breakthrough for New Zealand in the ninth over, with the total on 26. Jeremy Benton and Josh Finnie shared two wickets each as UAE stumbled to 85 for 7 and only a 36-run stand for the eighth wicket gave the UAE score some respectability. While most of their batsmen made starts, none could muster more than 21 as a result of which the team eventually folded for 140 in 49.2 overs.New Zealand lost Henry Collier early in the chase, but Raki Weerasundara chipped in with 30. The team lost five wickets by the 27th over, but UAE did not have enough runs to challenge the opposition. New Zealand will now play Bangladesh in the Plate Final.A quick half-century from Mosaddek Hossain paved the way for Bangladesh Under-19s’ 76-run win against Zimbabwe Under-19s in the other Plate Semi-Final. Mosaddek whipped six fours and a six during his unbeaten 66-ball 83, and forged a 64-run alliance for the fifth wicket with Yasir Ali to take the team to a competitive 265 for 6. The groundwork for Bangladesh’s innings had been laid by Joyraz Sheik (58) and Litton Das (47) who put up 77 for the second wicket to help the team towards the 150-run mark.The Bangladesh bowlers then ran through Zimbabwe’s top order to leave the team struggling at 65 for 5, but Luke Jongwe and the captain Malcolm Lake put up a brief resistance, with a 50-run partnership for the sixth wicket. However, two wickets in the 37th over from Mustafizur Rahman once again dented Zimbabwe’s hopes and despite a fighting 30 from Deven Bell at No. 9, the team were restricted to 193 for 9 from their 50 overs.West Indies Under-19s seamer Ray Jordan picked up three wickets to help the team edge Afghanistan Under-19s by nine runs in Dubai. Chasing 216, Afghanistan were inching towards a win at 204 for 7, but Jordan struck off successive deliveries in the 47th over before Gudakesh Motie’s strike in the next over dismissed Afghanistan for 206.Earlier, Fabian Allen’s 92 had helped West Indies recover after three of their top five batsmen were out for ducks. Allen hit eight fours and four sixes, and combined with Ramaal Lewis for a sixth-wicket partnership worth 52 runs, which eventually took the team to 215. Fareed Ahmad and Mohammad Mujtaba shared three scalps apiece for Afghanistan.Afghanistan were buoyed by a 51 from the opener Shahidullah, but the loss of wickets at regular intervals saw them precariously placed at 97 for 5. Hashmatullah Shaidi scored an unbeaten 52 and the captain Nasir Jamal chipped in with 30, but the team eventually fell just short.

Enjoying a sustained run in Test matches, M Vijay is confident of doing well in overseas conditions and says the failure against West Indies was a result of “tweaks” in his batting

Siddarth Ravindran24-Nov-2013M Vijay has played each of India’s last six Tests, which is more successive matches he has played in the national team in any format since his international debut more than five years ago. The prolonged dip in form of established Test openers, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, allowed him a look-in and a couple of big hundreds against Australia earlier this year have, at long last, earned him something of a sustained run in the longest format.”I’m more mature now,” Vijay said in Meerut, when asked to explain his Test success in 2013. “I know my game better. It’s about being consistent in all forms of the game. “Firmly established as a batting star in the IPL, where his strokeplay can be both brutal and easy on the eye, Vijay showed he could shelve the flashy strokes in the Tests against Australia.”It is very tough mentally to tune to formats, playing Test cricket to suddenly teeing off from the first ball. But, as a professional, that is my challenge,” he said. “Hopefully I can transform my game accordingly whenever required.”He will have to make changes to succeed over the next year or so, as India are set to tour South Africa, New Zealand, England and Australia – four countries where conditions differ drastically from the subcontinental tracks Vijay is most comfortable batting.”I have a long way to go but I’ve learnt a lot of things,” he said. “I want to do well abroad, I’m working hard on my game and hopefully I’m on the right track.”Things haven’t quite gone to plan since the Australia Test series for Vijay, as he struggled to establish himself in the one-day squad and couldn’t make much of an impact on the tour of South Africa with a strong A team. Vijay was in the squad for the Champions Trophy in England, but couldn’t get a game. He played three ODIs in the tri-series against Sri Lanka and West Indies, featuring in a one-day game after nearly two years. On India A’s tour to South Africa, Vijay scored 48 runs at an average of 16 in the two unofficial Tests. With India not playing Tests for eight months after the Australia series, Vijay said he did feel the pressure going into the recent West Indies series.”Personally yes, because I knew I was going to play the next series (against West Indies), I had that much confidence,” he said. “From my expectation, I let myself down, I tweaked a lot of things (mentally) and it didn’t come out properly, I didn’t get to play the longer version in between. It’s good that I’m getting back to playing a few.”Vijay played just one first-class match in the lead-up to the West Indies series, but should get three rounds of Ranji games before heading to South Africa next month. The fact that he will open the innings with Shikhar Dhawan, a man in red-hot form across formats this year, will also help Vijay.”He’s on a high – high on confidence and batting at his best. We’re good friends both on and off the field. It’s great to bat with him,” Vijay said. “Whenever we’re out there, it’s like two friends batting together. Pressure situations get lighter hopefully we can continue to do this. You sense it inside, when he is striking the ball well, you can’t go with a pre-planned notion. If you think your partner is batting well, you can take time and not take risks. If he’s struggling, I try to get going and push singles so that I can help him out.”

The Adelaide Test has been confirmed as the first match of the Australia-India series and is set to begin on December 9, three days earlier than originally scheduled

Brydon Coverdale and Daniel Brettig01-Dec-20141:06

Adelaide to host first Test on December 9

The Adelaide Test has been confirmed as the first match of the Australia-India series and is set to begin on December 9, three days earlier than originally scheduled. The Brisbane Test will be shifted to second in the series and will begin on December 17, and the Sydney Test will be pushed back by three days to allow the players extra recovery time during a condensed, reworked four-Test schedule.The changes were reported by host broadcaster Channel Nine on Monday night and the new dates were then posted in the fixtures section of Cricket Australia’s website. Under the new schedule, the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne will be the only match of the series to retain its original dates. In late evening CA released an advisory, in which the chief executive James Sutherland explained the rationale for the changes.”Nobody should underestimate just what these players are going through right now. These are difficult days and we need to support them in dealing with their grief,” Sutherland said. “It’s very clear that playing a Test right now is just too soon and we are reacting accordingly.”We appreciate the understanding of cricket fans around the country, particularly those in Brisbane, Adelaide and Sydney during these highly difficult times. We acknowledge the difficulties this presents within the cricket communities that make these Test matches such terrific occasions.”We are grateful to State Cricket Associations and venues in those cities for their understanding and willingness to accommodate such last-minute changes. A concern with these changes has been creating congestion within the cricket calendar by holding four Test matches in 33 days. We knew that if we started any later than 9 December, that congestion would only get worse.Tributes were paid to Phillip Hughes at club cricket matches all around Australia at the weekend•Getty Images”We looked at possibly holding the Brisbane Test in the new year following Sydney but we felt that would only compromise the tri-series against England and India which is important preparation for our ICC Cricket World Cup campaign. There will be knock-on effects from these decisions which people will obviously want answers to. We will work through them as quickly as we can, but just ask for patience given these unprecedented circumstances.”The Brisbane Test was to begin this Thursday but Cricket Australia announced at the weekend that it would be postponed due to the funeral for Phillip Hughes, which will take place in his hometown of Macksville on Wednesday. That led to complex discussions around the rescheduling of the Gabba Test, with a number of options considered, including cancelling it entirely.Other scenarios, such as the delay of the Gabba and Adelaide Tests by a few days each and the playing of the Brisbane match last, following the New Year’s Test in Sydney, were ruled out. The former option was judged to allow the players too little time following Hughes’ funeral, while the latter would unduly interfere with lead-in time for the triangular ODI series that will precede the World Cup.Instead, it has been decided to compromise by squeezing all four Tests into a 33-day period. The compressed fixture will mean only three days between the Adelaide and Brisbane Tests, and four days between Brisbane and Melbourne.ACA chief on fixture changes

Alistair Nicholson, the chief executive of the Australian Cricketers Association, said the changes had been made in concert with the wishes of the players and the Hughes family.
“Based on our discussions with the players and with support of health experts, we believed the first Test in Brisbane was still too early for them to return to the field, and that the Adelaide Test presents more time to grieve and mentally prepare,” he said. “Players will look to prepare themselves with the dedication and commitment that is a trademark of our Australian Test cricketers.
“There is no doubt that their return to the field will be enormously challenging, particularly for those who were present on the SCG last week. Asking them to take the field virtually straight after they farewell Phillip at his funeral was just too much. The extra days afforded the players are considered a vital part of their recovery process and we’re pleased that our representations to Cricket Australia were met with a sympathetic ear. We also consulted the Hughes family regarding our preference to delay the return to the international stage, and they were very supportive of the players’ need for more more time. The outpouring of support from the Australian public is truly appreciated by the national team and all Australian Cricketers’ Association members.”

A longer break between the third and fourth Tests in Melbourne and Sydney was therefore included to give the players extra rest time during what will already be a hectic month. In the lead-up to the first Test, which starts on Tuesday next week, India are expected to play a two-day tour match in Adelaide on December 4 and 5.Australia’s players were united in their belief that Adelaide would be the more appropriate start venue for the Test series, and they are believed to be willing to handle the rigours of what will effectively become four back-to-back Tests. Adelaide Oval will also be a fitting venue for Australia’s first match after laying Hughes to rest, given that it was his adopted home ground for the past two summers.”While this wasn’t done by design, it is somewhat fitting that the first Test will take place in Adelaide at Phillip’s adopted home ground where we hope the match can be a seen as a celebration of his life,” Sutherland said. “We are committed to developing a range of tributes that show just how much Phillip was loved by the Australian cricket community.”The five-day delay to the start of the Test series could also have consequences for the squads picked by each team. India’s captain MS Dhoni had been ruled out of the first Test at the Gabba due to an injury to his right thumb and Australia’s captain Michael Clarke seemed certain to miss due to a hamstring injury. However, both men will now have extra recovery time ahead of the new first Test.Clarke, though, has naturally been unable to continue his rehabilitation programme over the past week. He has flown to Macksville ahead of Wednesday’s funeral, while several other New South Wales-based members of the Test squad attended state training in Sydney on Monday, for the first time since Hughes died on Thursday. Brad Haddin and Josh Hazlewood were among the Test squad members who took part in a light training session.Cricket Australia also needed to make a decision on the next round of Sheffield Shield matches, which was to begin this Friday. One of the games, between New South Wales and Queensland, is scheduled to be played at the SCG, where Hughes was struck by a bouncer last Tuesday. Late on Monday night, the Cricket Australia website fixture had those games listed to start four days later, on December 9.Grade cricket in Sydney and Adelaide was cancelled over the weekend but club cricket continued at lower levels, and at suburban grounds all around the country tributes were paid to Hughes.An especially poignant moment occurred in a grade match in Perth, where Ashton Agar was dismissed for 98 while batting for University on Saturday. It was the same score that Agar made on Test debut at Trent Bridge last year, when he batted with Hughes for more than two hours and set a new Test record for a tenth-wicket Test partnership.

David Nixon, the announcer who was ‘stood down’ by Cricket Australia at lunch on the second day of England’s tour game in Alice Springs, has vehemently denied any suggestion that he made racially insensitive remarks

George Dobell02-Dec-2013David Nixon, the announcer who was ‘stood down’ by Cricket Australia at lunch on the second day of England’s tour game in Alice Springs, has vehemently denied any suggestion that he made racially insensitive remarks.While Nixon admitted his irreverent style was not to everyone’s taste and accepted he greeted Monty Panesar’s introduction into the attack with something of a flourish, he said: “I absolutely refute any allegation that I feigned an Indian accent.””For most of my adult life I have worked with people from diverse social and ethnic backgrounds to help them share their stories,” Nixon, an ABC employee who had volunteered to help at the game, said. “My focus in that work is to help overcome any sensationalist or negative stereotypes that can sometimes filter through the media. That I find myself in the eye of this storm is upsetting in the extreme.”I fail to see how anyone could interpret my introduction of Monty Panesar as racial slurring. I am certainly responsible for what I say, but not what people hear.”I had, however, been rebuked by a Cricket Australia representative on a number of occasions for my irreverence. ‘That’s not how we roll’ the CA staffer said after I’d welcomed patrons to the ground on day two then mentioned that both teams were on the ground were practising their interpretive dance moves. They were stretching pre-match.”Upon arriving back at my post after the lunch break on day two, I was met by a Cricket Australia representative who politely said words to the effect of, ‘We think that your personal style conflicts with ours and so we’ve relieved you for the afternoon.’ There was no mention made of my introduction of Monty Panesar or of a complaint being made. There was and is no evidence to support the allegation whatsoever and I will seek clarification from Cricket Australia on their decision to stand me down.”The ICC has confirmed that they will not be getting involved in the situation.