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Six men’s titles in two seasons has cemented this WA side as the dominant force in the Australian game

Tristan Lavalette26-Mar-2023Not long after Cameron Bancroft’s boundary sealed Western Australia’s Sheffield Shield title defence, those left marvelling at cricket’s undisputed domestic powerhouse were trying to pinpoint their seemingly magical formula for success.WA’s nine-wicket victory over Victoria in the final at the capped their second straight season of capturing a treble of domestic titles when put alongside Perth Scorchers’ BBL successes.Even though the hierarchy at the WACA prefer a measured approach, which is drilled down into their players, talk of a dynasty was unavoidable after WA had won their sixth straight title.Victoria coach Chris Rogers is perhaps well placed to judge where this WA team stacks up in history having been at the helm of consecutive unsuccessful Shield finals against his home state.Related

• Inglis ton, Agar five-for power Western Australia to Marsh Cup title

• 'I thought that my red-ball career had passed me by' – Turner after drought-breaking century

• Western Australia's trophy surge continues with back-to-back Sheffield Shield titles

As a gritty opener, Rogers was coming through the WA ranks during the late 1990s when the stacked team was led by legendary skipper Tom Moody and featured Test legends Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist, Damien Martyn and Mike Hussey amongst others.He sees parallels with the likes of teenaged Teague Wyllie and emerging allrounder Aaron Hardie destined for international opportunities having played valuable roles in WA’s back-to-back Shield triumphs.”I started playing when we had all the legends under Tom Moody and that was an incredible side and this side is doing great things if not better than that era,” Rogers said. “They’ve got a great squad and amazing depth.”WA’s eventual comprehensive triumph masked periods in a see-saw of final where they were seriously challenged by an emerging Victoria looking to kick-start a successful era of their own.Like they’ve shown repeatedly in recent years through the various formats, WA proved decisive in key moments especially on day two when they slumped to 4 for 53 in their first innings in reply to Victoria’s 195.
On a green-tinged surface against a strong Victoria attack, WA was in a precarious position until composed veteran Ashton Turner came to the rescue with a game-changing cavalier century to restore his team’s advantage.He combined in key partnerships with Hardie, Josh Philippe and Joel Paris to deflate Victoria who could never recover.”We speak as a group a lot about key moments in games and a theme for this week was ‘walk towards the pressure’,” said Paris, who combined with Turner in an invaluable 105-run partnership while also taking five wickets for the match.”They put a lot of pressure on us. Ash and I spoke about how we wanted to keep them out there as long as possible. We cashed in on the back end and got us to the lead which made it really tough for them.”WA’s sustained success has been built around a local core and continuity with the only change from last year’s title-winning side being Turner replacing recently retired Shaun Marsh.”All of us are from WA originally. A lot of the players have played together or against each other since we were playing Under 9s and 10s,” Paris said. “When you’re on the road as much as we are throughout the season, the closeness of the group is super important.”We understand each other as cricketers and people better than anyone and that certainly goes a long way when we’re out in the middle.”Ashton Turner has not been a regular in red-ball cricket but played the defining innings•Getty Images

The tight knit nature of the playing group memorably reared when Turner reached his first Shield century in more than five years, triggering raw emotion from his teammates in the dressing room.”My favourite moment was seeing AT score a hundred,” said Bancroft, who was part of all three titles this season. “It’s been a big journey for him in red-ball cricket. He spoke that morning [on day two] about being really brave and taking the game on, which is what he does best. To watch that come into action was pretty special and something all the team is proud of.”The camaraderie is a far cry from the dark days of WA cricket in the 2000s during a period marked by ill-discipline and little silverware leading to the recruitment of Langer as coach in 2012.”We’ve been building for some time. [The turnaround] probably started when JL came on board and he showed the core group of players that we have now what it truly means to be professional athletes and professional cricketers,” Paris said. “Winning Shield titles is so hard. We’ve identified this as a special group….I’m really lucky to be a part of.”While WA’s players were diplomatic of their feats as per the organisation’s well-worn mantra, the revelry was starting to kick-in from the terraces with those involved savouring this new golden era.”Six titles in a couple of years is pretty unheard of. The challenge is to keep being consistent,” Bancroft said. “But that’s not a conversation for today. We’ll enjoy tonight and this win.”

Afghanistan board says postponement “due to the inability of arranging the required broadcasting services by the host country”

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2022The Afghanistan Cricket Board said on Saturday that its team’s tour of Zimbabwe, scheduled for early February, has been postponed. The series cannot take place as scheduled “due to the inability of arranging the required broadcasting services by the host country,” the ACB said in a statement.This is the second time the series has been pushed back – it was initially meant to be played in December 2021, but was put off then at the ACB’s request following the Omicron outbreak.”We were in contact with Zimbabwe Cricket [in December] on how to proceed with the series upon the breakout of a new Covid-19 variant in Zimbabwe. Then considering the circumstances in Zimbabwe, both parties agreed to proceed with the series in February,” ACB cricket operations manager, Abdul Wali Amin, was quoted as saying in the board’s statement. “We had then assessed and negotiated the concerns related to Covid-19 and travel restrictions in Zimbabwe. We had also reached an agreement with ZC to proceed with the series as planned in February.”But we were informed by ZC that they are unable to secure the required broadcast services including the Decision Review System, so the tour was postponed for the second time.”The series was scheduled to include three ODIs, which count towards the World Cup Super League, and five T20Is.The ACB is now “working on” firming up Afghanistan’s tour of Bangladesh in February, for three ODIs (World Cup Super League) and two T20Is, as per the ICC’s Future Tours Programme.

Feroze Khushi seen trying to avoid beer being poured over him after Bob Willis Trophy win

George Dobell28-Sep-2020Essex have admitted “further work needs to be done” on their approach to diversity after photographs of their celebrations at Lord’s appeared to show a Muslim player being showered with alcohol.Essex lifted the Bob Willis Trophy on Sunday, triggering scenes of jubilation on the balcony of their dressing room at Lord’s. Amid the photographs of those moments, Feroze Khushi, a 21-year-old batsman who played several games in the earlier stages of the tournament, is seen grimacing as beer is poured over his head by another young player on the staff. ESPNcricinfo has chosen not to name that player.While Essex released a statement insisting the club “pride themselves on their work within multi-diverse communities”, they admitted the celebrations “did not meet the inclusive values of the organisation”.”As an organisation, Essex County Cricket Club prides themselves on their work within multi-diverse communities throughout the county and the surrounding areas,” the statement said.”For a substantial period of time, Essex have had a multi-diverse team with players from different backgrounds, religions, and races, where cricket is at the heart of these communities.”The club has worked extremely hard and will continue to bring cricket to anybody and everybody, and educate on diversity, but further work needs to be done across both sport and society in general, to widen people’s knowledge and make them more aware of cultural differences.”Essex County Cricket Club are in regular dialogue with the ECB and the PCA around the education and development in this area.”But the statement left some members of the Muslim cricket community underwhelmed. “I’m not really satisfied with that,” Sajid Patel of the National Cricket League, told ESPNcricinfo. “We’ve been discussing such issues for a long time. I would have thought the answers to these issues had filtered down by now.”I don’t think there’s any benefit in blaming one, young player. Looking at those photographs, it seems the issue is more about ignorance than malice. No doubt the young man will learn from the experience.”But I do blame the whole system. I do blame the team manager and the senior players who didn’t foresee this problem. I do think the PCA should be doing more to educate young players in this regard.”In recent years, England’s Test and ODI teams – which have regularly featured two Muslim players in Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid – have desisted from spraying champagne during their trophy presentations to allow the pair to take a fuller part in the celebrations.”We’ve seen the England team manage their celebrations in such a way that the Muslim players are included,” Patel added. “We should be better than this by now.”

No stopping Gary Ballance as he brings up another ton to knock on England selectors’ door

Paul Edwards at Headingley30-May-2019
It was easy to give one’s attention solely to the fluxions of this fine match today. Many Yorkshire spectators at Headingley did so and were rewarded for their quiet devotion by their favourites’ determined attempt to win a game hitherto cursed by rain. After challenging Hampshire to score 279 runs in 48 overs, Steve Patterson’s bowlers took three early wickets before tea and came in to a warm ovation at the Kirkstall Lane End.The Yorkshire bowlers’ efforts were then frustrated by a fine fourth-wicket stand between Joe Weatherley and Rilee Rossouw which was worth 102 runs and used up 23 overs. Weatherley was eventually dismissed for 66 by Dom Bess, who also bowled Ian Holland for 14 and those late successes justified Steve Patterson’s decision to keep Hampshire’s batsmen under his yoke until only two overs remained. But a little of the zip had gone out of Yorkshire’s effort by then and a draw was a fair result after a game to which Hampshire had contributed a great deal.But it was also permissible, as we watched the day unfold, to have another stage in one’s mind and the roads two cricketers had not travelled.For example at 1.53 there was the rather poignant sight of David Willey going out to bat. Around 198 miles away at The Oval England were 283 for 6 and one pondered the thoughts going through the mind of an all-rounder who had hoped to be playing World Cup cricket on this day. His thoughts were probably very professional; sportsmen must apply themselves to the task at hand. All the same, while some paths are less travelled by choice, others are suddenly barred. In the event Willey was soon crashing Fidel Edwards through the covers and his brisk 26 not out helped Yorkshire post 322 for 5 declared, thereby asking Hampshire to score at 5.8 runs per over, a gauntlet they scorned.And Duanne Olivier also played a part in this game’s final narratives. As his South African countrymen were going out to bat at The Oval, Olivier was accepting a return catch from Oli Soames whose top-edged pull gave Yorkshire’s cricketers their first hint that they might accomplish something remarkable. Late in February Olivier decided to throw in his lot with English cricket and signed a contract at Headingley. Had he not done so, he, too, might have been at The Oval.Instead he was in Leeds and a few moments later was celebrating with his colleagues after Ajinkya Rahane attempted a rather flowery drive to a delivery slanting in to him from Ben Coad and merely inside-edged the ball onto his middle stump. Like Soames, he departed for nought and the visitors were 7 for 2. As if to reward Patterson’s cricketers, the sun came out at Headingley and there was a further prize for them just before tea when Sam Northeast clipped Coad low to Willey at short midwicket.The cricket after tea became a gentle adagio as Rossouw and Weatherley exhibited technical skill and sound temperaments to blunt Yorkshire’s attack. Eventually, even the true believers at the Kirkstall Lane End became reconciled to the draw. Then Bess had Weatherley caught at short midwicket by Willey and they believed again, though only for a few overs. Thoughts drifted back to the cricket they had seen and the possibility that had not rain intervened on all four days of this game, the match would have been decided by Wednesday evening. And perhaps they also thought about Gary Ballance.Neither gentle shower nor savage tempest is sufficient to curb Ballance at the moment. The former Yorkshire skipper’s hunger for runs appears almost unlimited and yesterday he brought up his fourth century in six innings this season when he eased Mason Crane through the covers for a couple of runs. Ballance had already levied leg-side boundaries off Crane and Holland but was dismissed for exactly 100 six balls after reaching three figures when a full length ball from Crane hit him low on the pad and Rob Bailey sent him on his wayNevertheless, Ballance has now scored 538 runs in the 2019 Championship at an average of 89.66. Moreover, it is believed he is the first Yorkshire cricketer to score centuries in five successive matches. This, in a county that has produced Louis Hall, Percy Holmes, Herbert Sutcliffe, Len Hutton, Geoffrey Boycott. The England selectors are currently preoccupied with other matters, but having knocked politely on their door, Ballance is now thumping very loudly upon it. A couple more centuries over the next fortnight would lift the thing off its hinges and what the selectors do then is up to them.What they did to David Willey, no doubt with appropriate compassion, was clear this evening. Cricket is a beautiful but very tough game and Willey would have it no other way. Just after half-past five England completed their victory at The Oval. They did so amid the cheers of thousands and the salutes of sharp-suited pundits. Just over half an hour later, Willey walked off the field at Headingley after another day as a professional cricketer.

Dhanmondi topple table-toppers Abahani, while Rupganj and Gazi Group pick up comfortable victories

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-2018In his first game after the gates closed on Zimbabwe’s entry into the World Cup following a heartbreaking loss to UAE, Sikandar Raza’s breezy 90 helped Gazi Group Cricketers to a 34-run win over Kheleghar Samaj Kallyan Samity in the Dhaka Premier League’s Super League.Raza struck seven fours and four sixes in his 84-ball innings that powered Gazi Group to 304 for 6 in 50 overs. Raza built on a solid platform of 108 for 2 in the 21st over, laid by Imrul Kayes (63) and Mominul Haque (47). He put on 55 with Asif Ahmed for the fourth wicket and then added another 71 runs with Nadif Chowdhury, before falling in the 47th over. Nadif struck three sixes and a four in his 35-ball 45.In reply, Khelaghar openers Robiul Islam and Mahidul Islam put together 108 runs for the opening stand. Both batsmen were dismissed in the 60s, but the middle-order couldn’t build on the good work. That meant Mausam Khan’s 44 off 41 balls at No. 7 went in vain as Khelaghar still fell well short. Abu Hider took three wickets, while Mahedi Hasan got two.Unmukt Chand’s second successive hundred helped Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club beat table-toppers Abahani Limited by 26 runs at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium.Batting first, Dhanmondi Club reached 256 for 8 in 50 overs, with Chand top-scoring with 101 off 138 balls that included eight fours and three sixes. He shared a 90-run opening stand with Shykat Ali, and an 81-run third wicket stand with Tanbir Hayder, before Dhanmondi went on to lose six wickets for 81 runs.Mashrafe Mortaza, who had just taken three wickets, then went out to open the batting for the first time in his List-A career. But he had a short stay, as did many of the other top and middle-order batsmen. The lower order fared much better with solid contributions but Abahani were limited to 230 nonetheless. Abu Jayed and Robiul Haque took three wickets each.Mohammad Naim’s stroke-filled 88 took Legends of Rupganj to a five-wicket win over Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.Batting first, Doleshwar reached 257 for 5 in 50 overs on the back of Liton Das’ third century in the tournament. He struck nine fours and two sixes in his 126-ball knock. After putting on 69 runs for the first wicket with Imtiaz Hossain, Liton put together a 113-run second wicket stand with Fazle Mahmud (46). Prime Doleshwar lost four wickets in the last 10 overs, but quick bursts from Iqbal Abdulla (42* off 22) and Farhad Reza (29 off 22) ensured it didn’t hurt the finish.Chasing 258 to win, Naim and Abdul Mazid started very well with a 140-run opening stand. Naim struck six fours and five sixes in his 101-ball knock. Mazid was a lot more sedate, collecting 58 off 90 balls. After their dismissals, Mushfiqur Rahim (41) and Naeem Islam (31) took Rupganj closer before they won with eight balls to spare.

A round-up of the WICB Regional Super50 matches played on January 31, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2017Trindad & Tobago decimated West Indies Under-19s for 58 in the course of their eight-wicket win at North Sound on Tuesday. Having put West Indies U-19 in to bat, Sheldon Cottrell went on to scythe through the line-up, finishing with returns of 7-4-6-3 to pick up the Man-of-the-Match award. Seamer Roshon Primus and left-arm spinner Khary Pierre also took two wickets each during an innings that lasted only 31 overs.West Indies U-19s’ total of 58 was largely down to wicketkeeper Emmanuel Stewart’s 60-ball 30, with none of the other batsmen even reaching double-figures. T&T needed only 10.2 overs to brush past the target, for the loss of their openers. The win helped T&T climb to second place on the table, even as West Indies U-19s languish at the bottom of Group A.An unbeaten 84-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Adam Ball and wicketkeeper Adam Rouse sealed a four-wicket win for Kent, after Calum Haggett (4-59) and Imran Qayyum (3-42) had restricted Windward Islands to 241 for 9.Having been put in to bat, Windward were struggling at 91 for 5, with Haggett and Qayyum having taken four of the five wickets at this stage. Sunil Ambris’ 69-ball 50 – his third fifty-plus score in four matches – pushed the score to 241 with help from the lower order, particularly Windward captain Liam Sebastien (32), seamer Kyle Mayers (37 not out) and Darren Sammy (23). Kent captain Sam Northeast’s 49 and his 60-run partnership for the second wicket with opener Sean Dickson (36) stabilized Kent quickly after the fall of Daniel Bell-Drummond.Windward staged a fightback in the middle overs, claiming three wickets for 18 runs at one stage but Ball and Rouse squashed the opposition’s chances with a rapid partnership that came off 74 balls. Ball was unbeaten on 40 off 46, while Rouse scored 36 off 37 as Kent reached the target with 23 balls to spare.

Ellyse Perry played a dominant part in the Southern Stars’ consolation victory over India, in the third match of the women’s Twenty20 series

The Report by Daniel Brettig31-Jan-2016
ScorecardEllyse Perry finished with career-best figures of 4 for 12•Getty Images

Ellyse Perry played a dominant part in the Southern Stars’ consolation victory over India, in the third match of the women’s Twenty20 series, at the SCG.Having chosen to play in the third T20 match rather than appear in the W-League grand final, which also happened to fall on Sunday, Perry made it count by striking 55 from 41 balls then dismantling India’s middle order in a swift and accurate second spell that left her with memorable figures of 4 for 12 – a new personal best in T20s.A pair of successful chases in Adelaide and Melbourne had already given India the series victory, so it was no surprise to see Mithali Raj send the Australians in to bat after a successful call at the toss. Things did not look like improving for the hosts when Alyssa Healy perished to the very first ball of the match from Jhulan Goswami.However the Southern Stars captain Meg Lanning combined with Beth Mooney for a steadying stand, setting down a platform that allowed Perry to launch when she arrived at the crease in the eighth over. While wickets fell regularly at the other end, Perry’s sure eye and considerable power had her clearing the ropes three times to help Australia to a more than defendable tally of 136.A crowd that would build up to 7,169 by the finish was left to wonder for some time whether this would turn out to be a series sweep by India, as Vellaswamy Vanitha, Veda Krishnamurthy and Harmanpreet Kaur all made strong contributions. But none were able to go on from their starts to the sort of substantial score Perry had made, and from 3 for 94 in the 14th over things began to unravel.Rene Farrell had made a key incision by defeating Raj with a perfectly-pitched slower ball out the back of the hand, but the slide was to be largely induced by Perry’s speed and accuracy. She epitomised this with a fast and precise delivery that splayed the stumps of Anuja Patel.Perry’s four wickets more or less decided the contest before Farrell claimed one more wicket when Shikha Pandey skied one for Healy to pouch, and the last two overs played out without India ever looking like reaching the target.

After three competitive days, Ireland were overturned on the final day in Belfast as Moises Henriques’ four wickets bowled Australia A to a 93-run victory

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jun-2013
ScorecardMoises Henriques took 4 for 22 in the second innings•Getty Images

After three competitive days, Ireland were overturned on the final day in Belfast as Moises Henriques’ four wickets bowled Australia A to a 93-run victory.The margin of victory threatened to be much wider as Ireland slipped to 112 for 7 chasing 301 to win but Stuart Poynter made 63 at No. 9 to give the scoreboard respectability, which Ireland had earned with a good account of themselves.Poynter, in-form after 172 for MCC Young Cricketers earlier this month, played with a maturity and confidence which belied his 22 years. He struck nine boundaries in a 79-ball stay and, with his former Ireland Under-19 world cup colleague Stuart Thompson, made the Australians work for the final wickets.Poynter and Thompson shared an eighth wicket stand of 70 in 17 overs before Thompson became the third of three wickets for offspinner Nathan Lyon when he was trapped lbw for 23.Lyon had made the initial breakthrough on day four, after the morning session was lost to rain, having Andrew White well caught by Nic Maddinson at short leg off bat and pad.James Shannon followed in identical fashion just eight runs later, and when Henriques removed John Mooney for a duck and Kevin O’Brien for 10 in quick succession, Ireland had lost four wickets for just 20 runs. But Poynter and Thompson ensured Ireland were not embarrassed.They might have hoped to get closer to the target but their chase was hampered on the third evening when they slipped to 38 for 3. Shannon and White managed to take the total to 98 for 3 but the introduction of Lyon put paid to their hopes.Lyon’s potential rival for an Ashes spot, legspinner Fawad Ahmed, took his first wicket in Australian colours when Trent Johnston was lbw for 5 and the match was wrapped up when Poynter’s cameo ended when he gave wicketkeeper Brad Haddin his fifth catch of the innings – Peter Siddle finally getting the reward that his display deserved.

Nick Compton got over the disappointed of not reaching 1,000 runs before the end of May by scoring a century at New Road

Jon Culley at New Road01-Jun-2012
ScorecardNick Compton got over the disappointed of not reaching 1,000 runs before the end of May by scoring a century•PA Photos

He got there in the end, if a day too late. Denied ultimately by the weather, although typically blaming himself for missed opportunities earlier in the journey, Nick Compton may have failed to reach 1,000 first-class runs before the end of May but has the consolation of becoming the earliest to reach the mark since the man who last achieved it.Compton’s third Championship century of the summer – and his fourth in an almost-historic sequence of 13 first-class innings that also includes a 99 – took him to 1,049 runs for the season. He is the quickest into four figures by date since Graeme Hick completed his 1,000 on the same ground on May 28, 1988. That distinction had been held for the last eight years by Rob Key, the Kent and former England batsman, who passed 1,000 on June 2 in 2004.It had been Compton’s bad luck to be stranded on 9 not out when rain halted play less than an hour after lunch on the second day. He had waited for three hours subsequently, either staring at the covers on the square from the players’ balcony or inquiring with the umpires as to why they were not being removed at moments when it seemed the drizzle had stopped. But to no avail.At the start of the third day, delayed for 35 minutes by more rain, it was as if he had determined that he would at least get there no more than one day in arrears. The core of his batting philosophy these days is never to sell his wicket cheaply but seldom can he have applied it more rigorously.Bizarrely, he scored a boundary off the fifth ball of the day, with something of a loose stroke, by his standards, to a ball from David Lucas outside off stump that he played some way from his body. It would be the last moment of anything that could be remotely likened to indiscretion.The shot took him to 13 not out from 27 balls. He had faced 77 more before his next boundary advanced his score to 25. Even by his own risk-nothing policy, this was extraordinarily cautious stuff, so patient that in one particularly watchful period he saw off 30 deliveries in a row without taking a run.Then, as if he were suddenly sure of the outcome, finally certain beyond any inkling of self-doubt that he had the measure of the situation, he began to identify chances he could take. From 21, he reached 59 – the magic number – in only 36 more balls.It came at around 10 minutes to three – 24 hours later than he would have preferred, for sure but with no sense of failure in his reaction. Having cracked Gareth Andrew for a superb drive through the covers off the back foot, bringing him his 10th boundary to that point, he dabbed the next ball to third man for a comfortable single. As he ran, he celebrated with a clenched fist and a shout of “yes”, then dropped to one knee and pumped his right arm, getting up to embrace his partner, Jos Buttler, and acknowledge the warm applause from the home spectators.Clearly relieved to have the burden of expectation lifted from him, delighted with himself for having maintained his concentration despite the disappointment he had felt the day before, Compton steadied himself, content to play second fiddle again, if not quite so quietly.He and Jos Buttler added 167 in 34 overs for the fifth wicket, enough to banish the possibility, briefly suggested that the Somerset innings might have crumbled when James Hildreth and Craig Kieswetter fell in consecutive balls to Jack Shantry before lunch.Hildreth, whose innings Compton had made to seem freakishly quick, hit 52 off only 76 balls before Shantry pinned him in the crease. Their partnership for the third wicket put on 75 in 25.1 overs, to which Compton contributed 17. It rewarded a spell of tight, disciplined bowling from Shantry and Gareth Andrew. Shantry followed it up with an equally good ball, one that moved away enough to find the edge as Kieswetter reached forward.Buttler matched Hildreth’s aggressive approach, gathering 14 fours, plus a six off Moeen Ali’s offspin. He had an escape, on 23, when Lucas could not hold a return catch but clearly felt he had missed an opportunity when, on 85, he lofted a leg side stroke off the same bowler and was caught by Matt Pardoe at deep midwicket. He whacked the bat against his pad as he walked away.Compton completed his century half an hour after tea, before the second new ball, at the first sight of which Peter Trego gave a catch, well held, to Pardoe at extra cover; his defences beaten at last. It gave a fourth wicket to Shantry, the left-arm seamer, who moved one away a little to beat his upright bat and clip off stump.There was disappointment again, but rather less, one suspected than the evening before, when he realised his sleepless nights had come to nothing. He will not yet sit alongside Bradman and Hammond and Edrich and Grace in the record books but he is a fine batsman regardless of that, worthy of the family name. There is probably not scope, from here, to forge a result in this match but it has been an uplifting occasion, nonetheless.

Unofficial approaches have been made to Cricket Australia to join the AFL in helping to fund the Adelaide Oval redevelopment.

Daniel Brettig20-May-2011An embryonic proposal for cricket to match Australian football’s financial contribution to the Adelaide Oval redevelopment has been passed on to Cricket Australia.The AFL has stated its intention to make a significant financial investment in the Aus$ 535 million Oval upgrade, and CA are understood to have been informally asked for a similar investment in the project. However the prospect of CA providing money to help take the Oval’s capacity to 50,000 has been met with little enthusiasm by cricket administrators.Unlike the AFL, CA have never taken on a responsibility to invest in the upkeep of grounds around the country. Its board comprises representatives from the state associations who are each responsible for the maintenance of their own venues. Money earned from the game at a national level is funnelled back into the states, while CA’s coffers are committed to the development of the national team and the growth of the game around the country.”Cricket Australia doesn’t make capital investments in venues. Our charter is based around organising and implementing cricket programming – we don’t invest in infrastructure,” a CA spokesman told . “It is nothing to do with our financial situation, all to do with our governance structure. The states are responsible for their cricket grounds.”Adelaide Oval’s upgrade, due to be completed by 2014, was cleared to proceed earlier this month when South Australian Cricket Association members voted overwhelmingly in favour of changing the SACA constitution to allow control of the venue to be handed over to the Stadium Management Authority, comprising representatives from cricket and football. The arrangement will effectively cede major control of the ground to football as the venue’s major revenue-raiser ahead of cricket.The SMA has publicly stated its desire to seek out all possible options to add funding to the project.Football’s financial strength was placed in sharp relief by the meeting of Australian sports CEOs at an annual lunch in Sydney. Having just negotiated a new television rights deal that reaped a staggering $1.253 billion for the AFL, the league’s chief executive Andrew Demetriou spoke of the war-chest available for the creation of two new expansion clubs in Queensland and New South Wales.”We spent three years planning for both those clubs,” Demetriou said. “We’ve budgeted $20 million over the first six years and we’ve allocated those funds. There’s a contingency fund if things don’t go right, but we are working with those clubs to promote off-field revenue and on-field success with the support of the other 16 clubs.”Clearly the AFL has the sort of financial clout that CA, and all other sporting bodies in Australia, can only dream of, allowing the league to invest in projects like the oval upgrade. By contrast, part of the $535 million cost of the project, to be largely funded by the South Australian government, is destined to go towards debt relief for the SACA following the earlier construction of the new Western Stand.Cricket in Australia remains largely dependent on Indian money to balance budgets, something that has struck a slight hurdle in recent months due to the strength of the Australian dollar relative to the Indian and US currencies. Meanwhile the AFL is yet to finalise exactly how much it will contribute to Adelaide Oval.”We haven’t had a discussion on that yet, it’ll be in the millions but we’re waiting for costings and the financial planning to be completed,” an AFL spokesman said.