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Josh Hazlewood is out of the fifth Ashes Test and the coach Darren Lehmann has been moved to explain why

Daniel Brettig19-Aug-2015Josh Hazlewood is out of the fifth Investec Test and for the seventh time on this and the previous West Indies tour Peter Siddle’s claims appear likely to be ignored by the selectors, opening the way for Pat Cummins to resume his Test career.The coach Darren Lehmann has been moved to explain why Hazlewood will not be playing, but a cloud remains over how the most experienced seam bowler in the tour party has not been used even once on this trip, even as England have prepared a succession of green, seaming surfaces ideally suited to Siddle’s skills.Siddle was understood to be utterly bereft about his omission for the Trent Bridge Test, and confided to his former captain Ricky Ponting that he felt his last chance to play for Australia had gone. The pitch for the Oval Test looks likely to provide similar levels of assistance to the bowlers, but with the Ashes gone it is likely that Cummins will be chosen alongside Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc.The captain Michael Clarke said that Siddle remained in contention to play, and that at the age of 30 he should not be discarded as an Australian pace bowler. “Sidds is still working extremely hard and continues to get better,” Clarke said. “He’s played a few of the practice games and probably hasn’t got as many wickets as he would’ve liked.”But he’s certainly in contention for this Test match. He might’ve had a niggle after the tour game so the medical staff have tried to look after that. He bowled fine yesterday, I faced him in the nets and he bowled really well. Sidds is only 30 so I think he’s got plenty of time left in him, and he’s been a big part of the Australian Test team over a period of time.”Siddle has not played a Test since the first match of last summer in Adelaide when he bowled poorly while battling illness. Hazlewood has been preferred in each match since then, and Siddle was not awarded a Cricket Australia contract despite being chosen for this tour. The pitches in England seemed to create the ideal scenario for his inclusion as a consistent seam and swing bowler of much experience.Hazlewood, meanwhile, has struggled to maintain consistency, and Lehmann and the selection chairman Rod Marsh were seen in lengthy conversation with him in Northamptonshire. Lehmann said it had been decided that the least experienced member of the bowling attack needed rest before niggles became larger issues.”Josh has played six Tests since the West Indies tour and the last nine Tests for Australia, as well as playing an important part in the World Cup,” Lehmann said. “He has managed to get through this period without any major injury which is pleasing, though currently he does have some niggling problems that we would like to manage. As such, he was not considered for selection for the 5th Test.”On his return to Australia his niggles will be investigated further and he will work with our coaches, and our medical and fitness staff to have him prepared for the next series he is selected to play in.”Lehmann’s clarification leaves Cummins very much in line to play, resuming his Test career nearly four years after he made a memorable debut against South Africa in Johannesburg, taking the Man-of-the-Match award in a narrow victory on a helpful pitch for bowlers. According to Clarke, The Oval looks to be another such surface.”It still looks pretty green from the boundary so I imagine it will look even greener up close,” Clarke said. “It’s going to be another really tough Test match for the batters, but we just have to find a way to fight our backsides off, whether it goes two days or three days I’d just like us to be on the right side of that two or three days.”Mitchell Marsh has also firmed to return to the side ahead of his brother Shaun, after the latter was seen in deep conversation with Rod Marsh during Australia’s final training session.

England continued their remarkable resurgence in limited-overs cricket with the third-largest victory in their history over New Zealand in the one-off T20 at Old Trafford

The Report by George Dobell23-Jun-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:26

England produce another box office performance

England continued their remarkable resurgence in limited-overs cricket with the third largest victory in their history over New Zealand in the one-off T20 at Old Trafford.England had won only three of their previous 12 T20 matches and, in that period, suffered a defeat to Netherlands. But inspired by their young players – there were three T20I debutants in this side – and a newly acquired aggressive approach, they followed the 12th highest total in their T20 history, and the fifth highest in England, with a disciplined display of bowling that eventually saw New Zealand lose their last five wickets for the addition of just four runs in 12 legitimate deliveries.Only 11 times have they been bowled out more cheaply in a T20. Their captian, Brendon McCullum, rated their batting as “pretty amateurish.”The result, an England win by 56 runs, means that a New Zealand side that were thought by many to be the strongest to have toured the UK depart without a series win in any of the formats. They were previously held to a draw in the Test series and lost the ODI series.When they cruised to 89 for 2 in the ninth over with Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson together, it seemed New Zealand were on course for victory. Jonny Bairstow, deputising with the gloves for the injured Jos Buttler, had just missed a simple opportunity offered by Taylor off the unfortunate Ben Stokes and Williamson was batting with the class and composure that has become his trademark.But then Taylor miscued an attempted lofted drive and, while Williamson went on to compile the second half-century, and highest score, of his T20I career, nobody else could reach double-figures.Mark Wood claimed three wickets as England knocked over New Zealand•Getty Images

Mark Wood, one of England’s debutants, finished with three wickets – doubling his career tally in the format – as reward for his pace and full length, with David Willey, another debutant, also claiming three wickets as reward for his control and yorker length.By the time Williamson, called for an optimistic single by Nathan McCullum, was run out by an outstanding pick-up and throw from Willey, with one stump to aim at, from cover point, New Zealand were doomed. The last three batsmen failed to score.It was an impressive performance in the field from England. Willey, finding some late swing, claimed the wicket of Martin Guptill in the first over of the reply with a beauty that pitched on off stump and nipped back to hit leg, while McCullum’s early assault – he crashed four sixes and two fours in his 15-ball stay – was ended by a fine piece of bowling from Wood who, spotting the batsman giving himself room, went wide of the crease and followed McCullum with a yorker-length delivery. McCullum could only edge it on to his stumps.Earlier Joe Root sustained his excellent form with another half-century. Striking the ball with a power that belies his relatively willowy frame, he combined innovation with convention to put England on target to a substantial total. Starting with a rasping cut to the boundary, he showed a willingness to hit over the top, an ability to execute the reverse sweep against balls even outside leg stump and his now established ability to pick up the length unusually fast.At one stage England took 23 from a Nathan McCullum over with Root pulling two fours before Sam Billings thrashed two fours and a six off the final ball full toss.Given a bright start through Alex Hales and Jason Roy, who drove two sixes over long-on in Mitchell McClenaghan’s first over, they stuttered in mid-innings when Bairstow was bowled by a beauty from debutant Mitchell Santner, who produced a fine spell, that gripped and turned past his outside edge to hit the top of off stump and Eoin Morgan miscued to deep midwicket.But Stokes added late impetus and, with New Zealand starting to look weary at the end of a long season, took England to a total that proved more than enough.

“I am trying to wrap my head around,” says the captain about his side’s lack of intensity against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval

Firdose Moonda19-Feb-2022Dean Elgar did not blame off-field issues, quarantine or the absence of a warm-up match for South Africa’s lack of intensity in the first Test in Christchurch but thinks his team may be trying too hard in their quest to compete.Like coach Mark Boucher, Elgar could not completely “wrap my head,” around how South Africa have gone from the highs of beating India a month ago to the low of their second-biggest Test defeat ever, but could not fault their effort despite acknowledging a lack in intensity.”The harder you try, the more you fail,” Elgar said, in reference to his bowlers’ inability to hold an end on a seamer-friendly surface. In 117.5 overs, South Africa only sent down 15 maiden overs, compared to New Zealand’s 28 in 91 overs across both innings, and allowed the hosts to bat them out of the match.”It’s extremely frustrating being a captain and the ball has been hit both sides of the wicket. You can’t set a field for that,” Elgar said. “That’s down to execution and the skills department. I can’t say it was nerves. We were so deep into the game, those nerves were out of our system. It’s extremely difficult to build pressure when runs are being scored on both sides of the wicket. It also boils down to guys trying too hard. The harder you try, the more you fail. That might have been a scenario but it’s not an excuse. It allowed their middle-to-lower order to come in and dictate the pace of play. That was down to us not being consistent enough.”Ultimately, though, South Africa lost the match in the first innings, when they were dismissed for their lowest total against New Zealand – 95 – and looked completely at sea against the moving ball on a green top. Although Elgar said it “would have been nice to have played a warm-up game,” in the build-up to the match he indicated conditions at Lincoln University, where South Africa trained, equipped them well for the Hagley Oval and agreed that not having a competitive fixture before the Tests was not a reason for their collapse. “I am not going to use quarantine as an excuse. We are here to represent our country and we need to be firing by the time match day comes. If that is an excuse, it’s a very weak excuse to be using.”Instead, he explained the batters’ issues as a case of being too defensive, with 13 of the dismissals coming from catches behind the wicket. “When the ball is going around a little bit, you still have to have a positive mindset. You will have to look to score but in the same breath, you have to remain pretty disciplined within your game plans. That ties in with our intensity. That is one area that I can put my finger on,” he said.While it is unfair to single out one batter from South Africa’s poor performance, the spotlight has fallen on opener-turned-No. 3 Aiden Markram, who averages less than 26 in his last 20 Tests and 9.7 in his last 10 innings. Elgar still backs Markram as a quality player who is one good innings away from glory but admitted there is an issue around his form, which is probably caused by the same over-eagerness that affected the attack. “It’s not foreign that he has been struggling. I am sure that conversation will come up with the selectors,” Elgar said. “Maybe it’s the mental game he is fighting.”We know he is a quality player. He is only one innings away from turning a lot of things around for him. It’s also the same case of trying too hard. The conversation around his position has been in the media. The selectors have to have conversations around that. It’s a very valid question around him as a person and his capacity in the side. He needs to stop trying so hard. Naturally he is a gifted player and he is one score away from turning things around.”File photo – Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar runs between the wickets•AFP via Getty Images

Markam was moved down into the spot Keegan Petersen left vacant when he contracted Covid-19 but essentially operated as an opener in this match and could find himself benched when Petersen returns for the home series against Bangladesh, or sooner. South Africa have Ryan Rickelton, who is averaging over 100 in first-class cricket this season with three hundreds from his last five innings, in reserve. They were considering playing him in the first Test and will likely do so again in the second. It would seem a no-brainer, even though Boucher said the team management decided a line-up with Rickleton was, “how we felt the line-up needed to be,” and selection convener Victor Mpitsang told ESPNcricinfo Rickleton was overlooked because Zubayr Hamza has more experience.Elgar was asked if he was happy with team selection and indicated he was, with the debate in his mind over the ratio of batters to bowlers, rather than which batters were being used. “I was very comfortable with the XI we selected. I am a captain that is pro having a spinner from a stability point of view but history tells you at the Hagley Oval, spin doesn’t have much effect. Playing in foreign conditions you have to go with what history tells you,” he said. “I was comfortable with the four-seamer approach, knowing that against India we only used four seamers. As I sit here now, I am pretty comfortable with the 7-4 split but the next few days will be interesting for us on this very topic.”After losing in three days, South Africa have given themselves two extra days off before the second Test starts on Friday and Elgar said they will use the time to mull over selection and ponder why they appeared so flat in the first Test, knowing that it is not the myriad off-field issues that continue to plague South African cricket. “It’s not foreign to us with regards to what’s been happening off the field. As a group we’ve worked through that and worked it out already. I don’t see that as being an influence in our camp,” he said. “It (the poor performance) is something I am also trying to wrap my head around. I was trying to process it last night and still haven’t come to anything yet. Hopefully in the next day or two I’ll be able to put my finger on why.”

“It is very difficult to balance the side at the moment. I am not 100% sure if Shakib would be able to bowl”

Mohammad Isam18-Dec-2022Shakib Al Hasan is likely to play the Dhaka Test as a pure batter after he was unable to bowl post the first day in Chattogram. Head coach Russell Domingo said that they would have difficulty in balancing the side if that was the case, but would be happy having Shakib as batter and captain as they try to level the series.”He could play as a batter [only],” Domingo said after Bangladesh lost the first Test. “Obviously he didn’t bowl enough overs. He is still struggling with his shoulder and [ribcage] bruising. It left us with four bowlers – a big blow for us.”Ebadot [Hossain] broke down [too], so we were stuck with three bowlers. It is very difficult to balance the side at the moment. I am not 100% sure if Shakib would be able to bowl. He is definitely available to play as a batter, which is an issue for us. We need an allrounder.”Related

• 'We need to be more gritty' – spin-bowling coach Rangana Herath

• Allan Donald: Bangladesh fast bowlers 'have established the pack mentality'

• Debutant Zakir Hasan seizes his chance after years of domestic toil

Shakib made 84 in the second innings in Chattogram, getting out trying to slog Kuldeep Yadav as he looked for quick runs even as Bangladesh kept losing wickets at the other end on the fifth morning. The hosts eventually lost the match by 188 runs but Shakib’s batting was one of the few bright spots in the game.Domingo said that Shakib has shown that despite his “laidback” demeanour, he is hungry to perform in Tests. The topic came up for discussion after Shakib was not seen on the field for certain periods during India’s first innings, but Domingo believes Shakib wants to continue to play Tests.”It is a tricky question. It is a good question,” he said. “He comes across as very laidback, but when he is in the contest, he has pride in performance. Looking from the outside, you may think, ‘Does he really care?’. But I know that he has a lot of pride in performances. He doesn’t want to be embarrassed out there. He is competing 100%.”Bangladesh have brought on left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed as cover for Shakib, who is unlikely to bowl in the second Test. But Shakib’s fitness aside, they have other worries too – specifically with the bat. They were folded for 150 after India posted 404 in the first innings, before performing much better with the bat on the fourth day. However, late wickets meant survival would be difficult while chasing an improbable 513.Russell on debutant Zakir Hasan: “It was a no-brainer to pick him due to his confidence and form”•AFP/Getty Images

Domingo said that their top order “isn’t confident”, but the inclusion of Zakir Hasan was a timely one, as he brought recent runs from domestic and A cricket.”We wanted to compete. India is a good side, but once again, one bad session with the bat destroyed our chance in the match,” Domingo said. “Four-hundred is a good score, but it is manageable in Chittagong. We shouldn’t have been bowled out for 150 in the first innings. The most disappointing thing is the poor decision making from the batters.”There’s a lack of confidence in the top order. They are not managing to find a way to get out of the slump. There’s a whole host of players in the top five or six that haven’t played well or been as consistent as I had hoped. The young player who hasn’t played Tests with us is confident at the moment. He has shown us how to do it. He played really well.”Domingo was particularly disappointed at the timing of Litton Das’ dismissal on the fourth evening. He had built a nice defensive approach but six minutes before the tea break, dinked one straight to mid-on, playing what seemed like a half-hearted loft of Kuldeep.”I was disappointed with Litton’s dismissal, particularly the timing of it,” he said. “He is such a good player, so I am sure he’d be disappointed with it too. I can’t see Virat, Root, Smith or Marnus giving their wicket away in that sort of mode six minutes before tea. Litton is that good for us.”Domingo also explained that Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Mominul Haque were dropped due to lack of form.”It is based on the fact that domestically and for the A side, [Joy] hasn’t really got a lot of runs off late,” he said. “He hasn’t played international cricket for five to six months. It was a no-brainer to pick Zakir due to his confidence and form. That’s why Joy missed out.”Mominul got 10 of his 11 hundreds at this venue. He’d be the first to admit that in the last year, he hasn’t got the runs. But he is too good a player to not have around. You cannot lose a player of Mominul’s quality. He will definitely be considered for the second Test.”Mominul lacks confidence. He is under constant scrutiny, [and] pressure. He probably is trying too hard, listening to a lot of opinions, [and] trying a lot of things. He needs to go back to find his own to get runs. Some of the best players in the world have gone through slumps.”

The format of the qualifying stages of the World T20 means that Ireland have one step out of the door already, following their shock two-wicket defeat to Oman on Wednesday

The Preview by Sidharth Monga10-Mar-2016

Match facts

Friday, March 11, 2016
Start time 1930 local (1400 GMT)4:51

One bad day doesn’t make us a bad team – Murtagh

Big Picture

The format of the qualifying stages of the World T20 means that Ireland have one step out of the door already, following their shock two-wicket defeat to Oman on Wednesday. But given how Bangladesh too were rattled by the Netherlands despite the eight-run win, Ireland should be positive about making a comeback.And if that is not enough, Ireland will be playing against a team that has two of its bowlers’ actions being questioned by the ICC. The coach Chandika Hathurusingha hit back by saying he also questions the ICC on the matter, but the news will only make Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny look over their shoulder when they bowl on Friday.Ireland’s other advantage at this point is the fact that they have experienced playing in the late evening in Dharamsala and how dew becomes a factor. The manner in which the ball kept slipping out of Max Sorensen’s grip in that fateful final over was enough suggestion that the team defending a total must have more than enough on the board.They have the batting to do it, but they must realise the value of putting less pace on the ball so that they can benefit from a generally slow pitch. The inclusion of George Dockrell could remedy this problem in their pace-heavy bowling attack.They will first however have to deal with the in-form Tamim Iqbal. He forced the issue once he was hitting them well, and until that happened, he was taking a lot of singles and twos. The field often spread for him and, for a change in a T20 innings, Tamim mostly hit the gaps. He was smart too, by hitting straight most of the time, and he has always been very good at hitting through the off-side in-field.The other Bangladesh batsmen who have been struggling to either start well (Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim) or capitalise on the start (Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman) can take a tip or two from Tamim’s innings. If Bangladesh are to knock out Ireland, a more wholesome batting effort will be required given that their bowling attack could yet be depleted.

Form guide

Ireland LLWLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)

Bangladesh WLWWW

Watch out for

It was not just because of his 34-ball 38, the team’s highest score in their shock defeat to Oman. Gary Wilson also took the limelight for his Superman-like save on the boundary in the dying stages, saving his side five runs. More runs and such saves would be required against Bangladesh.Tamim Iqbal batted against the Netherlands like he did in the Pakistan Super League by starting off with a lot of singles and then finding the boundaries. Bangladesh would want him to follow up with another big one against Ireland.

Team news

Bangladesh will still wait on Mustafizur Rahman’s fitness and while the batting line-up doesn’t really require a change, left-arm quick Abu Hider could be called up if the team is looking to give Taskin Ahmed some time off with his bowling action being questioned by the ICC.Bangladesh (probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Sabbir Rahman, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Nasir Hossain, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 9 Al-Amin Hossain, 10 Arafat Sunny, 11 Taskin AhmedLeft-arm spinner George Dockrell should return in place of one of the pace bowlers given the conditions in Dharamsala siding with the spinners.Ireland (probable) 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Gary Wilson, 4 Niall O’Brien (wk), 5 Kevin O’Brien, 6 Andrew Poynter, 7 Andy McBrine, 8 Max Sorensen, 9 Tim Murtagh/George Dockrell, 10 Boyd Rankin, 11 Craig Young

Pitch and conditions

The spinners will have a say despite the pitch being generally flat and good for batting. The weather forecast however isn’t great as rain is in the radar on Friday evening.

Stats and trivia

• Shakib Al Hasan is 21 runs away from becoming the first Bangladeshi batsman to reach 1,000 T20I runs. Tamim Iqbal is close behind too, needing 58 runs to reach the same milestone
• Bangladesh has a 3-1 win-loss record over Ireland in T20Is but their last game was in July 2012

Quotes

“Our bowlers are doing pretty well over the last few months. If our batsmen fire as a group, we can put a good score on this ground. Then, always, our bowling is our strength.”
“It’s not the first time our backs have been against the wall. We’ve been in bad situations before and come out on top. We’ve got a pretty decent record against Bangladesh. We’re really looking forward to playing this.”