All posts by h716a5.icu

England’s composition has been under fire in ODIs but they have an opportunity to address against India, who have rarely been in advantageous positions in away series in the recent past

The Preview by Alagappan Muthu29-Aug-2014Match factsSaturday, August 30, 2014
Start time 10.30am local (0930 GMT)Big PictureThere was a century from an Indian middle-order batsman to resuscitate an innings going astray. In reply, England’s batting faltered. That only increased questions over Alastair Cook’s captaincy. India went 1-0 up. England in disarray. We’ve been here before. The rigours of limited-overs cricket might pale to Tests, as MS Dhoni has often pointed out on this tour, but in a four-match series success hinges on the ability to harness advantages. England will know India haven’t been outstanding in that department. And India will know England are still discovering their identity as an ODI side.They are testing a new opening partnership, which in the last two years has produced only one century stand. Cook was part of that and has politely brushed aside the punches aimed at himself and his team through the summer. Occasionally he has thrown them back. But his words will ring hollow unless accompanied with examples on the field. Lately though, the ammunition is in the hands of their critics: West Indies had them 89 for 6 chasing 160 in March, Sri Lanka routed them for 99 in May, India had given them a shock at the Champions Trophy final and did it again in Cardiff. The visitors have England down, but how long can they maintain that?India were authoritative at Cardiff, but can they keep up the intensity?•Getty ImagesRohit Sharma, one of the more important variables in India’s one-day formula, is out injured. The top three haven’t managed the kind of foundations Dhoni prefers. The India captain likes his cogs in place. He likes a strong score on the board. He likes to come in late and hike the total further. He likes a couple of early wickets so his spinners can prey on uncertain batsmen. He knows how to work his individual resources to harmonise with each other, like an orchestra conductor. However, in the past five years, India have lost four series on the road and one of their two successes have been against Zimbabwe. Dhoni and his team would want to prove they have the requisite ruthlessness that comes with being world champions.Form guide (last five completed matches, most recent first)England LLLWL
India WWWWL
Players to watchIndia’s top order has often been stuck in the dressing room, watching their team-mates or their opponents cash in when the pitch eases out. None would know that rankle as much as Shikhar Dhawan. He sees the region outside his off stump as if it is poison. His feet are often splayed on leg stump with his hands leading away from him. When in form, he can be fluent through that very region but he needs to last beyond the early overs to rediscover that.England might be reeling under the impression of being stolid, but in Eoin Morgan they have a batsman that can upset most bowling attacks. His range of strokes often goes beyond the textbook, unlike the top order’s which has helped him average 55.50 in the Royal London One-Day Cup. He has Middlesex’s lone century so far in the tournament so far and England will hope the seeds he sowed in the domestic circuit bear fruit for them too.Team newsEngland’s batting, if they can live up to potential, can offer challenge. But the composition of their bowling might be of greater concern. They have a left-arm seamer in Harry Gurney with the squad who could offer some variation.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Alex Hales, 3 Ian Bell, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Ben Stokes/ Moeen Ali, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Chris Jordan/ Harry Gurney, 10 James Anderson, 11 James TredwellThe loss of an opening batsman leaves India with little options. They have flown M Vijay back, but he hasn’t arrived in England yet. The team management is likely to promote Ajinkya Rahane to open and employ Ambati Rayudu at No.4.India (probable) 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ambati Rayudu/ Sanju Samson, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Mohit SharmaPitch and conditionsTrent Bridge has plenty to make up for after the pitch for the opening Test was deemed poor. A chance to redress that comes with the added bonus that rain would be expected to play, at worst, a minimal part. The batsmen can expect a true deck, with Alex Hales, the hometown boy, bashing a century and overpowering a target of 303 last week.Stats and trivia James Anderson averages 19.37 at Trent Bridge, as compared to an overall figure of 28.91 India have only played four ODIs at Trent Bridge and have lost three of them. Their lone victory was against England in 1990Quotes”We still need to achieve a lot of goals, goals that we have set in team meetings. Hopefully we will do well in upcoming games.”
Suresh Raina relays that India are keen to build on their work so far
“We’re not hiding behind the fact it was a poor team performance all round but we spoke about it, wiped the slate clean and we’ve talked about our tactics and we’re feeling fresh and confident heading into this game.”
Alex Hales and England are looking for a new start.

Kolkata Knight Riders will look to stretch their winning run to 11 as they take on the first Pakistan team to make the main draw of the CLT20

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran20-Sep-2014Match factsSunday, September 21, 2014
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)4:23

Trevor Bayliss: Lions bit of an unknown quantity

Big pictureLahore Lions have already reached uncharted territory by becoming the first Pakistan team to make it to the main draw of the Champions League T20, but they open the second phase of their campaign against one of the tournament favourites, Kolkata Knight Riders.Gautam Gambhir’s side is already on the longest winning streak by an IPL team, having won 10 in a row, and have beaten another high-profile team, Chennai Super Kings, earlier this week. Much of that run was constructed by a strong bowling attack constricting the opposition to a small score, before Robin Uthappa and Co comfortably chased down the moderate targets. Uthappa missed the opening game, in which the top order crumbled, but Knight Riders coach Trevor Bayliss said the opener’s knee is better and that he should return to action soon.During their unbeaten run Knight Riders have been about as consistent as a Twenty20 team can get, but Lions are proving to be as unpredictable as their national team. Lions outplayed both their subcontinental opponents in the qualifying phase, but were woeful against Northern Knights, slumping to 37 for 7 at one stage. Which version will show up for Sunday night’s quasi India-Pakistan clash?They have also had a four-day break break since their previous game, but their captain Mohammad Hafeez said that won’t affect their rhythm. “I think we needed (the break), in the qualifying we couldn’t get any rest, we’ve been playing, practising everyday, and I think that was much needed for the team, they can have a breather.”Form guideKolkata Knight Riders WWWWW (most recent first, completed matches only)
Lahore Lions WLWWWWatch out forIn the opening game of the main phase of the tournament, Andre Russell showed how dangerous he can be in Twenty20s, blasting five sixes as he conjured a win from a seemingly hopeless situation against Super Kings. His performance earned him the praise of his captain, who wrote in his column: “he is still a bloody good cricketer. There is a method to his power-hitting. Just recall his use of the depth of the crease while hitting those sixes against Chennai Super Kings.”Lions’ fielding has not been at a high level this tournament, with plenty of chances going down. The ground fielding needs improvement as well – 39-year-old Scott Styris had joked he hadn’t expected to be running too many twos at his age, but got a three against Lions when neither the man at long-on or the one at deep midwicket made an attempt to stop a loft to cow corner.Stats and trivia If they win against Knight Riders, Lions will become only the second T20 team with an overall win-loss ratio of 4 or higher (min 20 matches) after Sialkot StallionsQuotes”Our top order has performed extremely well in the past, that’s the reason we won the IPL, so there’s no need to panic just yet.”
“We do not have any overseas players in our side, 7-8 are getting this chance first time in their life to participate in this big moment, we are very happy the way they are handling the pressure.”

Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor earmarked his seamers to lead the team’s challenge in the Khulna Test, citing their ability to reverse the ball

Devashish Fuloria in Khulna02-Nov-2014The trio of Zimbabwe seamers had been productive in Dhaka, compensating for the lack of experience in the spin department. Tinashe Panyangara, Elton Chigumbura and Tendai Chatara handled 65% of the bowling load and picked up 12 off the 14 wickets to fall to the bowlers. That’s 85% of the total output.So it was no wonder that Brendan Taylor again earmarked the seamers to lead the team’s challenge despite the Khulna pitch not promising the bounce of Dhaka. On a drier surface, Taylor said his seamers would still be in play with their ability to reverse swing the ball.”Yes, they do (have the skill to reverse the ball). It’s an abrasive surface and the ball will get scuffed up,” Taylor said. “They have done it in Test matches at home where the pitches have been less rough. I have no doubt they can do it here. I don’t think there is going to be that kind of bounce, but I think our bowlers have the skill and control to contain and take wickets.”Zimbabwe’s spinners had appeared toothless in Dhaka on a pitch in which the opposition spinners had run through the batting. Tafadzwa Kamungozi and Natsai M’Shangwe neither showed control nor displayed ability to turn the ball, but asked if the two bowlers were dicey starters in Khulna, Taylor said it was a big topic of discussion, though a decision had not been made.”We have got reserves in our spin department but we have yet to sit down with the coach and the convenor of selectors to make a decision on that,” Taylor said. “It has been a big topic of discussion and we are going to do it this evening, and see how we can fine tune our spin department.”We are not as blessed as Bangladesh in our spin department. We proved to be a good unit in Dhaka with our seam bowlers. Yes we are aware the pitch is going to be different but we have got what we’ve got and we’ve got to make use of it.If Taylor was discounting on his team’s capability in the spin department, it would mean extra pressure on the other two areas – seam-bowling and batting. And there appears to be a serious handicap in one of them – their ability to handle spin, which would leave the side heavily dependent on their seamers to strike.”Our seam bowlers are good enough to adapt,” Taylor said. “I feel they are good enough to strike with the new ball, I feel they are good enough to reverse the ball. That’s a danger to any batsman when the ball is reversing and hopefully we can do that.”The memory of losing seven wickets to spin in a session on the third morning would still be fresh for Zimbabwe. More than the collapse, it was the manner of it which would have created a few doubts. It’s not their batsmen are novices against the turning ball – most of them have played cricket in this part of the world – but in the third Test, they were ruthlessly exposed. If repeated, it’s a mistake that will lose Zimbabwe the series but Taylor said his batsmen were determined to prove otherwise.”We have worked really hard,” he said. “We have done some specific spin drills to counter their spinners. But in saying that, they are going to turn up and make it very difficult for us. They play extremely well at home. But we have played a number of times. We were very sloppy in Dhaka in losing our wickets, so our batters are pretty determined right now. We would like to prove to everybody that we are good players of spin.”A look back at the last Test played on this ground would allay some fears. Both Bangladesh and West Indies’ batsmen had feasted on flat batting conditions. The pitch holds a similar promise but can Zimbabwe’s batsmen rise to support their seamers?

BCCI’s sidelined president N Srinivasan told the Supreme Court on Monday that all allegations against him with reference to his “conflict of interest” in the IPL corruption case were unfounded and false

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2014BCCI’s sidelined president N Srinivasan told the Supreme Court on Monday that all allegations against him with reference to his “conflict of interest” in the IPL corruption case were unfounded and false. His counsel, Kapil Sibal, told the two-member bench of Justice TS Thakur and Justice FM Kalifullah that Srinivasan had acted “with speed” against his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan after allegations of illegal betting and had stepped aside from the affairs of the BCCI during the investigations into the corruption scandal.Once the litigant, Cricket Association of Bihar, made their final arguments, Srinivasan’s defence of his actions covered several aspects. These included the purchase of an IPL team, acting against Gurunath during IPL 2013, distancing himself from the BCCI probe as well as not being responsible for the composition of the BCCI’s own two-man probe committee.Sibal said that allegations against Srinivasan, concerning a cover-up of the investigation, were “false” as Srinivasan had acted with speed, lodging a complaint against both Gurunath and Raj Kundra when allegations of betting were made against them.The name of Arun Jaitley, a BCCI vice president and currently Union cabinet minister was taken several times by Sibal to emphasise that the BCCI had set up a commission to look into the corruption case in May 2013 on Jaitley’s recommendation. When Jaitley’s name was taken a third time, Justice Thakur asked Sibal, “Why are you taking his name?” and enquired whether Jaitley was being “represented” in the case in any manner as his name had not been mentioned in the entire set of Mudgal Commission report documents handed over to the court in February and November 2014. Thakur said it was “not permitted” that the name of “one individual is being dropped.”When Sibal argued that the conflict of interest issue had not been part of the terms of reference of the Mudgal committee investigation, Justice Thakur responded by saying: “Either there is a conflict of interest or there is no conflict of interest. There is no third truth.” He said the conflict of interest was, “the core issue” and Srinivasan’s counsel Sibal had to, “show” the court that there was “no conflict of interest from the facts before the Mudgal report.”Sibal told the court that there were, “several people” who held positions in the BCCI and were also involved with the IPL. He said there were “364 names” and cited those of Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Lalchand Rajput, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Sourav Ganguly, Brijesh Patel, Anil Kumble as well as Vijay Mallya who were part of the IPL in the last seven years. “The IPL may not even take place if the rule is to be interpreted in this manner,” Sibal said.The rule being referred to was rule 6.2.4 which that prohibits officials of the BCCI from having any direct or interest commercial interest in the events conducted by the Board, with the exception of the IPL and the Champions League T20. Sibal said the rule applied to, “administrator, official player or umpire.”With Sibal stressing that Srinivasan had kept away from the internal developments pertaining to Gurunath and the IPL case, Justice Kalifullah raised questions about the incomplete paper work made available to the court regarding the formation of the BCCI’s own probe panel set up in May last year. There were no dates mentioned on the documents made available to the court about the formation of the BCCI probe panel. Justice Kalifullah asked the counsel to inform the court about the time taken to form the BCCI’s disciplinary probe panel and the time taken by the panel to arrive at their final conclusions.On May 31, 2013, three days after the BCCI revealed its probe commission, one of the members, Sanjay Jagdale, resigned from his post as BCCI secretary and stated he had specifically asked to be kept away from the committee. On June 2, it was discovered that two members of the eight-man IPL governing council were unaware of when and how the BCCI’s inquiry commission was set up. Two other members of the council said their consent had been taken over the phone even though no meeting had been convened over the same. In July 2013, the board’s two-member panel found “no evidence of any wrongdoing” against Raj Kundra and India Cements.Sibal argued that Srinivasan’s purchase of Chennai Super Kings came about after former IPL chairman Lalit Modi asked him to do so because there were not enough buyers lined up for the city-based franchises. Srinivasan had, therefore, Sibal said, turned to the-then BCCI president Sharad Pawar. Sibal argued that Pawar had “cleared the legalities” for Srinivasan and informed him that as India Cements was a private company, Srinivasan could make a bid for a team.The Supreme Court has asked the BCCI to submit financial details with regards to the functioning of the IPL, the auction, ticket sales, broadcasting rights and purchase of players.When asked whether the IPL case had affected the image of Indian cricket, Srinivasan, who was speaking at an ICC event in Chennai, said: “I don’t agree that Indian cricket is taking a hit, I am not able to share your sentiments on that.”The next two hearings will be held on December 8 and 9, when Sibal is expected to conclude his arguments.

The University of Pretoria has been accredited by the ICC as the latest testing center for suspected illegal bowling actions

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2014The University of Pretoria has been accredited by the ICC as the latest testing center for suspected illegal bowling actions. The center is the fifth in the list that includes Cricket Australia’s National Cricket Center in Brisbane, Cardiff Metropolitan University*, the Loughborough University in Leicestershire, and the Sri Ramachandra University in Chennai as testing facilities for players reported in international cricket under the ICC regulations.The facility was assessed against a range of criteria, including having an indoor area large enough to allow a player to bowl off his or her normal full run-up, a motion analysis system with a minimum of 12 high-speed cameras capable of producing three-dimensional data, and suitably qualified personnel experienced in using such systems and implementing the ICC testing protocol.An ICC release stated that the accreditation of the University of Pretoria was part of an effort to “tackle the issue of illegal bowling actions in a number of ways, including the location of accredited testing facilities in each region.”In order to allow for a consistent assessment of bowlers across different facilities and countries, the ICC has provided the same testing equipment and software to all four centers. * December 12, 16.50 GMT – The article had previously mentioned University of Pretoria as the fourth testing center. This has been corrected

Anwar Ali cracked 67 from 36 deliveries but fell in the last over as Sindh Knights went down by six runs to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Fighters in the opening game of the Pentangular One Day Cup in Karachi

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jan-2015Anwar Ali cracked 67 from 36 deliveries but fell in the last over as Sindh Knights went down by six runs to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Fighters in the opening game of the Pentangular One Day Cup in Karachi.Fighters appeared to be set for victory when Knights were reduced to 228 for 9 in their chase of 267 in the 48th over. But with an improbable 39 needed from 17 balls, Anwar nearly took Knights home. He came in at No. 7 with the score on 165 and clubbed eight fours and two sixes. Anwar’s charge meant Knights seemed to have the game in the bag with seven required from the last five deliveries but he was stumped off left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar, who was Fighters’ most successful bowler with 3 for 55. Yasir Shah was the most economical with 2 for 37, while captain Junaid Khan took 2 for 58.Asad Shafiq contributed a steady 56 in the chase, while captain Fawad Alam made a quick 62. Both the batsmen were gone before the score reached 200, though, and the lower order caved in before Anwar threatened to stun Fighters.After they chose to bat, Fighters innings was built by half-centuries from Israrullah (62) and Shoaib Malik (70) after which an unbeaten 103-run stand between Adnan Raees (50 not out) and Adil Amin (52 not out) took them to 266 for 4.

Carl Hooper, the former West Indies captain, has been appointed coach of Guyana Amazon Warriors for the 2015 edition of the Caribbean Premier League

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jan-2015Carl Hooper, the former West Indies captain, has been appointed coach of Guyana Amazon Warriors for the 2015 edition of the Caribbean Premier League.Hooper has previously been assistant coach for Antigua Hawksbills in 2014, and coach at the West Indies Cricket Board’s High Performance Centre in Barbados. Amazon Warriors went down in the final to Barbados Tridents last CPL season, while Hawksbills lost eight out of nine games to finish last.”I look forward to working with the immensely talented group of cricketers in this team and I also want to assist with the overall development of the young Guyana cricketers who will also be part of the squad,” the Guyana-born Hooper said.”Carl brings a wealth of experience and skills to our team and I am confident that he will be a great motivator and will use all of his expertise to bring the best out of all the players,” said Omar Khan, the Amazon Warriors team operations manager.

Before Monday, Karun Nair had almost joined the list of players who failed to replicate a successful first season in the second

AMOL KARHADKAR IN MUMBAI09-Mar-2015Dhawal Kulkarni. Abhimanyu Mithun. Suryakumar Yadav. All of them had exceptional maiden first-class seasons. All of them failed to replicate their success in the next. At the end of the Ranji Trophy semi-finals, Karun Nair had almost joined the list. Then came Monday.On the second day of the Ranji final, Karun showed his skills as a middle-order batsman. He was patient and persevered to remain unbeaten after batting for more than seven hours to emphasis Karnataka’s dominance.Naturally, Karun was relieved and elated with his effort. “I think this is the best and most special because it has come in a Ranji final and I hadn’t got any hundreds in this season. I was really looking forward to and hoping that I get one, so this is the most special,” he told reporters after his unbeaten 130 against Tamil Nadu.”I’ve been working hard so I was looking forward to such an opportunity. I think I was getting a lot of 30s, and I was getting out on one wrong ball.”So what was hampering him this season? Failing to cope with expectations? Being found out by the opposition teams? Trying too hard?.”Not so long ago, he was trying to cement his place in the Karnataka team. Suddenly he scored those three centuries and he was picked for India A. For a guy who was trying to cement his place in the Ranji side, it was too much to handle the pressure on the young shoulders of suddenly being in the selectors’ contention,” J Arunkumar, Karnataka’s batting coach, told ESPNcricinfo.”At some stage, many youngsters start wondering whether they should do something different. But Karun is a confident cricketer. He was quite relaxed since he knew he was hitting the ball well.”Karun made his debut midway through the 2013-14 season and made headlines by scoring centuries in successive games against Delhi, Uttar Pradesh in the quarter-final and Punjab in the semi-final. That was followed by a successful stint with Rajasthan Royals in the IPL – 330 runs at an average of 33 and strike rate of 142.24 – and Karun was in Australia with the India A squad last July.Since then, however, his form has slumped. After only one fifty in the first seven games, Karnataka decided to rest him for the last league game against Mumbai. Karun was asked to play the CK Nayudu Under-23 Trophy quarter-final and the move paid off as he scored a century and regained confidence.It reflected in his performance in the Ranji semi-final against Mumbai. His unbeaten 49 in the first innings was crucial in Karnataka digging themselves out of a hole and he has followed it up with a remarkable innings in the final. He came to the crease at 16 for 3 last evening, saw off the day and built an innings that could end up being match-winning.If he continues in the same vein, Tamil Nadu will be forced to field for three days, just like they did in their last final appearance, against Rajasthan in 2011-12.

An oddly familiar face peered down the SCG net containing Aaron Finch on Monday, his fiery red hair accentuated by the choice of a cap of the same colour. After a few minutes of speculation, the figure was proven to be Andrew McDonald

Daniel Brettig in Sydney24-Mar-2015An oddly familiar face peered down the SCG net containing Aaron Finch on Monday, his fiery red hair accentuated by the choice of a cap of the same colour. After a few minutes of speculation, the figure was proven to be Andrew McDonald, the former Australia allrounder and soon to be coach of Leicestershire.Apart from everything else in his quite impressive CV, McDonald is a longtime friend and team-mate of Finch for Victoria, and a past source of technical and tactical advice for the younger, squatter opening batsman. Together they have shared considerable success at the domestic level, and it may be argued that Finch is enjoying the sorts of international opportunities McDonald was unlucky – largely through injury – not to have had himself.Australia’s World Cup campaign has been punctuated by knowledgable visitors, from Geoff Marsh and Ian Healy to Steve Waugh and even the former Prime Minister Bob Hawke. But McDonald was there at the behest of Finch alone, his diminishing returns at this tournament providing all the necessary impetus to call in a pair of eyes capable of making sharp observations allied to reassuring words.”It was just a good opportunity, he’s someone I’ve worked with a lot over the last couple of years – for about 10 or years now on my game – and he’s someone I feel comfortable with,” Finch said of McDonald. “And just a different voice and someone I really trust with my game and just to touch base with him was something I really needed.”He’s just someone I really trust, he’s one of my best mates and he knows a lot about the game. He’s been around my batting for a long time and I thought it was a good opportunity to get him up here for a day and have a hit. I feel like I’ve been batting nicely, it’s nice to go back to a couple of checkpoints and make sure that I’m on top of my game and feeling good and hitting the ball nicely.”That’s all I can ask and whatever will happen on Thursday will happen. I’m not someone who over-analyses it a hell of a lot.”That McDonald was there spoke for two things. The first and most obvious point was that Finch has been struggling, from the moment his over-eager attempt to repeat a six off Tim Southee resulted in his off stump being plucked out at Eden Park. The second is that the Australian team’s coaching staff are not given to offering technical advice of too detailed a variety, particularly when it comes to batting.Head coach Darren Lehmann and his batting assistant Michael Di Venuto were uncomplicated figures when they played, and have maintained that sort of visage as mentors. Di Venuto’s advice in early summer that Steven Smith was “not out of form, just out of runs” proved to be the right words at the right time, but there have been other moments and other players who need more.Helpfully, though, neither Lehmann nor Di Venuto are uncomfortable with others coming in to help at times, as evidenced by the use of Marsh, Healy, Waugh and numerous others. As Lehmann has often said “you’d be silly not to” keep an ear out for numerous sources of wise counsel.Finch is helped by the fact that since the Auckland defeat, a reshuffled Australian batting order offers more of a top order buffer zone should the hyper-aggressive openers charge too quickly into the bend. Smith and Michael Clarke at Nos. 3 and 4 can play at multiple tempos, while Shane Watson’s floating commission at No. 5 or 6 sits easily alongside the more outlandish hitting of Glenn Maxwell.”When you’re under pressure you go back to your basics and I think we’ve got some really good ‘basic’ players,” Finch said. “We’ve got a lot of guys with flair, but when they’re under pressure they’ve still got a really good defence to fall back on, a really structured game.”When you look at guys like Steve Smith and Michael Clarke they’re quality Test players and that’s what you tend to fall back on and let the other guys. Guys like Maxwell play with the flair. But saying that, we’re not going to be holding back. We’re an aggressive team with bat and ball. It’s going to be a good opportunity to do it on the biggest stage.”Finch knows that whatever work he does this week, Thursday may also depend on a moment’s fortune. He was dropped before scoring when he made a hundred against England on the tournament’s opening afternoon. Against Pakistan he tried to give himself some luck by chancing an lbw referral for a ball striking middle stump, and must hope things will turn during the semi.”I referred one on middle stump, didn’t I?” Finch said with a rueful grin. “You never know. You hit a couple in the middle at the start of the innings and things seem to flow on sometimes and you get a bit of a roll on. It’s just one of those things – and when you’re not hitting them so well, to get down the other end so Davey [Warner] can take a bit of the strike.”Just try and work your way into an innings in a bit of a different way, as opposed to boundaries and trying to score quickly. It’s just one of those things. It’s not far away. I feel great, it might just be that one shot early in your innings that gets you going to make a big one.”Should Finch find his form on Thursday, it will be another feather in the red cap of McDonald, and a hopeful sign for his looming entrance into the coaching game.

Opening batsman Ed Cowan will officially be part of the New South Wales squad again after being handed a state contract for 2015-16

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-2015Opening batsman Ed Cowan will officially be part of the New South Wales squad again after being handed a state contract for 2015-16. Cowan had in March announced his decision to leave Tasmania and return to Sydney for family reasons, but he did so at the time without an offer from the Blues and with uncertainty surrounding his future in the game.However, Cowan’s experience and form – he was fifth on the Sheffield Shield run tally last summer with 815 at 47.94 – were sufficient to prompt New South Wales to include him in their squad for next season. Cowan began his career with the Blues before moving to Tasmania and earning 18 Test caps; he hopes to add more after the likely retirement of Chris Rogers after this year’s Ashes tour.”I certainly still have really strong desire to play Test cricket,” Cowan said. “There will probably be an opportunity for an opening batsman to put their hand up after the Ashes. First and foremost for me it’s about scoring a lot of runs for New South Wales and enjoying my cricket.”Andrew Jones, the Cricket New South Wales chief executive, said: “We are delighted to have Ed Cowan back. During his time in Tasmania, Ed has developed himself into an international player and we are very fortunate that he has chosen to bring his family home.”Cowan is one of four inclusions on the New South Wales list, alongside offspinner William Somerville, opening batsman Nick Larkin and allrounder Ben Dwarshuis. Opening batsman Scott Henry has been cut from the squad after playing every Shield game in 2014-15 for 471 runs at 33.64, while Jake Doran has moved to Tasmania and Patrick Pisel has been delisted.Peter Nevill, Nic Maddinson, Sean Abbott and Kurtis Patterson have each been locked in for a further two years, while new rookies to the squad include Mickey Edwards, Henry Thornton, Daniel Solway, Jonte Pattison and Ryan Gibson.”There hasn’t been much change to our squad from last season,” David Freedman, the New South Wales talent manager said. “We have a lot of very talented young cricketers, like Nic Maddinson, Sean Abbott, Gurinder Sandhu and Kurtis Patterson, who have now played a few seasons of first-class cricket.”Coupled with the significant experience of guys like Moises Henriques, Peter Nevill, Steve O’Keefe, Doug Bollinger and now Ed Cowan, the squad is very well placed to challenge for titles next summer.”New South Wales squad Sean Abbott, Doug Bollinger, Ryan Carters, Michael Clarke (Cricket Australia contract), Trent Copeland, Ed Cowan, Pat Cummins (CA), Ben Dwarshuis, Brad Haddin (CA), Josh Hazlewood (CA), Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Josh Lalor, Nick Larkin, Nathan Lyon (CA), Nic Maddinson, Peter Nevill, Steve O’Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Ben Rohrer, Gurinder Sandhu, Steven Smith (CA), Will Somerville, Mitchell Starc (CA), David Warner (CA), Shane Watson (CA). Rookies Mickey Edwards, Henry Thornton, Daniel Solway, Jonte Pattison, Ryan Gibson, Harry Conway.