National Bank in control after Services collapse for 72

Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) were dismissed for a modest first-innings score of 247 on the first day of their second round Patron’s Trophy Cricket Championship match against Habib Bank at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex.Habib Bank, a record seven-time winner of the Patron’s Trophy who had to share the title last season with Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) following a rain-interrupted final, rattled KRL yesterday after their batsmen had prospered to reach a score of 169 for the loss of only four wickets.Abdul Rehman, a left-arm slow bowler, and Imran Farhat, who bowls right-arm leg-breaks, snared the next five wickets for the addition of just 25. KRL were saved by a 53-run last-wicket partnership that took them beyond the 200-mark. Rehman’s five wickets eventually cost him 120 runs but Imran bowled a mere nine overs while taking 3 for 18. For KRL, Ali Naqvi, former Pakistan Test opening batsman, top-scored with 74 off 109 balls in a little over two-and-a-half hours with nine boundaries. With Saeed Bin Nasir (23), Naqvi’s fifth-wicket stand was worth 75 runs. Earlier, Saeed Anwar Jr (30) and Mohtashim Ali (35) had made useful contributions. Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Rauf then hit 53 runs for the tenth wicket in 44 minutes. By the close of play, in seven overs, Habib Bank’s openers had replied with 16 for no loss.In their first-round match, a tall-scoring affair, Habib Bank claimed the three first-innings points from a draw against PIA. Pakistan Customs took six points in their win over KRL, after the latter had earlier attained the first-innings lead.Sufyan Munir and Misbah-ul-Haq made unbeaten half-centuries and were involved in an unbroken 132-run stand for the third wicket as Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) took the opening day’s full 83 overs to reach 220 for 2 against Pakistan Customs at the United Bank Limited (UBL) Sports Complex. Sufyan was at the crease for four hours and 20 minutes for an unbeaten 81 that came off 201 balls with 13 fours. He is nearing his eighth century in first-class cricket. Misbah-ul-Haq, having been discarded after five Tests and 12 One-day Internationals for Pakistan, made a compact 68 not out off 136 balls in just under four hours with five fours and a couple of sixes. Sui Gas batted first after Misbah had won the toss. The opening stand was worth 38 runs in a little over an hour although Haafiz Majid Jahangir scored only eight runs. Sohail Idrees added an exact 50 runs for the second wicket with Sufyan, hitting five fours in 37 runs off 72 deliveries. Sufyan, who was bowled by opening bowler Imran Ali off a no-ball when on 66, had 11 fours in his half-century. Sui Gas, however, moved ahead at a slow pace.In their first-round match of the tournament, Customs had started by beating Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) although they collected only six points instead of the full nine as they had earlier surrendered the first-innings lead. Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited didn’t have a match to play in the previous round.Service Industries crashed to a poor score of 72 all out on the opening day of their second-round Patron’s Trophy Cricket Championship match at the Sheikhupura Stadium and, by stumps, National Bank had drawn level with only two wickets lost.National Bank’s new-ball pair bowled unchanged as Service Industries were dismissed in 31.2 overs. Only one batsman, Afaq Rahim (21) got into the 20s and as many as eight players failed to reach double-figures. Wasim Khan captured 6 for 38 in 15.2 overs. His partner Zahid Saeed, a left-armer who represents Sialkot, took the other four wickets for 28 runs.National Bank lost two quick wickets with 23 runs on the board before Imran Nazir , with an unbeaten 28, and Shahid Yousuf (19 not out) took them to 72 for 2 off 12 overs without further mishap.Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) made a first-innings score of 259 and then claimed 72 all out for just three runs against Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) at the Iqbal Stadium.At one stage, ZTBL were 63 for 6 after having been put in by Aamer Bashir. Then came a seventh-wicket stand of 60 runs and another invaluable partnership of 133 runs for the ninth wicket. The early devastation effected by the PTCL new-ball pair of Tahir Mughal and Mohammad Khalil had been somewhat undone later in the day. Both Tahir and Khalil captured four wickets each, for 71 and 76 runs, respectively.Naved Ashraf, a former Pakistan Test opening batsman, and Adnan Akmal, younger brother of the national-team player Kamran, put on 60 runs for the seventh wicket. Adnan scored 39 runs. Naved missed his eighth first-class hundred by just nine runs, his 91 coming off 182 balls with 12 fours. He found an able partner in Tanvir Ahmed, who finished with 58 not out, for the ninth-wicket partnership. Tanvir and Rao Iftikhar then took a wicket each as PTCL were tottering at 3 for 2 in 3.1 overs by the day’s close.

Bennett seven-for gives Canterbury lead

ScorecardHamish Bennett’s seven-wicket haul helped dismiss Wellington for 188 on a rain-affected third day at Basin Reserve and gave Canterbury a slender 27-run lead in the first innings of the State Championship final. Canterbury ended the day on 10 for no loss.Rain delayed the start until 3.15 pm local time and when play resumed Brandon Hiini broke the 48-run stand for the seventh wicket by having Dewayne Bowden caught behind by Kruger van Wyk for 22. The innings folded quickly thereafter – the last three wickets fell for 11 runs – with Bennett taking the three remaining wickets to add to his four on the second day. Luke Woodcock remained unbeaten on 35.Canterbury’s openers, Todd Astle and Michael Papps, batted for seven overs and remained unbeaten on 3 and 6 respectively.

Schofield on course for Twenty20 despite injury

Chris Schofield won’t let something like split webbing stop him © Getty Images

Chris Schofield is confident that his hand injury won’t prevent him from taking part in the ICC World Twenty20.Schofield split the webbing on his left hand when fielding during Surrey’s Pro40 victory against Kent on Tuesday and had to have four stitches, but his club says there is nothing to worry about. He even batted as Surrey moved to the one-wicket win.”He was keen to return to the field,” a Surrey spokesperson told Cricinfo, “but Alan Butcher and Mark Butcher didn’t want to risk it, particularly with the internationals coming up.”He did, however, bat and made 11. “He batted really well – a little gingerly to start with, but then as the adrenaline kicked in he started to play his shots.”The stitches are due to come out around the time Schofield heads to South Africa on September 9. His international commitments mean he will miss the closing stages of Surrey’s Pro40 promotion campaign, which continues in earnest with the floodlit match at The Oval against Somerset on Tuesday.While Schofield is sad to be missing out on the end of Surrey’s season, he knows it’s for the right reasons. “It’s not a bad thing because I’m playing for England,” he told Cricinfo, “but Surrey have been brilliant and have given me every opportunity to express myself.”The change in Schofield’s fortunes has been well-documented, but his inclusion in the England side still hasn’t sunk in. “It was a massive surprise. The start of this year was a new beginning, like I hadn’t been in first-class cricket. I’ve had lots of challenges in the last two years and now I’m about to face another big challenge.”

Mushtaq spins Sussex to the top

Division One

Mushtaq Ahmed took nine wickets in the match as Sussex crushed Durham © Getty Images

Mushtaq Ahmed bowled Sussex to an expected success at Horsham on Sunday, to wrap up the game within three days. They needed just three wickets – with Steve Harmison unable to bat because of his hernia problem – as Durham began the day 200 runs in arrears. They managed to add 98 today, before losing by an innings and 102 runs. Mushtaq ended with 4 for 77 and Robin Martin-Jenkins mopped up with 2 for 35. Fifties from Ottis Gibson and Dale Benkenstein could not help Durham.The win means Sussex go top, at least temporarily, while the leaders Yorkshire were held up by more rain against Warwickshire at Edgbaston – completing a miserable, wet weekend for them.

Division Two

At Taunton, play was delayed until 4pm and then just two runs (in extras) were added by Northamptonshire before bad light stopped play. It would have been a frustrating day for Somerset who have their visitors three down in the second innings and trailing by 161 runs.Rain, meanwhile, obliterated the third day at Trent Bridge, with Nottinghamshire frozen at 271 for 4 and heading for a draw with Gloucestershire after a first-day washout.

West Indies v Australia, Super Eights, Antigua

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMatch package
Bulletin – Hayden sets up thumping victory
Verdict – A rebuilt opener
Quotes – ‘Australia didn’t permit themselves to be tested’ – Lara
Plays of the day – Lara smashes, Samuels swishes
Audio – Ian Chappell: Australia win comprehensively
Stats – Driving it straight and hard
Plays of the Day – The big hits and misses
Gallery – Powerful Aussies take control
Preview package
Preview – Underdongs don’t need to fear Australia
Stats – Ponting and McGrath have point to prove
Quotes – Lara upbeat ahead of Australia clash
News – A guide to the Super Eights

Down, down, deeper and down

Bangladesh’s 62 against Sri Lanka was depressing but there have been much worse … here are the lowest team totals since World War Two

The Eden Park scoreboard tells a sorry tale © Cricinfo

26 – New Zealand v England Auckland, 1954-55
England took a first-innings lead of 46 in the second Test of the series, but on a far-from-difficult pitch, New Zealand were bundled to an innings defeat in 104 minutes. England’s pace attack of Frank Tyson and Brian Statham, the brisk seamers of Bob Appleyard and the spin of Johnny Wardle (who finished with 5-5-0-1) found little resistance, and once John Reid and Bert Sutcliffe, New Zealand’s two quality batsmen, had departed cheaply (Sutcliffe’s 11 was the only score in double figures) the rest folded. It was – and remains – the lowest Test total, beating South Africa’s two scores of 30 against England in 1984-95 and 1924.42 – New Zealand v Australia Wellington, 1945-46
New Zealand again, this time in their first Test against Australia (and their last for another 27 years). “It had been so wet in Wellington for a week before the scheduled start on March 29 that it was not feasible to mow the outfield,” Walter Hadlee, New Zealand’s captain, explained. “The pitch was saturated and a new one was cut out alongside the prepared one.” He won the toss, batted, and his side reached 37 for 2 on the stroke of lunch – then lost eight wickets for five runs. Naturally we are disappointed,” Hadlee said with all the understatement of those less media-savvy times. “We failed and that is all there is to be said.” It was the same story in the second innings, 54 all out and an innings defeat.

Geoff Arnold and Chris Old celebrate India’s rout © The Cricketer

42 – India v England Lord’s, 1974
A bizarre match. The first three days were hot and sunny, and midway through Saturday’s play India were 131 for 0 in reply to England’s 629. By the close, they had been bowled out for 302 and were 2 for 0 following on. “There are lots of runs left in the pitch,” wrote John Woodcock after the rest day. But the morning was overcast and the ball, which had done little, suddenly started moving significantly, both off the pitch and through the air. In Geoff Arnold and Chris Old, England had two bowlers ideally suited to the conditions. In 70 minutes Old took 5 for 21, Arnold 4 for 19 and India were routed. They only lost nine wickets as Chandrasakar was injured and so unable to bat, but it made little difference.46 – England v West Indies Port of Spain, 1993-94
England began this innings with a chance for victory. Their only solace by the end was that they had avoided their lowest Test score, by one run. The damage was done on the third evening. Mike Atherton fell lbw to the first ball of the innings, and the level of incompetence thereafter was best illustrated by Mark Ramprakash’s crass run-out to the fifth ball of the same over. It was downhill from then on and an hour later England closed on 40 for 8. “It was the worst hour of my life,” reflected Atherton, the situation made worse by the fact that England had been in control of the match throughout and needed just 194 to pull the series back to 2-1. In The Independent Martin Johnson wrote: “There were rumours that England’s sponsor Tetley Bitter would double its financial support if its name was removed from the team shirts.”47 – New Zealand v England Lord’s, 1958
Heavy overnight rain meant that New Zealand were caught on a drying pitch and against Jim Laker (4 for 13) and Tony Lock (5 for 17) they were almost clueless. Again, Reid and Sutcliffe were the main line of resistance, Sutcliffe’s dogged 18 the top score. Reid swished Lock into the Tavern Stand for six and then holed out to mid-on trying another big hit, Sutcliffe opted for defence, while Lock polished off the tail with 4 for 1 in 49 balls. New Zealand fared little better in their second innings, scoring 74, and with 22,000 in the ground and the match over by 3.30pm, the two sides played an exhibition match.

Steve Harmison celebrates on his way to 7 for 12 © Cricinfo

47 – West Indies v England Kingston, 2003-04
In the nine years since England’s humiliation at Port-of-Spain, West Indies cricket had gone into sharp decline, and from 13 for 0 early on the fourth day, they lost ten wickets for 34 runs. Steve Harmison shredded them with 7 for 12, and it seemed the side had hit a new low. It later emerged that West Indies had trained once in the five days leading up to the match, instead attending psychological sessions, ironically watching motivational videos of basketball legend Michael Jordan stressing the importance of practice. And as the post-mortems started, several West Indies players were found joining in parties in the stands.51 – West Indies v Australia Port of Spain, 1998-99
The moment when the reality of a decade of decline finally hit home. In the first Test West Indies were set an improbable 364 to win, but they never came close. Within an hour they had slumped to 16 for 5, and were left to claw their way past some of Test cricket’s most unwanted records, aided by nine overthrows gifted by the Australians. In 19.1 overs and 102 minutes, they were humiliated. “Cricket is my life,” Brian Lara, the captain, said afterwards. “I think it’s important that before I retire that I lead West Indies back on the way to the top.” He did his utmost for the rest of the series, which was eventually drawn 2-2 thanks to three Lara centuries of matchless brilliance. But the Trinidad debacle still lingered. “Afterwards there was some angry finger-pointing and heated words between players and officials, while the mercifully small crowd swarmed round the pavilion and shouted, `Fire them, fire them,’ to no-one in particular,” noted Paul Weaver in The Guardian. Others shouted `Rubbish’ to everyone in particular.

Unhappy reading from The Oval © Cricinfo

52 – England v Australia The Oval, 1948
The Times reported that England’s batting was deplorable while Australia’s bowling, fielding and catching was superb. In two hours and 25 minutes on a drying – but far from treacherous – Oval pitch England were blasted away by Ray Lindwall (6 for 19). Only Len Hutton, who opened the innings and was last man out for 30, showed any kind of technique. The next highest score was Norman Yardley’s 7. Australia found the going much easier and closed on 153 for 2, but the day is best remembered as the one on which Don Bradman was bowled for a second-ball 0 in his final Test innings.53 West Indies v Pakistan Faisalabad, 1986-87
Another West Indies low, but this one stands out as it came at a time they were the unchallenged world No. 1. In the opening Test they took a first-innings lead of 89 and were left chasing 240. But on a crumbling pitch Imran Khan blasted out both openers and then Abdul Qadir exploited the conditions to the full to take 6 for 16. It was West Indies’ third defeat in 54 Tests. They bounced straight back with an innings victory in the next Test.53 Pakistan v Australia Sharjah, 2002-03
Pakistan’s dismal effort came 24 hours after they had been bowled out for 59 in a ‘home’ match at Sharjah (sides refused to tour Pakistan in the aftermath of September 11). The conditions were uncomfortable – both days were played in sweltering heat – but that didn’t bother the Australians. Pakistan succumbed to “a feeble procession of wafts and drives” reported The Guardian. “It feels a little bit hollow I must admit,” said Steve Waugh, Australia’s captain, as he rubbed salt in a gaping wound. “You expect to work a little bit harder to win a Test but we’ll still take it.” It was the lowest two-innings total (112) in Pakistan’s 50-year Test history, and they were in effect defeated by Matthew Hayden’s 119. It was the fourth lowest match total by one team in Test history.54 New Zealand v Australia Wellington, 1945-46
54 West Indies v England Lord’s, 2000
54 Zimbabwe v South Africa Cape Town, 2004-05
Three scores tie for 11th. The first was the second innings of New Zealand’s first Test against Australia mentioned above. The second came on a remarkable second day at Lord’s where spectators saw all four innings of the match. England, replying to West Indies’ 267, were bowled out for 134, but the high fives had hardly finished before West Indies’ own second innings was falling apart at the seams. Andy Caddick bowled 13 overs unchanged from the Nursery End and took 5 for 16, including 5 for 7 in 9.5 overs after tea. West Indies made 54 and England went on to win a nail-biter by two wickets on the third evening. Zimbabwe’s score against South Africa was amassed in a little more than the first session at Cape Town, and by the close South Africa had underlined the massive gulf in class between the sides by scoring 340 for 3, a lead of 286. It broke the record for the biggest lead on a first day’s play in a Test match (England, 233 v Australia at Lords in 1896).

Gayle the Cool Cat blows South Africa away

‘I made some adjustments out in the middle, and it is working for me’ © AFP

“If Clive Lloyd is the Big Cat, then Chris Gayle is the Cool Cat,” a member of the West Indian support staff let on. He was once offered a lift by Gayle, from the team hotel in Kingston to a restaurant close by, and what should have been a five minute trip took close to an hour. Gayle took his own time getting in the car; even longer turning the key in the ignition; fiddled with the stereo getting the music going … everything just took so much longer, and time seemed to stand still.And that it does when he bludgeons the ball as he did against South Africa in the second semi-final today at Jaipur. At times it appeared as if Gayle was the only man in the stadium, standing in the middle, bathed in light, blasting the ball to all parts; the fielders did not have to move, it seemed not to matter who was bowling or what sort of ball was bowled: it just had to go, and fast.”I’m a moody guy, very very moody,” Gayle drawled at the end of the match, a big grin plastered across his face. “You see me doing ridiculous things at times. Sometimes I talk to myself a lot and try to motivate myself when I’m too laidback. At other times I just try to relax, cracking a joke to someone out in the field. Rather than standing around and doing nothing I try to do something on the ground. I want to be involved in the game at all times.”But perhaps it’s just the way of performers. When you put them on stage and the curtain rises, they’re one personality – confident, charming, expressive. And off it they’re no different from you and I; relaxed, leading seemingly normal lives. Gayle is a bit like that. On one day he can be the life of the party, garrulous, extroverted, cracking jokes, dancing like a fiend, and on another he can just be seated quietly at the bar, nursing a drink, barely saying a word to anyone. It’s much the same with his batting.For bowlers, the real question to ask is not whether Gayle is in form or not. It’s not whether the pitch suits him or not. It’s just a question of which Christopher Henry Gayle has turned up to the pitch. On the day it was not the quiet one, blocking or dropping anchor. The very first ball from Shaun Pollock – who was coming off figures of 7-0-20-2 in South Africa’s demolition of Pakistan – was flat-batted back past the bowler for a boundary. The next ball was played even better, with total control and a straight bat, and the result was the same.There was some suggestion that Gayle found Pollock’s pace agreeable. If that was the case he certainly didn’t mind the extra zip of Makhaya Ntini and Andre Nel. A clip through midwicket off Nel, an audacious slap over midwicket off Nel, and Graeme Smith was forced to pull his best bowlers out of the attack. Smith brought himself on, and with Jacques Kallis, began to restore some order, but Gayle quickly disabused them of such notions, reverse-sweeping Smith to the point fence. The fours came at a steady clip, but it was the sixes that really drove home the point. One each off Pollock and Kallis showed intent, but it was a blow against Robin Peterson, full stride down the pitch, massive heave of the bat, which wasn’t even especially well timed yet sailed high over long-on, that signaled it was Gayle’s day.But those who dismiss him as being unpredictable or unreliable should see that it has not merely been his day, it’s been his tournament, and his year. Gayle has scored 434 runs in this tournament, with three centuries, and is far and away the topscorer, with a game still to play. When he scored 10 on the day, he’d brought up 1000 runs for the calendar year, at an average of over 40.

‘You see me doing ridiculous things at times. Sometimes I talk to myself a lot and try to motivate myself when I’m too laidback’ © AFP

Two days before the semi-final, Gayle had chatted to the media after a practice session. “I made some adjustments out in the middle, and it is working for me,” he said of his batting and recent success. “There is a lot of difference in my batting now, I am just trying to play straight. When I get a start, I try to capitalise on it and not give it away.” And he didn’t give it away, unbeaten on 130 as the winning runs were drilled down the ground and West Indies cantered to victory with six wickets and as many overs to spare.The Australians, who are already in the final, will remember Gayle well. In their encounter earlier in the tournament the normally chilled out Gayle was all keyed up, and some might say it was his constant chirping and encouragement that lifted the team and broke a crucial partnership. Brian Lara thought there might be more in store for the Australians in the big final. And Lara thought Gayle, who has scored heavily all tournament, will want to make a mark in the biggest game of them all. “It’s a brand new game,” said Lara. “We have requirements of our openers and Chris has fulfilled them in the tournament. I’m almost sure that he doesn’t want to leave centre-stage to anyone on the final. He’ll be very keen to get out there and replicate what he did today.”Ask Gayle what he’d make of it if he was sitting out watching himself bat, and the answer rolls of with no hesitation. “I don’t need to watch myself. I know what I am already – flamboyant,” he said. “But one thing I can tell you, if I were to watch myself, it’s going to be pretty, definitely. It’s got to be pretty.” When he bats as he did today, even the opposition, despite the hiding they’re receiving, have got to take out a moment and admire Gayle for his strokeplay.

PIA defeat Karachi Harbour inside two days

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) made short work of Karachi Harbour, through a convincing nine-wicket victory, with over two days to spare in their Pentangular Cup match at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Thursday.PIA had gained a first innings lead of 77 in the opening day, after having made 172 in their first innings following Karachi Harbour’s crash to 95 all out. PIA’s Fazl-e-Akbar ran through the latter’s second innings with figures of five for 23 in 13 overs as Karachi were bowled out for 151 in their second innings. PIA needed just 75 runs to win and they attained the target with the loss of one wicket.Fazl-e-Akbar was ably supported by fellow pacemen Najaf Shah and Jannisar Khan, who picked up two wickets each while Kamran Sajid, the medium pacer, eliminated teenaged left-hander Fawad Alam (24), who had started to look dangerous for a while.PIA thus made amends for a similar nine-wicket defeat at the hands of Faisalabad in their first-round match at Lahore last week. While PIA will get to rest in the third round of the tournament, Karachi Harbour will be playing against Sialkot in their next match starting at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore from Tuesday April 11.Faisalabad continued to dominate their second-round Pentangular Cup match against national champions Sialkot, as they finished the second day at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday, 200 runs ahead in the first innings.Faisalabad resumed at their overnight score of 354 for 5 and were all out for 408. Sialkot in reply had slumped to 208 for seven by the day’s close. They still require another 51 to avert the follow-on.Shahid Nazir (3 for 60), Asad Ali (3 for 58) and Ahmed Hayat struck crucial blows as none of Sialkot’s first six batsmen managed to reach even the 30s. Tahir Mughal, the captain, crossed the barrier and was unbeaten on 37 at stumps, having batted for a little over an hour and a quarter, facing 59 balls and hitting four boundaries.There were useful contributions by most Sialkot batsmen but none really got going. Earlier, Asim Butt, the fast-medium bowler, hastened the end of Faisalabad’s knock by capturing six wickets for 85 runs.The overnight unbeaten pair of Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Salman took their sixth-wicket partnership to 138 runs, after which the last four wickets added only 14 more. Misbah missed his century by just seven runs, having made his 93 off 160 balls with 11 fours while Salman scored 52.

Cricket Australia rules on players in unofficial events

Players who appear in unofficial events will have their contracts cancelled under policy guidelines announced by Cricket Australia. The conditions do not apply to the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is sanctioned by the Indian board, but they do affect those considering joining the Indian Cricket League (ICL).The decision follows ICC regulations and similar guidelines forced Shane Bond, the New Zealand fast bowler, to terminate his national deal. No current Cricket Australia contract holders have publicly expressed their desire to be part of the ICL, but there is potential for younger domestic performers to be attracted to the competition. Stuart Law and Ian Harvey took part in the original tournament in India in December, but both have finished their inter-state careers in Australia.In one of two conditions released by Cricket Australia it said “selectors will treat players who take part only in ICC-approved matches more favourably than those who do not”. The other clause stated “players will not be offered contracts or be permitted to continue to be a party to player contracts if, during the term of those contracts, those players take part in unofficial cricket events”.The ruling pushes Australians towards the IPL and the planned Champions Twenty20 competition that is due to involve domestic teams from Australia, India, South Africa and England.

Katich and Jaques win opening race

Phil Jaques has been given a chance ahead of Matthew Hayden at Kuala Lumpur © Getty Images

Simon Katich and Phil Jaques will get the first chance to audition for an opening berth after Matthew Hayden was omitted for match one of the tri-series in Malaysia on Tuesday. Ricky Ponting also confirmed Glenn McGrath would make his international return against West Indies in Kuala Lumpur after nine months away due to his wife Jane’s illness.While the inclusion of McGrath was expected, the pairing of Katich and Jaques was a surprise, but the team is tinkering as Adam Gilchrist, the usual opener, stays at home in Perth. Jaques, the New South Wales left-hander, has appeared in only two one-day internationals and Australia’s initial experiments look to the future instead of the past.Hayden was chosen for his first one-day tour in more than a year on this trip, but he will have to wait for his chance in the large squad of 18, which will appear in four preliminary fixtures over the next two weeks. Other notable absentees from the first side were Michael Hussey, the tour vice-captain, Andrew Symonds, Brett Lee and Damien Martyn, while the emerging trio of Dan Cullen, Mitchell Johnson and Mark Cosgrove was given an opportunity to perform.”It’s been hard to map it all out to tell you the truth,” Ponting told . “We’re looking to give equal game time to all the players here, some guys will get two games, some three games, so it’s just the way we’ve worked it out.”Ponting said the bowlers would also be rotated to ease them back into competition after a five-month break. “We might have to [bowl short spells],” he said. “It might be the same for all our bowlers, these sorts of conditions after the long break we’ve had, it’s going to be hard for anyone, doesn’t matter how much work you’ve done in the off-season.”Australia Simon Katich, Mark Cosgrove, Phil Jaques, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Dan Cullen, Nathan Bracken, Glenn McGrath.

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