South Africa will ensure they have adequate reserves to call during their tour of England by basing their A squad in Ireland during part of the trip

Firdose Moonda28-May-2012South Africa will ensure they have adequate reserves to call during their tour of England by basing their A squad in Ireland during part of the trip. It is a strategy that mirrors England’s 2010-11 Ashes-winning tactics when their performance squad spent time in Brisbane and Perth, a visit which overlapped with the first two Tests of the series.South Africa A will play two four-day matches, two fifty-over fixtures and four twenty-over games against the Ireland national side. Their stay in the country will run concurrently with the third Test against England at Lord’s and the first four ODIs.”This is something we are going to do on a more regular basis, where we can,” Vincent Barnes, High Performance Coach, who is in charge of the A side told ESPNcricinfo. “It means if the guys are needed to play for the senior side, they will be right there, instead of having to come in from the cold. Some of the players who are part of the ODI squad but not the Test squad will be able to play in that series.”Players such as Faf du Plessis, Marchant de Lange and Justin Ontong, who are all considered close to the Test squad and part of the limited-overs plans, are likely to feature in the series. “It’s all about what Gary [Kirsten] feels he may need and everything is being geared to make sure players are ready for international cricket,” Barnes said.”We will also look to do the same thing next year, when the national side tours Sri Lanka, we will send a shadow side. It’s especially important to send an A side when the away tours take place during our off season.”South Africa A have a busy schedule in the next few months. They will play Sri Lanka A in two four-day matches in Durban starting on June 30, before travelling to Zimbabwe to play in a one-day tri-series, featuring Sri Lanka A and the hosts.

Jim Troughton has said that the pain of being pipped to the Championship last year is providing the drive behind his side’s impressive start to 2012

Jon Culley at The Oval26-May-2012

ScorecardJim Troughton, the Warwickshire captain, has said that the pain of being pipped to the Championship last year is providing the drive behind his side’s impressive start to the 2012 campaign, which continued with a five-wicket victory over Surrey that took only 32 minutes of the final morning to wrap up.Tim Ambrose finished unbeaten on 89 with his partner Rikki Clarke 40 not out as Warwickshire completed their recovery from 37 for 4 to win comfortably after Surrey failed to find the early wickets they needed.”After getting so close but not winning last year I think the pain has been in everyone’s mind through the winter and we have used that memory to make sure that when we have got into good positions in games we have nailed it,” Troughton said.”We have not necessarily had things all our own way in the games so far and we have fought back from difficult periods as well as being ruthless when we have been on top. I think that is the key in four-day cricket. To win tight games creates that belief that you can win from anywhere. Gareth Batty bowled very well and, after we were 30-odd for 4, Surrey and their supporters probably thought it would be done and dusted in three days.Troughton applauded his seam bowlers for filling the gaps created by early-season injuries to Chris Woakes and Boyd Rankin and said his batsman are dismantling the notion that without Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott, or overseas assistance from the likes of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Mohammad Yousuf, both of whom contributed to their success last year, they are lightweights.”Chanderpaul and Yousuf were a big factor last year but we have a batting line-up that is maturing with the likes of Porterfield and Varun Chopra and there is experience in the mix and someone has always put their hand up at crucial times,” he said. “The only one not to do that has been me.”Referring to his own current lean streak, which has seen him score only 50 runs in nine Championship innings so far with a second-innings duck in this match, Troughton said he did not doubt his form would return.”Guys like Bell and Trott have told me that as long as you don’t start chasing your tail, as long as you keep doing the things that have brought you runs in the past, you will turn it round. I’m lucky that the boys have picked up the slack but as long as I remain positive and keep working in the nets I’m sure that a big performance when the guys need me will come out.”As much as Ambrose and Porterfield were the match-winners with the bat, Jeetan Patel’s 6 for 95 was a significant influence on the outcome as Surrey, who had been under par in the first innings, improved in the second but still were restricted to 245 on a good batting surface.Patel was outshone as an individual by his fellow offspinner, Gareth Batty, who finished with 10 wickets in a match for only the second time in his career but admitted he would have swapped his figures for a win.”The stats say I had a good match but while I want to do my job for the team I would have taken none for 300 if we had taken 20-odd points from the match,” he said.”The game was made difficult on day one for us when we played poorly in all facets. When you come back well to get back in the game but lose it on the final day it is easy to identify where we fell down.””If we had opened with four maidens and maybe taken a wicket we would have had one end open and it could have been very exciting but once they got one or two away the challenge was always going to be easier for them.”Three fours from Clarke, a former Surrey allrounder, of course, in the same Stuart Meaker over tipped the balance decisively Warwickshire’s way, probably denying Ambrose the opportunity for a century into the bargain.

The depth of Australia’s pace bowler is now impressive but they have more questions to answer about their batting department

Daniel Brettig at Grace Road18-Jun-2012For all the huffing and puffing likely to be heard over the next month about Australia’s six-deep battery of fast bowlers, the most significant strides the tourists wish to make on their ODI tour of the United Kingdom will be in a modestly-stocked batting department. The captain Michael Clarke and the coach Mickey Arthur acknowledged as much at their arrival pleasantries in Leicester, having brought a team minus Ricky Ponting (dropped) and Michael Hussey (newborn child).Instead of Ponting and Hussey, the relatively modest talents of Peter Forrest, George Bailey and Steve Smith are jostling to make the kind of impression that could see them return to England for the Ashes in 2013. Others, like the wicketkeeper Matthew Wade and the opening batsman David Warner, will encounter their first serious examinations by an England side that pushed Australia to new standards of preparation and planning via their retention of the urn in 2010-11.As comfortable as the tourists are with their bowling stocks, there is equally a sense of uncertainty about the overall standard of Australian batting, which falls away dramatically among younger and mid-career players after Clarke and his vice-captain Shane Watson. Certainly there is no-one the quality of Ian Bell to come in, as he did for the prematurely retired Kevin Pietersen, should Ponting or Hussey fade between now and the Ashes. So it was understandable to hear Arthur and Clarke call for more from the younger batsmen, amongst a bevy of questions directed towards the promise of young bowlers including James Pattinson and Pat Cummins, in the absence of senior figures.”It changes the dynamics quite a bit and that is why we are looking for other players to stand up quite a bit and take over that responsibility,” Arthur said. “Michael and Ricky are not going to be around for ever so this gives the guys out here to stake their claims and an opportunity to make their mark and show us they belong. I am looking forward to seeing who stands up and takes this opportunity.”Forrest, Bailey and Smith have all shown something in their brief international forays so far, though none have the array of shots or the assured styles that have allowed Ponting and Hussey to endure. Forrest’s character is highly regarded by the Australia selectors, and Bailey is widely admired for his leadership of Tasmania. Smith, meanwhile, has hinted at more consistent run-scoring since his not-quite-convincing Ashes appearances in 2010-11. He will also have greater clarity about his role on this tour than in previous matches, in which he at times appeared to be in the team as much for his fielding as his opportunistic batting or fledgling legspin.”Fortunately for us Ricky’s still playing Test cricket and is a big part of our Test team. Fingers crossed I’m hoping next time we’ll be here for the Ashes he’ll be with us,” Clarke said. “He’s been such a great player for a long period of time, any team would miss Ricky Ponting, and we’re no different.”But as Mickey said, it’s a real good opportunity for some new young guys to grab hold of their chance with both hands. I think they did that throughout the one-day summer, once Ricky was dropped from the team we managed to go on and win that tri-series for Australia, the boys went to West Indies and did a pretty good job in tough conditions, and again it’s going to be new for a lot of players to play in English conditions.”Michael Clarke wants Australia’s young batsmen to show they can replace Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey•Getty Images

The bowlers have a chance to turn English heads also of course, with Pattinson and Cummins in particular keen to learn as much as they can about bowling in these conditions. Mitchell Johnson has returned to Australia’s squad after nine months recovering from a major foot injury, while Brett Lee continues to provide an experienced bulwark to the limited-overs attack.Neither Johnson nor Lee have terribly strong Ashes records on English shores, and the man perhaps best placed to offer wisdom to Pattinson and Cummins is Ben Hilfenhaus, after his 22 Ashes wickets across a succession of reliable spells in 2009. Clarke said awareness of the conditions was a critical element for his young fast men to grasp on this tour, and the Australia A matches that follow it.”The wickets can be quite slow over here, so it doesn’t matter how fast you bowl, if you’re not accurate, you’re not going to have success, especially in these conditions,” Clarke said. “We’ve got some good talented quicks, it’s just now about getting some cricket under their belt, getting a look at these conditions and make sure our preparation is spot on.”They [England] have got a very good attack and played four fast bowlers the other day, so I’d imagine if wickets are pretty conducive to that that they’ll probably do the same, as we might as well. We’ll have a look at how conditions are like. We’ve got six very good fast bowlers in our squad, who are all itching to get an opportunity.”Following three days of training at Grace Road, the Australians will play Leicestershire in a Thursday warm-up match before flying to Belfast for an ODI against Ireland on Saturday. The first match against England is at Lord’s on June 29.

A month after his last knock, in the third Test against West Indies, Andrew Strauss displayed the traditional virtues that his team-mates had forgotten to score more than half of Middlesex’s runs in a sorry first-innings at Uxbridge

Alan Gardner at Uxbridge11-Jul-2012
ScorecardThe Wisden Trophy, secured by England after beating West Indies, was just a memory for Andrew Strauss as he got down to the business of making runs again•Getty Images

A month after his last knock, and following a four-week break for the FLt20 jamboree, Andrew Strauss showed some of the traditional virtues that his team-mates had forgotten to score more than half of Middlesex’s runs in a sorry first-innings effort at Uxbridge.Championship cricket has returned, brought back down from the shelf and dusted off again. Strauss has not played in a while either, since the third Test against West Indies, and it had until recently been suggested that his term as England captain was also soon to be destined for storage.But it took another T20 refusenik in Andre Adams – currently well out ahead in the Championship wicket-taker’s list – to winkle out Strauss, for 50 out of 98, with what he described as one of the “top three” deliveries of his career.Adams, too, didn’t play a single fixture during the FLt20 group stage but he had no trouble settling back into his loping stride, claiming two wickets in two balls in his first over of the day on the way to a six-wicket haul that already has Nottinghamshire, the Division One leaders, scenting a fifth win of the season.”It was a good one, I was pretty happy with that,” Adams said of the delivery that removed Strauss, pitching in line from round the wicket before seaming away to clip the top of off stump. “I thought he played very nicely, he played very straight. He nicked the odd ball but looked pretty much in control for the most part, but got a good one with his name on it. I’ve played against him a couple of times and he’s looking the best I’ve seen him for some time.”Adams had been rested from T20 duty by Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, Mike Newell, in order to give opportunities to younger players, but he showed no signs of rust. While Middlesex’s total – their lowest score of the season – would have been sub-par in a T20 game, the recent, concentrated burst of thrill-seeking, short-form cricket had clearly addled a few minds. That said, losing the toss for the eighth time in nine this season was probably influential in Middlesex’s capitulation.”It was a pretty friendly wicket to bowl on to start with, the ball was holding nicely on the wicket and it was just a case of getting it in the right areas,” Adams said. “Most teams have just come off Twenty20 and you know you won’t have to wait too long before you get a chance.”Strauss made them wait for more than two hours, his half-century a small crumb of comfort for Middlesex fans but of wider significance, perhaps, with England’s Test encounter with South Africa beginning a week on Thursday.Hundreds in consecutive Tests in the first part of the summer silenced questions about his position ahead of a series that will decide the No. 1 ranking and an exacting workout in bowler-friendly conditions will have been a useful prelude to duelling with Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and co. at The Oval.His batting was calm and compact, studded with the odd drive and pull, and although he fenced at a couple early on from Harry Gurney and edged Andy Carter short of the slips, he proved that his game largely remains in working order, despite the lay-off. Perhaps sitting out the T20 is the way for ‘proper’ batsmen to go.By the close, Nottinghamshire had lost four wickets in assembling a 16-run lead on a pitch slowly recovering its reputation as batsman friendly. Middlesex made regular breakthroughs but the visitors were more diligent in their approach, the only sign of T20 excitability coming when Samit Patel hit Toby Roland-Jones for four boundaries in an over.Although Middlesex have an attack that has helped them out of a couple of scrapes already this season, Nottinghamshire will start the second day with six wickets in hand and, in Michael Lumb, the sort of batsman at the crease capable of taking them to a match-winning position.Rain truncated the day at both ends, sweeping in at around 6pm after a wet outfield delayed the start by 45 minutes. This is the time of year when batsmen are supposed to be in clover, the perils of poking and prodding on malevolent greentops consigned to memory as the sun shines and the pitches flatten. However, once the outfield had dried sufficiently, Middlesex discovered that batting was going to be anything but a festival at their suburban outground.Having won three out of five Championship matches at Lord’s, banishment to the vicinity of the M25 in order to accommodate Olympic archery at the home of cricket was always likely to smart.Middlesex have not won a Championship match here since 1995, albeit with a 10-year absence in the middle. Sandwiched in between a leisure centre, a housing estate and a main road, Uxbridge is a more prosaic setting than St John’s Wood, the pitch a little less pristine. Even with all the rain, you don’t often see drives trundling and bobbling to a halt across the outfield at Lord’s.Inserted in bowler-friendly conditions, only Strauss and Gareth Berg, who made 82 runs between them, were able to hang around. Sam Robson, playing across the line to a swinging delivery, and Joe Denly, driving expansively on a day for unobtrusive accumulation, contributed to their own downfalls, either side of Chris Rogers receiving a lifter from Gurney.Strauss and Berg added 63 for the sixth wicket, only for to Adams stroll in off his innocuous 12-pace run-up and claim four for none off 10 balls, as Middlesex hurtled from 97 for 5 to 98 all out. This season has been beset by weather for ducks and Middlesex had come up with five in an innings.

Australia’s selectors have sprung no surprises with the squad for the ICC World Twenty20, naming the same 15 men they chose for the T20s against Pakistan in the UAE

Brydon Coverdale16-Aug-2012Australia’s selectors have sprung no surprises with the squad for the ICC World Twenty20, naming the same 15 men they chose for the T20s against Pakistan in the UAE. The offspinning allrounder Glenn Maxwell is the only uncapped member of the squad, which also includes the 41-year-old spinner Brad Hogg, who originally retired from international cricket four years ago, before storming back into contention through the Big Bash League last summer.They will form a three-man spin contingent along with Xavier Doherty, while the pace duties will be shared by Pat Cummins, Clint McKay, Ben Hilfenhaus and Mitchell Starc, along with the allrounders Daniel Christian and Shane Watson. Cameron White has been included after losing his place in the side and the national captaincy in January and will be one of several middle-order choices, along with David Hussey, Michael Hussey and the skipper George Bailey.Matthew Wade will be Australia’s gloveman for the tournament – Brad Haddin retired from T20 internationals last September – and will also be an important batsman who can play in a variety of positions. There was no room for Mitchell Marsh, Ryan Harris, Aaron Finch, Mitchell Johnson, Steve Smith or a number of other fringe T20 men who were part of the 30-man preliminary squad, although that was not surprising as the selectors showed their hand last month when they named the 15 for the UAE series.Australia’s Twenty20 players have three matches against Pakistan in Dubai on September 5, 7 and 10, before the fly to Sri Lanka for some warm-up matches ahead of the World T20. They have been grouped with West Indies and Ireland in the first stage of the tournament, with their first match against Ireland on September 19 in Colombo.”A real strength of the squad is its flexibility and versatility,” the national selector John Inverarity said. “It’s a well-balanced side that will provide the captain, George Bailey, with plenty of options in both the batting line-up and bowling possibilities.”The seam bowling has depth with Clint McKay, Pat Cummins, Ben Hilfenhaus and Mitch Starc along with all-rounders Shane Watson and Dan Christian, and to a lesser extent Michael Hussey, who could be useful for an occasional over or two. Similarly there is depth in the spin bowling department with Brad Hogg, Xavier Doherty and also allrounders Glenn Maxwell and David Hussey. You can then add to that the possibility of the wrist spin of Cameron White and David Warner.”There is a great deal of explosive strike power in the batting line-up that could see Matthew Wade at six, Cameron White at seven and either Dan Christian or Glenn Maxwell at eight. There is also a good blend of left and right handers with David Warner, Michael Hussey and Wade likely to be in the top seven.”The ICC World Twenty20 promises to be a very exciting event as T20 cricket is so unpredictable. Our squad will be well prepared and we look forward to them playing some outstanding cricket and acquitting themselves especially well.”Australia squad David Warner, Shane Watson, Matthew Wade (wk), David Hussey, Michael Hussey, George Bailey (capt), Cameron White, Daniel Christian, Glenn Maxwell, Brad Hogg, Xavier Doherty, Clint McKay, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Ben Hilfenhaus.

ESPNcricinfo’s preview of the first T20I between Pakistan and Australia in Dubai

Daniel Brettig05-Sep-2012

Match facts

Glenn Maxwell adds power and aggression to Australia’s batting line-up•Associated Press

September 5, 2012
Start time 2000 (1600 GMT)

Big Picture

The ICC’s rankings would suggest that Pakistan (6th) and Australia (9th) will be competing for the minor placings at the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka that follows this series. Yet the talent and aggression contained within both sides is considerable, and will be on full display over the next three matches in Dubai as Mohammad Hafeez and George Bailey, the two captains, decide on their best T20 combinations before the big tournament.Pakistan’s best in the format has been proven good enough to lift the world title, as proven over a joyous three weeks in England in 2009. At the last tournament in the West Indies they looked good for another tilt, only to be humbugged by an extraordinary innings from Michael Hussey as Australia scraped their way into the final, ultimately lost to England. Since then Cricket Australia have taken an increasingly serious look at T20, reflected in how the workloads of several players have been managed to have them building up to a peak over the next month.The ODI series that preceded these games was narrowly won by Australia, but the T20 side is not that of Michael Clarke. Bailey has plenty to live up to over the next three matches, not least the need for him to put a stamp on the captaincy with his bat, which so far has yielded a grand total of 60 runs and a highest score of 24. Hafeez is also seeking to make the role his own, having shared his first series with Sri Lanka earlier in the year. He is adamant that there is more to his team than the spin wiles of Saeed ajmal, and the next three matches will provide a chance to prove it to the world and themselves ahead of the World T20.

Form guide (Complete matches, most recent first)

Pakistan WLLLW
Australia LWLWL

Watch out for

The omission of Umar Gul from the ODI team was a talking point, and his absence left the Pakistan attack looking a little too over reliant on spin, even if the slow bowlers called on were all of high quality. He is back in the team for the T20s and will be looking to add some fire and swing to the team, as well as the yorkers he is so capable of delivering in the shortest format. Australia’s batsmen will be wary of Gul, who took 4 for 8 against them on this ground in 2009, though they will also hope he will be short of rhythm in his first few overs.Having shown his fearlessness in his first international series, Glenn Maxwell will now have the chance to secure a spot for himself in the T20 team ahead of the world title bout in Sri Lanka. Maxwell’s combination of power and composure was compelling during the series deciding ODI, and his ability to attack the spinners with conviction should serve him well again here. Pakistan had greater success against Maxwell’s modest off spin, and it is in that discipline that the young allrounder will want to improve in these matches.

Team news

Umar Gul and Mohammad Sami will add a greater pace threat to the Pakistan team, while Imran Nazir’s batting should also find a valued place in the XI.Pakistan (squad) Mohammad Hafeez (capt), Imran Nazir, Nasir Jamshed, Kamran Akmal (wk), Asad Shafiq, Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Yasir Arafat, Umar Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Raza Hasan, Umar Gul, Mohammad Sami, Sohail TanvirBrad Hogg’s wrist spin will add a dimension lacking from Australia’s ODI combination, while the returns of Shane Watson and Pat Cummins add power and pace. Cameron White’s chance of a place in the batting order may depend on the bowling balance chosen.Australia (squad) David Warner, Shane Watson, Matthew Wade (wk), David Hussey, Michael Hussey, George Bailey (capt), Cameron White, Daniel Christian, Glenn Maxwell, Brad Hogg, Xavier Doherty, Clint McKay, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Ben Hilfenhaus, Alister McDermott

Pitch and conditions

The change of formats means more palatable playing hours for both sides, though it will not entirely rule out the emergence of dew as a factor in the second innings. Dubai’s pitch has shown evidence of some pace and bounce in recent times, but its most abiding characteristics are helpfulness to spinners.

Stats and trivia

• The banned left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Amir was the man of the match the last time these two sides met, at Edgbaston during the 2010 series played in England. Pakistan won the series 2-0.
• Pakistan have won seven and lost seven of the 14 T20 matches they have played in Dubai. They defeated Australia in the two sides’ only previous match at the ground, by seven wickets in 2009.
• This is Australia’s first T20 series of more than two matches’ duration
  

  Quotes

  “We haven’t really had a long time together as a Twenty20 team so it will be good playing Pakistan. We were unlucky on missing out on the [World T20] final the last time. This team has got good balance of youth and experience and on our day we can beat the best teams in the world.”

James Taylor must console himself with a place on the England Performance Programme having been omitted from the Test squad to tour India

George Dobell18-Sep-2012James Taylor must console himself with a place on the England Performance Programme having been omitted from the Test squad to tour India.The 22-year-old Taylor played in the final two Tests of the series against South Africa, making 34 at Leeds, where he added 147 with Kevin Pietersen, and 10 and 4 at Lord’s, where he was run out in the second innings. While he did not enjoy a prolific first season in Division One of the County Championship – he averaged 35.45 for Nottinghamshire in 2012 – he has a good reputation as a player of spin bowling and might have been seen as the man in possession. Instead two men without Test caps, Joe Root and Nick Compton, have been preferred in the Test squad.Taylor is in pole position should England require a replacement, however. The Performance squad will also travel to India in mid-November so will be on hand if any member of the full squad suffers injury or illness. Ian Bell is expected to miss the second Test of the series in order to attend the birth of his first child.There is no place in either squad for Ravi Bopara. He has struggled to recover any semblance of form and confidence since declaring himself unavailable for the second Test against South Africa due to personal problems. It may be wrong to read too much into that, though, as Chris Woakes and James Tredwell have also been excluded from both squads. Steven Davies, who has been the reserve Test wicketkeeper for the last few years, also finds himself out of both squads having lost his form and his Surrey place towards the end of the season.There is better news for 19-year-old Ben Foakes. The Essex wicketkeeper has played only five first-class games, but has impressed with both his batting and his glovework for England Under-19 and has been promoted above a host of rivals into the England set-up. Gary Ballance, Zimbabwe born and the nephew of Dave Houghton, is also included in an England squad for the first time having only recently qualified. Ballance represented Zimbabwe in the U19 World Cup in 2006. Two other wicketkeepers, Jos Buttler and Craig Kieswetter, have also been named in the squad.There are call-ups, too, for Chris Wright and Toby Roland-Jones, two seamers who enjoyed good county seasons, while Azeem Rafiq is one of four spinners, alongside Scott Borthwick, Danny Briggs, who claimed only five Championship wickets in 2012, and Simon Kerrigan. Varun Chopra has been rewarded for his consistency with Warwickshire over the last couple of years and is the only specialist opening batsman in the squad.Meanwhile Leicestershire’s Josh Cobb has been named as England captain for the Hong Kong Sixes. Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire are the only three counties without representation in any of the squads named on Monday.England Performance squad Jos Buttler (Somerset), Gary Ballance (Yorkshire), Scott Borthwick (Durham), Danny Briggs (Hampshire), Varun Chopra (Warwickshire), Matthew Coles (Kent), Jade Dernbach (Surrey), Ben Foakes (Essex), James Harris (Glamorgan), Simon Kerrigan (Lancashire), Craig Kieswetter (Somerset), Stuart Meaker (Surrey), Azeem Rafiq (Yorkshire), Toby Roland-Jones (Middlesex), Ben Stokes (Durham), James Taylor (Nottinghamshire), Chris Wright (Warwickshire)Hong Kong Sixes squad Josh Cobb (capt, Leicestershire), Adam Ball (Kent), Keith Barker (Warwickshire), Ben Brown (Sussex), Chris Nash (Sussex), Tom Smith (Lancashire), Ross Whiteley (Derbyshire)

Six long years have passed since the South Africans were last beaten in a series away from home, a 2-0 reverse in Sri Lanka in 2006

Daniel Brettig29-Oct-2012When Allan Border went almost four years without a Test century between 1988 and 1992, the phrase “not since Faisalabad” became an increasingly weary staple for radio commentators and touring correspondents. South Africa’s Test tourists in Australia are similarly accompanied by the words “not since Colombo”, but for altogether more auspicious reasons.Six long years have passed since the South Africans were last beaten in a series away from home, a 2-0 reverse in Sri Lanka in 2006. To quantify this achievement, it must be noted that in more than a decade of dominance between 1995 and 2008, the longest stretch of years Australia could manage between Test series defeats on the road was four, between 2001 and 2005.Given the garlands laid out for that Australian side, the South Africans deserve a certain level of reverence for their ability to keep confounding opponents in their own territory, most recently England during the northern summer. They may not be the Invincibles, but the squad that arrived in Australia on Sunday can most definitely be termed the Road Warriors.Their captain, Graeme Smith, believes the team’s ability to prosper overseas developed out of maturity and stability. In keeping a team together, the players learned to work with each other, becoming friends as well as team-mates, and going past any sense of fear or uncertainty about the unknowns of foreign climes to develop a sense of confidence and anticipation about any and every challenge that might be presented, whether it be a sharply turning pitch in Kanpur or the green-tinged seamer that is likely to greet them in Brisbane next week.”We started to get a team together that could adapt to conditions,” Smith said. “The maturity of the team in terms of growing as we’ve gone on … and the players are settled and able to adapt to conditions not only on the pitch but off the field. All the different challenges that you face on a tour now, I think we’re able to meet them. I think the team handles being away from home in a good space and in a mature way.Graeme Smith and Gary Kirsten are in charge of a side that is not only No.1 in the world but has a reputation for winning away from home•Getty Images

“It’s about understanding how you’re going to be successful in the environment that you’re playing. We’ve got a few experienced guys around now that have toured a fair bit and hopefully we use that experience well. Certainly I think it’s the challenge that we look forward to, of winning in someone else’s backyard. It’s a tough thing to do and I think that challenge is something that excites us.”That excitement was never more palpable than during South Africa’s last visit to Australia in 2008-09. Helmed by the captain/coach duo of Smith and Mickey Arthur, the tourists wriggled out of dire positions in each of the first two Tests to secure a dramatic series victory, inflicting Australia’s first defeat at home since the West Indies in 1993. Those memories provide Smith with confidence about the matches ahead.”To beat Australia in those stadiums and those environments is something that I don’t think South Africans had dreamt of for a very long time,” Smith said. “For us to be able to achieve that and be there in those moments was incredible. It probably took us a little bit of time to recover from those highs but since that return leg from Australia we’ve been pretty steady and consistent in our performances and maybe that was the stepping stone for the success that we’ve had.”Winning here four years ago is something that you know you’ve done before. Certainly it does help in the self-belief factor knowing that you’ve overcome a hurdle before. I think the achievements the team has put together the last few years, with England just gone by, we obviously do arrive here with a self-belief that we can perform well.”While Arthur now mentors the opposition, South Africa have in Gary Kirsten a calm character and a calming influence, happy to inherit a team that was already well advanced in its quest to build a record that will stand alongside those of other great teams. His challenge is to go one better than Arthur had done, by keeping South Africa at No. 1 in the ICC’s rankings for a sustained period. That quest, and the maintenance of such an imposing record overseas, are both at stake over these three Tests in Australia.”It’s a well set team, it’s a well balanced team, there’s a lot of experience in it and I think they are hardened Test cricketers in the team so they’re familiar with the different conditions that they’re confronted with,” Kirsten said. “I was particularly proud of the guys the way they went about our business in England. There were some pressure moments throughout that series and we responded well to that.”

Shane Watson has been officially ruled out of contention for the first Test of Australia’s series against South Africa at the Gabba

Brydon Coverdale in Brisbane05-Nov-2012The Victoria batsman Rob Quiney will make his Test debut against South Africa at the Gabba on Friday after Shane Watson was ruled out due to a calf injury. Watson suffered the problem while bowling for New South Wales in their Sheffield Shield match against Queensland on Saturday and although it will not heal by this Friday, Australia’s coach Mickey Arthur is hopeful Watson will be able to play as an allrounder in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval.”Shane Watson won’t play the first Test match. He did an assessment this morning. We’ve ruled him out,” Arthur said in Brisbane on Monday. “We’re hoping that he will play unrestricted in the second Test match at the Adelaide Oval. That means Rob Quiney makes his debut this week against South Africa.”We’re ruling him out now because we think he won’t be fit enough come Friday. We wanted to be really decisive. We didn’t want this to outplay the whole week. We wanted to make a decisive decision pretty early so we could give some real clarity to the team. I think we’ve done that. Unfortunately Shane misses out.”Quiney will bat at No.3 in a direct swap for Watson, who was unable to play any part in Australia’s home Tests last summer due to calf and hamstring problems. Watson has two and a half weeks to prove his fitness for the second Test in Adelaide and while Arthur believes there is a good chance he will be available for that match, he was confident Australia had enough depth to cover Watson’s absence in the battle for the No.1 Test ranking.”Last year we won 4-0 against India, Shane Watson wasn’t part of that side over the summer,” he said. “We’re relaxed, we’re calm. I think the team is all in a really good space. We’re comfortable that we have the players, we have the cover.”There was also some good news for the Australians on Monday, with Ricky Ponting declared a near-certainty to play after withdrawing from Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield game on Friday due to hamstring soreness. But Watson’s absence will throw out the balance in Australia’s side, depriving Michael Clarke of a valuable fourth seam-bowling option.Although that could have encouraged the selectors to lean towards including four specialist fast bowlers and relying on Clarke for some overs of spin, Arthur said after discussing the pitch with the Gabba curator Kevin Mitchell on Monday it was likely the offspinner Nathan Lyon would play.Lyon has not enjoyed his finest form for South Australia over the past few weeks, collecting six wickets at the inflated average of 68, but he should enjoying returning to the Gabba after he took seven wickets there in last year’s Test against New Zealand. Arthur said although Lyon might need a confidence boost ahead of the Test, he believed he would play a significant role against the South Africans.”We’ve still got to go and see what the wicket delivers for us,” Arthur said. “Michael, myself and [team performance manager] Pat Howard had a meeting this morning with the curator. We’re pretty confident we’re going to get a very, very good Gabba wicket, which increases the likelihood of us playing a spinner.”We’ve never ever doubted Nathan’s ability. We’re hoping that when he comes into this environment, and I know South Australia have done some very good work with him… he gets the lift that he needs. We’re backing Nathan Lyon at the moment. Michael, myself and the selection panel believe that Nathan Lyon is our best spinner and Nathan Lyon will be our best spinner for a long period of time. We want to give him that confidence and back him in.”

A round-up of the fifth round of Ranji Trophy’s Group B matches on December 3, 2012

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-2012
ScorecardAllrounder Bhuvneshwar Kumar needed just 11.4 overs to take his eighth first-class five-wicket haul as Baroda crumbled either side of lunch on day three in Kanpur. After UP had stretched their first innings to 361 from their overnight total of 310 for 6, Bhuvneshwar ran through the Baroda top order, claiming the first three wickets. Imtiaz Ahmed then removed Ambati Rayudu and Kedar Devdhar, the two batsmen who had resisted in the first innings, in the space of three deliveries. There was swing, seam, bounce, both high and low, on the grassy Kanpur pitch, and Baroda had no answers. A run-out later, Baroda were 44 for 6, still needing 63 more to avoid an innings defeat. Abhimanyu Chauhan and Gagandeep Singh ensured UP would bat again, but the hosts needed just eight to win as Baroda were bowled out for 114 in 32.4 overs. The win was achieved with all ten wickets remaining, giving UP the bonus point and taking them top of Group B with 17 points from four games.
ScorecardHaryana were boosted to an overall lead of 250 by a timely half-century from their captain Amit Mishra in Lahli, Rohtak. Three strikes from left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra and two from medium-pacer Sumit Narwal had reduced Haryana to 109 for 6 before Mishra’s contribution. Mithun Manhas’ fifty had earlier helped Delhi post 224 from their overnight 165 for 6. Medium-pacers Mohit Sharma and Harshal Patel took three wickets each while Mishra got two.
ScorecardCenturies from Niranjan Behera and Biplab Samantray gave Odisha a first-innings lead of 126 over Maharashtra in Sambalpur. Deepak Behera chipped in with 49 and despite the lower order crumbling to Samad Fallah, Odisha were able to post 441. They got 26 overs to bowl at Maharashtra in the second innings, but the visitors lost just one wicket, that of Virag Awate to medium-pacer Basant Mohanty. Harshad Khadiwale took them to 73 for 1 at stumps.
ScorecardFaiz Fazal’s century led Vidarbha’s strong reply to Tamil Nadu’s 443 in Nagpur. Tamil Nadu declared on their overnight score, after which Fazal and Shiv Sunder Das put on 151. The first wicket came through a run-out, Das falling for 62. Urvesh Patel did not last long, but Fazal and Shalabh Shrivastava saw out the day without further damage. Vidarbha are still adrift by 229 runs, and will need to bat the better part of the day if they are to take three points from the match.