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Cowan, Yadav shine on see-saw day

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Umesh Yadav claimed Australia’s first three wickets•Getty Images

Australia’s batsmen scrambled to 6 for 277 against a shrewd and opportunistic India on day one of the Boxing Day Test, and would not have progressed that far without a meritorious debut from Ed Cowan in front of 70,068 spectators at the MCG.Losing Michael Hussey to a decision that would have been reversed with the aid of technology – Cowan also had reason to query his exit – the hosts were still some way short of a substantial total by the close. Brad Haddin and Peter Siddle were established however, and their contributions will be critical when play resumes.Cowan’s 68, in 294 minutes and 177 balls, was no more or less than he had promised to deliver as a circumspect, organised opening bat. But its influence on proceedings was lessened by the others’ failure to bat around him, save for an innings of 62 from Ricky Ponting that alternated between edgy and elegant.India’s captain MS Dhoni rotated his bowlers expertly, recovering from the hour after lunch when Ponting and Cowan had threatened to carry the day. India’s refusal to accept the DRS also allowed the visitors to place pressure on the umpires Marais Erasmus and Ian Gould in the time-honoured style, achieving the desired result in the final session.Zaheer Khan turned the day India’s way with the removal of Michael Clarke and Hussey to successive, reverse-swinging balls, after Umesh Yadav demonstrated his knack for speed and wickets with a trio either side of a profligate post-lunch spell. R Ashwin accounted for Cowan in the following over and gained appreciable turn at times to suggest he will be a threat across this series.Opening after Clarke won a quite ambiguous toss, Cowan and David Warner walked to the middle under overcast skies to a surface the offered the promise of early seam to augment the swing offered by the atmosphere. First strike was taken by the debutant, and Cowan responded by playing out Zaheer’s well-directed opening over with plenty of nerves but just as much good sense. His first run arrived in the second over with a tap wide of mid on, before Warner commenced with a streaky inside edge to the fine-leg boundary.From this inauspicious beginning Warner was quickly into stride, cuffing a handful of boundaries in between sensible pushes and nudges around the ground’s vast expanses. Zaheer moved the ball and Ishant Sharma bounced it, but Australia’s openers negotiated their opening spells with as much confidence as could be expected. The introduction of Yadav prompted Cowan to unfurl one glorious straight drive amid his otherwise abstemious defence, and Warner followed up in the same over by biffing the bowler through cover, then hooking uproariously into the crowd.A brief rain delay broke the rhythm of the stand, and when the players returned Warner perished immediately, attempting to repeat his hook at Yadav and gloving gently behind to Dhoni. Yadav had his tail up, firing down his deliveries with plenty of speed, and had Marsh struck on the pad first up. Having played only one Twenty20 innings since his return to fitness after a painful back complaint that afflicted him in South Africa, Marsh did not look at ease, and to his seventh ball he walked too late into a drive and sliced it to gully.

Smart stats

  • Ed Cowan’s 68 is the highest score by an Australian opener in his debut Test innings since Wayne Phillips’ 159 against Pakistan in 1983. During this period, Michael Slater is the only other opener to score a half-century in his first innings.

  • Ricky Ponting’s 62 is his third half-century in his last five Test innings. It’s also his fifth half-century at No.4, but he has never scored more than 78 batting at that slot.

  • Ponting is third in the all-time list of run-getters in Tests at the MCG, behind Don Bradman (1671) and Steve Waugh (1284). Ponting currently has 1278.

  • Michael Hussey’s duck is his 12th in Tests since the beginning of 2008, which is as many as Chris Martin’s tally during this period. Only Mitchell Johnson (14) has more.

  • Australia’s average second-wicket partnership in Tests in 2011 is 22.06, which is the lowest among all teams this year.

  • The 113-run stand between Cowan and Ponting is Australia’s second-highest for the third wicket against India at the MCG, next to only the 169-run stand between Bradman and Lindsay Hassett in 1948.

Suddenly 0 for 46 had become two for the same score, and Ponting’s arrival brought a crowd response that suggested both appreciation and trepidation for Australia’s former captain. Off his second ball Ponting swivelled to hook a short ball, but was struck a stunning blow to the jaw. Ponting was still alert enough to side-foot the rebound away from his stumps, but it was another reminder of how his command over the bouncer has slipped ever since West Indies’ Kemar Roach pinned him on the arm at Perth in 2009.Through it all Cowan maintained his composure, cracking Ishant through the covers with some flourish to add a second boundary after taking a blow to the body from Yadav, and Ponting gradually began to find a little more equilibrium. He slipped over while pulling at Zaheer, but the ungainly follow-through was less important than the sight of the ball skimming to the backward square-leg boundary.Resumption was delayed by further showers, and when it arrived India’s bowlers lapsed in line, length and attitude. Cowan was granted the chance to gather momentum with a handful of boundaries, one a chancy cut over gully but the rest pleasingly fluent, and Ponting also took advantage of some wayward stuff from Yadav in particular. Swiftly the 50-run stand and the Australian 100 were raised, in a union between a Tasmanian living in Sydney (Ponting) and a New South Welshman renewed in Hobart (Cowan).Some of Ponting’s strokes were reprised from the pages of his regal best, one back foot punch off the toes from Ishant more than enough to get the crowd cooing. They were on their feet soon after as his half-century was raised, via a rather more ungainly slog sweep for three. The rain delayed the tea break and Cowan took his time to reach his own 50, but a nudge into the offside brought it in 120 new-ball-blunting balls.Yadav returned to the attack for a spell near the interval, and found something approaching the vim of his morning burst. Ponting was unnerved by his first ball, rearing off a length, and dismissed by the third, which swerved away on a line just close enough to off stump for an uncertain batsman. VVS Laxman held the nick, the union was broken at 113, and Ponting’s interminable wait for another Test century continued.Clarke offered useful company to Cowan for a time, the pair adding 46 either side of the interval. India responded by tightening up, and only four runs had been accrued from three overs when Zaheer beat Clarke’s outside edge with a delivery that zipped away, then forced a cuff onto the stumps from the next when the batsman shaped to cut far too close to his body.The sin of Clarke’s dismissal for 31 was compounded next ball, Hussey fending at a short-pitcher from Zaheer that passed close to, but did not appear to touch, bat or glove on the way through to Dhoni. The umpire Erasmus intuited an edge and raised his finger, and with no DRS recourse, Hussey had to go.While Haddin averted the hat-trick, Cowan now let his guard down, cutting impatiently at Ashwin and was adjudged by Gould to have offered the thinnest of edges to Dhoni. Hot-spot showed no evidence of contact, adding another unhappy chapter to the saga of technology and its inconsistent use. Batting as though they were aware of the total’s inadequacy, Haddin and Siddle dug in, and eluded a tight lbw appeal each. They will face a refreshed India in the morning.Ishant and Zaheer had both been ruled fit and were joined in the attack by Yadav and Ashwin, who won the spinner’s spot ahead of Pragyan Ojha. Australia’s line-up was confirmed two days ago and there were no late changes, with Ben Hilfenhaus in for Mitchell Starc and Cowan named at the top of the order. Australia’s 427th Test cricketer, Cowan was presented with his baggy green by Dean Jones, before the toss.

Pattinson sets up Australia's nine-wicket win

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
James Pattinson collected three wickets in his first over of the day•Getty Images

Smart stats

  • James Pattinson became the 32nd Australia bowler to pick up a five-wicket haul on Test debut. He is also the third Australia bowler after Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins to achieve the feat in 2011.

  • Pattinson’s haul of 5 for 27 is the second-best bowling performance by an Australia bowler against New Zealand in Tests in Brisbane after Dennis Lillee’s 6 for 53 in 1980.

  • Australia extended their undefeated streak at the Gabba to 23 matches. Their last loss at the venue came against West Indies in 1988. Since then, they have won 17 matches and drawn six.

  • New Zealand’s score of 150 is their fourth-lowest against Australia in Tests since 1990. Four of the top five lowest scores have come at the Gabba.

  • This is the seventh occasion that Australia have beaten New Zealand by a margin of nine wickets or more overall and the third such occasion in Brisbane.

James Pattinson achieved in Brisbane what Nathan Lyon managed in Galle and Pat Cummins accomplished in Johannesburg: a five-wicket haul on Test debut to help Australia to victory. The hosts took a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series with a dominant display in the field, ensuring that Michael Clarke’s record as full-time captain – he has not lost a series since taking over from Ricky Ponting – will remain intact.The second over of the day was a triple-wicket maiden from Pattinson that almost brought him a hat-trick as well, and New Zealand did not recover from the trauma of those first ten minutes of play. Through a fighting innings from Dean Brownlie and a counterattacking 36 from Jesse Ryder they did make Australia bat again, but victory for Clarke’s side was a matter of when, not if, and they were ultimately set 19 runs to win.Not that the chase was without its own drama: Phillip Hughes was caught at gully for 7 when he tried to steer Chris Martin through a small gap, the ball after he was dropped at second slip by Brendon McCullum. Hughes is becoming a feast-or-famine prospect for Australia, having scored 0, 126, 9, 9, 88, 11, 10 and 7 in his past four Tests.Two strong scores in that time is a concern, although he is likely to have the Hobart Test to rectify his trend with neither Shane Watson nor Shaun Marsh expected to be rushed back from injury. David Warner struck the winning runs, a fierce pull for four off Doug Bracewell, and finished unbeaten on 12 from four deliveries, with Usman Khawaja at the other end on 0.Not that much can be taken from Warner’s display in such a tiny chase, but it did complete a memorable match for Australia’s three debutants. Warner took four catches, Mitchell Starc picked up two wickets in the first innings, although he became less threatening as the game wore on, and Pattinson demolished the New Zealand top order in a stunning spell on the fourth morning.Pattinson finished with 5 for 27 and, like Cummins and Lyon, his five-for on Test debut was also his first five-wicket collection in a first-class innings. Having struck before stumps on the third day, Pattinson picked up where he left off in a remarkable over that brought three wickets as New Zealand failed to handle Pattinson’s fine outswing.Martin Guptill (12) got a short ball that was fended to Khawaja at short leg and two balls later, Kane Williamson sent a regulation edge to Ricky Ponting at second slip. Ross Taylor also failed to counteract the swing of Pattinson and tickled a catch behind first ball, to leave Pattinson on a hat-trick, which almost came thanks to a wonderful yorker that Ryder was slow on.Fortunately for Ryder, the ball was just a fraction wide of off stump, but Pattinson’s wickets kept coming a few overs later when the nightwatchman Bracewell edged behind for 2. Pattinson had the extraordinary figures of seven overs, five maidens, 5 for 7. It was the sort of display that, combined with the emergence of Cummins in South Africa, promised a bright future for Australia’s pace department.Lyon deserved credit as well for picking up 3 for 19, taking his tally to seven wickets for the match. He bowled with impressive flight and turned the ball significantly, and it was Clarke’s confident use of the offspinner that ended Ryder’s near run-a-ball innings on 36 when he lazily lofted to mid-off, failing to clear the infield as he intended.It was a terrible piece of judgment from Ryder, who as one of the last recognised batsmen needed to settle in for a long innings. His departure left New Zealand at 6 for 69, and it was only through Brownlie and Daniel Vettori that the visitors made Australia bat again.Brownlie was again impressive after his first-innings half-century but straight after lunch he was caught upper-cutting off Peter Siddle for 42, trying for some quick runs as his partners ran out. Vettori (17) had gone in the last over before lunch when he tried to steer Michael Hussey’s medium-pace to third man and was taken at slip.Without Watson in his attack, Clarke showed a willingness to try different things, although Hussey has become something of a golden arm under Clarke’s captaincy, with three wickets at an average of 15, compared to two wickets in 58 Test under Ponting. Warner even bowled an over of legspin and nearly struck first ball when Brownlie’s flat pull was dropped at deep midwicket by a diving Pattinson.Lyon collected the final two wickets, including Martin caught at mid-off for his 31st Test duck. It left Australia certain of retaining their powerful record at the Gabba, where they have not lost a Test since 1988. They will head to Hobart confident: Australia have never lost a Test at the venue.New Zealand have drawn two of the three Tests they’ve played at Bellerive, but a more mature batting display will be required for them to avoid losing the series 2-0. None of their top five made a half-century in this game. They have four days to work out why.

Trouble for Mumbai as Rajasthan pile on 530

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Scorecard
Rohit Sharma needs to score big if Mumbai are to match Rajasthan’s big first-innings score•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Mumbai’s script for this match was bat first, bat once, pile a massive total and dominate the opposition to try and register an outright victory. Except, in a role reversal, defending champions Rajasthan did exactly what heavyweights Mumbai had in mind. If Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the Rajasthan captain, had laid the platform with a serene century on the first day, young Robin Bist played an equally stoic innings, to remain unbeaten on 82 and help the visitors to 530.In reply a shaky Mumbai lost both openers including Wasim Jaffer, their captain and the most senior batsman. Still 426 runs in deficit, Mumbai’s survival is now dependent on the unbeaten pair of Rohit Sharma and Abhishek Nayar, the only two experienced specialist batsmen left in the line-up.In contrast to their difficult state at the end, Mumbai had started the day on a positive note, when both Kanitkar and Bist were watchful. The Brabourne pitch did not betray its flat nature. Neither did the Mumbai fast men: Dhawal Kulkarni and Kshemal Waingankar refrained from bowling fuller lengths, only allowing the batsmen to settle down quickly. Yet only 23 runs came in the first hour off 11 overs.Surprisingly Kanitkar’s shots lacked the conviction of the previous day. He added only 12 runs to his overnight 129 before wafting at a wide delivery outside the off stump from Murtaza Hussain, giving an easy edge to wicketkeeper Onkar Gurav. Mumbai felt they could now snatch the momentum, but Bist put them on the slow drip for more than three hours. His batting might have lacked aggression but it didn’t contain any desperation.He started his innings clipping Kulkarni past midwicket for his first four. When Waingankar, who looked listless through the morning, pitched short, Bist pulled for an easy four. Thereafter he slowed down and focused on rotating strike as far as possible.Rohit Jhalani, the Rajasthan wicketkeeper, though was more keen on hitting hard and eventually threw away his wicket. Jhalani had lofted Iqbal Abdulla, the left-arm spinner, over long-on for a six and four off consecutive deliveries 15 minutes before lunch. But Abdulla bounced back in his next over: giving the perfect loop to a delivery that spun across Jhalani’s bat to knock over the off stump. And when Kulkarni trapped Vivek Yadav in the first over after lunch, the onus was on Bist to carry forward the momentum with the tail to come in.Bist did not relent as he maintained his steady tempo while allowing the trio of Deepak Chahar, Gajendra Singh and Pankaj Singh to play their shots with freedom. He got to his half-century with a square cut that zipped past the point fielder who could only sit on his haunches and watch Bist celebrate his fifty. Valuable partnerships of 49 and 45 for the ninth and the tenth wickets pushed Rajasthan past 500.Pankaj carried the confidence of his 34 into his bowling, removing Mumbai opener Kaustubh Pawar early. Pawar, playing only his second Ranji match, attempted to cut a short delivery which was wide outside off only to offer a simple catch to Jhalani behind the stumps. The Mumbai dressing room was probably calm thinking it was not Jaffer who played that erroneous stroke. Little did they know.Having clipped two on-driven fours off fuller-length deliveries on his legs from Pankaj, Jaffer went for a pull against a short ball off the last delivery of the over. The ball climbed on him fast, and Jaffer could not time it as well as he would have wished and ended up giving an easy catch to mid-on. Pankaj’s roar of delight reverberated through the empty stadium.Mumbai’s troubles were far from over. Rohit Sharma, on 2 (Mumbai were 29 for 2), played an uppish drive straight into the hands of substitute Vaibhav Deshpande at short extra cover but was fortunate as the fielder spilled the chance. The bowler deprived was Chahar. Rohit had only played six deliveries. He brushed aside the early nerves with two brilliant fours in the next three balls.But more drama was in store off the last delivery of the over. Rohit softly tapped towards Ashok Menaria and took off for a single. Nayar responded positively but suddenly stopped and both players were stranded mid-pitch staring at each other embarrassingly. Fortunately for them, Menaria failed to pick up the ball cleanly. Frustration doubled for Rajasthan when Jhalani, who had come in front of the stumps to collect the delayed throw, fumbled, giving Nayar enough time to scamper home safely. Rohit was disgusted and waved his bat in the air to express his dissatisfaction at the confusion.However Rohit moved on swiftly from the incident and even collected four boundaries in Chahar’s eighth over. Those 16 runs took him to within eight runs of the half-century. He reached the mini-landmark by pulling legspinner Yadav over midwicket for an easy four. The job has only started for him and Mumbai.

Kaneria case against PCB adjourned till October 20

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Pakistan legspinner Danish Kaneria’s case against the PCB in the Sindh High Court has been adjourned till October 20. During the September 27 hearing in the case, Kaneria consented to allow the board to ask the British Crown Prosecution Services for the tapes of an investigation by the Essex police. Kaneria had been questioned regarding a case involving spot-fixing allegations during a Pro40 match for his county Essex.Though Kaneria was not charged in the spot-fixing case, in which his Essex team-mate Mervyn Westfield faced criminal proceedings, he has not been cleared to play for Pakistan since the incident. Kaneria had filed a petition against the PCB over his non-clearance on July 2. During a hearing on August 18, he had admitted that tapes of the investigation in Essex existed and it was decided that they would be produced before the court on September 27. Kaneria’s lawyer Mohammad Farogh Naseem had said the tapes were in the UK with Kaneria’s British lawyer Steve Haurigan. .During the September 27 hearing it was decided that the PCB would write to the CPS to ask for the tapes or their transcripts. The PCB’s lawyer Taffazul Rizvi argued that though Kaneria was not charge with spot-fixing, his integrity was under the scanner and therefore his clearance would only be possible after scrutiny the of the tapes.The PCB’s integrity committee had asked Kaneria to produce transcripts of the investigation before the case had been filed began but his lawyers had maintained it was not possible as the transcripts were still part of an ongoing investigation in the UK. Before seeking legal recourse, Kaneria had appeared several times before the integrity committee to gain clearance and had submitted various financial records and documents, but had not managed to satisfy its members. He last met the committee on August 15, along with Shoaib Malik, and though Malik got clearance after that meeting and was on Pakistan’s tour of Zimbabwe, Kaneria’s wait continued.”I am desperate to play and am missing top cricket,” Kaneria told ESPNCricinfo after the September 27 hearing. “Of course I feel frustrated but I am optimistic about my career. I chose the legal path for which I feel no regret as I see it as the only way to get myself clear from the stigma.”

Marsh stars again on hard-fought day

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShaun Marsh made 81•AFP

Shaun Marsh justified Australia’s decision to keep him at No.3 by making a wonderful 81, but Sri Lanka finished the first day with a slight edge in a match they must win to draw the series. A day that began with changes galore for both sides and an unexpected decision from Tillakaratne Dilshan to send Australia in on a good batting surface finished with the visitors at 235 for 5, with Michael Hussey the key.The Sri Lankans would have liked more than five wickets after Dilshan’s decision at the toss, when he expected seam movement after rain in the lead-up to the match, but they were still in a reasonable position with only Australia’s bowlers still to bat. Hussey, demoted to No.6 to accommodate Marsh and Ricky Ponting up the order, was on 63 when bad light forced an early close and he had Brad Haddin for company on 21.It was one of the most evenly-contested days of the series. The Sri Lankans picked up Australia’s openers within the first ten overs, the seamer Shaminda Eranga getting a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket, before Ponting, Marsh and Hussey provided some fight for Australia. The major concern for Australia was the continued poor form of the captain Michael Clarke and the opener Phillip Hughes, who made a second-ball duck.But the 70-run partnership between Marsh and Hussey, the centurions from last week’s Pallekele Test, steered Australia in the right direction, both men showing the sort of composure some of their colleagues had lacked. Hussey continued to look impenetrable, covering the spin against Rangana Herath and driving the fast men along the ground, and he passed fifty for the eighth time in his past 13 Test innings.Marsh was especially was impressive in his attitude, defending the good balls, leaving those he could, and choosing the right ones to put away. He brought up his half-century from his 125th delivery with a pull for four off Suranga Lakmal, and it was typical of his innings: a bad ball, and no risk in the stroke.He played some wonderful straight drives and square cuts, and in doing so recorded the highest aggregate ever by an Australia Test player in his first two Test innings, passing the 208 made by Kepler Wessels back in 1982. Marsh looked set to become the first Australian to make a century in each of his first two Test innings when he played inside the spin of Herath and was bowled.It was an uncharacteristic lapse, but on a humid day when he’d been at the crease for four and a half hours, it was understandable. There could be no such excuse for Clarke, who on 6 flashed at a wide ball – not for the first time in this series – and was caught behind off Eranga. Clarke had moved down to No.5 in the top-order shimmy that allowed Marsh to stay at first drop.Ponting came in at No.4 for the first time in his Test career, apart from when nightwatchmen had been used, and he looked in fine form with a pair of cover-driven boundaries off Chanaka Welegedara. However, on 48, he too lost patience and drove at a fullish outswinger from Lakmal, sending a regulation edge through to Prasanna Jayawardene.Sri Lanka had used up both of their reviews on Ponting, but they had no such trouble getting rid of Hughes and Shane Watson. Hughes fell in the second over when Lakmal angled the ball across the left-hander and straightened it just a fraction off the seam. The ball caught the inside edge of the bat as Hughes defended away from his body, and the stumps were rattled by a ball he could have left alone.It was a disappointing effort from Hughes, who is viewed by the selectors as the long-term opening partner for Shane Watson but has not reached fifty in any of his past ten Test innings. Watson is also experiencing an uncharacteristic lean patch, and that continued when on 8, he drove hard at a full and wide delivery from Eranga and was snapped up at backward point.It was a joyous moment for Eranga, who became the second Sri Lankan to take a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket, after Chamila Gamage in 2002, and the second man to achieve the feat in this series after Australia’s Nathan Lyon. The inclusion of Eranga was one of a raft of changes to Sri Lanka’s line-up for this Test.Herath was included after missing the Pallekele Test due to a finger injury, and the Sri Lankans went for a more seam-heavy attack by dropping the spinners Suraj Randiv and Seekkuge Prasanna. They also axed the veteran batsman Thilan Samaraweera and brought in Lahiru Thirimanne, who will open, while Dilshan will move down to No.5.Dilshan was full of surprises at the toss. It was the 12th occasion a captain had sent the opposition in at the SSC, but only twice has that decision led to a victory: both times against Bangladesh. Whether that becomes three times from 12 occasions will depend partly on how long it takes Sri Lanka to finish Australia off on the second day.

Durham finish with thumping win

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Scorecard
Mitchell Claydon removed Alexi Kervezee for a duck•Getty Images

Durham completed their eighth win of the season by beating Worcestershire by 151 runs 15 minutes after lunch at Chester-le-Street. It was Worcestershire’s 11th defeat in 16 games, making their Division One survival all the more remarkable, and they subsided swiftly after reaching 128 for 2 in pursuit of 365.Despite a late flourish from Richard Jones, who hit Ian Blackwell for two sixes and a four in one over, the visitors were all out for 213. Resuming on 65 for 2, James Cameron and Moeen Ali played well for the first hour, defying the best efforts of Graham Onions.The paceman was clearly riled by the defiance of the left-handed Cameron, who survived a confident lbw appeal just before edging just short of first slip on 38. After successfully settling into the opener’s role in late season, Cameron confirmed that he is also capable of quality strokes.Onions had done the softening up and Mitch Claydon cashed in with two wickets in his second over. Shortly after lofting Blackwell sweetly over long-on for six, Ali fell for 38 when he edged a drive to Michael Di Venuto at second slip and three balls later Alexei Kervezee edged to Phil Mustard.Then Blackwell turned one into Cameron to have him lbw on the back foot for 47. Gareth Andrew clearly had no intention of hanging around and Blackwell bowled him through a reverse sweep for 15.Matt Pardoe made 27 before edging Blackwell to slip then leg-spinner Scott Borthwick found extra bounce to find Ben Scott’s top edge as he shaped to turn to leg. A simple catch lobbed to backward square leg.Kemar Roach wafted at the first ball after lunch and edged to slip and Borthwick claimed his third wicket when last man Alan Richardson drove to mid-on.

O'Keefe chases higher honours via Twenty20

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Australia’s most statistically accomplished spin bowler, Steve O’Keefe, is intent on pressing his case for limited overs and Test match consideration during the tourists’ two Twenty20 matches against Sri Lanka.In 14 first-class matches, O’Keefe has winkled out 52 wickets at 24.05, yet has been ignored by the national selectors for all but the briefest of formats, in which he took 3-29 on his debut against Pakistan last year.The selection of Nathan Lyon and Michael Beer has been considered by some to be a slight on O’Keefe, but he preferred to view it as a sign that in selection terms, anything was now possible.”Definitely. I think every time you play, it’s a bit of an audition, isn’t it?,” O’Keefe told in Colombo. “Sometimes, if you do well in any sort of form for Australia, it can translate in all sorts of forms so, any time you get to wear [Australian colours], you’re on show.”O’Keefe has watched Lyon bowl, and said the South Australian-based off spinner had all the attributes of a classical slow bowler.”He’s a beautiful bowler when you watch him go,” O’Keefe said. “He gets it up and over and one of the best natural spinners I’ve seen around in the country for a long time. He’s got a good head on his shoulders which I think will serve him in good stead if he gets his opportunity to play.”While O’Keefe’s time in Sri Lanka will be short, the time spent training ahead of Saturday’s first T20 match against the Sri Lankans will be enthusiastically undertaken by one of the more personable cricketers in Australia.”It’s changing times that you come away and you’re here for two weeks for these games that go for three hours but, in saying that, the intensity of training is quite tough,” O’Keefe said. “The training that we did today for fielding, it doesn’t get much tougher and I think you can definitely take your skills up a notch by working around these guys.”There’s a lot of benefits besides the two games. You get to surround yourself with the best players in the world and play up to their level. It’s a great forum to showcase your skills.”

All eyes on conditions with trophy up for grabs

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It was overcast and damp in Manchester on Friday, the sort of conditions that make England a force to be reckoned with in one-day cricket, but the forecast for match-day is more sunshine and less cloud. If the series to date is any guide that will give Sri Lanka a good chance of bouncing straight back from their Trent Bridge thrashing to take the one-day series, even though the momentum is with the hosts.The four matches, which have left the series tied at 2-2, have just reinforced where these two teams’ strengths lie. Under cloudy, bowler-friendly conditions, at The Oval and Trent Bridge England have demolished their opponents, led by James Anderson; on warmer – you could say proper summer days – Sri Lanka’s subcontinental skills of spin and wristy batting have come to fore.England were delighted not just by overhead conditions in Nottingham, but also the 22 yards produced by the groundsman. They may not be quite so delighted by what they get at Old Trafford, in what will be the first international since the pitch was turned 90 degrees to face north-south rather than east-west, to avoid the setting sun whenever it decides to appear.Lancashire have only played one-day matches on the ground so far this season, but have filled their side with spin bowlers. Sometimes they have played four – Gary Keedy, Simon Kerrigan, Stephen Parry and Steven Croft – while the opposition have taken note and utilised slow bowling too. In a sense that’s nothing new, Old Trafford has always been a good surface for spin – just ask Monty Panesar, Graeme Swann or Shane Warne. But the pitch is unlikely to have the bounce and carry that England so desire although Jim Cumbes, the Lancashire chief executive, thought it would go through nicely at least from one end.”They used to have pace and carry and I think that may change the characteristics by turning the pitch around,” Alastair Cook said. “Lancashire have been playing three or four spinners. It has changed a little bit.”I think we’re getting a bit too carried away with the wickets,” he added. “To me it’s our skill levels and we haven’t been good at certain times and haven’t won. I think there was a directive sent out by Hugh Morris [managing director of England cricket] at the beginning of the year suggesting what wickets we would like. At certain times squares are quite hard to change, but as an English side we always want carry on the wicket.”Neither team was able to have a look at the pitch, however, as it remained covered throughout the training sessions which were held indoors. Predicting pitches is a notoriously difficult job so decisions on playing elevens are likely to be left until the last minute, although the odds favour an unchanged England side, even if there is temptation to play Samit Patel for his left-arm spin.The slower the better will be the case for Sri Lanka so they can make the most of their spinners, but Tillakaratne Dilshan said he still wanted a balanced attack unlike the spin-heavy combinations that can be used on the subcontinent. Regardless of what conditions confront his team on Saturday, Dilshan believes the main threat will come from Anderson who will have a home crowd supporting him.”In the two matches with flat wickets we won easily and on two seaming wickets they won easily,” Dilshan said. “Anderson is the key man and he’s why we lost two matches. If we get some runs against him we have a good chance.” Intriguingly, Dilshan hinted they have looked at new tactics to Anderson although he wouldn’t confirm exactly what. “It might be to play some shots, you never know,” he said.This game will decide whether Sri Lanka’s tour has been a success or not. They were never expected to win the Tests, but the one-day matches were a very different prospect. If they can secure their first series of the post-Muralitharan era, it will bode well for maintaining their position as a limited-overs force.”We have played very good one-day cricket in last three or four years,” Dilshan said. “We have been the runner’s up in the last two World Cups. We came here as No. 3 in the world now we are No. 2. There is a good balance between senior players and youngsters.”However, Cook knows that, from his point of view, a series victory against Sri Lanka will be a superb way to start his full-time leadership. “My first two series are against India and Sri Lanka, the two World Cup finalists, and we know what strong sides they are,” he said. “It’s something we can win. We wanted to test ourselves against the best.”

Yuvraj '100% fit' for England tour

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Yuvraj Singh, who is missing India’s ongoing tour of West Indies with a chest infection, has announced he is fully fit and ready for the England tour that gets underway on July 15.”I am 100% fit for the tour,” Yuvraj said. “I am sure most of the other seniors who are battling respective injuries would be fully fit for the tour. I am really looking forward to the tour.”Yuvraj played a pivotal role in India’s World Cup triumph, scoring 362 runs and taking 15 wickets to pick up Player-of-the-Tournament honours. He is one of several first-choice India players – along with Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Zaheer Khan – to sit out of the West Indies tour, that follows a bloated IPL season that began five days after the World Cup final.Yuvraj rubbished speculation that he had opted out of the West Indies tour since he did not want to play under the leadership of the much younger Suresh Raina, who captained the depleted ODI side, in MS Dhoni’s absence. “I have played under Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir,” Yuvraj said. “I have played under so many captains. And Gautam and MS came to the team five years after I got included in the team. There has been no such thing. I play for my country and not for captains.”Yuvraj’s World Cup high was followed by a lacklustre showing in the IPL where he led Pune Warriors through a forgettable debut season. The only time Pune’s campaign made the headlines was when they signed Ganguly for the final stages of the event, after he had been ignored by all franchises at the auction.”Sourav and I share a very good relationship,” Yuvraj said. “He supported me a lot during my initial years in international cricket. And I think it was my time to support as he wanted to play in the IPL. We had very good interactions during the IPL season. We had good plans and I hope that we will have good plans and strategy in the next season of the IPL also.”

Misbah sets sights on finishing the job

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Pakistan’s captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, is not getting ahead of himself despite his side’s powerful position in the second Test against West Indies. Pakistan need only five more wickets to beat West Indies and level the series 1-1, while the hosts require 297 runs for an unlikely victory, or to bat all day to salvage a draw.”Until the time you’ve taken the last wicket, the match is still not finished,” Misbah said after stumps on the fourth day in St Kitts. “It’s a game of cricket and you have to finish the game otherwise it’s really half the job done.”Pakistan had Misbah to thank for giving them an excellent chance at victory, after he and Taufeeq Umar both made centuries in the second innings. It was Misbah’s third Test hundred and he was unbeaten on 102 when he declared with a lead of 426, a fine effort for a 36-year-old in his sixth Test as captain.”It’s really, really good to have a hundred, especially when you are captain,” Misbah said. “For your own confidence and for the sake of the team, it’s really important that the captain chips in and perform at all stages in the game.”West Indies made a poor start to their chase, with two of the top four out for ducks, and by stumps they were 130 for 5 and relying heavily on the vice-captain Brendan Nash (30 not out) to salvage something on the final day. Abdur Rehman caused the biggest problems with three wickets, all of which came soon after the tea break and shattered West Indies’ hopes of ending the day in a reasonable position.”At tea, my coach [Waqar Younis] and my captain came to me and said, ‘Go back there and go back to your normal bowling,” Rehman said. “Don’t give them flight, just tight, tight, contain and you’ll get the wickets’.”To rescue West Indies, Nash will need not only a major innings himself but also help from the lower order, including Carlton Baugh (7 not out) and the next man in, the captain Darren Sammy. West Indies won the first Test in the two-match series.