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Such is the pressure on groundsmen in an Investec Ashes series in which pitches have dominated the agenda, Warwickshire have turned to an unlikely source of inspiration ahead of the third Test at Edgbaston

Will Macpherson at Edgbaston27-Jul-2015Such is the pressure on groundsmen in an Investec Ashes series in which pitches have dominated the agenda, Warwickshire have turned to an unlikely source of inspiration ahead of the third Test at Edgbaston. Head groundsman Gary Barwell, who is preparing his first Ashes pitch, is using lights normally used for the cultivation of cannabis in the hope of preparing the perfect surface.This is not the first time the Edgbaston officials have used the hot lamps, which are borrowed free of charge from West Midlands Police after being confiscated from local cannabis growers.The hope is that the lamps help encourage grass growth and dry an outfield which has suffered heavily at the hands of the torrential rain that has swept the UK in the last week. That Edgbaston’s vast pavilion also can leave the outfield shadowed exacerbates the issues.

Wood cleared after fitness test

Mark Wood is available for selection having come through a fitness test on his ankle ahead of the third Test.
Wood, who looked jaded at Lord’s where he picked up one wicket for 132 runs in the game, underwent the test on the outfield at Edgbaston ahead of training on Monday. His ankle was heavily strapped during the second Test.
He suffered no reaction and has been cleared for availability for the match starting on Wednesday.

The pitches at Cardiff – where a Mitchell Starc delivery in the match’s first over bounced twice on the way through to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin – and Lord’s – where Australia amassed 337 for 1 on the first day – have been one of the main talking points of the series although both matches finished inside four days.Just as notable on the outfield as the teams trained on Monday was the sight of the ECB’s pitch inspector, Chris Wood, and Lord’s groundsman Mick Hunt, who has come under fire for the surface for the second Test, which Australia won by 405 runs.The lamps were handed over to the club in the winter of 2013-14, after Barwell had seen similar techniques in action while working on the staff at Notts County FC, and they have been used since in order to create pitches that suit Warwickshire’s varied attack, which contains the pace of Boyd Rankin and the spin of Jeetan Patel.Amid accusations that the ECB have ordered placid surfaces to nullify Australia’s vaunted seam attack, Starc accused England of “not knowing what they want to do” with the type of surfaces they are preparing.”We’ll find out on day one, but the way it is at the moment, I guess the quicks on both sides will be happy to see it stay the way it is,” Starc said, of a pitch that two days out was grassy, but will be well mowed ahead of the Test.From the England camp, Joe Root said: “I want to see a result pitch where we can play some good competitive cricket and put a show on.”

The question of scheduling a Twenty20 domestic tournament directly at odds with Australia’s Test preparations for the Australia-India Tests had Michael Hussey stumped

Alex Malcolm15-Dec-2011Michael Hussey has always been a diplomat. In school-yard terms you would describe him as the teacher’s pet, always sitting at the front of class, answering every question as perfectly as he can, eager to please, keen to say and do the right things. But the question of scheduling a Twenty20 domestic tournament directly at odds with Australia’s Test preparations for the Australia-India Tests had him stumped.”It’s a difficult one. I think . . . I think it’s err . . . I think, I don’t know what I think really.” Hussey said in a confused tone. He knew what he wanted to say. He just had to word it as carefully as he could.”I really want to be a part of the Test team,” Hussey said with clarity. “I love the traditional Test matches like the Boxing Day Test and the New Year’s Test. Obviously playing in my home Test match is really special as well. So, for me, that’s the No.1 priority.”With the amount of injuries that have been around the team in the last few months it does make you a little bit nervous that if you do have injuries to the Australian Test team, that we might be picking players that have only been playing Twenty20 cricket.”It is maybe a small concern. But from a Twenty20 point of view it is the ideal time to be playing the game with school holidays on and trying to get as many new kids down to the ground. And it’s important for us players to really engage with the young kids out there as well. It’s probably not ideal. But we’ve just got to live with it.”That was as controversial a comment as you could get from Hussey. You could tell in his own mind he was wrestling with the concept of promoting the game to a wider audience, whilst protecting the integrity of its traditional form.His Perth Scorcher team-mate Shaun Marsh is an example of an injured player possibly returning to the Test side through Twenty20 cricket.Marsh, still battling a bulging disc in his back, was hopeful he could play in a Big Bash League fixture for Perth, in Melbourne on December 22, in order to prove his fitness for the Boxing Day Test. Whether such an audition will be enough was another question.”I’m not too sure,” Marsh said. “I guess it would give me the confidence if I got through that game, that I could play in a Test match. Obviously Twenty20 is pretty quick and it would be nice to spend a bit of time out in the middle, but like I said, I’m not a selector, I’m not too sure what they’re thinking.”Switching from the shortest format to the longest version without any lead-in is not a new concept for Hussey. His sole preparation for Australia’s two-test Tour of India in 2010 was to participate for Chennai Super Kings in the Champions League in South Africa. Chennai’s success in that tournament forced Hussey into a more awkward situation than the present, which is a one-off outing for the Scorchers, against the Hobart Hurricanes at the WACA on Sunday, followed by the Boxing Day Test on December 26.”For me personally it’s only one game. We’ve had Test matches in Sri Lanka, South Africa, two Test matches against New Zealand so I think we’re still, pretty much, in Test mode. I don’t think one Twenty20 game will affect the preparation too much,” Hussey said.But he admitted it was not an easy task given his previous experiences.”I found it tough playing Test match cricket, a few years ago, and then going straight to a Twenty20 tournament. It took me a good couple of weeks to fully adapt to Twenty20 mode from Test match mode. So I guess I’m not expecting any miracles out here on Sunday. As I said, I’ll just go out there and enjoy it. If things go well, great, if not, I’m not going to lose any sleep over it.”

ESPNcricinfo understands there are still inquiries pending against Malik beyond allegations of match-fixing in 2000

Umar Farooq24-Apr-2020A movement appears to have begun urging the PCB to reintegrate Saleem Malik, the former batsman and captain who was banned for life in 2000 after being found guilty of attempting to fix a Test in Justice Qayyum’s report. It has gained prominence with support from Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saqlain Mushtaq and has now ignited a discussion about Malik’s suitability for a return to the fold. ESPNcricinfo understands, however, that there are still inquiries pending against Malik beyond the allegations that formed the basis of his role in the Qayyum report.These inquiries are related to a sting operation in England conducted by Mazhar Mehmood, the same journalist who broke the 2010 spot-fixing scandal that resulted in three Pakistani cricketers – Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif – going to jail. The PCB had intended to open a file based on that information eight years ago and called upon Malik for clarification but he never responded. Although Malik had volunteered to clear his name when the PCB set up an integrity commission in the wake of the 2010 spot-fixing saga, he is yet to adhere to the summons based on the Mehmood sting.”There were outstanding and serious questions with regard to his [Malik’s] integrity,” Tafazzul Rizvi, PCB legal attorney, told ESPNcricinfo. “He was given a transcript to clarify but he never returned even after repeated calls.”Malik’s cricketing career was ultimately sullied by the match-fixing scandals. In a judicial inquiry – that began in 1998 and continued for 13 months – he was found guilty of bribing Australian cricketers Shane Warne and Mark Waugh to lose the 1994-95 Karachi Test. Malik was fined Rs 1 million and banned for life in 2000, but eight years later his sentence was overturned by a Lahore sessions court, allowing him theoretically to return to the fold.That led briefly to a farcical situation when Malik said he had accepted as position as coach at the National Cricket Academy, only for the PCB to deny any such appointment had been made the next day.ALSO READ: Come to Think of it: Have we forgotten Saleem Malik, the batsman?Since then, Malik has kept his distance from the game – until now. In a video message released to media the 57-year old Malik requested the PCB to consider him for any coaching job, citing examples of recent cricketers who have made their way back into the system after completing their sentence.”I see there are a lot of cricketers saying good things about my batting, fielding and captaincy,” Malik said on seeking a second innings in cricket. “Since 2008, when the honourable court lifted my ban, I had tried to get a coaching job but was never considered. In recent years, Mohammad Amir went on to play for Pakistan; Salman Butt, [Mohammad] Asif [are] playing domestic cricket [and] even Sharjeel Khan went on to play PSL. So I request the PCB, if I am of any use for them, please consider me. I wish I [will] be able to serve Pakistan in any shape whatever I can do in my capacity. Whatever skill I have, I can pass on it to youngsters.”Despite the ban, Malik remains highly-regarded for his cricket knowledge among contemporaries. Rashid Latif, a key whistleblower in the first wave of match-fixing, has spoken well of Malik as a player, though did caution against the reintegration of someone found guilty of corruption. Both Inzamam and Mushtaq, who also feature in the Qayyum report, believe that Malik should be pardoned and allowed to serve Pakistan cricket again.Coaching vacancies have opened up as the PCB restructures the NCA, but ESPNcricinfo understands that the PCB hasn’t shown any interest in taking up Malik’s offer.

The series was to be played in June as part of the World Test Championship cycle

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Apr-2020The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Cricket Australia (CA) have mutually agreed to postpone the two-Test series that was scheduled for June, due to the persisting Covid-19 threat. The boards took the decision with the welfare of their players and communities in mind, and will work together to find a suitable date to play the series once the situation becomes clearer.The series was to be played between June 11 and June 23 in Chattogram and Dhaka, and is part of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. It becomes the third WTC series to affected after the Sri Lanka-England series scheduled for March, and the second Test of Bangladesh’s staggered tour of Pakistan, which was scheduled to begin on April 5.BCB CEO Nizam Uddin Chowdhury said, “This is understandably disappointing for players and fans of both sides. However, in the current global scenario of the Covid-19 outbreak and considering the nature of the health emergency, the BCB and CA are in agreement that this is the most sensible and practical decision. We hope that the situation will improve soon and we are able to hold this series at a convenient time in the near future. To that end, the BCB will continue to work closely with CA with whom we share a history of support and cooperation.”The series is among two WTC series that are scheduled for June, with England scheduled to host West Indies around the same time. It was also to be Australia’s first visit to Bangladesh since their 1-1 series draw in 2017 – and, in fact, their first meeting in a bilateral setting since that one. Australia had, in 2018, called off hosting Bangladesh for two Tests and three ODIs because broadcasters were understood to have been uninterested in televising the series in the middle of the football season.”Postponing the tour is regrettable,” CA chief Kevin Roberts said through a statement, “but I would like to thank the Bangladesh Cricket Board for the open, honest and responsible discussions that led us to this mutually-agreed position. The health of our people and communities is the number one priority for both Boards and that is reflected in the action we have taken in postponing the two Test matches. As we know, the global cricket calendar is very busy but we will do everything we can to honour our commitment to Bangladesh and will continue to work with the BCB on an agreed date.”Australia are currently second in the WTC table with 296 points, having won two of their three series, while Bangladesh sit at the bottom, in ninth place with no points after one completed series.

Former England captain believes senior seamer is bowling better than ever at age of 34

George Dobell27-Jul-2020Stuart Broad is currently bowling as well as at any time in his career, according to former England captain, Andrew Strauss.Broad will go into the final day of the Test series against West Indies requiring one more wicket to become just the seventh man – and fourth seamer – in history to claim 500 Test wickets.But while Broad is now aged 34 and has been omitted from the team several times in recent months, Strauss believes his competitive spirit has pushed him to new heights over the last year or two. Determined to prove he is still worth his place in England’s first-choice team, Broad has produced several incisive spells, including a burst of 3 for 1 in the second Test that revived a game that appeared to be heading towards a draw, then eight wickets so far in the third – featuring a run of six in seven overs across two innings – which has given England an opportunity to win the series.”I honestly don’t believe Stuart Broad has bowled much better than this,” Strauss said from Emirates Old Trafford on Monday, where rain washed out the fourth day’s play. “There were a couple of years where perhaps he lost his wrist a bit and it was hard work for him bowling to right-handers. But in this series he seems to be equally potent against left- and right-handers.”But when we look at all of his attributes. you can talk about his height and pace; it’s actually his competitiveness and we have seen this year. He is at his best when he has something to prove. He’s had the bit between his teeth in these last two Test matches and that has served him particularly well over the course of his career.”ALSO READ: Openers prove old virtues can work for new EnglandStrauss’s words are largely supported by the statistics. Not only is Broad England’s leading wicket-taker in this series – he’s taken his 14 wickets at a cost of just 10.50 apiece – but he was also his side’s leading wicket-taker in the Ashes and the series against South Africa. Over the last 12 months, his 62 Test wickets have cost 20.58 each.While Strauss, who is currently chair of the ECB’s cricket committee, admits he didn’t predict quite such success when he first saw Broad, he was confident he had the qualities to enjoy a “long-term England career.””I remember the first time I played with him was in an England Lions game,” Strauss said. “He was very young at the time. Probably 20 years of age and fast making a reputation for himself in the county game.”And I remember a T20 finals day where he bowled brilliantly at Ronnie Irani. There was obvious talent and he was comfortable on the big stage and delivering under pressure.”When I saw him it was clear he had most of the assets you needed as a fast bowler: quick enough at 80-85 mph, obviously a lot of height and an ability to swing ball away from right-hander. He also had real knack of getting wickets with not great balls which was a good knack to have.”But there have been so many bowlers whose star has shone for a year or two then either they have been worked out or their confidence has deserted them and they’ve been cast aside.”I don’t think anyone could have predicted he would take 500 Test wickets, but I do think people thought he had the potential to have a long-term England career.”Although Strauss welcomes the emergence of other viable bowling options for England, he suggested it would be an error to move on from either Broad or James Anderson prematurely.”We write them off at our peril,” Strauss said. “So let’s not be in a hurry to pension them off, because they have both got a lot more to offer England. We need to savour and appreciate and enjoy every time that those two bowl together in an England shirt.”At the same time, it’s really healthy there’s competition for places and some of these young guys are putting their hands up and showing they are ready to play international cricket. From a selector’s points of view, it is a great position to be in.”Meanwhile, the Ruth Strauss Foundation announced that donations during the game had surpassed £650,000. The foundation was set up by Strauss in memory of his wife who died from a rare form of cancer. Strauss thanked the “entire cricket family” for its support and said he was “blown away” by the amount of money raised in such a challenging economic environment.Anyone wanting to donate should visit: www.ruthstraussfoundation.com

The ODIs against New Zealand in March will be used to raise money for the Red Cross bushfire appeal as well

Andrew McGlashan04-Jan-2020Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts would be open to the idea of staging a charity match to raise funds for the bushfire appeal as the natural disaster continues to ravage large areas of the country.Australia is in the midst of one of its worst ever bushfire seasons which has led to fatalities, mass evacuations and significant loss of property. The Christmas and New Year period has been especially severe in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.There have already been a number of initiatives put in place across cricket, including players in the Big Bash League pledging donations for sixes hit and wickets taken and the Australia team auctioning off signed shirts from the Boxing Day Test which had raised over AUD$40,000. On the opening day of the Sydney Test players from both sides wore black armbands in memory of those who have died in the fires while there was a one-minute applause to honour the emergency services.CA has also announced that the ODIs between Australia and New Zealand in March will be used to raise money for the Red Cross bushfire appeal, but if the pieces could be put into place Roberts said the potential is there for a standalone fixture.”I’d love to think we could do something along those lines, we’ve all got great memories that the role those sort of events have played in disaster and tragedy in the past and would like to think we can make the most of those ODIs in March,” he told radio. “We are very open to other initiatives that could include celebrity matches, we’ve got a very crowded cricket calendar, we have to make sure what we do has maximum impact. If there’s time, space and availability of the right people nothing is off the table.”In the past there have been matches staged to raise money after severe bushfires. In 1994, South Africa played an extra game against a New South Wales XI following bad fires in Sydney early in the year. Further back in 1967, after devastating fires in Tasmania, a fundraising match was staged at the MCG and in 1983, Australia played New Zealand in a one-off match at the SCG.In January 2005, the MCG staged the tsunami appeal match between an ICC World XI and an Asia XI to raise money following the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. Years later, James Sutherland, who was CA chief executive at the time, recalled the impact of that match and how boards and player associations had worked to bring it together.”Between Tim May [former head of the ACA and FICA] and I, there was always something to fight about, but when that happened we said, ‘We’re going to do something special’ and he was able to get through his FICA the players to commit to come here and play,” he said in 2018. “Together we put on an event that was extraordinary and raised more than A$15 million for a huge tragedy. It was a reminder of the power of what cricket can achieve when it galvanises all its forces.”

Somerset regained the leadership of Group C with a comfortable six-wicket
victory over the Unicorns in the Clydesdale Bank 40 match at Taunton

21-Aug-2011
ScorecardSomerset regained the leadership of Group C with a comfortable six-wicket
victory over the Unicorns in the Clydesdale Bank 40 match at Taunton.The visitors posted 208 for 5 after winning the toss, Michael Thornely
becoming the first Unicorns player to score a century in the competition this
season. The opener was unbeaten on 105 at the end of the 40 overs, while captain Keith
Parsons contributed 38. George Dockrell was the pick of the Somerset bowlers
with one wicket for 24 runs from his eight overs.The total was never likely to test Somerset’s strong batting line-up. Marcus
Trescothick (53) and Craig Kieswetter (45) put on 99 in 14 overs and after both
departed James Hildreth (50 not out) ensured victory with more than five overs
to spare.Spinners Bradley Wadlan (two for 39) and Luke Beaven, who conceded only 34 from
his eight overs, did their best to tie the home side down, but the Unicorns were
50 runs short of a competitive total. That was despite a tremendous effort from Thornely, who hit 11 fours in facing 115 balls. He gave one chance in the final over when he was dropped by Jos
Buttler at deep midwicket off Alfonso Thomas.By then Thornely was on 104, having paced his innings well. Former Somerset
favourite Parsons leant good support in a fourth wicket stand of 53 and will
have been disappointed to sky a catch to deep midwicket with his team 115 for
three in the 26th over. Dockrell, who opened the bowling with his left arm spin, showed excellent
control and variation to go for just three an over.Trescothick and Kieswetter looked set to make light work of their target. But,
on 45, Kieswetter drove a catch to cover off Luis Reece and it sparked a blip in
the Somerset innings.Trescothick soon followed, having hit seven fours in his 42-ball innings,
bowled trying to reverse sweep Wadlan. And when Peter Trego was caught at cover
to give Wadlan another wicket it was 116 for three. Nick Compton celebrated the award of his county cap at the interval with a steadying 25 off 43 balls, allowing Hildreth to go for his shots as he moved to a half-century off 50 deliveries.When Compton was bowled by Andy McGarry with 27 runs still needed, Jos Buttler
marched out to hit 23 of them off just eight balls, ending the game with a big
six over midwicket off Glen Querl. A victory in one of their two remaining games should now be enough to put Somerset in the semi-finals.

Ben Stokes became only the fifth cricketer to win the award on Sunday night

Andrew Miller15-Dec-2019

Jim Laker (1956)

The third winner of the Sports Review of the Year, as it was then known, and the first of many to demonstrate that its subsequent focus on “personality” was misplaced. Laker’s award-seizing feat may have been attention-grabbing – 19 wickets for 90 at Old Trafford, 10 for 53 in the second innings and all that – but the man himself was anything but.Colin Cowdrey dubbed him the “calm destroyer” as he wheeled his way through Australia’s resistance, before flopping his sweater over his shoulder and ambling off to the pavilion, job done. That evening he stopped off for a pie and a pint in a pub in Lichfield (en route to another match against the Australians at The Oval) and not a soul noticed he was there. His Austrian wife Lilly wasn’t exactly overwhelmed either. “Jim, did you do something good today?” she asked him that evening, after spending the day fielding endless phonecalls.David Steele sweeps as Rod Marsh looks on•PA Photos

David Steele (1975)

From Henry Cooper in 1967 to Nigel Mansell in 1986 and Damon Hill in 1994, SPOTY has had a long and illustrious association with gallant losers. But few were more gallant than Northamptonshire’s David Steele, the “bank clerk who went to war” in the 1975 Ashes. He pitted his bespectacled, greying features against the fearsome duo of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, and if he didn’t exactly win, then he barely took a backwards step in racking up consecutive scores of 50, 45, 73, 93, 39 and 66 in his three Tests of that summer.On his watch, England dug in for three draws, but surrendered the Ashes 1-0 having been routed in his absence, by an innings in the series opener at Edgbaston. To add to his legend, Steele (or “Groucho Marx” as Thomson is said to have dubbed him) got lost en route to the crease for his maiden innings at Lord’s, ending up in the basement toilets after descending too many flights of stairs.Ian Botham cuts a relaxed figure in the middle•PA Photos/Getty Images

Ian Botham (1981)

Okay, so every now and again, SPOTY’s “personality” epithet gets it spot on. Botham was rightly immortalised by his feats in the summer of 1981, but long before he put Australia to the sword with his swashbucklings at Headingley, Edgbaston and Old Trafford, he had been the coming man in the British sporting imagination. He finished third in the SPOTY standings in 1978, his first full year of Test cricket, and second a year later (when his feat of doing the 1000-run/100-wicket double in 21 Tests was trumped by Seb Coe and his three world records in 41 days).But at the third time of asking, there could be no other winner. The runner-up, Steve Davis, snooker’s self-styled ‘Mr Interesting’ never stood a chance. He would finish second once again in 1985 after yet more Aussie-bashing derring-do, by which stage his bleach-blond mullet and waistline-to-shoulderline ratio had made him look even larger than life than ever before.

Andrew Flintoff (2005)

In the seminal summer of 2005, Andrew Flintoff became the ultimate Boy’s Own hero, a salt-of-the-earth Prestonian who could bat like a blacksmith, bowl like a galumphing wildebeest, and drink anyone left standing under the table. In a summer writ large with some of the most towering personalities cricket has ever produced – Shane Warne and the newcomer Kevin Pietersen among them – Flintoff bested them all, first with his startling seizure of the second Test at Edgbaston (that over to Ricky Ponting, or the “hello massive” six off Brett Lee? Take your pick) but then, in the wake of Ashes glory at The Oval, with the most heroic display of public inebriation ever countenanced.As he staggered to Trafalgar Square with eyes as pied as a piper’s, Freddie proved he was one of us, the bloke from the pub who had answered his country’s call. And, in the final summer before Test cricket disappeared from terrestrial TV, he seemed also to be the last break-out star that the grand old game would be capable of producing…

Co-hosts Australia want the 2015 World Cup to be contested by the 10 teams that most deserve to be there.

Daniel Brettig20-Apr-2011Co-hosts Australia want the 2015 World Cup to be contested by the 10 teams that most deserve to be there, and will state that position when the ICC reconsiders the tournament format at its annual conference in Hong Kong.The initial decision to simply allow cricket’s 10 Full Member nations, including the struggling Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, to take their places at the next World Cup without any kind of qualification process was met with global indignation. However the ICC president Sharad Pawar has flagged a reconsideration of the wishes of the Associate nations, including 2011 tournament bright sparks Ireland, meaning several possibilities are now on the table for the June meeting.”Our starting point on ICC Events has always been that qualification should be based on merit,” a Cricket Australia spokesman told .”We support moving to a 10-team ICC World Cup in 2015 and longer term, support moving to ICC World Cups which are 10-team contests based on merit, [like] the top 10-ranked nations in the world. The ICC has discussed reviewing the position on 2015 and we will be an interested participant [both as an ICC member and also as a co-host] in that discussion.”Options include an expansion of the number of competing teams from 10 to the 2011 model of 14 or the more likely choice of 12, or simply the addition of a qualifying tournament between the best two Associate nations and the stragglers among the Full Members. Such a solution is clearly Cricket Australia’s preference, for administrators have begun plotting the 2015 event with New Zealand based on a 10-team plan.New Zealand coach John Wright joined the already loud chorus asking for a qualification process for the 2015 World Cup. In an interview with , Wright said, “The World Cup has got to be about the world – they (the ICC) have to be sure they have got the ten best teams in it. No matter where they come from. Otherwise it’s a nonsense. Surely it doesn’t take eight years to sort that one out.”Wright cited Ireland’s example saying the team had been, a “revelation” in the World Cup, where New Zealand played the supposed minnows in a warm-up match. He said, “Ireland have shown they can knock over big sides. There needs to be some incentive for the (Associate) teams to get the opportunity to play in the World Cup.”During the World Cup, ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat had said that the ICC Board would meet in May to decide on the qualification format of the 10-team 2015 World Cup. Two days after the final of the 2011 World Cup though, the ICC Board announced that the 2015 tournament would include the ten full members with qualification coming into play only in 2019. Following criticism around the cricket world and a request by the Associates, the ICC has announced that it would “revisit” the decision to shut the Associates out of the 2015 event.Numerous Associate nations have also reacted angrily to the suggestion that a reduced field for the 50-over World Cup is effectively counter-balanced by the expansion of the World Twenty20 event to 16 teams. However CA remain certain that Twenty20 can be used to grow the game in developing countries, despite its lack of the subtleties available in Test and limited-overs cricket.”James [Sutherland, CA chief executive] has always argued that ICC Events should be assessed in the full context of the ICC World Cup and ICC Twenty20 World Championship,” the spokesman said.”In keeping the ICC World Cup tight [which is what fans want], it is on the basis that the ICC Twenty20 can be run as a tight event with, say, the top 16. Twenty20 offers the top 16 an ideal chance to develop, progress, develop international success and profile.”

An unsuccessful run against Pakistan and India last season has not deterred Finch from wanting to get back to Australia’s Test side

Alex Malcolm24-Sep-2019Australia’s ODI and T20 captain Aaron Finch wants to make one more push at trying to play Test cricket again after a brief and ultimately unsuccessful stint last summer.Finch was surprisingly drafted into the Test team for the UAE series against Pakistan last October, in the wake of the suspensions to Cameron Bancroft, David Warner and Steven Smith following the ball-tampering scandal, despite a middling first-class record.He played five Tests, two against Pakistan away and three against India at home, making two half-centuries before he was dropped after the Boxing Day Test.Finch’s experiment at the top of the order in Tests had a huge impact on his limited-overs returns and put him under pressure heading towards the World Cup, but he regained his form and his confidence to lead Australia to the semi-final.But after riding the rollercoaster last year, Finch is ready to have one more push at trying to play Test cricket again this summer.”For me personally, it’s about probably having one really good crack at trying to get back to the Test team again,” Finch told radio station. “The young guys who came in and did well throughout the back half of last summer did a really good job. I still think that I’ve got one really good crack at it left in me.”There are four Sheffield Shield games before the first Test against Pakistan for Finch to make his case although he is likely to miss one game when he is required to lead Australia’s T20I team in six matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.He played one County Championship game for Surrey during his stint in England after the World Cup, scoring 90 against Hampshire at The Oval. He only managed one game for Victoria last summer in between Test, ODI and T20I duties.”Obviously [I’ll] just try and get some runs, get some big runs there. That’s my plan,” Finch said. “I think, the young kids who have come in a taken their opportunities, Kurtis Patterson and Travis Head, these guys have come in and done reasonably well when they’ve played.”Kurtis got a hundred in the last Test that he played. Will Pucovski and that whole crop of young batters who are coming through are so talented, so I think I’ve got one more push in it for myself. If it doesn’t happen then it doesn’t happen. I’m comfortable with that. It will be nice to play a few Shield games in a row to be fair. It’s been a while since I’ve played more than one in a row.”Finch said he watched the Ashes with envy and still felt a desire to be part of Test cricket. He took heart from Matthew Wade’s effort to get back to Test level and score two Ashes centuries after dominating Shield cricket last summer.One point of conjecture will be where he bats for Victoria. There was a lot of debate last year about his selection as a Test opener given in his 44 first-class innings prior to his Test debut he had batted no higher than No. 4 for either Victoria or Surrey.Victoria coach Andrew McDonald was adamant Finch would not open in his only game for Victoria last season and the compromise was that he batted at No. 3 against Queensland ahead of the first Test against India.”We haven’t spoken about that just yet,” Finch said. “There’s a lot of quality players in Victoria at the moment so getting a game might be the first start. I think middle order will probably be my preferred spot. I know doing the opening duties last summer was one of first times I’d really done it in the longer format but you take any opportunity you can when you play for Australia.”