Pitched Battles
With the dust now settled on Australia’s loss to Pakistan in the first Test in Dubai, focus has turned to both selection and preparation, with former national selector Jamie Cox claiming Australia needs to invest in a ‘spin nursery’ by creating drop-in pitches made of Indian soil, which he says could be inserted into the square at Adelaide Oval.
Cox says it could turn the downsides of drop-in pitches (Adelaide’s were notoriously slow and lifeless last season) into upsides. In fairness, CA has already started the process of creating pitches that replicate subcontinental conditions at the new National Cricket Centre, which they hope will demystify pitches abroad. Now for them to be useful, all they need is find some net bowlers who can replicate the deliveries sent down by Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar in Dubai.
Looking for Abu Dhabi
Besides Mitchell Johnson’s first spell, David Warner’s crunching first-innings hundred and some late resistance by Steve Smith, there wasn’t a lot to write home about after Australia’s stumble in Dubai, so attention has naturally turned to changes in both selection and approach.
The solution to Australia’s continued problems facing spin bowling? Well, there isn’t one according to Ian Chappell, at least not one that Darren Lehmann can impart on his players. “He can’t help,” Chappell told ESPNCricinfo, “you’ve got to learn to play spin bowling from a very young age. You’ve got to learn the correct footwork from a very young age.”
Dean Jones, on the other hand, thinks Australia’s batsmen should be practising without pads. “If I was ‘Boof’ [coach Darren Lehmann] now, I’d be asking the boys to practise with no pads to spinners in the nets, I’ll allow thigh pads,” Jones told Fairfax. “They’ve got to get their hands in front of the pad.” That didn’t work so well for Mitchell Marsh in the second innings, mind you. Lehmann himself says that Australia played for spin that wasn’t there, to which at least Brad Haddin would attest. As for personnel changes, Chappell favours Phil Hughes as the man to replace the struggling Alex Doolan.
Finally, former Test tweaker Ashley Mallet says that Australia’s spin bowling struggles have their roots in the inability of first-class captains to set appropriate fields for slow bowlers. But he did concede to the The Australian that Australia’s first-choice option, Nathan Lyon, at least currently has this going in his favour. “I don’t think a lot of captains have any idea about [field placements],” Mallett said. “I know Michael Clarke does. He sets a pretty good field for (Nathan) Lyon. He’s probably the best captain we’ve seen since (Ian) Chappell because he tries to make things happen.”
Warriors one-day champs again
The second year of the condensed-format domestic one-day competition has drawn to its conclusion with Western Australia taking out the Matador BBQs One-Day Cup, the state’s 12th title and first since 2003-04. Any coverage of domestic cricket is most welcome, a fact against which you have to measure any criticism of the patchy commentary work that characterised the GEM broadcasts, but the inclusion of Meg Lanning to the Nine team was a welcome one.
The tournament itself has settled well into its new groove as the Australian cricket calendar’s amuse bouche, though questions will rightly emerge as to whether cramming all of it into a single month and staging so much of it in one spot could be having a deleterious effect on the hopes of players to go on and succeed at international level.
A format-hopping schedule with games spread across the entire breadth of the summer doesn’t work either, but along with a few gibes about the TV-friendly early starts, Victoria coach Greg Shipperd raised the valid option of playing half of the tournament in one hit and spreading five more games per state across the rest of the season, allowing players to re-establish form, push for selection and experience a variety of pitch and weather conditions.
One thing is for certain: North Sydney Oval might bolster a few batting averages but it is no great preparation ground for international cricket.
The tournament finished amid mild acrimony, with Queensland Bulls coach Stuart Law not backward in coming forward over the decision to award Victorian Cameron White (354 runs at 59) the player-of-the-tournament award ahead of Bulls star Usman Khawaja, who amassed a more imposing run tally of 532 at 74.
“I am heartbroken for him (Khawaja) and I know he is disappointed as well to play as well as he did and get nothing for it,’’ said Law. “I am a bit perplexed because if you are picking on batting surely Usman stands out from the crowd. Looking at it statistically, it does not make sense.
“I am not out to start a fight or upset anyone but it’s just sad he has played his heart out and copped a punch in the ribs to go with his broken finger.’’
KP goes clubbing
Those old enough to remember Ian Chappell, Malcolm Marshall, Carl Hooper and Abdul Qadir turning out in Melbourne club cricket ranks might have something to say on the matter, but international recruits don’t come much bigger than newly minted Monash Tiger Kevin Pietersen, who’ll play for the Victorian Premier Cricket side during his Big Bash League stint with the Melbourne Stars.
The club has penciled in the walking headline for a T20 clash against St Kilda on December the 13th in a move that is sure to swell spectator numbers well beyond the usual array of dog-walkers and proud parents. “It will be a landmark moment in the history of our club and in Premier cricket,” Tigers captain-coach Alan Wise told the Waverley Leader. Likely to take his place alongside the recently discarded England star is Cameron White, and the St Kilda line-up should also be strengthened by the likes of Rob Quiney and James Muirhead.
This is the only non-pun headline you will see about Mick Jagger and the World Cup
Finally, gossip columnists and celebrity reporters around the world have rejoiced this week at the opportunity to lead their stories and headlines with an abrupt scream of “Howzat!” (a special mention must go to The Daily Mail for their pissweak “Clean bowled over!”) with cricket-mad Rolling Stones Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts taking a tour of the Bradman Museum and stopping for a photo op with the World Cup trophy.
Jagger joked that it would be the closest any Englishman would be getting to the trophy as Watts gave him a mildly disapproving look. Not quite as cool a photo as Jagger at The Oval during the 1972 Ashes but then what is?
Weekend Warriors
Though not every state is yet blessed with weather to match, club cricket has resumed in earnest. For the parents of many young players, that means countless hours spent shuttling kids around and watching them play. Or if you’re Bernadette McPhee, mother of Prahran Premier cricketer Maggie, it also means donning the whites yourself.
Only three weeks back, Prahran batters Nicole Bolton (143) and Jess Cameron (185) piled on a 322-run partnership in the club’s 77-run Round 1 win over Dandenong, but with the pair missing for the club’s clash with Melbourne at the weekend, the True Blues had to scramble for players at the last minute. In stepped McPhee, who still only swelled team numbers to 10, a situation not helped by injuries to two more teammates during Melbourne’s innings.
With McPhee stepping into the breach, Prahran were bundled out for 17 in reply to Melbourne’s imposing 339. Annabel Sutherland, daughter of Cricket Australia CEO James, top-scored with 6 and McPhee, having never played a competitive game before, padded up and fought valiantly to 4 not out at the close of Prahran’s innings. There’s no word yet on whether she’ll turn out next week and make sure she can at least retire with a batting average.
