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Coad the silver lining amid the gloom

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Ben Coad claimed a four-wicket haul to continue his impressive start to the season as Warwickshire stumbled to 152 for 8 on a rain-hit day

George Dobell at Edgbaston14-Apr-2017
ScorecardFinding the silver lining to the cloud is a necessary skill for the county cricket watcher at this time of year.It is not just enduring the inevitable bouts of rain and cold weather they will encounter in the early season – we lost almost exactly half a day here – but that, increasingly, they have had to accept their team’s needs are so far down the administrators’ list of priorities that the chances of putting out a full-strength side are minimal.Despite all the ECB’s talk of communication and transparency – a word that is hard to square with the non-disclosure agreements that have bound county officials to secrecy in recent times – associated with the new-team T20 competition, there is a sense of disenfranchisement pervading county spectators at present that suggests their administrators have stopped representing or even listening to them. Really, they may as well just slap county spectators in the face when they buy a ticket and have done with it. The sooner supporters have a collective voice the better; the Cricket Supporters’ Association may be the partial answer.There was a time when it would have been unthinkable to allow England’s best players to grace another nation’s domestic tournament during the county season, as is the case with Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes and several others at the IPL. And while most people will understand the well-intentioned reasons – they can gain wealth and useful white-ball experience before a global limited-overs event – they might also reflect on the costs: it is inevitable that the standard of the County Championship will be diluted by the absence of its best players.Just as it is inevitable that England will struggle to produce spin bowlers – or batsmen with experience of playing spin bowling – while so much of the season is pushed into the margins (counties will have played eight of their 14 Championship matches by the end of June) and medium-paced nibblers are disproportionately important. It is many years since England produced a legspinner as talented as Mason Crane; there is something wrong with a system that cannot find a space for him in a side.The ECB may claim it is keen to prioritise Test cricket, but it is hard to ignore the conclusion that it has prioritised white-ball (especially T20) cricket at every opportunity in recent months. The scheduling of this season’s T20, with matches in a block, is the primary reason so high a proportion of the Championship has to be played so early in the season and the introduction of another T20 competition, to be played at the same time as the 50-over competition, will equally compromise England’s performances in the World Cup.Really, it tells you everything you need to know about the future shape of cricket that the new-team T20 competition is scheduled to start on 24/7/2020. Yes, the days of endless T20 are almost upon us. And good luck in the 2023 World Cup if the top 110 players in the country haven’t played domestic 50-over cricket for four years.How, really, can the absence of Jonny Bairstow – who hasn’t played first-class cricket this year – in this match be justified? He was, after all, free to go to the IPL but, having not been picked-up in the auction, has been rested from the Championship and is instead summarising for Sky. It is just another example of the way the game’s administrators continue to demean and degrade the competition they should protect and promote.If only they believed in it as much as the 1.1 million who listened to the BBC’s commentary on the Championship’s first round. If only they believed in it enough to invest the (circa) £35m ring-fenced for the first year of the new-team competition into the NatWest Blast. If only they believed that the return to free-to-air they foresee for the new competition would also revive the old. Alas, it seems the ECB has lost faith in its own products and is therefore prepared to risk their health in search of something new.None of this is the individual players’ faults. They have been encouraged to rest or play in the IPL. But the danger of such policies is that, in time, they weaken the Test side. We saw in India and Bangladesh how England’s issues against spin can be exposed and, if the gap between county and Test grows wider, we will see further reverses at Test level. It is understandable that the ECB wants to prioritise white-ball cricket – it may even be right to do so – but it would be nice if they were a little more open about it. You could make a strong case that the ECB represents one of the most serious threats to the future of Test cricket.The silver lining to all this is that, had Yorkshire been at full strength, it is highly likely that Ben Coad would not have won selection for these opening matches of the season. But with Liam Plunkett, David Willey, Jack Brooks and Ryan Sidebottom all absent against Hampshire last week due to injury, Coad was drafted into the side and responded with eight wickets in the game.It was similar here. Taking advantage of some early season assistance – there is nothing the matter with this pitch – and the fragility of Warwickshire’s batting, he claimed four more wickets to reduce Warwickshire to 77 for 7 moments after lunch. He is currently the leading wicket-taker in Division One.If one or two of his wickets here owed something to reckless batting – William Porterfield drove to mid-off as he attempted to thrash one through the covers – several others were the result of fine, probing bowling. Alex Mellor edged a beauty on off stump that demanded a stroke, Jonathan Trott’s attempt to drive into the leg side was punished by a touch of away movement and Rikki Clarke (who has not accepted a one-year contract extension in the hope of securing his future until the end of 2019), was struck on the back pad as he pushed forward at another that left him.In between times Ian Bell was, for the second match in succession, punished for attempting a lavish drive unsuited to the conditions or the match context, Tim Ambrose was drawn into a drive at a good ball that left him in the air and Sam Hain was beaten as he played around one that may have nipped back.It wasn’t that Warwickshire batted horribly. It was that they batted without the requisite discipline for such conditions. It was that, when patience was required, they pushed at balls that could have been left and tried to turn balls that should have been met with a straight bat into the leg side. These are early days and they have the quality to turn things round, but they are earning the title of relegation favourites.This all left Yorkshire in a strong position not only in the game, but in terms of their long-term planning. They had appeared to be entering a transitional phase with the likes of Sidebottom (39 and retiring at the season’s end), Brooks (33 in June), Steve Patterson (34 in October), Plunkett and Bresnan (both 32) at the stage of their careers where it would make sense to start lining up replacements. The emergence of Coad, who bowls at fast-medium pace and, on this evidence, moves the ball away from the right-hander, suggests there are good-quality reinforcements on the staff.Willey’s return slightly ahead of schedule following shoulder surgery was also welcome. If he was understandably a little rusty in terms of his line, he generated decent pace and will have encouraged the selectors ahead of the Champions Trophy squad announcement in about 10 days.Contrast all this with Warwickshire. Only three members of this Warwickshire side are aged under 30 and perhaps only Hain would gain selection in a full-strength team. Their relative strength in recent years has made it harder for new players to force their way into the team and, of those that have, a couple (Varun Chopra and Laurie Evans) have left and a few others (Ateeq Javid and the likes of Jonathan Webb and Freddie Coleman) have not kicked-on as anticipated. As a result, Warwickshire are reliant on diminishing returns from a very talented group of players, but one that is – in several cases – just a little bit past its sell-by date.Here Jeetan Patel and Keith Barker provided something of a fightback with an eighth-wicket stand of 53 in 56 balls as the softer ball rendered batting slightly easier. But when Adil Rashid came into the attack and promptly bowled Patel with a googly, it left Yorkshire well on top.

South Africa bounce back on eventful day

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The second morning began with Australia firmly on top; the third will start with South Africa in a position of strength

The Report by Brydon Coverdale04-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsWhen Australia and South Africa play, you should expect the unexpected. Not literally, of course, because then it wouldn’t be unexpected anymore. But in recent Tests between these two nations there have typically been more swings than a children’s playground, more roundabouts than Canberra. It is always hard to predict the direction of the contest. Such has been the case over the first two days at the WACA.The second morning began with Australia firmly on top; the third will start with South Africa in a position of strength. By stumps on day two, the visitors had a lead of 102 runs with eight wickets in hand, a quite unbelievable state of affairs only eight hours earlier. Dean Elgar was on 46 and JP Duminy had 34, and South Africa had completely loosened the tight grip Australia had held on the match the previous evening.It all started with David Warner dabbling outside off and edging Dale Steyn to slip on 97. Strange things then started to happen. Firstly, Steyn failed to complete his next over; clutching his right shoulder he walked off the field, a sorry sight for South African fans, who have seen their team win a Test without him only once in the past eight years. Late in the day, Steyn’s injury was confirmed as a fracture that ruled him out of the entire tour.Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and debutant Keshav Maharaj ran through Australia’s order with renewed vigour, completing a remarkable collapse of 10 for 86 that began with the single wicket taken by South Africa’s best bowler, perhaps of all time, who was otherwise absent. Philander became the leader, and they applied constant pressure on Australia’s batsmen.Philander and Rabada found some reverse swing, and Maharaj bowled impressively, keeping things tight enough at his end while also picking up a few wickets. He is the first specialist spinner in Test history to make his debut at the pace-friendly WACA, and he justified his inclusion by dismissing Australia’s captain Steven Smith, wicketkeeper Peter Nevill, and then Mitchell Starc.The wicket of Smith was particularly jaw-dropping, mostly for the brazen – though legitimate – lbw decision given by umpire Aleem Dar. Smith, yet to score, advanced down the pitch from his fourth delivery and could not get bat on ball, which prompted a zealous appeal from Maharaj but a half-hearted one from his team-mates. It was, as the police might say, just a routine enquiry – until Dar unholstered his finger.Steven Smith was lbw for a duck as Australia lost all 10 wickets for 86 runs after being 0 for 158•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Smith looked dumbstruck, and immediately asked for a review. The broadcaster’s technology suggested he was well down the pitch – 2.8 metres from the stumps when struck – but the ball was hitting in line, and was going on to clip the top of leg stump. The umpire’s decision stood: Maharaj had his first Test wicket, and Australia were starting to wobble at 3 for 168.Already Usman Khawaja had been and gone, bowled for 4 by a beauty from Rabada, who angled one in from around the wicket and sneaked through the batsman’s defences. Shaun Marsh, who had batted so solidly with Warner in a 158-run opening stand, fell to a similar delivery from Philander for 63 – he did get his pad in the way, but Nigel Llong’s lbw decision was also upheld on review.There was precious little resistance from the rest of Australia’s order, although Adam Voges and Peter Nevill at least reached the 20s. But Mitchell Marsh, under pressure to hold the No. 6 spot after selector Rod Marsh said last week “he needs to get a Test hundred I reckon”, fell a hundred runs short. He was lbw for an eight-ball duck to Philander, and perhaps the biggest worry was the distance by which he missed the ball.Voges spooned a return catch to Rabada for 27, Starc was caught at midwicket for a duck off Maharaj, Nevill was caught at slip off Maharaj for 23, though was unlucky Australia’s reviews were exhausted for he appeared not to have touched the ball. Josh Hazlewood was taken at gully off Philander for 4 and Nathan Lyon was caught at slip off Philander for 0. Peter Siddle remained unbeaten on 18, having helped Australia squeeze into the lead.It was a quite remarkable collapse; not on the scale of Australia’s 47 all out in Cape Town, of course, but remarkable mostly because South Africa achieved all but one of the wickets without their best bowler. Australia went rapidly from complete dominance to serious danger of conceding a first-innings lead. By the change of innings, the Test was effectively all square.Still, South Africa needed to avoid the kind of top-order wobbles that had left them at 4 for 32 on the first morning. Stephen Cook and Elgar provided a more solid opening stand on this occasion, although Cook still could not survive for too long, and was caught for 12 pulling Siddle to midwicket.The loss of Hashim Amla, who chopped on to Hazlewood for 1 – his first-innings duck meant a Test aggregate of one run in this match, equalling his career worst – had the potential to give Australia the momentum, but they could not find another breakthrough. By stumps, Elgar and Duminy had moved the total on to 2 for 104.On the first day, Australia’s bowlers had run through South Africa for 242, and their openers had then cruised to 105 without loss. The question was not whether Australia would take the lead, but by how much. That was even more the case when the score moved along to 0 for 158. Then the unexpected began to happen. Who knows, then, what might happen on day three?

SA must learn lessons of 'toughest' test

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Exactly four weeks after Faf du Plessis predicted South Africa would be presented with “the worst”, that is where they find themselves

Firdose Moonda in Delhi30-Nov-2015Exactly four weeks after Faf du Plessis predicted South Africa would be presented with “the worst”, that is where they find themselves. With the series lost and the certainty they used to have over their best XI shattered, South Africa face the final Test with a different focus than winning: to reignite the confidence of their younger crop, who have come under criticism for the way they have handled conditions.”I’m a senior player and I’m finding it tough because the conditions dictate the way you play and your performances. It’s important for us to try and keep the younger players positive, and we’ve done that,” du Plessis said.Like his captain, Hashim Amla, du Plessis called the Indian surfaces the most difficult he has faced and cautioned against using them as a benchmark to assess performances. “These have been the toughest conditions that I have played under, it’s also been a challenge for the young guys coming in,” he said “It’s a hard task for them because they get judged by playing Test cricket in these conditions where you have found that even our experienced players have found it tough. We have to keep motivating them and to keep the spirits high.”He had particular praise for wicket-keeper Dane Vilas, who was on his first tour as the frontline gloveman after he travelled to Bangladesh as a reserve, and is already facing the chop after unconvincing performances in front and behind the stumps. “I thought that Dane kept really well on a wicket with spin and bounce and with the ball sometimes keeping low,” du Plessis said. “What we have to try and do is to focus on the positives. Coming and facing this in your first Test series abroad is a challenge.”Like Vilas, Dean Elgar, Stiaan van Zyl, and even du Plessis himself have never played Tests in India before. Although du Plessis has been in the national team for longer than the other three, he is looking at this outing as an education. “The good thing about it is you can learn from this and improve your game. Even I have learnt a lot about my game in the last few matches,” he said, adding some advice for the rest. “I’ve concentrated on my defence against spin in the first 20 balls I face.”But soon after that, du Plessis suggests getting a move on, before either the surface or one of the India spinners gets the better of the batsman. “In South Africa, Australia and New Zealand you can take your time, even if you aren’t getting bad balls but the surface here doesn’t allow that to happen. This is a huge learning curve for us and also something we can take forward.”The extent to which du Plessis applied what had he learnt was evident in the second innings in Nagpur when, along with Amla, he ground out the highest partnership of the match and threatened to stage a rearguard action that could have put India under pressure. None of South Africa’s other batsmen have shown that sort of application yet. If they are able to in Delhi, South Africa may feel that they have conquered some of the worst, even though they have been far from their best.

Srinivasan steps aside temporarily; Dalmiya to run BCCI affairs

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N Srinivasan will not carry out his duties as BCCI president until the probe commission completes its task. During this period, Jagmohan Dalmiya will run the daily affairs of the board

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jun-2013N Srinivasan will not carry out his duties as BCCI president until the commission appointed to conduct an inquiry into the betting and spot-fixing charges in IPL 2013 completes its task. During this period Jagmohan Dalmiya, a former BCCI president and current head of the Cricket Association of Bengal, will run the daily affairs of the board.It was the first time that a BCCI president has stood down in whatever capacity and a replacement named in his stead.”Mr. N Srinivasan announced that he will not discharge his duties as the president of the board till such time that the probe is completed. Till such time, Mr. Jagmohan Dalmiya will conduct the day to day affairs of the board,” the BCCI said in a release after a meeting of its working committee in Chennai on Sunday. “The committee expressed full confidence in Mr. Sanjay Jagdale and Mr. Ajay Shirke and requested them to withdraw their resignations in the larger interest of the board.”However, Jagdale and Shirke, the board secretary and treasurer who resigned on Friday, said they would not return to the BCCI, leaving two vital administrative posts vacant. Srinivasan told NDTV that the administration of the board in such a situation could be worked out.Later on Sunday evening BCCI vice-president Arun Jaitley, who along with Rajiv Shukla and Anurag Thakur attended the meeting via teleconference from Delhi, said that the working committee would effectively run the board, by having to ratify Dalmiya’s decisions. “Mr Dalmiya will look after the responsibilities. He will get decisions ratified by the board,” he told . “The entire administration will be done by the working committee of the board. Whatever Mr Dalmiya decides will have to be ratified by the board.”The BCCI’s press release did not mention who would constitute the new panel to investigate Gurunath Meiyappan, the Chennai Super Kings official arrested on charges of betting, the Super Kings owners India Cements, and the owners of Rajasthan Royals. The three-member panel formed on May 28 by the IPL governing council to look into corruption charges around IPL 2013 was automatically nullified after Jagdale’s resignation. IS Bindra, the Punjab Cricket Association president, told ESPNcricinfo that the two High Court judges appointed to the panel will remain, and Jagdale’s replacement will be appointed by Dalmiya. Bindra said he was told by Jaitley that the judges could not be replaced because, “it will be disrespect to the judges.”Bindra also told that he was the only person at the working committee meeting who asked for Srinivasan’s resignation. “Mr. Jaitley has had his way in this meeting. Most of the suggestions came from Mr Jaitley, including the appointment of Mr. Dalmiya,” Bindra said. “Srinivasan is not resigning. He is just stepping aside for one month. This is taking the public for a ride. We needed something more than this. I suggested, let him step aside until September, but he said he is not going to resign.”Srinivasan, however, contradicted Bindra, and said that Bindra had not asked him to resign at the meeting. “The meeting was very smooth. There was no acrimony,” Srinivasan told NDTV. “The members appreciated what were the tasks ahead of the BCCI. This announcement I made after all members had expressed their views. This was well received. Then Mr Dalmiya was appointed.”A BCCI member, who was present in the meeting, said no one asked for Srinivasan’s resignation during the meeting. “Once the president clarified in his opening address the he will not quit, nobody sought his resignation,” he said. “Though Shirke and Bindra were vocal in questioning the technicalities, even they didn’t demand his resignation.” Three other members confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that ‘resignation’ was not mentioned during the meeting at all.The BCCI did not specify what post Dalmiya would occupy, though, and as yet his role was undefined. The legitimacy of his position, according to the BCCI constitution, was not established.

Pietersen out of New Zealand series

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Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out of the Test series against New Zealand after it was decided he needed further time to recover from his knee injury

Andrew McGlashan16-Apr-2013Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out of the Test series against New Zealand after it was decided he needed further time to recover from his knee injury.Pietersen was forced to miss the final Test in New Zealand last month and was diagnosed with bruising on his right knee. He has since been wearing a brace to aid his recovery – which he has yet to come out of – and will not be risked for the two-Test series, which starts on May 16, with his next target being the Champions Trophy in June although the ECB have not confirmed a new timescale.Pietersen, who is currently in Dubai, tweeted: “Injuries are a sportsman’s worst nightmare! This one is hurting me the most..”When he flew home from New Zealand his recovery time was estimated at around eight weeks which always left it unlikely that he would be fit for the start of the international season.An ECB statement said: “England and Surrey batsman Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out of the upcoming Investec Test series against New Zealand as he continues his recovery from significant bone bruising to his right knee. Pietersen will have a repeat scan next week to determine when he is able to resume training.”Pietersen first picked up the problem before England’s warm-up match in Queenstown ahead of the Test series, possibly when he slipped during a fielding drill, and although he played the Tests in Dunedin and Wellington he was not fully fit.Although there is still a month before the New Zealand series starts at Lord’s on May 16, the ECB have taken an early decision on Pietersen’s fitness which will avoid conjecture and allow the selectors to assess the form of his likely replacements in the County Championship.Jonny Bairstow came in for him in Auckland, as the only spare batsman on tour, and struggled having played one first-class innings in seven months. If the selectors maintain consistency, Bairstow should be the first in line to play at Lord’s although the next few weeks of Championship action will allow others to stake their claim.

Brendan Drew joins Renegades

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The fast bowler Brendan Drew has joined the Melbourne Renegades for this season’s Big Bash League

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-2012The fast bowler Brendan Drew has joined the Melbourne Renegades for this season’s Big Bash League. Drew, 28, played with the Adelaide Strikers last summer and has also been a regular player for Tasmania, although he lost his state contract at the end of 2011-12.”Brendan is a handy T20 bowler and he proved as much with the Strikers last season. He’s certainly been a consistent performer in the shortest form of the game at the domestic level,” Simon Helmot, the Renegades coach, said. “He’s also shown he can handle the willow and has a T20 strike rate of 128 from his 19 games for the Strikers and Tasmania.”The Renegades have now secured 15 players for this season, and they need a further three to complete their list by the end of November.

Querl stars on debut for Tuskers

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ESPNcricinfo’s round-up of the latest action from the Logan Cup in Zimbabwe

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-2011Seamer Glen Querl made an eye-catching entrance to Zimbabwean first-class cricket as a match haul of 9 for 101 from him helped set up a nine-wicket win for Matabeleland Tuskers over Southern Rocks at Masvingo Sports Club.Querl grew up in Zimbabwe and played Under-19 cricket for them before heading to England to further his career, and landing a spot on MCC’s Young Cricketers programme. From there, he was picked up by the Unicorns – a team of non-contracted professionals in the English domestic one-day competition – and become an established member of their seam attack.After a couple of speculative matches for the Mountaineers’ B side at the end of last season, he returned to Zimbabwe and won a contract with Tuskers, sharing the new ball with Keegan Meth in the first innings against Rocks. He made a telling start on his first-class debut, his 6 for 38 helping to skittle Tuskers for 148. Half-centuries from opener Terry Duffin and wicketkeeper Adam Wheater ensured a lead for Tuskers, after which Meth’s five-for set a fourth-innings target of exactly 100. Tuskers lost Brian Chari early, but Duffin and Gavin Ewing saw them home with minimum fuss against the struggling Rocks, who are yet to win a first-class match this season.Mid West Rhinos very nearly pulled of a remarkable win in their match against Mashonaland Eagles at Kwekwe Sports Club. Having conceded a first-innings lead, Rhinos seemed to be out of contention after setting Eagles a target of just 158 in the fourth innings. In a remarkable turnaround, Rhinos clawed their way back in to the match and eventually held Eagles to a tense draw, reducing them to 154 for 9 before the match came to an end.Rhinos had reached 321 in their first innings after being put in to bat, thanks mainly to the efforts of the in-form Gary Ballance, who cracked 83, and Solomon Mire’s career-best 96. Eagles captain Stuart Matsikenyeri then underpinned a strong batting effort, his 144 adding to three half-centuries from Sikandar Raza, Regis Chakabva and Peter Moor as Eagles reached 463.Ballance, who has now scored 421 runs in his last three first-class innings, carried the batting once again in the second innings, his his 128 – and Riki Wessels’ 73 – guiding Rhinos to 299 all out. Eagles stumbled through the early stages of their chase on the final evening, but appeared on course during an 81-run fifth-wicket stand between Chakabva and Moor. Once they were parted, however, panic set in and three run-outs reduced Eagles to 154 for 9 in the final over of the day.

Sussex sign Gul for T20 competition

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Sussex have signed Umar Gul, the Pakistan fast bowler, for this season’s Friends Life T20 competition

ESPNcricinfo staff05-May-2011Sussex have signed Umar Gul, the Pakistan fast bowler, for this season’s Friends Life T20 competition. Gul, who has the second-highest number of wickets in Twenty20 internationals, joins his countryman Rana Naved-ul-Hasan at the county.Gul’s 47 wickets in Twenty20 internationals have come at 16.00 and his figures of 5 for 6, against New Zealand at the Oval in 2009, remain the best by any bowler in a T20 international. He has been successful in England; during Pakistan’s controversial tour in 2010, he was the leading wicket-taker in the five-match one-day series.This could be the first time Gul takes part in the county season – he was signed by Gloucestershire in 2007 but didn’t play because of an ankle injury. He has twice before played in Twenty20 competitions outside Pakistan – for Kolkata Knight Riders in the first edition of the IPL and for Western Australia in the 2008-09 Big Bash.”Coming to Sussex is a privilege and the chance to follow in the footsteps of other Pakistani greats from Imran Khan to Mushtaq Ahmed, and to Rana Naved in the current team, is very exciting,” Gul said.Sussex won the domestic Twenty20 competition in England back in 2009, but lost in the quarter-finals last year.

Valthaty ton pulls off superb chase

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India’s northernmost franchise found a new hero with roots deep down south, as Paul Valthaty stunned Chennai Super Kings in an outstanding counterattack that clinched a maiden win for Kings XI Punjab this season

The Bulletin by Siddhartha Talya13-Apr-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Paul Valthaty pulled off a coup•AFP

The IPL’s northernmost franchise found a hero with roots in the south, as Paul Valthaty stunned Chennai Super Kings to clinch a maiden win for Kings XI Punjab this season after a disappointing performance in their opening game. Valthaty was a surprise promotion to the opening slot, instead of the regular Shaun Marsh, and he answered the call with a blistering start, keeping his team on par with the required-rate in the middle overs and surging again at the death to complete victory after achieving a spectacular century.At 27, with just one List A game and 13 Twenty20 matches, Valthaty had been on the sidelines of the Mumbai team on India’s domestic circuit. His previous highest in the IPL was 6, but whatever he must have done at the practice sessions ahead of this game sparked a potentially career-changing turn of events. Punjab had been deflated at the end of the Chennai innings, after they had squandered the perfect start of two wickets off the first two balls to concede 188. The sight of an unfamiliar face walking out with Adam Gilchrist raised eyebrows, but it didn’t take too long for Valthaty to justify his promotion.In what was overall a descent into mediocrity for both teams with the ball, the only signs of promise were visible in the first few overs in either innings. As Tim Southee found some swing and R Ashwin accuracy in the early phase of the chase, Valthaty did as asked, combating the bowling with brute force as his usually belligerent partner ceded floor. Ashwin was swept over square leg and hit over mid-on, Southee was punished for providing width with a bludgeon through point and Albie Morkel was welcomed with a ferocious pull for six followed by a disdainful slash to the point boundary.Valthaty had smashed 45 of the 65 that came in the Powerplay, the wicket of Gilchrist proving a minor distraction. The focus turned to keeping the momentum with Punjab and he showed his adeptness at picking the gaps, backing up the strength in his forearms with a wonderful use of the wrists. The second ball after the Powerplay was delicately late-cut past point, and the singles were picked up with ease amid excellent support from Sunny Singh at the other end who struck a few useful blows of his own.Valthaty hammered Jakati and Randiv through the off side and lofted Styris for a straight six, ensuring the chase was on track despite the loss of Sunny and Abhishek Nayar in quick succession. Thirty-eight were needed off 24 when Morkel was brought back, a decision MS Dhoni was made to regret. Morkel had dropped Valthaty twice, among the many fielding lapses from Chennai, and hurt his team’s chances even further in an over that fetched 17. He gifted a full toss on the pads, then produced a streaky edge that brought up a 52-ball ton for Valthaty, who followed up with superbly timed steer past point to make it 21 off three overs. Even the otherwise impressive Southee faltered against Valthaty in his final over to be slashes for two fours, before Dinesh Karthik slog-swept Jakati to seal a morale-boosting win.That performance undermined a Chennai recovery led by Badrinath and Vijay, one seeking to constantly improvise and the other relying on powerplay, in a 124-run stand to set the foundation for a total that would test the opposition even on a flat pitch. Some inept bowling from Piyush Chawla and Bhargav Bhatt provided them the release to open up after the early tough phase, while Nayar’s failed variations in pace and Praveen’s poor return at the death, in the 18th over where Dhoni blasted 22, appeared to have put it beyond Punjab. Who would have bet on Valthaty to pull off a coup?

Cummins: Having allrounders in the top six 'huge'

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Australia were able to field an unchanged frontline Test attack last season and Cameron Green could be key to them doing it again

Andrew McGlashan19-Aug-20241:12

Cummins: ‘I’ve been off bowling for close to two months’

Pat Cummins expects Cameron Green to have a greater workload with the ball against India this summer with Australia’s allrounders set to play a key role in ensuring the first-choice pace attack can sustain through five Tests in little more than seven weeks.Australia were able to field an unchanged frontline attack through the seven Tests they played last season against Pakistan, West Indies and New Zealand. None of the matches went into a fifth day and in only three of the innings did Australia need to bowl more than 78 overs which aided in keeping Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood fresh.Related

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  • Australia's fast-bowling injuries a reminder of the juggling act to come

  • Australia players have Sheffield Shield window for India preparation

  • Xavier Bartlett's 'surreal few months' leaves him eager for more

Green gave Australia an additional bowling option when he returned to the side against West Indies following David Warner’s retirement but was only needed for 42 overs across four Tests.”It’s been huge [having the allrounders],” Cummins said. “In some ways we haven’t had to use them as much as we thought we would. Which is a great thing. The last couple of summers have been pretty light [with] quick Test matches.”I suspect this summer might be a bit different at time. We’ll be drawing on Cam Green and Mitch Marsh a bit more. Even someone like Cam basically started in Shield cricket as a bowler but hasn’t had to bowl heaps in Test matches. Now he is a few years older, I think we will be leaning on him a bit more.”Pat Cummins gives out some bowling tips•Getty Images

Green, who has taken 35 wickets at 35.31 in Tests, slotted back into the side at No. 4 earlier this year and scored a magnificent 174 not out against New Zealand in Wellington. There remains some uncertainty over the structure of Australia’s top six against India with Steven Smith’s opening role set to be an ongoing debate over the next few months. Still, barring injury it is all-but certain Green will be joined by Mitchell Marsh in the top six.”The first point is they both absolutely make the top six on their batting alone which is a luxury,” Cummins said at the launch of Play Cricket week. “We’re really lucky that Nathan Lyon bowls plenty of overs, so you don’t necessarily have to have an allrounder, but it makes a big difference to have that fifth bowling option. And with someone like Cam and Mitch we have six bowling options. It’s a really nice thing to have. Top six should always make the team on their batting.”Cummins’ fellow bowlers have also said that having a bowling captain has helped manage their workloads. “It’s nice of them to say that, they’d never say it to my face,” Cummins joked. “When I’m at the top of their mark asking them to do something, they know I’m also doing it down the other end and wouldn’t ask for something I can’t do myself. Maybe there’s a bit of built-up trust over the last decade or so.”Cummins is currently early in a two-month stretch without bowling having been left out of the limited-overs tour of the UK. He is focusing on fitness work to ensure he can get through another condensed period of Test cricket – Australia fly to Sri Lanka a couple of weeks after the India series finishes – although is keen to play the ODI series against Pakistan in early November alongside potentially one Sheffield Shield match for New South Wales. He confirmed it’s unlikely he will feature for Sydney Thunder in the BBL.Should Australia need additional fast-bowling resources, they have a healthy stockpile behind the big three led by Scott Boland. Michael Neser toured New Zealand while Western Australia quick Lance Morris featured in squads last summer although is currently working his way back from a stress reaction in his back. Xavier Bartlett was handed a central contract earlier this year after bursting onto the scene in white-ball cricket while the selectors retain hope that Jhye Richardson can overcome his injury problems.