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Swepson will captain in both the One-Day Cup and Sheffield Shield when Labuschagne is on international duty

Alex Malcolm23-Sep-2024Legspinner Mitchell Swepson has been named Queensland official vice-captain and will lead the side in both the both the One-Day Cup and the Sheffield Shield when captain Marnus Labuschagne is absent on international duty.The decision to elevate Swepson to the leadership role continues the significant shake-up in Queensland cricket under new coach Johan Botha and high performance manager Joe Dawes.Labuschagne was appointed as the permanent Queensland captain in all forms, replacing long-term captain Usman Khawaja, despite also being set to play very few games across the summer due to being a first-choice player in Australia’s Test side and the ODI side.Related

• Khawaja shifts up as Queensland opener to allow batting order stability

• Lehmann quits coaching roles with Heat and Queensland for commentary gig

• Johan Botha appointed new Brisbane Heat and Queensland coach

Wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson had long-been a reliable deputy and automatic stand-in skipper for Queensland in all forms when Khawaja was absent. But Botha has decided to elevate Swepson to the role after leading the side in a few pre-season games.”We had quite a bit of leadership chat in the winter, and him [Swepson] and Jimmy were excellent with all of that and the way the group saw them,” Botha told ESPNcricinfo. “I think that’s a big thing as a leader, the group really would play for them and like what they see. And that’s certainly the way we thought about it. We know that Jimmy can do it. He’s still going to be the same Jimmy and the same on and off the field. So we just felt we want to develop another leader.”Swepson will lead the side for the first time in Queensland’s opening One-Day match of the season on Wednesday when they face Tasmania on neutral territory at the Junction Oval in Melbourne, before playing Victoria on Friday. Khawaja will miss the match against Tasmania but will play against Victoria on Friday. Peirson has not been selected in the Bulls’ 13-man squad for the two matches in Melbourne. Ben McDermott will keep for the Bulls.Michael Neser has recovered from his calf niggle and is set to play both matches but Gurinder Sandhu has been ruled out with a calf issue of his own. Xavier Bartlett remains unavailable due to the side strain he suffered during Australia’s tour of UK.Swepson has been Queensland’s first-choice Shield spinner for years, which has forced Matthew Kuhnemann to move to Tasmania, but he has only played one 50-over game for the Bulls since November 2022 and only six in total since he played three ODIs for Australia in Pakistan and Sri Lanka earlier that year.But Botha, who captained South Africa in white-ball cricket and South Australia in all forms as a spinner, believes Swepson’s challenge as a spin-bowling captain will come in Shield cricket rather than the shorter format.”I think in one-day cricket it’s easier to captain as a spinner, because the game sort of tells you when to bowl,” Botha said. “But in four-day cricket, is he going to be brave enough to bowl the 17th over of the Shield game on day one? But that’s what we’ll keep pushing him towards to get himself into the game. We trust him as a staff and a group, and he just needs to trust himself.”Mitchell Swepson played four Tests in Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 2022•AFP

Swepson, like Kuhnemann, is pushing to win a place on Australia’s Test two-tour of Sri Lanka in late January. Swepson played the last of his four Tests in Sri Lanka in 2022 when he was Australia’s second spinner but missed out on selection during last year’s tour of India despite being in the touring party, as Australia opted to play three finger spinners in Kuhnemann, Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy in the same side. Murphy usurped him as the first-choice back-up for Lyon on the Ashes tour later the same year.Botha has been really impressed with Swepson’s bowling during his first pre-season in charge of the Bulls. The coach is hoping to use Swepson more aggressively this year, even in seam-friendly conditions at the Gabba.”I’ve been really impressed with him,” Botha said. “His control for a legspinner has been excellent, and you can see why he has played Test cricket in the past. He got 30 wickets last year. So we’re hoping for more of that this summer, and I think in our team we certainly want to use the spinners more and better and earlier in games, and not just the old whole way of sort of an over before lunch, an over before tea and then quite a bit in the last session.”I think the way he’s bowling at the moment, and our mindset around it is to get him to bowl earlier and to bowl more in a day to help our quicks out. That’s certainly the way we want him to play, and I think he will appreciate that backing.”

Academy product follows Tongue and Pennington to Trent Bridge on three-year deal

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2023Worcestershire have confirmed that Jack Haynes will leave at the end of the season to join Nottinghamshire.Haynes, 22, who came through Worcestershire’s academy and had been capped by England Lions, was out of contract and has agreed a three-year deal at Trent Bridge.A highly rated top-order batter, Haynes has impressed across formats since his first-team debut in 2019. He averages 34.91 in first-class cricket, with four hundreds, 42.63 in 11 List A appearances and has a T20 strike rate of 143.31.”Jack is already a good player though it his hunger to move his game forward that really excites me,” Nottinghamshire head coach, Peter Moores, said. “He has already gained valuable experience in red and white ball cricket, which gives him a great platform to build on going forward,””As a top-order batter in all formats he will strengthen our batting unit as well as adding healthy competition. We pride ourselves in helping players fulfil their potential and we have already seen many of our players move their games forwards at Trent Bridge.”We pride ourselves as a coaching team in creating opportunities for all our players to keep improving, knowing that as they improve, so do Notts. Helping players develop is one of the most exciting parts of coaching in my opinion.”Haynes made his England Lions debut in Sri Lanka over the winter and has also played for Oval Invincibles in the Hundred.”I’m really excited to move to Nottinghamshire,” Haynes said. “Trent Bridge is always a place I’ve loved coming to as a player; the club has a great feel about it, and the facilities and pitch are conducive to helping me develop as a cricketer.”When I sat down with Pete Moores and Ant Botha, they were both passionate about the direction of this squad, and how I can fit into it. I’m under no illusion that it’ll take hard work to nail down a place in the side and continue to grow in all formats, but Notts have a track record of taking on players and improving them to help them reach their potential.”Worcestershire have already seen two other homegrown players depart for Nottinghamshire this month, with Josh Tongue and Dillon Pennington making the move northeast, while another fast bowler, Pat Brown, has agreed to join Derbyshire.Worcestershire’s chief executive officer Ashley Giles said: “It is always disappointing to see a player nurtured by our own pathway and academy leave the club. We would like to take this opportunity to wish Jack every success in the future.”

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s chances dented by 54-run defeat

S Rajesh13-May-2022Royal Challengers Bangalore: Mat 13, Pts 14, NRR -0.323
The defeat against Punjab Kings and its margin means that Royal Challengers Bangalore are now officially on a sticky wicket in their quest for qualification to the playoffs. Even if they win their last match – against current table-toppers Gujarat Titans, no less – and finish on 16, they will still need other results to go their way, because there is one scenario where three teams could finish on more than 16 points (Titans, Lucknow Super Giants, Rajasthan Royals), and three others on 16 (Royal Challengers, Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad). Since Kings play both Capitals and Sunrisers, they can’t all be on 16.Given that Capitals already have a much better net run rate (0.210) and Sunrisers are ahead too (-0.031), one of those two teams will take the final spot in that scenario if all three end up on 16. That’s because even if Royal Challengers win their last game by 100 runs after scoring 200, their net run rate will only improve to 0.071.Royal Challengers’ best chance will be to finish on 16 and hope that Capitals, Sunrisers and Kings lose at least one each and finish on no more than 14 points.If Royal Challengers lose their last game then they will almost certainly be knocked out given their poor net run rate.Punjab Kings: Mat 12, Pts 12, NRR 0.023
Kings have done their qualification chances no harm with that emphatic victory against Royal Challengers. Their net run rate has improved from -0.231 to 0.023, but they still have plenty of work to do to qualify. What makes their situation even more intriguing is the fact that their two remaining games are against the Capitals – who are also on 12 from 12 – and Sunrisers, who could join these two teams there if they beat Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday.That also means if Kings win their last two games, they will get to 16 and ensure that Capitals and Sunrisers don’t go beyond 14. The only other team, apart from those currently in the top three, who can get to 16 is Royal Challengers. Given their current superior net run rate, Kings should stay above Royal Challengers if they win their last two. That means their chances essentially rest in their own hands – if they win their last two, they will almost certainly qualify.

Beuran Hendricks was the other top performer of the round with the ball

Firdose Moonda12-Nov-2020The Titans celebrated coach Mandla Mashimbyi’s 40th birthday with a resounding win over the Warriors in Port Elizabeth. They have created significant daylight between themselves and the other teams in the group, which includes the Warriors.The Warriors were still missing players from last week’s Covid19 incident, which saw six of their squad forced to sit out. South Africa’s franchise players are tested every two weeks which means that even if any of the six have recovered, they could not rejoin the Warriors for this round. Again, their depth was challenged as they were bowled out for 231 by the Titans, with Lizaad Williams’ 4 for 64 leading the way. Half-centuries from Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen and Sibonelo Makhanya gave the Titans a 62-run lead but their performance in the field in the second innings pressed home their advantage. The Warriors were shot out for 124, thanks largely to Tabraiz Shamsi’s 8 for 32, leaving the Titans with 63 runs to win, which they polished off before lunch on the final day.In Bloemfontein, the Knights pulled away at the top of Pool A beating the Dolphins by 227 runs. The Knights were in control throughout this fixture throughout, posting 424 in their first innings built and dismissing the Dolphins for 162. The seam bowlers Alfred Mothoa (4 for 35) and Migael Pretorius (3 for 50) did the bulk of the damage. Rather than enforce the follow-on, the Knights batted again and declared on 208 for four, to set the Dolphins and improbable 471 to win. The Dolphins batted past lunch on the final day but it was in vain as the Knights’ bowlers plugged away to reach the inevitable conclusion. Pretorius picked up four for 52 to finish with seven wickets in the match and is the competition’s leading seamer so far.And at the Wanderers, the Cobras clung on for a draw after starring down the barrel of a second successive defeat this season. The Lions’, led by Beuran Hendricks’ ripped through the Cobras on a wet first day with a seven-for and skittled them out for 107. The hosts them built on their advantage with a total of 324, and had enough of a lead to push for an innings win. Half-centuries with Tony de Zorzi and Kyle Verreynne allowed the Cobras to bat deep into the final day and build a lead, which the Lions did not get the opportunity to chase. George Linde hit a fifty late on the day too. Hendricks also completed a ten-for for the match in the course of the second innings.On the National Radar Beuran Hendricks’ career-best 7 for 29 in the first innings against the Cobras at his home ground, the Wanderers (where South Africa will play one of their two Tests against Sri Lanka this summer) will not have gone unnoticed. Although Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi are likely to be the first choice quicks, South Africa may go all-pace and Hendricks has put his hand up to be in the attack.In Port Elizabeth, Shamsi showed why South Africa may not want to consider unleashing their firepower alone. He claimed a Titans’ record, beating Dale Steyn’s 8 for 41 in the 2007/8 season, to bowl the Titans to victory and leads the wicket-takers’ list after two rounds.Pieter Malan’s twin failings (9 and 1) and Markram’s inability to get going with 17 may mean the selectors have to look elsewhere for a partner to Elgar, who is now the frontrunner to be named Test captain. Sarel Erwee, who sits atop the run charts, has made a strong case for consideration. Temba Bavuma (32) and Rassie van der Dussen (22) have also struggled to set the stage alight, but Kyle Verrerynne (51 and 72) and Heinrich Klaasen (68) are showing signs of strong form setting up an interesting tussle for middle-order spots.Top Performers Raynard van Tonder topped up on his 85 last week with a daddy hundred in this round to bat the Dolphins out of Bloemfontein from day one. Van Tonder scored 119 on the first day and turned into 166 by midway through the second and shared in partnerships all the way through the Knights’ innings. Though he is usually referred to as one for South Africa’s future, for someone with such a penchant for run-scoring, that future may start this summer. Dominic Hendricks was the other centurion from this round, with 130 opening the batting for the Lions.

Vice-captain says Archer’s fifth spell in the first innings was “one of the best” spells of fast bowling he has seen as a player

Andrew Miller19-Aug-2019Ben Stokes believes that “the sky is the limit” for Jofra Archer after his remarkable display on Test debut at Lord’s, but admitted that the aftermath of his thunderous bouncer to Steven Smith caused “a pretty scary few minutes” as the medical teams assessed Smith for concussion following a direct hit to the side of the neck during his innings of 92.Stokes, whose reduced workload with the ball played a part in his promotion to No. 5 in England’s second innings – from where he scored a hard-earned seventh Test century – also confirmed that Smith had been in good spirits since the incident, with the pair and Archer all knowing each other well from their time together at Rajasthan Royals.”I messaged him last night [Saturday] to see how everything was,” Stokes said. “We’ve got a good relationship from playing together at Rajasthan and so does Jofra. I had a little giggle with him, which was good, saying Jofra’s a good shot to hit that pea-head!”I think he was as in good a fettle as he could have been but yeah it was good to see him get back up and walk of the pitch.”ALSO READ: Miller: Archer evokes Jonah Lomu on ‘frightening’ debutThe incident occurred during a remarkable eight-over spell from Archer in which he exceeded 90mph with 16 consecutive deliveries, and also struck Smith a painful blow on the left forearm which later required a scan to rule out a fracture. With England on the attack, Stokes had been posted at leg gully so was at close quarters to witness and hear the impact.”It just hit flesh,” he said. “[It was] not one of the nicest things to see on a cricket field, seeing someone go straight down like that was a pretty scary couple of minutes for everyone out there, but it was great seeing him get back up.”Marnus [Labuschagne] took a heavy blow [in the second innings] but the difference was he got straight back up and was ready for the next ball. In that moment it’s never nice but you look for the reaction – Steve stayed down so that was the scary thing, he laid flat and we weren’t quite sure where everything was out there.”Despite the unease in the moment, Stokes has no doubt that Archer’s use of the short ball had not crossed any line, and that England wouldn’t hesitate to unleash him again at Headingley next week, where Australia could be without Smith once again as he recovers from delayed concussion.”It’s part of the game and a big part of Jofra’s game, being aggressive, not letting batsmen settle,” said Stokes. “That bouncer of his is a huge asset and he’s going to keep on doing it. When someone takes a nasty blow, no bowler is going to say ‘I’m not going to bowl that again because I don’t want to hit them again’ – the concern is always there when someone takes it but next ball, when you get back to the mark, it’s ‘I’m going to keep doing it’.”Stokes and Archer know each other well from their time playing for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL•BCCI

Despite watching Archer at close quarters both with England and at Rajasthan, Stokes admitted he too struggles to pick up the short ball, because, he says, Archer’s rhythmical approach to the crease gives no hint of what’s to come.”He doesn’t have any tells,” said Stokes. “Some bowlers you get a tell when they’re going to bowl a bouncer or a different ball, but because everything is so rhythmical with Jofra it is tough to see when that bouncer is coming. He’s very tight to the stumps as well. Everything looks just so languid, you wonder if he’s loose and then he fires one … watching he ball fly through, it was very impressive to watch.”He gives another dimension to our bowling attack and what we are able to do. The first innings he bowled 29 maybe 30 overs, but his last spell of eight overs was one of the best out-and-out fast bowling spells I have seen since I started playing.”We’ve seen Mitchell Johnson do it to us, especially in 2013, but Jofra just makes it look so easy … like he’s walking in to bowl. And I’d rather have him on my team than have to face him. He’s a frightening talent and he’s announced himself on the world stage, just in a different format again this year. Literally the sky is the limit for him and he’s a great addition to our Test team.”One area of concern, however, revolved around Archer’s workload in his maiden Test, which his match tally of 44 overs being exactly twice as many as that of Chris Woakes, and four times as many as Stokes was called upon to deliver. Stokes, however, insisted that the rain-reduced nature of the contest – as well as England’s desire to claw back their 1-0 deficit – played a part in Joe Root’s tactics.”A lot played into the fact we lost two days to rain,” he said. “Jofra was the biggest threat and you’re going to throw the ball to your biggest threat, and that’s Jofra and Stuart [Broad]. I’m easy whether I’m not bowling or bowling long spells. I just do whatever Joe says to be honest.”

Northamptonshire took just 32 minutes on the third day to wrap up a 10-wicket victory over Gloucestershire at Wantage Road

ECB Reporters Network22-Jun-2018
ScorecardNorthamptonshire took just 32 minutes on the third day to wrap up a 10-wicket victory over Gloucestershire at Wantage Road to claim their first win in the Specsavers County Championship this season.Having resisted on the second evening to take the game into day three, Gloucestershire could last only another 17 balls to be bowled out for 250, leaving a target of only 31 that Ben Duckett knocked off himself in just four overs.Brett Hutton removed the final two wickets within three balls to finish with 8 for 57 – the third-best figures for Northants this century.”We’ve played very well this week, we’ve been disappointed in the Championship so far but we showed if we play somewhere near our best cricket we’re capable of winning games.”Ben and Brett will take the headlines but the whole attack did their bit and added to the pressure and they never got away from us,” head coach David Ripley said. “We took the majority of our catches as well, the surface offered a bit more carry which brought the cordon into play so a great effort from the groundsman as well.”We need to back up this performance now at Cardiff and it’s about building the confidence up and we can take that into the T20s too.”Matt Taylor only added a single to his overnight 37 before pushing at a length ball and edging to second slip where Richard Levi dived to his right to take a sharp catch. No. 11 Chris Liddle then lost his off stump for a duck leaving Craig Miles stranded on 38 not out.The chase was over very quickly as Duckett played an emphatic extra-cover drive off Miles, a flick through midwicket and two top-edged pulls over the wicketkeeper’s head. Another pull off Miles took Northants to within one hit of victory before an outside edge found the third man fence to complete the win.Northants, who took 21 points from the match, now head to Glamorgan on Monday while Gloucestershire are left to concentrate on the T20 Blast that begins in two weeks.Gloucestershire head coach said: “We’ve been outplayed, and it’s more to do with the ball – it wasn’t a 280 wicket. We didn’t exert any pressure with the ball, we bowled two sides of the wicket and the wrong length.”We were a bit more up for the fight in the second innings but day one we were behind the eight ball and couldn’t recover from that.”We’ve got the T20 coming up but also the Cheltenham festival and we want to be playing some good cricket in the Championship there so by no means will we just be focussing on T20.”

Counties producing two ‘below average’ pitches in a 12-month period could be penalised under new regulations brought in by the ECB for the 2017 County Championship season

George Dobell29-Mar-2017Counties producing two ‘below average’ pitches in a 12-month period could be penalised under new regulations brought in by the ECB for the 2017 County Championship season.In a further attempt to encourage counties to produce better quality pitches, the ECB have widened the criteria under which they can take action. Whereas, in the past, pitches had to be rated ‘poor’ or even ‘unfit’ to incur a penalty, the new regulations state that “Two or more Below Average pitches in a 12-month period, rated so because of sub-standard performance relating to spin, seam or unevenness, if allied to intent would liable to penalty.”Ahead of the 2016 season, the ECB announced several other measures designed to encourage better pitches. In particular, they announced that visiting captains would be able to choose to bowl first in the Championship without the need to utilise a toss of the coin and they declared that away sides would be awarded 16 or 20 points (depending on the number of bonus points already won) if the home side prepared an “unfit” pitch. The home side would get no points from the match irrespective of any bonus points already won. Those regulations remain in place for the 2017 season.The final rating of pitches will be made by one of the Cricket Liaison Officers. With the ECB having increased the number of CLOs to 10, there should be one at every day of Championship cricket. They will consult with the umpires, players and ground staff before coming to a conclusion. The addition of the clause “if allied to intent” would suggest they are not seeking to take a punitive view to counties hit by poor weather or excessive use of their squares, but rather encourage a better balance between bat and ball..Other changes to the playing conditions allow for time lost during a Championship match to be made up (to a maximum of 30 minutes) over the first three days – rather than just on the day concerned – while the ECB have confirmed that the hours of the day-night games will be 2pm until 10pm. The intervals will still be referred to as ‘lunch’ and ‘tea’ despite being scheduled for 4pm and 6.40pm. Play cannot extend beyond 10pm to make up for lost time.Meanwhile, in limited-overs cricket, the ECB have banned the use of the heavy roller after the start of games in the Royal London Cup, meaning only a light roller can be used between innings. There was a concern that, with the tournament scheduled for April and May, bowling first might provide too much of an advantage. The heavy roller can also not be used in the NatWest Blast.The new Laws relating to the size of cricket bats, outlined previously by MCC, are due to come into effect on October 1 and are not being adopted for the English domestic season. But other Law changes will be adopted: a batsman can now be caught off a fielder’s helmet and a batsman will not be run out if their bat bounces up having previously been grounded once he has completed his run. In the unlikely event that a bowler’s cap falls off and breaks the wicket during his delivery, the umpire will call no-ball.Other regulations used in 2016 – notably the change to the toss regulations- will remain in place for the 2017 season.

Chris Cairns, the former New Zealand allrounder, has told the jury in his perjury trial in London that there is “no truth” to allegations that he attempted to persuade his team-mate, Lou Vincent, to take part in match-fixing

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Nov-2015Chris Cairns, the former New Zealand allrounder, has told the jury in his perjury trial in London that there is “no truth” to allegations that he attempted to persuade his team-mate, Lou Vincent, to take part in match-fixing.Cairns, who was taking the stand at Southwark Crown Court for the first time in the trial after listening to three weeks of testimony, repeatedly denied any involvement in match-fixing.He denies two counts of perjury and perverting the course of justice, relating to his successful 2012 libel action against Lalit Modi, while his co-defendant and former attourney, Andrew Fitch-Holland, is accused of perverting the course of justice.Asked by Orlando Pownall, his barrister, whether at any stage he was involved in match-fixing, Cairns replied: “No.””Did you contemplate match-fixing?” Pownall continued.Cairns again replied: “No.”When it was put to Cairns that he had attempted to coerce his former team-mates into match-fixing, including Vincent and the current New Zealand captain, Brendon McCullum, who testified last month, he repeated his denials.The court heard how, in 2008, Cairns had signed a three-year deal to captain Chandigarh Lions in the now-defunct Indian Cricket League. His contract was worth NZ$350,000 per year, a prospect that made him “very excited” in the latter years of his career, especially having had a “significant drop” since his final international appearances two years earlier.However, according to Vincent’s testimony, Cairns had ordered him to fix games by deliberately playing badly. When Vincent told Cairns how he had declined the offer of cash and a prostitute to get involved in fixing, Cairns had allegedly responded: “You did the right thing … that’s good cover. You’re working for me now.”Cairns denied all of these incidents, adding that, had Vincent told him of any approach, it would have been immediately reported to Howard Beer and Tony Greig, the administrators of the ICL.”Did you at any stage seek to persuade him, successfully or not, to underperform?” Pownell asked. Cairns replied: “No.”The trial continues.

Michael Clarke is almost certain to miss his first Test in Delhi due to the degenerative back injury he has sustained throughout his career

Brydon Coverdale21-Mar-2013Michael Clarke appears almost certain to miss the fourth and final Test against India in Delhi after failing to take part in Australia’s last training session before the match. Clarke’s likely absence will open the door for Australia to appoint their 44th Test captain, most likely Clarke’s deputy Shane Watson, which would be a rapid return to favour after he was one of the four players left out of the previous Test for disciplinary reasons, and voiced his opinion that the punishment was “very harsh”.Clarke has had ongoing back problems for more than a decade, and suffered pain while fielding on the fourth morning of the Mohali Test. Although he batted in the second innings of that match, he was clearly hampered, and did not take part in either of Australia’s practice sessions at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Wednesday or Thursday. Australia might not make a decision on Clarke until the morning of the match, but his lack of training would make it near impossible to choose him.Australia could make several changes, with the wicketkeeper Matthew Wade likely to return at the expense of Brad Haddin, after being ruled out due to an ankle injury in Mohali. Xavier Doherty’s chances of retaining his place appear slim, after he looked dejected during a long on-field chat with coach Mickey Arthur. Given the likelihood of a slow, spinning pitch, Glenn Maxwell could be in contention for Moises Henriques’ place as the allrounder.But the major issue for Australia is the likely loss of Clarke, not only for his generally shrewd captaincy, but more significantly, for his run-scoring and ability to handle spinning conditions. Clarke has scored 286 runs at 47.66 on this tour, comfortably the most by any Australian. He is also the only member of the touring party to have made a century in the Test series.By comparison, Watson has failed to convert his starts and has averaged 25.20 since taking on the vice-captaincy in 2011. He has also failed to score a century in that time, with his highest score being 88 against South Africa in Johannesburg. He hasn’t scored a Test century, either as player or vice-captain, since October 2010.”He’s plays his own way, he’s very aggressive and he’s a match-winner. I love seeing him play that way,” Clarke said of Watson before training on Thursday. “I think it’s just a matter of time before Watto (Watson) walks out there and gets a big hundred. He works as hard as anybody. He wants to have success, he wants to help his team win. I wouldn’t be surprised if he walks out in this Test and comes out with a bang, with a hundred to finish this tour.”Although Watson has not officially been declared the leader if Clarke is ruled out, both Clarke and the coach Mickey Arthur have said over the past few days he would be the logical candidate. Watson returned to the squad this week having flown home for the birth of his first child, which coincided with him being axed for failing to complete a homework task set by Arthur. After the innings loss in the second Test in Hyderabad, he was back at training in Delhi on Wednesday.”Shane has my full support if he’s appointed captain,” Clarke said. “Shane, like the rest of the players, missed the last Test match. If he was available for the Test he would have played. He was made unavailable, and that’s why he spoke to his wife and flew home for the birth of his first child.”It worked out nicely but he would have stayed and played the Test match [in Mohali] and missed the birth if he was available. I think Shane, like the other three players, have served their sentence in missing that game. He’s 100% available for this Test match, and at this stage, like I’ve said for a long time, he’s our vice-captain. In my opinion if the board and the other selectors appoint him as captain he has my 100% full support.”Although Clarke was speaking before the training session, and was at the time hopeful of playing, he conceded he had been in considerable pain due to his back injury over the past few days. Clarke, 31, has been managing his back problem since he was 17, and the ongoing issue is sometimes seen as evidence his career might not last as long as some other batsmen. Clarke does not believe the problem will affect his cricket longevity, but believed it was an issue that could flare up at any time.”My back gets irritated when I’m in flexion and I rotate,” Clarke said. “I hurt it the other day while fielding [in Mohali], sprinting for a ball, picking it up, and throwing it off balance, which is exactly the opposite to what my back likes, but I’ve done that a number of times throughout my career in regards to when I field. Sometimes with degeneration of the disc, it can flare up, but I will manage it as well as I can. I’m very grateful for the people around, especially [team physio] Alex Kountouris, and my physio when I’m back in Sydney, to keep me on the park consistently.”I was in a bit of pain [in Mohali], unfortunately the painkillers wore off. I don’t know if it’s as bad as it’s been. It’s not a nice feeling. It was very uncomfortable and it impacted my performance, in regards to not the number of runs I made, but the movement. I felt I couldn’t move down the wicket because I was so restricted, and I’d hate to see what the fielding side of it looked like. It’s slowly improving. If you ask Alex or the team doctor, they might have a different impression.”Clarke has never missed a Test due to injury, but if he is forced to sit out in Delhi it will create extra pressure on the rest of the batting order, given how heavily Australia have relied on him in recent times. Fortunately for the Australians, Steven Smith showed his class against spin during the Mohali Test. Phillip Hughes, who had looked awful when facing the slow bowlers during the first two Tests, fought through his problems and scored 69 in the second innings.”I think Hughesy (Hughes) is probably a great example of learning on this tour,” Clarke said. “I think every single one of us would walk away from this tour and have learnt something. I think Hughesy showed that last game. He changed a couple of things in his game to help him have success in these conditions especially against spin bowling, and it really worked for him.”

USA Cricket Association president Gladstone Dainty and other incumbent members of the board are favoured to win re-election today in the USACA general elections

Peter Della Penna14-Apr-2012USA Cricket Association president Gladstone Dainty and other incumbent members of the board are favoured to win re-election today in the USACA general elections. A lawsuit seeking a preliminary injunction for the elections to be delayed was dismissed in the District Court in California on Friday.It means that 32 out of 47 USACA member leagues who had their voting privileges stripped by the USACA board in February will remain unable to take part in the election. The majority of the 15 eligible leagues are supporters of Dainty. Consequently, they are also highly likely to favor treasurer John Thickett and vice presidents Michael Gale and Rafey Syed who have all reportedly sided with Dainty in recent board decisions.The other position up for a vote today is executive secretary. John Aaron, who resigned from his position on November 30 in protest at the board’s stalling tactics to overstay their three-year term, is running against Kenwyn Williams. Due to the fact that the majority of the board voted to uphold Dainty’s suspension of Aaron last year, it is believed the pro-Dainty leagues will vote against Aaron. Williams has vowed on his campaign’s Facebook page to enforce a “gag order” on all USACA players, team officials and administrators from speaking with the media if he is elected executive secretary.Votes will be presented and tabulated at the USACA annual general meeting which takes place today in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.Candidates
Gladstone Dainty (incumbent), Mahammad Qureshi, Ram Varadarajan, Kenwyn Williams
Michael Gale (incumbent), Shahid Ahmed, Ahmed Jeddy, Krish Prasad, Mahammad Qureshi
Rafey Syed (incumbent), Hemant Buch, Ahmed Jeddy, Charles Peterson, Mahammad Qureshi
John Aaron, Kenwyn Williams
John Thickett (incumbent), Gangaram Singh