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Freshly relocated, Phillip Hughes and Usman Khawaja wish to prove that they are no longer the lost boys of Australian batting

Daniel Brettig25-Sep-2012Freshly relocated, Phillip Hughes and Usman Khawaja wish to prove that they are no longer the lost boys of Australian batting.Sometime last summer both fell out of their prams – dropped from the Test team – and struggled to cope with the repercussions of demotion when playing for a New South Wales side that was battling to function effectively.Each spent much of the winter in England, where Hughes played for Worcestershire in division one while Khawaja helped Derbyshire to promotion out of division two. They have now returned to Australia and are getting acquainted with new surrounds. Next week they will meet as foes, when Queensland host South Australia at the Gabba.Khawaja had a move to Queensland in his thoughts well before season 2011-12 ended, and Hughes had always admired South Australia’s languid lifestyle and Adelaide Oval’s friendly pitch, even if he did not confirm his departure from Sydney until well after the summer’s end.Both can point to past success at their new home grounds. Khawaja notched his first Sheffield Shield century at the Gabba in early 2009, and added another the following summer. Its pace off the wicket will be a useful ally to his back foot game, while the prospect of early swing and seam does not appear to perturb him.”I scored my first century here, and I scored another century the next year,” Khawaja said in Brisbane. “So I’ve enjoyed the Gabba, it’s a place where it’s tough cricket but you can score runs too if you get in. I enjoy the wicket here, it’s got a bit of pace in it – challenging but also rewarding at the same time.”I came up to Queensland cricket because one I felt like I needed a fresh start, two I wanted to win, and I felt like being here gave me the best chance to enjoy my cricket, start afresh, and hopefully I’m here to help contribute to Queensland cricket winning as many competitions as we can. If I can put my hand up and contribute to the team that will help.”For Hughes, Adelaide’s rhythms are closer to those of his Macksville home in country NSW than Sydney’s hustle and bustle were ever likely to be. The Adelaide Oval pitch is also amenable to his bush technique, as an aggregate of 475 at 118.75 in three matches can attest. If the Oval’s conditions do not force Hughes to answer the questions posed by New Zealand’s Chris Martin on testier surfaces last summer, they should help him gather confidence, a critical element to his early international success in South Africa.”I’ve been here a few times for a week or two here and there, and I love the place,” Hughes said of Adelaide. “I’m originally from the country in NSW, so I’m that down-to-earth type bloke, more laid-back and I think it provides that here, and that’s one thing I looked into as well. The place is a lot quieter than Sydney, it’s a lot easier to get around, as I’ve already found out, and I’m looking forward to it.”I love Adelaide Oval, I’ve played there a few times now and hopefully I can get as many runs as possible, it can be good for batting at times and once you’re in on any wicket you want to make good scores. Hopefully I can do that.”Neither Hughes nor Khawaja won many points for their attitude upon returning to the NSW dressing room last summer, as they pondered what might have been with Australia rather more readily than they contributed to the Blues’ faltering season. Khawaja has the chance to rehabilitate his game and his place in the team room under the tutelage of Darren Lehmann, who helmed a Bulls Shield victory in his first season as coach. The past examples of Ryan Harris and Peter Forrest are helpful.”They did a lot of hard work to be where they are, they didn’t just come here and let it happen, so there’s nothing certain about now that I’ve moved up here my career’s going to go to the next level, the next stage,” Khawaja said. “I’ve got a lot of hard work in front of me and there’s going to be a lot of tough times for me to get through. I’m just here to be honest to enjoy my cricket, have fun and the rest will take care of itself.”Darren’s been great, just like everyone else, they’ve all really made me feel welcome, which is probably the toughest thing coming to a new place. I’ve talked to Darren here and there, been at the Centre of Excellence the last couple of years, and I’ve known him for a good four or five years now, so I know what he’s all about and he’s just a guy who loves his cricket.”Hughes, meanwhile, showed a willingness to open up to new advice in England, working attentively with Worcs’ coach Steve Rhodes where previously he had listened only to the technical advice of his long-time mentor Neil D’Costa, to the exclusion of all others. Darren Berry, the Redbacks’ coach, will hope for a similar level of openness.”Steve was good, he’s a hard working coach, and I found his work ethic was outstanding, and from the day I got there he made me feel very welcome,” Hughes said. “We got to the nets and he was quite simple on a lot of things, for me that’s a good thing, and through the four months he was very supportive of me.”I just want to be the most consistent player I possibly can be in all three forms of the game. It can be tough to juggle all the formats and hopefully through the season I can score as many runs in all the formats that I can.”

Russell Domingo, South Africa’s assistant coach, has all but ruled out the possibility of dropping legspinner Imran Tahir from the XI for the first Test in Brisbane

Firdose Moonda at the SCG02-Nov-2012Russell Domingo, South Africa’s assistant coach, has all but ruled out the possibility of dropping legspinner Imran Tahir from the XI for the first Test in Brisbane, despite the pace and bounce of the Gabba pitch.Domingo said he had read that the surfaces at the Gabba may be the fastest in the world, but South Africa would put their emphasis on consistency in selection and stability of the side, ahead of the temptation to field an all-pace attack.”The balance of our side is important and with Jacques Kallis as a fourth seamer, I think we would always look to have a spinner in the team,” Domingo said after the South African bowlers toiled on the opening day of the tour match against Australia A. “Gone are the days when a South African team goes without a spinner.”South Africa’s vice-captain, AB de Villiers, had similar thoughts about the make-up of the team for the first Test. “I always like to have a spinner in the team,” De Villiers said. “It changes the whole pace of the game. It’s always something to fall back on when things are not going your way.”The indication is that Imran Tahir will be persisted with, although he has had a subdued start to his Test career. That means Rory Kleinveldt is unlikely to make his Test debut next week despite being the second best bowler, after Dale Steyn, at the SCG. On an unresponsive pitch, the South African bowlers had to bend their backs and Kleinveldt, with a point to prove, bent his the most. He had two wickets to show for it and the best economy rate of the lot.Kleinveldt was selected on the strength of his domestic season for Cobras – not as impressive as Vernon Philander’s was the season before – 32 wickets at an average of 17.93. Like Lonwabo Tsotosbe before him, Kleinveldt will have to get used to carrying drinks and missing out on game time back home. Domingo said Kleinveldt understood his position and would be ready nonetheless. “There is no doubt that, if he is called on, he will perform,” Domingo said.Kleinveldt will at least have a decent outing in this match; he has already bowled 19 of the 90 overs. The other two quicks – Steyn and Philander – bowled 18 and 16 overs respectively, while Tahir sent down 28. Despite the hard work, Domingo said the team could take plenty out of the first day.”To be honest, we would probably rather have had a day like today than bowl a team out for 80 or 150,” Domingo said. “Today, everybody got to have three or four spells and got some mileage in the legs, which is good.”Two bowlers who wouldn’t have had that advantage since August are Kallis and Morne Morkel, who were rested from this fixture. Kallis fielded for the last session because he completed his recovery from a chest infection, and Morkel trained in the nets.”They have been playing a lot of cricket with the World T20 and the Champions League so it’s good for them to have a break,” Domingo said. “We’re not worried about the change from short format to long format. With Morne, especially, there’s not much change in the lengths he will bowl in ODIs and T20s compared to Tests.”

Ed Cowan smoothed the path for Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey to run South Africa ragged as Australia closed day four on 4 for 487

The Report by Daniel Brettig12-Nov-2012Australia 4 for 487 (Clarke 218*, Cowan 136, Hussey 86*, Morkel 2-109) lead South Africa 450 by 37 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEd Cowan kept his head over the ball on the way to 136•Getty Images

On the same afternoon Australia rejoiced the confirmation of Ed Cowan as a genuine Test opening batsman, their prolific captain Michael Clarke squeezed South Africa with a merciless unbeaten 218 to give his side the psychological and tactical high ground after four days of the first Test.Graeme Smith’s side began the day in search of quick wickets to press for victory in Brisbane, but a first Test century of high accomplishment by Cowan smoothed the path for Clarke and Michael Hussey to run the tourists ragged in the final session. Australia piled up 181 runs after tea to close on 4 for 487, a lead of 37 with another extended day’s play to follow.Clarke’s innings grew in command with every hour, and maintained his outstanding record of performance since assuming the national captaincy. His third Test score beyond 200 in 2012 made Clarke one of only three batsman to achieve the feat, joining Sir Donald Bradman and Ricky Ponting. Rare company indeed.Cowan was considered by some to be under some pressure for his place entering this match, though the national selector John Inverarity had been highly supportive. That faith proved well founded, for Cowan produced exactly the sort of innings the team required. Scoring within his favoured zones and showing sound judgement of when to defend, this was a major step in Cowan’s career, and also a poignant achievement a year to the day since the death of his mentor, Peter Roebuck.Hussey’s innings demonstrated how destructive his batting can be when runs are behind him, and in his busy running and pure driving he pushed tiring opponents to their limits. Before the series Inverarity had hoped Hussey was “due” for a strong series against South Africa after several poor ones, and he has made the ideal start.The defusing of the touring bowlers was a tonic for the rest of Australia’s batsmen, and the contempt with which they were treated at the finish by Clarke and Hussey will be sobering for Smith. Rory Kleinveldt and Vernon Philander gave up 19 no-balls between them, the latter’s bowling notably nobbled on perhaps the flattest Test surface he has seen on so far. Steyn threatened intermittently, and Morkel’s bounce did not diminish, but the employment of Smith and Hashim Amla as modest spinners conveyed a lack of variety in South Africa’s attack.In responding aggressively to a perilous position the night before, Cowan and Clarke had tilted momentum their way even before they emerged on the fourth morning. But they had to fight to build on that advantage early on. After a brief early flurry, runs came steadily rather than swiftly, Cowan pushing singles while Clarke punched a pair of delectable straight drives back past Steyn in between leaving plenty of deliveries wide of off stump.Cowan had an uncomfortable moment when he cuffed past the stumps and down to the fine leg boundary while trying to leave Steyn, and Clarke was twice the beneficiary of good fortune when his unconvincing attempts at a sort of half-pull shot lobbed into the air but out of the reach of fielders.Clarke looked ungainly against the short ball on more than one occasion, once taking his eye off a Steyn bouncer and gloving into the space between the stumps and the slips cordon. But he prospered in other areas, playing with a restraint that showed self-awareness of how important his wicket has become for Australia.As the adjournment ticked closer Cowan reached the outskirts of a century, gaining four runs when the umpire Asad Rauf failed to detect Morkel’s bouncer had skimmed straight off the batsman’s helmet. He would go to the interval two runs short of a hundred, but happy to wait.On resumption Cowan did not take long to gather those runs, pulling Philander powerfully to midwicket to pass three figures. His celebration was ebullient, but he also collected himself pointedly at the end of the over, regathering his focus to resume the task. At the other end Clarke had further troubles with the short ball, but unfurled a pair of crisp drives to close on his own century.He reached the mark with a hurried single to backward point, and raised his bat for the sixth time since becoming Test captain and the second time in as many Gabba Tests. Clarke and Cowan’s stand had by this time become the highest for the fourth wicket in all Tests between Australia and South Africa, blunting a visiting attack that had looked so daunting at the start of the innings.Having seen off the second new ball, Cowan was dropped at fine leg when Steyn’s path to the catch was distracted somewhat by Alviro Petersen’s convergence. Ultimately Cowan would would not perish at the hand of any bowler. Instead he was run-out at the non-striker’s end when Steyn deflected a Clarke drive onto the stumps – Cowan’s penchant for backing up a long way reducing his chances of getting back in time. That dismissal brought Hussey to the crease, and he had a couple of nervy moments against Morkel before tea arrived.There would be a few more plays and misses in the final session, but they were rare moments of consolation for South Africa as Hussey and Clarke streaked away. Hussey’s cover driving was a particular highlight, while Clarke reached his double century with another pristine straight drive. By the close a draw was the most likely result, but Clarke, Cowan and Hussey had ensured that it will be the South Africans more likely to be sweating.

Joe Root may not get his England chance on the tour of India but the experience will stand him in good stead for the future

George Dobell in Kolkata01-Dec-2012Joe Root endured an unfortunate start to his first senior England appearance a few weeks ago. Root, who already looked as if he might have difficulty being served in a bar in London, turned up in an England blazer that, he reckons, was six or seven sizes too big for him. It did nothing to alleviate the impression that this tour had come a year or two early for him. “It felt like I was wearing Chris Tremlett’s blazer,” Root said. “It was good fun, though, as it was a nice ice-breaker for the rest of the side to get to know me.”Root, 21 years old, is certainly fresh faced. But it would be wrong to read too much into that. After all, Alastair Cook and Sachin Tendulkar hardly looked like grisly old pros when they started. Sometimes a youthful face can hide a steely interior. Besides, you wonder if Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting might swap all those runs, all those centuries and all that success to be where Root finds himself right now: at the start of the journey.Root is a talented young man with a bright future. Having developed through the same Sheffield Collegiate club side as Michael Vaughan, Root surpassed 1,000 first-class runs in his first full season in 2011 and impressed Graham Thorpe, England’s lead batting coach, on the subsequent England Performance Programme (EPP) tours. He followed it with another solid season in 2012, helping Yorkshire secure promotion and winning the Cricket Writers’ Club Young Player of the Year award. Geoffrey Boycott is among Root’s many admirers.Root admitted, however, that his first experience of the England dressing room had been somewhat intimidating. One of the downsides of central contracts, compared to many upsides, is that international players are rarely seen in the county game. And one of the downsides of the more professional approach that players have these days is that opponents do not so readily meet for a drink after play to chat about the game”It was quite daunting walking into that room with guys you’ve spent the last five years watching on the telly,” Root said. “They are heroes you look up to and the next minute you’re training with them every day and learning from them. I didn’t know them at all to be honest.”But they’ve been brilliant. It’s a great environment to be part of and everyone’s really excited for the rest of the series. Everybody has been very good at making sure I’m welcomed into the side and Tim Bresnan, in particular, made sure everyone got to know me. That was really beneficial. It’s been fantastic.”Root knows that this tour, for him, may well be about acclimatisation. With Nick Compton having been preferred to Root for the Test side and having taken his chance pretty well, Root has been relegated to the role of understudy. While there is an element of disappointment about that, Root also accepts that the time familiarising himself with the England dressing room, its characters, habits and work ethic will help him feel more comfortable if and when his chance comes.”Any time spent around the team is valuable,” he said. “It’s good to almost ease your way in and you get great exposure to all the coaches and all the lads and it’s brilliant to get some advice on board from everyone and a great learning opportunity. I’ll just keep trying to get as much from this tour as I possibly can.”He showed he remains in decent touch with a century for the EPP squad last week. While the quality of the opposition was modest, Root took the opportunity to remind the selectors of his form and, should injury intervene, he insists he is ready.”Everyone needs time in the middle,” he said. “Especially when you’ve not been playing, you need to have the confidence that, if something does go wrong, if someone does go down, I’ve got a weight of runs behind me to stand me in good stead.”I’ll just be doing everything I can in the nets, working with all the coaches to try to improve my game and take as much from the tour as possible. And also to make sure that, if required, I’m ready to go.”That game also featured Steven Finn’s comeback from injury. While no decision about Finn’s involvement in the third Test has yet to be made – the next three days of training will define that – Root, at least, was impressed by the fast bowler’s performance.”He looked very dangerous,” Root said. “He bowled fantastically well, took some wickets and got good overs under his belt. He bowled great areas and looked threatening like he always does. I think he’s pretty happy with where he’s at now, and interesting to see how things go over the next three days in training.”Part of Root’s training involves working on his offspin. While he remains very much a part-time bowler at present – he claimed just one Championship wicket in 2012 – he knows that an ability to perform a role as second or even third spinner might, at some stage, make a crucial difference when it comes to selection.”I’m working really hard on my bowling,” he said. “I’m trying to take this opportunity of being part of this squad to be a better player and my bowling is definitely part of that. My aim is to improve and give the captain another option, so I have to be able to take some wickets or tie an end up.”The England squad, which now contains Ian Bell and James Tredwell, will resume training on Sunday when they take their first look at the much-debated pitch for the third Test at Eden Gardens. They spent Saturday helping a children’s charity in Kolkata. While there may be much cynicism about sports people engaged in charity, no media were present on this occasion and no notice of their activity was published.