Clarke backs Watson over ton drought

By James Maasdorp

Updated December 28, 2012 00:42:13

Australia captain Michael Clarke insists Shane Watson's long wait for a third Test century will end soon, after the all-rounder missed another chance to notch a big score.

Clarke (106) and Watson (83) shared in a superb 194-run partnership to put the hosts in a strong position on day two of the second Test against Sri Lanka at the MCG.

Australia finished the day at 8 for 440, with Mitchell Johnson plundering runs at the death with a stylish 73.

As it happened: Second Test, Day Two

Clarke surpassed Ricky Ponting's record of most runs by an Australian in a calendar year on his way to yet another century, but following his dismissal, Watson failed to kick on and was dismissed soon after.

After Clarke was caught at second slip, Watson succumbed to nerves to hit a careless pull shot to Thilan Samaraweera in the deep.

But Clarke says Watson was simply unlucky, and his long-awaited third Test ton is just around the corner.

"Watto doesn't need to change anything, he's batted really well today," Clarke told Grandstand.

"He was unlucky today, the pull shot's one of his strengths and unfortunately he's hit it straight down the guy's throat.

"Nine times out of 10, Watto hits that for four or six.

"Full credit to him, I thought he played really well and if he keeps batting like that, hundreds will come."

The Test captain said it was an honour to surpass Ponting's record of 1,544 runs in a calendar year.

"It's very special, I didn't know it at the time, I didn't know how many runs I needed," he said.

"To me Ricky Ponting's one of the all-time great players Australia's ever had, so to beat Ricky at anything is a fantastic achievement. I'm very proud."

Clarke spoke of his relief at scoring his first ton at the MCG and praised his side's overall batting performance, singling out Johnson for his late cameo.

"It's always nice to make runs and always nicer to make a century for Australia and put us in a pretty good position," he said.

"I thought the boys played really well today. Watson was outstanding, Mitchell Johnson was really good at the back end of the day.

"It's nice to get that monkey off my back, that's for sure. There was a little bit in the paper in the few days leading up to this Test making it clear that I hadn't scored a hundred [at the MCG].

"It's certainly something that's been on my mind for a while now considering it's a beautiful ground and I love playing in Melbourne. It's nice to finally have made a hundred here."

Following Clarke and Watson's quick dismissals, Matthew Wade (1) was out almost immediately as the Aussies endured a mini-collapse, before Michael Hussey (34) and Johnson steadied the ship with a 61-run partnership.

Hussey was dismissed spectacularly as he top-edged a Tillakaratne Dilshan delivery, only to see Rangana Herath pouch a diving one-handed screamer at deep midwicket.

The catches for the cameras continued as Peter Siddle (13) edged one to Jayawardene in the slips late in the day, with the Sri Lankan captain diving well to his left.

Sri Lanka's batting coach Marvan Atapattu praised the two catches, saying they will hopefully give his players some confidence ahead of their second innings.

"It was two fantastic catches. Hopefully the catches Mahela has taken will give him confidence when he comes out to bat the next time around," Atapattu told Grandstand.

"Herath has been really good in the outfield. You see the same person doing the same old thing again when he was here in January, his performance in the field has been very good."

He says the injury news remains bad for the tourists, with Prasanna Jayawardene nursing a bruised thumb and paceman Chanaka Welegedara straining a hamstring.

"Welegedera doesn't seem to be looking too good at the moment," he said.

"We have Prasanna Jayawardene ... having a bruised thumb, the X-ray shows a hairline fracture, so he probably won't take any further part in terms of wicketkeeping.

"But hopefully in terms of batting he'll contribute.

"We've got batsmen who have made big scores, batted for such a long time. I expect them to put up a good show."

Tags: cricket, sport, melbourne-3000, vic, australia, sri-lanka

First posted December 27, 2012 19:05:26

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Cowan backs Bellerive wicket for Test

Updated December 13, 2012 08:16:27

Australian opener Ed Cowan expects the Hobart pitch he has "conquered" to play well in the first Test against Sri Lanka.

The Bellerive strip has had its fair share of critics this Sheffield Shield season after a succession of low totals.

A wicket dubbed "The Incredible Hulk" during last summer's Test loss to New Zealand has seen Western Australia skittled for 67 and Tasmania knocked over for 95 in 2012.

But Cowan, who has played only one Shield game on the ground this season against South Australia, says the wicket suits his game.

"I think it will be a pretty good batting wicket," he said on Monday.

"Some of the Shield wickets over the last couple of years have been good to bat on if you're willing to bat time, and that suits my game.

"It feels like a wicket that I've conquered probably over the last couple of years in bowler-friendly conditions."

The Bellerive surface was re-laid during the off-season and has taken time to settle.

Cowan says first innings scores of 360 from Queensland and 448 from Tasmania in the last two Shield matches show it can be tamed.

"It's been a wicket that has almost accelerated the game in reverse," he said.

"There are grounds ... that deteriorate as the game goes on.

"This probably gets better to bat on and history suggests that.

"To get results in Shield cricket the game has had to move forward at some stage and it's probably moved forward at the start of the game rather than the end."

Spinners have been rarely used in Shield matches but Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath said he expected there would be something in the wicket for the tweakers late in the match.

"It looks 50-50 but I don't know what's the weather (forecast) from the 14th," he said.

"I'm sure there'll be some turn and bounce for the fourth and fifth (days)."

AAP

Tags: cricket, sport, hobart-7000, tas, australia

First posted December 10, 2012 15:44:37

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ICC backs mandatory video umpire

Updated June 25, 2012 19:29:50

Cricket's chief executives have backed the mandatory use of video umpires in Tests and one-day internationals, a year after they were made optional at the request of powerful India.

The International Cricket Council's (ICC) chief executives' committee said independent tests had proved the reliability of the Decision Review System (DRS), which incorporates ball-tracking and "hotspot" thermal imaging.

"We have made good progress in independently testing ball-tracking and the new enhancements have resulted in the CEC (Chief Executives' Committee) unanimously supporting the ICC Cricket Committee's recommendation to universally apply the DRS in all Test matches and ODIs," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement.

The recommendation for compulsory DRS - provided host countries can afford the equipment - will now be considered by the ICC Board, which is meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur.

Optional DRS has caused confusion and controversy, including complaints during India's Test tour of England last year, when the visitors refused to allow it.

Separately, the chief executives threw their support behind the introduction of day-night Tests, as long as both teams agree and the ICC can provide a suitable ball.

They also called for Bangladesh to provide a report on allegations of graft during this year's Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 competition, and urged both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to implement anti-corruption codes.

India, which accounts for the lion's share of global cricket revenues, has been suspicious of DRS since making a number of unsuccessful referrals during the 2008 Test series with Sri Lanka, when the technology was on trial.

On Sunday, Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore complained about the absence of DRS in the first Test against Sri Lanka - reportedly due to cost issues - after a rash of umpiring errors.

AFP

Tags: cricket, sport, united-arab-emirates

First posted June 25, 2012 19:29:50

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Arthur backs Ponting for one more Ashes

Updated May 01, 2012 16:28:09

Australian coach Mickey Arthur says Ricky Ponting is a wanted man for next year's Ashes series in England.

With Australia not playing another Test until the home series against South Africa in November/December, Ponting's future in the side was thought to be in some doubt.

The 37-year-old was axed from Australia's one-day squad earlier this year, leaving him with just Test cricket on his international calendar.

But Arthur says he has no concerns about Ponting losing his touch with the bat, and is backing the former skipper to play a key role in Australia's quest to regain the Ashes.

"I know there was a lot of media pressure and talk around Ricky, but Ricky's not going anywhere," Arthur said after arriving back in Perth following Australia's 2-0 Test series win against the West Indies.

"We hope Ricky's scoring enough runs to go to the Ashes in England.

"Ricky is definitely [in] no way considering retiring, I wouldn't have thought from my conversations with him, and he'll be fit and ready to go against South Africa."

Ponting, like most of Australia's batting line-up, struggled on the Windies tour.

The 165-Test veteran posted just 146 runs over three Tests at an average of 24.33, but Arthur said the tough conditions and some unlucky circumstances played a significant role in Ponting's lean return.

AAP

Tags: ashes, cricket, sport, australia

First posted May 01, 2012 16:28:09

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Clarke backs Forrest for Test honours

Updated February 10, 2012 07:01:42

He is yet to even make his one-day international debut, but Peter Forrest is on track to become an important member of Australia's Test line-up, according to skipper Michael Clarke.

Forrest has enjoyed a breakthrough season in Shield ranks this summer, plundering three tons and four half-centuries at an average of 58.1.

Although his form in the one-day format has not been nearly as impressive, the 26-year-old did enough to convince selectors to include him in Australia's squad for the triangular 50-over series against India and Sri Lanka.

After missing selection in game one, Forrest is a strong chance make his debut in Friday's one-day clash with Sri Lanka at the WACA Ground.

But Clarke believes the right-hander can achieve even higher honours further down the track.

"Foz is a wonderful talent and has been pretty successful for Queensland this year," he said on Thursday.

"He's got a very good technique, he's a very good top order batsman and I think he can play a big part in Australian cricket going forward.

"Not just in one-day cricket ... I think he's got the potential to play Test cricket as well in the future.

"It's good that Foz is around the group. It gives him a great opportunity to see what it's like around the Australian change rooms and how we go about our work in training and things like that.

"If he gets an opportunity to play, it's important he makes the most of it, but I'm not sure what 11 players we'll take onto the ground at the moment."

Australia will go into the game against Sri Lanka with the same bowling attack that skittled India for 151 last week.

With Brett Lee out injured, Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene claimed Australia's bowling attack was its weak point.

But Clarke said his side had not taken any notice of the comments, and would let its actions speak louder than words.

And with the likes of Ricky Ponting and the Hussey brothers mixing it with youngsters David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Matthew Wade, Clarke felt the team had the perfect blend of youth and experience.

"Guys that have played a lot in Australia in these conditions can help the guys who haven't played too much international cricket in these conditions, so I think the mix is pretty good," he said.

"We know we're playing against two very good teams, two World Cup finalists, and we know we need to be at our best to beat them.

"Our goal is to win every game we play this series."

AAP

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First posted February 09, 2012 19:03:14

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Dhoni backs besieged coach Fletcher

Updated January 16, 2012 13:51:31

Suspended captain MS Dhoni has backed coach Duncan Fletcher as the right man to turn around the fortunes of the beleaguered Indian cricket team, despite a run of dismal overseas tours.

Down 3-0 after successive innings defeats in Sydney and Perth, the Indians have already lost the series and have one final chance to redeem themselves in the fourth Test in Adelaide, starting on Tuesday.

But another loss will condemn them to two clean sweep 4-0 defeats in a row on foreign soil after an embarrassing tour of England.

They will be without their skipper for the last Test, following his one match suspension by the International Cricket Council for his second slow over rate infraction in 12 months during the third Test at the WACA Ground.

Pressure is not only mounting on India's misfiring and ageing top order, but also on the feisty Fletcher, who has seen his team win just two of nine Tests during the early part of his two-year tenure.

Both wins were at home against the lowly West Indies and are not enough to gloss over seven straight overseas defeats, four by an innings, since Fletcher took over last year.

India was the top-ranked Test side in the world when Fletcher took the reins, but will drop to third when the official ICC rankings are next released.

His first series at the helm saw the Indians lose all four Tests in England and Fletcher's record as a coach in Australia is even worse, with 12 losses from 13 Tests including his time at the helm of England.

As Indian greats like Kapil Dev, Bishan Bedi and Sourav Ganguly lined up to lambast India's insipid performances, Dhoni said Fletcher was the right man for the job.

"He's a great guy to have," Dhoni said.

"He's one of the most experienced coaches around, the small technical things he knows about bowling and batting, it's very crucial to have.

"It's not like he has become the coach and we have lost two series and he's to be blamed for all the defeats, it's up to the 11 players to go out and perform."

However, former Australian Test batsman Marcus North wrote in an internet column this week that the Indians had gone backwards under Fletcher.

"Team India has been unravelling ever since the departure of Gary Kirsten who, to his credit, found a way to relate and bond this team of champion individuals into a champion team," North wrote.

"Kirsten's replacement, Duncan Fletcher, on the other hand, has managed to undo all of Kirsten's hard work.

"Team unity looks low and relationships are being tested."

Both Bedi and Dev said India's Test performances were suffering due to the Board of Control for Cricket in India's obsession with Twenty20 cricket and its financial rewards.

Ganguly said the Indian Test team needed a major overhaul.

AFP

Tags: cricket, sport, india

First posted January 16, 2012 13:51:31

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Arthur backs Aussie quicks to bloom

Updated December 31, 2011 17:19:23

Coach Mickey Arthur says Australia's pace attack has the potential to be the best in the world and he is happy with his top six batsmen.

Arthur was very impressed by the performance of the pace trio of Peter Siddle, James Pattinson and Ben Hilfenhaus in the first Test win over India at the MCG.

With the likes of Ryan Harris, Patrick Cummins, Shane Watson and Mitchell Starc either injured or waiting in the wings, Arthur was bullish about Australia's pace stocks.

He says he is excited by the potential and the competition for places in every position.

"I thought we had 15 players that can play international cricket, at any given time," Arthur said.

"Hopefully by the end of the summer we might have 22 guys that can do that because we need to build up our strength in depth, which we are doing now.

"But I do think this pace attack has the potential to become the best in the world."

While captain Michael Clarke has suggested the recalled Harris could form part of a four-pronged pace attack at the SCG, Arthur doubts that is feasible.

"I'm pretty loath to go into any Test match without a spinner," Arthur said.

"Obviously conditions will determine that but the SCG has normally got a history of favouring spin down the line."

Arthur has no doubt that in Watson's continuing absence, the current top six was Australia's best available batting line-up.

"I think we just need to give them time, especially our younger players at one, two and three," Arthur said.

"David Warner is going to be a great player in all three forms of the game, same with Shaun Marsh.

"I think Ed Cowan gave us that stability that we were looking for, especially in the first innings.

"He almost brought a little bit of that calmness to that."

Arthur says he had seen enough of India's batsmen in Melbourne to alter plans for four of their top six.

AAP

Tags: cricket, sport, australia

First posted December 31, 2011 17:14:55

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CA backs down on award voting

Updated December 14, 2011 17:24:23

Cricket Australia (CA) will return to the voting of an expert panel to decide the man-of-the-match award following the controversy over the second Test against New Zealand.

Mobile phone and tablet app users shunned Black Caps quick Doug Bracewell's match figures of 9 for 60 and voted Australia's David Warner as best player for his unbeaten 123 in the losing side's second innings.

Bracewell polled just 27 per cent of the vote to Warner's 58 in the poll.

"We were always running a bit of a trial for these two Tests with those man-of-the-match awards," CA chief James Sutherland said.

"But we will definitely revert to an expert's choice for that decision about man-of-the-match.

"We will still run what the fans think. It has worked really well with the (viewers' choice) application and the television.

"It's something really ahead of its time and I'm sure we'll see it in other sports as well in the future."

A sheepish Warner said in his acceptance speech that Bracewell's bowling had been fantastic.

The man-of-the-match award was more clear-cut in the first Test against New Zealand in Brisbane where Australian pace bowler James Pattinson played a starring role in the home side's victory.

Australia host India for a four-Test series starting on Boxing Day at the MCG.

AAP

Tags: cricket, sport, hobart-7000, tas, australia, new-zealand

First posted December 14, 2011 16:15:51

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Ponting backs Katich's criticism of selectors

Updated June 17, 2011 09:09:00

Former Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting says he was shocked by Cricket Australia's decision to sack Simon Katich from the national team.

Katich has described Cricket Australia's decision not to renew his contract for 2011-2012 as "absolutely ridiculous" and says its selection policy is "inconsistent".

Ponting says Katich is entitled to feel aggrieved with his axing from its list of 25 contracted players and has told Channel Nine his criticism is justified.

"To be omitted from the contract list was obviously a great shock to him. It was a shock to me, and his performances in the last two or three years has been as good as anybody's and almost as good as anybody's in the world," he said.

"So I'm surprised not to see him around, but it means a young guy gets a go and hopefully that guy can stand up and do the job for us."

"It's fair to say [Katich] didn't hold back in his press conference and rightly so as well," Ponting said on the AFL Footy Show last night.

Asked if he meant his comments to be a criticism of the selectors, Ponting added: "You can make of that whatever you like. I would have liked to have another old bloke around the group with me, yeah," Ponting said.

Ponting and Mike Hussey, both 36, have been retained and Ponting will play as a batsman only in the Test and one-day sides after giving up the captaincy.

Michael Clarke will lead Australia on a Test tour of Sri Lanka in August, with 22-year-old Phil Hughes tipped to win a recall at the top of the order to partner Shane Watson.

"It puts us 36-year-olds on notice now, Mike Hussey and myself. It's going to make us work that little bit harder," Ponting said.

- ABC/AAP

Tags: sport, cricket, australia

First posted June 17, 2011 08:37:00

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