Bulls hopes washed away at SCG

Updated March 02, 2012 19:01:01

Queensland's hopes of reaching the Sheffield Shield final are on the brink of being washed away by Sydney's big wet - and now the Blues are determined to put a further dent in their title chances.

Queensland's precarious position on the Shield ladder was not helped on Friday when day two of its clash with New South Wales at the SCG was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

And now, despite sitting in second place, the Bulls will nervously scan the weather forecasts knowing that Tasmania, which is just two points behind, is dominating South Australia after a Ricky Ponting century gave them a 273-run first-innings lead.

A victory over the Blues would put Queensland in the box seat to reach the final - but as Blues captain Stephen O'Keefe is quick to declare, the Bulls can ill afford to drop points.

Led by a return to form from opener Phil Hughes, who compiled a classy 73, NSW reached 4 for 207 by stumps on day one, something O'Keefe believes gives them the upper hand on a tricky wicket.

"They have to get points the way it looks with the other Shield games going on at the moment," O'Keefe said after play.

"For us, if we can get 300 plus we can control the running of the match. That's our plan tomorrow to build on that 200 runs and see what happens.

"I think there's enough in it for the bowlers in these sorts of conditions."

With the overcast conditions and a green wicket perfect for seam bowling, O'Keefe predicted his bowling line-up, spearheaded by fringe Test players Mitchell Starc and Trent Copeland, would enjoy getting a bowl.

"Definitely, I'm not going to curse them too much, but the ball is still moving around at 66 overs and seaming and whatever else," the off-spinning all-rounder said.

"If you're asking me as a tall quick bowler, these are the conditions you want - overcast and seaming around."

Meanwhile, entry to the match will be free for the final two days' play, with Cricket NSW opening the gates to all spectators.

Play is scheduled to start at 10.30am (AEDT).

AAP

Tags: cricket, sport, qld, nsw

First posted March 02, 2012 19:01:01

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Warriors take first innings-points against Vics

Updated March 02, 2012 23:54:20

A horrendous wicketkeeping blunder cost Victorian paceman Peter Siddle a hat-trick and helped Western Australia snatch first-innings points on the second day of the crucial Sheffield Shield match at the WACA Ground.

After the Bushrangers made 277, keeper Ryan Carters's dropped catch on Siddle's hat-trick ball helped the Warriors scramble back from 5 for 124 to secure the vital points.

Although Siddle claimed 5 for 64, the hosts were dismissed for 301 to bank an overall lead of 24 runs.

At stumps, Victoria was 0 for 12 in its second innings, with Chris Rogers unbeaten on 7 and Rob Quiney 5 not out.

The Warriors can close in on a home final by claiming outright points in the match, while Victoria needs to win to stay in the hunt for the final.

It could have been a vastly different story on the second day if Carters had snared a simple chance from the first ball Travis Birt faced with the left-hander going on to make a valuable 54.

Siddle, who also made an unbeaten 42 with the bat, bowled his team back into the match by claiming the first three wickets to fall in the WA innings.

With WA on 78, Siddle removed opener Liam Davis (37) and captain Adam Voges (0) with successive balls.

His hat-trick ball to new batsman Birt produced a regulation edge through to Carters, who inexplicably grassed the sitter just as Siddle started to celebrate.

WA's task still looked tough when they slumped to 5 for 124, but with Birt making the most of his early fortune, New Zealand-bound Luke Ronchi compiling a polished run-a-ball 64 and Nathan Rimmington chipping in with 36, it reached the target with three wickets in hand.

The Warriors claimed first-innings points when tail-ender Nathan Coulter-Nile lofted spinner Jon Holland down the ground for six.

Shaun Marsh's horror season continued when he made just 21.

AAP

Tags: cricket, sport, perth-6000, wa, australia, vic

First posted March 02, 2012 22:27:00

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Tired Aussies feeling the pinch: Watson

Updated March 09, 2012 17:59:47

Acting Australia captain Shane Watson concedes fatigue could be a factor for some members of his squad heading into the tour of West Indies.

The one-day squad headed to West Indies on Friday, just over 12 hours after clinching the tri-series title against Sri Lanka in Adelaide.

Awaiting them is a five-match one-day series crammed into just 10 days, with several players backing up for two Twenty20 internationals in the following five days.

It is the final phase of a packed eight-month schedule which included tours to Sri Lanka, South Africa and the West Indies and a full summer of domestic combat against New Zealand, India and Sri Lanka.

"There's no doubt there's some guys that have played the whole summer who are going to be a little bit tired," Watson said.

"But in the end, that's part and parcel of playing international cricket.

"You are playing just about all year round, and you've got to find ways to be able to freshen up whenever you possibly can and to be able to keep doing everything you can to stay as fresh as you can to be able to perform."

Apart from dealing with a 5:15am wake-up call on Friday for a flight from Adelaide to Sydney, tiredness is not going to be a factor for Watson, who missed most of the international matches due to injury.

"From my perspective, I'm very fresh after missing the majority of the summer so I'm really excited about being able to go and continue to play a lot more cricket," Watson said.

But despite the tiring schedule, Watson believes his side can be almost unbeatable if it keeps up the impressive cricket shown in the tri-series finals.

"We need to maintain that standard because, if we do bowl and field like that, we're going to win just about every game that we play because we've got the skills with our batting side of things to be able to get enough runs," he said.

"I think we really set a standard last night that we need to maintain no matter what and I really believe that we can do it.

"It's a challenge to be able to continue to get up like that every single game, but we are playing for our country, so there's no excuse."

Australia is ranked seven places above the Windies in one-day cricket and three above the Carribean side in the Test arena.

While on paper, it looks like being one of Australia's less-taxing assignments of late, Watson was predictably respectful.

"The West Indies have got some pretty amazing athletes within their side so, if they have a good day, they certainly can have a very good day," he said.

Watson has relished the chance to captain his country in the absence of regular skipper Michael Clarke, who will miss most, if not all of the one-day games in the West Indies due to a hamstring strain.

"To be honest, I didn't think I'd probably enjoy it as much as I have out on the field," Watson said.

While he produced another influential death-bowling spell in Thursday's final, Watson was not convinced he was always the man for the job.

He said there were quite a few options for the vital task, including Xavier Doherty, Daniel Christian, Brett Lee and Clint McKay, but he has "really enjoyed the captaincy."

AAP

Tags: sport, cricket, australia

First posted March 09, 2012 15:27:22

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Tigers keep Shield hopes alive

Updated February 10, 2012 06:30:37

Tasmania eased to victory by six wickets over New South Wales on the final day of the Sheffield Shield Clash at the Bellerive Oval.

The Tigers' win lifts them to third in the points table, four adrift of second-place Western Australia with three games remaining.

With the Blues beginning the day at 4 for 75, James Faulkner added to his three wickets of the previous evening by dismissing Peter Nevill for 10.

From this point onwards it was the Jackson Bird show as he took the wickets of Steve O'Keefe (35), Scott Coyte (17) and Sean Abbott (0) before Brendan Drew dismissed Trent Copeland, ending the New South Wales innings with Simon Katich unable to bat after being struck on the head on day two.

Chasing 147, Tasmania started well before losing the wicket of Steve Cazzulino (18) to Steve O'Keefe just before the half-century mark.

Ed Cowan perished for 39, bowled by Josh Lalor, and wickets kept tumbling but not until each player had made a contribution towards the meagre total.

Scott Coyte trapped Alex Doolan (22) leg before and Copeland bowled first inning centurion George Bailey (27).

Mark Cosgrove (25 not out) and Faulkner (8 not out) brought the Tigers home for a well-earned victory.

Tags: cricket, sport, tas, australia

First posted February 09, 2012 18:49:42

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Forrest made to wait for ODI debut

Updated February 10, 2012 15:51:55

Peter Forrest will have to wait at least a few more days before making his one-day international debut after being overlooked for Australia's clash with Sri Lanka at the WACA Ground on Friday.

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Australia go in with the same team that defeated India by 65 runs in the opening one-dayer, with Australian captain Michael Clarke denying reports David Warner was set to be rested to accommodate Forrest.

Sri Lanka, which won the toss and elected to bowl, made one change from the team that lost to India by four wickets on Wednesday, including off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake for Thisara Perera.

The mercury is tipped to reach 37C in Perth on Friday.

"It's been a good start to the one-day series but we have to play well today," Australia captain Clarke said.

Australia:

David Warner, Matthew Wade, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke (capt), Mike Hussey, David Hussey, Dan Christian, Ryan Harris, Mitchell Starc, Clint McKay, Xavier Doherty.

Sri Lanka:

Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Angelo Mathews, Sachithra Senanayake, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Dhammika Prasad, Lahiru Thirimanne.

AAP

Tags: cricket, sport, wa, perth-6000, australia

First posted February 10, 2012 15:42:33

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Bulls charging towards Shield final

Updated March 09, 2012 19:36:45

Bulls batsman Joe Burns' sparkling 130 against South Australia at the Gabba on Friday helped boost Queensland's hopes of making the Sheffield Shield final.

Burns' knock pushed the Bulls' first innings total to 356, and an overall lead of 194 over the hapless Redbacks.

In a game the Bulls must win to be a chance of making the Shield final, South Australia was reeling at 1 for 12 in its second dig at stumps on day two.

Burns, 22, struck 15 fours and a six in five hours at the crease before being trapped in front by Redbacks standout Gary Putland, who grabbed career-best figures of 6 for 72.

Burns showed skill to notch his second Shield ton of the summer, but also poise.

He arrived at the crease with Queensland reeling at 2 for 12 on Thursday before sharing a 119-run third wicket stand with opener Alex Kemp (47) that ended early on Friday.

And when Putland sparked a mini-collapse of 3 for 17 to have the Bulls teetering at 5 for 148, Burns stepped up again to put on 120 with Chris Hartley (68).

Then again, Burns has made a habit of breaking South Australian hearts.

Last season, in similar circumstances, Burns struck an unbeaten 140 against South Australia, the third-highest score on first-class debut for a Queenslander.

Burns is now the sixth-highest Shield run-scorer for this summer with 745 runs at 43.82.

After his heroics on Friday, a wagging tail further frustrated the Redbacks.

Steve Magoffin (46 not out) and Alister McDermott (22) put on 54, equalled the record for a 10th-wicket stand by Queensland against South Australia at the Gabba.

Adding to South Australia's pain, Bulls skipper James Hopes trapped his counterpart Michael Klinger (3) in front as the visitors limped to stumps still trailing by 182 runs.

AAP

Tags: cricket, sport, brisbane-4000, qld, australia, sa

First posted March 09, 2012 19:35:14

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Pakistan's Aamer won't challenge ban

Updated March 02, 2012 08:13:43

Pakistan's teenage paceman Mohammad Aamer has decided not to appeal against a five-year ban imposed on him for spot-fixing during the 2010 Lord's Test against England, an official said on Friday (AEDT).

The 19-year-old Aamer was released from a British prison last month after serving half of a six-month sentence for his part in the scandal during the Test between England and Pakistan in 2010.

His team-mates Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif are serving 30 and 12-month sentences respectively, handed down by a British court in November.

All three players were found guilty of corruption and receiving illegal money.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) also banned the trio for violating the players' code of conduct, with Aamer receiving the minimum five-year punishment.

"Through his lawyer, Aamer has informed us that he has no intention of filing an appeal against the ban," an ICC spokesman told AFP from Dubai.

Under the rules, Aamer could have appealed against the ban in the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in Switzerland, but legal experts believe he lost that possibility after pleading guilty in Britain.

Aamer, who returned to Pakistan on Sunday, has vowed to revive his career. After his debut in 2009 and until the scandal broke, he was considered the brightest new talent in international cricket.

AFP

Tags: sport, cricket, pakistan

First posted March 02, 2012 08:13:43

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