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Australia’s quick bowlers have just 35 ODI caps between but memories of T20 success will be at the forefront of their minds

Andrew McGlashan04-Jun-2018A tally of 15 ODIs over five years is hardly an overload of international experience, but it is enough to put Kane Richardson in an unexpected position: the senior figure in Australia’s pace attack for the one-day series against England.Much focus has been, and will remain on, the absence of Steven Smith and David Warner. However, without their big three of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood because of a variety of injuries, Australia have arrived with a group of pace bowlers – Richardson, Andrew Tye, Jhye Richardson, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis and the uncapped Michael Neser – who have just 35 ODI appearances between them. They will be supplemented by Nathan Lyon (13 ODIs) and Ashton Agar (4 ODIs)They face the daunting prospect of taking on the power-packed batting line-up of the No. 1 ODI side in the world – who beat them 4-1 in Australia earlier this year – and though the combination of quicks that will line up at The Oval remains uncertain, Kane Richardson is ready for a leadership role in what could yet shape as a battle for one or places in the final World Cup squad”That’s a first, and probably a last I think,” he said of his senior status. “I’ve been around long enough but been in and out. I take it as [showing] a bit of leadership towards our young buys in Billy and Jhye. But Nathan Lyon is on this tour and he’s pretty senior in terms of the pecking order in Test cricket so we are a pretty big group.””Being in the county of where the World Cup will be helps, but obviously those three guys will be back at some stage so it’s all about doing as much as you can when you get the opportunity.”ESPNcricinfo LtdAs Richardson noted, his one-day career has been a stop-start affair. His debut came against Sri Lanka in 2013 and his most recent outings were against India last year when he claimed seven wickets in three matches. He has not previously been around the one-day side long enough to even get on the fast bowlers’ WhatsApp group”Apparently there used to be a WhatsApp group but I’ve never been involved in it, so maybe I wasn’t worthy of being added,” he joked, without confirming whether he would be creating a new one.Yet, while Australia’s collection of quicks have precious little experience in ODIs to call on, Richardson believes their success in the T20 side can hold them in good stead. Richardson, Stanlake and Tye played a key part in Australia securing the triangular series against England and New Zealand earlier this year.”Billy [Stanlake] did such a good job in that tri-series and that was one of things I thought about on the plane over, that it’s actually quite a similar team that beat England and New Zealand, so even though we are inexperienced we’ve done pretty well as an attack before.”It helped having some fresh guys come in after that one-day series, so you take confidence when you do well. Billy would have taken so much out of that. AJ [Tye] is quite an experienced bowler, so there’s some guys who are full of confidence.”Australia prepare for the one-day series with warm-up matches against Sussex and Middlesex before the opening match against England, at The Oval, on June 13.

The Sri Lanka opener looks back on some of the most memorable moments in his career and ahead to his team’s future in Test cricket

Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Feb-2025Dimuth Karunaratne looks back on his career as he prepares to play his 100th and final Test.You made your debut in Galle as well. What are your memories of that match?
I was shocked when I heard I was coming into the national squad. But what everyone said was that staying in the team is much harder than getting into the team. I went to the middle with so many expectations, and I got out for a duck first innings. I thought I’d lost all the hard work I ever did in just a moment. I was only there as an injury replacement, so I thought I’d never play for Sri Lanka again.I was moping around the dressing room, when Angelo Mathews came and spoke to me, and told me he’d got a duck in his first innings as well. Other seniors – Mahela Jayawardena, Marvan Atapattu and others – came and encouraged me. So, I played with a lot of determination in the second innings and managed to get 60 not out. But more than the actual cricket in that match, what I actually remember so clearly is all the advice I got in that dressing room. I was really broken after that innings. I wouldn’t have come this far without those players helping me pick myself up.Related

Kusal Mendis fights for Sri Lanka as Starc and Lyon stand out

Karunaratne toils his way to a place among Sri Lanka's greats

Karunaratne to retire from Test cricket after 100th appearance

There were some seriously great batters in the Sri Lanka team in your first few years. What was that like?
The club I played for was what was really important. When I started, SSC had Thilan Samaraweera, Mahela, Thilina Kandamby, Tharanga Paranavitana, Kaushal Silva, Jeevan Mendis – a lot of the Sri Lanka team was playing at that club. So, because I’d been around them and developed with them, there wasn’t a huge change for me when I got into the Test squad. They were also around to help me with raising my standards.I think the best thing about that time was the environment. There were some great cricketers I hadn’t shared a dressing room as well – Kumar Sangakkara, Rangana Herath, Prasanna Jayawardene. What I learned from being in that environment – about how to prepare mentally, especially – has been more valuable to me than skills. I think that positive dressing room environments are vital, which is why I focused on that when I was captain. For a player like me to get to 100 Tests, I needed to share a dressing room with those players.ESPNcricinfo LtdWhat were the biggest mistakes you made early on?
Probably the biggest one was I would get quick starts and throw it away. I was really attacking back then and would get to 20 or 30 pretty quickly, in just a few overs. But I didn’t convert a lot of those. I hadn’t hit a hundred in my first 15 Tests, I think. I was making 30s, 40s, and 60s kinds of scores.Sanath Jayasuriya was the selector at the time, and he pulled me up. I played a series in England where I was giving decent starts but not converting it, and he dropped me. He said as long as I’m not converting my starts to hundreds, he wouldn’t consider me for selection. I thought at the time that when Sanga, Mahela, and others were around, my 30s or 40s are good enough. I didn’t realise how much I needed to convert those scores until I got dropped. I think my average also sits where it does because I didn’t make those good scores in my first 15 Tests.When did you start feeling like you belonged at this level?
Probably around 2017. While Sanga and Mahela were around, they didn’t let us feel a lot of pressure and responsibility. I changed my game a lot after they retired, and I started to score some consistent runs. That’s when I sort of realised how much more the team could be getting from me. I learned how to handle pressure better at the top level, and think I had a consistent run until 2023. I think right through those years I played with a lot of confidence.You’ve played in an era that’s especially tough on openers. What are your reflections on that?
Yeah, I do think I’ve played in a difficult era. The number of flat pitches I’ve batted on are very few – maybe five or six surfaces in the hundred? A lot of the conditions I’ve played on are bowling friendly, and on top of that you have to face the toughest bowling with the new ball when you open. But I think I eventually learned to adapt to that challenge – a lot of that was knowing which were the tough periods that you needed to see out, which changes from place to place. You learn a lot playing Test cricket.Dimuth Karunaratne continued to be a solid presence at the top for Sri Lanka•SLCHow hard is it for an opener to get to 100 Tests?
Openers do the dirtiest job in cricket. You’re facing fresh bowlers, on fresh pitches, and are playing the new ball sometimes after you’ve been fielding for a day or two. It’s a huge challenge. One thing I learned later was how to go on to bigger scores after you’ve survived the toughest part. Scoring that first 50 as an opener is hugely difficult compared to scoring 50 at No. 4 or 5. So it’s a huge miss if you fail to convert those tough starts – why let other batters score those runs, when you could be scoring them yourself?You’ve scored a lot of runs against spin, including against top attacks. But you barely play the sweep. How did that come about?
I learned that in 2017 in a series against India. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were bowling, and it was incredibly difficult to face them. Once they start bowling together there’s not a loose ball to be found anywhere. They tend to start bowling very early in the innings as well, so there’s just no chance to score. I learned a lot of patience in that series. I’d bat out their first spells, second spells, third spells, and eventually the loose balls started to come. In that series, I had a small, simple gameplan – I’m only playing these three shots, nothing else. It worked nicely. Ashwin couldn’t get me out lbw, or caught behind. And eventually, I could go into my scoring shots. I scored a lot of runs that series (285 in six innings).I kept applying that method to other bowlers, and it just kept working. I’d be patient early in their spells, and later find them much easier to negotiate. I didn’t ever really need to play a sweep shot and take a calculated risk when I batted like that. But I did play the reverse – which I could play much better than the sweep. That helped build run-scoring options on the off side because a lot of teams would have a packed leg side for me.

“I do think I’ve played in a difficult era. The number of flat pitches I’ve batted on are very few.”Dimuth Karunaratne on the challenges of being a Test opener

You once told me you had Dean Elgar’s ESPNcricinfo profile bookmarked, because he was a more established player at the time, and you wanted to catch up with his numbers. What other players have you targeted?
There are so many openers I’ve looked at, even former players. Graeme Smith, Alastair Cook who scored so many runs in England, which for me is the hardest place to bat. I wanted to know how he did it. But this was a habit that I picked up in the SSC dressing room. We used to look at each other’s stats and hundreds, and try to catch each other up. Tharanga Paranavitana was chasing Thilan Samaraweera, and then Kaushal Silva would be catching up. I just kept doing it. After Elgar retired, I looked a lot at the way Usman Khawaja was batting. There haven’t been that many openers consistently playing for longer periods, but I wanted to know how I compared to the best.But I’ve talked to these guys too, after a series, over a beer, with Elgar, Rohit Sharma, and others, and shared all that knowledge as well. How do they play when they go overseas? What’s my gameplan when I play in Sri Lanka? Sharing those stories, and statistics are a big part of cricket for me. When you’re old, you can still go on your profile and see what you achieved. It’s something that always drove me to improve my game and play longer.You’ve said in the past that Kusal Perera’s 153* is your favourite innings ever. But what about your own innings – any favourites?
There are two – my maiden hundred against New Zealand. It was the first match I was playing after getting back into the team, and there was so much pressure. I’d got out for a duck, and to hit a hundred in the second innings required a lot of thinking. That was a really tough hundred for me, against a great New Zealand attack.Then there’s my hundred at the SSC, against Jadeja and Ashwin. That was a pitch that took extreme turn. If I want to go and watch some of my past innings, those are the innings I go back to.Dimuth Karunaratne stood up to R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja on a Colombo turner in 2017•Associated PressWhat about your hundred in Bengaluru? You got a standing ovation from the crowd and it was a pink-ball Test…
I’d put that third (laughs). There was a really tough period where we had to bat a few overs against the new ball under lights, and the end of one day, I remember telling Kusal Mendis that if I survived that period, I’d somehow get a hundred the next day. (Jasprit) Bumrah and (Mohammed) Shami with the pink ball were incredibly hard to see through that night. But then things got into a flow, and I could score runs. Probably my best innings as captain.All three of those came in losses…
(Laughs) Yes, that’s pretty sad. All of those were second-innings hundreds, and maybe that was the problem. If I’d hit them in the first innings, maybe we could have won those Tests.As soon as you got the Test captaincy, you won a series in South Africa in 2019. Was that the high point?
It’s the biggest highlight. Captaincy was never something I’d chased. I’d earlier been offered the vice-captaincy, and I’d turned it down. I was afraid of those big responsibilities because I thought it would affect my game. But then when they dropped Chandi (Dinesh Chandimal) from the team, the selectors called me and said they needed an experienced player to lead the team. I thought about it, and in the games I’d captained at lower levels, my batting had been good. So, I took the job.We had a pretty young team, and I just made sure that the environment was good. I didn’t try to change many things. I backed players and tried to make them comfort. In return I got a lot from my players. We didn’t think we could win a single Test there, but then we won the first one. And in the end, we whitewashed them 2-0. It’s one of my favourite chapters of my career.Under Dimuth Karunaratne, Sri Lanka toppled South Africa 2-0 in South Africa•AFPIs there a record you feel you missed out on, in your career?
Scoring 10,000 runs is something that I had had in mind for a long time. Between 2017, 2018, and 2019, when I was scoring a lot of runs, I thought I had a chance of getting there. But then we lost about a year and a half to Covid-19, and then Sri Lanka started to play fewer Tests after the World Test Championship (WTC) started. I felt then that it would be hard to get to 10,000 runs. You’d have to play 120-130 Tests. That’s something I am quite sad about – I was quite focused on that. After Sanga and Mahela, and I thought Angie would get there too – I’d have been the fourth Sri Lankan. To do it as an opener would have been really special.I also thought at times that I should finish with 20-25 hundreds. But with the conditions that we’ve had, you have to take a lot of risks to score runs, especially in Sri Lanka. I’ve also got 10 or 11 eighties and nineties, and regret not converting those as well.I also never got to play that World Test Championship final. We were close to getting there in the last two cycles. I’ve never been to a final even with the one-day team, so never got to experience that feeling. But what to do?

“I didn’t try to change many things. I backed players and tried to make them comfortable”Dimuth Karunaratne on his captaincy

There aren’t a lot of Tests coming up for Sri Lanka. What do think about Sri Lanka’s Test future?
I saw an article that said that from 2027, World Test Championship series will be three Tests minimum. If that happened, and we played four series a year, we’d get 12 Tests. Our past players have given us an incredible Test legacy, but if you look around at the landscape now, it’s always players from the same teams that are achieving those numbers – Australia, India, and Engand. They’re the ones who are breaking the records. I’d love to see Sri Lanka’s players get enough Tests to hit those big numbers too. Hopefully it gets better after 2027.Do you think you might be the last Sri Lanka cricketer to 100 Tests?
I’ve even said this, especially to guys like Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis who aren’t that far: “If things keep going like this, no one will be able to play 100.” Hopefully Sri Lanka Cricket can organise more bilateral series to try and push it.A lot of cricketers now are focusing on white ball cricket and leagues. I’m trying to push them towards Tests.To play 100 Tests, you have to play probably 60 to 70 at a stretch without getting injured very often or without getting dropped. But if your team only plays 60 or 70 Tests in a decade, getting to a 100 Tests would take a huge amount of time. If you have 12 Tests a year, you can get to a 100.As mostly a Test specialist in this era, you would have seen a lot of players make it big in the leagues without having to put in the kind of work that Test cricket requires. How have you felt about that?
I think that’s down to players’ luck and timing. The kinds of facilities and pay we get now, the likes of Arjuna Ranatunga, or Sidath Wettimuny, didn’t get. So, you’ve got to thank the past cricketers, for giving us that platform.I know white-ball cricket and league cricket have gone very far, but in my own heart I’m happy I’ve got to a 100 Tests over chasing millions in the leagues. When people reminisce about cricket, they think about Tests. We’re still talking about Don Bradman’s record, how many double-centuries he’s scored, in how many innings. Whatever happens to me from here, there might be a list that goes up on a Test broadcast, and my son or my grandchildren will see that. I’ve got that record for life, and beyond. That’s worth a lot to me.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is reportedly planning to convince one "remarkable" player to join him in the north London.

Who have Arsenal signed 2023?

Arteta's side, in their bid to challenge for the Premier League title once again, put pen to paper on deals for club-record signing Declan Rice, versatile Netherlands defender Jurrien Timber, forward Kai Havertz and goalkeeper David Raya for a total of around £200 million or more.

Going the other way, Arsenal shipped out Folarin Balogun, Granit Xhaka, Matt Turner, Auston Trusty, Pablo Mari, Kieran Tierney, Rob Holding, Nuno Tavares, Marquinhos, Nicolas Pepe, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Albert Sambi Lokonga on either loan or permanent deals.

These acquisitions have proved fruitful so far, even if Havertz has been subject to fierce criticism and Timber is out for most of the campaign with an ACL injury. Raya has gone on to usurp long-reigning number one goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale between Arteta's sticks, while Rice is slowly but surely justifying his mammoth £105 million price tag.

The Gunners are unbeaten over their first six league games, winning four of them, and next take on Bournemouth today as they seek to keep chase with the division's heavy-hitters.

What's the latest Arsenal transfer news?

Regardless of their lavish spending over the summer, it has been reported that Arsenal have one eye on January, and one player they've been heavily, heavily linked with is Brentford star Ivan Toney. The England striker, who is currently serving a ban till mid-January for alleged gambling breaches, is subject to intense interest across the Premier League.

Chelsea and Tottenham have been named as other suitors for Toney after his brilliant 20-goal league haul last season, form which resulted in high praise from his manager Thomas Frank.

“Ivan is amazing in many, many aspects,” Frank said earlier this year.

“The way he copes with pressure and distractions is amazing. He’s been scoring goals, performing for the team and driving the team. He’s remarkable. I can only talk about the Ivan that I see every day around the place and he’s a fantastic person around the group. He’s got that unique emotional intelligence to be aware of all the players, and every staff member."

The 27-year-old is said to be a personal favourite of Arteta's, according to reporter John Cross of The Daily Mirror, who has an update on Toney's potential move to the Emirates Stadium. According to his information, Arsenal's manager is personally planning to "convince" Toney to join Arsenal by making him a priority target.

Arteta will apparently be hopeful this can sway him to their part of north London over fellow interested sides (Chelsea and Spurs named again), but Arsenal may have to sell players first. Brentford will demand a minimum of £60 million for Toney, a figure which the Gunners could be wary of given Financial Fair Play. Any proposed makeweights will be a struggle to find, according to Cross, as options like Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe are both committed to making it at Arsenal.

Nevertheless, Arteta has a plan to tempt Toney, and it's by showing making the striker Arsenal's "outstanding choice" in the winter.

The allrounder will also miss the Mzansi Super League to undergo a procedure on his right shoulder, after he aggravated a pre-existing injury

Liam Brickhill16-Oct-2018JP Duminy will miss both South Africa’s upcoming limited-overs tour of Australia and the Mzansi Super League to undergo surgery for an injury to his right shoulder.Duminy had been announced as the marquee South African player for the Cape Town Blitz in the MSL, but he will now be replaced by Quinton de Kock. Duminy’s time out for surgery means that South Africa will be without two of their most experienced players on their trip to Australia. Earlier this week, it was announced that Hashim Amla would also not be touring as he is given time to fully recover from a finger tendon injury picked up during the Caribbean Premier League.”JP aggravated a pre-existing shoulder injury during the recently-concluded series against Zimbabwe,” South Africa team manager Dr Mohammed Moosajee said. “The injury will require surgical management, thus ruling him out of the immediate tour of Australia and the upcoming MSL. At the moment, we can’t say how long he will be out for, that is dependent on the results from the surgery.”South Africa’s squad for the Australia tour, consisting of three one-day internationals and a solitary T20 international, will be announced later this week. The tour begins with a warm-up game against a Prime Minister’s XI on October 31, while the MSL kicks off on 16 November and runs until 16 December.

Top-order batsman Will Fraine has left Nottinghamshire to sign a three-year contract with his home county

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2018Yorkshire have signed Will Fraine on a three-year contract. Fraine, a top-order batsman, made 11 appearances for Nottinghamshire during 2018 after signing a summer contract.Fraine was previously involved with Yorkshire’s age-group teams, and captained Durham’s MCCU team. He has been described as “a medium to long-term signing” by Yorkshire’s director of cricket, Martyn Moxon, with the club looking to rebuild after a difficult season.Notts, who have signed established batsmen Ben Slater, Ben Duckett and Joe Clarke for 2019, had offered the 22-year-old a new contract but Fraine has chosen to return to his home county.”There’s always that pull of being a Yorkie lad,” Fraine said. “All my friends speak of one day playing for Yorkshire. I never thought it would happen because I made my own way elsewhere.”It was a difficult decision but the opportunities and the place where the club is going, was too much of a pull. Settling back in with the lads that I’ve known growing up makes me very happy with the decision I’ve made.”Yorkshire have a rich history and, despite the supporters and club being aware of transition, with the new talent they’ve brought in and the existing quality that is already there, it could be a really exciting place to be within the next two or three years.”After recovering to finish fifth in the Championship, Yorkshire face a transitional period with a number of players coming and going. Opener Alex Lees has departed for Durham, while Liam Plunkett and Jack Brooks left for Surrey and Somerset respectively – although the club were buoyed by Adil Rashid signing a new one-year deal.On Fraine’s signing, Moxon said: “He’s a talented young batsman. He’s very much someone with the future in mind and hopefully he’ll develop in to an outstanding cricketer for us. He’s Yorkshire born and bred and has been in our system as a junior, so it’s good to have him back. He’s looking forward to getting back here with us and we’re looking forward to having him back with us.”We’re trying to build a squad for now and for the future. He’s a medium to long-term signing for us. He’s going to be challenging for places for us but there’s no guarantees. We see him as someone for the future and we’re building up a group of really good young batsmen that we’ll see the best of in coming years.”

The USMNT received a major boost for the future by securing the rights of Cole Campbell, who is a standout at Under 19 level for Borussia Dortmund.

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USMNT secure new dual-nationalCole Campbell switches from IcelandStandout U19 performer for DortmundWHAT HAPPENED?

The 18-year-old, whose father is American and mother Icelandic, had his switch to the USA approved by FIFA. Campbell grew up in the Atlanta United academy system, but opted to move to Iceland and made his professional debut at just 15-years-old in their top flight when the opportunity arose with FH Hafnarfjordur.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Campbell completed a move to Dortmund ahead of the 2022-23 season, and has since been a standout with their U19 squad, scoring three goals and registering nine assists from midfield this campaign.

He could follow in the footsteps of two current American standouts in Gio Reyna and Christian Pulisic, who both broke out with the Black and Yellow as teenagers before making their USMNT debuts. The recruitment of Campbell, though, is also a continuing trend underneath Gregg Berhalter as manager of the USA. The 50-year-old has excelled in recruitment, with the likes of Folarin Balogun, Sergino Dest, Yunus Musah, Ricardo Pepi, Alejandro Zendejas, Brandon Vazquez and Aidan Morris among others.

DID YOU KNOW?

Campbell's mother is former Iceland international Rakel Karvelsson, who played D-1 soccer at the University of North Carolina.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR CAMPBELL AND THE USMNT?

The 18-year-old will continue his development at the U19 level, before hopefully, being called up to the first-team in 2024-25. As for the USMNT, Berhalter and co. take on Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League on March 21 in a semifinal clash.

Batting first is the way to go at the Adelaide Oval but the opening exchanges at the venue can be more influential on the outcome of a Test than almost anywhere else in the world

Daniel Brettig22-Jan-2012For about 60 minutes on the first morning of every Test match at the Adelaide Oval, a famously benign pitch starts its life with delusions of a green-top. Like a teenager experimenting with wilder things before settling into sensible adulthood, the surface is briefly open to the suggestions of the fast bowlers, and far less agreeable to batsmen raised on the assumption that Adelaide is a place for harvesting runs, not edging catches.As the crowd files onto the Scoreboard hill and the members settle in their seats on the western side, the surface retains the merest trace of freshness left by the thoughtful ground staff, allowing the ball to briefly swing and seam. The pace and bounce off the pitch is more pronounced than at any other stage of the match. Given how placid the track can become for batsmen later on, once the dry heat of South Australia’s desert climate has had its way with the remaining moisture, Adelaide’s opening exchanges can be more influential on the final outcome of a Test than almost anywhere else in the world – ground lost in that first hour is seldom regathered without great, and sometimes futile effort.Michael Hussey has experienced the oval’s early life as an opening batsman for Western Australia, and also been called on to repair the damage it can cause from his berth in Australia’s middle order. He agrees that in Adelaide, an early stumble when the seam stands up can take days to recover from, if it is at all.”Yes I think so [the first hour is more important in Adelaide],” Hussey said. “It certainly does do a little bit in the first morning, maybe the first session, and then generally can be a very good batting pitch for a few days, so it is very important and England certainly exposed us in that respect. We started with a run-out but after that they got other quick wickets which put us under enormous pressure and stopped us getting to a good first-innings total. So it’s certainly a crucial time in the game, if the openers can get through that then good runs can be had. It’s a very crucial part of the game. I think any Test match, the first hour or the first session can shape how the match is going to go as well.”As Hussey recalled, Australia were reminded of this state of things in graphic fashion last summer, when it was possible to conclude that the second Test was lost to England inside the first 13 balls of its commencement. In that time the hosts lost 3 for 2, Simon Katich’s run-out followed by fretful edges into the slips by Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke at the hands of the artful fast man Jimmy Anderson. Both Ponting and Clarke pushed out firmly at deliveries that left them late, and would later stand solemnly in the field as nary another ball did quite as much for the rest of the match.Ponting knew the importance of the first few overs of an Adelaide Test, having played so many, and at the toss before had observed: “Like Indian conditions sometimes a lot can happen late in the games here, so you have to make sure you play really well at the start of the game and keep yourself in the contest right up until the end.” Australia’s failure to do so after Ponting had given them first use of the pitch would haunt them for the remainder of the series, and now serves as a reminder of how important it is to be vigilant at the start of the Adelaide Test.Initial curve and cut notwithstanding, there remains no question that the team winning the toss in Adelaide must bat. There are Englishmen who still cuss and mutter at the fateful decision made by Bob Willis in 1982-83 to insert Greg Chappell’s Australians upon calling correctly. Needing a victory to regain parity in the series, Willis gambled on a surface that had shown signs of dampness in the lead-up, but watched disconsolately in the field as Chappell crafted a century and the hosts tallied 438 – the platform for an eight-wicket victory. Bowlers may have the narrowest of windows in which to strike, but with the help of decisive footwork and good early judgement the batsmen can settle themselves in for the day, or more.Since Willis, the only other visiting captain to chance bowling first was Mohammad Azharuddin. India’s arrival for the 1992 Test coincided with the first match on a relaid square, which promised to offer a little more help to those delivering the ball after a soporific sequence of six consecutive drawn Tests. Chasing a victory to keep the series alive, Azharuddin fielded, and rejoiced as Kapil Dev, Manoj Prabhakar and a young part-time seamer called Sachin Tendulkar fetched seven cheap wickets between them to rumble out an inattentive Australia for 145. This was a rare occasion on which the reverses of the first day were to be atoned for, as the hosts ground their way back into the contest and ultimately squeaked a 38-run victory.Though the match was sullied by arguments about the respective lbw counts for both sides, and made notable by Allan Border’s refusal to take the field on the final morning after learning that Geoff Marsh was to be dropped for the final Test, it was the start of a far more enticing run of results. Since then only three of 20 Adelaide Tests have been drawn, and on each occasion the offer of first morning assistance has provided a critical element to the ensuing drama. Whoever bats first in Adelaide on Tuesday will have reason to be watchful, and whoever bowls will have cause to be hopeful … for about an hour.

Just about everyone had an opinion about Stuart Clark and Phillip Hughes getting used to English conditions in advance

20-Mar-2009″I believe Andrew Strauss was playing cricket in New Zealand just before he got picked back in their Test side, so what’s the difference there? […] Look, it’s going to be great for us. Obviously, right at the moment, the ECB don’t have the power to overrule the counties or else it wouldn’t have happened in the first place”
“What we are doing here is nothing more than bringing back to form a convalescing bowler in time for the Ashes. It’s as simple as that. We are paying him out of the England coffers. I am getting emails and texts from friends in Australia who are laughing their heads off, saying only the English can do this.
“”I can’t believe it. if I don’t know enough about the English players by now I may as well give it away […] I can’t stop them from thinking what they are, but I couldn’t care less. I know Kent want me so that’s all I’m worried about.””
“The question as to whether or not an Australian player could legally challenge being blocked by the ECB from playing county cricket is complex. However, we’d hope it wouldn’t come to this.”
“I’m not sure what I’m expected to say. We have got a cricket season ahead of us for Kent and as far as we’re concerned the issue is about what we need. There are no criteria set out about who we can and can’t sign.
“It’s very easy for the counties to be short-sighted and worry about their next championship game and season… From an England team’s point of view it’s important we all need to buy into the fact that an England team performing well helps everyone, including the counties.”
“What I’ve tried to do constantly is close the gap between England and the counties so we can work together on this and I just don’t see this as a working-together process.”
“It’s nice to hear them bleating this early, but we’re still well and truly focused on the third Test in Cape Town this week.
“If Australians want to play cricket in England in an Ashes summer let them have six weeks in the Lancashire leagues. They might call us whingeing poms, they always do. Too right mate. The idea of an England cricketer being helped out by an Australian state is frankly risible.”
Independent”I think the current row might be as a result of the management chaos in the England team. We don’t have a permanent coach, and the team has performed badly ever since the Moores-Pietersen row. I think those are the issues the ECB should be concentrating on, rather than criticising counties who happen to employ Australians as overseas players.
“I wouldn’t sign an Australian before an Ashes series… We had a chance to sign an Australian allrounder but we chose not to do so. We have an obligation to English cricket.”
“Taking [Hughes] on is not ideal, but then neither is losing Owais Shah to the IPL. Perhaps there should be a moratorium on both.”
“The five-day game needs to continually show the world just what magnificent sporting contests it can produce, and there is no bigger stage to prove this on than the Ashes. It is for this reason that I have little problem in Stuart Clark and Phillip Hughes, potential members of Australia’s Ashes squad, playing for Kent and Middlesex prior to this summer’s major sporting event.”
“I would like to see a rule brought in which states overseas players cannot play [county matches] in our country if their side is touring that summer.”

Like father like son.

The New York Yankees made a splash on the trade market Tuesday when they acquired Chicago Cubs outfielder and first baseman Cody Bellinger plus $5 million in cash in exchange for pitcher Cody Poteet.

Cody won't be the first Bellinger to don the Yankee pinstripes. His father, Clay Bellinger, played for the Yankees from 1999 to '01, appearing in 181 total games for New York.

Clay played four seasons in the MLB, which includes a brief stint with the Anahem Angels after his time in the Bronx.

After Cody was dealt to the Yankees on Tuesday, the MLB posted a clip of Clay's first home run in the big leagues.

Clay hit a shot to left field and proceeded to circle the bases to a standing ovation from fans at the old Yankee Stadium.

Now, in just a few short months, Clay will get to walk down memory lane as he watches his son play in the same uniform. He wore No. 35 for the Yankees, a number which isn't retired and is currently available. Cody wore No. 35 in his first six seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers but wore No. 24 in his two seasons with the Cubs. We'll see if he picks up his dad's old jersey once he hits the Bronx.

The 's Sarah Langs posted that Clay and Cody Bellinger will be the fourth father-son duo to both wear the Yankee pinstripes.

The Yankees trade for Cody comes after the team missed out on the Juan Soto sweepstakes after he signed a 15-year, $765 million contract with the crosstown rival New York Mets.

According to  Bob Nightengale, Bellinger will play center field for the Yankees, sliding American League MVP Aaron Judge over to right.

Bob Costas is on the call for the American League Division Series between the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals along with Ron Darling. During Game 2, which was broadcast on TBS, truTV and MAX, the legendary announcer's microphone was hot while Angel Zerpa stood on the mound waiting to deliver a pitch.

That's when Costas learned he had to read a promo for CNN and judging from his reaction, there was something wrong with that for some unknown reason?

"A CNN promo," Costas wondered aloud. Then, after about 10 seconds of silence he added, "That puts me in a difficult spot."

Why a CNN promo might put Costas in a difficult spot is a mystery. CNN is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, the same company that owns Turner Sports. Plus, Costas joined CNN as a contributor in 2020.

Based on all that it seems like some weird misunderstanding, but who knows. Let's just hope we find out what's going on at CNN before the series ends.