Former New Zealand cricket captain John Reid lost his battle with colon cancer. The 1959 Wisden Cricketer of the Year was considered as one of the most critically approved all-rounders. As a youth player, Reid was involved in rugby and was a strong player for the game, but after a severe bout of rheumatic fever, he had to quit that sport.
Things didn’t stop him though, as he garnered immense success in cricket. According to ICC obituary, he scored 3428 runs in 58 Test matches with an average of 33.28, hitting 22 half-centuries and six centuries in a career that spanned over 16 years. His maiden Test century, a knock of 135, came against South Africa in Cape Town in 1954.
New Zealand great John R Reid has passed away in Auckland, aged 92.
Reid played 58 Tests in a 16-year long international career, scoring 3428 runs and picking up 85 wickets.
The board tweeted out the loss, “New Zealand great John R Reid has passed away in Auckland, aged 92. Reid played 58 Tests in a 16-year long international career, scoring 3428 runs and picking up 85 wickets. He was New Zealand’s oldest surviving Test player”, ICC wrote.
BLACKCAPS coach Gary Stead shares his thoughts following the passing of former New Zealand Test captain John R Reid. pic.twitter.com/jaBRB2Bl0t
Along with being a terrific batsman, Reid was also a successful captain. He was the first cricketer to lead New Zealand to a Test victory against Windies by 190 runs in Auckland in 1956. He was also the captain when New Zealand defeated South Africa in 1962 to claim their first overseas Test win.
“I was the captain who won the first three Tests for New Zealand. All records are meant to be broken, but that one you can’t break. But when we won our first Test, I had a glass of champagne for the first time. It was special, first win in 27 years. I used to tell some terrible lies – how we are going to win this one and win that one, knowing very well that we wouldn’t. I loved the game. I loved the sportsmanship”, said Reid in a conversation with Cricket Monthly back in 2009.
Richard Hadlee recalled Reid as his inspiration and called him the game-changer for the nation. Hadlee, who is another surviving all-rounder from New Zealand team told Newshub, “You talk about John Reid as the all-rounder, the game-changer, an attacking and aggressive player and they’re the type of qualities I think that inspired my type of play. You look at his first-class record particularly, he scored over 16,000 runs at a good average in the 40s… he got 466 first-class wickets with a best bowling performance of 7/20. We have lost an iconic player. A legendary player. He led by example”.
Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.
Though Delhi Capitals won the last match against Rajasthan Royals, the team lost their captain Shreyas Iyer after an unfortunate injury. In the process, DC reached the top of the table with 12 points in their kitty.
In the last ball of the fifth over during the second innings, Iyer dived to try to stop a boundary, and jarred his left shoulder with the ground. The DC physio Patrick Farhart ran in to check on Iyer and he looked in immense pain. The 25-year-old walked out of the Dubai International Stadium in the middle of the match. “Shreyas is in a bit of pain. We will know more tomorrow. His shoulder is moving, touch wood. I am glad that we won this game. Coming back into this was a great team effort. Quite enjoyed it. We always believed we had a chance”, said Dhawan who took over the captain’s role post this incident.
In yesterday’s match both Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer scored half centuries in the first innings. “We knew their batting is not that deep. We knew we could get into them if we got the top order. And we have got experience in the bowling. Now we have got a gun bowler in Anrich. And Tushar bowled smartly too, bowling slower balls, making them hit to the bigger boundary”, Dhawan added.
— Delhi Capitals (Tweeting from ??) (@DelhiCapitals) October 15, 2020
RR couldn’t chase 161 which looked like an easy target considering the batting line up of the team. Ben Stokes, who recently joined the team, scored 41 off 35 balls followed by Robin Uthappa who scored 32 in 27 balls. However, apart from these two, the batting line up collapsed. Much credit goes to Anrich Nortje too, who also became the Man of the Match for his fast and match-turning spell of 2/33.
“No idea I bowled at 156ks tonight but good to hear it. Been feeling really good so it is nice to see some results. Jis played them really well. Ja I thought I was a touch full. The first ball I didn’t expect him to go. Ja I thought it was best to stick to my strength: trying to hit the stumps and bowl fast. Maybe he was expecting something else, a short ball or something. We have got a good coach, and obviously working with KG and other fast bowlers. Tushar has been nailing the yorkers in the nets”, he said in post-match presentation.
Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the ICC is uncertain about the upcoming Under-19 Women’s World Cup. According to a report by ESPNCricinfo, talks are underway to rescheduling the tournament. The tournament was initially dated for January 2021 in Bangladesh but looking at how things have got affected due to the pandemic, the board might postpone it to 2022.
“The ICC has been in touch with the BCB over the prevailing Covid-19 situation. However, a final decision on the Under-19 women’s World Cup will be taken only by the governing body”, Jalal Yunus, the BCB media committee chairman, told ESPNcricinfo. ICC has already postponed 2020 men’s T20 World Cup that was but to take place in Australia and 2021 women’s ODI World Cup in New Zealand, both postponed until 2022.
ICC had announced Bangladesh as the host for Women’s U-19 world cup following which BCB had organized a training camp for fellow cricketers. But eventually, the pandemic took over the world and sports events too. The exact details are expected to be released by ICC in the coming months.
Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.
IPL 2020 Match 31: RCB vs KXIP Preview Dream11 Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | RCB vs KXIP Dream11 Prediction Today | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kings XI Punjab Key Players | Sharjah Pitch Report
September 24, 2020. KL Rahul smashes the highest score by an Indian in IPL (132), and outscores the entire opposition (109). Could such a performance be the catalyst for a better season for the underperforming franchise?
No. The fortunes of Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore have gone in completely opposite directions since that night in Dubai. KL Rahul’s KXIP have been unable to win any of their next five matches, with Rahul himself the subject of criticism regarding his strike rates, which he labelled “overrated”. On the other hand, Virat Kohli’s RCB have won four matches out of five, with their latest being one of their most impressive bowling performances in recent memory.
KXIP’s 2020 season is opposite to each of their last two campaigns, where they had a great first half only to fade away badly at the backend. So, will the second-half of the season bring greater joy for Kings XI this time? For that to happen, KXIP must handle themselves better in pressure situations, as they have thrown away three victories so far this season; their latest being an inexplicable defeat to KKR when victory looked certain. It is must-win territory for KL Rahul’s men, and the task isn’t easy as they run into the in-form genius that is Virat Kohli and “superhuman” AB de Villiers.
RCB are playing superb cricket, which has rightly given their fans belief that this could finally be their year. Washington Sundar’s economy rate is mind-blowing, and his partnership with the classy Yuzvendra Chahal provides a platform for the seamers to do their thing. And, that key seamer, Chris Morris, has had a magnificent start to life with RCB, taking 3/19 and 2/17 in his first two matches. So, can RCB do to KXIP what they did to KKR on this ground a few nights ago?
IPL 2020 Match 31: RCB vs KXIP Preview Dream11: RCB can go to 2nd place. KXIP desperately need to win.
Key Players to Watch/Key Stats
It looks likely that Chris Gayle will face his former franchise. Gayle has a fine record vs RCB (5 inns, 214 runs, avg. 53.50, SR 152.86), but will have to contend with what is a much-improved RCB attack this time around.
Eyes will be on KL Rahul. Will he drop to number three to accomodate Gayle? Will he play with greater freedom? He played with freedom against RCB earlier this season, smashing 132* off 69 balls. But, Morris and Udana have since replaced the expensive Dale Steyn and Umesh Yadav, so the challenge is there for Rahul to perform.
RCB captain Virat Kohli labelled AB de Villiers a “superhuman” after ABD’s 73* off 33 balls on a slow Sharjah pitch vs KKR. KXIP better watch out, as ABD has an excellent record against them (18 inns, 690 runs, avg. 57.50, SR 165.47).
Kohli himself has been in excellent touch, with just one dismissal in his past four games (72*, 43, 90* and 33*). He averages 28.77 in 24 innings vs KXIP, which is an area for improvement, but Kohli’s looking in good touch.
Mayank Agarwal has been superb in IPL 2020. Agarwal is second behind Rahul in the IPL 2020 Orange Cap race, with 337 runs at an average of 48.14. However, it is his strike rate of 158.96 that is most impressive.
Agarwal smashed a century in his match at Sharjah earlier in IPL 2020 (vs Royals).
Can Devdutt Padikkal (243 runs, avg. 34.71 in IPL 2020) and Aaron Finch (171 runs, avg. 24.42) handle Mohammed Shami’s threat in the powerplay? Shami has 10 wickets in seven games so far in IPL 2020.
Nicholas Pooran’s 212 runs in IPL 2020 have come at a strike rate of 176.66. Key player.
How good has Washington Sundar been? He has conceded runs at just 4.90 per over in a total of 22 overs so far in IPL 2020, with four wickets in his past two matches (2/16 and 2/20). He could be crucial against the left-handed Gayle up front.
Chris Morris has been a great addition to the RCB attack. The South African pacer has taken five wickets in his first two games, going at just 4.50 an over. Also, Morris has 13 wickets in 10 games vs KXIP.
The genius that is Yuzvendra Chahal has the most wickets in RCB-KXIP matches (20 in 13 games). Also, Chahal has 10 wickets in seven games in IPL 2020, and will be a threat on the slowish Sharjah track.
Watch out for the impressive Ravi Bishnoi. The leg-spinner has taken eight wickets in seven games in 2020, including 3/32 vs RCB earlier this season.
IPL 2020 Match 31: RCB vs KXIP Preview Dream11: Which KL Rahul will show up today?
Stats and Facts
Head-to-head: Matches 25, RCB 12, KXIP 13. RCB’s two defeats in IPL 2020 have been heavy ones when chasing big scores (loss by 97 runs chasing 207 vs KXIP and loss by 59 runs chasing 197 vs DC). So, KXIP’s best hope looks to be batting first and getting a handy score on the board.
Navdeep Saini to be saved for Nicholas Pooran? Saini has dismissed Pooran three times in 23 balls, conceding just 21 runs in the process.
Yuzvendra Chahal needs two scalps to get to 200 wickets in T20s.
Washington Sundar’s economy rate of 4.90 is the best out of any bowler who has bowled a minimum of 10 overs in IPL 2020. What makes this stat all the more extraordinary is that Sundar bowls predominantly in the powerplay overs.
Possible Playing 11
RCB are looking settled, which has been a key part of their recent success. Expect them to stick with the same combination.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1. Aaron Finch, 2. Devdutt Padikkal, 3. Virat Kohli (c), 4. AB de Villiers (wk), 5. Shivam Dube, 6. Washington Sundar, 7. Chris Morris, 8. Isuru Udana, 9. Mohammad Siraj, 10. Navdeep Saini, 11. Yuzvendra Chahal
KXIP, on the other hand, used the joint-most number of players in the first half of the season and still don’t look settled. Chris Gayle is set to play, so it means Glenn Maxwell could miss out. KXIP could look to bring in Jimmy Neesham for Mujeeb ur Rahman for the purpose of greater batting depth. Also, Sarfaraz Khan could come in should KXIP strive for extra middle-order stability, ahead of someone like Murugan Ashwin.
Kings XI Punjab: 1. Mayank Agarwal, 2. Chris Gayle, 3. KL Rahul (c), 4. Nicholas Pooran (wk), 5. Sarfaraz Khan, 6. Mandeep Singh, 7. Chris Jordan, 8. Mujeeb ur Rahman/James Neesham, 9. Ravi Bishnoi, 10. Mohammed Shami, 11. Arshdeep Singh
Sharjah Pitch and Weather Report
The Sharjah track isn’t quite the batting belter that was the case earlier in the tournament. In fact, in the last game on this ground between RCB and KKR, players other than AB de Villiers hit 218 runs at a strike rate of 105. de Villiers himself showed his incredible talent, with 73* at a strike rate of 221. So, while the boundaries may be small, batsmen will need to find their timing as quickly as possible.
Dew may be a factor, but batting first is a big advantage in IPL 2020. So, expect the captain who wins the toss to bat first.
Dream11 Prediction
Option 1:
IPL 2020 Match 31: RCB vs KXIP Dream11 Prediction
Option 2:
IPL 2020 Match 31: RCB vs KXIP Dream11 Prediction
Match Prediction
RCB start this match as clear favourites. The key for KXIP would be to make inroads into RCB’s top four (easier said than done), as RCB still rely quite a bit on their top order. However, RCB’s strong-performing bowling attack can hold them in good stead, and look good to get a win here.
Justin Langer not a fan at all of split squads | Australia coach Justin Langer expresses his disapproval at two Aussie teams playing at the same time
Australian head coach Justin Langer made it quite clear that he doesn’t approve of having two sets of teams for one sport at the same time. Australia recently announced that a T20I series will take place in New Zealand from February 22 to March 7, at the same time as a Test series in South Africa, which is proposed by ICC for their Future Tour Programme.
As a result, Cricket Australia chairman Earl Eddings and interim CEO Nick Hockley proposed having two different sets of teams playing at the same time in different parts of the world.
“The chairman knows this, the CEO knows this really clearly – my personal opinion is I don’t like it at all,” Langer told SEN. “Not just from a coach’s point of view but also from someone who’s passionate about Australian cricket’s point of view, my personal opinion, and the chairman knows this, the CEO knows this really clearly, is I didn’t like it at all. I don’t ever want to have two Australian teams in one place, that’s my personal opinion. In this year with what’s happening with Covid, I understand there’s complexities to it. (But) we’re one country, aren’t we? We’re not two countries, and the one sport,” said Langer.
It will be the first time though that Australia would be playing with two different squads for two different formats at the same time. The coach was also concerded about the affect it will have on the Sheffield Shield season. “If you have two Australian cricket teams in this current COVID period … let’s say we’ve got to take 18 players to New Zealand, we’ve got to take 18 players to South Africa, that’s 36 players out of the backend of the Sheffield Shield competition,” he said. “So you’re taking all your best players out of the back half of the Shield competition, which we’ve always said is the best domestic competition in the world. They’re the sort of things that worry me with this. But this is a really strange season; we’re seeing it with AFL, we’re seeing it with NRL, but I certainly would never like to see it be a permanent fixture,” Langer said.
Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.
CSA: England tour is very crucial for finances | Cricket South Africa make public plea to allow men’s and women’s teams to return to cricket
Post Covid-19, alot of cricket boards have expressed the uncertainty that has surrounded the game and the financial impact that it had. Recently, Cricket South Africa (CSA) made a public plea to allow national men’s and women’s team return to the pitch for the betterment fo the board. Reportedly, the board had four long meetings with parliament member on sports, art and culture where in the CSA said that the upcoming England tour is very crucial for organisation’s finances.
According to reports in ESPNCricinfo, Dheven Dharmalingam, one of CSA’s independent board members, said if the country doesn’t start playing cricket, the organisation will be in trouble. He also stressed that the income from those tours would help sustain cricket at the grassroots level as 40% of CSA’s revenue goes to development.
On the other end, AFP reported that Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa is unhappy with the way the organisation is handling the game. It has asked ICC to give ‘solid reasons’ for why he can’t intervene the management of CSA. On the other end, this puts the ODI series that was supposed to be held in November and December in doubt which eventually affects the board’s financial condition.
According to the reports in Reuters, “Efforts have been made over several months to try and assist CSA to stabilise its governance matters. This, after a huge outcry regarding the failure of its leadership to effectively manage its affairs. Minister Mthethwa strongly believes that there is great merit in creating an environment where sports problems are handled within the sports movement and accordingly wishes to offer them every possible opportunity to demonstrate their stated commitment to cooperate on a way forward for cricket”, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.
CSK and its uncharacteristic problems in IPL 2020 | Dissecting Chennai Super Kings’ problems so far in Indian Premier League 2020
We are just past halfway through the league stage of the Indian Premier League 2020 and there are few certainties as well as uncertainties that have panned out in the 29 matches so far. The Mumbai Indians lead the points table with 10 points in 7 games and are tied with the Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore on points. But, the defending champions are ahead on the Net Run Rate parameter.
As unusual as the events in the year 2020 have been, another one which adds to the list is that the Chennai Super Kings, consistently languishing in the bottom half of the points table so far in the tournament. The franchise has been facing uncharacteristic issues in this edition of the IPL. Let’s have a glance through them and what could be the possible remedies.
Chasing problems
CSK have tried hard with the ball, but their chasing has been poor.
The Chennai Super Kings chased in all their first seven games and the results were not pleasing. The middle-order, which has historically been one of CSK’s biggest strengths, has failed to take responsibility so far. The two wins so far have been possible due to the contribution of the top order. In the first game of the tournament, Ambati Rayudu and Faf Du Plessis scored 71 off 48 balls and 58 off 44 balls respectively to guide CSK to a comfortable victory over the defending champions Mumbai Indians. Against KXIP, the openers cruised to a 10 wicket win and the middle didn’t come in the picture.
In the other games, however, the approach of the team in the middle overs has been questionable. In 4 out of the 5 failed chases, CSK’ required run rate was past 12 RPO at the halfway mark and we are still to figure out the chase against KKR where Jadhav played perfect front-foot defence and denied singles to Jadeja as they failed to chase 168 after being 90-1 at the halfway mark.
Their run rate in the middle overs has been the worst in IPL 2020 with just 7.57 runs per over and that has been the prime reason why the chases have derailed so far.
In the history of the IPL, CSK has the best win percentage while chasing (among teams who have played more than two seasons). The 3-time champions have won 51 chases in 81 matches having a win percentage of 62.96.
This year though, it will be interesting to see whether CSK opt to bat first in the latter half of the tournament and are more comfortable while batting first. This was the case in their latest game against SRH, where they picked up a much-needed win.
Dhoni
One player’s form which is synonymous with CSK’s form has been MS Dhoni. There have been frequent occasions in the past, especially the last season when CSK has been rescued by an act of brilliance by the skipper. For instance in the 2019 season, Dhoni, with 416 runs at a strike rate of 134, was CSK’s best batsman and the franchise looked out of sorts when Dhoni was injured in a couple of games last season. They lost to MI at Chepauk and SRH at Hyderabad.
MSD has made 133 runs in seven innings and has not been anywhere close to his best so far. MS Dhoni’s form has never been a concern for the Super Kings and he will be crucial if they hope to turn around their fortunes in the second-half of the tournament.
Jadhav
CSK and its uncharacteristic problems in IPL 2020: Kedar Jadhav has really struggled.
Kedar Jadhav played the first six matches of the tourney for CSK and his scores were:
22 off 16 balls vs RR
26 off 21 balls vs DC
3 off 10 balls vs SRH
7 off 12 balls vs KKR
It is no coincidence that all of Jadhav’s innings have come in losses and the matches where he played but didn’t bat resulted in a victory for the Super Kings. Jadhav has been subject to a lot of criticism and was dropped for the seventh game against RCB.
But his replacement Jagadeeshan was not significantly better as he scored 33 off 38 balls. Did CSK choose the right replacement for Jadhav? They decided no, as they dropped Jagadeeshan next game, promoting Sam Curran to opener. It worked a charm, with Curran striking 31 off 21 balls vs SRH. So, as Stephen Fleming has mentioned, CSK could continue with this approach.
In the past, CSK has out of the hole and has been part of amazing turnarounds. If there is one man who can clean up the mess as soon as possible and make this side reach the latter stages, it is one and only one MS DHONI. If CSK change their approach, which they have already started to do, they still are contenders to make the playoffs.
Starts inputs from: The Cricket Panda and @_sudheesh
Sam Curran is a complete cricketer: MS Dhoni | MS Dhoni full of praise for all-rounder Sam Curran | CSK News | Chennai Super Kings News
Chennai Super King’s ‘Dad’s army’ has always been proud of its experienced squad. However, in IPL 2020 the team is heavily relying on one young player who has now got the Captain’s nod too. After yesterday’s win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, MS Dhoni called Sam Curran a complete cricketer. Whether it is with his bowling or batting, the 22-year-old all-rounder sets the tone correct for the Yellow Army. After winning the toss, Curran came out to bat with Faf du Plessis as an opening batsman and hit 31 runs off 21 balls in the powerplay overs, which set the momentum right for the team.
Sam Curran’s induction into CSK came as a pleasant surprise for the yellow army fans, though coach Stephen Fleming jokes about calling youngsters in CSK as an ‘oxymoron’. “Curran is a complete cricketer for us and you need that seaming allrounder. He strikes the ball nicely, he can bat up the order, he plays spinners well. He can give us those 15-45 runs if you need momentum. I feel as the tournament progresses, he’ll get even more comfortable with death bowling. That’s one of the reasons we kept him away at the death”, Dhoni said in the post-match chat.
Winners are grinners ft. Bravo & Curran
An eye opening move, a game-changing run-out and a #CSK win. All-rounders @DJBravo47 & @CurranSM on the night that belonged to CSK.
Winning the toss and choosing to bat first also helped the team. CSK had pushed Watson down and brought back Curran on the top as he was not getting much balls in the previous matches. Bravo also mentioned how it was a point of discussion among the team members, “We had a different game plan, Sam Curran up the order. It worked and we’re happy. The slower pitch didn’t really mean much [to us] honestly, both teams have to play on it. Few years ago I played at Surrey and had both Curran brothers under my wings. We had a discussion – Sam’s not getting much balls, Jadeja and me, why not send one up? It worked out nicely”, he said.
Sam’s work with the bat has added much more depth in the batting order of CSK and if he keeps doing such splended cameos then it would release some pressure from the middle order which is also their weak point. Fleming also mentioned that he might open for CSK in the coming matches. “In terms of his contribution so far, he has exceeded, I think, [in delivering] what we wanted,” Fleming said at the post-match press conference. “Probably not in his eyes because he’s very competitive. And every time he has had a challenge, he has risen to it. He has been desperate to get in and make a difference with the bat. And I think we saw a glimpse today of what he can potentially do for us in the future. He’s a very good addition for us.”
Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.
Sheffield Shield 2020 Round 1 Summary: QLD, WA seal late wins | Sheffield Shield 2020/21 Round 1 Summary: QLD & WA grab late victories
The 2020/21 Sheffield Shield season got underway in Adelaide, with eyes on up-and-coming players as well as seasoned performers as a huge Test season looms.
Australia’s Test side may look settled, but spots such as the second opening batsman and all-rounder are still up for grabs. In the opening round of the Sheffield Shield, players from Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania impressed, as both matches were won late on.
Tasmania (250 and 220) lost to Queensland (529) by an innings and 79 runs
Sheffield Shield 2020/21 Round 1 Summary: Mitchell Swepson bowls with everyone around the bat.
The scores themselves may look one-sided, but Queensland took this one out right at the death. Tasmania batted gamely in their second innings to force a draw, but Mitchell Swepson’s 4/66 in 45.2 overs helped Queensland over the line with just 6.2 overs remaining in the day.
Swepson’s performance is a timely one. Before the season began, Cricket Australia’s high performance chief, Drew Ginn, said that spin needs to be of higher focus as Australia seek both a partner and successor to Nathan Lyon. Swepson, the leg-spinner, worked hard on a slow track, testing the batsmen with variations, including the googly. However, what was most important was pitching the ball up fuller, after often erring too short previously throughout the match.
But, Swepson’s performance was overshadowed by the brilliant all-round display of player of the match Michael Neser. Neser, who was in Australia’s Ashes squad last year, produced excellent pace and movement in the first innings, finishing with 5/32 out of Tasmania’s 250. Then, he slammed 121 batting at eight.
Indeed, getting into Australia’s Test XI as a fast bowler is a very tough ask, but Neser has sent a timely reminder to the selectors that he is still around.
For Tasmania, Jordan Silk (56 off 201 balls) and Jake Doran (36 off 155 balls) fought very hard in the second innings, before bowlers Nathan Ellis (112 balls) and Peter Siddle (88 balls) made Queensland work hard for their wickets. In the end, their first innings display put them well behind, and need an improvement for their next game against South Australia starting on 19th October.
How did Australia’s Test players perform?
Australian incumbent opener Joe Burns only made 7, while Queensland skipper and former number three Usman Khawaja made just 4. Marnus Labuschagne impressed most with the bat, underlining his improvement as a batsman over the past 12-15 months, hitting his highest First Class score of 167. He will certainly be key in the upcoming Australia-India Test series.
For Tasmania, Australia captain Tim Paine scored just 4 and 10. However, he was cleaned up by a peach in the second innings by the impressive 21-year old pace bowler Xavier Barlett, who took 4/58 and 3/38 in the match.
Sheffield Shield 2020/21 Round 1 Summary: Marnus Labuschagne’s rise has been magnificent
Western Australia 481/5d & 215/2d beat South Australia 314 and 177 by 205 runs
As Queensland sealed a late win, so did Western Australia, after dominating much of the four days. After Michael Neser become the first player to hit a century and take five wickets in a Shield game since Mitchell Johnson in 2010, Ashton Agar achieved the feat almost simultaneously, hitting 114* and taking 5/103 in the first innings. Agar, who has represented Australia in Test cricket, is a current T20I spinner, and will be keen to continue the form with bat and ball in a season where spinners will be watched closely.
Sheffield Shield 2020/21 Round 1 Summary: Ashton Agar scored a century and took a five-for.
Agar’s unbroken 266-run stand with impressive keeper-batsman Josh Inglis blew South Australia away, after Lloyd Pope, another spinner who many have an eye on, took five wickets. However, the concern for Pope was that he failed to bowl a single maiden in the match (econ. 6.09).
Promising all-rounder Cameron Green didn’t bowl in the match, as he continues to manage his workload after stress fractures in his back last season. However, the youngster notched up a first-innings half-century, and is certainly one to watch in the coming years.
Shaun Marsh, in his second-innings century, went past 11,00 First Class runs. The left-handed batsman has been in superb touch over the past few seasons in Shield Cricket, and will be a key member of a WA side that is looking to break their Title drought.
It was a tough match for South Australia, but opening batsman Jake Weatherald shone some light in their first innings. His 105 set up a platform that his teammates couldn’t quite build on, as Agar, alongside Cameron Gannon (3/65) led the way to bowl SA out for 314.
How did Australia’s Test players perform?
Cameron Bancroft, who began last year’s Ashes as Australia’s opener, struck 46 and 71 in this match. Travis Head also made two starts (31 and 54). The South Australian captain and Australian middle order batsman will be keen to convert those starts into big scores as the Test season looms.
Mickey Arthur has pointed out how the cricket world is getting hampered due to the pandemic and regulations that other countries have implemented. Sri Lanka’s coach and member of ICC’s cricket committee insisted that there has to be more international cricket in the coming months to come out of a difficult year, “We are an industry that needs to be playing, and being broadcast, to keep the lifeblood of the game going”, he said.
Mickey Arthur told the PA news agency that the Sri Lankan government has done a remarkable job. The country has been able to go out, go to a restaurant or sip a gin and tonic on the Galle Face but there has been no international cricket. “We need to get cricket back up and running otherwise we may as well shut the whole thing down and wait for a vaccine. I’m really positive. I’m hoping we can fulfil our fixtures in South Africa come December and then have England over here to start a really busy 2021”.
Reportedly, Arthur was disappointed after the home Test series against Bangladesh was postponed yet again, as Bangladesh was asked to undergo two week strict quarantine which they said would deteriorate their fitness levels and won’t give enough time to perform net practice.
“We have to do it or boards are going to be put under more and more pressure. Already we can look at the sight of people losing jobs at the ECB and Cricket Australia and it’s really sad. I understand the bigger picture and I’m not here to push cricket from the rooftop – people are losing their lives and losing their jobs out there – but from a cricket sense we need to play”, he said.
Reportedly, the country is gearing up for Test tour to South Africa in December and January along with a home Test series against England in later January.
Written by Anjali Jha. Follow Anjali on Twitter today.
