Kiwis Easy Winners at Eden Park

Getty Images

Matt Henry shrugged off the disappointment of missing out on selection for next month’s World Twenty20 with a hostile spell of pace bowling that helped New Zealand ease to a 159-run win over Australia in the first one-day international on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old Henry, who has been regularly overlooked this summer and then brought in as injury cover, took 3-20 in his first four overs at Eden Park as he and Trent Boult reduced the visitors to 41 for six in their pursuit of 308 to win.

They were helped by an lbw decision against David Warner, who was told not to review by partner George Bailey despite the opener’s concerns about the height.

Ball tracking suggested the ball would have gone well over the stumps, causing Warner to slam his bat into his pads as he watched the replay on the big screen.

Wicketkeeper Matthew Wade (37) and all-rounder James Faulkner (36), however, then put on 79 runs to partially resurrect Australia’s innings as they chased New Zealand’s 307-8.

Once Wade holed out at deep midwicket in the 21st over and Faulkner was bowled by Adam Milne in the 22nd, the match was all but over and they were bowled out for 148 in just 24.2 overs.

Henry finished with 3-41, while Boult had 3-38. Mitchell Santner bowled just two balls and took the last two wickets.

Martin Guptill top scored for New Zealand with 90, his highest total against Australia and his 29th one-day international half century.

The 29-year-old opener, who hit one of his five sixes onto the roof of the stand at the Auckland venue, shared in partnerships of 79 runs with captain Brendon McCullum (44) and 100 with Henry Nicholls (61).

New Zealand, who were asked to bat by Australia captain Steve Smith, had initially looked on course to set a total well in excess of 320 but lost wickets at critical times when batsmen looked set to push on.

John Hastings was the most economical of the visiting bowlers with 1-39 from 10 overs, while fifth seamer Mitchell Marsh had figures of 2-35 from seven.

The three-match one-day international series moves on to Wellington on Saturday with the sides also scheduled to play two Tests.

Related articles

• Video: Black Caps to pick unchanged side for second Test
• NZ win toss, bowl in 2nd Sri Lankan Test
• New Zealand to rest Southee, Boult for ODIs
• Jadeja grabs career-best No 5 in ICC rankings for Test all-rounders
• Watch 2nd Test live: New Zealand vs Sri Lanka live streaming and TV information
• NZ v/s SL: New Zealand failed to make most of green pitch, says Trent Boult

Darren Lehmanm In Hospital with DVT

Australia head coach Darren Lehmann has been taken to hospital suffering from deep vein thrombosis.

The 45-year-old reported a swollen left calf to medical staff and had a scan before the one-day international against India in Sydney on Saturday.

His condition is described as "stable" and he will be kept in hospital overnight for observation.

A Cricket Australia statement said he will require "a lay-off before he can return to coaching".

The Australia players were told about Lehman's condition after Saturday's six-wicket defeat in the fifth and final ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Batting coach Michael Di Venuto will take charge of the side for Australia's three-match T20 series against India this month.

Related articles

• David Warner to lead Australia in ODIs against India
• Ryan Harris feels ready for coaching job
• Big Bash League: Usman Khawaja to undergo birthday fitness test for Boxing Day
• Usman Khawaja cleared to play for Sydney Thunder in Big Bash on Sunday
• Watson backs Mitchell Marsh to find batting form
• Hussey laughs off World Twenty20 comeback chatter

India Avoid Series Whitewash at SCG

India pinched 13 runs off the final over of the fifth and final one-day international against Australia at the SCG on Saturday night to avoid a series whitewash. The six-wicket victory – India’s first of the five-match series – ended Australia’s 18-game one-day international winning streak at home.

Man-of-the-match Manish Pandey was the hero for the visitors in just his fourth ODI, hitting a classy unbeaten 104 from 81 balls to guide India to a victory target of 331 with just two balls to spare. Mitch Marsh, whose 102 not out was vital in another big Australian total, bowled the fateful final over, which produced a dubious wide before MS Dhoni hit a low full-toss for six over long-off.

Dhoni then holed out to David Warner running in from long-off but Pandey stepped up with a glide to the third-man boundary that brought up his maiden ODI century and then he hit the next ball over mid-off for the winning runs. India finished at 331-4 to get home, but Australia won the series 4-1.

India set up the win thanks to a solid contributions from openers Rohit Sharma (99) and Shikhar Dhawan (78) who combined for an opening stand of 123. At one stage they were rollicking along at seven runs an over. But, like he did in the fourth match in Canberra, the re-introduction of John Hastings in the 19th over yielded instant dividends, sucking Dhawan into a big shot to a retreating Shaun Marsh in the deep. Marsh dived back to take a stunning catch at deep point that brought the crowd of just over 33,000 to life.

Hastings then claimed the crucial wicket of Virat Kohli for eight – easily his lowest score of the series. But Dhoni, who was dropped by Nathan Lyon, then combined with Pandey to get their innings back on track, ensuring the run rate didn’t get out of hand before eventually closing out the match.

The hosts had earlier reached 330-7 thanks to centuries from Warner (122) and Mitch Marsh. Warner was forced to dig in after watching four teammates – Aaron Finch (6), Steve Smith (28), George Bailey (6) and Shaun Marsh (7) – all trudge back to the pavilion before the 22nd over.

But the Test opener, together with Mitch Marsh, quickly set about rebuilding the Australian innings with a 118-run partnership before warner holed out off Ishant Sharma’s bowling in the 39th over. Warner finished with nine fours and three sixes in 113 balls – surpassing Greg Chappell in Australia’s top-20 one-day scorers in the process – to register his fifth ODI ton.

Marsh then put the foot down to record his maiden ODI century off just 84 balls with nine boundaries and two maximums. Indian debutant Jasprit Bumrah, who captured the prize wicket of Steve Smith with his awkward right-arm action, was the pick of the bowlers with 2-40.

Related articles

• BCCI to announce India squads for T20s and ODIs against Australia on 19 December
• Dhawan, de Villiers 'similar' players
• Vidya Balan, Virat Kohli among signatories to keep Jallikattu banned
• Mitch Marsh wants brotherly Christmas with West Indies Test selection gift
• Mitch Marsh wants brotherly Christmas with West Indies Test selection gift
• Smith burns Waleed Aly

Australia Record Run Chase at Gabba

A 50-50 call went India’s way but little else did as George Bailey again helped Australia pull off a record Gabba run chase, sealing a seven-wicket win in Friday night’s second one-day international.

Last game centurion Bailey (76 not out) helped Australia eclipse India’s 308-8 with six balls to spare in front of 28,851 fans.

Australia reached 309-3 after 49 overs to establish a 2-0 lead in the five-match ODI series. India looked to have reversed their fortunes when man-of-the-match Rohit Sharma (124) was adjudged not out on 89 despite a big knick to Australian wicketkeeper Matthew Made. It flew in the face of captain MS Dhoni’s view after the opening ODI loss that India were getting the raw end of 50-50 calls from umpires as payback for the team’s ongoing refusal to use the Decision Review System.

But India did not have much more luck, dropping Shaun Marsh four times as he set up the chase with a 145-run opening stand with Aaron Finch (both 71). India still gave themselves a sniff when Umesh Yadav bowled last game centurion Steve Smith (46) to reduce Australia to 3-244 in the 41st over. But Bailey picked up where he left off from his 112 in the first ODI to help Australia pull off the highest limited-overs run chase at the Gabba. The previous best was Australia’s 9-301 in January 2014 against England.

It marked the second straight game Australia had comfortably reeled in a 300-plus target set by India. Finch and Marsh put on Australia’s equal fifth-highest ODI opening partnership against India. Finch was magnificently caught by a diving Ajinkya Rahane at long on in the 25th over.

India had to try even harder to dismiss Marsh. Replacing David Warner (paternity leave), he was dropped on 19 and 69 and offered difficult chances on 22 and 57. His good fortune ran out in the 30th over when another simple chance was finally taken, this time off the recalled Ishant Sharma.

Earlier, Sharma backed up from his unbeaten 171 in Perth to notch the highest ODI score by an Indian opener at the Gabba and equal-fourth biggest overall at the Brisbane venue. He also shared a 121-run third-wicket stand with Rahane (89) and a 125-run second-wicket partnership with Virat Kohli (59).

James Faulkner (2-64) and Joel Paris (1-40) reeled in India, who lost 6-75 in the final 10 overs including four in the last two. The third ODI will be played on Sunday in Melbourne.

Related articles

• India vs Australia: Jadeja set to make limited overs comeback; Shami, Ishant, Vijay in fray too
• 'Sir' Shastri raps Indian batsmen
• Mitch Marsh wants brotherly Christmas with West Indies Test selection gift
• Mitch Marsh wants brotherly Christmas with West Indies Test selection gift
• Smith burns Waleed Aly
• Ashwin, Jadeja in top-5 of ICC all-rounders' rankings

Australia Beat India by 5 Wickets

Steve Smith made 149 as Australia beat India by five wickets in the first one-day international in Perth.

The captain added 242 for the third wicket with George Bailey, who scored 112, to help the hosts overhaul India's 309-3 with four balls to spare.

Earlier, India's Rohit Sharma hit 171 not out to break Viv Richards' record for the highest score by a visiting batsman in an ODI in Australia.

The second game of the five-match series is on Friday in Brisbane.

Rohit's 171 off 163 balls, containing 13 fours and seven sixes, surpassed West Indies legend Richards' unbeaten 153 in Melbourne in 1979.

Smith compiled his best ODI score as he and Bailey shared the fourth-highest Australia stand in ODIs.

It was also Australia's third-highest ODI chase on home soil.

Bailey, who joined Smith at the crease with Australia 21-2 at the Waca, should have been given out first ball when he gloved Barinder Sran down the leg side.

Umpire Richard Kettleborough rejected the appeal and India were unable to review it because they had not agreed to use the decision review system (DRS).

Smith and Bailey's stand, which spanned 37 overs, trumped the 207 added for India by Rohit and Virat Kohli, who made 91.

It was India's highest second-wicket stand against Australia, beating the 199 added by Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman in Indore in 2001.

Australia opener David Warner, who made five on Tuesday, will miss the second and third ODIs as his wife Candice is expecting their second child. He has been replaced in the squad by Usman Khawaja.

Related articles

• Sachin, Sourav, Dravid in Shane Warne's greatest Indian Test XI
• Virat Kohli Beats Lionel Messi Sachin Tendulkar. Tops List Of Most Googled Sportsperson In India
• Google's Most Searched Indian Sportsman 2015: Virat Kohli beats Messi, Dhoni, Ronaldo and Sachin
• Akram advises PCB against boycotting T20 matches in India
• How are the nominated members of the Rajya Sabha performing?
• Luxury Monarch Cruise

Chappell Seeks Gayle Cricket Ban

Australian cricket great Ian Chappell has called on Cricket Australia to propose a worldwide contracting ban on Chris Gayle following his controversial sideline interview with sports reporter Mel McLaughlin.

Gayle was fined $10,000 by his Big Bash League (BBL) side Melbourne Renegades for his on-air mid-match comments to McLaughlin on Monday night.

The big-hitting West Indian batsman’s hopes of returning next season could also be all but over, given Cricket Australia (CA) has the power to essentially veto any BBL player contract.

Some CA officials wanted Gayle to be suspended over the interview, during which he told McLaughlin she had beautiful eyes and asked her out for a drink before saying “don’t blush, baby”.

Ex-Australian skipper Chappell said CA needed to send a zero-tolerance message on what he deemed “totally inappropriate” behaviour in a sport trying to gain traction with women.

“I wouldn’t have a problem if Cricket Australia said to the clubs, ‘he’s never to be contracted again in this country’,” Chappell said in Sydney, where he participated in an Optus SMB Cricket Legends event alongside Tom Moody.

“And I also wouldn’t have a problem if Cricket Australia said to the ICC, ‘what we’re doing should be worldwide’.

“You’d have to talk to the individual countries then ... but I wouldn’t have a problem if it was tabled at an ICC meeting that Cricket Australia said, ‘this is what we’re doing and we would recommend that everybody else do the same’.

“How are you going to stop it otherwise?”

Gayle has apologised for any offence, saying it was a “simple joke”.

But Chappell thought he was “past help probably now”, and said the focus should be on sending a message to up-and-coming male cricketers.

“If it was a one-off thing, yeah, slap him with a $10,000 fine and say ‘mate, don’t do it again’,” he said.

“But every woman I spoke to [about Gayle] who’s working at the cricket, you got the same answer from.

“They were quite adamant about it.”

Gayle is expected to open for the Renegades on Saturday, when they host Melbourne Stars at Etihad Stadium.

Related articles

• Badree, Simmons named for Heat BBL debuts
• KFC Big Bash League 2015-16 Schedule | Big Bash League Fixtures 2015-16
• Badree eyes 'great things' with BBL Heat
• Big Bash: Torn side muscle forces Canberra's Nick Winter out of Renegades squad
• Big Bash: Kevin Pietersen to fly back home to attend birth of second child
• Renegades' Ferguson to have knee scans

Windies Bashed by Lyon and O'Keefe

Getty Images

Australian spinners Nathan Lyon and Stephen O’Keefe took key wickets between the Sydney downpour to peg West Indies back to 207-6 at the end of a weather-disrupted opening day of the dead rubber third Test on Sunday.

More than two hours and 45 minutes of play were lost to rain in a stop-start day at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), where the tourists fell away in the early evening gloom after winning the toss and making a solid start. Denesh Ramdin, unbeaten on 23, and Carlos Brathwaite (35 not out) will resume on day two, weather permitting.

The hosts had rolled the dice on the twin spin attack at the SCG for the first time in a decade and got their reward when Lyon and O’Keefe got plenty of turn off a straw-coloured wicket. Off-spinner Lyon (2-68) produced a stunning delivery that pitched wide and turned in to take the bail off Jermaine Blackwood’s off stump for 10 and returned after the second rain break to remove danger man Kraigg Brathwaite for 85.

Left-arm orthodox spinner O’Keefe (1-42) then pitched in to have West Indies captain Jason Holder caught superbly at short leg by Joe Burns and claim his first test wicket on Australian soil. Trailing 2-0 in the three-match series after thumping defeats in Hobart and Melbourne, West Indies had started the day by building on their improved batting performance in the second Test.

After the early loss of opener Shai Hope (nine), Kraigg Brathwaite and Darren Bravo (33) looked in fine nick as they ushered the tourists to lunch at 92 for one. Australia’s bowlers emerged from the break re-energised, however, and James Pattinson got the breakthrough when Bravo’s miscued pull sent the ball flying to Usman Khawaja running in from the deep.

That broke a 91-run partnership and brought Marlon Samuels to the crease looking to break his run of eight test innings without getting to the 20-run mark. He failed in farcical fashion looking for a quick single that always looked like a gamble, left stranded when Brathwaite scuttled back to his crease as Peter Nevill broke the stumps.

After a long glare at his partner, Samuels headed back to the pavilion with four runs to his name and the rest of the players and umpires followed in his wake as heavy rain came down on the ground. Kraigg Brathwaite had brought up his eighth test half-century just before lunch by clipping all-rounder Mitchell Marsh past long leg for two runs off the 78th ball he faced.

He fell 15 runs shy off his fifth test century when Lyon got a little bit of extra bounce to a delivery which caught the opener’s glove and was snaffled up by Steve Smith at slip. “I think the spinners bowled well, it is just about trusting your defence and backing your shots and you can score,” said Brathwaite after play. “(But) on a first day pitch that spins like that, once we get a score above 300, we put ourselves in a good position.”

For Brathwaite and his teammates the SCG pitch had presented its challenges. “It’s good fun to bowl on for spinners,” spinner Nathan Lyon said after claiming his 100th test wicket in Australia. “It’s a big challenge for me, it’s spinning pretty big and it’s got decent bounce. So it’s a challenge for me to try and hit the stumps. I’m enjoying that challenge right now.”

Related articles

• Big Bash: Kevin Pietersen to fly back home to attend birth of second child
• Hussey laughs off World Twenty20 comeback chatter
• Audit report queries ranking, choice of Marriott contractor
• KFC Big Bash League 2015-16 Points Table | KFC Big Bash Points Table | BBL 5
• Badree, Simmons named for Heat BBL debuts
• Sydney derby to kickstart Big Bash League

Test Cricket Crowds Given Big Bash

The Big Bash League’s dominance over the summer of Test cricket has been highlighted with another crowd record tumbling.

Defending champions Perth Scorchers announced on Friday their remaining two home fixtures had sold out, making them the first franchise to sell out their full four-match regular season home match schedule in the BBL’s five-year history.

It means the four games at the 20,000-capacity Waca Ground will dwarf the crowd figures from the drawn Test match against New Zealand played at the venue in November.

Only 40,288 people turned out across the five days of the Test, at an average of just over 8,000 fans per day. In comparison, a combined 39,762 fans have already attended the Scorchers’ opening two BBL home games.

It is also anticipated that Saturday’s Melbourne derby between the Stars and Renegades could outdraw the 53,389 who attended the opening day of the Boxing Day Test against the out-matched Windies last week.

Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland has already acknowledged that the BBL has impacted on Test crowds.

“Look, the numbers would indicate that, yes,” Sutherland told ABC Grandstand recently. “The Big Bash League has changed the dynamic a lot, and let’s be open, all over the country it has cannibalised the demand for international cricket.”

Average BBL crowd figures have risen to 22,597 across the 13 matches so far this summer, more than the single-day attendance numbers at any of the Brisbane, Perth and Hobart Tests this year.

The lowest crowd figure at any of this summer’s BBL matches is the 14,868 for the Hobart-Brisbane match, which is still just 475 fans shy of the total attendance across the three days of the Hobart Test match.

CA has already hinted at the inclusion of day-night pink-ball Tests at the Gabba and Blundstone Arena next year to attract more fans, however there is no chance of a shift in Perth given the time zone difference to the east coast.

Related articles

• KFC Big Bash League 2015-16 Schedule | Big Bash League Fixtures 2015-16
• Chris Gayle plans test return in 2016
• Big Bash League 2015: Michael Lumb drops sitter for Sydney Sixers
• Big Bash League 2015: Michael Lumb drops sitter for Sydney Sixers
• Sydney derby helps Big Bash to best season opening yet helping Ten win the night
• Chris Gayle hopes for West Indies Test return in 2016