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The Tasmania bowlers wrapped up a comfortable 142-run win – their first of the season – by taking the last five South Australia wickets in 36.3 overs for 119 runs on the last day at the Adelaide Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2017Will Russell/Getty Images

Tasmania’s bowlers wrapped up a 142-run win – their first of the season – by taking the last five South Australia wickets in 36.3 overs for 119 runs on the last day at the Adelaide Oval. Callum Ferguson, who was unbeaten on 46 overnight, went on to score 94, and was the second-last wicket to fall as South Australia were all out for 243.South Australia resumed their tall chase of 386 on 5 for 124. Jackson Bird struck with his first ball of the day when he induced an outside edge from Tom Cooper’s bat. Ferguson was joined by wicketkeeper Alex Carey for a resisting stand of 62 for the seventh wicket, but Carey edged to the keeper while hooking Thomas Rogers with his team 10 short of 200. Left-arm pacer Sam Rainbird then chipped in with a double-strike – he bowled Cameron Valente with an inswinger from around the wicket and had Ferguson edge one to gully as he neared a hundred. Kane Richardson’s slog-sweep to deep midwicket off Beau Webster eventually sealed Tasmania’s win.Jackson Bird finished with 3 for 51 to add to his 5 for 30 in the first innings, and Rainbird ended with 3 for 56 in the second innings.

Trevor Bayliss suggested the pitch could be “dangerous” after water crept under the covers in Perth overnight and delayed play on the final day

George Dobell in Perth18-Dec-2017England were handed a potential Ashes lifeline after water crept under the covers in Perth overnight and delayed play on the final day. Some 28 overs were lost due to rain and then the groundstaff’s attempts to dry the pitch, before the fifth day finally got going at 1pm.The England coach, Trevor Bayliss, expressed concern that the water on the pitch could make batting “difficult and maybe even a little dangerous” and that, as things stood around the scheduled start time, it was “unacceptable” for play. Former Australia opener Simon Katich added on that the damp parts of the pitch were “like play dough” when he inspected them this morning, raising doubts as to whether it could be made fit.Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann, meanwhile, said the hosts would understandably take a different view about the conditions, given that they are six wickets away from regaining the Ashes. England, trailing by 127 runs, require at least a draw to ensure they travel to Melbourne with any hope of drawing the series. If Australia win in Perth, they will have an unassailable 3-0 lead.England’s hopes of securing that draw given an unexpected boost by a lengthy delay at the start of the fifth day – although the potential for erratic bounce won’t help their cause. Heavy overnight rain appeared to have caused water to leak under the covers affecting an area of the pitch roughly on a good length at the Lillee-Marsh end of the ground.The groundstaff used leaf blowers in an attempt to dry the area, though there was some concern from the English camp that such action could accelerate the deterioration of the pitch and cause the cracks that were apparent at that end to open and crumble. Briefly, the abandonment of the game was a possibility.”There has been leakage under the covers overnight,” umpire Chris Gaffaney said. “It’s really soft at the moment. It’s just a wait and see process.”The pitch has to be the same for both sides but, at the moment, we feel the pitch has been altered overnight.”The groundstaff’s efforts were also hampered by squalls of rain blowing across the ground at irregular intervals during the morning.There was no evidence of any hole in the covers or that they blew off overnight. Nor was there any suggestion that someone might have tampered with them. It could even prove that the moisture was caused by condensation or sweating – the tight covers were pulled over a slightly damp surface last night – though the degree of dampness on the pitch would seem to render that unlikely.Either way, the delay may well be an embarrassment to the WACA Ground management. This is the venue’s final Ashes Test, though other less high-profile matches, including Tests may still be staged here, and this incident is sure to cause some reflection on the quality of covers at the ground.

India’s spinners have taken 13 wickets in two matches. The alarm bells are ringing, but South Africa’s newly appointed stand-in captain is not ready to accept that in public yet

Sidharth Monga in Centurion04-Feb-20181:02

‘Kuldeep and I always look to bowl slow’ – Chahal

Aiden Markram knew what he was walking into when he accepted the captaincy of a depleted South Africa side in an ODI series against arguably the best team in the world. He is the second-youngest South Africa captain, his captaincy debut came in only his third ODI, and half way into the day he was sitting in a press conference trying to make sense of South Africa’s lowest score at home. Next to him sat the South Africa batting coach, Dale Benkenstein, as if to protect – where you can – the boy otherwise thrown to the wolves already.”Obviously, the guys are very upset and disappointed,” Markram said. “But the beauty of it is that everyone’s disappointed in themselves, and not in others in the team. That’s where the culture stands out, it stands strong. Each player will look to get better now going forward. It is a quick turnaround but it might fire the guys up going into the remaining four matches, which I think is a great thing for us.”India’s spinners have taken 13 South Africa wickets in two matches, with two of the remaining experienced batsmen in their middle order not looking good against spin. The alarm bells are ringing, but Markram is not ready to accept that in a press conference at least. Before the ODI, he said he saw no problem against spin, and after his side was bowled out for 118 he doesn’t call it a “danger”.”Look, obviously they are two quality bowlers in their own right,” Markram said of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, who bagged a five-for and a three-wicket haul respectively. “I don’t think we played them particularly well, and that’s where our downfall was today. Having said that, you are never going to come across a bad attack in international cricket, and you’re never going to come across a bad batting line-up in international cricket either. It’s just one of those things. I don’t think we played spin incredibly well, it’s obviously something we need to work on, but it’s not a massive danger for us, I don’t think.”In an ideal world, Markram would have played out most of the spin without taking too many risks. He would have liked to have taken the innings deep but he pulled a short ball straight to deep midwicket, one ball after Quinton de Kock had done that.”My general game plan is to try and take it quite deep, bat through the innings and let our attacking batsmen sort of play around me,” Markram said. “I obviously didn’t do that today, that’s what happens in cricket. I try to keep it as low-risk as possible, and then as soon as we get partnerships building, we’ll chat between players and identify which bowler we’d like to put some pressure on and which guy we think we should just going low-risk. It all depends on the day as well.”Aiden Markram looks to play a shot•Getty Images

It could be argued some of the batsmen that followed him didn’t really have much of a game plan. Markram was asked if the problem was not in the execution, but, in fact, in the absence of plans. “Look, I don’t think there’s too much of a lack of a game plan,” Markram said. “If you speak to each individual in our top six, top seven, each person has got a clear plan. So it obviously comes down to execution on the day. Like I said, they are two quality wristspinners and we give them credit. But I still think we can execute better, and that’s the nice thing. It’s not that something that’s drastic that has to change. The plans are in place, now we’ve just got to keep working hard to execute, that’s all.”Benkenstein was happy with the team’s intent – “230-240 wouldn’t have been a winning total anyway” – but he was more realistic about the challenge of facing these spinners. South Africa don’t come across such wicket-taking spinners every day, and it is not going to be easy to formulate plans with only two days between all ODIs.”It’s very difficult,” Benkenstein admitted. “Unless we can call them [Kuldeep and Chahal] into our nets for the practice. That’s the beauty of international cricket, you know. You’ve got to come up with a plan obviously. I guess everybody’s got the ability to do it. We’ve had two games and there are no excuses. We’ve got a few net bowlers who are a little bit slow. We saw Justin Ontong come and bowl those offspinners off his knee [to replicate Kedar Jadhav]. So, as management, we try and do everything possible, obviously.”But at the end of the day, the batters have got to work it out. They’ve got to execute their own game plan and obviously got to do their job out in the middle. So there isn’t much more that you can do in the nets. You’re not going to get them to come and bowl at you. That’s the tough thing about international cricket.”Benkenstein didn’t want his batsmen to give up attacking the spinners. “I’d much rather them playing that way than being too scared to hit the ball,” he said. “We can learn a lot a from the way Indian batters play spin. Any loose ball that our spinners bowl, they are looking to hit it for four or six. There is a bit of learning to be done there. The other tough thing is you are playing against two wristspinners, that a not a lot of players have played against. It does take time to get used to their change-ups, their variations.”

If there was any venue in the country where New Zealand could go to try and wrestle back to the advantage, it would probably be the Westpac

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan02-Mar-2018

Big Picture

We now have a best-of-three one-day series. If there was any venue in the country where New Zealand could go to try and wrestle back the advantage, it would probably be the Westpac – or the Cake Tin as it is known. England have played four ODIs here and never come close to winning one. The most recent of those matches was three years ago, against Sri Lanka at the World Cup, where they did manage to post 320…only for them to be knocked off one down.That is the sort of thing this England one-day side now does to opposition so they will be confident of finally turning over the hosts here. Their three attempts so far have been dismal: a 155-run defeat in 2002 (bowled out for 89), a six-wicket defeat in 2008 (bowled out for 130, and that eight-wicket mauling at the 2015 World Cup (bowled out for 123). Basin Reserve has resumed life as an ODI venue in recent years; England would probably like to play there instead, but will only get to train at the historic venue.It was New Zealand with more headaches leading into this match. The good news for them was that Kane Williamson was passed fit, but Ross Taylor has been ruled out with the quad strain he picked up in Mount Maunganui. It means New Zealand will remain a senior batsman light and they need a couple of their batsmen to lift with Colin Munro and Henry Nicholls making lean starts to the series.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand LWWWW
England WLWLW

In the spotlight

Henry Nicholls has been given the finisher’s role at No. 6. He has shown some promise this season with three half-centuries but, having come into this series with some promising domestic form behind him, has started poorly. Twice he has been caught at point, low down in the first match and then by an acrobatic grab in the second as he tried to cut Ben Stokes. Four of his last five ODI innings have been 0 or 1. It is unlikely his place will come under pressure this series, but he could do with securing his footing.David Willey would probably not have played the first two ODIs had Mark Wood been fit. He has bowled well with the new ball – a six-over spell in Hamilton and a five-over one in Mount Maunganui – but he has not been used again in an innings. With Stokes being back, Eoin Morgan has been afforded that luxury but it will be tough for Willey to forge a substantial ODI career if the captain doesn’t feel able to use him much beyond the first Powerplay.Ross Taylor was run-out through some excellent fielding from David Willey•Getty Images

Teams news

Williamson came through a lengthy net to prove his fitness after the hamstring strain he picked up in Hamilton. The balance of New Zealand’s attack will be the other question – whether to retain the pace of Lockie Ferguson or bring in a second spinner, either Ish Sodhi or Todd Astle.New Zealand (probable) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Colin Munro, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Mark Chapman, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 Henry Nicholls, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Trent BoultJonny Bairstow went over on his ankle at Mount Maunganui – tripping on his own water bottle – but is fit to play. Mark Wood is also available and could be an alternative to Willey or Tom Curran although England may not change a winning team.England (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Tom Curran, 11 David Willey

Pitch and conditions

“It looked a terrible wicket, visually, but it played really well,” was Joe Root’s assessment of the T20 surface a couple of weeks ago, a match he watched from afar as he rested. The Westpac pitch was under pressure heading into the game after a poor surface for the Pakistan T20 but it defied predictions to play well. Last year’s ODI surface against South Africa was another iffy one, however, and how this one goes over 100 overs will be interesting. It will be third fresh strip used at the ground this season. The forecast is for a fine day.

Stats and trivia

• Five of the England side who lost the World Cup match to Sri Lanka on this ground are likely to play: Moeen Ali, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes.
• Tim Southee’s ODI-best figures of 7 for 33 came on this ground against England at the 2015 World Cup.
• It has been over three years since both Williamson and Taylor missed an ODI for New Zealand. It has only happened six times since they first played together in August 2010.

Quotes

“Every time you play at a ground, some players have good memories there, some don’t. But it’s another opportunity to go and do your thing. It’s a big game for us now – 1-1 in the series, so it’d be great to go in front and carry the momentum forward from the last game.”
”They have a good balance in the side. They played the same team as they did in Hamilton, on a different surface, but they know that’s their best side. It’s going to be a challenge for us going forward.”
Mitchell Santner on fighting back

Peter English26-Mar-2018 477 (Wade 108, Doggett 5-101) & 0 for 10 trail Queensland 516 (Hemphrey 77, Wildermuth 73, Webster 3-83) by 28 runsQueensland is within sight of its eighth Sheffield Shield trophy after a satisfying day of graft against Tasmania at Allan Border Field. Any local nerves in the morning, when the Bulls resumed 244 runs behind, were eased with a trio of half-centuries that guided them to a first-innings lead of 39.With only a day and a maximum of 105 overs remaining in the weather-affected contest, Tasmania must build quickly on its 0 for 10 and then pray for the type of collapse that embarrassed Australia even further in Cape Town. Queensland will receive the trophy if the match is drawn, and the pitch is showing few signs of tremors and the Tuesday forecast is for showers.The visitors started with a small opening and enhanced their prospects with the early dismissal of Sam Heazlett (43). Any advantage had disappeared by the late afternoon.Queensland’s batsmen neither starred nor flopped, with a conveyor belt of contributions from top to bottom preventing any serious wounds. Charlie Hemphrey, who learned his craft in England, entered the game with centuries in his previous two matches, but was unable to convert a third and departed with a team-high 77. Like Heazlett, he also fell to a catch behind to Matthew Wade and the hosts were breathing a little deeper at 5 for 308.The captain James Peirson held firm either side of attacking half-centuries from Jack Wildermuth and Michael Neser that returned balance to the contest. Wildermuth, who powered to his fifty with a lofted drive over cover, was dismissed on 73 to a sharp caught and bowled by Simon Milenko. Neser stepped in with a similar attitude, overtaking his leader on the way to a valuable 58.As Queensland moved closer to parity, Tasmania had a brief surge with two wickets in a couple of overs. Neser was unhappy to cut the offspin of Beau Webster to point and Milenko captured his second victim by forcing Peirson to play on two short of his half-century.The tail delayed Tasmania even further until Webster earned his third victim when Mitchell Swepson gave Wade his fourth catch. Webster collected 3 for 83 off 25.3 overs while Milenko, Tom Rogers and Jackson Bird captured two each. Tasmania has had to force the pace after the first day was abandoned due to a wet outfield and is now chasing a miracle to snatch the title from Queensland.

Despite the tumult of the ball-tampering controversy, Australia have a Test to play, and a record of not having lost a series in South Africa since 1970 to keep alive

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale29-Mar-2018

Big picture

Seven years ago, Australia were bowled out for 47 in Cape Town. Oh for the days of such innocent problems. The Cape Town Test will be remembered for much darker reasons than a simple batting collapse, after Cameron Bancroft was caught sandpapering the ball in an attempt to gain reverse swing. The captain Steven Smith and vice-captain David Warner have been stripped of their leadership positions and banned for a year; Bancroft for nine months. Outrage has swept the nation. And now, the remaining Australia players have to go out in the middle and try to earn back a modicum of respect. To do so, they will have to show respect themselves. Respect for the game, respect for their opponents, respect for each other. The New Zealand team, once derided by the Australians for being too nice, are now the model, according to Darren Lehmann, who has announced that the Johannesburg Test will be his last as Australia coach. Time will tell.One of the most remarkable side-effects of the scandal is that Tim Paine will become Australia’s 46th Test captain. At the start of this summer, Paine was not even in the starting line-up for Tasmania. Then, when he was called in, it was not as wicketkeeper. Now, he is not only Australia’s Test wicketkeeper but also the national captain – at least in a temporary capacity, but very possibly for the foreseeable future as well. He will lead an Australia line-up with at least three changes, forced by the suspensions. Joe Burns and Matt Renshaw, who as recently as Tuesday were opening together for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield final in Brisbane, could find themselves doing so for Australia at the Wanderers on Friday. Peter Handscomb will presumably also join the batting order, with Glenn Maxwell also in the squad but less likely to play.And for all of the carnage of the past few days, there is still a series to play for. The best Australia can do is draw the series 2-2, while South Africa have the chance to win their first home series against Australia since 1970. How both sides respond to the dramatic events will be fascinating. South Africa will also farewell one the country’s most prolific fast bowlers, Morne Morkel, who announced before the series that this would be his last. On the final day in Cape Town, he completed a nine-wicket match haul, his best in Test cricket, and described it as the highlight of his life. Rarely has any cricketing achievement earned such a description and yet been so comprehensively overshadowed.

Form guide

South Africa WWLLW (last five matches, most recent first)
Australia LLWWD

In the spotlight

Morne Morkel seems destined to forever be the forgotten man. In Cape Town, he became the fifth South African to reach 300 wickets in Tests, yet he couldn’t even make the side in the previous match. His performance at Newlands earned Morkel just the third Man-of-the-Match award in his 85-Test career, but was barely a sideshow compared to the ball-tampering crisis. Surely one of the nicest men in world cricket, and a tireless contributor for South Africa over more than a decade, Morkel deserves a send-off in which he is, for once, the centre of attention.Frankly, who in Australia’s team is not in the spotlight? Tim Paine has the task of captaining Australia and bringing respect back to the baggy green. Joe Burns and Matt Renshaw, both former Test opening partners of David Warner, now find themselves replacing Warner and Bancroft, and the positions could be theirs for a long while. And as for Australia’s fast bowlers – Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins – will they gain reverse swing?