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Sri Lanka catching has been woeful over the past two years, particularly in limited-overs cricket

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo27-Oct-20181:39

Social Story: Denly’s back!

The 10-ball period in which Sri Lanka dropped three catches – all of them off England top-scorer Jason Roy – was when the hosts lost the one-off T20I in Colombo, according to captain Thisara Perera. Roy was spilled in the deep three times, and the first two chances off the bowling of Lakshan Sandakan were particularly straightforward. He would make 34 runs off 11 balls after that first reprieve.Although in the recent ODI series, Sri Lanka had been half-decent in the field, they have in general caught woefully over the past two years, particularly in limited-overs cricket. Three different head coaches – Graham Ford, Nic Pothas and now Chandika Hathurusingha – have attempted to turn Sri Lanka’s fielding around, but have not been decisive in correcting the malaise.”It’s hard to keep saying every time that when we drop catches, we lose the game. But that was the most important thing in today’s game also,” said Thisara. “That was a bad patch for us. It’s the batsmen that scored the most runs for them whom we reprieved. We could have kept them to under 160 if we took those three or four catches.”The other definitive period of the game, for Thisara, was the first three overs of Sri Lanka’s chase, when Joe Denly dismissed both the openers, and had the hosts 16 for 2.”We also gave away two wickets in the first few overs, and lost a lot of momentum there. If we had kept those wickets in hand, we might have been able to chase 188, especially given the outfield was a little greasy.”Later in the chase, Adil Rashid would effectively seal the match for England, with a four-over spell that claimed three wickets and conceded only 11 runs. Though Thisara is not a part of the Test set-up, he felt Rashid was hitting ominous form just ahead of the Tests.”Moeen Ali and Rashid are bowling really well. They are bowling good lengths, which is the main thing. It will be really difficult for us in the matches coming up as well. They are going well in Asia.”

Sri Lanka pursued 388 – the highest successful chase on the island – with fifties from Niroshan Dickwella and Asela Gunaratne

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo18-Jul-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
6:06

Arnold: Zimbabwe were tactically superior to Sri Lanka

A lively 121-run stand for the sixth wicket between Asela Gunaratne and Niroshan Dickwella was the centerpiece of a great escape for the hosts, and a sapping defeat for a daring Zimbabwe side.Zimbabwe had never beaten Sri Lanka, of course, but also, the 388 they had set had also never been chased either by Sri Lanka, or by anyone on the island. In the end, Sri Lanka achieved the target with four wickets in hand – Gunaratne having prodded his team sensibly onward. He was on 80 when the winning runs were hit. Dickwella had made 81. Graeme Cremer, who had raised Zimbabwe’s hopes when he dismissed both Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews within the first hour of play, was left with four wickets to his name, as his team failed to claim the chances that might have punctured Sri Lanka’s resurgence. Once the initial disappointment fades, however, Zimbabwe may reflect that they have played with incredible courage here, and at least have that ODI series trophy to take home with them.Three denied or missed wicket opportunities, all of them involving wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva, will haunt Zimbabwe. First, with Dickwella on 37 and Sri Lanka on 237 for 5, Chakabva whipped off the bails and appealed, after Dickwella had overbalanced, missing a ball from Sikandar Raza. It was a close decision: no part of the crease was visible behind Dickwella’s boot. However, no part of the boot appeared to be behind the crease either, so on balance Dickwella should have been given out. But third umpire Chettithody Shamshuddin would rule him not out, and Dickwella would go on produce one of the game’s definitive performances.Zimbabwe should have had Dickwella again on 63, when Sean Williams induced an edge with a sliding delivery, only for Chakabva – who had kept immaculately until then – to fumble the chance. Sri Lanka had at the time been 102 runs from the target. Finally, after Dickwella had eventually been dismissed, Gunaratne would also be reprieved by Chakabva. Running down the track at Cremer on 54, Gunaratne failed to reach the pitch of the ball, and had it turn and beat him down the leg side. Chakabva could not gather cleanly, and Gunaratne made it back into the crease. Had he been out at that point, Sri Lanka would have been seven down, with Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera new at the crease, 50 runs still to get.But aside from that indiscretion, Gunaratne was a calming influence on the chase. He was always on the lookout for risk-free runs, rarely failing to take the most sensible option on offer, hitting boundaries only off the wayward balls, and running hard for his partner – strained hamstring and all. Where others were largely reliant on the sweep for their runs, Gunaratne also had in his repertoire the short-arm pull, which could fetch him runs in a wide arc between midwicket and fine leg. While he was at the crease, there was a steadiness to the chase.Niroshan Dickwella was put down by Regis Chakabva on 63•AFP

Not for Dickwella, however, was restraint or control. He swept and reverse-swept merrily, often venturing down the pitch to the spinners, and getting pad or boot to ball on the occasions he could not hit it with his bat. His innings featured only six fours, but that is partly because the energy and ambition he brought to the crease forced Zimbabwe to post more men on the fence than they would ideally have liked. Even before lunch, the rhythm with which Zimbabwe’s bowlers had operated in the early overs, seemed slightly upset.As the stand with Gunaratne grew after the break, nerves appeared to enter Zimbabwe’s game for the first time in two days. Dickwella brought up his fifty off the 69th delivery he faced, clubbing Chris Mpofu to the midwicket fence. He slowed down after the milestone, but had nevertheless changed the outlook of the match. He was caught behind off the glove attempting to reverse-sweep Sean Williams, but Sri Lanka needed only 64 at that stage, and in the end, no further wickets fell. Dilruwan Perera contributed a shaky 29. It would be enough.But how Zimbabwe had shaken Sri Lanka in the morning. Mendis, who had batted with such assurance on day four, attempted to sweep a wide and full Cremer delivery, and wound up sending a top edge to mid-on. That was only the sixth over of the day. When Angelo Mathews then chipped a return catch to Cremer eight overs later, with 185 runs still to get, the chase was in crisis. Zimbabwe ringed the new men, and only an innings as risk-riddled as Dickwella’s could loosen their grip on this game.Relief will be Sri Lanka’s first emotion to the victory, but perhaps there will also be contentment that three of their less experienced players played important roles in the chase. Gunaratne and Dickwella have 12 Tests between them, and the only other man to cross fifty was 22-year old Mendis. While the bowling attack requires substantial inspection, the batting, at least appears in half-decent shape.

Former Test wicketkeeper Courtney Browne has replaced Clive Lloyd as West Indies’ chairman of selectors, effective immediately

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jun-2016Former Test wicketkeeper Courtney Browne has replaced Clive Lloyd as West Indies’ chairman of selectors, effective immediately.The WICB confirmed the move on Thursday evening but did not announce whether Lloyd, who had been in the role since August 2014, had stepped down of his own choice or been sacked.Browne, who played 20 Tests and 46 one-day internationals for West Indies, has been on the selection panel for almost six years and has been given a two-year appointment as chairman.The WICB also announced that from October 1, Lloyd would move to a new role as a “special ambassador”, in which he would be responsible for acting as a spokesperson for the board at special events.”The time as Chairman was quite rewarding and I am hoping my contribution would have added value to the current system,” Lloyd said. “I made every attempt to serve with distinction and I was pleased to contribute to the game again. I look forward to the new role. The details of that arrangement will be discussed and will be released shortly.”

Ben Stokes credited the belief the England coaching team have shown in him after thumping a fluent 92 in the first innings of the Investec Test at Lord’s

George Dobell21-May-2015Ben Stokes credited the belief the England coaching team have shown in him after thumping a fluent 92 in the first innings of the Investec Test at Lord’s.Stokes was promoted to No. 6 in the batting line-up and told to go out and play his natural, aggressive game. And he feels the added responsibility helped as he and Joe Root rescued England from a perilous position.”Batting at No. 6 is important to me, because I feel it gives me more responsibility,” Stokes said. “It’s nice to be given the confidence by the coach and the captain. Hopefully I can make it my spot.”Paul Farbrace said today ‘Do what you do; everyone backs you in the changing room, so don’t change anything just because you are in the Three Lions.'”International cricket doesn’t always last as long as you want it to. While I’m here I want to play the way I want to and know that I can be successful. Whenever I put an England shirt on, I try to play the same way I do for Durham, as that’s what got me here.”The last time Stokes played a Test a Lord’s in July last year he suffered a pair against India to round off a run of three successive run-less innings. He didn’t play another Test for nine months.He was naturally delighted to score his first Test runs at Lord’s and reflected that he was a far more mature player than the man who missed the World T20 in 2014 having broken his wrist punching a locker in exasperation at another cheap dismissal.”I bagged a pair last time I was here, so things couldn’t have got any worse really,” Stokes said. “It’s always nice to come back to a place where it hasn’t gone too well and then put a performance in for the team.”Punching the locker was a stupid moment and something, I hope, I’ll never do again, because lockers are generally harder than bones and wrists.

Australia’s captain Michael Clarke has denied the saga surrounding Shane Watson’s futile attempt to be fit for the Adelaide Test is a distraction for the team as they attempt to claim a 1-0 lead in the series against South Africa

Daniel Brettig in Adelaide21-Nov-2012Australia’s captain Michael Clarke has denied the saga surrounding Shane Watson’s futile attempt to be fit for the Adelaide Test is a distraction for the team as they attempt to claim a 1-0 lead in the series against South Africa. Watson was predictably ruled out on Wednesday morning after a series of fitness tests showed he was not yet close to full readiness for the rigours of a five-day match, even if he were to play as a batsman only.Clarke’s announcement of an unchanged Australian XI for the second Test ended any doubt in the mind of the No.3 batsman Rob Quiney, who took Watson’s place in Brisbane but has spent three days in Adelaide unsure of whether he would be playing or not. David Warner, too, has not been entirely certain of his spot after the national selector John Inverarity refused to guarantee it when he named Watson in a 13-man group for Adelaide. However Clarke was adamant the episode had not affected his team’s focus.”I think the intent was great that Watto plus support staff, plus the team want him back out on the park, want him playing because we know how important he is to our group as a player,” Clarke said. “I just think we’ve given Watto every chance and we feel, support staff, selectors and Shane as well, probably feels he’s a few days short of being at his best. I don’t think the speculation has had any impact on the team. The guys have all gone about their work as well as they can. Rob Quiney still did all his preparation, so I don’t think it’s had an effect on the team.”There have been rumblings for some time of various differences of opinion between Clarke and Watson, his vice-captain, most revolving around the allrounder’s choice of preparation for Test assignments and the role he is to fulfil when on them. Clarke seemed intent on scotching this particular brand of chatter, damaging as it can be to have words circulating widely that the captain and his deputy speak with something less than the same voice.”We have a great relationship firstly, I know there’s been talk of that being a bit different, but Watto and I, our friendship and our professional relationship when it comes to captain and vice-captain is as close as I can certainly ask for,” Clarke said. “We spoke daily, even before we flew to Adelaide as a team, and I was kept well and truly in the loop of where he was at preparation wise. Once we got here our intent was to give Watto every single chance as a very important player and vice-captain to play in this Test match, but unfortunately we’ve just run out of time.”Watto sees himself as an allrounder, he wants to be an allrounder. He knows the impact he has in this game with both bat and ball and he’s a huge part of our squad when he’s doing both very well. Our plans are to try to get him to 100% as quick as we can, knowing we’ve got eight days now before the third Test in Perth.”The other major decision Clarke and his fellow selectors had to make revolved around the balance of the bowling attack. Ultimately Clarke settled on an unchanged quartet of Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Nathan Lyon, leaving Mitchell Starc carrying the drinks in Adelaide but favoured to be included for the third Test in Perth.Hilfenhaus had notable technical struggles in Brisbane, his arm low and his action not as precise as it had been when he was so successful last summer. But Clarke said he felt enough improvement from Hilfenhaus and his fellow pacemen as the Gabba Test unfolded to choose them again for Adelaide. Starc’s control over the red ball is improving with every innings, but it was also reasoned that the steadier Hilfenhaus will be more capable of bowling maidens on request during stretches of the Adelaide match that may be devoid of assistance through the air or off the pitch.”We had a lot of success last summer, there was rain in Brisbane but after day one I thought the bowlers came back really well,” Clarke said. “We took 14 of the South African wickets and they only took five of ours. I think we’ve got a good mixture of aggression but also bowlers who can bowl long spells and dry runs up if required on that wicket. Generally at Adelaide there are periods of the game where you have to bowl quite tight. As a bowling unit throughout that whole first Test we improved and I’m confident as a team we’ll be better for the hit-out in Brisbane and come out and perform better.”There was certainly talk about Starcy coming into the XI, he’s performed really well for NSW, he’s been bowling beautifully in the shorter form of the game and in the nets as well. I just think we feel at the moment our attack improved as the game went on in Brisbane. There were a few nerves in on day one and it was our first game together as a team for quite a while, so I think everyone will be better for that.”

Fast bowler Simon Jones will return to Glamorgan next season after signing a two-year deal with the county

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2011Fast bowler Simon Jones will return to Glamorgan next season after signing a two-year deal with the county. Jones heads back to Glamorgan, for whom he first signed as a 16 year old in 1998, after spending the last two seasons with Hampshire.Jones had spent part of the 2011 summer on loan to Glamorgan. During a six-week spell with them he played in 10 Friends Life t20 games and three CB40 matches, taking 13 wickets.”I’ve got very mixed emotions on leaving The Rose Bowl,” said Jones, whose time with Hampshire was hampered by a long-term injury. “I mean, what a place to play your cricket. It’s not just the surroundings or the playing area, it’s everything that is the Rose Bowl; the office staff, supporters, playing staff and ground staff – they all have special memories for me.”It’s only been two years, but I feel I settled in and thoroughly enjoyed my time. Rod Bransgrove is a special human being, whom I have immense respect and admiration for, especially for his love of the game and all he gave to bring Test cricket to the south. I feel sad to leave but need to be playing and not spectating.”Giles White has been a wonderful support to me always and I am grateful to him. To the lads I say good luck, enjoy and have lots of success. Hopefully I’ll see them next season.””It has been a pleasure to have Simon with us over the last two years,” said Hampshire manager Giles White. “He has been a model professional and shown a fantastic attitude in all that he has done. We will be sad to see Simon and the family leave but understand the obvious attraction of a return to Cardiff and wish them well in the future.”

David Warner has his sights firmly set on becoming the new Adam Gilchrist at the top of Australia’s one-day batting line-up

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-2010David Warner has his sights firmly set on becoming the new Adam Gilchrist at the top of Australia’s one-day batting line-up. Warner, 23, is in India with the ODI squad and Australia’s selectors are keen to see how he performs in the 50-over format on the subcontinent, with a potential World Cup place up for grabs.Although Australia have largely used Warner as a Twenty20 specialist, he also played seven ODIs last year and once bludgeoned a memorable 165 in a one-day game for New South Wales. His all-or-nothing style might not always suit the pacing of 50-over cricket but he hopes he can play a similar role to Gilchrist, who was viewed by every opponent as a potential matchwinner.”I see myself as similar to Adam Gilchrist, more of an X-factor player, where I go out there and try to mimic his role as he played,” Warner told reporters in India. “He was aggressive, he might’ve come off one in five innings as well, but he changed the course of the game.”Everyone was talking about, ‘We’ve got to get Adam out, if we don’t get him out then he could put 100 on in 10 overs’. I look up to him as that kind of player, an impact player, where if I can get off to a good start, I can put the other team on the back foot and make them worry about how they’re going to get myself out, instead of the other players they should be worrying about as well.”The most recent of Warner’s one-day internationals came against Scotland last August, but that was a one-off encounter used as a warm-up for Twenty20s against England. During his six earlier games Warner made one significant score – 69 against South Africa in Sydney – but he said he had found it hard to adjust from Twenty20 in his initial steps on the ODI scene.”I felt that I had to keep going the same pace and one tempo, and that’s where I reckon I’ve matured now and I’ve learned to adapt,” Warner said. “There were little things there where I wasn’t in the right position, so that’s the thing that was out, but if I go back into the same situation I’m going to do the same thing because it was there to hit.”But in the end I was probably feeling a bit of pressure because I wasn’t scoring runs. I’m still going to play the same way I play, but not trying to go after every ball – I’ve got 50 overs, not 20. Now I reckon I’m mature enough that I can try to last 50 overs.”Warner’s opportunity in India was granted when the selectors decided to rest Shane Watson ahead of the Ashes, but rain washed out the first ODI in Kochi on Sunday. There are also concerns over the weather for the remaining two games, in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday and Margao on Sunday.

Rajasthan’s Ashok Menaria, who led the side to Australia this year, will captain the 15-man squad

Cricinfo staff06-Dec-2009The BCCI’s junior selection committee announced the Under-19 squad to tour New Zealand for the World Cup, from January 15-30, 2010. Rajasthan’s Ashok Menaria, who led the side to Australia this year, will captain the 15-man squad.Notable names in the squad are those of Saurabh Netrawalkar and Sufiyan Shaikh, who were impressive during the BCCI Corporate Trophy.India, defending champions, kick off the tournament with a match against Afghanistan on January 15 in Lincoln. They will then play Hong Kong two days later in Christchurch, followed by their final game of the group stage against England on January 21. The top two teams in each group will progress to the quarter-finals.The squad will head to South Africa for a short series before the World Cup.India Under-19 squad: Ashok Menaria (capt), Mandeep Singh, Mayhank Agarwal, Akshath Reddy, Harpreet Singh, KL Rahul, Sufiyan Shaikh, Zahid Ali, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkad, Sandeep Sharma, Saurabh Netravalkar, Harmeet Singh, Manan Sharma, Gaurav Jathar.

Kohli set up India for a semi-final spot and all but crossed out Pakistan from the 2025 Champions Trophy

Alagappan Muthu23-Feb-2025

Virat Kohli brings up his 51st ODI century•Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

In the biggest match of the year, with his mortality showing more than it ever did before, Virat Kohli proved he’s still got it, that maybe, just maybe, the little he’s lost isn’t going to define him. He ticked off 14,000 runs in ODI cricket, brought up his 51st ODI century, set up India for a semi-final spot, and all but crossed out Pakistan from Champions Trophy 2025. The holders and hosts need other results to go their way to stay alive in the tournament now.India went into the game as favourites. They were worthy of that seeding, limiting Pakistan to 241 with Hardik Pandya putting in the kind of performance that should make him illegal. An allrounder capable of dismissing the opposition’s best batter and then coming back to take down their top-scorer isn’t just a name on the sheet. He is the secret sauce.Related

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• 'Happy with the template' – Kohli and the comfort of the chase

And Kuldeep Yadav was the spice. His left-arm wristspin is so rare and he made it rarer by finding a way to be quick through the air without compromising on turn or accuracy. So that means unless batters pick him out of the hand, they are always going to be guessing. Three Pakistan batters guessed wrong. All three were end-overs wickets. Pakistan were setting up to explode at the death. Kuldeep just wouldn’t let them. The injury hasn’t affected his menace.Pakistan were able to produce moments. Shaheen Shah Afridi sending down a 143kph inswinging yorker to shatter Rohit Sharma’s stumps. Abrar Ahmed conjuring a carrom ball from hell to get rid of a rampaging Shubman Gill. But when it came to capitalising on them, they just couldn’t. The result: a world champion side that was renowned for pulling games out of the fire now seems to do the first part right – they definitely got into trouble in Dubai – but the other part, the important part, is going so very wrong. Pakistan were 151 for 2 in the 34th over before they were bowled out for 241 with the most inexperienced member of the India side dictating terms, Harshit Rana and his slower balls were just impossible to hit.A game in an ICC event and a rivalry with history bursting out of every pore eventually became so one-sided that its last few moments were dominated by an individual pursuit. Axar Patel turned down an easy two so Kohli could get to his hundred. The crowd in Dubai loved that. There were 12 runs to get for India’s victory and 12 runs to get for their hero’s century and they chanted his name over and over. Pakistan were nowhere to be found. Ever since a collapse of 3 for 11 in 19 balls, this game turned pear-shaped for them.1:10

Manjrekar: Hardik always delivers on the big stage

Mohammad Rizwan had banked on the innings going so differently. He came in at 47 for 2 and hit his first ball for four and then decided run-scoring was not for him. He was 24 off 50. He barely hit the ball in anger. He point blank refused to. At the other end, Saud Shakeel was at least making an effort to turn the good balls he was facing into singles. When he got to fifty, he had weathered only 29 dot balls. At the same time, Rizwan at the other end, had racked up 40. India did well by denying him spin to start his innings. But still, this was a better pitch than the opening game in Dubai a few days ago. It wasn’t flat, but it had a little more pace in it, and it got better under lights. Rizwan, though, batted like it was cursed. He was worried bad things would happen if he tried to hit the ball hard.And it kinda did. Rizwan fell trying to hit Axar out of the ground and his wicket triggered a collapse. Shakeel fell in the next over and Tayyab Tahir followed soon after. India, having spent 320 deliveries across two matches searching for a wicket in the middle overs, had found three in the space of four. Pakistan were 165 for 5. Soon they would be 200 for 7, having to negotiate the last 7.1 overs of the innings with their tail exposed.India’s discipline never let Pakistan off the hook and leading the way was Hardik, banging the ball just short of a length on a pitch that was offering a bit of grip and some tennis-ball bounce. He took out Babar Azam at a time when India’s lead fast bowler, Mohammed Shami, was off the field with a shin problem, and he did Shakeel for lack of pace just after the left-hand batter had smacked him for four. He always knew what to do to exploit the conditions and make the batter’s life miserable. On the back of his work, Kuldeep and Rana bowled 6.4 death overs for 28 runs and picked up four wickets.1:54

Urooj: Pakistan have let themselves down again

Gill was the star of India’s chase early on, a conscious effort to keep his front foot from moving too far forward and across leaving him excellently placed to take advantage of Afridi and his full-length deliveries when there was no swing on offer. When he rammed the fast bowler down the ground and then one-upped it by coming down the track and lifting the ball into the sightscreen, it looked like it was going to be his day. Abrar intervened with a ball that drifted in, tempting Gill to close the face of his bat, and turned away to rattle middle and off stump. Gill was stunned.Kohli, too, offered a shrug of his shoulders. He looked vulnerable against Abrar too and was almost bowled playing back to him. But against the quicks, he was vintage. He went past 14,000 runs with a crisp cover drive off Haris Rauf. All of Pakistan’s best bowlers offer pace on the ball. And that is Kohli’s happy place. A batter of his quality needs to be made uncomfortable at the crease when he is new. He had been dismissed five times in his last six ODIs by legspin. Pakistan had one of those and they felt they couldn’t go to him.2:07

Manjrekar: Shreyas now looks comfortable against the short ball

Shreyas Iyer helped himself to a half-century. A little change in his technique where he holds his bat higher and waves it as the bowler approaches, creating momentum into his shots, is helping him deal with an earlier weakness against the short ball. He clubbed Rauf for four in front of square to prove it. But there was no taking the spotlight from his senior partner.Kohli was setting the tempo. Pakistan had allowed him to do so. Though he only hit three of his first 62 balls to the boundary, he already had fifty runs to his name. He knows how to score quickly without looking for big shots. The ball wasn’t stopping on the surface as much under lights. Things were working in his favour again. He almost knew he was going to get a hundred. He demanded an explanation when Axar turned down a second run off a wide in the 42nd over when it was clear to everybody else that all he was doing was make sure Kohli had the best chance to get to three figures with time running out. When he did, off the last ball of the match, Kohli looked to the dressing room and literally said, “I told you. Relax.” That was how easy this was. That was how inevitable he was.

Coach Shelley Nitschke is wary of the unknowns but does not want Australia to look to far ahead of themselves

Andrew McGlashan18-Dec-2023Australia are keeping an open mind about what conditions they could face in their Test against India at Wankhede Stadium but are ready to embrace anything that is thrown at them.Shelley Nitschke, Australia’s coach, noted the “challenging” pitch that was on offer for the England game at DY Patil Stadium last week where the visitors were bundled out for 136 and 131. And she expects spin to again play a major role during Australia’s first Test in the country since 1984.They have trained at the Wankhede Stadium since arriving and had a 50-over practice match on Sunday but are still facing distinct unknowns about what will be provided for the Test.Related

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“It’s a tough one to prepare for,” Nitschke said. “The girls are coming off the back of a WBBL, and looks like we are going to get some really traditional subcontinent conditions but it’s also really exciting. Think everyone is just embracing the challenge. We are just doing whatever we can to prepare.”Think it will just be a matter of how quickly that pitch deteriorates. It’s a matter of adapting on the run and not getting too far ahead of ourselves, thinking that it will do something. We are trying not to read too much into it, but we certainly know what way it could go but it will be interesting how much it does change across the four days.”With all that in mind, there remains a lot to play out in terms of how Australia will structure their side although the number of allrounders in the squad gives them plenty of options. All four spinners – Ashleigh Gardner, Georgia Wareham, Jess Jonassen and Alana King – could feature with top-order batters Ellyse Perry and Tahlia McGrath adding to the seam-bowling depth alongside fellow allrounder Annabel Sutherland.Nitschke confirmed that Alyssa Healy, the new permanent captain, was on track to lead the side and keep wickets following her recovery from the finger injury caused by a dog bite which ruled her out of the majority of the WBBL. She did not take the gloves in the warm-up match as part of a measured return to action but hit a half-century.Lauren Cheatle’s left-arm angle could provide a point of difference•PA Photos/Getty Images

“Everything is looking really positive, so fingers crossed it keeps going that way over the next three or four days,” Nitschke said. “Unless there’s some significant change think Midge [Healy] will be leading at the first day of the Test.”Australia are in effect selecting from 13 players for the Test with allrounder Heather Graham having just arrived after staying at home to play two WNCL matches. Megan Schutt is not yet with the squad having previously conceded her Test days were behind her and Grace Harris is only part of the T20s.If they go very spin-heavy, it could mean room for just one of the frontline quicks between Darcie Brown, Lauren Cheatle and Kim Garth.”We’ve certainly got a lot of options and a number of allrounders,” Nitschke said. “We aren’t really clear on where that will land at the moment, we have some decisions to make.”Left-arm fast bowler Cheatle, who last played for Australia in 2019, impressed during the one-day warm-up match with 4 for 19 and would provide a point of difference with her angle (although could exacerbate rough for the spinners outside the right-handers’ off stump) while Brown has extra pace and Garth can offer swing.The only Test between India and Australia starts on December 21 in Mumbai.