Former Test skipper Steve Smith has returned to the Australian T20I team after his controversial omission for the team’s first match against the West Indies.
But Smith, who was the odd batter out when Cameron Green was again included in the game-one win on the Gold Coast on Wednesday night, is uncertain about his long-term spot in the XI.
“I’m not really sure,” Smith said in Brisbane on Thursday. “The reasons I got told [I had been dropped] was they wanted six bowling options with obviously Mitch Marsh not bowling and (Marcus) Stoinis not here.
“Whether that is going to be the same going forward I am not really sure.”
Marsh, who batted on Wednesday night at No.3, has flown to Perth to prepare for Sunday’s T20 clash with England, opening the door for Smith to play in Brisbane.
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Smith is under pressure to retain his spot in the middle order – Aaron Finch dropped to four and hit a half-century to accommodate Green at opener with David Warner back in the team after resting during the Indian tour.
“I am obviously not as strong and powerful as some of the other guys but some wickets entail just good smarts and punching the ball and timing the ball really well, particularly in Australia where we have big grounds.
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
“It is T20 cricket. The first option has always got to be the aggressive option and then you rein it in from there based on conditions, who you are facing and situations in the game of course. Certainly having that positive or aggressive mindset is important.”
Green will only be included in the 15-man World Cup squad if there is an injury to a selected player but fellow all-rounder Marcus Stoinis is set to make a comeback from an ongoing side strain when the Aussies take on England in Perth on Sunday.
Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Glenn Maxwell will skip the first match of the three-match series against England which begins in Perth on Sunday but be available for the second and third matches in Canberra next week.
Mitchell Swepson and Nathan Ellis will fill in for the first match versus England with Kane Richardson and Ashton Agar also returning for the entire series.
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Redbacks in strife against Vics
South Australia will have to overcome a first-innings deficit of 80 after being bowled out for 310 on the second day of their Sheffield Shield clash with Victorira.
Captain Travis Head and Australian Test wicketkeeper Alex Carey were the only two to hold the innings together, scoring 76 and 70 respectively and putting on an innings-high 87-run partnership after the Redbacks slumped to 4-73.
Breakthrough Test star Scott Boland enjoyed a strong day with bat and ball, firstly contributing 24 not out in a 50-run final-wicket stand before claiming four wickets, including top three Jake Weatherald, Henry Hunt and Jake Carder in a devastating early spell.
Along with Jon Holland (28) the Ashes hero put on the second-largest partnership of the Vics’ innings.
Paceman David Grant (4-82) eventually ended the home side’s innings, collecting his side’s best figures in the process.
Boland squared up Weatherald to have the consistent opener caught at gully for a duck and then knocked over Carder for 15 as the Redbacks slipped to 2-18.
Carey’s enterprising innings with first Head and then the tail saw the home side past 200, but an ambitious reverse-scoop off Vics quick and first-innings centurion Will Sutherland effectively ended their chances of a slender deficit.
The Vics reached 0-6 in response off three overs before bad light stopped play, with Will Pucovski remaining on a pair following his first-innings duck.
Bulls inflict pain on Tassie
A Marnus Labuschagne century has lifted Queensland to a position of dominance after day two of their Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania in Brisbane.
The Australian Test star batted through the morning session at Allan Border Field alongside Joe Burns to see the Bulls pass the Tigers’ first-innings score of 147 for the loss of just one wicket.
Burns would fall for 85, caught behind by the returning Tim Paine off the bowling of Beau Webster, but Labuschagne was undeterred, bringing up his first century of the Sheffield Shield season and paying tribute to newborn daughter Hallie.
Labuschagne was eventually trapped LBW by Peter Siddle for 127, walking from the field immediately after being struck in front.
However, despite Jack Clayton falling shortly after for a duck, edging Riley Meredith to Paine, captain Usman Khawaja ( not out) and wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson (58 not out) finished the day with an unbroken 88-run stand to see the Bulls to stumps at 4-357, a lead of 210.
Proteas survive late Indian onslaught
South Africa have survived Sanju Samson’s late onslaught to beat a depleted India by nine runs in the rain-affected opening one-day international in Lucknow.
Chasing 250 for victory in a contest reduced to 40-overs-a-side on Thursday, India needed 30 off the final over from left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, who began with a wide.
Samson, who made 86 not out off 63 balls, went on to smash three fours and a six but India could only muster 20 runs to finish on 8-240 as South Africa took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
India were missing key white-ball players, who are in Australia for the Twenty20 World Cup.
Earlier, Heinrich Klaasen’s 74 not out and David Miller’s unbeaten 75 helped South Africa overcome a sluggish start and post 4-249 after rain forced a 10-overs-a-side reduction.
Put into bat, openers Janneman Malan (22) and Quinton de Kock (48) were restricted by India’s disciplined pace attack.
Shardul Thakur sent back Malaan and, in his next over, dismissed Temba Bavuma for eight, the South Africa captain’s fourth consecutive single-digit score on the tour.
Klaasen (74) and Miller (75) combined in an unbroken fifth-wicket partnership of 139 aided by three dropped catches in the final overs.
India struggled early in their chase, losing skipper Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill inside six overs to slump to 2-8.
Shreyas Iyer counter-attacked with a 37-ball 50 before Lungi Ngidi bounced him out.
Thakur made a breezy 33 but India’s hopes were pinned on Samson, who tried his best but could not get his team over the line.
He did not face a single ball in the penultimate over which proved crucial for his team.
South Africa suffered a blow before the start of the match when allrounder Dwaine Pretorius was ruled out of the Twenty20 World Cup with a fractured thumb.
India had prevailed 2-1 in the preceding three-match Twenty20 series against Bavuma’s men.
The second one-dayer is in Ranchi on Sunday.
DTM
Roar Rookie
I agree. In fact, of the current fast bowlers in Australia, Ellis has the best economy rate in T20Is. It is only a small sample and on wickets that probably suited him - low bouncing decks. But what more can he do? Compare his record with Sams, Dwarshius and the two Richardsons. Also, Starc tends to leak runs when under pressure - he is a strike bowler but he is losing his penetration. Ellis also strikes me as the sort of bloke who will give you 100% everytime he steps onto a cricket field - not sure anyone can say that about Starc.
Johnb
Guest
Very small sample sizes but his T20 international figures aren't too bad - 4 games, 12 wickets at 9.00 and at 6.75 runs per over - and nor are his first class figures - 7 games, 35 wickets at 25.11. Not quite so good in ODIs although it should be remembered they were all in Pakistan - 3 games, 3 wickets at 46.66 and at 6.08 runs per over. Maybe giving him a go in the first place might have been questionable (he sort of looked like someone who could bustle in and do a good job at Big Bash level but not unreasonable to think that enthusiasm and hustle are only going to take you so far) but he got a go and did well. Hardly idiotic to see whether he's got a bit more to him than it initially might have seemed (and maybe a bit unfair on him to not give him further chances).
Doctor Rotcod
Roar Rookie
What is Nathan Ellis doing anywhere near a national side? And why play him in Perth? I'd prefer Starc, but maybe he already has enough Frequent Flyers.
DTM
Roar Rookie
Stoinis and Smith with probably the weakest arguments in my view.
Simon
Guest
As stacked as the team looks without him, we could have used Smithy on Wednesday night. Tough decision though; him, David, Stoinis and Green all present solid arguments for 2 spots