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Cricket News: Paceman out of first Test, Proteas sound out warning, Smith seals BBL deal, Aussies lose thriller

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12th December, 2022
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Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the series-opening Test against South Africa at the Gabba with a side strain.

Australia’s selectors have confirmed a 14-man squad for the match starting on Saturday, with captain Pat Cummins expected to recover from a quad injury.

Hazlewood was ruled out of the second Test win over West Indies on the eve of the match last week.

The 31-year-old is now suffering a second straight interrupted summer, after also suffering a side strain last season and missing the final four Ashes Tests.

It means Michael Neser and Scott Boland will battle for the role of third quick, after taking three wickets apiece in the fourth-innings rout of the West Indies in Adelaide.

Speedster Lance Morris will also remain with the group, but is unlikely to feature unless a further injury occurs.

“Pat continues to improve, bowled with freedom on Saturday and appears likely to play this match although Josh will need more time,” chief selector George Bailey said.

“With that in mind we have retained Michael Neser and Lance Morris in the squad for this match.

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“Michael bowled superbly in Adelaide, as did Scott.

“We were impressed as always with their performances that backed up what they have achieved in the past.”

Hazlewood is now in a race against the clock to play in the second Test against the South Africans on Boxing Day at the MCG.

Cummins said over the weekend that it was a one-to-two-week injury, leaving Hazlewood in some doubt for that match at the MCG.

If he is to miss, there is also no guarantee of him returning for the third and final Test in Sydney, where Australia could play two spinners on a turning wicket.

The injury caps a frustrating 12 months for the seamer in red-ball cricket, after he played just one Test in Pakistan and none in Sri Lanka on spin-friendly pitches.

Boland will likely be the favourite to remain in Australia’s XI given his status as the country’s fourth quick.

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Alternatively Queenslander Michael Neser has the advantage of the Gabba being his home ground, if selectors were to take the pitch into consideration.

AUSTRALIA SQUAD FOR FIRST TEST: Pat Cummins (capt), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, , Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Lance Morris, Michael Neser, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner.

Smith to play BBL

It’s almost like Cricket Australia needed some good news to announce to distract fans from the David Warner leadership ban sideshow – Steve Smith will play for Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League this summer after the stand-off with CA over his involvement was resolved.

Under a deal struck between Smith and CA, he will be added to the Sixers squad as a replacement player once an international star heads back overseas in early January.

Smith will then become available when the Test summer finishes on January 8, allowing him to play up to four regular-season matches.

Ordinarily, the role of a replacement player attracts payments of $2200 per game, but Smith will now receive a greater salary as part of marketing expenditure.

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That offer from CA is similar to the one used to lure David Warner back to the BBL at the Sydney Thunder, but in this instance also includes a significant contribution from Cricket NSW.

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“Steve and his management recently confirmed he will be available to play in this summer’s Big Bash, after his international commitments have finished in January.” Sixers boss Jonathan Robinson-Lees said.

“That is great news for the Sixers, the BBL and for fans.

Steve Smith bats during the BBL09 final.

Steve Smith bats during the BBL09 final between the Sydney Sixers and the Melbourne Stars. (Photo by Jason McCawley – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)

“We are really excited for the team and especially our fans, who will now get to see one of the world’s greatest players in magenta this summer.”

Smith’s time at the club will include the Sydney Smash against Warner’s Thunder at the SCG on January 21.

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His return will mark the first time he has played in the BBL since 2019-20.

The 33-year-old had attempted to play for the Sixers last summer, but was controversially precluded as he had not nominated for the player replacement pool.

It had appeared as if he would suffer the same fate this summer, after the Sixers filled up their initial roster space believing Smith would not be available.

However, CA bosses met Smith’s management during the Perth Test earlier this month in a bid to bring him back to the competition before it was eventually finalised.

“Steve Smith is a Sixer. He has been part of this club from the start, and he will be part of this club for as long as he wants to be,” Sixers captain Moises Henriques said.

“He has always known that the door is open to him playing with us again.”

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The outcome is a major win for CA on several fronts.

Smith is a crowd-puller, and one the BBL needs given Glenn Maxwell and Mitch Marsh have both been ruled out of the tournament through injury.

It also comes after the organisation has been heavily criticised in recent weeks for a failure to make clear decisions, as highlighted by the Warner leadership saga.

Aussies lose thriller in Super Over

Australia’s all-conquering women’s team have finally lost an international – but it took a dazzling Super Over by India’s big hitters to consign them to a first defeat in 2022.

Their second T20 international in Mumbai on Sunday went to the extra over after a thrilling tie which featured India’s Devika Vaidya hitting a four off the final ball of the regulation 20 overs to level the scores in front of an ecstatic full-house of 45,238.

Taking advantage of their great escape, India’s power players Richa Ghosh and player of the match Smriti Mandhana then both smashed sixes off T20I debutant Heather Graham in a Super Over that got clattered for 20 runs.

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In response, Australia’s batters, headed by captain Alyssa Healy’s 15 off five balls, fell four runs short after mustering 16 in total.

After 21 victories over a triumphant year, it was an agonising first defeat for the new Aussie skipper, whose world champions had looked set to win again after a masterful record-breaking stand between their ‘M&M’ combo – Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath.

But Healy recognised that the sport had ended up as the real winner after one of the great women’s white-ball matches. 

“I mean, what a game of cricket that was and what a showcase of fearless cricket that is over here in India and for thousands of people to be able to witness this is pretty special,” said Healy.

“I thought we did well to be in that game. India were all over us right throughout that chase. The fact that we hung in there, took it to Super Over, we can be pretty proud of that.”

Put in to bat, the visitors amassed a formidable 1-187 with Mooney (82no) and McGrath (70no), who’d guided them to a nine-wicket win in the first match with an unbroken stand of 100, this time putting on an unbeaten 158 for the second wicket, an Australian record for any wicket in a T20I.

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It looked as if it would be too high a mountain for the Indian batters but, taking advantage of the lightning-fast outfield and short boundaries, opener Mandhana crashed 79 off 49 balls before Ghosh muscled three late sixes to continually keep them in the hunt.

Needing an unlikely 14 to win off the last over, Vaidya then stepped up as the home side’s hero, thick-edging the second ball for four and slicing the last ball from Megan Schutt over backward point to earn the boundary that levelled the scores at 5-187 and sent the packed crowd in the D.Y. Patil Stadium, attracted by the free entry offer, into ecstatic celebration mode.

They became even more animated in ‘extra time’ when Graham got whacked over long-on for six by Ghosh in the first ball of the Super Over. Even though she departed next ball, Mandhana took over to hit 4, 6 and 3 off the last three.

It was hard on Graham, who’d earlier been Australia’s best performer with the ball, taking 3-22 off her four overs as the Indians went for broke – but a target of 21 was too much for the Aussies once Healy’s partner Ashleigh Gardner was caught in the deep off Renuka Singh first ball and McGrath could only muster a single.

Healy hit the last two balls for four and six but it was too little, too late on what had proved a difficult day for the Australians, after earlier news that leading spinner Jess Jonassen had been ruled out of the series with a hamstring problem.

Legspinner Amanda-Jade Wellington is flying out to replace her.

Proteas pace duo put Aussies on notice

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South Africa pace duo Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi fired a warning shot to Australia ahead of the first Test by taking early wickets against a Cricket Australia XI top order for the second time in their tour warm-up match.

The Proteas had set Cricket Australia 426 runs to win at Allan Border Field on the final day but both sides agreed on an early finish just before tea with the hosts 6-184 in their second innings.

South Africa play Australia in the first match of a three-Test series at the Gabba from December 17 and derived plenty from this four-day hit-out.

One thing was clear: Australia will not have it as easy as they did against the West Indies when the top order goes out to bat.

Rabada (2-22 off six overs) has 257 Test wickets and was at his lethal best in the second innings, when he claimed two early victims.

Ngidi (1-9 off five), who took three early scalps in the first innings, chimed in to have Cricket Australia 3-34.

In the first innings, Rabada also picked up an early wicket in support of Ngidi as their opponents slumped to 4-25.

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Proteas bowling coach Charl Langeveldt said he couldn’t wait to unleash the pair at the Gabba.

“KG has had a brilliant season for us so far. He bowled well. Lungi has always been good and can swing the ball,” Langeveldt said.

“Sometimes the conditions overhead in Brisbane (means) it does swing. In Brisbane they also leave a lot of grass on the wicket to start the game off so that plays in to our favour day one or day two.

“I think our lengths was the key. We were a lot fuller. If you bowl short it looks good but is not going to get you the rewards.”

It is the way the duo complement each other with different styles that Langeveldt said was the key.

“Lungi is a lot more controlled, where KG is a genuine wicket taker.

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“Rabada doesn’t deliver as high as Ngidi. Ngidi has got a better wrist position. They are different. That is their strength.”

Captain Dean Elgar (109) found form in the first innings alongside wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne (80). In the visitors’ second outing, it was the turn of Rassie van der Dussen (95) and Theunis de Bruyn (88) to make some pre-Test runs.

Throw in the return of middle-order stalwart Temba Bavuma in the second dig from an elbow injury that stopped him batting in the first innings and it was an almost perfect preparation for the Proteas.

Cricket Australia skipper Peter Handscomb (48 retired out) and Teague Wyllie (44) both made runs on the final day.

The display of 20-year-old left-hander Campbell Kellaway was the highlight for the future of Australian cricket. He appeared as comfortable as a seasoned veteran in his unbeaten 109 in the first innings and was going along nicely at 34no when the match ended.

Sharma out of India’s Tests vs Bangladesh

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India’s captain Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the first of two Tests against Bangladesh this month.

Rohit did not play in the third one-day international against Bangladesh on Saturday after a blow to his thumb sustained while fielding in the previous game.

Abhimanyu Easwaran will replace him in the team for the first Test.

Fast bowler Mohammad Shami and allrounder Ravindra Jadeja are missing the Test series due to injuries and will be replaced by Navdeep Saini and Saurabh Kumar.

KL Rahul will captain the side and fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat has been added to the squad.

India’s updated squad for Bangladesh Tests: KL Rahul (capt), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara (vice-capt), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wkt), KS Bharat (wkt), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Navdeep Saini, Saurabh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat.

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