Cricket News: Aussies rally behind Gardner, Buzz ribs tight-lipped Clarke on Noosa, Tests stars free for first BBL finals

Meg Lanning has declared the Australian women’s cricket team are united in support of Indigenous star Ashleigh Gardner and her criticism of the side playing on January 26.

Gardner made her views clear on the subject on Sunday, when she said the day was a “day of hurt and a day of mourning” for Indigenous Australians.

The reigning Belinda Clark Award holder will line up in the T20 against Pakistan but has said playing on that date did not sit well with her.

The second T20 against Pakistan was initially scheduled for January 27 in Canberra but was moved to the 26th in Hobart when South Africa abandoned their men’s ODI series, which had included a scheduled game in the southern city.

Ashleigh Gardner. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

In a move driven by players, Australia will wear an Indigenous jersey, wristbands and socks with Indigenous colours for the match in Hobart.

The issue is understood to have been first raised months ago by players, who were keen to lead an education space on the issue once being told they would be scheduled to play on January 26.

“It’s something that we can’t control in terms of the scheduling and playing on that day,” Lanning said. 

“But something we would like to do is acknowledge the sadness and grief that day brings for First Nations people. 

“We’re going to try to use the opportunity we have to educate ourselves and try to create a better understanding of what it means and their culture. 

“It’s a really united front in the group and we all support Ash and her feelings around the day.”

Lanning said Gardner was doing “pretty well” after receiving online abuse following her statement, and labelled the allrounder’s action as brave.

Gardner was with the Australian team at training on Monday, amid a throng of media focusing on the issue.

The subject of January 26 has been a constant challenge for Cricket Australia in recent years, and a subject about which the governing body takes regular input from its Indigenous advisory committee.

The organisation dropped the term “Australia Day” from all marketing two years ago, which was met with criticism by then Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Indigenous elements will also become part of all Big Bash League uniforms from next season, with the women’s team to wear a First Nations jersey throughout next month’s T20 World Cup.

“It’s something that we’ve been working on as a group for a number years,” Lanning said.

“We’ve been trying to use every opportunity that we get to educate ourselves and try to celebrate the culture of First Nations people as well and try to make a point of that.

“We’re doing a cultural tour the day before (January 26) to learn a little bit more. 

“It’s something as a group that we’ve spoken about for the past few years, it hasn’t just come up now. We’ll continue to do that because we think it’s important.”

Buzz needles Clarke about Noosa incident in radio return

Michael Clarke has criticised Australia’s selectors and the team’s preparations for India as he opted to stick with cricket on his return to breakfast radio. 

One of his co-hosts, Phil Rothfield, gave him a bit of needle by saying “I’ve got a lot of questions to ask you, am I allowed to?”.

“I’ll probably have no answers for you but go for your life,” Clarke responded with a laugh.

“How was Noosa? No I better not, I was gonna put my journo’s cap on and make a few enquiries. You did well to dodge me”

The subject of headlines for the past week after his public spat with girlfriend Jade Yarbrough, Clarke chose not to address the matter on the show’s return for the year.

With radio bosses expecting Clarke to talk on the matter when the incident broke last week, Big Sports Breakfast host Gerard Middleton was the only member to acknowledge it on Monday. Middleton made the point that the issue was a private matter, and the show wanted to move on from it.

“It is a private matter that Clarkey has been dealing with,” Middleton said early in the show. “A very, very private matter that unfortunately was made public. There are a lot of factors at play here, and Clarkey made his statement last week. We’re moving on on the Big Sports Breakfast.”

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Middleton also said the show had received a lot of text messages “supporting” Clarke, while others had been “sticking the boot in”.

(Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images)

In response, Clarke only entertained jokes about his problematic right hamstring after it was also injured in the argument with Yarbrough and her brother-in-law Karl Stefanovic.

Clarke and Yarbrough have both been fined by Queensland Police for public nuisance, after the expletive-laden argument.

The issue is also believed to have placed Clarke’s commentary contract with the BCCI at risk, with the former Australia Test captain revealing on Monday he had been contacted to commentate on Pakistan’s T20 league.

Aside from that, Clarke kept his opinions to cricket.

He claimed selectors would be “kicking themselves” for overlooking Steve Smith for the majority of Australia’s T20 World Cup disappointment, after his back-to-back BBL tons.

“The Australian selectors missed a massive trick with Smithy in the T20 World Cup,” Clarke said. “They were set on Mitch Marsh batting at No.3. (Aaron) Finch tried batting No.4, Cameron Green had a go. 

“Smithy gets back in the BBL and hits two hundreds in a row. He could’ve batted anywhere, he didn’t have to bat at No.3.

The 41-year-old also labelled it ridiculous Australia were not playing a tour match ahead of the first Test in India on February 9, with the team to rely on net and centre-wicket training.

Test stars free to play first BBL finals

Steve Smith is available for week one of the Big Bash finals, as is David Warner and the majority of the other Test players contracted with BBL sides vying for qualification in the knock-out stage.

Smith and Warner, lured back to the competition on lucrative contracts this summer, had been expecting to leave their respective teammates at the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder after the regular season ended.

But the Test team won’t fly out to India until January 31, with the BBL confirming to AAP that as many as 11 members of the Australian squad could play in the first week of the finals. None will be paid extra match fees for their games.

With three days left in the regular season, only the Perth Scorchers and Sixers are guaranteed to play in the post-season, meaning Sixers Smith and Nathan Lyon will be available, as will Scorchers quick Lance Morris.

This week, Smith became the second man in BBL history hit back-to-back centuries so his inclusion looms as critical for the Sixers.

Ashton Agar of the Scorchers. (Photo by Matt Roberts – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)

Warner’s Sydney Thunder are a chance to qualify for either the eliminator, played between the fourth and fifth-placed teams, and/or the knockout, contested by the third-placed team and the winner of the eliminator. He would be available to play in either or both.

Adelaide Strikers duo Alex Carey and Travis Head would also be available for the eliminator or knockout pending qualification, as would Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw of the Brisbane Heat.

As part of preparations for spin-friendly India, Australia will host a special training clinic for their spinners that rules Ashton Agar and Todd Murphy out of the BBL finals.

Tweaker Mitch Swepson of the Heat and Melbourne Renegades’ Peter Handscomb, known for his ability to play spin, will also take part in the clinic and would be free for the eliminator.

A scheduling conflict means the pair can only suit up in the knockout if it is hosted by the Thunder.

Were Heat dudded by waist-high calls in BBL thriller

Brisbane’s late season surge towards the Big Bash finals has continued with last over hero Spencer Johnson securing a thrilling four-run victory over Melbourne Stars at the Gabba.

Left-arm paceman Johnson bowled the final over of the match for the second time in as many games, after keeping Hobart’s Tim David quiet on Friday night in a sensational finish.

The Stars needed 14 off the last but Johnson contained Marcus Stoinis (36no) and Hilton Cartwright (33no) with nerves of steel.

The Heat’s win was set up by an unbroken 133-run stand by wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson (57no off 43 balls) and English import Sam Hain (73no off 41) who lifted the home side to 4-188 batting first.

The last-placed Stars needed 44 with 14 deliveries to go before Cartwright and Stoinis were both caught off full tosses that were ruled over the waist but were line-ball decisions that divided opinion among fans and commentators.

The pair walloped sixes and fours to set up a final ball showdown. Johnson, playing just his fifth BBL match, unleashed the perfect yorker and kept Stoinis quiet.

“I was quite nervous with that one. The other night I had a bit more to play with,” Johnson said.

“Uz (captain Usman Khawaja) has backed me in. He has been great standing at mid-off and keeping me calm.

“Talking to a few of my close mates after the other night they said, ‘Geez, if you can so that to David you can do that to anyone’. That gives me a lot of confidence to do what I just did.”

The Heat, on 13 points, can now wrap up a top-five finals position with a win over Hobart Hurricanes in Launceston on Wednesday.

The table is that tight the Heat could finish as high as third or still miss the finals, depending on results.

Stars opener Tom Rogers smashed 41 off 20 balls to get the visitors moving quickly in pursuit of the Heat’s total.

Mitchell Swepson (2-23 off four) was decisive for the Heat with his accurate legspinners pegging back the early momentum.

Earlier, Hain and Peirson came together at 4-55 in the seventh over.

Peirson, playing his 101st BBL game for Brisbane, was pugnacious square of the wicket while Hain unfurled a vast range of shots, including a reverse ramp for six.

England international Luke Wood came out breathing fire and brimstone in a fearsome opening spell for the Stars.

He blasted out Josh Brown (four) and Marnus Labuschagne (one) in his opening two overs. Matt Renshaw ran himself out for seven and Khawaja (24) departed before Hain and Peirson took over.

Nasty injury sours Scorchers’ win over Renegades

Perth Scorchers paceman Matt Kelly was struck flush on the face in a freak fielding mishap as his team secured top spot on the BBL ladder with a topsy-turvy 10-run victory over the Melbourne Renegades.

The Scorchers posted 5-212 at Optus Stadium on Sunday on the back of strong contributions from Cameron Bancroft (95no off 50 balls) and Stephen Eskinazi (54 off 29 balls).

In reply, the Renegades were in all sorts of trouble, needing 68 off the last 18 balls to secure victory in front of 32,259 fans.

But a remarkable blitzkrieg from Aaron Finch (76no off 35 balls) and some horror dropped catches from the Scorchers reduced the equation to 37 needed off 12 balls.

AJ Tye (1-63 off four overs) suffered the most pain, with Finch helping take 31 runs off the star paceman’s final over.

However, Finch struggled to regain the strike for the crucial final 12 balls of the match, enabling the Scorchers to sneak home.

The Renegades finished at 5-202, with opener Shaun Marsh scoring 54 off 34 balls in a successful return from a hamstring injury.

The result means Perth can’t be displaced from the top of the ladder, and they will host the second-placed Sydney Sixers in “The Qualifier” next Saturday.

The winner of that match will earn direct entry to the grand final. 

The Renegades remain in fourth spot, with the top five teams making the finals.

Kelly is in doubt for the start of the finals after being struck in the face by the ball while attempting to collect a return throw.

The 28-year-old was at the non-striker’s end when the throw from Nick Hobson deflected off Finch’s bat and straight into Kelly’s face.

A bloodied Kelly was subbed out of the game with concussion.

“It was a freak accident, one of those things,” Finch said. “I feel shocking for it … you don’t want to see anyone hurt.”

Scorchers coach Adam Voges said Kelly was feeling better after the match. “He’s ok, he’s up and about,” Voges said.  “He got a little cut on his jaw.”

Perth’s four-over Power Play of 0-62 was the best of any team this season, with the Renegades made to pay dearly for their wayward start with the ball.

Renegades paceman David Moody was the biggest culprit, with his spell lasting just one legal delivery. The 27-year-old struck Bancroft in the upper ribs with a wild 143.8km/h full toss early in the second over of the match.

Bancroft was hurt in the incident but was able to scamper through for a single before taking time to recover from the hit.

A wide came next ball, before Moody unleashed yet another full toss above waist height when Eskinazi was attempting a scoop shot.

The second beamer meant Moody was not allowed to continue bowling under the laws of the game, forcing captain Finch into a bowling reshuffle.