OPEN FOR CRITICISM
CRICKET: The unanswerable question about the fitness of Steve Smith for the third Ashes Test will play second fiddle over the coming days to the more immediate need for Australia to address the issue with their openers and the form woes of David Warner.
Australian captain Tim Paine praised the courage of his players who helped forced a dramatic draw at Lord’s without the help of Smith, who became the first player in Test history to be replaced in an international TOP KNOCK: Marnus Labuschagne celebrates after reaching his half century, and inset, is felled by a Jofra Archer delivery. match because of concussion.
A call on Smith’s fitness for the third Test starting at Headingley on Thursday won’t be made until closer to the opening day but even the master batsman conceded the short gap was working against him despite a scan yesterday revealing no structural damage.
Smith’s opening innings of 92 aside, Paine admitted his team were off their best at Lord’s but said he was content knowing that with a 1-0 lead after two Tests they are within just one win of retaining the Ashes.
That’s a task being made harder by the horror run of Warner, who was out for just five in the second innings, his fourth consecutive single-figure score in the series.
After blitzing the World Cup, Warner has been an Ashes flop with just 15 runs at a series average of just 3.75 through two Tests, and the first man out on every occasion.
Between Warner and his opening partner Cameron Bancroft, their partnerships have netted just 37 runs, with a best return of 13.
Paine said Warner’s stellar Test career suggested he would bounce back, but it was an issue the Aussies can’t escape in a series that has now come alive on the back of England’s new-ball weapon Jofra Archer.
“Yes, those guys would like more runs,” he said.
“(But) we know how good David is, he’s got 7000 Test runs at 50 (6381 at an average of 47) and Cameron Bancroft I thought in this game looked pretty good, faced a lot of balls.
“He probably would’ve liked to have scored a few more runs but I thought he acquitted himself pretty well again against some pretty high-quality bowling.”
That high-quality bowling looks to have given England the momentum and the potential absence of Smith could be telling but Paine believed the Australian plan was still on track.
“If you would have said before the start we would be 1-0 up after two Tests, we would have taken that every day of the week. We are happy with the position we are in now,” he said. BASKETBALL: Boomers teammates have thrown their support behind NBA star Jonah Bolden, who has withdrawn from Australia’s basketball World Cup squad for personal reasons.
After impressing in the twomatch series against Canada in Perth, Philadelphia 76ers player Bolden (pictured) announced his intention to return to the United States.
“It’s unfortunate but everyone has got to look after themselves,” Phoenix Suns centre Aron Baynes said yesterday.
“You can’t really judge someone until you walk in their shoes.
“We’re just going to keep moving forward and focus on us as a group.”
Bolden was one the Boomers’ best in the second game against Canada on Saturday with 12 points and five rebounds as the home team won 81-73.
“He really came along from day one of camp to that second half where he was understanding the system and where to find his spot and get his shots,” Boomers guard Chris Goulding said. “It’s a big loss for us but unfortunately these things happen.”
Deng Adel, who made his NBA debut last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers before an off-season move to Brooklyn, and Brock Motum are among the potential replacements for Bolden in an Australian World Cup squad already missing NBA players Ben Simmons, Thon Maker, Dante Exum and Ryan Broekhoff.
The Boomers will continue their World Cup preparation in Melbourne this week with games against the US on Thursday and Saturday.
The US squad is missing a host of superstars but Baynes said the Boomers would not be taking the visitors lightly, singling out his former Boston teammate Jayson Tatum as the type of player who would thrive at international level.
“Even from the first day I played with him when he was a rookie coming in for pre-season you could tell how talented offensively he was,” Baynes said.
— John Salvado