Pink balls, Dukes to feature
BRISBANE, Australia, Oct 24, (AP): Mitchell Starc will be among the bowlers pushing for Test selection when Australia’s first-class cricket season starts with four-day games under lights and using pink balls this week in preparation for the series against South Africa starting Nov. 3.
The Sheffield Shield season will feature pink-ball matches in Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth in preparation for two day-night Tests over the summer: the last of the three-match series against South Africa Nov 24-28 in Adelaide and the opener of the three-Test series against Pakistan in Brisbane from Dec 15-19.
In another longer-term equipment strategy, Cricket Australia confirmed plans to use the English-made Dukes ball instead of the regulation Kookaburra balls in the latter half of the Sheffield Shield season to allow players to adjust to the subtle differences ahead of the next Ashes series in England.
“We are always looking at ways to ensure
England’s captain Alastair Cook (top center), celebrates with teammates after beating Bangladesh during the final day’s play of the Test cricket match
at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Cricket Stadium in Chittagong on Oct 24. (AFP)
it reversing.”
Despite coming agonisingly close to what would have been their most famous Test victory, Bangladesh captain Mush- our players have the best possible preparation ahead of upcoming series,” Cricket Australia’s head of cricket operations Sean Cary said in a statement Monday. “This opportunity will give our players more experience to hone their batting and bowling skills with this ball, and will hopefully lead to more success in both home and away series.”
The Australian lineup is unsettled following a series of injuries, and low on confidence following a 3-0 Test series defeat in Sri Lanka and a 5-0 loss in a limited-overs series in South Africa. The bowling attack was severely understrength in South Africa and needs pace spearhead Starc to get through New South Wales game against Queensland in Brisbane.
The left-arm paceman missed the ODI series in South Africa and badly lacerated his leg in a training accident last month and will be carefully monitored in the Shield opener. fiqur Rahim said he was proud of his team’s performance.
“Probably it was not in our favour, 33 runs and two wickets, but the boys put in so much effort over the last five day. After 15 months, I’m really proud,” Rahim said.
“Our boys fought it out which is really impressive and hopefully we’ll do the same in the next match.”
The match was Bangladesh’s first Test in nearly in 15 months but showcased how the one-time whipping boys of international cricket have made steady progress in recent years.
The hosts played some impressive cricket during the match, with the debutant Mehedi Hasan taking six for 80 in England’s first innings.
Bangladesh had appeared on course for a comfortable first-innings lead but lost their last six wickets for just 27 runs to give England a crucial 45-run lead.
They then had England reeling at 52 for five in the tourists’ second innings before Stokes and Jonny Bairstow turned the match with a partnership of 127 for the sixth wicket.
Stokes was named man of the match for taking six wickets in the two innings and also scoring a swashbuckling 85 in England’s second innings which included six fours and three sixes.
“We started off pretty well but we have a long way to go from here,” said Stokes.
The second and final Test will start in Dhaka on October 28 before England then head to India for a five-Test tour. in Kuwait, Calderon also sounded quite pleased with his day’s efforts.
For Heraty, the winner of last week’s Sahara Kuwait Championship, the opening round was a mixed bag. “I holed lots of putts and missed lots of them as well. I didn’t drive the ball that well on the front nine, but made more birdies.
‘On the back nine, I struck the ball, but ended up making more bogeys. That pretty much sums up the day for me,” said the Englishman, who made five birdies, including four on the outward nine, and two bogeys.
Saudi Arabia’s Khaled Attieh carded level-par 72 to lead the MENA Division for amateurs, a good four shots ahead of his fellow countryman Ali Alsakha as Oman’s Azaan Al Rumhy returned a 79.
Among the notables, England’s Zane Scotland and Carlos Balmaseda settled for two-over 74s while defending champion Lee Corfield carded a 75.
South Africa’s Michael Dreyer produced the shot of the day when he aced the par-3, fifth with a seven-iron from 157 yards for his first hole-in-one feat in a competition.