Australia pace duo out of Pakistan series in UAE
Fast bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have been ruled out of Australia’s Test series against Pakistan in the UAE after failing to recover from injuries, further depleting an already inexperienced side.
Australia head to the UAE for a Test series slated for October without two of their most experienced campaigners, with former captain Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner suspended after a ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town in March.
With Cummins and Hazlewood still recovering from their lower back injuries, much sting has been taken out of the attack of the Tim Paine-led squad.
“Pat and Josh are progressing well from their lumbar bone stress injuries but are not bowling, so unfortunately they will not be at the level required for Test match intensity come October,” team physiotherapist David Beakley said in a statement.
“Barring any setbacks, we are hopeful that Pat and Josh will return via the back-end of the [domestic] JLT OneDay Cup, with the aim of them being available for the ODI Series against South Africa in November as they build towards the Indian test series.”
Australia play South Africa in the first one-dayer of the three-match series in Perth on November 4 before hosting India for three Twenty20, four tests and three one-day internationals.
Australia’s pace spearhead Mitchell Starc, however, remains on track to be fit to face Pakistan, however.
“On a positive note, Mitchell Starc is back to unrestricted training and remains on track,” Beakley added.
Meanwhile, it was a frustrating day for both England and India as the first day of the second Test at Lord’s was washed out.
Rain delayed the toss in the morning in London and it continued throughout the day, with umpires eventually abandoning play for the day at 5pm local time in the series which England lead 1-0 after winning the first Test.
The sides will look to get out on the field on the second day on Friday, with play scheduled to begin at 2pm UAE time.
With the first day lost already, subject to weather permitting, play can go on for longer then the planned 90 overs on the remaining four days of the Test.
Next month’s Under 19 Asia Cup in Bangladesh presents Jonathan Figy with the ideal opportunity to showcase his talent as one of the cricketing prodigies to emerge from the UAE.
Figy, who turns 17 on August 25, has been drafted into the squad following a successful first season at Winchester College in the United Kingdom. Winchester has even granted the opener leave to play in the eight-day continental tournament, which starts on September 28.
Indeed, Figy made an immediate impact after joining the school in Hampshire on a cricket scholarship last September. He amassed 1,027 runs – including four centuries – at an average of 64.2. His left-arm spin earned him 39 wickets, too.
Shortly after, the left-handed batsman received a call from the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) to join the age group squad in June. He joined the camp two weeks ago after arriving in the country for the summer holidays.
“I was really excited when I received a call from the ECB to join the squad for the Asia Cup, because it is a big opportunity to play against established cricketing nations on the continent,” Figy said.
“I want to make a good impact on the big stage. I hope all the work I’m doing with the national team and the experience of playing in England will come in handy.”
Figy, born in Dubai to Indian parents, started to gain attention not long after he had enrolled at Zayed Cricket Academy eight years ago. By 2016, he had represented the national Under 19 side at the ICC World Cup pre-qualifiers in Malaysia, where he totaled 137 runs in four innings.
He would also have played in the U19 Asia Cup prequalifier in Kuwait last October if the tournament had not been postponed. By then, though, Figy got the call from Winchester.
“Playing a full summer in England was a great learning experience,” Figy said. “The conditions are a lot different to the UAE.”
The classic English combination of green wickets and damp weather conditions would make the ball move around a lot – especially in overcast conditions. “It’s quite hard [to play] as an opener,” Figy said. “I had to really restrict my strokeplay and grind out the runs at the beginning of the season.
“The early games were a bit of a struggle, but towards the middle and latter part I started scoring a lot of runs.
“Most of the games were friendly and traditional fixtures,” he added. “We played in an U17 tournament but couldn’t qualify for the main division after losing in the final. But overall, it was a good experience for me.”
That Figy is determined to do even better next season after his coaches gave him the thumbs up for his recent performances and for showing ambition and dedication to his craft.
And being one of just two U19 players – along with Fahad Nawaz – to receive an invitation from coach Dougie Brown to train with the senior national team proves he is on the right track.
All this can only mean good news for UAE cricket in the long run.
The early games in England were a bit of a struggle, but towards the middle and latter part, I scored a lot of runs JONATHAN FIGY