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Ray “Slug” Jordon, the former Victoria wicketkeeper who toured India and South Africa with the Australians in 1969-70, has died at the age of 75

Brydon Coverdale14-Aug-2012Ray “Slug” Jordon, the former Victoria wicketkeeper who toured India and South Africa with the Australians in 1969-70, has died at the age of 75. Jordon, who was well known as a sports commentator and Australian rules football coach as well as for his cricket career, had struggled with ill health since suffering a stroke 13 years ago.As a cricketer, Jordon played 90 first-class matches, mostly for Victoria during an 11-year career, and he was renowned for his work up to the stumps. The former Test fast bowler Max Walker made his Sheffield Shield debut in 1968-69 with Jordon as captain, and he said he would remember Jordon for his “blunt, forthright” nature, as well as his skills as a player.”He was my first captain at Victoria. I guess some people come into your life and they change the way you act and think forever,” Walker told ESPNcricinfo. “The Slug had an amazing way with language. If you were on the opposition side you’d probably reckon his tongue was a bit like a chainsaw. It landed with impact and nothing was sacred or off limits.”It was Jordon’s way with words – and not mincing them – that made him a fine Australian rules coach, particularly at the Under-19 level. It also made him a fascinating commentator, and his association with Walker continued when they were both part of the cricket commentary team for the radio station 2UE after their playing days ended.”On 2UE we had Richie Benaud, Dennis Cometti, Slug Jordon and Max Walker. They were pioneering days,” Walker said. “Richie Benaud and myself would walk out of the television commentary and it was like changing gears, you’d have the images up on screen and then all of a sudden on radio you had to paint the pictures yourself, and Ray Jordon was brilliant at that.”He was the stand-out, a bit like Kerry O’Keeffe is now. What a contrast it was, Slug sitting next to Richie Benaud, but he was never intimidated by anyone in any environment and that’s what we loved him for.”Although Jordon did not play a Test, he came close on the 1969-70 tours of India and South Africa, where he was the reserve gloveman behind Brian Taber. Many years later, Ian Chappell recounted in the book how the captain Bill Lawry had considered picking Jordon in the Test side during the South African leg of that tour, but was persuaded not to by Chappell.Chappell was convinced that during a tour match in India earlier on the same trip, Erapalli Prasanna had been cheated of his wicket when Jordon was standing up to the stumps to the fast-medium bowler Alan Connolly and the ball had bounced off the keeper’s pads and back on to the stumps, and Jordon appealed for bowled.Whether that was what happened remains a matter of debate, but Chappell told Lawry he would not play in the same Test team as Jordon, and Jordon was duly not selected. Connolly, who was a state team-mate of Jordon with Victoria, said his work up to the stumps to pace bowlers was extraordinary.”He was the very, very best keeper of fast-medium bowling on the stumps around. There were no others,” Connolly told ESPNcricinfo. “I bowled to plenty of the other great name keepers but none of them had the courage to be able to stand up to the stumps and put their bones at risk like he did. He had very good hands. That was his forte, keeping up on the stumps and taking medium-pace. We had a very good rapport and he knew my bowling inside out, knew what was coming.”He always had colourful language. Stump-mike wouldn’t have worked with him, it would have had to be turned off all the time. But he really made playing cricket on a 22-yard hard strip of dirt a pleasure.”

Rendezvous Sports World Pvt Ltd, one of the co-owners of the terminated Kochi Tuskers Kerala IPL franchise, is planning to go to court next week in a late bid to revive the team

Tariq Engineer03-Feb-2012Rendezvous Sports World Pvt Ltd, one of the co-owners of the terminated Kochi Tuskers Kerala IPL franchise, is planning to go to court next week in a late bid to revive the team. The Kochi franchise was annulled by the BCCI in September 2011 for their failure to provide a fresh bank guarantee to the board.”Monday or Tuesday we will file a case in court,” Prashanth Mishra, a Rendezvous official, told ESPNcricinfo. “We want to be a part of IPL season 5.”However, since the termination the BCCI has not only cashed the existing bank guarantee, worth approximately $30.39 million, but has also included a number of former Tuskers players in Saturday’s player auction. That means even if the court were to grant a stay on Kochi’s termination, they would still be without players.When asked why the company had waited so long before deciding to file a case, Mishra said their intention had always been to try and get the team reinstated, but that it took them longer than expected to get a new bank guarantee in place. “We wanted to make sure we have no problems in terms of funds, so that we can run the franchise for many years to come.” He also said it would be inappropriate to discuss their plans on how they would sign players at this stage, but did say the owners were resigned to losing some of their key players from last year.The company is banking on the court following the precedents set in the cases involving the Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab, which were both terminated by the BCCI in 2010. The franchises’ respective owners went to court fairly soon after, with the Bombay High Court granting a stay on their termination and allowing them to play in the 2011 tournament while their cases were referred to arbitration. Rendezvous had wanted to file a petition before the auction, in order to prevent their players from being sold to other franchises, but Mishra said they were unable to get it done in time.Should Rendezvous go to court as planned, it will be the latest in a list of cases filed against the BCCI over the IPL, following the Royals and Kings XI Punjab and the former IPL chairman, Lalit Modi, who went to court repeatedly in a bid to halt the board’s disciplinary procedures against him, although unsuccessfully.In order to bolster their efforts, representatives from Rendezvous have met the chief minister and sports minister of Kerala to ask for support in their efforts to save the franchise. They have also approached the Kerala Cricket Association for their support. “[Rendezvous] is confident that it will be successful in getting the team to play this season,” the company said in a statement, “and we would like to promise the state of Kerala that we will take any possible steps to keep the team alive.”

Queensland’s bowlers defended a mediocre total grandly to shut out New South Wales and maintain the Bulls’ unbeaten start to the summer in the domestic limited overs match in Brisbane

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2011
ScorecardAlister McDermott formed part of an impressively even Queensland attack•Getty ImagesQueensland’s bowlers defended a mediocre total grandly to shut out New South Wales and maintain the Bulls’ unbeaten start to the summer in the domestic limited overs match in Brisbane.The Blues would have considered themselves well placed when the hosts were bowled out for 221, the left-arm quick Mitchell Starc claiming 5-39 with a combination of speed, swing and bounce.But the Bulls maintained the fine balance between flair and determination that has hallmarked the team under the coaching of Darren Lehmann this season when they defended the target.The left-arm spinner Brad Ipson shared the new ball with Alister McDermott and claimed the first wicket when Daniel Smith drove too hastily. McDermott followed up with the wicket of Tim Cruickshank, bowled while attempting to pull, and the rest faded away.Some late hitting by Starc allowed him to claim the match award, but the smiles were all Queensland’s.

Gavin Larsen, chief executive of Cricket Wellington said that the province hadn’t “paid above the odds” to secure the services of former Sri Lanka offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan

ESPNcricinfo staff14-May-2011Gavin Larsen, chief executive of Cricket Wellington said that the province hadn’t “paid above the odds” to secure the services of former Sri Lanka offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan.”He was very affordable and comparable to what the other key overseas players have received in New Zealand,” Larsen told the . Wellington have signed Murali for next season’s domestic Twenty20 tournament.”He’s a really good bloke and he loves New Zealand. He’ll bring his family out and he’s really keen from a lifestyle point of view, and keen to contribute on and off the park,” Larsen added.New Zealand’s domestic Twenty20 competition will run from late December through early January. Larsen said Murali could also play a one-day or Plunket Shield game if schedules permitted.Meanwhile, Jamie Siddons, whose coaching contract with the Bangladesh national side ended after the World Cup, remains in contention to become the next coach of Wellington after Anthony Stuart vacated the role at the end of the 2010-11 season. Siddons was interviewed on Thursday by Larsen, high performance manager Robbie Kerr, board representative Mark Heisenbuttel, captain and players’ association representative Grant Elliott and New Zealand Cricket (NZC) director of cricket John Buchanan.”I’m definitely keen to talk to them again,” Siddons said. “There’s a lot of things to chat about if they want me to do the job. We obviously need to agree on terms but I’m pretty comfortable, pretty keen to do the job.”I’m waiting to see what transpires with the Australian team and the fielding coach position, but that’s a fair way off yet and I’m not putting all my eggs in that basket,” he said. Siddons was Buchanan’s assistant coach with Australia.Siddons, however, remained non-committal over Wellington’s decision to sign Murali. “That’s good … well, I hope it’s good. I’ll have to think that one through. I probably have some thoughts but I don’t want to discuss them.”It wouldn’t put me off the job but it would be nice to be in the job and have some say in those types of appointments, for sure.”Larsen, though, felt the signing of Murali ahead of the coach’s appointment would not be an issue. “I certainly hope not. I wouldn’t like to think that any new coach would balk at Murali’s name,” he said.Larsen confirmed that former England batsman Matthew Maynard, who is being linked to the post of assistant coach with India, was also interviewed in the last week.

Tim May, the chief executive of the players’ body, FICA, has said that security remains a “very serious” concern for all players, officials and spectators at the World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2011Tim May, the chief executive of the players’ body, FICA, has said that security remains a “very serious” concern for all players, officials and spectators at the World Cup, despite a claim of the eve of the tournament from the ICC’s CEO Haroon Lorgat that it was a “non-issue”.When questioned about the security ahead of the tournament, Lorgat told reporters in Dhaka: “We’re mature in our processes, we’re very robust and as a consequence of our experiences, we’ve got systems and personnel in place. It’s in fact a non-issue.”May responded in a FICA press release, stating that while he was satisfied that their appointed security consultants, Eastern Star International, had found the proposed arrangements to be sound, the onus remained with the ICC to ensure that they are carried out to the letter.”I have spoken recently to Haroon, so as to gain an understanding of the context of his comments, and remain confident that the ICC shares FICA’s concerns regarding the importance of security measures at the World Cup,” said May.”The continued focus on the implementation of security plans is still a very serious and relevant issue and is far from ‘a matter that is not an issue to anyone’. The plans are only a part of the security solution, and now it is up to the ICC and World Cup security personnel to ensure that the plans are implemented as laid down.”The final, on April 2, is scheduled to take place at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, which has yet to be passed off as fit for purpose following a fire safety check, while Mumbai itself was the venue for a terrorist attack in November 2008 that led to the postponement of England’s Test and one-day tour.Pakistan had been due to co-host the World Cup, but no international cricket has been able to take place in the country since an attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in March 2009. And in the 1996 World Cup, the last to be staged in the subcontinent, Australia and West Indies forfeited group matches in Colombo following bombings and security concerns.”Provision of security in the World Cup is a massive challenge to the organisers of the event, with 14 teams moving around three countries,” said May. “It is a significant and complicated task to protect players, officials and spectators.”There is no place for complacency in the delivery of these plans and we trust that the importance of the issue of security remains the highest priority of the ICC, event hosts and security forces.”

The ongoing two-week emerging players camp for fast bowlers at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore has helped iron out flaws in promising bowlers, Sarfraz Nawaz has said

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jul-2011The ongoing two-week emerging players camp at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore has helped iron out flaws in promising quick bowlers, former Pakistan fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz said. He was impressed with five of the bowlers during the camp, featuring current Test players and youngsters with the potential to represent Pakistan.”There is a lot of competition at the camp, and friendly rivalry. Mohammad Talha has impressed me, as have Sohail Khan, Tanvir Ahmed and Sohail Tanvir, who is an improving bowler. Aizaz Cheema, who is deceptively quick, has also impressed me,” he told . “All of these boys have a lot of potential.”Talha – who has played one Test match in early 2009 – had an issue with his follow-through, said Sarfraz, which he worked on at the camp. “There is a lack of coordination with his [Talha’s] body in the follow through. He was stopping abruptly. I’ve told him to put all his weight down on his front foot, release the ball when his front leg straight, rather than bent as he is doing now. He has not been getting the impetus upon delivery, as his front knee was bent when he released the ball. Since we’ve spoken to him, he is hitting the deck a lot harder.”He has also worked on issues that Sohail Khan, who has played one Test and four ODI’s, had with his grip. “When he was releasing the ball, the way he was holding the ball was not ideal. [But] Already we can see improvements.The camp had the bowlers working with the red ball through week one. This week the focus is on the white ball with an eye on the rule change in one-day cricket that comes into effect in October. The bowlers will be coached in dealing with the “reduced chance of reverse swing in the 50-over format” that the new rule entails, Sarfraz said. “[We will] ensure that the bowlers are getting advice to better prepare them for all formats of the game.”

Andrew White’s unbeaten century led a fighting Ireland to a first-innings lead on the second day against Namibia at Stormont

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Sep-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAndrew White’s unbeaten century led a fighting Ireland to a first-innings lead on the second day against Namibia at Stormont.The bowlers had dominated the first day with 14 wickets falling and Namibia the happier of the sides but White found the right moment to produce his fifth first-class century. Things didn’t start well for the home side as Kevin O’Brien added just six more to his overnight total before falling. O’Brien is captaining the weakened Ireland side but the responsibilities of leadership clearly didn’t inhibit his aggressive style as he struck four fours and a six in his 38-ball stay.At 85 for 5 Ireland were in something nearing crisis when John Mooney joined White. Mooney was typically combative and the pair began laying the foundations for recovery. They added 69 with Mooney making 44 from 58 balls before driving crisply towards extra cover, where Gerhard Erasmus pulled off an excellent diving catch.When Stuart Poynter was bowled second ball it looked like the recovery was stalling but George Dockrell rode to the rescue. In his short Ireland career he has repeatedly impressed with the ball – collecting his first five-wicket haul on the first day – but this was the first time he’d shown talent with the bat.Dockrell dug in to support White and made his first first-class half century. His 53 came from 96 balls with eight fours and he helped add 100 runs for the eighth wicket with White that took Ireland into the lead. Eventually he fell sweeping but his job was done. White, at the other end, found enough support to register his century and finished unbeaten on 123, having faced 213 balls.In a batting line-up missing a clutch of first-choice players due to county commitments, his innings was vital. It looked as though Ireland would follow their fighting batting with quick wickets when Graeme McCarter jagged one back to a shotless Pikki ya France but Christ Viljoen and Stephanus Ackermann held fort in contrasting styles.Ackermann shut up shop – making 7 from 61 painstaking deliveries – while Viljoen blazed merrily. He made 48 from 49 balls to bring Namibia back ahead before the day was out.

Frustrated as much by a slippery ball as a doughty Afghanistan during their 66-run victory, Australia’s bowlers must find ways of keeping dry in the damp night-time air before they face Pakistan

Daniel Brettig26-Aug-2012Frustrated as much by a slippery ball as a doughty Afghanistan during their 66-run victory, Australia’s bowlers must find ways of keeping dry in the damp night-time air before they face a far more accomplished Pakistan team.While the Australians began brightly in defence of 272 for 8, reducing Afghanistan to 49 for 4 inside 12 overs, the longer the innings went the more they battled to keep their hands and the ball dry. Their difficulties were reminiscent of those experienced by Mark Taylor’s men in the 1996 World Cup final, won by Sri Lanka on a dewy night in Lahore.Mitchell Starc, who won the match award for figures of 4-47 that included four of the first six Afghanistan wickets, said that while happy with the overall effort, the tourists would be looking into how to maintain better control with the ball later in the innings, with two more matches to be played in Sharjah against Pakistan.”I don’t think we thought too much about the humidity, we thought it was going to be more a dry heat,” Starc said. “As we’ve seen the last few days and again tonight, it’s more the sweat factor that’s going to play a part and the dew as well. Both balls towards the end were quite hard to hold onto – you’d wipe yourself with a towel and you were already sweating again.”So it’s something we’re going to have to look at in training before the Pakistan series, but in the end I think the bowlers did quite well to control that ball. There’s a few little things we’re going to have to work on, but the batsmen put on a good score for us to defend, and we defended it.”Apart from the humidity, the Australians were also somewhat surprised to find a Sharjah pitch that did not turn with quite the same venom of those prepared for their preparations in Darwin. Though the surface lacked grass and did not offer any great pace, nine of the Afghanistan wickets fell to the fast men.”I think the wicket played a lot better than we thought it would,” Starc said. “We prepared for wickets that were going to spin a lot. The quicks took nine of our wickets so I think the fast bowlers are going to play a massive part as well as the spinners in these conditions.”Afghanistan put up quite a good fight for us ahead of the Pakistan games, and the conditions a lot of us haven’t played in before, so it was a bit of a learning curve for some of us. I thought it was a good game in preparation for the next series.”Starc said the Australians had been impressed by the intensity of Afghanistan’s fielding in the heatof the early evening. “A lot of us made comments during our batting innings that they fielded quite well,” he said. “They were out there with a lot of energy, and that surprised us a little bit that they fielded as well as they did, and then with the bat they came out quite aggressively as well … it was quite a competitive match.”Afghanistan’s captain Nowroz Mangal said the game had provided decent evidence of his team’s ability to compete with the major nations. “The players played very well. Australia is one of the best teams in the world,” he said. “The way the bowlers performed and the way we fielded, it was quite satisfactory and we proved we can compete with such big sides. We have learned a lot.”This was a better performance than we put up against Pakistan. I’d like to thank Cricket Australia for allowing us to play their team. We played the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and we’ll rectify the errors we made then.”

Pakistan’s seamers punctuated spells of ordinariness with sparks of brilliance to dismantle New Zealand’s top order and put their side ahead at stumps

The Bulletin by Nitin Sundar14-Jan-2011Stumps
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRoss Taylor’s innings was a heady mix of caution and enterprise•Getty ImagesPakistan’s seamers punctuated spells of ordinariness with sparks of brilliance to dismantle New Zealand’s top order and put their side ahead at stumps. Umar Gul and Tanvir Ahmed were lethal in the first hours of the first two sessions, and though Ross Taylor survived their bursts with a mix of caution and enterprise, the home batsmen suffered from a general lack of confidence that prevented them from counterattacking when the bowlers were on song, and from dominating when they weren’t.Gul began Pakistan’s dominance with a new-ball spell that oozed intent from the outset. Resisting the natural urge to crank up the pace when aided by a breeze, he relied on subtle sleight of hand and a high release to probe away at the top order. In the first over, he got a swerving inducker to strike Brendon McCullum – who was not offering a shot – above the knee roll. Umpire Daryl Harper ruled in Gul’s favour, though replays suggested the bounce was taking it over the stumps. Things were evened out in Gul’s next over, when Martin Guptill edged a legcutter on its way to Adnan Akmal, unnoticed by Harper.That delivery set the template for Gul, who relentlessly pinged uncomfortable lengths on and around off stump, serving up the odd legcutter to go with ones that held their line, carrying through at good height. In his seventh over, he nailed Kane Williamson with a carbon copy of the delivery that Guptill had edged.Gul also threatened to dislodge Taylor early, beating his outside edge and inducing an inside edge within the batsman’s first three deliveries. His opening burst was, however, coming to an end, and Taylor faced fewer challenges thereafter and approached the pre-lunch session with refreshing freedom. Every time Wahab Riaz offered width, Taylor attacked through the off side, driving square and through the covers, and cutting for boundaries.Consigned to the Scoreboard End, Abdur Rehman resorted to a quick arm and flat trajectory while bowling into a wind that stiffened to 70kmh by lunch. Taylor settled down after the initial flourish and, along with a cautious Guptill, promised to push New Zealand ahead in the second session. Tanvir, however, had plans of his own.Tanvir had an infuriatingly inconsistent day that was bookended by listless spells into the wind, with both new balls. In the middle session, though, he whistled in from the Vance End at the mid-130s, settling into a miserly rhythm that accentuated the threat of the occasional away-seamer. Guptill was gradually choked for runs and, after playing 12 successive dot balls, he flashed at one well outside off. Jesse Ryder came and went, nicking a ball that was dangled across him, bagging his second successive first-ball duck. James Franklin kept out the hat-trick ball, a scorching yorker that was aimed at the toes but, at 100 for 4, the force was with Pakistan.Taylor spent most of Tanvir’s rampant spell at the non-striker’s end, facing only five deliveries from the seamer in the hour following lunch. His battles were against Rehman’s teasing line of attack, straightening deliveries from leg stump without offering too much flight, while getting extra bounce. taylor attempted to disperse the crouching in-fielders with a lovely loft for six over wide long-on, and forced two men back on the leg side. However, with wickets falling at the other end, Rehman continued to attack with slip and short leg, and Taylor played within himself unless presented with a bad ball. When Rehman was marginally off-line, he glanced and cut for boundaries, and brought up his half-century by slapping Gul through point for three. As was the case with Tanvir, Gul too metamorphosed at the lunch break and posed no problems through the rest of the day.Franklin sealed an end with compact defence, camping on the back foot, and keeping out a barrage of searching length deliveries that were angled across him. Along with Taylor, he seemed to have taken the sting out of the Pakistan attack, and when he creamed Tanvir for two early boundaries post tea, New Zealand’s fightback seemed set to step up a gear.Adnan Akmal shifted the momentum back in Pakistan’s favour, though, with the best of his five catches in the day. He moved quickly to his right and showed admirable hand-eye coordination to grab a thin edge from Franklin. Riaz took the big wicket, after plodding through the day without courting the extremes like his seaming colleagues did. Returning to the attack for a final fling before the new ball became due, Riaz got Taylor to nick a harmless delivery angling across him and Adnan – scarcely reminiscent of his butter-fingered brother Kamran – pouched another one with elan, diving to his right.Wind interruptions, and a shocking lack of urgency, meant that Pakistan were well behind the over-rates, forcing Rehman to operate for longer than they would have desired. Thus ensued a period of attrition, with both sides too encumbered to challenge the status quo. Vettori used the opportunity to play himself in, cutting and pulling Rehman for easy boundaries. Young was solid in defence, blocking his way to 7 off 59 balls, before opening up against the second new ball that leaked 36 runs in eight overs. Tanvir was visibly out of steam by now, and was duly taken for 21 in two overs as New Zealand ended the day with a flourish. The fact that they still finished a distant second, underlined just how far they had allowed an average attack dictate proceedings.

As they approach the end of the group stage, Australia are looking to dispatch opponents as efficiently as they can. Canada are hoping for a final World Cup hurrah

The Preview by Sriram Veera in Bangalore15-Mar-2011

Match Facts</pMarch 16, Bangalore
Start time 14:30 (09.00 GMT)
John Davison could open in his last match for Canada•AFPThe Big PictureAs Ricky Ponting was leaving the press conference, a scribe offered a friendly bit of advice: “Please bowl first, mate.” Ponting turned, smiled and said, “Ha! Bowl first eh?” before gliding out of view. Despite Ireland’s commendable performance, and two honourable fights by Canada and Kenya, Australia taking on an Associate still makes people wonder how long the game will last. A tired journalist’s view is, “Canada bat first, get bowled out for a paltry score, let the chase be done with and let’s hit the pub”. It’s a view that might be shared by Australian fans too, though they might want to see the spinners do a better job, and Ricky Ponting hit form with a big innings. The underdog fan might want a minor miracle. What about the players?Ashish Bagai, Canada’s captain, was asked a direct question about it: Will Canada try to play 50 overs and be satisfied with the honor earned in doing that? If he found it condescending, or realistic, Bagai didn’t show it. He just laughed a laugh that was open to interpretation before saying, “This is our last game. We will like to end it with a win. We will try doing that”.For his part, Ponting said, “The time for experiments is over. We have three games in a week’s time before the quarters and we want to be playing at our best. We are looking to win tomorrow’s game comfortably.”For Canada this is as big as it gets. It is their final appearance on this stage before they disappear for four more years, and maybe more, depending on the ICC’s designs for 2015. It is also John Davison’s last game and Canada are thinking about the possibility of sending him to open. It will also be the last sighting of Bagai, a fabulous wicketkeeper, and Balaji Rao, a legspinner who has dared to flight, drift, and turn, something uncommon in the bigger teams.Australia’s 33-match unbeaten run in World Cups is unlikely to end tomorrow but they have to iron out a few wrinkles. Ponting’s form hasn’t been too flash and he knows it. “I would have liked to score more runs in the game against Zimbabwe but was run out. The other games too were the same. Getting 30 or 40 is not what you are after; you have to make big scores. Since we have not played too many games, we are out of touch.” The spinners haven’t set the world on fire as Ponting said the other day. Their batsmen will also be tested by Rao.Form guide (most recent first)
Australia: WWWWW
Canada: LWLLL
Watch out for…Bagai’s wicketkeeping: MS Dhoni is the best at stumpings and Kumar Sangakkara is solid all round but Bagai has looked the most fluent and natural keeper in the competition. He is quick on his feet, uses soft hands, has a wonderful anticipation, and oozes confidence when he stands up to the medium-pacers. Of course Canada rarely get close to winning, and so we will never know how good Bagai is in pressure situations, but there is enough skill to make you watch him keep.After Shahid Afridi, Balaji Rao has to be the one of the best legspinners out there. While Afridi snares his victims with sliders and variations in pace, Rao tries to treat your senses. The slow amble to the crease, the ripping release, the courage to flight, the ability to get it to drift, and the turn he can extract, makes him a neat package to watch.When Brad Haddin is at his best, he reminds you of Damien Martyn, especially when he unfurls that silky drive through extra cover. The problem is he suddenly changes into Shane Watson. For a man who can time the ball so well, he often goes hard at the ball and tries to crash it up and over the field. Perhaps he still sees himself as a wicket keeper-batsman, whose job is to score quick runs, rather than a top-class batsman. Ponting urged him to convert his starts and that’s a sign that the captain wants Haddin to have higher ambitions.Pitch and conditionsThe pitch is the same one on which Australia played Kenya. So it is bound to get slower and aid turn. It will be interesting to see how the Australian batsmen fare against the spinners.Team newsConsidering the workload in playing three games in quick succession, Australia are likely to rest Shaun Tait and give John Hastings a go.Australia (probable): 1 Shane Watson, 2 Brad Haddin (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Cameron White, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Steven Smith, 8 John Hastings, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Jason KrejzaCanada (probable): 1 Hiral Patel, 2 John Davison, 3 Zubin Surkari, 4 Ashish Bagai (wk), 5 Jimmy Hansra, 6 Rizwan Cheema, 7 Ruvindu Gunasekara/Parth Desai, 8 Harvir Baidwan, 9 Khurram Chohan, 10 Henry Osinde, 11 Balaji RaoStats and trivia Ricky Ponting is only player to have scored 1000 World-cup runs as a captain. He is the second after Tendulkar to score over 1600 runs in World Cups.Ashish Bagai is third captain-wicketkeeper to score fifty on two or more occasions in the World Cup. Kumar Sangakkara and Alec Stewart are other two. Quotes”We don’t have any time to worry about experimentation and getting our skills right. It’s about going full steam and playing the brand of cricket that holds good in bigger games”
“Balaji Rao has done really well for us in this tournament, right from the warm-up games. He brings great value in the dressing room too and mentors the other young spinners.”