ESPNCricinfo previews the game between Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians

The Preview by Nitin Sundar23-Apr-2011

Match facts

Sunday, April 24, Delhi
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Mumbai’s attack is not overly dependent on Lasith Malinga anymore•Associated Press

Big picture

It’s Sachin Tendulkar’s 38th birthday and he returns to the venue where he played the best ODI innings of 2009. That epic 175 against Australia resulted in defeat, a depressing addition to the list of Tendulkar masterclasses that went in vain. That night, the crowd returned home numbed by India’s brain-freeze in the end overs, wondering if they were destined to never see their team winning. The Uppal jinx was finally broken by Deccan Chargers when they beat Bangalore on April 14 – their first home win in four editions. Will their fans want that streak to continue, at the cost of denying India’s biggest icon victory on his birthday?Mumbai are coming off three easy wins, one shock defeat and one hard-fought victory. They have looked the most complete side in the tournament, and their star power has allowed them to carry a couple of passengers in almost every game. Their fielding effort against Chennai Super Kings must rank among the best ever put up by an IPL outfit. Not too many cover-drives can find a way past a cordon that includes Andrew Symonds, Kieron Pollard, Rohit Sharma and R Sathish. The batting has been consistent, and the bowling is shaking off its dependence on Lasith Malinga.After a sluggish start, Deccan have managed two wins in three games, and will go into the game quietly confident of an upset. Their methods have been in complete contrast to Mumbai’s: lesser-knowns like Bharat Chipli and Sunny Sohal have provided the spark, while the bigger signings have remained in the background. They will need to be at their best to put it past Mumbai.

Form guide (most recent first)

Deccan WLWLL (8th in points table)
Mumbai WWLWW (1st in points table)

Team talk

Who will open Mumbai’s innings with Tendulkar? Do they just draw lots before the toss? So far Davy Jacobs, James Franklin and R Sathish have been tried. Given how poor Franklin and Sathish were, Jacobs might fancy his chances of coming back into the XI. Deccan clicked like a cohesive unit against Delhi, and may want to retain that combination.Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.

In the spotlight

Some say it was a speed-gun conspiracy, but Ishant Sharma has clocked upwards of 150 kph on a few occasions in this IPL. The last time he managed such pace was in 2008 when he bullied Ricky Ponting with a delightful spell of seam bowling in Perth. Ishant’s faltered, fizzled and settled into a lesser role in recent times, but there is still hope for resurgence.Rohit Sharma played a gem against Chennai. It was the kind of innings that left his critics infuriated, since it once again highlighted the contrast between his international career and his IPL exploits. His feet move better, his shot selection is sharper and he just seems switched on when he’s playing this tournament. Will Rohit have another bounty season? And this time, will he carry on from there to bigger things?

Prime numbers

• Tendulkar is 81 runs away from Suresh Raina, who is the all-time highest IPL run-getter. Rohit is fifth in the list.
• Pragyan Ojha is the second-highest wicket-taker in IPLs. Amit Mishra is fifth

The chatter

“Unbelievable fielding. Brillant catches. Superb ground-fielding. I thought the fielders created opportunities today.”

Once again the fourth day of a Test ended with the likeliest result being a draw, but after events in Cardiff last week that can’t be taken for granted as England closed with a lead of 156

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan06-Jun-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSteven Finn ended with four wickets as England took a narrow lead•Getty Images

Once again the fourth day of a Test ended with the likeliest result being a draw, but after events in Cardiff last week that can’t be taken for granted as England closed with a lead of 156 at Lord’s. They gained a narrow first-innings advantage by bowling Sri Lanka out for 479, in a steadily improving display, then recovered from the early loss of Andrew Strauss for a duck with Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott added 117 for the second wicket.After half of the third day was lost to the weather more overs disappeared on a damp morning, but the Test progressed at a decent pace with the bowlers finally having a say for the first time since the opening exchanges. Sri Lanka lost their last seven wickets for 85 and their game plan had to change from putting pressure on England with a big lead to trying to give themselves a chance of a final-day run chase. However, while Strauss watched his bowlers rip out the visitors in 24 overs in Cardiff he won’t be putting too much on the line here by dangling the carrot.For a moment, though, Sri Lanka were buoyant when they removed Strauss second ball. In overcast conditions Chanaka Welegedara, the left-arm seamer who claimed Strauss lbw in the first innings, swung the first ball past the outside edge before the second was a touch fuller and squared up the batsman to take the back pad. Strauss opted to review the decision, but he was stone dead, completing a poor match with the bat, and it was the 22nd time he’d fallen to a left-arm paceman.Yet nothing knocked Cook and Trott out of their comfort zone as they set about compiling another century partnership. This time Trott was the aggressor, picking off plenty of runs through the leg side and also driving sweetly, during a fifty that took 66 balls. The only time he looked slightly uncomfortable was when Dilhara Fernando went for a short-pitched approach and struck him on the glove. However, it came as almost a shock to see him play over a full delivery from Rangana Herath that took leg stump.That brought in Kevin Pietersen to face the left-arm spinner and his first two defensive shots were cheered by a small crowd. He wasn’t entirely convincing, although a thumping straight drive provided a moment of release, as he survived until the close on 15 off 44 deliveries. Even for a player of Pietersen’s calibre, the small steps are important. Cook, meanwhile, has far fewer concerns and ticked over to fifty from 86 balls and will have his sights set on atoning for his missed ton in the first innings.In the field it was an improved performance from England’s bowlers, but they were still not at their best with plenty of leg-side deliveries giving Matt Prior a huge amount of work and many of the 25 byes weren’t the keeper’s fault. When Sri Lanka were 407 for 6 the home side will have a sensed a more significant lead, but a counter-attacking stand of 57 between Herath and Prasanna Jayawardene ensured the visitors got close before the last four wickets fell for 13.The start was delayed until 1.10pm after morning rain and Sri Lanka resumed with the intention of batting for most of the day, but that became unlikely when Mahela Jayawardene edged to third slip off Steven Finn for 49. Then, like the London buses that fill the roads around Lord’s, England had another wicket almost straight away. Thilan Samaraweera played a horrid flat-footed drive at Chris Tremlett to give Prior a low catch with the bowlers benefiting from finding a fuller length.Farveez Maharoof didn’t last long when he was beaten for pace by Stuart Broad to give him his only wicket of the innings. Sri Lanka, though, played the right way by taking the attack back to England and kept the game moving forward. Prasanna swept Graeme Swann over midwicket for six and Herath swung himself off his feet repeating the dose.Herath finally went for one big hit too many, charging down at Swann and being stumped, and when Prasanna edged a good one from Finn to slip there wasn’t much left in Sri Lanka’s batting. For Finn it was a landmark wicket, his 50th in Tests, overtaking Ian Botham as the youngest Englishman to reach the milestone. Despite problems with consistency, no one can argue his wicket-taking abilities.Finn bombarded Sri Lanka’s tailenders with a series of bouncers – striking Suranga Lakmal flush on the helmet – but it was Swann who wrapped up the innings and Strauss held a superb reflex catch at slip to remove Fernando. The final day will give us an idea of how attacking England are willing to be in the quest for world No. 1 unless Sri Lanka’s bowlers can pull off a surprise.

Albie Morkel and Colin Ingram have not been included in the Jacques Rudolph-led South Africa A squad to tour Zimbabwe and Malaysia for personal reasons

ESPNcricinfo staff25-May-2011Albie Morkel and Colin Ingram have not been included in the Jacques Rudolph-led South Africa A squad to tour Zimbabwe and Malaysia for personal reasons. South Africa A will play in a one-day tri-series against Zimbabwe and Australia A followed by a six-team Twenty20 competition in Kuala Lumpur in June and July this year.”Albie’s wife is expecting their second child and he understandably needs to spend time at home,” Andrew Hudson, convenor of selectors, said. “Colin has been on the road in India for more than four months now.” Ingram was in South Africa’s World Cup squad and stayed on for the IPL, where he was part of the Delhi Daredevils.The A team will be captained by Rudolph, who also led the side against Bangladesh in April at home. Rudolph has committed himself to South African cricket after opting out of his Kolpak deal with Yorkshire last year and looks set for a national recall.The wicket-keeping role – which has come under scrutiny in South African cricket circles as a successor to Mark Boucher has yet to be found – looks set to be shared between Heino Kuhn and Morne van Wyk. That means there is no place for Davy Jacobs, who is recovering from a broken thumb, which he sustained while playing for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL.The squad includes regular A team participants, Vernon Philander, Dean Elgar, Loots Bosman, Ryan McLaren, Rusty Theron and Roelof van der Merwe. There are two new additions for the T20 competition in Lions pace bowler Ethan O’Reilly and Cobras opening batsman Richard Levi. Wayne Parnell has also been included in the T20 squad.South Africa also named their emerging squad for the annual competition that is played in Australia and also features the emerging teams from New Zealand and India. Stiaan van Zyl has been named the captain of a squad that features young talent such as batsman Mangaliso Mosehle and left-arm spinner Dale Deeb.South Africa A squad for Zimbabwe triangular: Jacques Rudolph (capt), Craig Alexander, Farhaan Behardien, Loots Bosman, Dean Elgar, Rory Kleinveldt, Heino Kuhn, Ethy Mbhalati, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Vernon Philander, Rusty Theron, Roelof van der Merwe, Jonathan Vandiar, Morne van WykSouth Africa A squad for Kuala Lumpur T20 tournament: Jacques Rudolph (capt), Farhaan Behardien, Loots Bosman, Richard Levi, Ethy Mbhalati, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Ethan O’Reilly, Wayne Parnell, Vernon Philander, Rusty Theron, Roelof van der Merwe, Jonathan Vandiar, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Morne van WykSouth Africa Emerging Players squad: Stiaan van Zyl (capt), Kyle Abbott, Temba Bavuma, Andrew Birch, Dale Deeb, Reeza Hendricks, Richard Levi, Pumelela Matshikwe, Mangaliso Mosehle, Ethan O’Reilly, Dane Piedt, Obus Pienaar, Mthokozisi Shezi, Jon-Jon Smuts, Shaun von Berg

A round-up of the first match day of the Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jun-2011A solid all-round performance by Faisalabad Wolves helped them ease past Multan Tigers by 69 runs in the first game of the Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 Cup at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.Multan began well after choosing to bowl, removing Mohammad Hafeez for a duck. Faisalabad’s No. 3 batsman Asif Ali counterattacked, putting on century and half-century stands with Asif Hussain and Misbah-ul-Haq on his way to a 59-ball hundred. Asif Ali’s knock included seven sixes, and ensured Multan needed to chase 200.Quick cameos from Multan’s top order kept them in the game in the first half of the chase. Hafeez struck twice, removing Zeeshan Ashraf and Naved Yasin in consecutive overs, to begin a slide. Left-arm spinner Hasan Mahmood polished off the middle and lower order with figures of 5 for 23, as Multan lost their last seven wickets for 46 runs.

Tight spells from seamer Tariq Haroon and offspinner Haaris Ayaz helped Karachi Dolphins defend a middling total against Rawalpindi Rams in the second game, played at the same ground. Chasing 146, Rawalpindi lost a couple of early wickets to fast bowler Tanvir Ahmed and never quite recovered. Haroon struck twice, on either side of a run-out, and by the eighth over Rawalpindi were five down. Umar Amin stayed firm and ended up with 54 not out, but Rawalpindi were never abreast of the required-rate and were eventually bowled out. The Karachi spinners wrapped up the rest of the wickets, with Ayaz taking 2 for 15 and left-arm spinner Azam Hussain taking three.Having chosen to bat, Karachi were given a quick start by Shahzaib Hasan, who scored 35 off 28 and Rameez Raja (2), who got 29 off 20. Wickets fell in the middle overs and Karachi were not able to make a final push; only 23 runs came off the last four overs. But the total of 145 proved enough in the end.

The Scottish monsoon season put paid to Sri Lanka’s ODI against Ireland on Monday

Ger Siggins in Edinburgh11-Jul-2011
Scorecard
The Scottish monsoon season put paid to Sri Lanka’s ODI against Ireland on Monday. With the sun beating down mid-afternoon, the small crowd were hopeful of seeing some play, but the damage had already been done.”There was a huge amount of rain here from the middle of last week,” Ireland captain William Porterfield said. “When it rained again this morning I think that finished it off. The sun eventually came out but it was far too late for any chance of play.”It was hugely disappointing for the Irish team, who were keen to mix it with one of the leading sides in the world. “It would have been great to play them here, as conditions are very
similar to Ireland,” Porterfield said. “It’s almost home advantage against an Asian team”With the weather taking a turn for the better, Porterfield was confident that the rest of the tri-series tournament would be completed.”We’re playing Scotland tomorrow and that’s always a big match for the guys. They’ve been playing well in the CB40 and had two good wins over Holland last week. They’ve a young side and they’re going in the right direction.”Ireland will have to play without Niall O’Brien, who returned to his county last night, Porterfield explained. “Gary Wilson has kept in the recent games and is a good keeper. Andrew Poynter will come in and he deserves his chance. He’s got good scores for us in vital games before and he works very hard at his game.”Ireland play Scotland on Tuesday, while the hosts face Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

Trent Copeland is sustained by the strong belief that his methodical bowling can extract wickets on all surfaces

Daniel Brettig16-Aug-2011Trent Copeland marked his departure for Australia’s Test tour of Sri Lanka by admitting to nervousness. But he believes his methodical bowling can extract wickets on all surfaces, even the unforgiving pitches Australia are likely to encounter in Galle, Kandy and Colombo.Phil Hughes, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, Usman Khawaja, Michael Beer, Nathan Lyon and Copeland all departed for Sri Lanka on Tuesday, the final pieces of an Australian squad that has been patch-worked together via the tour’s segues from Twenty20 and limited-overs to Test matches.At 25, Copeland is a mature character, having crafted his medium pace in Sydney grade cricket then pursued it with great success in the Sheffield Shield for NSW. On the face of it Copeland might be expected to play a more prominent role on the tour of South Africa that follows Sri Lanka, but he cited Glenn McGrath as an example of how the simplest methods can have universal value.”I don’t think I can ever compare myself to the great man [McGrath], but I think patience, line and length and just trying to do a little bit with the ball and just continually asking questions of the batsmen is my theory,” Copeland said. “I suppose in that regard it is similar to what he did, but I’ve just got to do what’s been successful for me at state level and hopefully that can work.”Just believe in your skills; it doesn’t matter whether you’re in flat, hot conditions or green seaming conditions down in Hobart, if you put the ball in the right area often enough it is really my game plan, and that’ll be successful no matter what the conditions. Other than that it’s just about backing myself and being able to accept that sometimes batsmen play good shots.”If I bowl the ball and put it where I want to put it and they can still hit me, then good luck to them and I need to re-assess. But if I can be 100%confident in doing that then that’s all I can do.”Chosen for Sri Lanka after showing poise and parsimony on unresponsive pitches in Zimbabwe, Copeland will be behind the likes of Harris, Siddle and Mitchell Johnson for a pace bowling spot. He can reasonably expect an opportunity however, given the attritional nature of back-to-back Test matches – a factor that precluded Doug Bollinger’s inclusion.”Obviously it is a great opportunity for me to be involved, I’m very nervous getting to the airport and going on my first tour,” Copeland said. “I need to get comfortable with the surroundings and hopefully make an impression once I arrive there. That’s all I can do.”[Playing] is something I can’t really control, if given the opportunity I think I’m ready to go and I’ll do my best to prepare well once I get over there. The Australian cricket side has been so successful for so long and hopefully that continues. If I can add to that, well great, but if not, then I’ll bide my time and wait until the time comes.”One happy circumstance for both Copeland and Khawaja has been the employment of Chandika Hathurusingha, the former Sri Lanka opening batsman and occasional seam bowler, as the NSW assistant coach. His knowledge of home conditions has been a valuable source of advice for both men in the weeks leading up to their departure.”[Hathurusingha’s appointment] has been perfect timing for me, because I’ve had a chance to chew his ear off about the conditions over there and hopefully learn a lot once I’m there,” Copeland said. “Watching the one dayers and the T20s in Colombo and places like that, the conditions are obviously going to be hot, humid, the ball might swing around a little bit, and other than that I’m just prepared to take it as it comes.”I’ve been in Zimbabwe for the last month on the Australia A tour over there; similar conditions, flat and slow wickets, hot conditions, training outdoors in the heat and stuff like that, so I think if there has been a good preparation anywhere I think that’s probably the one, so I think that’s held me in good stead.”Copeland’s lack of a Cricket Australia or BBL contract means he is flying to Sri Lanka as a man of significantly more modest means than many team-mates, but he reiterated his desire to move beyond that pigeonhole.”The game is evolving and T20 cricket’s playing a large part in the marketing of cricket and keeping younger people involved and interested in watching it,” he said. “This is a great opportunity and I’m absolutely thrilled about it, but I think I can make strides in the other forms of the game as well – I’d hate to think that I’ll only ever play one form of the game.”I’m up for the challenge and if its Test cricket or T20 it doesn’t matter, I’m training hard and hopefully I can play all three.”

Kevon Cooper’s 25 off 11 balls saw Trinidad and Tobago beat the Cape Cobras and stay alive in the Champions League T20

The Report by Firdose Moonda04-Oct-2011Trinidad and Tobago 138 for 8 (Bravo 29, Kemp, 3-22) beat Cape Cobras 137 for 4 (Shah 63*, Badree 1-19, Narine 1-19) by 2 wickets.
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Darren Bravo now has 116 runs in the Champions League T20, 2011•AFP

Kevon Cooper’s 25 off 11 balls saw Trinidad and Tobago beat the Cape Cobras and stay alive in the Champions League T20. Cooper scored 10 runs off Dale Steyn’s fourth over, which cost 15 runs in total, and ensured T&T got the 24 runs they needed in the last two overs. This is the second time in the tournament that Steyn has bowled a costly penultimate over, with the first being against Chennai. The win means Mumbai Indians are through to the semi-finals. T&T’s qualification depends on Chennai Super Kings beating New South Wales by a small margin. The Super Kings can also qualify if they win by a sufficient margin, while any victory for NSW puts them through.Steyn turned from hero to villain in the space of an hour and a half; he started the Cobras defence of 137 with a magnificent three-over spell of outswing bowling. He demonstrated real skill on a dead pitch, consistently beat the outside edge and was rewarded in his second over when he got one to straighten and trap William Perkins lbw.Steyn’s colleagues were not as effective from the other end: Charl Langeveldt and Rory Kleinveldt struggled with their accuracy. Kleinveldt bowled three no-balls in an extraordinary over that only cost six runs and included the wicket of Lendl Simmons. Langeveldt was better when he changed ends and used the slower ball to good effect.Adrian Barath and Darren Bravo’s third-wicket partnership of 35 runs helped T&T recover from the loss of their openers. They rotated strike well, searched for the singles, and after Barath was dropped by Vilas behind the stumps he connected well to score two big boundaries.Justin Kemp ensured that Barath could not continue attacking and hurled down a yorker to remove Barath’s leg stump. The next ball, Daren Ganga was back in the hut too, after inside-edging onto his stumps. Kemp did not complete a hat-trick but took his third wicket two overs later, removing Bravo, who had played a sensible knock until then.T&T would have thought their last hopes lay with Denesh Ramdin, who survived the hat-trick ball, and played some deft strokes. Ramdin and Sherwin Ganga took 13 runs off JP Duminy’s second over and infused the chase with momentum. They were dismissed in the space of four balls, Ganga lbw to Langeveldt and Ramdin bowled by a flighted delivery from Robin Peterson.It was left to Cooper to bat bravely and he did. His first six was a slog off Peterson and, after Rampaul steered Steyn to the third-man boundary, Cooper bludgeoned a high full toss over long-off, to leave T&T with only nine to get off the last six balls. In a final twist, Rampaul was dismissed with the first ball of the last over but Cooper smashed a low full toss for four and plucked the remaining runs with two balls to spare.The Cobras would have felt their total was 10 runs short after a gritty batting effort, in which their strokeplay was constantly stifled. The T&T spinners troubled the Cobras batsmen from the start with Richard Levi at sea against Samuel Badree. He was bowled by Badree’s second delivery, after playing for turn that was not there. Herschelle Gibbs was also dismissed cheaply after a cautious start.Owais Shah and Dane Vilas built an impressive recovery. Shah started with an authoritative flick and maintained a busy approach at the crease, even though he could have been dismissed twice by Badree. The legspinner had a confident appeal for lbw against Shah when he hit him on the pads with a full delivery but Billy Bowden turned it down. During Badree’s second spell, he beat Shah and the ball looked destined for middle and leg stump but Badree was turned down for the third time. Shah went on to anchor the Cobras innings and ground out a half-century.Sherwin Ganga was the man both Vilas and Shah targeted; they took 38 runs from his three overs, peppering the midwicket area. Ganga’s offspin they could handle, but Sunil Narine proved almost impossible to read and both employed a watchful approach against him. His legbreak eventually got the better of Vilas, who top-edged to cover after a well crafted half-century.Shah had to hang around until the end and, even after bringing up his fifty, batting did not get any easier for him. Boundaries were rare and run-scoring came in ones and twos, which had to be manufactured, rather than simply being there for the taking. JP Duminy also couldn’t find the boundary and was bowled by a Cooper cutter when he went looking for one.

Sialkot Stallions were fined Rs 10,000 for a slow over-rate in the final of the Faysal Bank Twenty20 Cup against Rawalpindi Rams

Umar Farooq03-Oct-2011Sialkot Stallions were fined Rs 10,000 for a slow over-rate in the final of the Faysal Bank Twenty20 Cup against Rawalpindi Rams. Shoaib Malik’s men were two overs short of their target at the end of the final, after time allowances were taken into consideration.Sialkot accepted the penalty without contest, but were unhappy with the match referee’s attitude. “The delay was only because of the miss-communication between match officials, but at the end we had the title back and that was more important for us,” Mohammad Naeem, the Sialkot team manager told ESPNcricinfo.Rawalpindi’s innings was delayed for 28 minutes because of a misunderstanding over the rules. With 15 runs needed from six balls, Mohammad Rameez came out to bat with a runner. With the ICC’s new regulations prohibiting runners coming into effect from October 1, it was originally thought that this was now against the rules. However, the confusion was cleared up after a lengthy deliberation with a note that since the championship had kicked off on September 25, it was to be played under the old rules that did allow a runner.Sialkot won the Faysal Bank T20 Cup for the sixth time on Sunday. The decisive over was the 19th in Rawalpindi’s chase, in which Raza Hasan conceded just four runs and took two wickets, to swing the match Sialkot’s way.

Chris Rogers vented his anger about years of being ignored by Australia’s selectors after he and Glenn Maxwell had taken Victoria to within sight of outright points against New South Wales

Daniel Brettig 27-Oct-2011
ScorecardGlenn Maxwell contributed runs and a wicket to the Bushrangers’ pursuit of victory•Getty Images

Chris Rogers vented his anger about years of being ignored by Australia’s selectors after he and Glenn Maxwell had taken Victoria to within reasonable sight of outright points against New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield match at the SCG.Rogers’ 50th first-class century was bolstered by 92 from Maxwell and 70 to David Hussey as the Bushrangers tallied 427, before Maxwell and Jon Holland spun out Nic Maddinson and the Blues’ captain Steve O’Keefe in the hour before stumps to have NSW 175 runs behind with eight wickets and a day remaining.While the departing Cricket Australia chairman Jack Clarke defended the soon to be outgoing chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch at CA’s AGM in Melbourne, Rogers complained of a lack of communication with the men who chose Australian teams while he was compiling one of the most enviable batting records in the country,Across 196 matches, Rogers has made 16,521 runs at 51.62, yet played only one Test for Australia, against India in Perth in January 2008.”The last time I rang someone he never called me back,” Rogers said. “That was pretty disappointing. When I got dropped from the squad I was told I had to go and score runs and I think I topped the first-class aggregate in the world for the next two years but still didn’t hear much from them.”I guess they didn’t see me in their plans which is bad luck, but that’s how it worked out.”Rogers fell to the first of three wickets for the left-arm wrist spin of Simon Katich, another batsman with plenty of hackles for the selectors. Rogers was equally blunt in his support of Katich, left without a CA contract despite carrying Australia’s batting for much of the past two years.”I massively feel for him, it was a disgraceful decision if you ask me,” Rogers said. “That’s their prerogative … but he is still one of the best six batsmen in the country from a personal point of view.”Among the more promising elements of the day were signs of improved rhythm from the young fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, playing his first Shield match for almost two years. After a wayward start, Hazlewood improved with each delivery on day three, ultimately finishing with 2-71, including the wicket of Andrew McDonald.