All posts by n8rngtd.top

Shane Watson has pledged to rid himself of a run-out affliction that he admits is affecting the progress of the Australian team

Daniel Brettig in Port of Spain13-Apr-2012Shane Watson has pledged to rid himself of a run-out affliction that he admits is affecting the progress of the Australian team.A horrid misjudgement to account for Ricky Ponting in the first innings of the Bridgetown Test was perhaps the worst of the eight such dismissals Watson has been implicated in over his 33 Tests.The incident visibly affected Watson, leaving him hunched over his bat and cursing for several seconds as Ponting marched off, and contributed to a clouded state of mind that had him driving impertinently at the second ball after lunch and edging behind.”That [Ponting run-out] hurt me,” Watson said at Queen’s Park Oval. “Unfortunately I’ve been involved in too many run-outs, which is not good enough, but this one especially really did affect me, so I made sure that I’ve given Ricky a few presents and provided him a number of things I could to try to cheer him up a little bit, because it did affect me a lot. I’ll be doing everything I possibly can to make sure it doesn’t happen again.Having made a bold 54 on the final afternoon that helped set-up Australia’s dramatic chase to defeat the West Indies in the first Test, Watson will play his second match at No. 3 with confidence about the position, but is acutely aware that it will not be his strokeplay or technique that team-mates will be most wary of.”I’m going to have to do a couple of things differently, definitely,” Watson said. “There’s no doubt the way you’re brought up running between the wickets, everyone’s slightly different, like your technique and how that develops.”I’ve got to have a look at my technique of running between the wickets and my calling, because in the end it hasn’t been compatible with the guys I’ve batted with as well. I seriously need to find a way to make sure it works, because at the moment it hasn’t been working consistently anyway, and it’s not good enough.”Any form of the game but especially in a Test match on a flat wicket when runs are so valuable, it’s certainly not good enough. I’ve been having a chat to a few guys and I know there are a couple of specific things that I know I can do differently to be able to communicate better to ensure there’s less chance of that occurring again.”Having had six Test matches out of the national side due to injury, a run-out in Watson’s first match back did not escape the attention of the Australian team room, and he said he was under as much pressure from the rest of the squad as he was from himself to correct a damaging fault in his game.”Peer group pressure I think [has influenced Watson to change],” he said. “And also I am very honest with myself in all of my life, let alone my cricket side, and I know when there’s something not right that I need to address. This certainly is one of those because it is not good enough and it’s affecting the team. I know from my perspective I’m very honest with myself to know that’s something I do need to rectify. But also peer group pressure means I certainly need to.”I’ll be doing everything I possibly can to make the adjustments I need to make to be able to get it as right as possible. Run-outs do occur, but trying to limit the amount from my perspective. It’s a fine line. You want to make sure you are putting the pressure back on the West Indian bowlers and fielding team to be able to score the runs and rotate the strike.”But also the fine line of not taking a big risk which means you could lose a wicket as well, whereas being cautious means there can also be some mix-ups as well. It is a fine line and that’s the reason why in games there are run-outs. But from my perspective it is something that hasn’t been good enough and I definitely need to rectify it, because we can’t afford those things to happen.”

Pakistan will travel to Sri Lanka without a bowling coach as all applications received for the job vacancy left by Aaqib Javed have been deemed unsuitable.

ESPNcricinfo staff15-May-2012Pakistan will travel to Sri Lanka for their tour in June and July without a bowling coach because all applications received for the vacancy left by Aaqib Javed have been deemed unsuitable.”We aren’t able to find a suitable coach so far,” Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman told . “We have to reopen the process for more applicants.”The Pakistan board received applications from Ian Pont from England, the Maldives coach Bazeegh Zaka, and former Pakistan players Jalal-ud-Din, Mohsin Kamal, Sabih Azhar and Mohammad Akram. The applicants, although qualified, lacked international exposure. One of the job requirements was to have at least five years of experience in a similar role with elite cricketers and none of the applicants fulfilled that. England’s part-time spin bowling consultant Mushtaq Ahmed was also in contention but nothing was finalised because Pakistan were looking for more than a spin-bowling coach.Intikhab Alam, the head of the committee looking for the bowling coach, said the process would continue once Ashraf returned to Pakistan next week. The PCB recently appointed Dav Whatmore and Julian Fountain as head coach and fielding coach. The vacancy for bowling coach arose because Javed accepted the position of UAE’s head coach.

Daniel Brettig28-Jun-2012If next year’s Ashes are to be the ultimate measure of how Australia have improved since being humiliated by England last time around, then this ODI series makes for a decent midterm exam.Following an innings defeat in the fifth Ashes Test of 2010-11, the stand-in captain Michael Clarke had demanded that his team learn from their English conquerors. “I think 100% we have to learn from what England did this series,” he said. “Their performance, not only with bat and ball, but in the field, was outstanding for a five-Test series. There’s a great starting point to be able to turn up every day for five Tests, to perform as well as they did.”Eighteen months on, a smarter and more confident Australia have their first chance to weigh themselves against the England side that humbled them, and to find out whether or not their changes in the interim have been fruitful. It may not be a Test series, but this contest will provide a valuable chance for both teams to scope each other’s strengths and weaknesses between Test series, and also indulge in the odd spot of psychological point-scoring at the height of the English summer.Before leading the team in the kind of full-bodied training session that has typified his time as captain, Clarke said the tourists had improved greatly in their intensity and work ethic when preparing for matches. The new support structure that now features the coach Mickey Arthur, the fielding coach Steve Rixon, the batting coach Justin Langer and the interim bowling coach Ali de Winter is a far more well-directed and focused group than the one that staggered through the 2010-11 southern hemisphere summer.”I think our work ethic has been the standout for me, the way the boys are training,” Clarke said of where the team had improved since last meeting England. “I guess our coaches are pushing us now, every training session is very enjoyable. You walk away from every net session feeling like you have improved some part of your game. They are tough sessions, that’s for sure, so that’s probably the area I think we’ve focused on. We’re getting better every day with our preparation.”With hard work and a lot of training you hope your skills improve. I guess we’ll see, over the next couple of weeks, how we go when we’re under pressure against a very good and confident one-day team.”While neither side would go as far as saying this series will have a bearing on the Ashes in England next year, it should not be forgotten that between the 2009 series and its return bout in Australia, England took the opportunity to win in two encounters in 2010. Paul Collingwood led the Twenty20 team to success over Australia in the World T20 final in the Caribbean, before Andrew Strauss led his 50-over side to a 3-2 win at home. By contrast, Australia have excelled at winning the ODIs contested immediately after the destination of the Ashes has been decided – in each case a rather more hollow triumph.Tim Bresnan, among others, was aided by the experience of getting one over the Australians in 2010-11 and the 19-year-old pace prodigy Pat Cummins is one of numerous tourists looking for a similar grounding on this trip.”Pat’s a very nice kid and he loves his cricket so he’ll be out there just to try and enjoy himself and do as well as he possibly can,” Clarke said. “Like a lot of the guys who haven’t experienced UK conditions it’s going to be a little different for him. It’s going to take some time to adjust and see what conditions are like, but so far, so good. We’ve played the two practice games – one against Leicester, one against Essex – and we’ve done ok, so hopefully we can hang on to that momentum and take it into tomorrow’s game.”All the guys on this tour are looking forward to an opportunity. We have got 15 good one-day players, young and enthusiastic, but unfortunately you can only pick 11. We’ll wait and see what we think our best XI is for every given game. At the moment, when we are selecting the team for tomorrow it will be about tomorrow and not looking any further down the track. We’ve got some good, young fast bowlers who are all keen to get an opportunity.”The major intrigue about the Australian team surrounds the batting, as Clarke and Arthur weigh up their options. The final warm-up match against Essex had George Bailey batting at No. 3 behind David Warner and Shane Watson, with Matthew Wade a very capable No. 7. Watson may yet drop back down to three, with Wade promoted, while Peter Forrest waits in the wings should Bailey slip up. Clarke said the shuffling of the batting order on tour so far reflected his desire to give each player a chance in the middle.”It’s about giving guys a hit, that’s what we’ve tried to do,” he said. “We’ve had a fair bit of rain as well, so a few training sessions have been put indoors. In the games we’ve played it was just about making sure everyone got some runs under their belt, or a bat.”

Bangladesh’s fortunes continued to swing wildly on their tour of Europe, as they followed Tuesday’s big loss to Scotland with a comprehensive victory over Netherlands at The Hague

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jul-2012
ScorecardBangladesh’s fortunes continued to swing wildly on their tour of Europe, as they followed Tuesday’s big loss to Scotland with a comprehensive victory over Netherlands at The Hague. The eight-wicket win, in the first of two Twenty20s against Netherlands, was set up by unbeaten half-century from opener Tamim Iqbal.Pursuing 145, Bangladesh might have been in a bit more trouble had Tom Cooper held on to a regulation chance offered by Tamim early on: he came down the track to Tim Gruijters off the fifth ball of the chase and drove in the air straight to Cooper at extra cover, and the catch was grassed. From there on, Tamim grew rather cautious. He took only two fours off his first 31 deliveries.At 66 for 2 halfway through the chase, with 79 more required, Netherlands might have fancied their chances. But Tamim squashed those hopes by opening up with three hits down the ground, for two sixes and a four, off Pieter Seelaar in the 14th over. From the other end, Mushfiqur Rahim extended solid support with 37 off 24 – he ensured Bangladesh finished with a flourish, depositing sixes over long-on and midwicket off Mudassar Bukhari to end the game in the 18th over.Earlier Netherlands, after choosing to bat, could not quite get a partnership going. They were tottering at 14 for 3, with the two most effective bowlers in the game, Mashrafe Mortaza and Shakib Al Hasan, both striking early blows. Michael Swart could not find adequate company, and despite his 57 off 41 balls and a few boundaries from the lower-middle order at the end, Netherlands could only manage 144 for 7.While this win might not have much of an impact on Bangladesh’s ranking – previous wins and losses on this tour have seen them go from nowhere on the Twenty20 table up to No. 4 and back down to No. 9 – it could help salvage some pride.

Australia have called up the uncapped allrounder Glenn Maxwell for their ODI and Twenty20 matches against Pakistan in the UAE

Brydon Coverdale16-Jul-2012Australia have called up the uncapped allrounder Glenn Maxwell for their ODI and Twenty20 matches against Pakistan in the UAE. The batsman Callum Ferguson has also been recalled to the one-day side, having last played for Australia more than a year ago, and Cameron White has been named in the T20 squad, six months after losing the national captaincy to George Bailey.Michael Hussey will return in both formats, having missed the tour of England due to the premature birth of his child, and Peter Forrest has been dropped. The selectors have also decided to rest Shane Watson and Ben Hilfenhaus from the one-day portion of the trip – the same squad has been named for the one-off ODI against Afghanistan – and they have deemed that Pat Cummins will be fit enough to take part in the three T20s despite his early exit from the England tour with a side strain.The squads are also without the veteran Brett Lee, who retired from international cricket on Friday, and the offspinner Nathan Lyon has been overlooked after being part of Australia’s T20 squad in the Caribbean. The inclusion of Maxwell, 23, has come after his impressive performances for Hampshire in the Friends Life t20 this year – he has made 178 runs at 59.33 and a strike rate of 178.In February 2011, Maxwell scored the quickest half-century in Australia’s domestic one-day history when he brought up his fifty in 19 balls for Victoria against Tasmania, and his powerful striking has proved useful in all formats. Also a handy offspinner and an agile fieldsman, Maxwell has now emerged as a potential selection for the World T20 in Sri Lanka in September, along with fellow spinners Brad Hogg and Xavier Doherty, who will also play in the UAE.”Glenn Maxwell is a relatively inexperienced player who debuted for Victoria in 50-over and T20 cricket in the 2009-10 season and in the Sheffield Shield the following season,” John Inverarity, the national selector, said. “He’s a versatile and lively off-spinning allrounder and brilliant fieldsman that has caught the eye of the national selection panel.”An injury last January somewhat halted his progress but in recent months he has impressed in the IPL and with Hampshire. Glenn will provide another spin bowler option on the slow, low, turning wickets in the UAE.”The three T20s are Australia’s last outings in the format before the World T20 and there are unlikely to be any major changes to the 15-man squad for that tournament. The veteran spinner Hogg, 41, has been in the selectors’ plans for the World T20 for six months, while the inclusion of Cummins is not surprising, his recent injury notwithstanding, given the desire for him to be part of the world tournament as well.The inclusion of White came after he revived his lagging form with a strong display for Deccan Chargers in the IPL this year and for Northamptonshire in the Friends Life t20. A year ago, White was expected to be the man who would lead Australia to the World T20 in Sri Lanka but his form led to a reassessment from Inverarity’s selection panel.”Cameron White has recaptured some form in recent months,” Inverarity said. “He scored particularly well in the IPL and with Northamptonshire in the county T20 competition. His experience and striking ability resulted in him winning favour with the NSP and shading Steve Smith for a place. Further, he will be able to provide invaluable support to George Bailey and Shane Watson, captain and vice-captain respectively.”Watson has been named in the T20 squad but not for the ODIs, having been sent home early from the England series due to a calf strain. David Warner will be Michael Clarke’s vice-captain for the three ODIs, which will start at 6pm local time to avoid the extreme daytime heat, and the series will also provide an opportunity for Ferguson to resume his international career.”The ODI squad has a strong development aspect to it,” Inverarity said. “Shane Watson and Ben Hilfenhaus have not been included and Brett Lee has retired. This will provide development opportunities for others and allow Shane and Ben to complete a more thorough strength and conditioning program before embarking on a very demanding schedule.”Callum Ferguson played very well at times for the Australian ODI team in 2009 before a serious knee injury halted his progress at international level. The NSP is keen to facilitate Callum’s return to consistent good form and has included him in the squad and anticipates that he will benefit greatly from being in the team environment and any opportunities that may come his way.”Michael Hussey’s return to the fold in both squads will be welcomed. His all-round batting skills, the outstanding manner in which he prepares, and his unrelenting quest for excellence will add greatly to the team dynamic.”The conditions in the UAE will be very demanding. The pitches will be different and it will be extremely hot, necessitating ODIs beginning at 6pm and ending after 1am. The players will be able to add further to their kitbags of experiences.”ODI squad David Warner, Matthew Wade (wk), Michael Clarke (capt), George Bailey, Callum Ferguson, Michael Hussey, David Hussey, Daniel Christian, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Johnson, Xavier Doherty, James Pattinson, Clint McKay, Mitchell StarcT20 squad David Warner, Shane Watson, Matthew Wade (wk), David Hussey, Michael Hussey, George Bailey (capt), Cameron White, Daniel Christian, Glenn Maxwell, Brad Hogg, Xavier Doherty, Clint McKay, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Ben Hilfenhaus.

David Warner will play for the Sydney Sixers in the 2012-13 Big Bash League

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Aug-2012David Warner will play for the Big Bash League (BBL) title-holders Sydney Sixers in the 2012-13 season. Warner has transferred to the Sixers – the team from Sydney’s eastern suburbs – from the Sydney Thunder, whom he captained in the inaugural BBL.The transfer was expected, after Warner had expressed interest in the Sixers and failed to strike a deal with the Thunder, leaving him unsigned at the end of the competition’s primary recruitment window. Subsequently, the Thunder had taken Michael Clarke on board for the 2012-13 season.Warner said he was happy to be representing the eastern suburbs. “I had a great time last year at the Sydney Thunder and thank the fans at ANZ Stadium [the Thunder’s base] for their support, but I’m an eastern suburbs boy and I am really looking forward to playing at the SCG [the Sixers’ base] for the Sixers,” he told the franchise’s website.Apart from winning the BBL last summer, the Sixers cultivated a happy team environment under the coaching of Trevor Bayliss and the wider management of Stuart Clark. By contrast, the Thunder battled for strong results and faced difficulties surrounding their home base, with transport believed to be one of several issues for players.As a current member of Australia Test team, Warner is unlikely to play more than one BBL game this year – the season-opening derby between the Sixers and the Thunder at the SCG on December 7 – but his presence would be considered crucial in terms of marketing the franchise and building its fan base.

Steven Cazzulino, the Tasmania opening batsman, has been suspended from the opening round of Sheffield Shield matches for missing a training session

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2012Steven Cazzulino, the Tasmania opening batsman, has been suspended from the opening round of Sheffield Shield matches for contravening the Tigers’ behavioural code.Cazzulino missed a pre-season training session and was thus considered ineligible for selection for Tasmania’s opening match, against New South Wales at Bankstown Oval from September 26.Andrew Dykes, Tasmania’s cricket operations manager, explained that Cazzulino was on his last warning following a similar transgression last summer.”Unfortunately Steve will not be considered for selection in the first Sheffield Shield match due to him missing a scheduled training session with the Tigers during the pre-season,” Dykes said. “Steve was on a final warning following a similar incident during the 2011-12 season and team management had no option but to impose a one match suspension when he again transgressed recently.”Cazzulino has played 10 matches for the Tigers, and made a stolid 68 on the opening day of last season;s Shield final in Brisbane.The Tigers have also announced a new selection panel for the 2012-13 season, following the model taken up by the Australian team as per the recommendations of the Argus review.Michael Farrell stays on as Chairman of Selectors, but he will be joined by the head Coach Tim Coyle, the assistant Michael Di Venuto and Tasmanian Tigers’ Captain George Bailey. The former Test wicketkeeper Roger Woolley loses his place on the panel.”It has been decided to alter the make-up of the Tigers Selection Committee and capitalise on the knowledge and experience of the full-time Cricket Tasmania coaching staff,” Dykes said. “Roger has served as a State Selector during a successful period for Tasmanian cricket and we thank him for the valuable contribution he has made during his tenure as a selector.”

Lions scored 56 runs off their last 57 deliveries, losing seven wickets, to completely undo a quick start provided by Gulam Bodi

The Report by Sidharth Monga18-Oct-2012
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
In his last match of the tournament, Shane Watson put an in all-round effort to make sure Sixers made it to the semi-final•Associated Press

Lions scored 56 runs off their last 57 deliveries, losing seven wickets, to completely undo a quick start provided by Gulam Bodi, who scored 61 off 44. Although Jean Symes provided quick 23 in the end, Lions ended with an underwhelming 137, which Sydney Sixers chased with ease despite a middle-overs stumble of three wickets for 14 runs. With their third win out of three and superior net run rate, Sixers are now all but through to the semi-finals*.Bodi and Symes continued in the same form that had helped Lions win their previous match, against Chennai Super Kings, but Sixers wove a comeback around the two. They scored 84 in 10 overs between them, the rest managed just 53. Not only were the others guilty of going slow, they also got out after eating up those deliveries.It was not the two leading Sixers pace bowlers that slowed down Lions, but the medium-pace of Shane Watson and Josh Hazlewood that took the wickets to keep pegging Lions back. Bodi, on the other hand, kept hitting the ball over midwicket and extra cover. Pat Cummins’ first over went for 14, and Mitchell Starc went for a huge six in his first.Hazlewood, though, got Alviro Petersen in his first, and Watson did that to Quinton de Kock in his second. De Kock, who scored a fifty against Mumbai Indians, managed just four off 14. Neil Mckenzie started calmly again, but couldn’t kick on, and went back for 17 off 16 when Hazlewood when he opened the face to Hazlewood in the 11th over, managing only an edge. Zander de Bruyn made it worse with four off 10, and Lions were now just 91 for 4 in the 14th over.Symes and Bodi pushed Lions back on track a 29-run partnership in 3.4 overs, but Starc came back with both their wickets in the 18th over. Lions were pulled back again, and Sixers were left with a middling total to chase.The start Sixers got off to wasn’t the flashiest, but Watson and Michael Lumb stayed together for 8.3 overs. While Lumb went only at a run a ball, Watson opened up to take 19 runs off the sixth over, bowled by the quick but erratic Chris Morris. Aaaron Phangiso once again provided Lions with a comeback in the middle overs, getting rid of Lumb and Dominic Thornely in successive deliveries. When Phangiso got Watson on the slog sweep in the11th over, SIxers had gone from 60 for no loss to 74 for 3.The next two overs went for just eight, taking the asking rate up to 7.71 for the last seven overs. Brad Haddin then went on a sweeping spree, sending Symes for three consecutive sixes. Two more wickets fell later, but under six an over was not going to trouble Sixers.*03:17pm, October 18: The report had previously incorrectly stated that Sydney Sixers are through to the semi-finals. This has been changed.

A wrap of the opening day of the first round of Ranji Trophy matches in Group C

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2012
Scorecard
Offspinner Sunny Gupta is back with Jharkhand and took four wickets to put them in ascendency against Assam•K Sivaraman

It was just before Diwali three years ago when an Under-22 Jammu & Kashmir team was put through an ordeal in Bangalore. Two of their players, Parvez Rassol and Mehrazuddin, were detained by the police who said they had found “residues of explosives” in one of their kit bags.The players were released after investigations didn’t substantiate the suspicion, but their Diwali was ruined. Three years later, just before Diwali, a few days after they had conceded an innings win in the first match, they were down for the count again. The word around was, if you missed all seven points against J&K, you stood no chance of progressing from Group C.At 89 for 4, it seemed they would go down without a fight again, but Rassol made this Diwali slightly more memorable by scoring an unbeaten 90 to take J&K to a fighting 196 for 7 in and against Goa. He added 26, 34 and 31 for the fifth, sixth and seventh wicket, but dominated the stands so much that two of those partners didn’t even reach double figures. He also faced 205 of the 369 balls bowled during the day, and was looking for a second first-class century when stumps were drawn.
Scorecard
In the match between the group leaders – both tied at seven points – Jharkhand’s spinners took eight wickets between them to bowl Assam out for a paltry 179. Sunny Gupta, who had played for Tamil Nadu in between, and captain Shahbaz Nadeem took four wickets each.The only resistance from Assam came from their Nagaland-born allrounder Hokaito Zhimomi, but he fell two short of what would have been a maiden fifty. He had added 75 for the fourth wicket with Gokul Sharma, but Nadeem broke the partnership by removing Gokul. Minutes later Sunny got rid of Zhimomi, and the rest fell regularly.
Scorecard
Syed Abbas Ali has been a wanderer. A left-hand batsman from Madhya Pradesh, he has been to the ICL and back, and has also left MP to play for Tripura. On the first day of the second round, playing his 97th first-class match, the 36-year-old Abbas bailed Tripura out after they had been down at 54 for 3 against Andhra in Anantapur.Abbas’ 15th first-class hundred took Tripura to a fighting total. He found support from Ajay Ratra, Abhijit Dey and Debabrata Chowdhury, who added 32, 44 and 67 with him. Abbas himself hit 15 fours and was unbeaten when the stumps were drawn.
Scorecard
Four of the eight Services batsmen that batted on day one scored half-centuries, but none of them could convert it into a hundred. Consequently the game hung in balance, at 290 for 6.Pratik Desai and Soomik Chatarjee began with a century opening stand, but that ended in Chatarjee’s run-out. Desai fell about eight overs later to make it 136 for 2, but Anshul Gupta kept getting the runs. Services lost three quick wickets in the middle, including that of another half-centurion Anshul Gupta, but they found more partnerships at 218 for 5.Rajat Paliwal put on 67 with wicketkeeper Sarabjit Singh, but he too fell soon after crossing 50, leaving the door ajar.

Rory Kleinveldt is banking on his performance in the second innings in Adelaide to win a place in the XI for the Perth Test

Firdose Moonda27-Nov-2012Rory Kleinveldt made his Test debut with two of his best friends at his side: Vernon Philander, with whom he has spent seasons bowling with at the Cobras, and JP Duminy, who had been a team-mate since childhood where they both played at Victoria Cricket Club. But, nothing else about the match was too memorable for him. He went wicketless in 21 overs and conceded 97 runs. Disappointingly, he overstepped 12 times to make him the worst no-ball offender of the match. At the end of the Test, Kleinveldt, and almost everyone else, thought it unlikely he would play again on the tour. He may even have considered what he would need to do at the first-class level to be selected again in the future.Kleinveldt accepted his fate with maturity. His lack of exaggeration suggested he would cherish a second chance but understood if he didn’t get one immediately.On the morning of the Adelaide Test – a match he was told he would be sitting out for – Kleinveldt found out Philander would not be able to play. Instead of soaking up his own good fortune, he immediately thought of his friend. “It just wasn’t nice to replace him,” he said. Half an hour later, he had to take the field and did not have any more time to think. It showed. Kleinveldt was more controlled from the get-go, even though Australia were on the attack. “I was very nervous before my debut but I was a lore more relaxed this time. I had nothing to lose.”In fact, there was much to gain. It was only in the 99th over of the match, by which time Australia had already scored 500 runs, that Kleinveldt took his first Test wicket. Peter Siddle edged one to slip and there was a lengthy check for the no-ball before the dismissal was confirmed. For someone who had problems with his front foot throughout, there was reason to be anxious again. “I was very relieved after I saw my foot landed just behind the line. To get the first one under the belt was pretty good,” he said.
It’s his performance in the second innings that Kleinveldt will be banking to put him in contention for Perth. He dismissed the Australian top three in a spell during which his ability to use seam movement was on display. “There was a bit more pace in this wicket than in the Brisbane, and more carry. I enjoyed bowling on it,” he said.With talk growing that both sides will think of all-pace attacks for the third Test, Kleinveldt has reason to be hopeful that he will get the nod again, even though Philander is expected to recover in time. If he does, he will fulfill a boyhood goal. “It’s always been a dream of mine because what I’ve heard from past players is that the pitch is a quick one. It would be nice for me get on there and have a go.”Already Kleinveldt has turned some hopes into realities. His father and uncle were both cricketers and the latter an exceptional bowler who was denied any chance of playing for South Africa because of Apartheid. For both those men, Kleinveldt is doing what they were never allowed to and he is aware of the magnitude of his success. “They didn’t have these opportunities,” he said. “They’re very proud of my achievements and support me all the way. It’s nice for me just to go out there and represent them.” To see him play a part in a decider would be another massive moment for them.Kleinveldt thinks South Africa will go in with the upper hand after their resilience with the bat in Adelaide, both from a mental and physical point of view. While Australia will be beaten down by their inability to take 20 wickets, their attack is also physically drained, evident in Peter Siddle’s obvious exhaustion. “If it was our dressing room we’d be disappointed not to have won the Test,” Kleinveldt said, before adding some special words for his first Test victim. “It will be nice for Graeme Smith to win the toss and bat first. I’m not sure Peter Siddle will enjoy that too much.”