All posts by csb10.top

Virender Sehwag, the captain of the Delhi Daredevils, praised his bowlers for their part in a comprehensive nine-wicket win over the Rajasthan Royals at the Feroz Shah Kotla yesterday.”It was an easy match for us and credit goes to the bowlers, they made it easy to chase the target,” Sehwag said. “I hope they carry on the good work later in the tournament.”Delhi’s bowlers, led by seamer Farveez Maharoof, who took 2 or 11, restricted Rajasthan to 129 before Gautam Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan scored unbeaten half-centuries to bring up victory in 15.1 overs. But Sehwag said tougher challenges lay ahead for his side. “It was an easy match, but one-sided matches do happen in Twenty20 cricket. The first two matches of the IPL were high-scoring affairs and we will have to face tougher teams ahead.”Sehwag said his team’s preparations ahead of their match gave them the edge over Rajasthan. “We started practice 10 days before the match and it was our home ground. Moreover, the seniors in the side, including the international stars, helped the youngsters a lot. That clearly paid off.”Meanwhile, Shane Warne, the losing captain, said Rajasthan’s fortunes will change once their foreign recruits join the team after completing their respective international and domestic commitments. “Graeme Smith is joining next week. The Pakistanis – Younis Khan and Kamran Akmal – are joining. The Englishman, Dimitri Mascarenhas, is an exciting player, and he is also joining soon.”So, I am pretty confident that we will give tougher competition to other teams in the tournament,” Warne said, while admitting that the team’s strategy went awry. “It was one of those days when we could not implement our plans and came short of ideas.”Warne also criticised the England board for the not allowing their players to participate in the tournament’s first edition. “It is a shame that exciting players like [Kevin] Pietersen are not playing in the IPL. It is ridiculous of the ECB to stop them.”

Michael Clarke has been named as Australia’s new vice-captain following the retirement of Adam Gilchrist. Clarke, who turns 27 on Wednesday, was handed the role for the upcoming Test and ODI tours of the West Indies and his appointment is a strong indication he will be groomed to eventually take over the top job from Ricky Ponting.Clarke was given captaincy experience in Australia’s two Twenty20 internationals this season, against New Zealand and India, and the team comfortably won both games. The promotion completes an outstanding 18 months for Clarke, who was initially overlooked for the first Ashes Test in 2006-07 until an injury to Shane Watson opened up a middle-order vacancy.It also capped off an exciting few days after Clarke proposed to his model girlfriend Lara Bingle in the United States. “This will be a week I remember for the rest of my life,” Clarke told the . “I only arrived home on Monday and had a fantastic holiday where I had some special times in New York, where we were engaged.”And now I’ve had this news – I’ve been given the chance to become vice-captain of Australia, which is fantastic and something I’m really looking forward to. I think all young players dream of playing for Australia and every kid aspires to one day becoming vice-captain or captain – I certainly did.”The chairman of selectors, Andrew Hilditch, said it was an easy decision to make Clarke the deputy to Ponting. “With Adam Gilchrist retiring after a stellar Australian career we have identified the need to look towards the future,” Hilditch said.”While we had some very strong candidates within the current team, including those of the calibre of Michael Hussey, we had no hesitation in recommending Michael Clarke for the position. We were thrilled with his performances as captain during the two Twenty20 international games this summer and believe he has outstanding leadership credentials.”In addition to replacing Gilchrist as vice-captain, Clarke is also one of several options who could be considered as Matthew Hayden’s new opening partner in one-day internationals. However, James Hopes was tested in the role during the CB Series and might be the team’s initial preference, while the Western Australia top-order batsman Shaun Marsh could also be considered having been named for his first ODI tour.

Slow-burn thrillers aren’t for everyone. Mount Maunganui’s been screening one for the past three days and just as the draw was starting to turn favourite, things started to happen. “Ooooh my Goooddddd,” cried Kavem Hodge rolling around on the floor. Apparently, he was only allowed a second Test match century if he could show he could take a cricket ball to the crown jewels. He did. On 97, he put his agonised body through the trauma of a quickly run two, and on 99, decided running is for losers and whacked a pull shot to the square-leg boundary.West Indies went to stumps on 381 for 6, and trailing by 194, but there is uncertainty around two of the wickets they have in hand. Shai Hope was holed up in his hotel all of Friday and he hasn’t really been seen since. It is reported that he is unwell and as team-mate after team-mate came in ahead of him, it is starting to look serious enough to prevent him from batting. Kemar Roach is down with a hamstring injury he picked up on the first day and his status is unclear as well.New Zealand will remain hopeful of a positive result, particularly on the evidence of how they roused themselves in the final session. They were tired. The slow pace of the pitch was negating the movement that was still on offer. So there was a lot of oohs and aahs but never the aha! Until Daryl Mitchell was given the ball and he just trundled in and had Justin Greaves lbw. Three balls later, Ajaz Patel had Roston Chase trapped in front as well.West Indies had racked up fifty partnership after fifty partnership – four of their top five wickets were able to bed in. Then all of a sudden, a dibbly-dobbly bowler and a man who had never taken a Test wicket at home broke through.Slow burn thrillers. Gotta love ’em.Hodge batting in the 90s started to get uncomfortable. Anderson Phillip was hit in the head. New Zealand missed an edge through to the keeper. The replay went up on the big screen and Tom Latham said, “Oh, not again!”, throwing back to the missed opportunity when they had no reviews in Christchurch and Roach lbw only for the umpire to shake his head. There’s still two more days of this left.Ajaz Patel celebrates his maiden home Test wicket•AFP/Getty Images

Hodge’s Test career has been a slow burn too and at one point was in danger of being put out. He had been dropped during the home summer with only two of his previous 15 innings crossing the 30-run mark. Speaking at the end of the day’s play, he had the grace to accept that, saying if the employees aren’t giving what is expected of them, bosses will look elsewhere.West Indies came back to him for this tour of New Zealand and he made it a priority to figure out a way to bat against the moving ball. This challenge, far from making him shrink, triggered the analytical side of him. He has a degree in sports science and those principles might have come in handy to recognise that he could leverage his strength, scoring square of the wicket, into runs, “Plan your work, work your plan,” he said at the end of the day on 109 not out.Hodge looked suspect initially, surviving outside edges through the slip cordon and berating himself about his front foot’s reluctance to get in line with the ball. But none of that deterred him from doing the basics right; from being ready for the next ball; from gaining better awareness of his off stump. With more and more time in the middle, he was able to get his body moving the way he wanted. The strength of his defence began to shine through – soft hands, bat face pointed down to make sure the ball didn’t reach the close catchers – and the bowlers began looking elsewhere. Hodge punished them for their lack of perseverance, playing some of the most crisp pull shots. The early struggle and the method to get out of it made the final yield all the better.Tevin Imlach, batting at No. 4 in place of Hope soon after his captain had wondered where he was trying to score his runs, put in a decent shift which included running down the pitch at Ajaz and hoisting him over the top for a straight six. That shot was a direct response to the left-arm spinner almost running through his defence with an arm ball.Alick Athanaze was all class. He, like Hodge who was his room-mate as they came up playing together in Dominica, was back-foot dominant. Punches and whips and cuts all eye-catching for the sound off the bat and the balance at the crease.The Grinch made an appearance on dress-up day in Mount Maunganui•Getty Images

Greaves spoke on Friday about bringing glory back to West Indies and it is clearly not beyond him. Once, a mere forward defensive was almost enough to carry the ball to the long-off boundary.Each of those three players had the chance to go big in largely placid conditions but they were all cut short. Imlach out for 27 driving at a ball that wasn’t pitched up and could’ve been left alone. Athanaze left a nothing ball from Ajaz that would’ve comfortably missed leg stump but for a cruel deflection off his front leg. He was 45 off 57. Greaves (43 off 69) missed a straight ball from Mitchell and needed a review to see just how plumb he was. New Zealand’s batters had been ruthless. West Indies’ had work to do.Jacob Duffy, the highest wicket-taker of the series, ran in with purpose whether his job was to strike early – which he did, John Campbell falling without adding to his overnight score of 45 – or do some donkey work – he cranked his pace up to 144kph for the last over of the day which he spent banging the ball into the pitch to see if he could benefit from a bit of variable bounce.Ajaz, who hasn’t played a Test at home for five years, and whose 85 wickets until now were all the result of work done away from home, made the most of the wind blowing across the ground, just lobbing the ball up at the high-70-low-80 kph range and getting good drift and dip. Michael Rae overcame a laceration to his shin to keep trucking in. Zak Foulkes, a swing bowler out of place on a pitch which was helping only those who could hit the deck hard, tried his best. New Zealand were a much-improved bowling side. Their discipline was up. They didn’t let their shoulders sag even as the ball got soft and partnerships kept building. That mentality is going to be crucial as the slow burn in Mount Maunganui continues.

Dougie Brown, the chairman of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, has warned that the majority of England’s leading Test players might be lost to the Indian Premier League if the English authorities try to force the likes of Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen to choose between the new tournament and representing their country.Brown, who has investigated the IPL’s finances and believes that the competition will be a massive success, has grown increasingly concerned over what he perceives as administrators in England sticking their heads in the sand and refusing to grapple with the true consequences of the IPL.Citing as evidence a recent poll which revealed that nearly 50% of Australia’s best cricketers are apparently prepared to contemplate quitting the Test circuit if they are refused the opportunity to participate in the new Twenty20 tournament in India, whose initial contract lasts ten years, Brown has urged the world’s cricketing bodies to thrash out a revised schedule which prevents the kind of schism which would make Kerry Packer’s 1970s breakaway series seem trivial by comparison.”The balance of power in the sport is shifting away from the ICC to the BCCI and England can’t afford to lose all their best players to the IPL, but the players have families to worry about, mortgages to pay, and futures to consider, and you can’t blame them for looking at the chance of being able to earn twice as much in a month as they could do in a whole year and concluding: ‘I want a piece of that’,” said Brown. “I think we have to be careful not to dilute Twenty20’s appeal by setting up tournaments all over the world, because cricket has to keep coming up with fresh ideas and the last thing we need is for the calendar to feature half-a dozen Twenty20 international events on it, because broadcasters aren’t stupid. They know that the public will get behind the IPL, because it is original and it is unique, and I have no doubt that we will see that the Indians turn it into terrific success.”But we have to fight to preserve the integrity of Test cricket, and to make sure that the game doesn’t become one-dimensional. We are in danger of driving the best players away from the Test circuit if we are heavy-handed in dealing with them. This is bigger than Packer – his WSC only lasted for three or four years, whereas the IPL will be with us for the next decade and we have to accept it will transform the face of cricket.”So that is why it is so important that the ECB understands there has to be an even-handed approach to letting their best players perform in the IPL. If they simply refuse to let them perform in the Indian structure, that will set a very dangerous precedent, because big-name players, the kind of high-profile names who light up Test matches, will choose to walk away and focus exclusively on Twenty20. So this is a critical period for us all.”

ScorecardFile photo: Unmukt Chand hammered 80 off 86 balls to seal a chase of 201 for Delhi•PTI

Delhi will play their second Vijay Hazare Trophy final after a comfortable, six-wicket victory over Himachal Pradesh in Bangalore. The last time Delhi set up a summit clash was quite recent too – in 2012-13 – and they won it.The difference between both teams was the contrast in their batting styles. While Delhi were assured and always in control, Himachal were subdued and impatient and could only muster 200 for 9 after being put in to bat.No one epitomised Delhi’s confidence as much as Unmukt Chand, who became the first batsman from his team to cross 300 runs in the tournament. His unbeaten 80 today included nine boundaries and was his third fifty-plus score in List A cricket this season.Chand had walked in after Rishabh Pant became the first wicket to fall, but not before the opener had set the tone for the chase with three crunching fours in the first three overs.Chand too began with a solid straight drive, then moved inside the line of another fuller ball for a flick to the fine leg boundary and capped the series off by skipping down the pitch for a six over long-on. Ronit More was the bowler being targeted; he bowled only eight balls to Chand but gave away 16 runs.Chand’s positivity was apparent even in the break between overs during chats with senior partner Shikhar Dhawan, who joined in the early fun and punished Himachal’s 20-year old medium-pacer Pankaj Jaiswal for trying to bowl short. Delhi collected eight fours and a six in the first 10 overs to set up a strong foundation to their chase.Himachal did have a chance to turn things around. A lapse in concentration resulted in Shikhar playing on to Bipul Sharma’s left-arm spin in the 18th over. Delhi captain Gautam Gambhir misread the line of one from part-time spinner Nikhil Gangta and was trapped leg before, continuing a dismal season with the bat – he averages 24.85 after eight matches with only one fifty. Milind Kumar lifted Himchal’s spirit further when he was run out by Ankush Bains in the 29th over.But Chand was still out there and he remained in charge. Barring a misjudged sweep against Bipul when he was on 55, he dominated the Himachal bowling and sealed the chase without any further hiccups.That Himachal even managed to get to 200, and last the 50 overs, was because of an aggressive half-century from their captain Bipul. He made 51 off 45 balls, the only man from the team to have a strike rate better than 100 on condition of at least five balls faced.Bipul had walked in with his team on 98 for 4 in the 31st over. Allrounder Rishi Dhawan had just got out for 9. The other two batting mainstays – Robin Bist and Paras Dogra – did not make much of an impact either.So it was down to Bipul to provide some substance to the innings. His first boundary came off a back cut against Pawan Negi. Then Bipul went with the turn and lofted the left-arm spinner for a straight six. Next Nitin Saini was taken for consecutive fours, and Nitish Rana’s offspin was launched down the ground for another maximum.His third six – straight again, off medium-pacer Subodh Bhatti – brought up the fifty partnership with No. 9 Mayank Dagar off only 46 balls. A dab into the off side for a single brought Bipul his first fifty in the tournament. But the enterprise he showed was absent in the rest of the Himachal batting line-up.Rishi Dhawan, who is part of the India squad for ODI series in Australia, punched the back of his bat in disgust after he was bowled attempting to sweep across the line of a straight delivery from Negi. Bist, who hit a match-winning century against Punjab in the quarter-final, nicked off when Saini was able to get one to move away off the straight.Dogra, Himachal’s most experienced batsman, was a victim of impatience. He had been part of a slow partnership – 45 off 78 balls – with opener Prashant Chopra who struggled to shift gears during his 33 off 69 balls. Chopra failed to capitalise and cut straight to point, the pressure slowly increased and Dogra, 28 off 64 balls at the time, succumbed to it when he played a half-hearted loft against Negi and was caught at long-off.Himachal could only put up 77 after 25 overs in their first innings, and it was this conservative approach with the bat that proved fatal for them.

There was never really any doubt that Waqar Younis would lead Pakistan in the World Cup. There was a lot of kite-flying and because the PCB maintained a silence , this kite-flying acquired a measure of credibility.It has been the PCB’s policy to appoint a captain on a series basis. It has adhered to this policy.It makes sense since form and fitness are of paramount importance and Waqar is no spring-chicken and is a high-risk when it comes to injuries. He is not alone in this as younger fast bowlers are falling by the wayside and are being patched-up and sent into battle.India rested Zaheer Khan in the one-day series against the West Indies, Mervyn Dillon pulled out of the tour of Bangladesh, Chris Cairns is still not fit to bowl, England seem to lose a fast bowler per match Allan Donald is being kept wrapped in cotton-wool and Zimbabwe had all its pace attack unfit, Muttiah Muralitharan is recovering from a hernia operation and Shane Warne has done his shoulder and is doubtful for the World Cup and our own Shoaib Akhtar has returned home to nurse a gammy knee.The PCB chairman has now confirmed Waqar as captain and hopefully the only kite-flying that will be done will be during the forthcoming basant.I think that Waqar will be the first to admit that he is no Imran Khan, Imran had the special gift of getting the best out of his players, even those he may not have personally liked. Like all humans, he had his likes and dislikes. He never allowed this to influence the way he handled the team.Waqar has never concealed that he is uneasy with Wasim Akram in the team. That, at least, is the perception and the selection of the playing eleven on tour has been whimsical. But he has done the job and led from the front and picked up wickets and given Pakistan the breakthrough. He has even started to make a few runs. The PCB has reposed confidence in him. This should cheer him up.The team management had asked for Saeed Anwar for the Test matches and the selection committee has sensibly refused to panic. Saeed should have been on the South Africa tour from the onset. There is no doubt that he was short of match-practice. But he is a near-certainty for the World Cup and he needs to get into the groove by playing domestic cricket. Pakistan will need his experience in the World Cup. He has time enough to get in the right frame of mind.We knew that the tour of South Africa would be a hard one but the margin of 4-1 is not a proper reflection of the difference between the two teams. Pakistan bowlers did everything asked of them but the batting seems to show no sign of the toughness that is required against quality opponents. The running between wickets left much to be desired, a sign that reflects not enough homework is being done on this vital aspect of the game.Running between the wickets is about judgement but it is also about communicating with one’s partner. There are only three calls, yes, no or wait. Simple words that do not put any stress on the mind and are unambiguous, not subject to interpretation, nor a basis for negotiation.While we are focused on the World Cup, a Test match comes around that is far more gripping than anything that the one-day version can dish out. Such a Test match was the one that was played at Hamilton between India and New Zealand.New Zealand won it in a tight finish. The first day’s play was washed out. But two days and a session were enough to get a decision. The wicket was certainly lively and the ball seamed but it was certainly not dangerous. Far too much was being read into it, the fault lay not in the wicket but in the lack of technique that was needed to cope with the moving ball. Far too used to batting-friendly pitches, this one had some juice. It was a low-scoring match, too much for batsmen of either team.In the days when wickets were not covered and we would get ‘sticky dogs’ there were batsmen who had developed special skills to play on them. I would like to see more pitches like the one at Hamilton. Batsmen have it far too good. They have all the protective gear while the fast bowlers can bowl no more than two bouncers per over.New Zealand were without Cairns. He is expected to play as a batsman in the one-day series. But probably will be fully fit for the World Cup. With the West Indies beginning to re-group. New Zealand the West Indies are two ‘outsiders’ that look most threatening for the World Cup.The West Indies will have Carl Hooper and Dillon back but there seems to be no news about Brian Lara, beyond, that he is unfit. But no progress report has been forthcoming. But not just the West Indies but cricket needs Brian Lara, still a prince among batsmen. But in Ramnaresh Sarwan and Marlon Samuels, they have two batsmen in the mould of Rohan Kanhai and that is high praise.

ScorecardMark Stoneman made his second consecutive hundred in the Championship•Getty Images

Depleted Warwickshire battled back at Chester-le-Street after Mark Stoneman’s second century in successive Championship innings for Durham. His stand of 153 with Scott Borthwick took the score to 184 for 1, but Durham were all out for 314 with Rikki Clarke taking 5 for 62.Durham’s decision to bat was probably helped by Chris Wright and Boyd Rankin joining Keith Barker and Richard Jones on the casualty list. Both had stiff backs and Jonathan Trott was on paternity leave. Chris Woakes impressed but was sparingly used in his first appearance of the season, while Tom Milnes recovered from conceding 48 in his first eight overs to take three wickets.Clarke led the attack well, although the lbw decision he gained against Paul Collingwood did not go down well with the Durham captain. He trudged off with extreme reluctance, clearly believing he had nicked the ball. Following his 131 against Yorkshire, Stoneman reached 112 before becoming Milnes’ first victim.Clarke found some movement in a testing opening spell, but Stoneman hit him for three fours in his fifth over, the third one gloved so fine down the leg side that it just evaded Tim Ambrose.Oliver Hannon-Dalby shared the new ball, but there was a bigger threat when Woakes came on for the 14th over. He found Stoneman’s edge twice in his first two overs and, after taking time to settle in, Borthwick became the dominant partner in the run-up to lunch.Stoneman took over on the resumption, scoring the first 22 runs to bring up the 100 stand as his second 50 came off 51 balls. Jeetan Patel had bowled seven overs for 11 runs until Stoneman hit him for four fours off the back foot through the off side in two overs to speed from 84 to his 127-ball hundred.Borthwick fell for 67 to Woakes, who initially looked to be appealing for lbw. But the ball had nicked the inside edge and flown off the pad to gully.Milnes moved a good-length ball away off the seam to hit Stoneman’s off stump, then Michael Richardson aimed across the line and was lbw to Clarke. Another good ball from Milnes had Gordon Muchall caught behind and John Hastings failed to capitalise on being dropped at mid-off. Two balls later he lofted Patel to deep midwicket.Warwickshire were convinced they had Ryan Pringle caught behind on 10 but he played some bold strokes in making 53 before he was last out, hoisting Clarke to deep midwicket. With four overs to bat, Warwickshire reached ten without loss.

Nottinghamshire have signed George Linde, South Africa’s spinning allrounder, for the 2026 Vitality T20 Blast. Meanwhile, Daniel Sams will swap Trent Bridge for Taunton after agreeing a deal with defending champions Somerset.Linde, 34, will be available for the entire group stage and knockouts, which will be played from May to July next year in a newly condensed structure for the Blast.The well-travelled left-armer has experience of playing in T20 leagues around the world, including SA20, MLC, the CPL and PSL. Linde represented Kent between 2022 and 2023, taking 26 wickets in 27 Blast appearances, and called Trent Bridge home last summer when helping Trent Rockets to reach the final of the Hundred.Related

• Gabe Bell joins Gloucestershire for start of 2026 season

• Hampshire appoint Domingo as head coach

• Anderson named as Lancashire's Championship captain

“It’s a great opportunity to play for Notts Outlaws, and I’m very excited to be coming back to the Blast, which is a competition that is a lot of fun to play in,” Linde said. “I’m looking forward to joining up with the team, and I’ll be aiming to contribute with bat and ball as we look to return to the knockout stages!”I’m really excited to return to Trent Bridge, which I had a lot of fun calling home with the Rockets last year. It’s a great venue, and I’m really excited to join a new team that has a very strong past record in T20 cricket.”Peter Moores, Nottinghamshire’s head coach, said: “I’m excited that George has agreed to join us for the entire Blast season next summer. He has the ability to bowl at any stage of the innings, as well as being a powerful left-handed middle-order batter.”George will add valuable experience to an already-talented spin group, making sure we’re covered for all conditions during the Blast. After spending some time with him at the Rockets, it was clear he has a real hunger to play in the Blast again after his first experience with Kent. We can’t wait to welcome him as part of our team.”Daniel Sams has plenty of experience of English T20•ECB via Getty Images

Sams, meanwhile, will make Somerset this third county, having previously represented Essex and Nottinghamshire. He was the Blast’s MVP in 2023, last man out in the final as Essex fell short in their chase against Somerset.He is expected to be available for the full season as Somerset look to defend the title they won in 2025, their second success in three seasons.”This is an exciting opportunity and hopefully I can help the team retain the trophy,” Sams said. “Having played against Somerset, I know how good a T20 side they are and I’m looking forward to being a part of the team. I know a few of the guys already and I’ll be doing everything that I can to help them win games of cricket in 2026.”Somerset’s director of cricket, Andy Hurry, said: “Daniel has shown his quality all around the world and we are delighted that he will be joining us for our Vitality Blast title defence.”He has demonstrated over the last few years that he can excel and really impact games in English conditions, and he will certainly bring a powerful blend of bowling finesse, explosive batting, and all-round adaptability.”

Lancashire sign Mitch Perry for Championship

Mitchell Perry celebrates a wicket•Getty Images

Lancashire have bolstered their bowling stocks for the first block of six County Championship games by bringing in Australian seamer Mitchell Perry.Perry, 25, has built a strong red-ball record with Victoria and been capped by Australia A. In 49 first-class matches, he has taken 140 wickets at 29.32, as well as scoring five fifties.”I’m really excited to join Lancashire for the 2026 County Championship,” Perry said. “It’s a huge opportunity for me, and playing county cricket is something I’ve always wanted to experience. Lancashire is a club with a proud history and a strong squad, and I’m looking forward to contributing on and off the field.”I have heard great things from my Victoria team-mate Marcus Harris. I can’t wait to get over to Emirates Old Trafford, meet the boys, and get stuck into a big red-ball season.”Mark Chilton, Lancashire’s director of cricket performance, said: “We’re really pleased to bring a talented bowler in Mitch to Lancashire for our first block of red-ball matches in the 2026 season. We have seen the strength in depth of Australia’s seam bowling ranks, and the impact they’ve had on county cricket in recent seasons, and Mitch comes to us highly recommended.”His skillset with the ball is well suited to English conditions, and we believe he will complement our existing attack perfectly. He will also strengthen the lower order batting which fits the profile of player we have been looking to bring to Emirates Old Trafford this summer.”

Match facts

November 27-December 1, 2015
Start time 1400 local (0330 GMT)4:32

Ponting: Don’t see a lot change in strategy

Big Picture

Back in 2009, the MCC World Cricket Committee discussed its concerns about the future of Test cricket. “Except for certain icon series, such as the Ashes, Test cricket throughout the world, and in particular the lower-ranked nations, is in very real danger of dying,” the committee said in a blunt statement. It went on to recommend that day-night Test cricket be trialled as a means of keeping the game alive. After six years and countless tweaks to the pink ball, that recommendation is about to come to fruition. One of the sport’s oldest venues, Adelaide Oval, will play host to the newest concept in Test cricket. For the first time in 138 years, a Test match will be played with a ball that is not red. For the first time in 138 years, a Test match will be played at night.It is a significant moment in the history of Test cricket but it also represents a continuation of the evolution of the game. The first Test match was timeless, with four-ball overs and a red ball; Test No.2188 will has a five-day limit, six-ball overs and a pink ball. One of the key mysteries is how the pink ball will perform. Will it swing, and for how long? Will it seam? Will it discolour too quickly? Will the players be able to see it properly in the evening? And will the spectators? Whatever the case, trials at Sheffield Shield level have satisfied Cricket Australia that the Kookaburra pink ball is sound enough to be used in a Test match. There have also been concerted efforts from administrators and groundstaff to ensure a non-abrasive Adelaide Oval pitch to preserve the ball as well as possible.The change has been made largely for fans, so they can watch on TV in prime time or head to the ground after work to catch the second half of the day’s action. But it is the players who must deal with the subtle differences in how the ball will move, and how visible it may be. And the players from Australia and New Zealand do so in this Test with a series on the line. Australia have already done enough to retain the Trans-Tasman Trophy by taking a 1-0 lead after two matches, but New Zealand could yet escape with a second consecutive drawn series in Australia if they win in Adelaide.And as well as being the start of a new era for Test cricket, it is also the dawning of Australia’s post-Johnson period, with Mitchell Johnson’s retirement after the Perth Test altering the look of their attack. His departure also completed a series of retirements during 2015 with Michael Clarke, Ryan Harris, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin and Chris Rogers also having ended their Test careers. Now in the space of five months they have lost 523 Test wickets and 20,323 Test runs of experience. The times they are a changing.

Form guide

Australia: DWWLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)

New Zealand: DLWLW

In the spotlight

Mitchell Starc has in the past spoken of his dislike of the pink ball, but his record with it suggests he ought to change his tune. In his only two pink-ball day-night Sheffield Shield games, Starc has collected 15 wickets at 13.80, and notably both of those matches were at Adelaide Oval. The retirement of Mitchell Johnson has left Starc as the clear spearhead of the attack and if his record is any indication, he may begin the post-Johnson era by strengthening that claim even further.With scores of 23, 23, 1 and 17 so far in the Test series, Martin Guptill needs to provide New Zealand with something more. And maybe this is his opportunity. His only two fifty-plus scores of the tour have come in the practice matches in which the pink ball was used. Against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra last month he scored 94 and against the Western Australia XI in Perth he managed 103 before retiring to allow others a chance. Guptill is renowned as a dangerous one-day striker and perhaps the pink ball, which some observers say is more similar to the white ball than it is to the red, might suit him.

Team news

Australia must make at least two changes due to the retirement of Mitchell Johnson and Usman Khawaja’s hamstring injury. Shaun Marsh comes in for Khawaja, with Steven Smith likely to move up to No.3, and Peter Siddle is the probable replacement for Johnson, having been 12th man in the first two Tests. James Pattinson would likely only get a look-in if the selectors were worried about Josh Hazlewood’s workload. Steve O’Keefe has been released from the squad to play in the Sheffield Shield despite his remarkable record with the pink ball – 18 wickets at 18.22 from three day-night Shield games.Australia (possible) 1 Joe Burns, 2 David Warner, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Adam Voges, 5 Shaun Marsh, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Peter Nevill (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Nathan LyonAn unchanged New Zealand XI had appeared likely until captain Brendon McCullum hinted at the pre-match press conference that there could be changes. Neil Wagner took five wickets and Mitchell Santner four in the practice match in Perth – where admittedly 13 wickets were taken due to the playing conditions – and might be a chance of playing. Trent Boult bowled without apparent discomfort at training on Wednesday and is expected to play, having struggled with back soreness following the Perth Test.New Zealand (possible) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Brendon McCullum (capt), 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Mitchell Santner/Mark Craig, 8 Doug Bracewell, 9 Matt Henry/Neil Wagner, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

More grass than usual has been left on the Adelaide Oval pitch in an effort to help prevent rapid deterioration of the pink ball, and that may also mean the ball seams and spins. The lack of abrasiveness will also likely make it hard to extract reverse swing. The forecast for the match is for warm weather and possible rain towards the end of the game.

Stats and trivia

• Starc’s record with the pink ball is outstanding but so is that of Josh Hazlewood, who in two day-night Shield games has taken nine wickets at 15.44
• The pink-ball records of Australia’s batsmen vary greatly: the extremes are Steven Smith with an average of 219 from two innings and Joe Burns, who has an average of 9.00 from six innings
• The second Test in Perth was the fourth-highest scoring Test match of the 400 that have been played in Australia

Quotes

Steven Smith on the idea of day-night Test cricket
Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand captain

Andrew Symonds’ eventful season has continued with him shoulder charging a streaker while batting in the second final in Brisbane. Symonds, who was at the centre of the Sydney Test controversy, was standing at the non-striker’s end when a man entered the field and began dodging security guards and players.When the spectator ran near Symonds, the batsman moved across and bumped into him in a shepherding action more familiar to the Brisbane Lions Australian rules team when it plays at the Gabba. The force of Symonds’ shoulder sent the man to the ground and security and police swarmed before taking him from the field.Symonds, who sometimes trains with the Brisbane Broncos rugby league team, remained unflustered and went to talk to his partner Matthew Hayden. The ICC’s Level 4.2 regulation covers “physical assault on another player, umpire, referee, official or spectator”, but it is highly unlikely Symonds will be punished. The streaker faces a maximum fine of A$3000 for the ground invasion and police also intend to charge him with willful exposure.”I’d just got out, so I was sooking,” Ricky Ponting said. “I haven’t seen it yet, there’s been a bit of talk and laughter around the dressing room, but I haven’t spoken to Symmo about it.”Another naked man ran towards Harbhajan Singh later in the innings but turned away before reaching the offspinner. This time the players let the security guards take care of the offender.Symonds is not the first Australian to have had an altercation with a spectator. Greg Chappell once whacked a streaker on the backside with his bat after the man ran on to the field and shook the batsman’s hand. Terry Alderman, the former Australia swing bowler, was less fortunate than Symonds when he tackled an English fan during the 1982-83 Ashes series, dislocating his shoulder and not playing a Test for 18 months.