Sports
Mitchell Swepson, Lance Morris, Peter Handscomb? Who will get on the India flight?
Regardless of having their spot booked before heading to India that tour will be one of the series that defines their year and against their likely opponents in the WTC final, albeit in vastly different conditions. It will, therefore, be intriguing to see which players fill the fringe places in the squad that will be announced shortly after the Sydney Test is finished.
Some of the names called up for the final match against South Africa have given a clear indication of the way the selectors will go. Ashton Agar can be locked in with Matt Renshaw highly likely to be included given the versatility he provides while Peter Handscomb, added late to the Sydney squad, is another expected to travel as a spare batter. Marcus Harris, having travelled all summer as a reserve, may end up unlucky again.
Alongside those who are certain selections it does not leave many gaps to fill, although the injury concerns with Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green may mean a slightly larger group travels. Green has conceded they are both in a race against time for the opening Test in Nagpur.
There will be at least one more frontline spinner alongside Agar and Nathan Lyon, and there could yet be two. Legspinner Mitchell Swepson, who played in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, will be in the frame as will the uncapped offspinner Todd Murphy who is very highly regarded. The chances of a surprise call-up for Adam Zampa appear to have receded.
“Todd’s putting his hand up with the performances he’s put on the board,” coach Andrew McDonald said after the MCG Test. “Mitch Swepson performed well in the subcontinent previously.
“Matt Renshaw coming in again in Test cricket has had some success there before. Pete Handscomb, no doubt, would probably consider himself unlucky not to be in that conversation for Sydney, but there’s another one coming back into the Test fold in conversation. We’ve got Marcus Harris also. So feel we’ve got Test experience within that depth.”
While Australia may only play two frontline quicks during some of the series, supplemented by Green when he is fit, they will likely have plenty of options at their disposal. Scott Boland’s wicket-to-wicket skills, and ability to find reverse swing, could yet be valuable if pitches are uneven while the uncapped Lance Morris would provide a 150-kph point of difference.
As has been made clear in Sydney, there is no like-for-like cover for Green given Mitchell Marsh is sidelined after an ankle surgery and fellow Western Australia allrounder Aaron Hardie is understood to be considered not quite ready for the elevation.
The other question will be whether they take a specialist backup to Alex Carey or believe that Handscomb could step in with the gloves if required. Given the relatively condensed nature of the tour, Josh Inglis will likely be included.
Australia will arrive in India about seven days before the opening Test in Nagpur on February 9 with McDonald comfortable with the lack of a warm-up match. There are plans for a pre-tour camp in Sydney where they can control the conditions they practice in as happened in Melbourne before they went to Pakistan last year.
“We would prefer a centre wicket in India to go through some scenario training, and we feel as though with this experienced group also that have been there before, that they won’t need as long to adapt to the conditions,” McDonald said.
“We can be creative in our own conditions. We’ve done it before with the Pakistan build-up in Melbourne. Dusting up wickets, working with the local groundsmen who really help us in and around the country. We feel as though we can get as close to that as possible without necessarily having a practice game.”
Possible Australia squad for India tour:
David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Ashton Agar, Lance Morris, Mitchell Swepson, Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscomb, Todd Murphy.
(Cricinfo)
Central College produced a remarkable final day comeback to win the Battle of the North Big Match, defeating St. John’s College by three wickets after an outstanding eighth-wicket partnership between Murali Thison and Jesuthasan Nitharsan.
Central had been playing second fiddle to their arch-rivals for most of the match until the morning of the third day, when Thison and Nitharsan turned the game around with a match-winning unbeaten stand of 93 runs.
At the start of the final day Central were in a difficult position, trailing by more than 120 runs with only four wickets in hand. Overnight batsman Iyathure Kabishek, who had scored 21, was dismissed after adding 37 runs for the seventh wicket with Thison. From that point onwards, Thison and Nitharsan combined to frustrate the St. John’s bowlers, batting together for 12 overs to guide their team to a memorable victory.
Emmanouil Karalis in action in Rouen
Thison had already been a thorn in the flesh of the St. John’s batting line-up from the opening day, capturing 12 wickets in the match, including seven in the second innings. However, his superb bowling effort initially appeared likely to go in vain due to Central’s poor batting performance.
Central beat St. John’s by three wickets at the Battle of the North Big Match.
Central had struggled in their first innings, being bowled out for just 95 runs, with the highest individual score coming from Antanareshan Abishek who made 23. Only three other batsmen reached double figures, while Thison was dismissed for just one run.
In contrast, Thison rose to the occasion in the second innings, producing a magnificent unbeaten 81 that proved to be the cornerstone of Central’s successful chase. His innings came off 126 balls and included eight boundaries and a six.
Nitharsan played the perfect supporting role with a brisk unbeaten 44 off just 33 deliveries, striking five fours and two sixes to accelerate the scoring during the decisive stand.
Earlier in the innings, openers Jayaseelan Jenoshan (20) and Kabilan Amalan (45) had given Central a solid start, putting on 44 runs for the first wicket.
St. John’s had earlier gained the advantage with a first-innings lead, and in their second innings a brilliant century from Uthayanan Abijoyshanth — 121 off 105 balls with 15 fours and four sixes — helped them post a challenging total of 247.
Despite the odds being heavily stacked against them heading into the final day, Central’s determined batting display, led by Thison and Nitharsan, ensured a memorable turnaround and a thrilling victory in the historic Battle of the North.
The traditional Big Match between St. Sebastian’s College Moratuwa and Prince of Wales’ College Moratuwa ended in a draw after an absorbing contest at De Soysa Stadium Moratuwa on Sunday.
St. Sebastian’s produced a strong second innings batting display with five top-order batsmen scoring half centuries to finish on 279 for five wickets declared, setting their arch rivals a target of 230 runs for victory.
Prince of Wales struggled in their run chase and were reeling at 54 for five wickets at stumps after 28 overs when play concluded.
Batting first, St. Sebastian’s were bowled out for 214 runs with Chamath Wellalage providing the main resistance with a half century. Nethul Anuhas and Rusandu Silva shared the bowling honours for the Cambrians, claiming three wickets each.
Prince of Wales responded with 263 runs in their first innings to take a slender lead. Suwahas Fernando anchored the innings with a well-compiled 77 off 145 deliveries, holding the top order together. Opening batsman Palingu Perera also made a valuable contribution with 42 runs.
Milantha Silva was the standout bowler for the Sebastianites, delivering a marathon spell of 36.2 overs to capture five wickets for 100 runs. Koshendra Fernando provided good support, claiming three wickets while bowling 31 overs.
In their second innings, St. Sebastian’s mounted an impressive batting effort. Thivanka Fernando (50), Kaveesha Perera (52), Lashen Fernando (54), Koshendra Fernando (66 not out off 68 balls) and Chamath Wellalage (50 not out off 49 balls) all struck half centuries as the Sebastianites declared at 279 for five, setting up an intriguing finish.
However, the Cambrians lost wickets at regular intervals during their chase before the match eventually ended in a draw.
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