Posts Tagged ‘Melbourne’
Written by admin on 29 February 2012
Melbourne, Feb 29 (IANS) Australia captain Michael Clarke is set to miss out the final group game Friday against Sri Lanka in the Commonwealth Bank tri-series ODI cricket tournament, the national selectors said Wednesday.
All-rounder Shane Watson, who himself had just come back after recovering from injury, captained the side that comfortably beat India at Sydney and will also be in charge in Friday’s ODI at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Clarke, who was forced out of the team with back and hamstring injuries, has been named in the squad against Sri Lanka and the best-of-three finals but chairman of selectors John Inverarity is not sure Clarke will be available for Friday’s game.
“One of the uncertainties at the moment is still Michael Clarke’s fitness. We think he’s going to be okay for Friday, but we’re certainly going to have a low-risk strategy,” he said.
“If he’s ‘just about right’, I don’t think we’ll play him. But I think he’ll be okay.”
James Pattinson is likely to start for the Australians against Sri Lanka after returning from injury. Ryan Harris was dropped from the squad to make room for the young pacer.
The result of the final game will decide who Australia plays in the finals after India pulled off a sensational victory over Sri Lanka, chasing down a 321-run target in 37 overs.
“They have the power to do that at any given time,” Pattinson said about India.
“They have come into a bit of form and, hopefully, they have got all their runs in the one night and don’t score any more for the rest of the series.”
Tags: Melbourne
Posted in Australia, Cricket | No Comments »
Written by admin on 28 February 2012
Melbourne, Feb 28 (IANS) Young fast bowler James Pattinson Tuesday was recalled to the 13-member Australian squad, at the expense of Ryan Harris, for the remainder for the CB tri-series.
Captain Michael Clarke is also expected to return to full fitness from a back injury for Friday’s encounter with Sri Lanka here at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The best-of-three finals series is starting Sunday in Brisbane.
Harris was replaced by Clint McKay in the starting XI in Sunday’s win over India. The Queenslander was very expensive as Sri Lanka achieved a record run-chase in Hobart last Friday.
Pattinson was aggressive during the Test series and was the Man of the Match twice in his first three Tests, once against New Zealand and once against India. He suffered a foot bone stress in his fourth Test at the SCG in early January.
National selector John Inverarity said while Harris had been dropped from the ODI squad, he remained a key member of the Test set-up.
“Ryan remains strongly in contention for selection for the (April) Test matches on the tour of the West Indies. Michael Clarke is making a good recovery and is likely to resume on Friday. The selectors will consider adding an extra player to this squad for the tri-series finals matches, if conditions warrant it,” he said.
Squad: Michael Clarke (capt), Shane Watson, Dan Christian, Xavier Doherty, Peter Forrest, Ben Hilfenhaus, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Brett Lee, Clint McKay, James Pattinson, Matthew Wade, David Warner.
Tags: Melbourne
Posted in Australia, Cricket | No Comments »
Written by admin on 27 February 2012
Melbourne, Feb 27 (IANS) Thieves in Australia have stolen designer jeans worth about one million Australian dollars (over $1 million) from a Sydney warehouse.
According to police, the theft occurred in Rosebery between Friday and Sunday, after the thieves broke into the Rosebery St. premises and stole about 3,000 pairs of Ksubi designer jeans, valued at one million dollars.
A white van had also been stolen from the warehouse. But it was found early Sunday burnt out in Glebe, a suburb.
Tags: Melbourne
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Written by admin on 24 February 2012
Melbourne, Feb 24 (IANS) Cricket Australia (CA) is planning to cut down the number of central contracts handed out to players as a part of its new Memorandum of Understanding with the players’ association.
Cricket Australia (CA) chief James Sutherland said Friday that the new contract system will he performance-based and players will be awarded through an incentive scheme.
Sutherland, however, said he is unsure how the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) will react to the proposal.
“We want Australia’s cricketers to be the best-paid in the world and I’m pretty sure they are,” Sutherland was quoted as saying in the Australian media.
Sutherland said new proposal would add flexibility to the contract system.
“One of the ways this could be addressed is by having a reduced number of contracts. You have a smaller group that they (selectors) have greater confidence in. The right people will get the right pay. No one likes change, but we’re really confident we’ve got a proposition that’s in the interests of the Australian players and the players who do the work and win the games. Players get paid the same amount if we win four-nil against India or we lose four-nil,” he said.
ACA chief Paul Marsh argued that the current system that is already in placed is also incentive-based.
“No one’s going to be worse off by this because the players’ performances will justify it. We have 25 contracted players. There’s probably four or five players who probably don’t play enough games within the year to get an upgrade. So those funds (base payments on contracts) could have gone to other players,” he said.
Tags: Melbourne
Posted in Australia, Cricket | No Comments »
Written by admin on 17 February 2012
Melbourne, Feb 17 (IANS) Australian fast bowler Ryan Harris is contemplating retiring from Test cricket as injuries take a toll on his body.
Harris, voted one of the best fast bowlers in the country, said he may have to soon quit Test cricket to keep his hopes alive in atleast one form of the shorter versions of the game.
Harris is not happy being rested from the ongoing tri-series. But with his chronic injuries, including knee and hip troubles, he knows the time will come where he will have to preserve his body for one form of cricket.
Harris said he will almost certainly have to choose one-day cricket over the longer form of the game.
“Test cricket is the pinnacle of cricket. But for me, even now, it is getting harder and harder being able to back up each and every day for the five days of a Test,” Harris was quoted as saying by The Courier Mail.
Harris said he doesn’t want to grind down his body and will take a decision soon.
“I want to play as much cricket in as many forms of the game as possible at the moment. But I also don’t want to grind down my body and there will be a stage when I have to look at my options,” he said.
Tags: Melbourne
Posted in Australia, Cricket | No Comments »
Written by admin on 09 February 2012
Melbourne, Feb 9 (IANS) Former Test fast bowler Nathan Bracken will be suing Cricket Australia (CA) for $1 million over a knee injury that ruined his career.
Bracken, who played five Tests and 116 One-Day Internationals for Australia, argued that CA doctors and lead physiotherapist failed to provide “competent” medical advice to elite athletes.
The News Limited newspaper said he was seeking at least $1 million in lost earnings.
The daily said Bracken claimed that CA failed to “investigate, diagnose and treat” a right knee injury suffered the day before a one-day match against England in January 2007.
In a statement, Bracken said that CA’s two doctors and a physiotherapist working should have recognised from MRI scans that he needed to have arthroscopic surgery.
The 34-year-old also alleged that the failure on the part of CA’s medical team to refer him for further examination by a specialist orthopaedic surgeon and to restrict him from training and playing ruined his career.
Tags: Melbourne
Posted in Australia, Cricket | No Comments »
