Marsh came into the team to swing the Dukes ball around corners, in the process sparing the blushes of several fatiguing team-mates

Daniel Brettig at The Oval12-Sep-2019Damien Fleming never played a Test in England. Had he done so, it might have looked a little bit like this.In the somewhat flattened atmosphere of a Test played after the Ashes had been retained by Australia, Mitchell Marsh came into the team to swing the Dukes ball around corners, in the process sparing the blushes of several fatiguing team-mates as they dropped Joe Root no fewer than three times.The decision to bowl first, by Australia’s captain Tim Paine after the team’s leaders were not exactly clear on what exactly to do should they win the toss, was quickly the source of plenty of criticism. But in truth the green grass on the pitch, a lush square and mild September weather kept the ball in good condition all day, promoting enough nip off the seam and curve through the air to create chances throughout.A greater problem for the tourists was the missed chances, Peter Siddle at fine leg, Paine snatching in front of David Warner at first slip and Steven Smith diving from second slip towards third, all spurning Root’s offerings of an expressway into England’s middle order. At the same time, Siddle struggled to summon the accuracy for which he had been chosen to play, leaving Paine somewhat flummoxed in mid-afternoon as Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood had endured heavy workloads and Nathan Lyon was struggling with his spinning finger and his line.ALSO READ: Root’s luck leaks away as Pat Cummins proves skill trumps allMarsh, though, had come freshly into the team, eager to demonstrate the judicious work he had done on his bowling since both his performance and his fitness had been subject to stinging criticism from the team’s leaders when he appeared briefly against India during the preceding home summer. Not only had Marsh been dumped from the Test team and the vice-captaincy but he had also been cancelled out from Australia’s World Cup plans and their contract list, replaced by Marcus Stoinis.Facing a fairly slim future unless he reshaped his body and his game, Marsh returned to some familiar voices in Perth: the batting coach Scott Meuleman and the WACA assistant coach Kade Harvey. Among the various things they worked on was to straighten up Marsh’s bowling action, making it easier for him to get his wrist behind the ball and duly generate movement through the air – a useful option that would serve as a change-up from the wobble seam and accuracy preferred by the balance of the Ashes pace attack.For just as the Australian collective strategy for moving the ball off the pitch was sound, so too was the concept of having another bowler capable of providing a change-up should the conditions lend themselves to him. Fleming, of course, had done that beautifully for Australia whenever fit between 1994 and 2001 – that year’s Oval Test was probably his best chance of trying his swerving methods in a Test in England, but the selectors stuck instead with the proven combination used over the preceding four matches.Since then, there have been few Australian pace bowlers as wedded to swinging the ball as Fleming had been, even allowing for the days when Mitchell Johnson and then Mitchell Starc swung the ball into right-handed batsmen from their left-armer’s angle. Ben Hilfenhaus had a strong tour of England in 2009 that may have been better remembered if the Oval Test had not been lost, but since then it has been rare to see lavish swing.Marsh, though, quickly found the changes to his action, aided by some additional tutelage from Ryan Harris on the Australia A tour, had greatly enhanced his value as a change bowler. In the meantime, the selectors wearied of Stoinis’ underperformance in the World Cup, gave Marsh the chance to press ahead by omitting his West Australian team-mate altogether from the 25-man preliminary squad for a pre-Ashes camp in Southampton.The Australian brains trust learned a lot of last-minute information about their cattle for this Ashes series in the internal trial match that subsequently took place at the Rose Bowl. Marnus Labuschagne fought hard with the bat, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, James Pattinson and Peter Siddle starred with the ball and Marsh contributed with both disciplines in each innings, rounding things off with a spell of 5 for 34 in the second innings.Among his six wickets in the match was an away swinger from around the wicket that pinned Travis Head lbw – a harbinger of what was ahead for the vice-captain – but also a clear sign that Marsh’s skills had improved usefully. He was kept in reserve for four Tests, bowling well and batting handily in the tour games in Worcester and Derby, before finally gaining a call-up for the Oval. What followed after tea, as Marsh partnered with Cummins, was a quality spell of swing bowling, which arguably prospered for its contrast to so much of the Australian bowling that preceded it.Mitchell Marsh suffers cramp•Getty ImagesJohnny Bairstow was thudded on the pad by an inswinging yorker after a series of deliveries running away from him, Sam Curran nicked one going across towards the slips, and Chris Woakes played around another yorker that this time straightened down the line of the leg stump. Marsh celebrated these wickets with the air of a man who knew this may be the start of a fresh phase in his wildly oscillating career, while his team-mates rounded him with a combination of happiness for a popular tourist and relief at having their workload lightened just a little.There was to be irony late in the day when Marsh, returning to try to dislodge Jos Buttler, pulled up with cramp after 15 overs for the day. Hobbling off for some treatment having bowled the first ball of his 16th over, he was replaced at the bowling crease by none other than the tireless Cummins, who after 48 overs at Old Trafford had back up with no fewer than 22.5 here. But even as England wriggled to the close eight down, the Australians knew they had a relatively simple task on the second morning, thanks largely to Marsh’s contribution.Plenty more, of course, remains to be done before Marsh can be regarded as a swing bowler in Fleming’s class or an allrounder anywhere near Ben Stokes. But there was another cricketer who did get a chance in that 2001 Oval Test, and made the most of it to be a fixture in the Test team for the next six Australian summers. His name was Justin Langer.

From Chemar Holder to Laurie Evans to Mark Deyal, there are a number of relative newcomers who can set the pulse racing

Deivarayan Muthu04-Sep-2019Chemar Holder (Barbados Tridents)
Much like fellow Bajan Jason Holder, Chemar can generate steep bounce and swing the new ball as well. It was on bright display during the four-dayers against India A, where Chemar was the joint-highest wicket-taker with 15 strikes in three games. Chemar has been similarly impressive in List A cricket, but has only played three T20s so far, managing three wickets at an economy rate of 9.81.ALSO READ: Why you shouldn’t miss CPL 2019However, he has been part of Cricket West Indies’ emerging players’ camp in the past and is on the fringes of national selection. A few eye-catching performances this season could well see him play alongside the other Holder for West Indies.John Campbell (St Lucia Zouks)
Campbell is just eight limited-overs internationals old, but has shown enough attacking enterprise as an opening batsman. In May, Campbell combined with Shai Hope and amassed the biggest opening stand (365) in ODIs, in Dublin. He had also given a good account of himself in the domestic 50-over tournament last year, hitting 298 runs in seven innings for Jamaica at a strike rate of 94.30.The method behind the left-hander’s hitting is simple: clear the front leg, maintain a still head, and belt the ball through the leg side. If he can do that consistently and give St Lucia some rousing starts, Colin de Grandhomme and Thisara Perera will have a platform to launch themselves from.Laurie Evans goes off-side during a Vitality Blast game•Getty ImagesLaurie Evans (St Kitts & Nevis Patriots)
England’s Evans is no Chris Gayle or Andre Russell, but has become a T20 globetrotter of sorts, making it to the Bangladesh Premier League, Pakistan Super League, Afghanistan Premier League and now the CPL, after making a splash in the T20 Blast. Evans, however, found no takers at the IPL auction. He is set to fly out to the Caribbean after completing his Sussex duties in the ongoing Vitality Blast.All eyes will be on Alex Hales this CPL, and, as the only other English player in the tournament, Evans will likely fly under the radar. Unless he can do what he can do consistently enough – that could earn him an IPL gig as well.Mark Deyal (Trinbago Knight Riders)
Having a mystery spinner is the fantasy of every T20 team. Believe it or not, Trinbago Knight Riders have the luxury of two of them – who can also pitch in with the bat – in their ranks: Sunil Narine and Mark Deyal.Deyal was part of Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel in the CPL previously as a middle-order batsman. He has since added mystery spin to his repertoire – he can turn the ball both ways with his knuckles – and in the inaugural Global T20 Canada, he even doubled up as a pinch-hitter at the top of the order. Deyal also has the experience of playing in number of leagues in the USA. Can he make a bigger leap and do a Narine with Narine this CPL?Mohammad Hasnain (Trinbago Knight Riders)
“I have never seen [an] 18-year old bowl at such pace. Hasnain’s control over his length and swing is very impressive and he varies his pace very well.”Shane Watson, Hasnain’s Quetta Gladiators team-mate in the Pakistan Super League, delivered a glowing appraisal of the teenager ahead of his ODI debut against Australia in the UAE in March. Heck, Waqar Younis sees shades of himself in Hasnain.
Hasnain hit speeds north of 150kph and was the Man of the PSL final earlier this year. He subsequently broke into Pakistan’s ODI side and pinged Aaron Finch on his helmet with a 147kph thunderbolt on debut.Hasnain, 19 now, is not yet proven at the top level, but his out-and-out pace has excited TKR. Unfortunately, he will be available for the side’s first three games only. It is understood that Hasnain has been granted an NOC till September 12 and will then return home for domestic duties. It will indeed be a short stint, but his new-ball partnership with USA’s Ali Khan promises to set the pulse racing in the opening week.

There have been some big changes for the title holders but Aaron Finch has full faith in the set-up

Alex Malcolm17-Dec-2019When new Melbourne Renegades recruit Shaun Marsh caught wind of whispers that his former Perth Scorchers opening partner Michael Klinger was in the race to replace departed coach Andrew McDonald, he shot a text immediately to captain Aaron Finch.You won’t find a bad reference from anyone who has ever dealt with Klinger in Australian cricket, but a reference from Marsh carried extra weight given Klinger had no head coaching experience to assess, aside from his combined role as player, captain, and T20 mentor at Gloucestershire in the T20 Blast.For Finch, who sat in on the interview process for the coaching role, that reference, Klinger’s work at Gloucestershire and his phenomenal record as a player was enough to seal the deal.”I think what really won everyone over was the experience Maxy [Klinger] has had at Gloucestershire,” Finch said. “To run their T20 program, a lot of captaincy experience as well and then ultimately to take a side that wasn’t on paper the highest-profile side and to continually make the finals with Gloucestershire, I think his experience in that regard shone through really well.”ALSO READ: Michael Klinger named new Melbourne Renegades coachKlinger’s appointment was a whirlwind experience. He was all set to be the Melbourne Stars’ batting coach this season working under new coach David Hussey. He was also in the mix for the Australia selector job but withdrew after getting the Renegades role, with the job eventually going to George Bailey.But the Renegades do things a little differently. Having a captain sit in on coaching recruitment is unusual but given the way Finch operated with McDonald last season in terms of strategy and selection, to ultimately take the title, it made sense.The Renegades are a data-driven team built around maximising resources. Their title last season was a masterclass in how to squeeze the most out of the sum of their parts, with a squad cobbled together from all corners of the globe.They are far from an old mates’ club. The Renegades made the decision to release title-winning experienced player, and long-time Victorian servant Cameron White to recruit the country’s most inform senior domestic pro in Western Australian Shaun Marsh to bolster their top order.

We have guys coming from all over Australia but the good thing is the culture and the comradery that Andrew has built up in previous years is obviously going to be there, and I’ll certainly look to continue thatMichael Klinger won’t be reinventing the wheel

Klinger joins the squad with no intentions of shaking that mentality up despite experiencing a lot of success with Australia’s best example of a one-team, year-round culture in the Perth Scorchers.”I think the biggest thing is getting the group really close as quick as you can and to be honest,” Klinger said. “Andrew McDonald was very good at that and with only a few changes we’ve already got a really good camaraderie within the group, and a good atmosphere and culture, so there will only be a bit of tweaking at the start and obviously the guys getting to know me at the start of the tournament.”The Scorchers and some of the other states where it is, not a combined program, but you have similar staff and you’re looking after guys over 12 months of the year and that can be a big advantage as we’ve seen and this will be different. We have guys coming from all over Australia but the good thing is the culture and the comradery that Andrew has built up in previous years is obviously going to be there, and I’ll certainly look to continue that.”Klinger shares a similar philosophy to McDonald in the use of data. McDonald detailed the level of the Renegades planning to ESPNcricinfo in a podcast earlier this year after claiming the title against the Melbourne Stars. He outlined that he and assistant Andre Borovec worked with their analyst to nail down key match-ups and plans for each game, but they only disseminated that information to three senior players – Finch, Dan Christian, and Tom Cooper – so as not to overload those who didn’t need it.Harry Gurney sports a smile•Getty Images”I’m big on using the data,” Klinger said. “That’s something I’m really big on is getting the information. The key with that is how you distribute it to the players because some players love it, and some players don’t. As a head coach and as a coaching staff you need to be really flexible with that. You certainly don’t want to overload players with too much information if some guys just like to go out and watch the ball and hit it and play on instinct and don’t like that information. So, in terms of the players using it that will certainly be up to them but we’ll certainly provide them with a lot of information.”But there is no sense that Klinger will be a carbon-copy of McDonald. The former coach was very flexible in his approach to individual preparation, encouraging players to come up with a formula for themselves and working with them to execute their skills in games, provided the ends justified the means. He will have senior assistants in Borovec and Lachlan Stevens which will aid with continuity from that perspective.But they will add former Australia fast bowler Shaun Tait as bowling coach, replacing Dimitri Mascarenhas. Klinger has also called upon former AFL player Brad Green as a leadership consultant. Prior to his 254-game career with Melbourne Football Club, Green represented Tasmania and Australia in cricket at underage level. Green has also been an assistant coach at two other AFL clubs. Klinger’s former coach, Justin Langer, used a lot of AFL coaching and leadership philosophies at the Scorchers. Klinger himself spent a week at Melbourne Football Club earlier this year, the club he supports, shadowing the coaching staff to get an inside look at how they operated.Finch believes Klinger’s meticulous nature could well have a huge impact on all of the Renegades players.”How structured Maxy is and disciplined he was as a player – that’s something that not just experienced players but young players in particular can really learn off, the preparation, the attention to detail I think is so important,” he said. “People can often gloss over that in T20 and see it as you take your chance, you go out and smack a few but there’s a lot of planning and preparation that goes into a T20 innings. That will be great to work with Maxy on that and our other senior players.”The Renegades have been thrown some curveballs on the eve their title defence. Pakistan pair Usman Shinwari and Faheem Ashraf have been withdrawn, meaning a new overseas player is needed to be found at short notice, with Lancashire’s Richard Gleeson filling the breach while Harry Gurney will return for the entire tournament.However, Klinger is confident they can go back-to-back. “We know we’ve got a good list,” he said. “We’ve got a good mix of experienced players and some really good young guns coming through. My job will obviously be to support them and mentor the experienced ones and keep developing the younger ones and give them the best opportunity in a relaxed atmosphere to go out and play with freedom and aggressively.”

For starters, they need a new opening pair, fresh bowling attack and a rejuvenated approach

Tristan Lavalette17-Dec-2019The Perth Scorchers were supposed to celebrate their new shiny stadium in style last season. Instead, it was a nightmare campaign for the the three-time champions, under new coach Adam Voges, who fell to rock bottom. Until then, the Scorchers had made every finals.In the wake of collecting the dreaded wooden spoon, there has been a lot of soul searching for the proud Perth-franchise who had firmly established themselves as the hottest ticket locally amid a crowded summer market.But there are many unknowns for the new-look Scorchers, who have lost a slew of regulars and been bitten by injury. As they prepare to open their season against Sydney Sixers, let us breakdown the main talking points as they strive for a swift rise back up the ladder.New look top order
One of the Scorchers’ main pillars during the Justin Langer era was continuity. The key plank was top-order stability led by reliable openers Michael Klinger and Shaun Marsh – two of the most prolific BBL players ever. However, with Marsh largely absent and Klinger struggling in his final season, the Scorchers’ top-order was unsettled, underlined by the seven different opening combinations they used.After Marsh’s shock exit to Melbourne Renegades, the Scorchers need to unlock a new combination. Cameron Bancroft has often been used in the middle-order, but appears a suitable replacement for Klinger at the top. Emerging batsman Josh Inglis is in line to also start as an opener after impressing for Western Australia in the Shield, where he recently fell short of a maiden century.Voges could opt to pair the aggressive Inglis with English recruit Liam Livingstone in what would go against the Scorchers’ traditional tactics at the top. Recruit Kurtis Patterson will also be eyeing a top-order berth but is set to miss the opening few weeks of the season due to a quadricep injury.Mitchell Marsh needs to fire
If he hadn’t punched a wall during a moment of madness in a Shield match, Mitchell Marsh might well be playing for Australia. Instead, his prospects of an imminent recall appear remote after being left out of the ODI squad for India next month.It’s been a miserable time for Marsh but the silver lining for the Scorchers is that he should be available for the entirety of the BBL. Marsh will play against Sydney Sixers, although a return to bowling is a way off as his wrist recovers.Even so, a firing Marsh with the bat is exactly what the Scorchers need after they had the lowest run rate last season at just over seven-an-over and were overly reliant on Ashton Turner, who has been selected to tour India.Marsh, Turner and explosive youngster Cameron Green could form a potentially damaging middle-order – something the Scorchers severely lacked last season with departed allrounder Hilton Cartwright completely out of sorts.Getty ImagesShaky attack
For so long, the Scorchers’ attack was the backbone of the team. They seemingly could defend any total through their eclectic quicks and accurate spinners such as Brad Hogg and Ashton Agar.As has been a bane for some time in the West, injuries have struck spearhead Jason Behrendorff and death overs specialist Andrew Tye. Western Australian cricket has been blessed with a rotating line of quicks over the years but depth will be tested with Nathan Coulter-Nile having left for Melbourne Stars.The Scorchers were able to trial youngsters last season with Matthew Kelly being a notable beneficiary. He unveiled a lethal yorker on several occasions making him a potential option to replace Tye’s trickery in the latter overs.A pace attack of Kelly, English recruit Chris Jordan, Jhye Richardson and Joel Paris – the forgotten left-armer who played two ODIs against India in 2016 – has the potential to measure up against previous menacing Scorchers pace arsenals.The spin department, however, looms as a weakness much like last season. Agar has been selected to tour India putting pressure on veteran recruit Fawad Ahmed to perform.Pressure on Adam Voges
After a poor start to his stint, where the side won only four games, Voges has a chance to rejuvenate the Scorchers’ methodology which did look rather stale last season.There are a couple of areas, however, he should take from the Justin Langer play book. Undoubtedly, he would have spent a fair bit of time sharpening the team’s fielding – an aspect where they were almost peerless in before last season’s standard dipped.Internal expectations will continue to be high for the Scorchers ensuring Voges will be feeling the pinch. Externally, however, the Scorchers have been somewhat written off in an opportunity for Voges to tap into a hallmark of the Langer era and instill a backs against the wall mentality.Establishing Perth Stadium as a fortress
Before last season, playing the Scorchers in Perth was the most feared prospect in the BBL. At the WACA, appropriately dubbed as ‘The Furnace’, capacity crowds intimidated opponents and, simultaneously, spurred the Scorchers.The Scorchers won 25 of 36 matches at the WACA before moving across the opposite bank of the Swan River. The home edge hasn’t been the same since for the Scorchers who have won just three of eight matches at Perth Stadium.It’s hard to exactly pinpoint the struggles. There has been a purposeful push for the Perth Stadium pitch to mirror the fast-paced WACA and, accordingly, it did play quickly last season. Perhaps the Scorchers just weren’t good enough.Yet there are differences with the Burswood ground featuring massive square boundaries. Particularly in batting, the Scorchers simply weren’t able to exploit them but maybe it’s just a matter of time before they master the nuances. After all, they started slowly at the WACA by winning just six of 11 across the opening two BBL seasons.The harder challenge might be replicating the WACA’s intimate atmosphere, where almost every game was sold out. Perth Stadium has been criticised for being sterile and – whether you agree with that sentiment or not – big crowds are needed for the massive stadia to come alive.Huge home crowds fuelled a surprising AFL premiership run for West Coast Eagles in 2018. The Scorchers are unlikely to get the 50,000-plus numbers West Coast attracted but would be hoping for something around the 40,000 mark – which is what they started with last season before the wheels fell off.By the end of their miserable campaign, the Scorchers were attracting a lowly crowd of barely over 16,000 – which just won’t frighten any visiting team.

A Bangladesh fan revels in the joyous atmosphere at the first day-night Test in India, despite a familiar tale of disappointment

Tawhid Qureshi25-Nov-2019Choice of game
The distance between Kolkata and Dhaka is around 200 miles. Exploring the close bond between Bengali-speaking people on either side of the India-Bangladesh border was one of the reasons to escape from cold London to Kolkata and watch cricket in India for the first time. Only after I had booked my flights was it announced that it would be a day-night affair at Eden Gardens, which made it even more interesting. Sourav Ganguly, the BCCI president, would ensure it was a “prince”ly occasion in Kolkata.The pink effect
Approaching the Eden Gardens, it was obvious this wouldn’t be a run-of-the-mill Test. From afar, I could see the huge floodlight towers that were covered in pink lights. Once inside the ground, in every corner the pink-ball theme was apparent, from the pink lettering on the old manual scoreboard to the pink fabric covering every pillar in the stands. Before the first ball was bowled the emcee ratcheted up the anticipation with ever-louder appeals to the crowd to show appreciation towards the gathered dignitaries, with a marching band in brilliant white uniforms providing the soundtrack. In attendance were the who’s who of Indian cricket, with Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman all around. The emcee also ensured Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina didn’t go unnoticed by the crowd.A no-contest
After all the pomp and ceremony, when the cricket did begin it took on a slightly frenzied, turbo-charged feel. Bangladesh lost four wickets in the first hour, eventually capitulating for 106, with two players substituted for concussion. It was disappointing to see the Bangladesh batsmen making elementary mistakes, with angled bats and feet being firmly planted in the crease resulting in a predictable outcome. Ishant Sharma took full advantage by claiming a five-wicket haul; his commitment was perfectly encapsulated during the tea break on day two, when he was practising his bowling.Wow moment
Rohit Sharma’s catch to dismiss Mominul Haque was an excellent low diving grab, but it was probably bettered on day two when Taijul Islam caught Virat Kohli on the leg-side boundary; had Taijul not intervened, Kohli’s nonchalant flick appeared to be heading for a six. Similar to Ben Stokes’ World Cup wonder-catch, Taijul caught the ball mid-air while diving backwards.BCCIWhat I’d change
After watching a fair amount of cricket in Bangladesh, I’ve become accustomed to the spectator experience in south Asia, with the absence of queuing and questionable food hygiene being two features. The lack of clean seats is something that I hadn’t remembered, so it was a clear mistake to wear a pair of white shorts to the game; some would consider it a mistake in the fashion sense too!Crowd meter
My first experience of boisterous Indian crowds certainly didn’t disappoint. The stands at Eden Gardens looked full throughout the opening day and the noise generated reached a crescendo on either side of the tea break. The party vibe continued during the tea break, with local musicians performing on the outfield and a lap of honour from former India captains. An even bigger music and dance show was promised at the close of play, but I had to miss it as my jet-lag proved to be a party-pooper.Eden Gardens came to prominence in my mind during the 1996 World Cup semi-final; the volatile crowd that day setting fire in the stands and forcing an abandonment. Happily the Eden crowd I experienced were only good-natured, showing an enormous amount of warmth and goodwill towards the Bangladesh players and the small pockets of Bangladeshi supporters. The affection was such that it felt like a Bengali bromance was being revived. It would make sense for the boards of both countries to take note and arrange a regular fixture at Eden Gardens; there’s certainly an appetite among the fans.Marks out of 10
A resounding 9, the sense of occasion and ceremony were unparalleled, even though Bangladesh’s batsmen failed to live up to the billing. I’m already looking forward to my next Indian cricketing adventure.
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