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Seductive as it may be in these parts, it can take as little as an hour to tumble towards Test match defeat

Daniel Brettig In Barbados06-Apr-2012Seductive as it may be in these parts, it can take as little as an hour to tumble towards Test match defeat.Australian visits to the Caribbean are littered with matches in which the visitors’ cause was ruined in a day, or less. Allan Border’s 1991 tourists rumbled West Indies for 149 to begin the pivotal fourth Test in Bridgetown, then watched aghast as they in turn were routed for 134, handing the match and the series to Viv Richards’ ageing team.Four years later and Australia’s otherwise triumphant 2-1 win was sullied by a second innings capitulation for 105 on the most poisonous of Port of Spain pitches. Then in 1999 Steve Waugh’s first series as captain was punctuated by two unfathomable turnarounds in Kingston and Bridgetown, as a previously dormant home side sprang to Brian Lara-inspired life.The latest captain to lead Australia to the region, Michael Clarke, is well aware of these lessons of history, via the memories of older heads including Ricky Ponting (a tourist in 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2008) the bowling coach Craig McDermott (1991 and briefly in 1995) and Justin Langer (1995, 1999 and 2003).As he prepared to command his side against a West Indies team that has shown plentiful signs of rejuvenation under the captain/coach axis of Darren Sammy and Ottis Gibson, Clarke emphasised the importance of every hour, every session and every day over the next three weeks. He does not want his men to be lulled, even momentarily, into the often lackadaisical rhythms of Caribbean life.”The most important thing I think about touring the West Indies is one bad hour can cost you a Test match,” Clarke said. “You need to be at your best for all five days to have any chance of winning the Test. Against a very talented opposition, you can’t afford to give good players too many chances, and too many opportunities in the game to run away with it.”That’s going to be our main focus to make sure we are switched on throughout the whole five days, starting Saturday, and we believe that’ll put us in a good position to win the Test series. Building consistency is our goal as a team and I said throughout the summer we played some really good cricket in patches, and some cricket against New Zealand and South Africa that we’d rather forget. So as a team we’re trying to become a little more consistent, and this is going to be a tough test for us but will give a good indication of where we’re at with the consistency.”The West Indian team has always had Clarke’s respect for its level of ability and athleticism. What he is now about to discover is whether or not Sammy and Gibson have added enough steel and unity to make that talent and athleticism work cohesively for five days. Sammy said the team had built up its character over the past year, and he was eager to put it to the test.”It’s not only me. The coach has a goal for the team,” Sammy said. “The fact we can go out on the field and look like a unit and have that never-say-die attitude, as you saw in the one-day series we’ve been under 100 for 5 a few games and still posted over 200 – that’s been the most important thing. The coach has stressed professionalism and you can see the team is improving.”For me as captain to get the guys to gel well, play together and go out there and execute the team plan because the more we think team the more results we will get. I’ve played since 2004 and I always try to get along with everybody. It’s just my character but it’s not just me. The guys have made a conscious effort to fight for the West Indies, I won’t take credit for that.”It’s just everybody making a conscious effort. We know what the fans expect. Even though we lose but if we lose fighting … in the transition period we have not won for a long time and everybody’s just making that effort to go out there and represent the region well.”To that end, Sammy implored his batsmen to produce enough runs for an increasingly accomplished bowling attack to defend. Darren Bravo and Kirk Edwards are two young men facing Australia for the first time in Tests, but their captain’s expectations are clear.”Our batting has to play very crucial role in this series,” Sammy said. “The last Test match we played, in India, we scored over 500 runs. The batting has shown that they are capable of scoring runs, but it’s very important that the top six get the bulk of the runs – Kirk, Bravo, Shiv [Chanderpaul] and the two young openers. Last year Kirk got a hundred, Bravo got three. We do hope that come Saturday he digs in and finds a way to score, but it’s going to take a team effort to pile on the runs against the Aussies.”Otherwise it may be the hosts feeling the sting of one disastrous hour.

Chris Gayle’s return to the West Indies squad is likely to be delayed after fresh doubts emerged over his availability for the ODI leg of the upcoming England tour

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Apr-2012Chris Gayle’s return to the West Indies squad is likely to be delayed after fresh doubts emerged over his availability for the ODI leg of the upcoming England tour, pouring cold water over the hard-earned resolution reached between him and the West Indies Cricket Board by CARICOM (the Caribbean Community).Earlier this month Gayle had sent a request to Ernest Hilaire, the WICB chief executive, asking the board if he would be selected for the ODI leg of the England tour in June; this was to help him clarify his availability for Somerset, with whom he had signed as an overseas player for the summer. Hilaire, in his response, has accused Gayle of “reneging” on the undertaking the player had given in the presence of St Vincent Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, stating he would make himself available to play for West Indies over Somerset.”I write to you with respect to the upcoming West Indies tour of England scheduled for May 2 – June 25, 2012. As previously indicated, I am willing to make myself available to play for West Indies for this tour after my obligations to my IPL team are fulfilled,” Gayle said in his e-mail, available to ESPNcricinfo, dated April 20.Gayle, who last played for West Indies in the 2011 World Cup, told Hilaire that having signed a contract with Somerset, the county required him to “give an undertaking” of his availability for the entire duration of the contract, which clashed with West Indies’ tour of England. Somerset have five Friends Life t20 games scheduled during the time West Indies play three ODIs and a T20I against England.”I would appreciate if I could be informed whether I will be contracted for the West Indies Team for England Tour before I give my commitment to Somerset,” Gayle said. “I only ask this so I would be in an informed position before I respond to Somerset, given the fact that I indicated my availability to the West Indies Team after the IPL,” Gayle said, requesting an immediate reply.In his response, sent on April 26, Hilaire said that “the Board has now considered your request and is extremely disappointed that, following the progress we had seemed to be making towards final agreement, you now seem unwilling to honour the commitment you made with respect to your Somerset contract.”According to Hilaire, Gayle had sent a “side letter” to Gonsalves on March 23, stating that he would “forego” his Somerset contract in order to make himself available to play for West Indies. “You reiterated this commitment in your April 1 letter, in response to WICB’s request for clarification,” Hilaire said. “Your most recent communication appears to suggest that you may be reneging on your availability as you now state that you are willing to make yourself available and not that you are making yourself available. A player cannot be considered for selection if he has not made himself available for selection.”According to Hilaire, during the meeting between Gonsalves, Gayle and the WICB, it was made clear to Gayle that selection matters did not come under the “purview” of the board.
“The Board cannot give any commitment to any player with respect to his selection for a particular match or tour; but we will ask the Chairman of Selectors to have a discussion with you on issues relating to your selection at the earliest, in anticipation that you will meet all eligibility requirements,” Hilaire told Gayle.The ball is now once again in Gayle’s court with Hilaire asking the player to come up with an instant reply.

Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has said losing the toss worked to his team’s advantage during its win over Sri Lanka in the first ODI in Pallekele

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2012Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has said losing the toss worked to his team’s advantage during its win over Sri Lanka in the first ODI in Pallekele. Mahela Jayawardene chose to bat but Pakistan’s bowlers put in a fine performance to restrict the hosts to 135 for 8 in a rain-affected game.”It was a difficult decision for any captain about what to do,” Misbah said at the post-match presentation ceremony. “It was a good toss to lose. There was a lot of moisture in the wicket and covers were on.”Pakistan’s seamers led the way, with Umar Gul nipping out the first three wickets – he ultimately won the Man-of-the-Match award – and Mohammad Sami providing excellent support in an economical spell during which he picked up three for 19 in six overs. Mohammad Hafeez was also miserly with his off-spin, taking 2 for 20 in 10 overs. “We have got world-class spinners and whenever the fast bowlers get the conditions [they need], they come good.”Pakistan reached their target with almost eight overs to spare, but lost two wickets early. Hafeez and Misbah steadied the innings with a 51-run stand before Umar Akmal made an unbeaten 36, steering his team home. “The conditions were really difficult for batting,” Misbah said, “but the way Hafeez and Umar batted, it was really handy.”We have to improve in these conditions – it’s a windy and open ground. It’s difficult to judge, so we have to work hard.”Jayawardene said a score of around 190 to 200 would have proved competitive. “It was important we put up a decent score,” he said. “But credit to Pakistan, they came strongly at us. We faced two new balls in Australia as well, but they have got a quality attack and we need to make sure we are careful.”The second ODI, on Saturday, will also take place in Pallekele.

Paul Collingwood has replaced Phil Mustard as Durham captain as the county try to pull around a season that sees them threatened with relegation from Division One of County Championship.

George Dobell03-Jul-2012Paul Collingwood has been appointed as captain of Durham’s County Championship side as the club seek to reverse a disappointing start to the season which has seen them fail to win any of their first eight games.Collingwood, who led England to the World T20 title in 2010, replaces Phil Mustard, who was appointed in May 2010 after Will Smith was removed as captain in similar circumstances. Dale Benkenstein remains Durham captain in the limited-overs formats.Durham’s head coach Geoff Cook said: “We’re delighted that Paul has agreed to take on the captaincy and lead the side in the four-day competition. Paul’s international experience is an excellent asset to the team, at a time when we need to be delivering our best results.”We are grateful for Phil Mustard’s efforts as captain and he remains an integral part of the team as a key contributor behind the stumps and with the bat.”Whether a change of captaincy will arrest the decline of an ageing squad remains to be seen. Aged 36 and with a top score of 50 in 12 championship innings this season, Collingwood is probably not a long-term solution.Collingwood’s first game in charge will be next week, when Durham travel to New Road to take on Worcestershire, the only other side in the top division without a win in the championship this season.Collingwood said: “I’m excited to have the opportunity to use my experience to help us progress in the LV= County Championship and get us back to winning ways.”Durham had been touted as championship challengers, but a side that has grown old together has been bereft of top-order runs and two former England fast bowlers, Steve Harmison and Liam Plunkett, have been conspicuous by their absence.Mustard took over little more than two years ago when another poor start caused Durham to sack Smith after a heavy defeat at Trent Bridge. The decision was officially one of “mutual consent,” but Smith was persuaded that he had lost the trust of senior personnel on a coach journey back from the game.Now Mustard, who was regarded as the player to restore harmony, has failed to address the championship slide of a county for which successive championships of 2008 and 2009 are now a distant memory.

Stuart Broad has issued a statement denying any part in the creation of a parody Twitter account that mocked Kevin Pietersen

George Dobell14-Aug-2012Stuart Broad has issued a statement denying any part in the creation of a parody Twitter account that mocked his England team-mate Kevin Pietersen.Broad, the England Twenty20 International captain, and Alex Hales, who took Pietersen’s place at the top of the order in England’s T20 side, were both alleged to have been involved in the account by Pietersen’s friend, the chatshow host Piers Morgan.The real creator of the parody account, Richard Bailey, came forward on Monday and not only apologised for the trouble he had caused, but clarified that he had worked alone. While Bailey is a friend of Broad and Hales, all parties insist that no professional players were in any way involved either in setting up the account or supplying information.”Following last night’s statement by Mr Richard Bailey that he was responsible for creating a parody Twitter account in Kevin Pietersen’s name, I would like to confirm that I had no involvement in this whatsoever,” Broad said”I met with the Managing Director, England Cricket, Hugh Morris this morning and assured him that I did not play any role in the creation of this account or provide Mr Bailey with any information regarding Kevin Pietersen or the England team.”As has been widely reported Mr Bailey is a friend of mine, but we had no conversations regarding this issue at all and I am pleased that he has now decided to close the parody account down.”Broad’s words echo the results of an ESPNcricinfo investigations last week that identified the creator of the parody account, but found no evidence that any England player had been actively involved in it at any stage. That information was communicated to senior officials of the ECB.Morris added: “Having discussed this matter with Stuart, I am fully satisfied that he acted in a professional manner at all times and did not breach any confidences regarding fellow England players.”ECB also accepts the apology Mr Bailey offered last night to the England team via his Twitter account and his re-assurances that no professional cricketers were involved in the creation of this site.”Meanwhile Andrew Strauss expressed his surprise in the escalation of events that has led to Pietersen being dropped from the team for the third Test. Strauss, England’s Test captain, also expressed his disappointment that private dressing room matters should have been aired so publically.”I’ve always got on very well with Kevin,” Strauss told Sky Sports. “I’ve tried to be honest with him, and he’s been honest with me. That’s why this has all been a bit of a surprise for me. The discontent Kevin had with the Board over his contract situation is one that the players didn’t get involved in; I didn’t really get involved in it, if I’m honest with you. But over the last week, I’ve had to get involved as there were issues that were more central to the other players and our ability to perform out in the middle.”I’m a big believer in not airing dirty laundry in public. That’s one of the core values of our team: what goes on in the dressing room stays in the dressing room and anytime anyone has fallen foul of that they have been disciplined and rightly so. It’s about mutual respect and trust and that’s a core issue that is central to resolving this.”

Seekkuge Prasanna spun a canny spell that reaped four for 19, as the Ruhuna Royals suffered their second failed chase in two nights, succumbing by 14 runs to Uva Next

The Report by Andrew Fernando21-Aug-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Seekkuge Prasanna took an excellent catch to dismiss Lahiru Thirimanne•Shaun Roy/SPORTZPICS/SLPL

Seekkuge Prasanna spun a canny spell that reaped four for 19, as the Ruhuna Royals suffered their second failed chase in two nights, succumbing by 14 runs to Uva Next.Wahab Riaz injected late excitement, after the Royals’ appeared to have run aground at 119 for 8 from 18.1 overs, in pursuit of 156. But despite a first-ball 6 and three wides, 30 from the final over was never likely to be hauled in, particularly with Lasith Malinga for company at the other end. Andrew McDonald also contributed a miserly spell of 2 for 16, having already made 28 from 14 at the tail-end of Uva Next’s innings.The openers had already been dismissed before Prasanna’s introduction, but in two overs, he’d struck thrice and effectively derailed the chase. The Pallekele pitch offered more grip and bounce than on previous evenings, and it was the latter that defeated Aaron Finch as he top-edged a cut into the keeper’s gloves off Prasanna’s second ball. The googly accounted for Lahiru Thirimanne two balls later, as he shaped to pull the legbreak, but could only lob it back to the bowler when the ball spun the other way.Prasanna continued to mix his variations cleverly, and was only sent to the ropes twice. Both times, he dismissed the assailant next ball. The Royals attempted to hit out several times, but with Prasanna and McDonald giving them few bad balls at either end, boundaries were not forthcoming, and the run rate flagged while wickets fell.Uva Next had progressed slowly for much of their innings, but they did it with wickets in hand, and when the crescendo came, it proved adequately forceful to set a challenging total. Upul Tharanga was the innings’ anchor, as he collected a 40-ball 48 that showcased an array of easy offside drives once more. He went at close to a run a ball to begin with, but gathered speed towards the middle with three fours in four balls off Wahab Riaz.Shoaib Malik combined with Tharanga for a measured 58-run stand, but when both batsmen fell within three overs, McDonald’s cameo provided the late acceleration, lifting Uva Next to 155 for 4.

James Franklin played a crucial role in New Zealand’s one-run win against India with an economical spell to stifle India’s chase when they were cruising

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Sep-2012When Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli were warming up to the chase of 168 in Chennai, with a couple of sixes in the 13th over, it looked as though New Zealand’s tour would end the way it had panned out so far: winless. India required 49 runs from the last seven overs, but that was before James Franklin came in to bowl.He immediately dismissed Kohli for 70, which looked like a minor blip in the chase, but after a couple of tight overs from him and Jacob Oram, India’s required run rate jumped to 10.66. They fell short by one run in the end.”[It was a] topsy-turvy game,” Franklin said. “With probably six-seven overs to go, it was very much India’s game, and they were steamrolling towards the win. But, as we know, the nature of Twenty20 can change very quickly in a matter of one or two overs, and that certainly happened tonight and we were able to close out the game.”Franklin bowled the final over, with India needing 13 to win. Yuvraj was dismissed with three balls to go and only 11 runs were scored. It was Franklin’s most expensive over; he had stifled India’s scoring in his other three and ended with figures of 2 for 26. Franklin said they bowled a number of slower balls to make scoring difficult.”Most of the good batsmen out in the middle struggled with the ball not coming on in terms of lack of pace. We had to use cross seamers and take the pace off the ball. Obviously that worked for us in the back end of the innings.”For any chance of winning though, New Zealand needed a total big enough to defend against an accomplished Indian batting line-up. That they did through a commanding 91 off 55 balls from Brendon McCullum. Franklin said New Zealand were surprised with India’s decision to field first.”[The toss] certainly raised a few eyebrows. A few of our players have played IPL over here and Chennai’s famous for being a batters’ first wicket, but they’ll have their reasons for doing that. We were always going to bat first and try and put a total on the board, which we did thankfully [as] Brendon McCullum put on a great performance with a 91. It was up to our bowlers to defend it, which we did.”The win was among New Zealand’s few positive results in recent months, after they lost the limited-overs legs and the Test series against West Indies before being beaten by India in the Tests in Hyderabad and Bangalore.”It’s nice to win games; been a long few weeks for us, obviously losing the Test series 2-0 and the rain in [Visakhapatnam] didn’t help matters but it’s always nice to win tight games like that,” Franklin said.New Zealand will head to Sri Lanka to play two warm-up matches in Colombo against Australia and South Africa before the World Twenty20.

ESPNcricinfo previews the Champions League match between Lions and Yorkshire in Johannesburg

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran19-Oct-2012

Match facts

October 20, 2012
Start time 1330 (1130 GMT)Yorkshire are still looking for their first win•Getty Images

Big Picture

With two wins and a game to play, Lions are just one victory away from joining Sydney Sixers as the other team from Group B in the semi-finals. Lions play the opening game of the Wanderers double-header on Saturday and their match against Yorkshire will be closely followed by Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, who face each other later in the evening. A Lions win will reduce the IPL derby to a dead rubber. It’s been kind of a tournament for the IPL teams, having to rely on other results to progress. If Yorkshire can sneak in a win, though, it opens up the group.Nothing much has gone right for Yorkshire since qualifying for the main draw. After being demolished by Sixers in the most one-sided game of the tournament, their match against Mumbai Indians was washed out. They managed to get some game time though, conceding 156 in just under 18 overs. They opened their account with two points from the washout, but their anxieties grew when Ryan Sidebottom and Moin Ashraf pulled up with injuries. Though Sidebottom returned to bowl, Ashraf limped off after pulling his hamstring. Their fitness will be a concern ahead of the Lions clash.Yorkshire will have to get their act together against one of the form teams of the tournament. Having calmly brushed aside the two IPL teams, Lions tripped up against the most dangerous of the lot, Sixers, on Thursday at Newlands. Gulam Bodi continued his good form from the Super Kings game with a half-century, but his colleagues, Neil McKenzie and Quinton de Kock, failed to show up. They will be back in home surroundings at the Wanderers, but both teams will be up against the weather, with rain forecast on match day.

Watch out for…

With six wickets in three games at an economy rate of 4, priceless by Twenty20 standards, Lions’ Aaron Phangiso has been the find of the tournament so far. Bowling Sachin Tendulkar was his most cherished scalp, and to prove that it wasn’t a fluke, he silenced Sixers through his spell, giving away only 14 and taking out the top three.Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale is in need of runs. After his 61 against Sialkot Stallions in the qualifiers, his next three scores have been an underwhelming 13, 2 and 8. He struggled to get bat on ball against Sixers, before losing his leg stump while trying to manufacture a scoop to fine leg. The struggling side needs their captain to lead from the front.

Quotes

“We want to lead. We want teams to take us seriously.”

“I’ll have to speak to Scott McAllister, our physio, but at this stage we’re just going to monitor the progress of both of them.”

Harbhajan Singh is looking forward to completing 100 Tests, and also to tracks that will assist spinners

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Nov-2012

Was expecting Raina to be picked – Prasad

Venkatesh Prasad, the Uttar Pradesh coach, was disappointed when he found out that Suresh Raina had been left out of the India Test squad. “I was expecting him to be picked,” Prasad said. “He led the team superbly against Delhi.” Prasad said that the news of the team selection had no effect on the UP dressing room. “That’s not the way we work – for us the most important thing was to focus on was what was happening in the middle in our match. We couldn’t have played like we did had we been thinking about something else. See the time Raina had spent in the middle.” Prasad said Raina had batted “brilliantly” in both innings. “He was positive in the second innings when they kept bowling outside off stump to a 7-2 field. He has had an excellent match – it is unfortunate to hear that he didn’t get picked.” Raina left the ground immediately after the match and was not available for comment

Harbhajan Singh, the India offspinner who was recalled to the Test squad on Monday, has hit out at his critics, and also declared that he has “evolved” as a cricketer during his year out of the team.”A good bowler should not be only judged by his wickets count, his skillful bowling methods should also be taken into account,” Harbhajan told in Mohali. “His (a spinner’s) role changes according to the wicket. Some people who have not played cricket themselves have been writing crap stuff about me.”Harbhajan was a permanent member of India’s Test squad for several years before he was left out for the tour of Australia late last year, leaving him with 98 Test caps. “It would be nice to complete 100 Test matches, I just can’t wait to get into whites for India against England.”While Harbhajan hasn’t taken loads of wickets on the first-class circuit after being dropped, he said he had improved as a cricketer. “During the time I was out of the Indian team I got time to work on different aspects of the game. I captained Punjab team and also the Mumbai Indians. I think I have become a good listener and can handle things on the field in a better way.”India’s captain MS Dhoni has repeatedly called for turning tracks for home series, and Harbhajan also hoped the pitches would assist spinners. “The wickets should have everything for everyone. When Dhoni says that he has not seen any spinner getting the ball bounce in the rib cage area of the batsman in the recent past, I agree with him.”I would love to bowl on a wicket which has both turn and bounce, so that I can also bowl in the rib area of the batsman from outside the off stump.”

Jackson Bird, the Tasmania fast bowler, could make his Test debut at the MCG on Boxing Day after being included in Australia’s squad as a replacement for the injured Ben Hilfenhaus

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Dec-2012Jackson Bird, the Tasmania fast bowler, could make his Test debut at the MCG on Boxing Day after being included in Australia’s squad as a replacement for the injured Ben Hilfenhaus. Usman Khawaja has also been named in the 13-man group as the Australians wait on the fitness of captain Michael Clarke, who retired hurt during the Australia’s second innings in Hobart with a hamstring injury.Clarke is hopeful he will be fit for the second Test against Sri Lanka but Khawaja will come into contention if Clarke takes longer than expected to recover from the problem. The rest of Australia’s squad remains the same, with Mitchell Johnson retained after being named 12th man for the Hobart Test.”It’s not too bad. I’ve got a bit of time leading up to the Boxing Day Test, I’ll be having plenty of treatment but I’ll be confident I’ll be right for Boxing Day,” Clarke said. “I’m always going to be positive because I know I’m in great hands with Alex [Kountouris], I know how good a physio he is, I know how good my physio is in Sydney over the next few days.”They’ll communicate and I’m really confident with eight days turnaround, I’ll be giving myself every opportunity to be right. Mickey and the selectors will give me as much time as required leading into the game. My preparation will be a bit different in the lead up to this Test match but I’ve done a fair bit of batting so I’m confident if I can do everything in my power, I’ll be right for Boxing Day.”It’s a strain, to what level I don’t know, the scans were pretty positive and I’m in really good hands.”The national selector John Inverarity said that Khawaja had earned the right to return to the national team after scoring in testing conditions in the Sheffield Shield so far this summer, notably making runs on a Gabba green-top against South Australia at the start of the season, then compiling a century on a treacherous Hobart surface against Tasmania. Inverarity also confirmed Shane Watson would lead the team if Clarke was unfit.”Usman turns 26 today, just one week younger than Jackson Bird, and he has been in good form this season. He has played especially well on occasions when conditions for batting have been very difficult,” Inverarity said.”If Michael is not able to take his place in the side then Shane Watson will captain the team. Shane acquitted himself well when he deputised for Michael in the ODI series in the Caribbean earlier this year in March.”Inverarity’s panel will need to decide on their preferred attack for Melbourne, with Mitchell Starc and Peter Siddle having bowled the side to victory at Bellerive Oval. Johnson and Bird are likely to be battling for one position.Bird, 26, burst on to the first-class scene last summer with 53 Sheffield Shield wickets at an average of 16 in his debut season, topping the tournament tally. He has followed that strongly this season with 27 victims at 20.55 and is again on top of the Shield wicket list.”We’ll pick the best attack to take 20 wickets, if it’s two left-armers, it’s two left armers,” Clarke said. “Jackson is the leading wicket-taker in first-class cricket this year so that was certainly the main factor in us bringing him into the squad.”Squad David Warner, Ed Cowan, Phillip Hughes, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke (capt), Michael Hussey, Usman Khawaja, Matthew Wade (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Jackson Bird, Nathan Lyon.