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Rahkeem Cornwall makes it to West Indies Test squad
He is an all-rounder from the islands of Antigua and is perhaps the heaviest cricketer ever. He stands at a towering height of 6’6” and weighs around 140 kg.

Cornwall made his first-class debut in 2014 and has since become a regular for Leewards Islands, even captaining them earlier this year. He has 260 wickets from 55 first-class matches and finished as the leading bowler in the most recent regional four-day tournament.

I see they have Marcus Harris also...who debuted against India last series
gets into double digits almost all the time without converting

I am a little surprised Pucovski has been recalled so soon...but I suspect he is there as a "squad" player , getting the feel etc rather than a likely pick for Sydney.  Given his issues he'd be better introduced say on a trip
to the UAE or Sri Lanka than this series - but who knows I might be completely out of touch with the selectors' thinking.

Warner as long as he's 95% fit has to play.  Frankly they need him.  Not a crisis ; but three sub 200 scores in a row so far is unacceptable : and a loss in Sydney would lose any chance of grabbing the trophy.

Wouldn't shock me if Harris partners him and Wade moves back to five at the expense of Head. Harris was making some Shield runs ; and while I'm not convinced he's the long term answer he might be the best solution for now. Might be a bit rough on Head but he doesn't really look capable of a big score at present , and Wade - back in his comfort zone - might be a better bet. I think that is how I'd go if it were up to me.

Dont think Harris is on the cards Alfie, he was available when they picked Burns and Wade which wouldve made him their fifth choice. Did very little in the warm ups (and played at 3 sggesting he was down the pecking order even prior to warners injry)) and hasnt played since, he s prior test record is awfl too. Hes just been there as a concussion reserve. When Warner was out the young chap was been heavily touted as his replacement till he got clonked.

Think at the start of this series the pecking order for As openers was
Warner
Burns
Pucovski
Wade
Harris
A tine of custard
Harold Bishop
Joe Denly dressed as Crocodile Dundee


Regardless I think we can all agree that Warner will walk into the side if fit, which he really should be by now. I also agree that Pucovski might need a bit of time hitting balls in the squad before getting a start, and since Burns has been burnt that wold mean sticking by Wade whos the one making some runs there between the two teams or picking Harris who was fifth choice and done nothing outside of the nets to prove the selectors wrong.

Assuming no lingering medical concerns Id think the two most likely scenarios are Warner / Wade or Warner / Pucovski if he's showing confidence in practise and is ready for it. PJ I was jesting of course with the "good bloke" comment earlier

As Ive said previously I really dont think Wade is a viable long term option or intended to be one when chucked in, but he was asked to do a job and hasnt done it that badly so far. In the short term if they are going to keep dropping Burns and Harris every few tests they play he makes sense whilst they ensure that Pucovski is able to handle the short pitched stuff. Hes likely to face much worse in the Aus nets than he is from Bumrah and third /forth reserve Indian seamers.

As for the question is it acceptable to target him, if its that dangerous then change the return to play protocols to make sure anyone who's suffered multiple serious head traumas isnt playing at all. Not all of his concussions came from being hit by bowlers, and the latest was ducking into one; even no balling everything above shoulder height wont protect him.

Fantastic win for the New Zealand lads. Fawad and Rizwan seemed to have turned the tide and saved the day for Pakistan at one stage. But then Wagner and the rest turned things around. Fabulous performance from Wagner, braving odds to do the job for his side.
Also, Fawad Alam, ignored mostly through the last decade or so, delivered a brilliant performance, Misbah himself would have taken note, not just from a future prspective, but probably for all the missed chances.

As for the Australian selection for the next test, not surprised that Warner is back. Bit surprised though that they've put Pucovski in there. He may not make it to the playing 11, there are too many knocks to consider

Think they'll play Warner even if he's at 90 percent. His home dominence up top is something they would dearly need, particularly the rest of the engineroom in Labuschagne and Smith. One India have managed well so far in the series is to prevent the Australians from running away with the game when batting. Each run had to be earned and there were not too many easy runs available. The tempo of the innings was slowed down. That's where they would need Warner...

Wagner is definitely what the Aussies would call a good bloke

msp83 wrote:As for the Australian selection for the next test, not surprised that Warner is back. Bit surprised though that they've put Pucovski in there. He may not make it to the playing 11, there are too many knocks to consider

Would be somewhat ironic if he gets on the field as a concussion replacement



Another note on the drop Head bandwagon, he's averaging significantly more than Smith since the last Ashes.

msp83 wrote:As for the Australian selection for the next test, not surprised that Warner is back. Bit surprised though that they've put Pucovski in there. He may not make it to the playing 11, there are too many knocks to consider

I don't understand this Don't Play him to save him from bouncers.
If he is deemed so weak that he cannot handle bouncers....then why is he in the squad
and why is he playing FC cricket...on bouncy pitches in a country that has a couple fo fast bowlers probably in every FC side

KP_fan wrote:

msp83 wrote:As for the Australian selection for the next test, not surprised that Warner is back. Bit surprised though that they've put Pucovski in there. He may not make it to the playing 11, there are too many knocks to consider

I don't understand this Don't Play him to save him from bouncers.
If he is deemed so weak that he cannot handle bouncers....then  why is he in the squad
and why is he playing FC cricket...on bouncy pitches in a country that has a couple fo fast bowlers probably in every FC side

I tend to side with KP-f on this one. It's fair enough to name, say, a 12 or 13 man squad in which one player is expected to be on the bench and is mainly there to get a feel of things. However, even then, that player should still have some chance of playing; particularly in the event of injury to someone else or perhaps a change in conditions. If Pucovski is unfit to play (and I gather from Joey and others that's the case), he shouldn't be in the squad.

guildfordbat wrote:

KP_fan wrote:

msp83 wrote:As for the Australian selection for the next test, not surprised that Warner is back. Bit surprised though that they've put Pucovski in there. He may not make it to the playing 11, there are too many knocks to consider

I don't understand this Don't Play him to save him from bouncers.
If he is deemed so weak that he cannot handle bouncers....then  why is he in the squad
and why is he playing FC cricket...on bouncy pitches in a country that has a couple fo fast bowlers probably in every FC side

I tend to side with KP-f on this one. It's fair enough to name, say, a 12 or 13 man squad in which one player is expected to be on the bench and is mainly there to get a feel of things. However, even then, that player should still have some chance of playing; particularly in the event of injury to someone else or perhaps a change in conditions. If Pucovski is unfit to play (and I gather from Joey and others that's the case), he shouldn't be in the squad.

This is what was said at the press conference

"Will is in the final stages of the graduated return to play protocols and has been symptom free for some time," he added.

"He will be fit to play in Sydney subject to completing the return to play protocols and an independent assessment."

The narrative that hes not fit is just coming from the internet and people constantly repeating it till it becomes the truth. The perception that he has a genuine problem with short balls is also questionable, the team leadership will be the ones best placed to judge on both counts. Whether they will feel its right to include will surely though depend on how he fairs in the nets and if the feel he has the confidence and sharpness to perform or if he needs more time to ease back in.

Well it is the "ease back in" thing that I'm really referring to in the timing of the Puvovski introduction.

Not just a matter of his own immediate interest - but this is an important series at a crucial point and my own feeling is that selecting him right now might be a risk they'd rather not take. They want him to be a regular player of the future and I reckon timing his introduction in the optimum manner might be a priority.  But as I said I may be well wide of the mark on this...we will see.

One possibility is Warner Wade for this match and if that doesn't work (and/or Head continues to struggle) then Pucovski might debut in Brisbane. But I'm not ruling out the Harris option despite Goose's polite criticism involving his being only marginally preferable to the tin of custard

Aussie selectors quite often get it right. But they are also capable of some peculiar choices at times. Watch this space...

Yeah but they did deem he ready to be pitched in to the opening test (at least according to reports) so if he was ready then he's ready now if fit and hasn't had his confidence broken right?

Of course as you say it may have straight up been too soon for a very inexperienced player to go into a high profile co petition test series. But that was the case regardless of his concussion. Could also argue its been permanently too soon for everyone they've tried as an opener since Rogers so ....

They won't be able to assess of his confidence has been affected or help him to work on playing short stuff unless he's actually in the squad and they can work closely with him. That's why I struggle to understand the criticism of him being there. Were he the only opener it might be more questionable, but they do have three alternatives.

This just gives them the ability to make an informed decision. As you say it may or may not prove to be the right one, although if he does fail it doesn't mean the tin of custard would have done any better.

https://www.bcci.tv/articles/2021/news/147636/t-natarajan-to-replace-umesh-yadav-in-india-s-test-squad

In the updated squad on BCCI's website Rohit sharma is named Vice Captain
implies he is guaranteed a place in the 11....means either of Vihari or Agarwal will sit out

Team India Test squad: Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan

JAY SHAH
Honorary Secretary
BCCI

Apparently Warner still needs to pass some fielding assessments before being cleared to play. Will be a huge blow if he cant play.

The move by India to make Sharma vice captain feels a bit odd when Pujara is still in the team. Is there anything behind that, signs of disagreement between Rahane and Pujara? Even odder when it goes to a player who previously wasn't deemed good enough to get in the side even when they were an experienced batsman short. Making unenforced changes to a winning side at all is a bold move.

The treatment of Sharma has been a bit muddled all round in recent times. Absolutely slaughtered SA with an absurd number of runs then dropped after two quiet tests. Did well in the last Ashes tours but then wasn't even included in the squad for this one, then suddenly is Vice Captain despite not having played red ball for a year? All smacks of internal politics.

Apparently theres some talk of shifting Gill down to the middle order to give him a chance to bed in with Vihari dropping out and Sharma opening. Again some signs of muddled thinking, Sharma going from fourth choice opener to first/second and the reserve opener becoming a starting middle order batsman whilst the second choice opener gets dropped after one game and frozen out altogether. That said they could well end up with a stronger batting nit as a result, it just feels a very muddled and messy way of getting to it.

Maybe something to be said about Sharma and his star status that India didn't feel they wanted him in the camp unless he was going to be in the first XI.

Anyway if they manage to pull off another win then its hard to criticize. Just think their seamer issues are a bigger problem than how they handle batsmen's egos. Bumrah cant carry the seam attack alone. If Warner plays I find it hard to see past an Australian victory.

Rohit will open, Agarwal is out....he would have been first choice opener, if he was fit.

Yes there is seemingly political / corporate support / push from Ambani who own Mumbai Indians and is a super Rich capitalist having strong links to the govt.
And there is a general feeling in Mumbai Lobby that Rohit deserves more.

So a guaranteed test spot with a long run...fitness withstanding..... & most likely limited over captaincy coming his way

Now he needs to deliver to hold on to his test spot

https://www.thehindu.com/sport/lets-just-ban-umpires-call-daryl-harper/article33478917.ece?utm_source=sport&utm_medium=sticky_footer

Lets Get rid of Umpires Call says Daryl Harper

KP_fan wrote:https://www.thehindu.com/sport/lets-just-ban-umpires-call-daryl-harper/article33478917.ece?utm_source=sport&utm_medium=sticky_footer

Lets Get rid of Umpires Call says Daryl Harper

If only they could've replaced him with DRS.

Agrawal being injured makes the selections a lot easier if it is the case, and presumably means Vihari will stay in and Gill open alongside him? I haven't seen it reported anywhere though.

Things could get very complicated though....Gill, Rohit Sharma, Pant and Shaw have all been put in isolation after being photographed in a public restaurant and Pant apparently hugging a fan. Great start to the Vice Captaincy! I doubt they will be forced to miss the test though, it would mean calling off the game and suit neither board.

Goose - Rohit has been injured, this is the first Test of the series that he's been available. He wasn't in the squad originally as they were waiting to see when he recovered from his injury.

Shan Masood with one of the worst reviews you’ll see in a while there

Jamieson reminds me of Tremlett, albeit a tad slower than Tremlett was in his pomp

Just had exactly the same thought Olly. I'm very interested to see how he'll go on less familiar/helpful wickets.

Jamieson looks like he can shape the ball both ways too - which I am not sure Tremlett ever had? Manages to get it plenty full enough too, compared to someone like a Morkel who was always just that little bit too short.

JDizzle wrote:Jamieson looks like he can shape the ball both ways too - which I am not sure Tremlett ever had? Manages to get it plenty full enough too, compared to someone like a Morkel who was always just that little bit too short.

I think Tremlett was able too, certainly in the memorable 10/11 ashes tour he was - do agree on the length and that’s the main comparison for me with Jamieson/Tremlett, they get it full so the batsmen are coming onto the front foot, and the lift is not only threatening the edge, but also gloves.
Albeit that delivery to get Alam was a flat out brute!

NZ well on top despite Azhar playing a little gem of an innings so far

Haven't been able to watch much of this today but it looks as if there is plenty there for the bowlers...so perhaps Pakistan have done quite well to recover as far as the current 230/6 ?  They've scored at a decent rate too...3.6 per over.

Jamieson seems to have had another good day. His early Test career figures are rather remarkable...will be interesting to see how well he can maintain them.

With the ball moving (still swinging for Boult in over 66) I guess NZ haven't really missed Wagner and his persistent batsman-battering assaults as much as they might...though they may do so in the second innings.

Pakistan tail is a bit better than India's so with Faheem still there they may hope to get up around 300 . Wouldn't be a bad result for them on this. But then they need to bowl very well.

And hope Williamson is due for a day off

And five now for Jamieson... Which NZ needed as that partnership was motoring along. 260/7 and Faheem might have eclipsed the daft referral mentioned above  : he sliced the ball wide to slip - must have taken a chunk out of the ball given the edge was so solid ! OK , he hit the ground too but he surely still felt that and in any case I don't know how else he imagined the ball could have gone where it ended up...
Good innings of 48 though ; has helped Pakistan towards what might yet be a par score.

New ball in six overs.

Very handy knock of 34 from Zafar Gohar on debut comes to an end as Southee has him out hooking against the new ball...285/8 and not much batting left now...

That man Jamieson with the catch - can't keep him out of it

All done for 297. Boult with the last two ...just short of the 300 after some late blows from Naseem Shah.
But the way the ball was moving around in that last session I think Pakistan might feel they've done pretty well to get that score.

NZ will need to bat well tomorrow if they're going to grab control of this match. Could be an interesting day.

Surely Sri Lanka have a better domestic option than Thirimanne? Albeit be handy for England if he could bundle a 50 or something second innings to retain his place

Hardly surprising that Nortje and Mulder have dismembered Sri Lanka today...

But the tail has wagged a bit : Hasaranga made a useful 29 and subsequently Chameera's 22 (just ended by the excellent Nortje ) has at least raised the 150.

Don't expect the two Fernandos will add many more so SA are well placed to take a firm grip on this game...which might be rather a short one.

NZ have been struggling...loss of Taylor shortly after lunch followed by what should have been Nicholls : only saved by the fact that Shaheen had hugely overstepped .
Big moment in the game as they'd have been four down for under 80.

Still tough going for them against some excellent bowling from Abbas and Shaheen ; Williamson just nine off 40 balls , overall run rate not much over two per over. Pakistan will fancy this if they can break up this pair - especially if they can snare the NZ skipper.

The vital partnership of Williamson and Nicholls - now 74 , and in increasingly good time , has put NZ back in a sound position at tea : 145/3.
Williamson now 40 and solid as ever ; Nicholls 25 after riding a lot of luck early on , even on top of the no ball escape that will be haunting Pakistan.
Batting was looking very difficult in the first hour or so of that session ; but as the pace bowlers tired and the stand continued , the run rate ticked right up and the part time spinners were employed : think Pakistan will be glad of the interval now allowing them to regroup.

Still 152 behind so a wicket or two could yet change things. But a long way to the next new ball and you get the feeling the game is shifting back to the home team.

Dominant hour for NZ since tea...now 226/3 as Williamson and Nicholls ramp up the pressure on the Pakistan bowlers.
Has still been some good bowling from Abbas , but the batsmen are now totally in command as Williamson goes into the eighties...can see the home team taking a real grip by stumps unless the new ball (still ten overs away) causes mayhem.

Williamson reaches yet another century

Has raced through the second fifty...four boundaries in just the first over after drinks and is now collecting runs as he pleases.

No wonder he is currently top ranked Test batsman in the world. 24 hundreds in 83 matches now.

261/3 and Pakistan are being run ragged in the field.

Not Pakistan's day !

New ball taken...Shaheen draws Nicholls' edge immediately ...and the keeper somehow manages to drop a very regulation chance .

282/3

Although now Nicholls has pulled up in pain from a quick single and is being treated by the physio on the field...

Just a bad cramp it seems...made it through to the close , at 286/3. Nicholls on 89 looking set to join the skipper with a hundred tomorrow.
Can see NZ establishing a big lead on day three. And getting another win to put pressure on India and Australia for those Test Championship final places. Certainly they will go top of the rankings for now.

Have been excellent at home for several years

Bit of a comeback from Sri Lanka today...their bowlers have turned the SA scorecard around from 218/1 to 296/9...
Fernandos on the ball. And Ngidi has just copped a solid blow to the helmet.

Substantial lead for SA though. Probably big enough.

alfie wrote:Just a bad cramp it seems...made it through to the close , at 286/3. Nicholls on 89 looking set to join the skipper with a hundred tomorrow.
Can see NZ establishing a big lead on day three. And getting another win to put pressure on India and Australia for those Test Championship final places. Certainly they will go top of the rankings for now.

Have been excellent at home for several years

The top-4 are likely to  remain as they are
The top-2 ...India still has a full home season of 2 tests vs BD follwed by 4 vs Eng to keep their top-2 standing

alfie wrote:Bit of a comeback from Sri Lanka today...their bowlers have turned the SA scorecard around from 218/1 to 296/9...
Fernandos on the ball. And Ngidi has just copped a solid blow to the helmet.

Substantial lead for SA though.  Probably big enough.

Going to need to post a score of 350-400 to give themselves a shot you'd think - not impossible, but seems unlikely. 57-1 at the minute...

alfie wrote:The vital partnership of Williamson and Nicholls - now 74 , and in increasingly good time , has put NZ back in a sound position at tea : 145/3.
Williamson now 40 and solid as ever ; Nicholls 25 after riding a lot of luck early on , even on top of the no ball escape that will be haunting Pakistan.
Batting was looking very difficult in the first hour or so of that session ; but as the pace bowlers tired and the stand continued , the run rate ticked right up and the part time spinners were employed : think Pakistan will be glad of the interval now allowing them to regroup.

Still 152 behind so a wicket or two could yet change things. But a long way to the next new ball and you get the feeling the game is shifting back to the home team.

Hi Alfie, Olly and all - that does seem an area where the Kiwi seamers have an important advantage. They appear to have so much physical and mental strength and determination that they don't tire or, at least, not obviously so.

I saw Olly's post the other night where he likened Jamieson to Tremlett. As regards bowling style (and I appreciate that's what Olly was referring to), he's right. One significant difference though is that Jamieson keeps on going. He bowled 8 overs on the reel before lunch on the first day. Tremlett, on the other hand, usually only sent down 4 or 5 in a spell - certainly in his Surrey years - before needing a blow.

Southee, Boult and, of course, our old friend Wagner who is missing this time also have similar bucket loads of stamina. Very valuable for the team and for skipper Williamson to be able to call upon.

From a rocky 71/3, Williamson and Nicholls have completely turned things around with New Zealand now dominating proceedings. A partnership of 369 as Nicholls finally falls for 157. Williamson still there on 173, the score on 440/4, a lead approaching 150 and me heading for bed.

NZ ended up declaring over 360 ahead after a Williamson double century and an undefeated maiden hundred for Mitchell...

And Pakistan have already lost hapless opener Shan Masood for his second duck of the game ...caught at slip off Kyle Jamieson's second ball. Jamieson having quite a match ...even got a rather unnecessary 30 not out

Bit rough on poor old Abbas having to go in again as a night watchman after bowling for two days!  Nearly gone third ball too ...survived on Umpires call - just. 8/1 off nine overs.

Two more overs to survive. The way Jamieson is bowling I'm not sure they will do so...

Fancy NZ to finish this some time tomorrow.

Edit- OK , they did survive. 8/1 off eleven. But my last prediction stands...

India bring in Rohit Sharma and Navdeep Saini for SCG Test
Rohit will replace Mayank Agarwal at the top of the order, while Saini comes in for the injured Umesh Yadav

ESPNcricinfo staff

India do the wise thing of bringing first in line Saini....& resist the temptation of adventuring with a T20 specialist Natrajan

Feel for Mayank Agarwal, average 48 and many of those were tough runs scored in Aus

alfie wrote:NZ ended up declaring over 360 ahead after a Williamson double century and an undefeated maiden hundred for Mitchell...

And Pakistan have already lost hapless opener Shan Masood for his second duck of the game ...caught at slip off Kyle Jamieson's second ball. Jamieson having quite a match ...even got a rather unnecessary 30 not out

Bit rough on poor old Abbas having to go in again as a night watchman after bowling for two days!  Nearly gone third ball too ...survived on Umpires call - just. 8/1 off nine overs.

Two more overs to survive. The way Jamieson is bowling I'm not sure they will do so...

Fancy NZ to finish this some time tomorrow.

Edit- OK , they did survive.  8/1 off eleven. But my last prediction stands...

Jamieson ends up with 6 wickets, 11 in the game, and NZ canter to victory. Pakistan's batting just nowhere near good enough to hold up

Odd that a test won by such a monumental margin changed on one key moment, but that's exactly what happened with NZ/Pakistan.

NZ were 74/3, Pakistan well on top with the ball doing all sorts, and Nicholls nicks behind...only for a no-ball to reprieve him. Game changer. Nicholls' ton was one of the most fortuitous I've ever seen - as well as that no-ball, there were a few other drops and times he was nearly bowled/played on.

Williamson showed why he's one of the best, maybe the best, in the world. Two hours of tough grind through judicious leaves and solid defence against a bowling attack on top, followed by a few hours of elegant shots which systematically destroyed Pakistan's morale.

As for Kyle Jamieson, I've never seen such an exciting test bowler in years. He's got the lot and, because of the angle he bowls, is an enormous problem for left-handers. Looking forward to seeing what he does away from home.

Warner & Pucvoski set to open for Aus tomm

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:

alfie wrote:NZ ended up declaring over 360 ahead after a Williamson double century and an undefeated maiden hundred for Mitchell...

And Pakistan have already lost hapless opener Shan Masood for his second duck of the game ...caught at slip off Kyle Jamieson's second ball. Jamieson having quite a match ...even got a rather unnecessary 30 not out

Bit rough on poor old Abbas having to go in again as a night watchman after bowling for two days!  Nearly gone third ball too ...survived on Umpires call - just. 8/1 off nine overs.

Two more overs to survive. The way Jamieson is bowling I'm not sure they will do so...

Fancy NZ to finish this some time tomorrow.

Edit- OK , they did survive.  8/1 off eleven. But my last prediction stands...

Jamieson ends up with 6 wickets, 11 in the game, and NZ canter to victory. Pakistan's batting just nowhere near good enough to hold up

Jamieson got MotM too. I was in two minds whether it should be him or Williamson who went out to bat when the hosts were 71/3 and hugely changed the game with his double ton. As it turns out, MotM for Jamieson and Williamson getting MotSeries seems a good compromise and very fair.

I watched the first session of what turned out to be the last day. Top highlight for me was the catch at point by sub fielder Will Young to dismiss Abid Ali off Jamieson. Really belted and grabbed one handed diving to his right. That by itself won't get Young a place in the team but it'll keep him in the frame. I remember Mike Selig posting similar about Brett Lee in his early days being determined to be Australia's best twelfth man and so staying around the side to improve his chances of a call up to the eleven.

Pucovski not short of confidence based on him taking first ball and not considering he needed a haircut.

So Puvovski is into his debut innings...no alarms in Bumrah's first over.
And Warner scores from his first ball back...

Rather stating the obvious but this is a big first session for everyone. How much difference the return of Warner makes may go a long way to deciding the series.

In fact Warner hasn't made much difference today at all...chased one from Siraj and gathered at slip ...pretty poor shot actually. Not the start Australia wanted.