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Australia’s new-look batting group will be unveiled on Friday when the squad for the first Test against New Zealand is named

Brydon Coverdale29-Oct-2015Australia’s new-look batting group will be unveiled on Friday when the squad for the first Test against New Zealand at the Gabba is named. Openers Cameron Bancroft and Joe Burns, and top-order batsman Usman Khawaja are all hoping to be part of the squad despite failing in their final chance to impress the selectors during their Sheffield Shield innings on Wednesday.All three men, plus Shaun Marsh, were part of the 15-strong outfit named last month for the Test tour of Bangladesh, but the abandonment of that trip has left question-marks over who will be favoured for the first Test of the home summer. The Brisbane match will be Australia’s first Test since the retirements of Michael Clarke and Chris Rogers, key members of the top five over the past two years.David Warner was set to miss the Bangladesh tour due to a fractured thumb, but he is fit to play in Brisbane and the identity of his new opening partner remains a mystery. Bancroft, 22, may get the nod as a red-ball specialist and long-term prospect, although Burns scored a century in a tour match against New Zealand at the weekend and performed well in two Tests last summer.Khawaja appears likely to move into the No. 3 position, with captain Steven Smith considering a move down to No. 4, and Adam Voges looks set to retain his place at No. 5. That would mean the only way Burns and Bancroft could both fit into the XI would be if the selectors abandon their preference for an allrounder at No. 6, an improbable move given how keen they have been on a fifth bowling option.It is not out of the question that Bancroft, Burns and Khawaja could all be named in a 13-man squad, with a final decision on the XI to be made in the lead-up to the Test. All three men were comprehensively outperformed in the ongoing Sheffield Shield round by Michael Klinger, whose double-century was his 14th hundred of the past year across all formats, but his age – 35 – will go against him.Retired captain Michael Clarke wrote in his News Ltd column on Thursday that his preference would be for Shaun Marsh to open with Warner, but that would seem a retrograde step given the opportunities he has already had. Marsh scored two centuries in the recent Matador Cup competition but managed 0 and 2 when called into the Test team during the Ashes at Trent Bridge.Mitchell Johnson will be back in the squad after he was to be rested for the Bangladesh tour, and Josh Hazlewood may also slip back into the group after being dropped for the final Test of the Ashes series. Mitchell Starc should be a guaranteed starter given his recent form, and Peter Siddle will hope to retain his place in the squad after impressing when he replaced Hazlewood at The Oval.Gone from the 15-man squad named for the Bangladesh tour will be fast bowler Pat Cummins, who has again suffered a back injury, and there is unlikely to be room for any of Andrew Fekete, Steve O’Keefe or Glenn Maxwell, all of whom were part of the Bangladesh squad. The squad will be named early on Friday afternoon in Adelaide.Probable squad David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Joe Burns, Steven Smith, Adam Voges, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes set the platform by stroking 73 each, before Mahmudullah’s late fireworks helped Bangladesh ride a middle-order wobble to post 276/9 in the third ODI against Zimbabwe in Mirpur

The Report by Mohammad Isam in Mirpur11-Nov-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes put together their first century stand to set a strong platform for Bangladesh in the third ODI in Mirpur•AFP

In three spells that tested the skill of the Zimbabwe batsmen and drew plenty of oohs and aahs from the crowd at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mustafizur Rahman claimed figures of 5 for 34 to ensure Bangladesh’s 3-0 sweep of the ODI series. He is the first bowler in history to have as many as three five-wicket hauls in under 10 matches played.Mustafizur conceded boundaries from time to time but Zimbabwe’s batsmen could not dominate him. There were many plays and misses, and edges that almost carried to the slips. There were several occasions when the ball missed the stumps by a whisker as he got the ball to swing and cut. When he ran in to bowl with Zimbabwe nine-down, Mashrafe Mortaza gave him eight slips.Mustafizur’s first two strikes upset the boundary-filled start that Zimbabwe made in the first seven overs. Off the second ball of the chase, Chamu Chibhabha had little clue as Mustafizur got the ball to swing enough to get past his driving arms. Craig Ervine and Regis Chakabva kept finding fours but in the seventh over again, Mustafizur removed Chakabva with a slower delivery that the opening batsmen could only lob to cover.Ervine fell to Nasir Hossain in the ninth over when he played back to a delivery that didn’t get up as much as he anticipated and he was trapped lbw for 21 off 25 balls.Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura then joined Sean Williams in an attempt to resurrect the innings and get a measure of the required run-rate. Williams was given a lifeline when the substitute fielder Anamul Haque dropped him at mid-off on 23. The two batsmen found boundaries, too, and Mashrafe started to look for his sixth bowler. Sabbir Rahman bowled an excellent delivery to get rid of Chigumbura in the 23rd over after he had added 80 runs for the fourth wicket with Williams. Chigumbura made 45 with six boundaries and was removed before he could open up in a big way.Zimbabwe could have ended this ODI series without a single fifty from their batsmen had Arafat Sunny not trodden on the stumps in the 30th over when Williams – batting on 49 – was short of the crease.For the next six overs, Bangladesh had to contend with a dangerous partnership between Malcolm Waller and Williams but Nasir intervened, taking a head-high catch in the covers to dismiss Waller. Next over, Williams fell to an easy catch at cover after he failed to time a drive off Mashrafe. He made 64 off 84 balls with five fours.Mustafizur came back to remove Sikandar Raza, who was caught splendidly by Sabbir as he ran from mid-on to mid-off. Next ball, Luke Jongwe holed out at midwicket, but his hat-trick ball was kept away by Graeme Cremer. Later, Mustafizur took a return catch to dismiss Tinashe Panyangara and complete a third five-wicket haul in ODIs, figures that complemented the work of Bangladesh’s opening batsmen.Earlier, Bangladesh’s innings was split into two parts after they opted to bat. The first part comprised the 147-run opening stand between Imrul Kayes and Tamim Iqbal. It was enough of a base to get close to 300 runs but it wasn’t to be, and the second part saw them restricted to 276 for 9.Tamim started the early rush of boundaries with a pull off Panyangara; it was his only four through the leg side as the remaining six fours were played through the covers. Tamim’s only six came off a blast over the bowler’s head. But by then Kayes had struck four sixes – three between midwicket and square-leg and, the best of the lot, one over extra cover. He also struck six fours, three on either side of the wicket.Kayes was dropped on 35 and survived a stumping and caught-behind off the same delivery on 48 after Chakabva missed a stumping and replays showed there was an edge. Both Tamim and Kayes fell for 73 in the space of five overs, but Bangladesh still had their eyes on a bigger total with Mushfiqur Rahim in the middle after the fall of the first wicket.Mushfiqur, too, fell before they reached 200, which meant much of the work depended on Liton Das and Mahmudullah, two batsmen who had struggled to get going in the first two matches. Liton gave a catch one to cover after making 17 while Nasir Hossain and Sabbir Rahman fell to Luke Jongwe in the space of three deliveries, Cremer holding on to easy catches at point.Bangladesh slipped from 222 for 3 to 226 for 6 within 11 deliveries and were in danger of getting bowled out before 50 overs. Mahmudullah, who was on 32, then got mixed up with Mashrafe in the 45th over only for wicketkeeper Chakabva to knock down the bails seconds before Sikandar Raza’s direct hit found Mahmudullah short of the crease.Mahmudullah stood near the dressing-room while TV umpire Enamul Haque saw many replays and finally decided it was not-out. Chigumbura, however, protested the decision and the broadcasters then showed a replay in which Chakabva had uprooted the stump but did so after Aleem Dar had initially given out to the direct throw.With the second decision also not out, Zimbabwe gathered into a huddle for a few minutes but both captains shook hands and the game resumed.Mahmudullah added another 20 runs, and was run-out in the last over as Bangladesh scampered towards their highest score in the three-match series.Jongwe and Cremer took two wickets each while Panyangara, Raza and Waller took one each. Among them, Panyangara bowled the best spells.

Essex rising star Nick Browne heartened English county professionals who have ever experienced the hardsh glare of Sydney Grade cricket by striking a record 206 for Mossman

David Hopps23-Nov-2015More than a few English county professionals have struggled to adapt to the harsh glare of Sydney Grade cricket over the years, but nobody can accuse Nick Browne of being among their number. He has become the new star in town. Browne has become the first cricketer from the UK to hit a double century in Sydney Grade, advancing his reputation and sparing the blushes of a few English professionals in the process.Browne, one of the few bright spots in Essex’s 2015 season, struck 206 at the weekend for Mosman against Sydney University at the Allan Border Oval, following up a century in his first match in even more spectacular style.He beat the previous best score by an English batsman – 194 by Mike Gatting in 1979. Gatting had already won England recognition by then – making his ODI debut in 1977 and playing his first Test a year later – and went on to captain England and win 79 Test caps.Many in Essex believe that Browne should have received some sort of England development squad recognition this winter – but although he was overlooked it has driven him to a continuation of the form he showed in the county season.Browne was one of the few successes in 2015 in an Essex season that ultimately led to the removal of Paul Grayson as coach. He made six first-class centuries as he added his name to the long list of contenders urged by the England coach, Trevor Bayliss, to make an unanswerable claim to an England place in county cricket.He finished the season on a high – a career-best 151 not out against Leicestershire (albeit Division Two’s bottom club). His 1157 first-class runs represented the first time an Essex batsman had passed 1000 in the Championship since Ravi Bopara in 2008.This is the second year Browne has travelled to Sydney to play for Mosman during the English winter. His 206 was only four runs short of Mosman’s highest club score, so sparing one of Australia’s most famous clubs more emotional trauma than it could take. His opening partnership of 252 with David Lowery in a score of 406 for 3 was the second highest in the club’s history.

Usman Khawaja celebrated his Australia recall and Joe Burns his retention by combining for an unbeaten stand to shut out West Indies on day one of the Boxing Day Test

The Report by Daniel Brettig at the MCG26-Dec-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:06

Nicholas: Batting was straightforward against inconsistent bowling

Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja adjusted from Twenty20 to Test match gears with all the smoothness of a well calibrated sports car, as Australia’s top order put their stamp on Boxing Day despite a well grassed pitch and a slightly improved West Indies.Both Burns and Khawaja had turned out for their BBL clubs in the gap between Tests, but it was the unsigned and rested David Warner who let adrenaline get the better of him in an early flurry that ended with his wicket after Jason Holder sent the Australians in to bat.The vast majority of a day delayed by an hour due to considerable morning rain was then taken up by a union that reaped 258 runs and centuries to Burns then Khawaja, who joyfully passed their milestones in the space of three deliveries after tea. Burns was ultimately out stumped at the hands of Kraigg Brathwaite, and Khawaja glanced Jerome Taylor into Denesh Ramdin’s gloves before the close.Their exits should not detract from the ruthlessness shown by Burns and Khawaja, two members of the Boxing Day selection triangle that ultimately cost Shaun Marsh his place. Burns showed excellent judgment around off stump while finding the boundary 17 times. Khawaja carried on with the rich vein of form and confidence that began at the Gabba against New Zealand: few batsmen in the world are capable of making the game look quite as simple as he does at his best.Australia’s batsmen were aided by another disappointingly muted display from the West Indies bowlers, who conceded runs at a lesser rate than they had done in Hobart but were nonetheless unable to create sustained pressure on the batsmen. The debutant Carlos Brathwaite was at one point reduced to bowling well outside off stump to a 7-2 field, a gambit the umpire Marais Erasmus opposed by calling a pair of disapproving wides.The tourists’ fielding was also indifferent – one Khawaja flick through the leg side was chased so languidly by Jerome Taylor that the batsmen might easily have run five. Later Marlon Samuels, who had juggled Warner’s skier, turfed a ball Khawaja struck more or less straight to him at cover. Melbourne’s smallest Boxing Day crowd since 1999 expressed appropriate disbelief.Holder had expressed hope that his pacemen would be able to exploit the moisture evident in the pitch after rain delayed the start by an hour. But they were stunned by Warner’s early salvo, striking five boundaries in the second and third overs of the day as 27 were heaped in the first three.Having stated his desire to make a century on Boxing Day – the MCG is the only Australian Test ground where he is yet to pass three figures – Warner was flushed with adrenaline, and overreached to his 12th ball when he tried to pull Taylor over midwicket and skied to Samuels at cover.This episode had been manic, and Khawaja’s arrival signalled something more orthodox as he tried to find his rhythm after playing only one BBL match for the Sydney Thunder on his way back to fitness following a hamstring strain. Not quite as initially fluent as he had been when making hundreds in Brisbane and Perth, Khawaja slowly found his range, while Burns looked safe at the other end having been retained in a decision that showed the selectors’ faith in him.The scoring rate built up once more as lunch neared, with Carlos Brathwaite, included for the injured Shannon Gabriel, going for 11 runs in his first two overs. Kemar Roach extracted one edge from Burns as the interval near, but it fell short of the slips cordon. Few such moments could be found in the afternoon, as Khawaja and Burns accumulated steadily while the MCG crowd swelled nearer to the gathering of around 50,000 hoped for by the MCC. Even so, 53,389 was the smallest Boxing Day attendance in at least a decade.They were witness to some attractive batting but also an assortment of bowling and fielding that veered from mediocre to awful. Holder’s control of proceedings was loose at times, his fields invariably defensive due to inconsistent bowling, and his choices of bowlers also odd – having exploited some moisture on the first morning in Hobart to gain useful spin, Jomel Warrican was unused this time until the day’s 42nd over, by which time there was precious little purchase for his slow left-arm.The evening session’s highlight was undoubtedly Burns and Khawaja passing three figures in the same Warrican over. It was otherwise something of a slog as the batsmen accumulated soundly while Holder tried with some success to limit the flow of boundaries. Khawaja was to reach or clear the rope seven times in his 144, a testament to his strike rotation but also the freely available diet of singles.There was a hint of tiredness in the dismissals of both Burns, advancing at Brathwaite but misjudging a ball fired flatter and wider, and a leg-glancing Khawaja. Their graft had left the match and series firmly in Australia’s lap, with the captain Steven Smith and the Hobart double centurion Adam Voges there at the close.

Scotland will play T20Is against Netherlands and UAE in Dubai as part of their preparations for the World T20

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jan-2016Scotland will play T20Is against UAE and Netherlands in Dubai as part of their preparations for the World T20.The matches on February 4 and 5 will take place as Scotland head home from their current tour of Hong Kong. They will also face a County XI – expected to be an amalgamation of cricketers who will be in the UAE at the time – ahead of the two T20s with that match being played under floodlights.

Scotland in the UAE

February 3 v County XI
February 4 v UAE
February 5 v Netherlands

Grant Bradburn, the Scotland coach, said: “The players have prepared so well over the winter months and we have also tucked away some excellent preparation in Abu Dhabi, so the team is now ready to play. The three fixtures in Dubai will allow all players some game time to command selection in the playing 11.”These games also allow us as a squad to establish our first-choice combinations aligned to each opposition and the conditions we might face. As a team we are looking to build upon the major strides Scotland took in 2015 in the T20 format.”Scotland will begin their World T20 campaign against Afghanistan in Nagpur on March 8, before fixtures against Zimbabwe and Hong Kong as they aim to qualify for the main part of the tournament.

CSA has appointed Norman Arendse as convener of a task team to address the grievances voiced by black African cricketers last year

Firdose Moonda23-Feb-2016CSA has appointed their lead independent board director and chairman of the transformation committee, Norman Arendse, as convener of a task team to address the grievances voiced by black African cricketers last year, following a meeting with sports minister, Fikile Mbalula, in which it was made clear that the issue needed to be tackled as a matter of urgency.Last November, a group of cricketers calling themselves Black Players in Unity wrote a letter to CSA detailing their concerns at being picked in national squads but not playing enough games. They were driven by the case of Khaya Zondo who travelled with the limited-overs squads to India in October 2015 but did not play a single game.The minister’s immediate stance on the issue was made clear in an interview with City Press. “I support the stance taken by the players,” he wrote. “The issues of players being selected but not being picked for matches is old and has not only been raised by the players but the public. These players are not doing it for themselves but for generations to come.”Haroon Lorgat, CSA’s chief executive, and Chris Nenzani, the president, confirmed receipt of the letter while still in India for the Test series and insisted that it would receive “priority attention at the highest level”, with Mbalula responding that he was “encouraged” by a proposed meeting between the board and the players.However, in the weeks that followed, there were no updates on whether a meeting had taken place or a solution reached. The only mention of the issue arose when it emerged in January that Aaron Phangiso, a black African player, had been sanctioned for drunken behaviour on a flight in October. The incident, however, was not made public or even shared with CSA’s board, with Lorgat confirming to The Times that he and Nenzani had chosen to “contain the matter … in view of the black African player issue that had surfaced at that time”.In addition, CSA has been required to brief the minister on selection policies, guidelines and procedure which would include information on any transformation targets or quotas. The ministry said CSA’s report was “well received, however there was general agreement that there are glaring gaps and inadequacies in the policy that are in conflict with the sports barometer and transformation charter”.The ministry did not go into further detail on where it believes CSA is failing to meet its obligations. However, it said the board had agreed to consultation aimed at policy review, adding that the board would “discuss the principle of merit selection in relation to the quality of opportunity.” Broadly, that relates to whether players of colour are given sufficient chances to succeed at the highest level.The ministry confirmed CSA have signed a memorandum of agreement, similar to the one signed by the South African Rugby Union last year, in order to guarantee their commitment to achieving transformation targets. Currently, CSA have targets at domestic level that require that every franchise must field six players of colour, of which three must be black African. CSA claim not to have official national quotas but unofficially, it is recommended that at least four players of colour take the field in every XI, of which one is black African.

Kent were a delight to watch in limited-overs cricket last season, but as the international-ground counties dominate it will take some special performances to break the trend

David Hopps01-Apr-2016Head coach: Jimmy Adams
Captain: Sam Northeast
Last season
In: Adam Rouse
Out: Brendan Nash (released), Ben Harmison (released)
Overseas: Tom Latham, Kagiso Rabada (July)2015 in a nutshell
Kent were a delight to watch in limited-overs cricket last season, but could not follow up the plaudits with trophies as they exited in the quarter-final stage in both competitions. In the likes of Sam Northeast, Sam Billings (one of only three England players signed up for an IPL deal) and Daniel Bell-Drummond they have an exciting crop of young players who are bringing fresh live to Canterbury under the wise observation of Rob Key.2016 prospects
Kent do not have the appearance of serious challengers in Division Two of the Championship, for all their batting depth, but they have been lifted by a six-week mid-season spell for the young South African quick Kagiso Rabada. Early season will be more challenging for Sam Northeast’s exciting young squad, especially with Sam Billings on IPL duty: Tom Latham has the batting attributes to help them through the tough days. In one-day cricket, though, they can surely push for a trophy. South African-born Sean Dickson can add to that batting lustre, and all it needs is one young pace bowler to take his opportunity for them to be a limited-overs side to be reckoned with. With many seeing England’s T20 future as wedded to international grounds, they need to make themselves heard.Key player
With question marks around their pace bowling stocks, Kent’s potential trump card lies in two offspinners at either ends of their career, James Tredwell and Adam Riley. Riley had a second-season dip in 2015 after he was prematurely touted as an England possible in his breakthrough year. Kent remain convinced Riley has all the attributes to become an international spinner and are delighted to have tied him to a new contract.Bright young thing
Kent have any number of bright young things when it comes to batsmen, but they are sorely in need of extra pace bowling resources. They will hope that Matt Hunn, a 6ft 5ins fast bowler, will make further strides this summer after winning a few headlines last season with five wickets against the Australian tourists but the solve the problem long term they might have to widen their developmental base.ESPNcricinfo verdict
Kent’s formidable T20 batting line-up gives them an excellent chance of reaching Finals Day, even without a heavy overseas spend, but it would take a summer of turning pitches for them to challenge for the Second Division title.Bet365 odds: Specsavers Championship, Div 2: 9/1; NatWest Blast n/a; Royal London Cup 20/1

Peter Siddle has retained his Cricket Australia contract for 2016-17 despite the likelihood that he will be sidelined for a lengthy period of the year due to stress fractures in his back

Brydon Coverdale01-Apr-2016Peter Siddle has retained his Cricket Australia contract for 2016-17 despite the likelihood that he will be sidelined for a lengthy period of the year due to stress fractures in his back. The renewal of his contract is an encouraging sign for Siddle, whose international future appeared cloudy after the diagnosis in February following the Test tour of New Zealand.Stress fractures of the back are not uncommon among fast bowlers but are often suffered by younger men still making their way in the game. At 31, Siddle will need not only to recover well and return through the Sheffield Shield, but also fight off more youthful challengers if he is to add to his 61 Test caps.The 20-man contract list for 2016-17 was fairly predictable, with the only six players missing from the group announced last March being the team’s retirees: Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and Chris Rogers. Coming in from outside last year’s initial group are Siddle, Usman Khawaja, Joe Burns, Adam Voges, Peter Nevill, John Hastings, Nathan Coulter-Nile.However, all seven of those men played enough matches for Australia during the current 2015-16 period to have already been upgraded to Cricket Australia contracts. The only others who played enough to be upgraded during the 2015-16 year but missed out on 2016-17 deals were Matthew Wade and Scott Boland, who played exclusively in the shorter formats.Wade remains Australia’s preferred one-day international gloveman and has been named in the ODI squad for a tri-series in the West Indies in June, but Nevill was used in the World T20 in India. Others who missed out on contracts include Jackson Bird and Steve O’Keefe, both of whom played Test cricket during the past few months, as well as short-form players Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson.”The Australian team is set to embark on another busy year of international cricket and we believe the players chosen in this group are those that are right in contention to represent the country over the next 12 months,” national selector Rod Marsh said.”There is a lot of talent within this group and we have confidence that the players chosen can be successful in all three forms of the game, against a range of opposition, in a variety of conditions.”Following a number of high-profile retirements, we believe this group of players gives us a healthy blend of youth and experience to represent Australia at the highest level, allowing us the best chance of maintaining our number-one rankings in Test and ODI cricket, as well as improving our performances in the T20 format.”Australia’s next Test series is in Sri Lanka following the West Indies one-day tri-series, and then in the home summer they host South Africa and Pakistan for Test matches. A Test tour of India follows in the new year. Players from outside the contract list can be upgraded to CA deals if they earn 12 upgrade points throughout the year on a basis of five points per Test appearance, two per ODI and one per T20 international.Contract list George Bailey, Joe Burns, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, John Hastings, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Peter Nevill, James Pattinson, Adam Voges, Peter Siddle, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner.

It must be a hoot inside Viv Richards’s head

Chris Ryan07-May-2016It must be a hoot inside Viv Richards’s head. Joel Garner, as we speak, is heading up the rebuilding operation in Iraq. Ricardo Powell, the US Secretary of State, is fixing himself a stiff drink. Faoud Bacchus, that randy old Greek god, is fixing himself several. Oh, and Dennis Lillee is a cowardly, cream-puff crybaby who stopped bowling bouncers because he was afraid he might cop a couple back.Welcome to the wacky world of Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards. In case you missed the news, the Master Blaster has been indulging in a scurrilous spot of Master Bluster. Now chairman of West Indian selectors – and that’s in the real world, not just his own – Richards has accused Lillee of watering down his ferocity once the likes of Andy Roberts and Michael Holding gatecrashed the Test arena in the late-1970s.Lillee, so the story goes, was terrified that if he pitched short at the West Indians they’d headhunt him back. "Lillee realised what would be coming at him," said Richards. "He was all huff and puff, but he wasn’t quite the same later on."Lillee, in typically swashbuckling style, has dismissed Richards’s taunts as "a heap of bulldust". "If Viv actually made that comment," Lillee went on, "then he must have forgotten a fair bit."And there you have it. The two most watchable and inspirational cricketers of the 1970s and 80s, the defining players of their generation, are at loggerheads.Now, this is all decidedly odd. Cricket is about forgiving and forgetting, letting sleeping dogs lie, what happens on the field stays on the field, and all that. Especially when the events in question occurred a quarter of a century ago. Especially when the two adversaries are revered warriors. And especially when one of them is the great, the one, the only DK Lillee.For Lillee had grace. Pore over the old videotapes and you still marvel at his fluency, his fluidity. He was like a giant gathering willy-willy, slowly uncoiling then scattering all in his wake. He’d reach the top of his run-up and turn, with not a flicker of hesitation. He’d begin with a couple of quickish trots before slipping into rhythm, back arched and arms horizontal, picking up speed as he hurtled creasewards. Then he’d launch into one almighty leap and, for a moment or two, the world stood still. His right arm high. His feet almost kissing the stumps. His torso classically side-on. For all the science in fast bowling these days, nobody has come close to devising so majestic an action.Lillee had charisma. Bucketloads of it, in fact. He made green-and-yellow headbands and chunky gold jewellery look cool. When he got hot and bothered he used to slide a lanky index finger across his forehead and flick away droplets of sweat. Then he’d lope down to fine-leg, shirt unbuttoned to his nipples, gold chain bobbing in a forest of black hair, his pelvis thrust out in the direction of Bay 13. Lillee was sex on legs and the MCG was his favourite tabletop.And yes, Viv, Lillee had guts. He never flinched, never shirked a challenge, never blanched at the sight of yet another flat pudding of a pitch. Ian Chappell always says wresting the ball from Lillee was like taking a bone off a Doberman. If he didn’t get you first time he’d roar back for a second spell, then a third. Then there was the way he kept fighting back from crippling injuries – to his back, his knees and most other vital joints. Lillee was brave, and crazily so.These attributes, what’s more, were widely accepted as fact. Back in the days when glossy magazines used to print long, rambling Q&As with all the star players, Lillee’s name cropped up repeatedly. Most Feared Opponent. Hardest Man To Face. "He had everything," Bob Willis once wrote. "Courage, variety, high morale, arrogance, supreme fitness and aggression."To Don Bradman, Lillee was "capable of the most devastation" of any fast bowler in history. "He had so much intelligence," gushed Sunil Gavaskar. For Richard Hadlee, Lillee was "my idol, my role model … I copied Lillee. I studied him and analysed everything he did, asking myself why he did it and whether there were aspects of his approach I could build into my own game."Now here comes the really curious bit. Richards, until this week, seemed to agree. In his latest book Sir Vivian – "The Definitive Autobiography", whatever that means – Richards calls Lillee "the most dangerous fast bowler I have ever faced". Curiouser still, he notes that Lillee "never bowled a short ball without a reason".He even recounts, almost fearfully, an occasion when Lillee struck him under the heart. Richards couldn’t breathe or speak. Lillee offered not a jot of sympathy. "When I looked up," said Richards, "he was back at his mark. In fact there wasn’t one Lillee ready to come snorting in at me again – I could see two … The crowd was chanting: Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! One Lillee is bad enough, but this was one too many."Sir Vivian came out in 2000. Three years ago. How could so much change so soon?It’s history that Richards, at the turn of the millennium, was voted Wisden’s fifth greatest player of the 20th century. Lillee polled six votes fewer to finish equal-sixth. And yet Lillee’s place in the pantheon is secure. Parts of the Richards legend demand closer scrutiny.Take his fixation with bouncers, for instance. It lives on today, as demonstrated by his gibe at Lillee, but first emerged when he was a brash young batsman. Richards’s refusal to wear a helmet always had more to do with macho breast-beating than commonsense. And was he really so fearless? There were times, Australians with long memories might recall, when Richards looked distinctly unnerved by a young Steve Waugh and even younger Craig McDermott.His greatest slice of luck was to be born West Indian. He only had to face Garner, Holding and Co in the nets. Richards claims Lillee went soft in his old age, yet he is on shaky footing here himself. Richards was dismissed for 15 or under nine times in his last 10 Tests on Australian soil. He remained a thunderous strokemaker once set. But by the age of 30, particularly on bouncy wickets, he could be a clunky starter.By the time Lillee hit his thirties it’s true, of course, that he had eased his foot off the pedal. Quite deliberately. Throat-ticklers were out. Indigestible leg-cutters and indecipherable variations in pace were in. Instead of terrorising batsmen Lillee outfoxed them. Richards is still being outfoxed 25 years later.His bouncer obsession filtered through most pointedly as captain. Under Clive Lloyd’s command the West Indian quicks tended not to waste bouncers on batsmen who could handle them. Bruce Laird, one of the gutsiest of all Australian openers, tells how he endured relatively few short deliveries. Instead they would aim to swing the ball at high speed on a good length. Bouncers remained something of a delicacy. Under Richards they were served up for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Four an over. Five an over. Too much was never enough. Richards, by the end, was a boring captain of a boring team.Boring is something Lillee could never be. He showed it again during a rare TV appearance on Monday night. He was interviewed by Andrew Denton, normally a witty and astute interrogator, who was reduced to shameless sycophancy in the presence of the great moustachioed wonder.No matter. Lillee was as engaging as ever. He told tall stories. He spoke warmly about Shane Warne, regretfully about his own on-field misdemeanours. He did a neat line in modesty too. "I can only remember three or four wickets I ever got – maybe 10," said Lillee. "It’s gone. Not that I want to get rid of it. It’s those red wines."Lillee’s memory might be scratchy but one thing’s for sure – it’s better than Viv’s. Unless Carl Hooper really is the old bloke who used to run the grocers shop on Sesame Street.Chris Ryan is a former managing editor of Wisden Cricket Monthly and a former Darwin correspondent of the Melbourne Age.

After a performance as perfect as this – in which John Simpson became their third batsman to score a brilliant ton, and Tim Murtagh and Toby Roland-Jones shared nine Hampshire wickets – it is only rain that can deny Middlesex now

Will Macpherson at Merchant Taylors' School30-May-2016
ScorecardAdam Voges finished unbeaten on 160 before Middlesex’s bowlers got to work•Getty Images

As Brendon McCullum watched on from the balcony atop this beautiful, expansive ground’s quaint, wisteria-covered pavilion, he would have been forgiven for wondering quite how his new Middlesex team-mates have failed to win in the Championship this season. Six games, six draws. There is mitigation: half of those games have taken place on the deadest of Lord’s tracks, while they have lost a staggering 618 overs – 103 out of each game – to rain. The top order has been making runs, the bowlers have been taking wickets, yet not a result in sight.After a performance as perfect as this – in which John Simpson became their third batsman to score a brilliant ton, and Tim Murtagh and Toby Roland-Jones shared nine Hampshire wickets – it is only rain that can deny them now. A downpour is forecast for Tuesday, but the heavy lifting is done; surely, across the final two days, the clouds will lift to allow them time to take the seven remaining Hampshire wickets, after they were made to follow on. On the basis of the second day’s play, that should not take long.Angus Fraser talks about the “Middlesex DNA”, the personality traits he wants to define his team, which is a rather hazy concept for those on the outside, but crystal clear to all in a united, friendly, laugh-a-minute dressing room. It was there last week, when Nick Gubbins, the baby of the side – and thus victim of a few pranks – was so touched to be taken out for drinks by his team-mates upon finally reaching a Championship ton, having three times fallen in the 90s. It was visible here, when James Fuller took his first – then second and third – Championship wickets for the club, and the back-slapping seemed to last for hours. It is audible every time Ollie Rayner or Murtagh let out their big barks, their umms and ahhs in the field; each gag is raucously laughed at, each achievement raucously celebrated.It was perhaps most obvious, however, as Adam Voges and Simpson came out and flayed to all parts in the morning session – with clouds low and fielders’ fingers freezing – to add a quickfire 125 in just 19.2 overs and set up a perfect declaration, allowing the bowlers 30 minutes before lunch, upon the completion of Simpson’s rocking, rollicking century. Roland-Jones described their efforts, to which Simpson contributed 72 off 61 this morning as Voges, who finished 160 not out turned the strike over, as “selfless, but highly skilful too”.”It’s never easy to go out and force the issue that clearly,” Roland-Jones said. “They set the tone, playing so positively to get ahead so quickly and we exploited the conditions that were out there.”Simpson, such a pugnacious, powerful batsman, played a dazzling hand. There was a front-foot pull for six off James Tomlinson, then another six to cow, and reverse-swept and straight-driven fours, all of Liam Dawson, as 22 were pilfered from five balls. Each came with crack cleaner than the last. Hampshire, on a pitch described by Roland-Jones as “pretty consistent, but always offering enough to the bowlers with enough lateral movement,” had been thoroughly beaten up by brilliant batting. They looked utterly demoralised.Either side of lunch, the nippy, nagging excellence of Murtagh and the Fraser-ish, bouncy Roland-Jones, a veritable nightmare bowling down the hill, bowled 11- and 10-over spells respectively. As Roland-Jones’s lift continually beat the outside edge, Murtagh’s off-stump line accounted for the top three. Sean Ervine and Dawson – who drove beautifully straight – dug in to share 34, Hampshire’s largest partnership of the day, but a screaming Sam Robson catch at gully saw off Dawson, and before long Rayner’s bounce gave his first over the wicket of Joe Weatherley. Murtagh returned to find Ervine’s edge, and Roland-Jones docked a limp tail.Hampshire’s horrid day was summed up by Tino Best, so hot against Nottinghamshire last week, so very cold today. There he was, at the end of the day’s first over, calling the 12th man on for a second jumper – to be fair, it was chilly enough to force umpire Neil Mallender to don gloves – but soon he was officially warned for beaming Voges and, later, a leading edge off Roland-Jones flew straight to mid-on. His funereal walk to and from the middle meant a one-ball innings lasted four minutes.The follow-on was enforced without the batting of an eyelid – and may mean Hampshire, who are three behind on the over rate, end up taking -2 points from the match. Middlesex continued on their merry way, Murtagh’s second ball taking the edge of Will Smith – promoted to open, before Fuller’s aggressive late burst did for Michael Carberry, caught low at second slip, and Ervine – stump cartwheeling – just as the new-ball pair’s exertions began to show. Off they went, revelling in their six perfect sessions and ready to meet their newest team-mate, knowing that first win is not far away.