A round-up of the matches from the second match-day of the Faysal Bank One Day National Cup Division One

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jan-2011

Group A

Imran Farhat blasted 150, his highest List A score•AFP

Karachi Dolphins‘ lower order held their nerve in a thrilling one-wicket win over Rawalpindi Rams at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium as Naved Malik’s unbeaten century was in vain. When Karachi slid to 208 for 8 chasing Rawalpindi’s 260, it seemed all over for the visitors. But No 9 Misbah Khan had no intentions of giving up, and his unbeaten 37 took Karachi home with seven deliveries remaining. He was well supported by Rumman Raees, and the duo had taken their side to 245 when Raees was dismissed for 19. But last man Tabish Khan survived four deliveries, and together with Misbah, saw Karachi through. Naved’s maiden List A century had earlier rescued Rawalpindi from 132 for 5 along with wicketkeeper Jamal Anwar, who made an unbeaten 65 off 45 balls. Karachi were tottering at 134 for 6 in reply despite opener Adnan Baig’s half-century, but the lower order rose to the occasion.Imran Farhat slammed 150, his highest List A score, as Habib Bank surged to a 130-run victory against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited in Islamabad. Farhat and Taufeeq Umar put on 74 runs for the opening stand, and the middle order built on the solid platform. Shan Masood added 147 for the third wicket with Imran who fell with Habib Bank eight short of 300. Humayun Farhat, Imran’s brother, ensured Habib Bank finished on a high, cracking seven boundaries in his unbeaten 36 off 13. The target of 339 was always going to prove tough, but when medium-pacer Fahad Masood reduced SNGPL to 70 for 5, they surrendered any remaining chance they had. Saleem Mughal (70) was the only batsman to cross 30, as SNGPL caved in for 208.Sheharyar Ghani led Pakistan International Airlines to an eight-wicket win over Islamabad Leopards at the Diamond Club Ground as PIA chased down 250 comfortably. Ghani came in after the opening partnership had yielded 48, and remained unbeaten on 105, his maiden List A century. Faisal Iqbal cantered to an unbeaten half-century as well, as PIA eased to victory with 40 deliveries to spare. PIA’s bowlers led by Anwar Ali (3 for 51) had earlier dismissed Islamabad for 250 despite Zeeshan Mushtaq’s 75. Mazhar Abbasi (39) and Imad Wasim (45) could not carry on after getting starts and Islamabad fell short of a competitive total.

Group B

Multan Tigers notched up their second win, thumping Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited by 166 runs at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. It was a one-sided affair from the start: Multan were put in to bat and their openers put together an opening stand of 118; contributions from the middle-order and some late hitting took them to 325; and ZTBL’s chase never got going as they were bowled out for 159 in 34.1 overs. Zain Abbas played the anchor role for Multan, scoring 96, while Imranullah Aslam and Kashif Naved hit quick half-centuries. Imran Nazir and Shahid Yousuf scored half-centuries for ZTBL, but only one other batsman got into double figures as they were bowled out well inside the 50 overs.It was another one-sided affair at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, where Faisalabad Wolves chased down Sialkot Stallions’ 207 for the loss of just two wickets, with 39 balls to spare. Sialkot chose to bat but were greeted by a devastating spell from Naseer Akram, playing in only his second List A match. Naseer took four wickets and Sialkot were soon 61 for 5. Mohammad Ayub and Shehzad Malik staged a recovery with a 104-run partnership, but legspinner Zaheer Maqsood wiped out Sialkot’s tail and they couldn’t last the 50 overs. Faisalabad were always comfortable in their chase. The openers put together 75, and then Shahid Siddiq and Hasan Mahmood scored half-centuries to take Faisalabad home.National Bank of Pakistan also completed their chase with time to spare, beating Water and Power Development Authority by six wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. NBP bowled WAPDA out for 213 and then got to the total in 40.3 overs thanks to Fawad Alam’s 78 off 60 balls and Hammad Azam’s 58 off 61. NBP had lost two early wickets in their chase, but once Alam and Azam got going, they were in control of the match. WAPDA had needed a recovery from the lower order to get past 200. Their top order had been toppled by seamers Mohammad Talha and Uzair-ul-Haq, and they slumped to 80 for 6. Wicketkeeper Ahmed Said and Nawaz Sardar put together 101 for the seventh wicket to add some respectability to WAPDA’s score. Talha finished with figures of 6 for 38, while Uzair took 4 for 52.

The comprehensive thumping of Kenya is likely to have pleased the Pakistan team management more than they will let on

Osman Samiuddin in Hambantota23-Feb-2011An entirely different proposition awaits Pakistan on Saturday but given how poorly they often start big tournaments, the comprehensive thumping of Kenya is likely to have pleased the team management more than they will let on.The only slip was the stilted start to their innings, on a pitch which did a little more than expected. But four middle-order fifties, a successful implementation of their trademark ODI batting plan (build first, blast later), the captain’s five-fer and some lively fielding made for an unexpectedly smooth start. The selection of Abdur Rehman over Saeed Ajmal, or even Wahab Riaz seemed puzzlingly defensive – Ajmal and Riaz are wicket-takers and they will need them in this campaign – but Pakistan maintained the intensity in the field they had shown in a quite electric practice session on Monday.Then the younger men in particular had thrown themselves into fielding practice, yapping away, diving and leaping around, hitting stumps, taking good catches. Keeping things at that pitch was Waqar Younis, the coach himself, screaming for catches to be taken as if they were off his own bowling, throwing gloves down in disgust at misfields, not putting up with slackers, taking time out for fresh faces and generally making sure things ran precisely to plan.It is what Pakistan’s demanding followers say they always want, even if in defeat: spirit, fight, passion and energy. “The way we practiced, we were very focused and positive and what we do there, we deliver in the games as well,” Shahid Afridi said. “We try to focus on practice sessions and don’t waste our time. The coaches are doing a great job with the fast bowlers and the senior players are helping the young batsmen.”So, despite having 300-plus to defend, Afridi insisted the team go out and defend much less. “We wanted to make a big total and when we went in, I told the team that we are defending 120, we need to fight like we are defending 120, because tough matches lie ahead.”In those tough matches the middle order will not be allowed to rebuild as freely as they did here if the start is squandered. The concern over Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez’s contributions were not so much with the score as the tentative manner in which they came: the former made a single from 18 balls.The pair has been in good form recently, scoring fluently so the sudden, sharp dip and the nature of it concerned Afridi as well. “Whether in batting or bowling you need a positive start always,” he said. “The ball was sticking to the pitch a little, so it wasn’t so easy but we need to stick to our strengths and play positively. The start is always important and I’m confident our openers will not repeat these mistakes. Shehzad and Hafeez are positive players so hopefully they will change their style in the next game.”Good starts guarantee nothing of course and nobody forgets that Pakistan’s two world titles have come when campaigns have stuttered at the beginning. Nevertheless in a week in which several big sides have made statements against associate nations, Pakistan have put in their own. “Definitely it emphasises that we are a dangerous team. It’s a good start but we shouldn’t be 100% satisfied because there is a lot of work ahead of us still.”

Wayne Madsen was the scourge of Leicestershire again to give dominant Derbyshire a great chance of celebrating their first victory of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Apr-2011
Scorecard
Wayne Madsen was the scourge of Leicestershire again to give dominant Derbyshire a great chance of celebrating their first victory of the season.The South African opener scored a century against Leicestershire at Derby last year and he completed another hundred on a day the visitors will want to forget. Madsen made 106 and Greg Smith 99 before Luke Sutton declared on 439 for 9 – a lead of 209 – leaving the visitors a tricky three overs which they survived to close on four without loss.But the odds are heavily stacked against Leicestershire saving the match, with Will Jefferson unable to open after he had to leave the field in the morning with a thigh strain. The contest had been in the balance when play began but an opening maiden proved a false dawn as Leicestershire delivered a shocking performance in the field.Madsen and Smith batted well but they were helped in no small measure by wayward bowling and shabby ground fielding which allowed Derbyshire to seize the initiative. But the day might have taken a different course if the visitors had taken a chance to break the fifth-wicket stand in the first hour.Madsen was on 54 and Derbyshire were 160 for 4, still 70 behind, when he was beaten by Claude Henderson but Tom New missed the stumping and the ball went away to add to the total of 20 byes, half of the total extras.The visitors became increasingly ragged, prompting skipper Matthew Hoggard to take the unusual step of calling his team together between overs to try and lift them. It did not achieve the breakthrough as Madsen, who reached his century off 189 balls just before lunch, and Smith batted through the first session, adding 152 runs in 32 overs.The pair stayed together for another 11 overs to take their stand to 189, beating the previous Derbyshire fifth-wicket record against Leicestershire of 170 set in 1895, before Hoggard’s men finally celebrated a wicket.Madsen had made 106 when he swept Henderson to square leg and was caught by James Taylor, but Smith missed his second century of the season when he played across the line at Nadeem Malik and was lbw.Derbyshire’s lead was only 60 at that stage but Leicestershire could make only one more breakthrough before tea, with Jon Clare caught behind off a rising ball from Hoggard.Luke Sutton drove back a return catch to Henderson as he tried to accelerate but Tim Groenewald followed his first-day five-wicket haul with a half-century that included two sixes and six fours before Sutton called a halt.With Jefferson unable to take his place at the top of the order, Paul Nixon opened with Greg Smith to negotiate an awkward 10 minutes but Leicestershire have it all to do on the last two days, with little prospect of any help from the weather.

Warwickshire quickly took a first step towards making up for a points deduction imposed by the England and Wales Cricket Board when they beat Worcestershire by 218 runs in the County Championship at Edgbaston

George Dobell at Edgbaston14-May-2011
Scorecard
Vikram Solanki was struck on the back of the head after ducking into a bouncer from Boyd Rankin•PA Photos

Perhaps it was fitting that, as Steve Rhodes put it, there should be a “farcical end to quite a farcical game”?Worcestershire, with two batsmen retired hurt and another ‘absent injured’, were forced to accept defeat by Warwickshire by a margin 218 runs even though they had lost only seven second-innings wickets. Memories of India’s defeat at the hands of the West Indies at Sabina Park in 1976 spring to mind.In truth, there was an element of protest in Worcestershire’s decision not to send their remaining batsmen into the line of fire. Had the team had even a chance of victory, both Vikram Solanki and Alan Richardson would have batted. As it was, they decided it was better not to risk them.It was a sensible decision. With the pitch every more unpredictable, the batsmen were taking blow after blow and Ben Scott, after sustaining a third hit on the gloves in a gutsy innings, was forced to retire hurt. There was no hope of resisting for long. The game was up.Some might rebuke Worcestershire for a lack of fight. They will point to examples such as Brian Close and suggest players from the past might have battled a little harder. Maybe.Generally, however, such criticism is facile. It is easy to sit the other side of the boundary and chastise players for a lack of fight. But spectators would do well to remember that these players are expected to play many more games in the coming days, weeks and months and that any injury sustained here could have damaging effects on their team’s season and, perhaps, even their own careers. This pitch, by the end, was simply dangerous and it is a blessing that no-one has been seriously hurt during the game. It is, by some distance, the worst pitch I’ve seen for a Championship match.Certainly Rhodes was scathing in his criticism at the end of the game. Reacting to news that Warwickshire had been penalised eight points for a track deemed ‘poor’ by the pitch panel, Rhodes, Worcestershire’s director of cricket, suggested a 24-point penalty for an ‘unfit’ wicket would have been more appropriate.”I can safely say that is probably the worst pitch I’ve seen in professional cricket in England,” Rhodes said. “I would have voted it as unfit.”If you ask the question: is that fit for first-class cricket?’ then the answer has to be ‘no.’ It had extravagant bounce. I don’t feel it was fit for first-class cricket.”Rhodes has a point, of course. But he and Worcestershire supporters baying for blood may do well to remember the sympathetic response Worcestershire received when they unsuccessfully tried to host a Championship game against Kent at a recently-flooded New Road in 2007. Groundsmen, like chief executive, players and journalists, sometimes make mistakes. The ECB judgement in this game, the result of three highly-experienced individuals’ lengthy analysis, looks about right.Despite all this, however, Warwickshire have decided to appeal the Pitch Panel’s decision to dock them eight points for a track deemed to be ‘poor.’Warwickshire continue to play their cards quite close to their chest on the issue, but it seems their appeal will focus on the procedure used by the ECB to come to the decision. That is because the ECB were not alerted to concerns about the pitch by the match umpires, but by a member of the media. Oddly, the phone call made by the newspaper journalist to the ECB was not even answered or returned.That having been said, Warwickshire are not claiming that the pitch was acceptable. They just feel there were extenuating circumstances relating to the new stands, outfield and drainage system and that the ECB’s own procedure was not followed. On that basis, they may have a point, though it seems a shame they couldn’t have accepted the penalty with some grace and moved on.ECB rules on the issue are not absolutely clear, but it does not appear as if Warwickshire’s points penalty can be increased. Instead, however, it seems that the ECB can charge them £5,000 (to be deducted from their next fee payment) should the appeal be unsuccessful. A new pitch panel will be convened within the week and they will review video footage of the match and interview relevant officials as required.The ‘pitch battle’ should not disguise the fact that this was Worcestershire’s fifth loss in five Championship games. Whatever the challenges, they were second best in every department in this match. Their support bowling was poor and their support batting flimsy. They’ve played some decent cricket without reward this season, but here they looked second best from the start.At least Scott showed some fight in this game. The Middlesex keeper, with Worcestershire on loan, showed excellent skills with the gloves and bravery with the bat. He’s a fine addition. Matt Pardoe and Moeen Ali batted nicely, too. And, if one or two of their colleagues are playing as if relegation is inevitable, they will find their coach will intolerant of such a view.”We have to learn to fight a little harder,” Rhodes admitted. “We’ve given too many wickets away to spin. We had a chance to win the game if we had we played better. Both teams played on the same wicket, after all.”Worcestershire lost three wickets in 14 balls on the final day. After Shaaiq Choudhry, surely batting too high at six in the order, missed one that may have kept a little low, Gareth Andrew edged one that took off from a length and Moeen Ali clipped to square-leg. Damien Wright then helped Scott add 44 for the seventh-wicket, before the former slogged to mid-off. Shortly afterwards, Scott was struck on the hand by a lifter from Boyd Rankin and the match was over.The big difference between the sides was simply the batting of Mohammad Yousuf. Warwickshire supporters have taken some time to warm to the Pakistani and, in his early matches, there have been times, in the field in particular, when he hadn’t appeared overly anxious about the match situation.Such reservations have evaporated now. Yousuf played two magnificent, match-shaping innings in this game and the chances of him winning a longer-term contract at the club have increased significantly. Ashley Giles also admitted some interest in Dale Steyn, who is available in July. Tim Ambrose, back to his best with bat and gloves and Rikki Clarke also enjoyed good games, while Ian Bell, who sustained a very minor muscle strain, will now miss the CB40 match against Leicestershire having initially asked the ECB for special permission to play.Giles, meanwhile, insisted that the poor wicket was purely accidental. “We want to play on the best possible wickets,” Giles said. “I think we were the stronger side and providing a wicket like that usually just brings the weaker side into the game more. No-one wants to see anyone get hurt and none of us have said it was a great wicket.”But the guys were brilliant as a collective. They didn’t moan if they got an unplayable ball. They just got on with it.”[Hosting] International cricket is very important to us, so the groundstaff have to learn very quickly. It [the redeveloped ground and re-laid outfield] is a bit of an unknown quality for everyone.”It may also be worth noting that the umpires rated the behaviour of both sets of players as exemplary. Despite the treacherous conditions, there was no moaning, no arguing and no dissent. Indeed, they showed considerable bravery. Whatever other issues there may have been with this match, the players of both sides have emerged with great credit.

Michael Yardy, the Sussex captain and England limited-overs allrounder, has been given another rest period by the county to aid his treatment for depression

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-2011Michael Yardy, the Sussex captain and England limited-overs allrounder, has been given another rest period by the county to aid his treatment for depression.Yardy was forced to return home early from England’s World Cup campaign in March and he missed the first month of the county season with the illness. He then returned to action in the CB40 match against Netherlands, at Hove, on May 2 and played his first Championship game against Nottinghamshire the following week.Though Yardy played in last Friday’s Friends Life t20 match against Middlesex at Hove he left the field after he had bowled his four overs. His absence was explained as a groin niggle at the time.He will now miss Sussex’s t20 match against Somerset at Hove on as he has been given a further period of time out of cricket. A statement issued by the club said that Yardy expects to return to action soon: “Michael has played a lot of cricket over the last six weeks and feels that a short break now will assist his continued recovery, and enable him to return to competitive action soon.”

Nottinghamshire have been fined £600 by the ECB’s Cricket Discipline Commission after playing David Hussey as an unregistered player in a Friends Life t20 match earlier this month

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-2011Nottinghamshire have been fined £600 by the ECB’s Cricket Discipline Commission after playing David Hussey as an unregistered player in a Friends Life t20 match earlier this month.After investigation, it was accepted that the failure to register Hussey was an administrative oversight on the part of the county and that the player – now registered – was at all relevant times eligible to play having obtained the necessary No Objection Certificate from Cricket Australia.According to the ECB, Nottinghamshire apologised for their error, accepted the financial penalty and have put in place measures to ensure that such an error is not repeated in the future.

Australia will play three Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals when they tour Sri Lanka in August and September this year

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jun-2011

Itinerary of Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka

• August 6: 1st T20, Pallekele

• August 8: 2nd T20, Pallekele

• August 10: First ODI, Pallekele

• August 14: 2nd ODI, Hambantota

• August 16: 3rd ODI, Hambantota

• August 20: 4th ODI, Colombo

• August 22: 5th ODI, Colombo

• August 31-September 4: 1st Test, Galle

• September 8-12: 2nd Test, Pallekele

• September 16-20: 3rd Test, Colombo

Australia will play three Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals when they tour Sri Lanka in August and September this year, the Sri Lanka board has announced.While the established centres at Galle and the Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo, are set to host a Test each, Pallekele – situated just outside Kandy – has been awarded the second Test. Pallekele International Stadium, situated which was constructed in the build up to the World Cup, has hosted just one Test previously, when Sri Lanka took on West Indies in December 2010, but that game was badly affected by rain and ended without a single innings being completed.Pallekele will also host both T20 games and one ODI, while Sri Lanka’s other new stadium, Hambantota gets two ODIs. Hambantota was also built for the World Cup and hosted two games. However, the cost of constructing the stadiums left Sri Lanka Cricket in debt to the tune of $23 million, with the result that the board pledged the newly built stadiums plus the income from upcoming tours as collateral to raise funds to pay for the World Cup.

The Vijay Mallya-owned UB Group has decided to withdraw the controversial commercial featuring MS Dhoni that allegedly mocked Harbhajan Singh according to a legal notice sent by his mother Avtar Kaur

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jul-2011The Vijay Mallya-owned UB Group has decided to withdraw the controversial commercial featuring MS Dhoni that allegedly mocked Harbhajan Singh according to a legal notice sent by Avtar Kaur, the offspinner’s mother. The UB Group said in a statement from its lawyer that Mallya had “graciously chosen to replace the commercial based on larger national cricketing interests, particularly at a time when the Indian team is engaged in a crucial test series”.Saying that the UB Group and Mallya had a significant stake in cricket, the statement claimed the notice had been instigated by vested interests and that there was no case against the commercial according to the group management and “clear-cut legal opinion”.The notice had demanded that the UB Group publicly apologise and remove the advertisement failing which legal action would be taken. The UB Group, however, said the commercial sent a message that Harbhajan, having “made it large,” should now “change his goal post to be first among equals”, and that there was no one better to send that message than MS Dhoni, “a close friend of Mr Harbhajan”.

Experimentation was the order of the day in Ireland, but England are likely to have a far more familiar squad for the one-day internationals against India

Andrew McGlashan25-Aug-2011Experimentation was the order of the day in Ireland, but England are likely to have a far more familiar squad for the one-day internationals against India and there’s the possibility that none of the new faces tried in Clontarf will find a place. With Alastair Cook having won his first series as the full-time ODI captain against Sri Lanka it is unlikely that the selectors will make many changes for the 50-over format, although Stuart Broad’s Twenty20 side could see some of the new players feature.There will be no debate about James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann forming the core of the bowling attack. Broad was dropped for England’s last one-dayer against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford but has since stormed back to form with a Man-of-the-Series display in the Test series against India. Those four bowlers, along with Jade Dernbach, will comprise the first-choice attack unless conditions require two spinners, when Samit Patel will need to be accommodated.The bigger question marks surround the batting line-up. The recent form of Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell suggests they will walk into the side but for both Test success and one-day runs don’t always correlate. Pietersen’s 50-over record since losing the captaincy is poor with an average of 22.86, while Bell struggled to adapt to the No. 6 role against Sri Lanka. Pietersen was dropped this time last year for the Pakistan series and, although such drastic action is unlikely this time, he really needs to prove he has the hunger for the 50-over game.Bell, meanwhile, remains a conundrum because No. 6 is an unnatural fit for him but there is no room higher up the order. Ideally, given his wonderful form, he would be given a run at No. 3 but his Warwickshire team-mate Jonathan Trott has bedded into that position. Trott’s role remains highly debated, and his 69 off 104 balls against Ireland fuelled the fire. All the same, it’s hard to imagine England being World Cup contenders in Australia and New Zealand with him and Cook in the top three.”He’s an invaluable player to our team and has been for the couple of years he’s been involved,” Eoin Morgan said after the 11-run victory against Ireland. “Today he was crucial to our success and the majority of time he scores runs we win.”There is a clamour to get the likes of James Taylor and Ben Stokes involved in the side, but Geoff Miller and Andy Flower are not in the habit of shaking things up too much. Morgan and Richard Halsall, who stood in as coach for Flower against Ireland, will give feedback to the selectors about the match but it’s also hard to change a winning squad, even if it means fitting a few square pegs into round holes. However, if Stokes was fit to bowl he would challenge Ravi Bopara for a place in the squad.More room is available for something different in the Twenty20 side because the performance against Sri Lanka, at Bristol, was so poor and a couple of the players from that match – Michael Lumb and Luke Wright – are injured. Bell was a controversial omission in that game and now would be a good chance to give him a go in the opener’s slot, where he has a strike-rate of 127.27 and 140 runs from four innings, if the selectors don’t feel Alex Hales is ready. Taylor, although he only made 1 against Ireland, could also earn a chance to fight for a battling slot and Stokes’ hitting ability is worth investing in.Possible one-day squad: Alastair Cook (capt), Craig Kieswetter, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Eoin Morgan, Ian Bell, Samit Patel, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Jade Dernbach, Steven FinnPossible Twenty20 squad: Stuart Broad (capt), Craig Kieswetter, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, Eoin Morgan, James Taylor, Ben Stokes, Ravi Bopara, Samit Patel, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, Jade Dernbach, Chris Woakes

Michael Clarke must weigh up the fitness of his spearhead Ryan Harris and the century at No. 3 by Shaun Marsh as he travels to Colombo for the third Test

Daniel Brettig in Pallekele12-Sep-2011Michael Clarke, the Australian captain and selector, must weigh up the fitness of his spearhead Ryan Harris and the century at No. 3 by the debutant Shaun Marsh as he travels to Colombo with a 1-0 series lead over Sri Lanka after the second Test in Pallekele was washed out.The Australians would have been heavily favoured to finish off the series had five full days been possible, and even another two hours on the final day might have been enough as Sri Lanka teetered with a lead of 80 and four wickets left when the rain returned for good.Harris, who claimed six wickets for the match and has been the most dangerous bowler on either side so far, left the field after the last of his spells, complaining of hamstring stiffness. Clarke said Harris’ physical well-being would be a pivotal concern in the three days between Pallekele’s soggy conclusion and the start of the final match at the batsman-friendly SSC ground.”There’s always been concerns about Rhino’s fitness because unfortunately he’s dealt with a few injuries throughout his career,” Clarke said. “He’s a very strong bloke and he’ll do anything to get on the park. He has a bit of hammy stiffness so tomorrow he’ll have a scan just to find out if there’s anything there but we’re confident, if the scan shows nothing, that he’ll certainly be available for the third Test. If it does show something there’s going to be a little bit of doubt.”He’s been a very good bowler for a long time now, it’s just obviously with Harry his body … trying to keep him fit and healthy. He’s got this issue with his knee that he’s dealt with for years that is going nowhere. It’s part of what he has. He’s a wonderful player to have in your team, not just the way he bowls, he’s got plenty of talent with the bat. He’s as good as any fast bowler in the world in the field. And he brings a lot to the team as a guy. He’s one of those guys you want in your team.”He’s having a big impact in this series. Hopefully he’s fit for game three – if he’s not it gives somebody else an opportunity and it’s about trying to make sure we get him as fit and healthy as we can for our next series against South Africa. We’re not silly – we know with every game Rhino plays there’s going to come a day that his knee can’t take it anymore or his body can’t take it anymore, like all fast bowlers. It’s just about trying to manage him as best as we can. He’s certainly been doing the business for us.”Harris may have been in line for a rest irrespective of his injury status, given the rigours of three back-to-back Test matches. Clarke said that option had been a point of discussion across the tour, with the Victorian duo of Peter Siddle and James Pattinson sitting in reserve.”There were discussions about all the fast bowlers, having three back-to-back Test matches with big workloads on generally pretty flat wickets here. Tough bowling conditions,” Clarke said. “Certainly concerns about all the fast bowlers but maybe rain has saved [Harris] from a few overs. Finishing a day early in the first Test probably saved him a bit there as well.”He feels okay at the moment, it was more precaution. I said to him once he finished that spell that it was unlikely he was going to bowl again today so he should go off and see Alex (Kountouris, physio) and do what he needs to do to ensure we’re not doing anything silly. Fingers crossed, hopefully it’s clear.”Less clear is what will be done about Marsh, who would have been expected to lose his spot to Ricky Ponting before he impressed all observers with a committed 141 at No. 3. Ponting is guaranteed to return, leaving Marsh, Usman Khawaja and Phil Hughes in a fight for two remaining batting places. Clarke and the coach Tim Nielsen will be the men on the ground making the call, following the selector Greg Chappell’s pre-planned departure from the tour at the outset of the second Test.”Interesting couple of days coming up. Like I said before this Test match it’s not a bad problem to have, a problem that we’ve been looking forward to for a while,” Clarke said. “Unfortunately not all the batters can play, someone’s going to have to miss out. I’ll need to speak to Tim, who is obviously a selector, and the other selectors back home and we’ll make that decision.”I’ve got a couple of ideas in my own head at the moment but, like I say, I think it’s important I communicate with the other selectors, see how they feel and then we’ll go from there. The first thing is to work out what six batters we feel are the best six batters for the next Test match. Once we do that then it’s obviously up to me to select the batting order. Time will tell I guess.”I think it’s important that we do have a long hard think about what six batters we’re going to go with. It’s obviously hard. Shaun’s batted beautifully, Uzzie’s done pretty well since he’s come in and I thought Hughesy looked really good the other day and unfortunately didn’t go on, and we’ve got the great Ricky Ponting coming back. It’s a good problem to have.”