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Her letter to BCCI top brass reveals drama of the past few days, and marks her opposition to the ad-hoc committee that carried out the appointment process.

Sidharth Monga21-Dec-2018The appointment of the new coach of the India women’s team on Thursday was preceded by a protracted and sharp exchange of messages by the BCCI’s top brass, culminating in Diana Edulji, one half of the Committee of Administrators (CoA) running the BCCI, calling the process of selection “unconstitutional” and a “sham”, and asking for the announcement to be put on hold. This has become evident from the mail chain included in the letter written by Edulji last night to Vinod Rai, the other half of the CoA, and copied to the BCCI office-bearers and professional managers; however, the official press release announcing WV Raman’s appointment as coach was sent out to the media 20 minutes after the time on Edulji’s letter.The mail chain, seen by ESPNcricinfo, makes it clear that Edulji opposed for several days the decision to have an ad-hoc committee select the new coach; under the Lodha reforms, she maintained in her mails, the coach has to be appointed by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC). However, the interviews in this case were conducted by an ad-hoc committee formed by the CoA, after the CAC, comprising Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly, requested for more time, citing other commitments. The committee offered to the BCCI three names in order of preference: Gary Kirsten, Raman and Venkatesh Prasad. Kirsten was ruled out because he decided to continue coaching Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL and Raman was eventually appointed the coach.Edulji put her foot down, insisting that the whole process was wrong, but she was seemingly over-ruled once again. “The entire process of selecting a qualified Coach for Women’s Cricket team is unconstitutional,” Edulji wrote. “I once again reiterate that we have been assigned the role of implementing the Lodha reforms, which says the Coach of the Indian Team can be only be appointed by the CAC. Your unilateral decision of appointing the ad-hoc committee is not only unconstitutional but also illegal. I do not endorse this sham process of announcing the appointment of the Women’s Cricket Coach especially when the CAC had requested for more time and a defined role.”Rai has now over-ruled Edulji in many significant deadlocks over contentious issues, the most controversial being the BCCI’s handling of allegations of sexual harassment against its CEO Rahul Johri.The BCCI CEO was eventually allowed to continue in his role after a three-member committee formed by the CoA gave Johri a clean chit by a majority of 2-1. There has been similar disagreement between Rai and Edulji ever since the India ODI captain Mithali Raj lashed out against T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur and former India women’s coach Ramesh Powar for dropping her in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup. Edulji was of the view that it was a team matter, and the CoA should have nothing to do with it.Eventually the BCCI decided to not extend Powar’s contract, which Edulji opposed. She has since then been against the process put in place for selecting a new coach. Powar was one of the applicants interviewed by the ad-hoc committee comprising Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy.Rai had responded to Edulji’s concerns by saying these were names suggested by her. “Do not confuse my suggestion for a few names as my approval for the ad-hoc committee,” Edulji’s response said, “since the first question in that email among many to legal was whether the COA has powers to appoint the Ad-hoc Committee to which the legal replied that we did not have the powers as per the new registered constitution.”Edulji also stated that the legal advice she received from the BCCI’s lawyers clarified to the CoA that Rai holds no casting vote as chairman. Edulji also stated the legal advice says that in the original order of the CoA’s formation there is no instruction on how to resolve a deadlock. There is hope that the Supreme Court will provide some direction during the hearing on January 17, 2019. Meanwhile, Edulji told the BCCI CEO and GM of operations that paying heed to only Rai in case of a deadlock qualified as insubordination of duty.

The 31-year old allrounder will continue playing T20 cricket and remains eligible for selection by Australia in the shortest format

Daniel Brettig06-Oct-20170:34

Quick Facts: John Hastings

John Hastings has joined a recent exodus of players from international and first-class ranks to become a Twenty20 specialist after announcing his retirement from ODI and Test cricket on Friday.A back injury, suffered as he prepared for the domestic limited-overs competition with Victoria, served as prelude to the decision, with Hastings informing team-mates of his new direction in Sydney this week. While initial assessments of the back injury had the 31-year old regaining fitness before the end of the tournament, he will now be missing from Australian cricket until the start of the Big Bash League in December, when he will serve as captain of the Melbourne Stars.Chris Lynn, Luke Ronchi and Mitchell McClenaghan are among other cricketers who have this year opted to forego state or national team contracts in order to pursue T20 exclusively. Shakib Al Hasan and Upul Tharanga, meanwhile, have sought and received temporary breaks from Test matches.In 2012, Hastings played his one Test, while he took part in 29 ODIs between 2010 and 2017, the last of which was a rained-out game in the Champions Trophy in June. In addition to the Stars, he was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL last year. The forthcoming South African T20 competition also looms as an option.”I’ve had a tough run with injuries lately but I’ve still thoroughly enjoyed every moment with the Victorian boys over the years,” Hastings said. “I also want to thank everyone involved over my Victorian journey who helped me become the cricketer I am today. Everyone has been amazing every step of the way.”I’ve still got a bit left in the tank though, and I can’t wait to get back on the park with the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash.”In domestic cricket, Hastings played 75 first-class matches for Victoria at home and Durham and Worcestershire in the English county circuit. In that time, he scored 11 fifties with a top score of 93 and took 239 wickets, including seven five-fors, at an average of 27.22. He played 113 List A matches for 179 scalps and his best figures of 6 for 45 came for Australia against Sri Lanka in August 2016.”Hastings, or ‘the Duke’ as he was affectionately known to us, has made a big impact on Victorian cricket in his 11 years with us,” said Victoria’s general manager of cricket Shaun Graf. “It’s unfortunate that such a great player and character has been brought down by injury, as he deserved a proper farewell from the Bushrangers who he has given so much to. We wish John all the best his future endeavours.”Hastings’ only Test came against South Africa at the WACA Ground, in what was also Ricky Ponting’s final appearance for Australia. Though he took only one wicket it was a good one – a classic away swinger to catch the outside edge of AB de Villiers’ bat. As an ODI bowler he excelled in 2016, claiming 29 wickets in 15 matches, more than any other pace bowler that year.”John has been a great servant of Australian cricket, and a player who worked extremely hard to be the best he could be, both at national and domestic level, and we congratulate him on his achievements,” Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland said. “He was a brilliant competitor particularly in limited-overs cricket for Australia, and a smart cricketer who with bat and ball was always in the game and looking to play his role helping Australia and the Victoria Bushrangers achieve success on the field.”

Australia wicketkeeper Matthew Wade has said that the one-day specialists and seamers in the side countered Sri Lanka’s spinners by ‘adapting really well on some of the toughest ODI pitches’

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2016Australia wicketkeeper Matthew Wade has said that the one-day specialists and seamers in the side countered Sri Lanka’s spinners by ‘adapting really well on some of the toughest ODI pitches’, helping the visitors seal the ODI series after a 3-0 whitewash in the Tests.”We have had the advantage, the one-day players getting the advantage to see what the Test pitches have played like and coming here with a clear gameplan,” Wade said. “Myself and George Bailey and a few others have just come over for the one-dayers, we have had a clear plan and it has worked so far.”The wickets have been some of the toughest you’ll get in one-day international cricket, we’ve come from the West Indies, which took spin. You don’t usually play on used wickets back to back in one-day internationals. It hasn’t been suited to the way we play but we’ve adapted really well. We are playing a few more quicks than what they (Sri Lanka) are, but with variable bounce and reverse swing, we’ve countered their spinners.”Despite not being picked as Australia’s designated wicketkeeper for the following T20 series against Sri Lanka, Wade acknowledged he is contributing more to Australia now compared to a few years ago.”Every time you don’t get picked for Australia is disappointing, but that’s the way it goes,” he said. “I’m not a 100 % sure of the reason. (Peter) Nevill played the T20 World Cup and I was told he was going to bat lower, so they wanted to go with his keeping. I’ll just keep playing the way I play in ODIs.”I feel my game is at a level now where I can contribute in ODIs. There was a period of time where my game wasn’t in order three or four years ago, where I felt I wasn’t contributing enough. At the moment, I feel my game is in good order. I want to get picked for every tour, every match because I feel I can do the job.”After Australia’s tri-series win in the Caribbean, stand-in coach Justin Langer challenged Wade to become the best wicketkeeper in the country by following a diligent work ethic. More than two months later, Wade said his keeping is as good as it has ever been.”It came as a bit of shock to me that it came out in the press like that. I spoke to JL (Langer) after and understood what he was trying to say,” Wade said. “I’m under no illusions that I need to work harder and get better at my game. If I want to play Test cricket again, I have to work harder.”I’ve improved with my glovework over the past 3-4 weeks in the subcontinent. I went to England and kept playing, that makes a huge difference in the off-season: going home or just training indoors or going to Brisbane to get work done. This time I went to England. I feel like I’m keeping as well as I’ve done for a very long time.”

Worcestershire sealed a place in the quarter-finals of the NatWest T20 Blast when they overcame a sluggish pitch and a determined Derbyshire side by four wickets

ECB/PA17-Jul-2015
ScorecardJoe Leach ensured Worcestershire got over the line and into the quarter-finals•Getty Images

Worcestershire sealed a place in the quarter-finals of the NatWest T20 Blast when they overcame a sluggish pitch and a determined Derbyshire side to win the North Group match at Derby by four wickets.Derbyshire skipper Wes Durston hit 32 and Billy Godleman 33 in a total of 149 for 8 with Saeed Ajmal taking 2 for 21 in four overs. Despite Richard Oliver’s 45 from 38 balls, Worcestershire also found it hard to get the ball away against tight bowling with Alex Hughes taking 2 for 21. But Joe Leach hit an unbeaten 18 from 12 balls to secure victory and condemn Derbyshire to finishing bottom of the group.Derbyshire wanted to end on a high but were soon in trouble against disciplined bowling which was rewarded with three wickets in the Powerplay. Leach found some extra bounce to have Hamish Rutherford caught at slip in the second over and although Chesney Hughes twice dispatched him to the midwicket boundary, he was bowled making room off the last ball.Shiv Thakor carved Ed Barnard low to point in the fifth over and again it was Durston, the Falcons leading run-scorer in the T20, who led the fightback by sweeping Brett D’Oliveira’s first ball over square leg for six and pulling the legspinner wide of long-on for four.

Insights

In matches as tight as these on pitches as sluggish as these, know-how is so important. Worcestershire are flying high, now qualified for the quarter-finals with this win, while Derbyshire are consigned to the bottom of the North Group. This match was well balanced for much of its course and with 45 required from five overs it could easily have gone either way, but Worcestershire know how to win and Derbyshire do not. Leach’s 12-ball 18 again demonstrated the value of intensity in T20 cricket – it was only a 14 minute innings but he earned his money in a tight, pressurised situation.

But when he tried to launch Ajmal into the pavilion, he failed to clear long-on where Barnard took a well-judged catch to end a stand of 47 from 38 balls with Godleman, who swung Daryl Mitchell high over midwicket for two sixes to bring up the 100.But he sliced the next ball to point and when Wayne Madsen skied a drive at Ajmal to deep mid-off in the 15th over, Derbyshire were 102 for 6 before Alex Hughes and Tom Knight added 39 from 27 balls to get the total past 140.With the ball not coming on to the bat, Derbyshire were still in the game if they could take early wickets and Thakor struck in the fifth over when Mitchell pulled him to deep midwicket. Tom Kohler-Cadmore cut Alex Hughes to backward point in the ninth over as a combination of spin and seam denied Worcestershire a boundary for 21 balls and 85 from the last 10 overs was far from straightforward.Richard Oliver pulled Nathan Rimmington for his seventh four but then skied a drive to long-on off the last ball of the 12th over and the pressure was starting to tell when D’Oliveira miscued Alex Hughes to point.Worcestershire needed a big over and Munro delivered by taking 16, including a six over midwicket, from the 14th bowled by Durston but he then chipped Greg Cork to deep square leg in the next over.With 45 needed from the last five overs, Whiteley drove Thakor over long off for six and then swung Rimmington over long-on but was then yorked going for another maximum although four byes off the last ball reduced the target to 22 from 18 balls. Leach drove a Rimmington no-ball for four from an over which cost 10 and Worcestershire got home with three balls to spare.

With three out of the four quarter-finals ending in high-scoring draws, Harbhajan Singh has backed the idea of playing knockout games on neutral venues in the Ranji Trophy

Amol Karhadkar in Jamshedpur10-Jan-2013391 overs. 1133 runs. 13 wickets. The summary of the Ranji Trophy quarter-final
between Jharkhand and Punjab is more than enough to indicate what kind of wicket was
offered for a knock-out game of the premier domestic championship at the Keenan
Stadium in Jamshedpur.And it’s not just about Jamshedpur. The numbers in Rajkot and Mumbai – two of the
other three quarter-final venues – are also similar, if not worse, in terms of
competition between the bat and the ball. This, in a season when the BCCI has issued
a diktat to all the state associations for producing ‘sporting’ tracks.The only quarter-final that saw a result was, not surprisingly, played at a neutral
venue. With England based at the Palam ground in Delhi, Services hosted favourites
Uttar Pradesh at the Holkar Stadium in Indore in what turned out to be a fascinating
contest with David eventually overcoming Goliath.If the four quarter-finals were an indication, isn’t it high time the BCCI returns
to the policy they adopted during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons? That of playing
all knockout games at neutral venues, thereby negating any home advantage and
reducing the possibility of a flat-bed. Punjab skipper Harbhajan Singh supported the
neutral venue theory despite ending up on the better side.”Yes. Why not? We’re playing the premier domestic competition where all the teams
have got an advantage of playing at home in the league stages. When it comes to
knockout stages, why not have Punjab playing in Mumbai and Mumbai playing in Gujarat
and Haryana,” Harbhajan said, after Punjab progressed to the semi-final on the basis
of the first innings lead against Jharkhand. “It will also be good for the game.
Imagine someone like Sachin Tendulkar going and playing in Haryana or in Delhi,
people will come to watch and it will be a big thing for the game, so why not!”The game in Jamshedpur turned out to be a torrid experience for the bowlers. The
wicket – which neither offered movement or bounce for seamers nor turn for spinners
– surprised Shahbaz Nadeem, the Jharkhand captain. “The two home games we played
here, the wicket was so much better. The ball was coming off the deck much quicker
and the spinners came into the game on the third and the fourth day. Such kind of a
wicket came as a real surprise. It negated all sorts of home advantage we had.”With literally no help from the strip, the bowlers had nothing else to do but “hope”
as Harbhajan said. But he expressed his displeasure with some of the umpiring
decisions that went against him”A few decisions didn’t go my way and for that I have been fined. Otherwise, I could have had three-four wickets in my account,” he said. “I hope that the umpiring standards improve. At least those who are out should be given out. On these kind of wickets, you’re going to get a batsman out only once. And if you’re not given the wickets you’ve earned, then perhaps you have to toil for another 20-odd overs.”If Keenan was bad, Khanderi could be worse for Punjab as they prepare for their
semi-final against Saurashtra. With Rajkot renowned for flat pitches, Punjab could
be in for yet another tough week ahead.”It (the Rajkot pitch) would be more or less similar to this,” Harbhajan said.
“Let’s hope we get a result-oriented wicket. Whether it’s a seaming track or a
spinning track, it should produce a result. That too on the fifth day, not the
sixth. Sixth day will be like… I don’t know. I have never seen it, I have never
played it. If there is no result in six days, then what’s the point. The best thing
is to get a result in five days. It would be better to produce a wicket that
produces a result in five days rather than extending the match by another day.”Over to Rajkot!

England team director Andy Flower was named UK Coach of the Year at the 2011 UK coaching awards.

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2011England team director Andy Flower has been named UK Coach of the Year at the 2011 UK coaching awards.Flower, 37, was also named UK High Performance Coach of the Year in recognition of his role in helping England to a first series win in Australia for 23 years and becoming the No. 1 Test side in the world.Having taken over from Peter Moores in January 2009 – initially on an interim basis after Moores and Kevin Pietersen, the then captain, lost their jobs on the same day – Flower has also guided England to become World Twenty20 champions and the ECB chief executive, David Collier, lauded his contribution.”Andy has been an outstanding coach to the England cricket team and I am delighted that his dedication, knowledge and all-round leadership skills have been recognised within the wider sporting world,” said Collier.”The last twelve months have been momentous ones for England and this is in no small part due to Andy’s personal drive and determination to bring the best out of his players and ensure that our preparation and performance are second to none.”A special lifetime achievement award was also presented in honour of the former England fast bowler Graham Dilley, who died in October. The presentation was made to Dilley’s son, Chris Pennell, in recognition of Dilley’s work as a bowling coach with Surrey, Scotland and England, and most recently as head coach of Loughborough University.”Graham made a very significant contribution to our game as a coach,” said Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket. “This award is a fitting tribute to the role he played in enabling so many players to realise their full potential at both domestic and international level.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the first Test between Sri Lanka and West Indies in Galle

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran14-Nov-2010

Match Facts

Monday, November 15

Start time 10.00 (04.30 GMT)
Does Dwayne Bravo still have the appetite for Test cricket?•AFP

The Big Picture

Two teams in a transitional phase come face-to-face in Galle on Monday. West Indies are led by Darren Sammy, a man who till last month wasn’t even sure of his place in the Test side. Two of their senior batsmen – Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo – have turned down central contracts in favour of keeping their options open for the lucre that comes with being Twenty20 freelancers. Another senior batsman, Ramnaresh Sarwan, wasn’t even offered a contract, which caused more controversy, and is not part of the squad. In addition, they are without their two best fast bowlers – Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards – both of whom have long-term injuries.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have to come to terms with losing their greatest match-winner, Muttiah Muralitharan. No more can their captain toss the ball to Murali and expect the wickets to tumble. They are also pondering how best to use their limited-overs spearhead, Lasith Malinga, whose injury-prone body they are unwilling to subject to the rigours of Test cricket ahead of the World Cup. It leaves Kumar Sangakkara and the team management with the challenge of grooming a bowling combination that can regularly take 20 wickets in a Test.
The other similarity between the two teams is that neither of them have played much Test cricket in 2010, having had to make do with one three-Test home series each so far this year.Sri Lanka will start the series as clear favourites. Their No. 3 ranking puts them four spots above the West Indies, and they have a decent home record to be proud of – losing only one series in more than six years. West Indies, in contrast, haven’t won a series away from home – except against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe – since early 1995. They have a dreadful record in Sri Lanka as well, losing all five Tests in their previous two series and drawing the lone match on their first visit back in 1993.

Form guide

(most recent first)
Sri Lanka: LDWLL
West Indies: LDLLD

Watch out for…

Adrian Barath announced himself with a sparkling century on Test debut late last year, but injuries have hampered his progress since. He has played only one first-class match in 2010, and hasn’t been in the best of form in the domestic season. This series, though, will provide another chance to see how his potentially exciting opening partnership with Gayle develops.Thilan Samaraweera is unsure whether he’ll find a place in the one-day outfit, but he is a dead-cert when it comes to Tests. Whether he’s good enough to boast of a 50-plus average has been debated for long but Sri Lanka won’t care as long as he keeps performing like he did in his previous Test – making a century in the first innings, and 83 in the second to lift his side from the depths of 87 for 7.

Teams

Sri Lanka’s batting is pretty settled, with Nos 1 to 7 being guaranteed starters. The bowling isn’t though, in the absence of Malinga and Murali. Suraj Randiv has been picked out by Sangakkara as Sri Lanka’s main spinner, so he’s likely to play but it remains to be seen who will partner him. The fast bowlers will have an additional responsibilty as Angelo Mathews won’t be bowling his medium-pacers due to a thigh strain.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Tharanga Paranavitana, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Thilan Samaraweera, 7 Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), 8 Suraj Randiv, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Dilhara Fernando, 11 Chanaka Welegedera
West Indies are also missing key fast bowlers which leaves the young Kemar Roach as their pace spearhead. The pitch is expected to assist spinners, but will West Indies pick both Sulieman Benn and Shane Shillingford, or go with one spinner and expect Gayle to send down a few overs?West Indies (probable) 1 Adrian Barath, 2 Chris Gayle, 3 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 4 Brendan Nash, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Darren Bravo, 7 Darren Sammy (capt), 8 Carlton Baugh (wk), 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Nelon Pascal, 11 Sulieman Benn

Quotes

“Randiv has become the main spinner in the squad, while Herath is an experienced bowler who has done a great job for us. We expect Mendis to come back very strongly.”

“You saw Sri Lanka just won in Australia where they had never won (a one-day series). It’s an opportunity for the guys to use this as a motivation and go out there and be competitive and consistent.”

Tim Paine will lead Tasmania for the first time after the captain George Bailey was ruled out of Friday’s Twenty20 game against Queensland with an elbow problem

Cricinfo staff06-Jan-2010Tim Paine will lead Tasmania for the first time after the captain George Bailey was ruled out of Friday’s Twenty20 game against Queensland with an elbow problem. Bailey has an infection in his elbow caused by an abrasion and has been left out, with Michael Dighton and the uncapped batsman John Rogers added to a 13-man squad.Queensland have included the batsman Chris Lynn, 19, in their 13-man group following a strong year in which he was a prolific scorer in the national youth titles and the Futures League Twenty20 tournament. Lynn has replaced Alister McDermott, who is unavailable for the rest of the Big Bash having been named in Australia’s Under-19 World Cup squad.Queensland have lost both their matches so far in the tournament and need a win to lift themselves off the bottom of the table. Tasmania have won one match and lost one.Queensland squad James Hopes, Ben Dunk (wk), Lee Carseldine, Andrew Symonds, Glen Batticciotto, Chris Lynn, Craig Philipson, Nathan Reardon, Chris Simpson (capt), Ryan Harris, Ben Cutting, Ben Laughlin, Nathan Rimmington.Tasmania squad Tim Paine (capt, wk), Michael Dighton, Rhett Lockyear, Travis Birt, Alex Doolan, John Rogers, Naved-ul-Hasan, Brett Geeves, James Faulkner, Jason Krejza, Xavier Doherty, Brendan Drew, Gerard Denton.

Naim has been recalled while seamers Taskin and Mustafizur have returned to the squad, having recovered from injury

Mohammad Isam04-Jul-2025Bangladesh selectors have dropped Najmul Hossain Shanto in one of the five changes to T20I squad for three-match series against Sri Lanka later this month. Shanto was part of the squad for their previous T20I series against UAE and Pakistan in May, but featured in only one of the six matches.Shanto had an underwhelming 2024, where he averaged 18.84 in 21 T20Is, with just a single half-century. In contrast, he fared better in 2023, scoring 218 runs in ten innings at 31.14 average, and a higher strike rate of 119.78. Having stepped down from the T20I captaincy in January this year, he now finds himself out of the squad entirely.Left-handed opener Mohammad Naim has been recalled in Shanto’s place, among four other changes in the bowling unit. Naim, who has played 35 T20Is, has returned back to form during the 2024-25 domestic season. He was the highest run-getter in both the BPL and NCL T20s, finishing on 827 runs at an average of 37.59 average and a strike rate of 140.40, including a century and six fifties.Pace duo Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman have also returned to the squad, having recovered from injury and featured in the first ODI against Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Mohammad Saifuddin has earned a recall as well, marking his return after more than a year.The 28-year-old fast bowler was overlooked for last year’s T20 World Cup after a disappointing performance in the T20I series against Zimbabwe in May. He subsequently took a two-month break from cricket in August. Since returning, Saifuddin has picked up 37 wickets across the BPL and DPL– Bangladesh’s premier white-ball competitions.Shoriful Islam, who suffered a groin niggle during the second T20I against Pakistan in May, has been retained in the squad. In the spin department, there’s another shuffle, with Nasum Ahmed replacing Tanvir Islam. The ongoing switch between left-arm spinners suggests the selectors are still undecided on their preferred option for the white-ball formats.Bangladesh will play the three T20Is on July 10 in Pallekele, July 13 in Dambulla and July 16 in Colombo.Bangladesh squad: Litton Das (capt, wk), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Mohammad Naim, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mohammad Saifuddin.In: Mohammad Naim, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Mohammad SaifuddinOut: Khaled Ahmed, Tanvir Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto

Both have not had the impact their high standards demand, and now find themselves at the MCG – a ground that comes with its own challenges for the pair. But could you really bet against them?

Andrew McGlashan22-Dec-20230:31

Could David Warner reverse retirement plans?

Steven Smith had a few words to say about his second-innings lbw as he walked off at Optus Stadium, while the evening before Marnus Labuschagne had needed a trip to hospital to get his hand checked after a vicious blow on an increasingly spiteful surface.Neither moment proved significant for Australia; they won by 360 runs and Labuschagne hadn’t suffered any damage to his hand, although he admitted being “nervous” for a little while. But on an individual basis for two of Australia’s finest-ever players it continued what can probably be described as a frustrating 2023 where neither have quite been able to hit their previous prolific heights.Related

• Back at MCG, Carey will look to end year of up-and-down fortunes on a high

• 'I was a bit nervous' – Labuschagne comes through bruising Perth battle

• Usman Khawaja to contest ICC armband charge, says it was for a bereavement

• Smith gets back to the grind in search for his best form

• Pakistan are down, but Shakeel keeps faith in Boxing Day dream

It’s worth saying that it’s far from a crisis. Smith is averaging 42.65 for the year with three centuries and Labuschagne’s figure is 35.04 with what proved a match-saving hundred at Old Trafford. Still, it’s well below what we have become accustomed to. It is comfortably Labuschagne’s leanest year since he cracked Test cricket in 2019, and in a year where Smith has played at least five Tests it’s his lowest average since 2013.Overall, Australia’s Test batting returns for the year are set to only finish around mid-table among their rivals. Leading into the Boxing Day Test, their overall batting average is 33.77 albeit they have played significantly more matches than anyone else. Conditions in India played a part in that, although only the Indore surface was really a lottery for batters.