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Pakistan’s raw attack dealt with the loss of Umar Gul and Junaid Khan well till tea, before fading in the final session

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran22-Feb-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Rahat Ali picked up three wickets, including the big one of Hashim Amla•Associated Press

Before the start of the Test Pakistan received the unpleasant news that two of their main bowlers won’t be available – Umar Gul out due to a sore throat and Junaid Khan still recovering from the injury that kept him out of the Newlands Test – leaving their pace attack with a total of only two caps coming into the match. South Africa also had an injury-related jolt as Jacques Kallis was forced out with a calf problem he picked up during an optional training session.Two sessions into the game, it was Pakistan who were dealing with the losses better than South Africa, having dismissed five of the home side’s mighty batting line-up. They gave it away in the final session, though, with AB de Villiers marching towards an easy-on-the-eye 16th Test century and South Africa’s lower-order again proving hard to dislodge.Before de Villiers took charge of the innings, it was Hashim Amla who troubled Pakistan. Amla extended the form that made him the world’s No. 1 Test batsman to serve up a stylish 92, and in the company of de Villiers, took South Africa to a position of strength before a double-strike from Rahat Ali lifted Pakistan, and denied Amla another Test hundred.Rahat had also provided the early wicket after Graeme Smith won his third toss in a row and for the third time took the slightly unpopular decision, this time to bat. Rahat began with a wayward over, in which he was caned for a couple of boundaries by Alviro Petersen, bringing back memories of his ineffective Test debut earlier this month in Johannesburg. He made amends in his second over, though, as an incutter had Petersen lbw for 10.The teenager Ehsan Adil, the third fast bowler to debut for Pakistan this series, had an even better start as he struck on the third ball of his Test career, getting Smith to nick a catch to a diving Younis Khan at second slip.South Africa were 38 for 2, and with Kallis missing, they were a batsman light. Pakistan’s raw attack, however, wasn’t consistently threatening and offered plenty of freebies. Amla led the recovery with an innings filled with the whiplash drives and the high-risk strokes that he makes seem routine. He was involved in a couple of substantial partnerships, first with Faf du Plessis and later with de Villiers to keep South Africa motoring along at four an over.The pressure Pakistan had applied through the early wickets quickly dissipated as their bowlers sprayed the ball around, regularly overpitching or providing too much width. There were plenty of boundaries and towards the end of the session, du Plessis took Rahat for three fours in four deliveries as South Africa took 35 runs off the final seven overs before lunch.Saeed Ajmal, Pakistan’s hero in the Newlands Test, was unable to keep the runs down initially, but he exerted more control after lunch. With only two runs coming off the first three overs after the break, du Plessis decided to try throw Adil off his length by skipping down the track but he could only nick the shortish ball through to the keeper.Still, there was no let-up in the scoring as Amla and de Villiers provided a treat of shots. De Villiers was felled by a beamer from Mohammad Irfan, but that didn’t prevent him from playing his usual inventive strokes, including reverse-sweeps and late dabs past slips. He also regularly picked up singles, and with Amla capitalising on the many overpitched, hit-me deliveries on offer, South Africa coasted towards 200.Amla showed how confident he was by skipping down the track and launching Ajmal over mid-on for four to move to 80. There was a lull in his scoring after that and he survived a loud appeal for caught-behind even after Pakistan used the DRS. Soon after, though, he attempted a drive away from his body – usually not advisable, but Amla plays it perfectly often – and feathered to the keeper. Dean Elgar’s dismissal soon after left South Africa at 196 for 5 and with their bowling allrounder Robin Peterson in the middle.Peterson had been pivotal to turning the Newlands Test South Africa’s way with a combative 84, and he again showed his value with the bat, playing sensibly to forge a 52-run stand with de Villiers. What wasn’t sensible was his running between the wickets, and despite a loud call of ‘No,’ from de Villiers he didn’t turn back from an attempted single till it was too late and was beaten by a direct hit from Mohammad Irfan.If Pakistan were looking to wrap the innings up quickly after that, they came up against Vernon Philander, who has hassled them repeatedly with the ball this series, and now frustrated them with the bat. There were no desperate-tailender swings, as he worked his way to an unbeaten 45, highlighted by a couple of imperious pulls for four.Towards the end of the day, there was plenty of interest around whether de Villiers could complete his century before stumps. He needed nine off the final over, and though he played a breathtaking upper cut for four, de Villiers ended unbeaten on 98.It wasn’t all one-way traffic, but yet again South Africa managed to find a way to emerge on top, as they have so often in recent years.

Ian Bell was relieved to be back in the runs after making a half-century on day two in Galle

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-2012Ian Bell was relieved to be back in the runs after making a half-century on day two in Galle, his innings of 52 amounting to more than his combined total during England’s three Tests in the UAE earlier this year.Bell’s fifty was the main contribution to England’s first-innings total of 193 and he was pleased to spend some time in the middle after a miserable series against Pakistan.”It was nice to change a pair of gloves for the first time this winter,” Bell said. “The foot movement was going well for both seamers and spinners so it’s very nice. I’ve done a lot of practising and a lot of netting but just haven’t had time out in the middle and felt quite out of nick. You need to be in good form when you play against good spin.”After making 835 runs against Sri Lanka and India during 2011, Bell was hailed as England’s most attractive player. But he slumped against Pakistan, scoring just 51 at an average of 8.50 – almost 15 times lower than his mark in the summer.”I’ve tried to get back to real basics and just watch the ball and let everything else take over,” he said. “Sometimes you get so desperate to score runs it gets harder and harder. When you get across the line it’s about scoring runs.”Bell was tormented by Saeed Ajmal in the UAE, unable to pick his doosra. But he has worked hard on his methods against spin, travelling out early to Sri Lanka for extra practice sessions while acclimatising.”When you’re in the nets you have to put things in place to test yourself to try and get better. All the way through the levels – and you can see in the Lions now – we know we all have to get better at playing spin it’s a long-term goal but we’re working to get better.”We’re working hard, getting in to good positions, using our feet, being able to go back. Everyone had their own gameplan, whether it’s to be positive to use their feet or to hit over the top but you have to be right on it. If you don’t get it right you’re going to lose wickets.”England again crumbled against spin, losing eight wickets to slow bowling as Rangana Herath took his eighth five-wicket haul in Tests with 6 for 74. Herath eventually bowled Bell, spinning one past his outside edge – a delivery Bell might have played differently without the influence of DRS.”You’re more aware that you have to play more with the bat than the pad and in general you have to be hitting a lot of the balls,” Bell said. “The game hasn’t changed but there are more lbws. Now you have to play in front of your pad, you can’t play with bat behind pad, and you have to get a good stride because it’s not going to go over the top.”Edited by Alan Gardner

The ICC has asked its president Sharad Pawar to intervene in a growing controversy over the sale and distribution of tickets for the World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2011The ICC has asked its president Sharad Pawar to intervene in a growing controversy over the sale and distribution of tickets for the World Cup. A letter written to Pawar by David Becker, the ICC’s legal head, and published by the Indian channel , warns of the growing discontent among the ICC’s commercial partners over tournament tickets due to them and the possible financial fallout.It has also recommended that the 4,000 general tickets for the World Cup final not be sold at the “box office” but instead “sold to defined cricket fans that are associated with the event and have requested purchase”. This, it said, was because the high demand for these tickets created the “potential for chaos and physical injury when the box office sales open”.Pawar is the chairman of the tournament’s Central Organising Committee and a former president of the BCCI, where he still enjoys considerable influence (He is also president of the Mumbai Cricket Association, which is responsible for the Wankhede stadium). As reported by ESPNcricinfo, the hosting agreement makes the national boards (the hosts) responsible for the distribution, stamping and printing of gate tickets and hospitality tickets; it also says the hosts “will exercise strict control” to conduct efficient orderly production and distribution and hospitality. “It is apparent that certain Hosts have failed to comply with this requirement,” the letter said.The sale and distribution of tickets among the public has become a matter of concern for two main reasons: the small number of tickets available for the final, and the poor distribution system, online and through snail mail, of tickets to buyers. Becker’s mail says the issues have been regularly highlighted at Board level in recent months.”We understand that Kyazoonga have been unable to distribute all of the tickets purchased online by customers some months ago for the reason that they have not as yet received all the physical tickets from the respective cricket venues/associations,” the letter said. “We have received many complaints from fans who purchased tickets but are yet to receive them despite having paid for these tickets more than six months ago and being informed at the time that these would be couriered to them by early February. Apart from the threat of claims for compensation from these customers, this is causing a significant public relations issue for the ICC.”We also know that the Kyazoonga website crashed on several occasions yesterday due to the massive demands placed on the system when tickets for the final were placed on sale.”The letter also deals with the supply of tickets to the ICC’s commercial partners. It said the ICC had not received any tickets for matches in the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and had received complaints from its commercial partners, “who have paid millions of dollars to receive rights and benefits which include the timely provision of tickets and hospitality”. It notes the impact this could have on the relationships with these partners and says it is “highly likely that some or all of them” will seek compensation from the ICC and/or withhold payments. The letter quotes an ICC commercial partner writing to CEO Haroon Lorgat saying, “This is an $80m sponsorship and to say you are bound by the BCCI is inexcusable.””The ICC is awaiting a response from him [Pawar] to decide on further course of action,” Colin Gibson, the tournament media director, told .The problems with ticketing have arisen because the BCCI chose to print and distribute tickets through multiple state associations rather than one central ticketing agency. This has led to delays in the physical tickets being made available for those who have bought them online and the inability to forward the sponsors share of the tickets so they can invite their guests to games.For example, the tickets for Sunday’s India v England match which has been shifted to Bangalore were only received on Wednesday. Whenever it was brought into discussions over the course of the past year, the hosts had informed the ICC that matters were under control. As the tournament got underway, the lack of centralised control that has led to ticketing chaos. Organisers say that the official ticketing agency, Kyazoonga.com, has not been informed about how many tickets will made available for online sale and at what cost for the Mohali semi-final on their website. It says, however, that such claims for compensation from either disgruntled fans or unsatisfied commercial partners will be set off against any distributions due to the relevant hosts.ICC chief Pawar is in New Delhi today and will be at the Kotla match between West Indies and South Africa and is expected to discuss the issue with officials.

Alex Obanda butchered 79 from 48 balls to lead Kenya to a resounding victory over Canada in the World Twenty20 Qualifiers in Dubai

Cricinfo staff10-Feb-2010
Scorecard
Alex Obanda butchered 79 from 48 balls to lead Kenya to a resounding victory over Canada in the World Twenty20 Qualifiers in Dubai.Following their disappointing defeat to minnows UAE in their opening game, where their conservative approach strangled hopes of chasing 165, Kenya came out firing in pursuit of a modest total from Canada. Obanda dominated a 126-run opening stand with Steve Tikolo, which came from only 76 balls.The pair were severe on the generous serving of short balls dished up from the Canada bowlers, who were clearly wilting in the heat of the Kenyan attack. From the first over Obanda unfurled an array of rasping cuts and pulls, taking 13 off Umar Bhatti’s opening over, as he raced to his fifty from just 23 balls.The pair reached 64 inside the five overs and, while Tikolo didn’t get much of the strike, he was no less aggressive when he did. His 50, from 36 balls, included five fours and a six, enough to reminded everyone that, even at the age of 38, he remains one of the most gifted batsmen outside Test cricket.It made made a mockery of the target Canada scrapped together earlier in the day. They were inserted by Maurice Ouma and lost John Davidson in the first over of the game, bowled by Hiren Varaiya for a duck. Rizwan Cheema, the Canada captain, opening with Davidson tried to arrest the early momentum with a couple of big shots, but things didn’t improve for his side as Hiral Patel fell for four in the fifth over, pulling a short ball from Jimmy Kamande straight to Tikolo at square leg.The bulk of the runs came through contributions from Cheema (32), Geoff Barnett (30) and a run-a-ball 36 from Ashish Bagai. Despite these useful starts, none of the batsmen could get away. Kamande’s nagging offspinners choked the middle order and his dismissal of Cheema, with a doosra, was one to remember. The batsman had no clue as it spun away from him and clipped the edge through the wicketkeeper Ouma.Medium-pacer Nehemiah Odhiambo, who was the pick of the bowlers in Kenya’s opening match, was again in the wickets today, as he bowled a devastating ‘death’ over of yorkers to collect three wickets and give away just four runs.It set the momentum which Obanda and Tikolo lifted to another level to revive Kenya’s hopes of progressing in the tournament.

Former England spinner to take charge at Chelmsford after spells with Lancashire and Manchester Originals

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2025Essex have appointed former England spinner Stephen Parry as their new women’s team head coach.Having retired in 2020, Parry was part of the coaching structures at both Lancashire Women and Manchester Originals. He took charge of Originals in the 2023 and 2024 seasons of the women’s Hundred before being replaced by Michael Klinger.Parry, 39, will aim to oversee an upturn in fortunes for Essex after a difficult first season in the Tier 1 women’s structure that saw Andy Tennant depart as head coach after less than 12 months in the role.”I am really excited for this next journey of my cricket career,” Parry said. “I have seen the squad and I feel like I can bring my experience here to move them forward, become more competitive and work towards winning some trophies.”The squad we have here is really exciting and there is a lot of room for growth. There are some great people here, plenty to work with and the club has a real family-orientated feel to it. I am still young, thirsty to learn and want to improve myself whilst helping everybody around me and look to build something special.”The long-term goal is to build a squad where we are competitive across all formats, the first team, Academy and pathway – enhancing Essex Women’s cricket as a whole.”Parry spent his entire 13-year playing career with Lancashire and remains the club’s leading T20 wicket-taker. He was capped five times in the format by England, playing at the 2014 World T20 in Bangladesh, as well as twice in ODIs.Essex’s director of cricket, Chris Silverwood, said: “We are really excited to appoint Stephen as the new Essex Women’s head coach. Stephen brings a wealth of experience from his playing and coaching career, and we are delighted to welcome him to the club.”His recent appointments with Lancashire and the Manchester Originals have shown that he can lead teams in high-pressure environments, and develop, nurture, and bring through talent, which makes him the ideal person to guide our women’s squad.”We are confident that Stephen will have a major impact in shaping the current group of Essex Women, contributing to success both on and off the field.”

Dulip Samaraweera had been handed the role in early May and will now be replaced by Andrew Christie

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2024The head coach of the Victoria women’s team, Dulip Samaraweera, has resigned after just two weeks in the role after being denied an appointment he wanted to make to his staff due to the state’s policies.Samaraweera, who played seven Tests and five ODIs for Sri Lanka between 1993 and 1994, had been appointed on a two-year deal earlier in May after being the interim head coach since Jarrad Loughman left the role last November.”During the recruitment process Dulip had expressed a desire to make a specific coaching appointment in his support team,” Cricket Victoria CEO Nick Cummins said.”That appointment was unable to be facilitated due to internal policies we have in place. Following further conversations, Dulip decided he would prefer not to remain in the role.”Samaraweera will be replaced by Andrew Christie, Melbourne Renegades’ WBBL assistant coach, who had been part of the interviews for the initial job. Christie joined Cricket Victoria in 2021 leading the female emerging player program.

It will be the women’s equivalent of the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for the outstanding male cricketer of the year

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2023New Zealand Cricket (NZC) is introducing the Debbie Hockley Medal at this year’s annual awards ceremony, to honour the outstanding female cricketer of the year. The medal will be the women’s equivalent of the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for the outstanding male cricketer of the year, and will be a regular feature at the NZC’s annual awards. This year’s awards will be held on March 23 in Auckland. Hockley herself will present the new award on the night.Hockley played 118 ODIs and 19 Tests for New Zealand from 1979 to 2000. She was regarded among the best batters across two decades in the 1980s and 1990s and is considered a pioneer of the women’s game. She is the only woman to win the New Zealand Cricketer-of-the-Year award, in 1998, 13 years before the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal was introduced.”I feel honoured, personally, of course – but also thrilled that the country’s outstanding women’s cricketer of the year will be recognised on an annual and ongoing basis,” Hockley said. “It’s been wonderful to watch the progress of the women’s game in New Zealand over the past five or six years and this is another very positive development.”Women’s cricket is going from strength to strength; the growth at all levels has been amazing.”I’m looking forward to presenting this award to the inaugural recipient in March.”Hockley was the fourth woman to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, in 2013, after Australia’s Belinda Clark and England’s Enid Bakewell and Rachael Heyhoe-Flint.Hockley held several records during her playing and captaincy days. She became the second-youngest captain in a woman’s Test at the age of 21, she is still the format’s fourth-highest run-scorer and the highest for New Zealand, she finished her Test career with an average of 52.04, scored the joint-second-most Test centuries (four), and scored ODI hundreds in consecutive innings, among a host of records.Hockley scored over 4000 ODI runs while averaging nearly 42, including four centuries. She was the first woman to cross 4000 ODI runs, and also the first to play 100 ODIs.She was the first woman to be elected NZC president.

The fast bowler could add to his two Test caps against England in the Ashes

AAP19-Nov-2021Jhye Richardson couldn’t help but doubt whether he would return to Australia’s Test squad during the past two and a half years of injury hell.Richardson need worry no longer, having demanded selection in a 15-man Ashes squad named on Wednesday with his eye-catching match haul of 8 for 61 at the Gabba last week.He made his Test debut at the same ground in 2019, taking the new ball while enhancing his reputation as the nation’s most exciting young paceman.Richardson was earmarked for big things at both the 2019 ODI World Cup and Ashes, only to dislocate his right shoulder while landing awkwardly during a fielding mishap in Sharjah.Related

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The 25-year-old weathered several setbacks but is now back to his best, looming as the most likely fast bowler to step up whenever selectors opt to rejig the triumvirate of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc.”An injury like that, that sets you back for so long. There’s certainly some of those negative thoughts that come in,” Richardson told reporters in Perth. “Whether or not I’m going to get back to where I was.”Or could I swing the ball or have my variations or whatever? Getting consecutive games in, it makes it all worth it…to know that I can bowl that many overs, relatively unscathed, I think it puts me in a good place.”Jhye Richardson celebrates the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne•Getty Images

Richardson has snagged 16 wickets at 12.50 this Sheffield Shield season, delivering 85.2 overs in total. He spooked selectors and medicos in October, suffering a back spasm while warming up during a match in Perth.But he quickly got the green light to resume bowling then made a big impression on George Bailey last week, when the chairman of selectors was in the stands as Richardson bowled his side to a Shield victory.”Getting pretty excited by Jhye,” Bailey said. “Physically I think he looks as strong as I’ve seen ever seen him…he’s starting to build some resilience into his body.”One particular spell was really impressive. He ended up getting the wickets of Marnus [Labuschagne] and Joe Burns, who both commented that it was impressive quality.”Bailey shared news of Richardson’s call-up with the fast bowler during that same game, putting him on the cusp of fulfilling a childhood dream.”It’s one of the biggest series that you can possibly be involved in. Super exciting,” said Richardson. The focus is, if I do get a game, to just make sure that I’m doing everything that I have done up until this point. I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself.”

Tayla Vlaeminck and Annabel Sutherland are also among the 15 names

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Apr-2020Allrounder Tahlia McGrath has been included among 15 contracts handed out for Australia’s women’s squad alongside the expected inclusions of fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck and allrounder Annabel Sutherland.Top-order batters Nicole Bolton and Elyse Villani lose their deals having dropped out of the reckoning over the last 12 months.Following their success in winning the T20 World Cup last month, the major focus for the women’s team over the next 12 months is the 50-over tournament in New Zealand scheduled for 2021 although that could yet be impacted by the covid-19 pandemic.McGrath’s name is the most notable among the inclusions for 2020-21 having last played for Australia in 2017 and it comes off the back of a strong season for Adelaide Strikers and South Australia. Shawn Flegler, the women’s national selector, explained that with Ellyse Perry and Vlaeminck recovering from injuries sustained during the T20 World Cup McGrath would add depth to the all-round resources.”Tayla Vlaeminck and Annabel Sutherland were upgraded to CA contracts last season and were members of Australia’s triumphant T20 World Cup squad. They have emerged as key figures in the team and deserve their place on the contract list,” Flegler said.”Tahlia McGrath had a brilliant season with the Adelaide Strikers and South Australia, winning the Andrea McCauley medal. She’s been a consistent performer over the last few seasons with bat and ball, including the five matches she played for Australia during the 2017 Ashes series.”With Tayla and Ellyse Perry coming back from long-term injuries, Tahlia will add extra depth to our all-rounders, especially with her bowling. We saw that depth come into play during the recent World Cup and we know that will be important with another World Cup scheduled this summer.”Flegler offered hope of a way back for both Bolton and Villani if they can dominate in domestic cricket while said that Erin Burns, who was part of the T20 World Cup squad, was unlucky to miss the cut.”The door is not closed on any of the players who did not receive a new CA contract,” he said. “There will be plenty of opportunities for Nicole Bolton and Elyse Villani who both missed out to make their case once cricket resumes. Both are world-class when at their best, so hopefully they can dominate domestic cricket and put their hands up for selection.”Erin Burns was unlucky to miss out having been upgraded to a full contract this season but is highly rated by the selectors. She’s an adaptable player and is still in the mix for future selection. Molly Strano also misses out despite being drafted into Australia’s World Cup squad and playing an important role, but she too is highly rated and will be looked at for future opportunities.”Contract list Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Meg Lanning, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

Stung by memories of a flat performance in Melbourne after levelling the series against India, Australia’s captain has told his team to be at their most vigilant against Sri Lanka

Daniel Brettig in Canberra31-Jan-20192:10

Boys working their back sides off to score hundreds – Paine

Good sporting teams, it is said, know how to respond to defeat. Great ones, however, become masters of maintaining their hunger and rage in the aftermath of victory. Australia’s national team right now is a long way from becoming a great or even a good team, and their sole experience of playing in the wake of winning this season was far from a happy one.Stung by memories of a flat performance in the Boxing Day Test after levelling the series against India in Perth, Australia’s captain Tim Paine has counselled his team to be at their most vigilant against Sri Lanka, in the inaugural Test match to be played at Canberra’s Manuka Oval.Widely lauded for a lively defeat of Virat Kohli’s team at the new Perth Stadium, the Australians reconvened in Melbourne with heavy legs and minds, turning in a lethargic performance in the field that was to be compounded by an alarming lack of application with the bat. While Dinesh Chandimal’s side represent nowhere near the same level of challenge, Paine was adamant in stressing the need for his men to learn to take the right approach into what is their final Test before the Ashes in England, more than six months from now.”We’ve spoken a little bit about our attitude, the way we turn up for our two training sessions here and tomorrow morning,” Paine said. “We touched on how we had a great win in Perth against India and then I thought we turned up pretty poorly and really flat in Melbourne and started that Test match pretty ordinarily. But then you get a good side like India in front of you and we really couldn’t reel them back in.”It’s just been making sure our attitude to this Test is spot on and we’re leaving nothing to chance. If we do that, start as well as we can tomorrow and put Sri Lanka on the back foot where we finished in Brisbane. That’s been the message. A lot can change in six months but performances this summer will be taken into account, every Test match you play is really important, this one because we want to win the series, we haven’t won a series for a while.”Going forward we want to start building some momentum and having some guys that are performing around this group. Having said that there is plenty of opportunity for guys a the back end of the season for pressing their claims with the Dukes balls with a big series coming up, it will count toward that but it is not the be all and end all.”The inconsistency of Paine’s team, summed up by the lack of even a single century from any of the batsmen over six Tests dating back to Dubai in October, has been maddening for the coach Justin Langer, familiar as he is with Australia’s era of vast and sustained success in the 1990s and 2000s. Geoff Lawson, the noted coach and commentator, once summed up Australia’s greatness during this period as follows:”It’s easy to say ‘well we won last week or last year’ and not play your best, but that Australian team just did that to the nth degree, and that’s what made them so hard to beat. Even when they were starting to decline with great players going out and not so great players coming in, they were still tough to beat because they had the right attitude.Tim Paine didn’t live up to the promise of his early days, but he has stepped up when Australia needed him to•Getty Images

“It didn’t matter who their captain was, who their coach was. I guess it’s what people refer to as culture, but culture is behaviour, you’ve got to behave, and as an observer, it didn’t matter which country, where or when, they’d be there early doing their thing. If I was in the opposition and I looked over at Australia warming up I’d think ‘ah, ok, they’re serious today’. There’s nothing flippant about what Australia did. They weren’t a laughing matter.”Finding a way back to that level of mental strength and consistency continues to be chief among Langer’s challenges, as summed up by the flickering performances of two senior players in Mitchell Starc and Usman Khawaja. Neither have been able to provide the sort of leadership by performance that has been desperately needed in the absence of the banned Steven Smith and David Warner, but both have chances in Canberra to excel in their customary positions – Khawaja at No. 3, and Starc with the new ball, which will again be denied to Pat Cummins.ALSO READ: Starc strives to place Ashes seed in Langer’s mind“We’ve used Starcy for a long time with the new ball and we think he is still our best new-ball bowler when he gets it right, so we’ll always give him the first few,” Paine said. “Hopefully he can swing a few and if he does we know he is more than likely to get an early breakthrough. What we have done is brought Pat on a lot earlier than what we have done in the past.”We’re still reasonably happy with his output. He’s not 100 per cent at his best but I think that’s a sign of how good a bowler he is that he’s still finding ways to pick up wickets at certain times, and like I said post-Brisbane Test that when he gets it right he’s going to be devastating. Hopefully it will be this Test straight up tomorrow morning or potentially some reverse-swing when he is devastating. Hopefully there’s a chance of that happening here.”Usman is a very experienced player, he knows what he wants to do and how to go about it, he just hasn’t scored the runs he would like. He had that [knee] injury at a time he was batting the best he’s ever batted. He’s the same as Starcy, he’s one innings, half an hour away from being one of our best players. We know that.”An unchanged team meant no room for Will Pucovski or Marcus Stoinis, and a further chance for Kurtis Patterson, Joe Burns and Marnus Labuschagne to press their own claims to spots on the plane to England. When Paine sits down to reflect on the summer of 2018-19, he will undoubtedly see it as a point in time where fresh names emerged for the Test team. “We’ve unearthed some players that are going to have good Test careers,” he said.”We haven’t had the wins we would like and sometimes it’s easy to look at the negatives, the losses and the lack of hundreds and whatnot, but I think when we sit back and take in this summer and plan going forward, we’ve unearthed some really good cricketers, batting, bowling, Jhye Richardson, Marnus, Travis, Marcus Harris, a number of guys coming through. When you add to that some experienced players who could be coming back, there’s going to be a really good period of cricket coming up for our team and for Australian fans to watch.”