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Tasmania beat Victoria by nine wickets in a rain-reduced match thanks to a half-century on debut by Jonathan Wells, and superb late-over bowling by Jason Krejza and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan

The Bulletin by Alex Malcolm 11-Jan-2011Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJonathan Wells scored a half-century on his Big Bash debut as Tasmania reached Victoria’s total with 21 balls to spare•Getty Images

Tasmania have demolished the reigning champions by nine-wickets in a rain-reduced clash at the Bellerive Oval to go to the top of the Big Bash table.Standing in for the absent Tim Paine, 22-year-old debutant Jonathan Wells thumped an unbeaten 51 from just 33 balls to guide Tasmania to their target of 108 in just 11.3 overs.Play was delayed initially by 40 minutes of persistent drizzle, reducing the contest to 15-over-a-side fixture, but once the covers were removed, George Bailey had no hesitation in inserting Victoria when the coin fell his way.It proved a masterstroke when the visitors lost Glenn Maxwell and acting captain Brad Hodge in the opening two overs. They slumped to 3 for 20 when Matthew Wade fell to Rana Naved-ul-Hasan. They could have, and perhaps should have, been four down if Ashes hero – turned Victoria signing – Matt Prior was held at slip by Mark Cosgrove, but the Englishman made the most of the life producing an entertaining 29-ball 51 to push the Bushrangers towards a competitive total.But superb late-over bowling by Jason Krejza (3 for 13) and Naved (3 for 18) restricted the total to just 8 for 107.It looked like a tough chase was in store early as Dirk Nannes zipped the ball around at 140kph-plus. But once Wells and Rhett Lockyear gathered the pace of the wicket they raced to 49 from 6.1 overs before Lockyear was caught behind off John Hastings.It would be the only breakthrough for Victoria as Man-of-the-Match Wells continued to find the middle of the bat, striking seven boundaries and a wonderful lofted off drive for six in his half-century on debut, while his captain Bailey cashed in on anything short, cracking three of his five boundaries through midwicket to see his side home with 31 not out.Tasmania now rocket to the top of a very even Big Bash table, while Victoria have an uphill battle to progress to the last three, particularly without their two regular leaders in Cameron White and David Hussey who, like Paine, are absent on national duty.

Australian cricket needs a total overhaul, which should include the retirement of Ricky Ponting, according to the former fast bowler Geoff Lawson

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-2011Australian cricket needs a total overhaul, which should include the retirement of Ricky Ponting, according to the former fast bowler Geoff Lawson. The embarrassing Ashes loss, which included three innings defeats, should serve as a wake-up call that all is not right within the structure of Australian cricket, Lawson told guests at a Queensland Cricket function on Thursday.”It’s what I call a top-down disintegration, it’s started at the top and filtered through,” Lawson said. “We’ve got to rebuild and if you don’t perform then catch you later, I’m talking about selectors, coaches everybody. We must draw the line now. With all due respect to Ricky Ponting, who has been one of the top-five batsmen we’ve ever had, it’s time to draw the line. At 36, 37, it’s time to start a new era.”Lawson’s comments came in the wake of Cricket Australia announcing it would commission two independent reviews, one on its own governance structure, and one on the team’s on-field performances. The board also confirmed plans to expand the Big Bash to eight sides next summer, but Lawson said there should be a greater focus on the Sheffield Shield.”We got beaten by an innings three times, that is the worst record in the history of Australian cricket, can we take a little bit of notice of our first class competition please, or give it a little bit more respect?” he said. “This is a money move, not a cricket move.”Lawson, the former coach of Pakistan, said he had been at a Sheffield Shield match this season and claimed the players were in the dark over what was expected of them from the national selectors. The axing of Nathan Hauritz on the eve of the Ashes campaign was one of the mysteries of the summer, with Xavier Doherty and Michael Beer preferred in the five Tests.”The players have no idea what our selectors are doing,” he said. “They have no idea what the selectors want from the players. That is a ridiculous situation to be in, and that’s continued very recently in this World Cup squad. There is a lot of confusion out there.”

Sean Williams, the Zimbabwe left-hand batsman, has been forced to pull out of the rest of the World Cup with a fractured thumb and will be replaced by batsman Vusi Sibanda

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Mar-2011Sean Williams, the Zimbabwe left-hand batsman, has been forced to pull out of the rest of the World Cup with a fractured thumb and will be replaced by batsman Vusi Sibanda. William fractured his right thumb during a training session on Thursday in Ahmedabad, a day before Zimbabwe’s clash with New Zealand. He missed the match, and after gaining the ICC’s approval, Zimbabwe announced Sibanda as his replacement.Williams featured in Zimbabwe’s first two matches of the tournament, scoring 28 against Australia and 30 against Canada.The call up for Sibanda means Hamilton Masakadza, one of Zimbabwe’s most experienced batsmen and a surprise exclusion from the original World Cup squad, continues to be ignored. Sibanda has played 85 one-day internationals himself, and featured in Zimbabwe’s 2007 World Cup campaign. He lost his place in the squad for Zimbabwe’s tours of South Africa and Bangladesh last year, and consequently for the 2011 World Cup, after a string of poor scores in 2010.His recall comes on the back of a strong showing in Zimbabwe’s domestic four-day competition, the Castle Logan Cup, in which he has scored three centuries this season for Mid West Rhinos.Williams is the fourth player Zimbabwe have had to replace since they announced their original squad of 15. Sean Ervine pulled out of the squad in order to continue playing for Hampshire. His replacement Tino Mawoyo then had to pull out too, due to an abdominal muscle tear and Terry Duffin was called in. Zimbabwe also lost seamer Ed Rainsford to an ankle injury, with Tinashe Panyangara coming in as his replacement.Zimbabwe’s next match is against Sri Lanka on March 10 in Pallekele.

Delhi Daredevils’ revamped batting order pulled its weight to complete a thrilling chase at the DY Patil Staduim in Mumbai, securing their maiden victory after two losses

The Bulletin by George Binoy17-Apr-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsYuvraj Singh helped Pune clobber 26 off the final over of their innings•AFP

Delhi Daredevils used the depth of their revamped batting order to complete a thrilling chase at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, securing their maiden victory after two losses, and handing Pune Warriors their first defeat in the 2011 IPL. Delhi’s team effort upstaged a terrific all-round performance from Yuvraj Singh, whose half-century had powered Pune to 187 before his four-wicket haul was the difference between Delhi winning at a canter and having to sweat until the final over.Teams have had trouble defending targets in excess of 180 in this tournament but Pune were on course to do so, with Delhi needing 41 runs off the last three overs with five wickets in hand. Yuvraj had tripped his opponents’ progress by dismissing Irfan Pathan and Naman Ojha off successive deliveries in the 13th over. Delhi, however, had kept a couple of their power-hitters back and Aaron Finch and Venugopal Rao matched the demanding asking-rate.The over that won the game for Delhi was the 18th, bowled by Shrikant Wagh, off which they scored 20, slashing the equation to 21 needed off 12. Finch, batting at No. 7, broke the game open with two huge strikes over the long-on boundary.There was another twist, though, as Yuvraj bowled the 19th and had Finch caught and bowled with his first ball and dismissed Venugopal with his last. Between Finch’s dismissal and his, however, Venugopal had clattered Yuvraj over long-on and to fine leg.That left Delhi with only 8 to get off the final over, which Yuvraj gave to Jesse Ryder ahead of his seamers, who had gone for plenty. James Hopes, having faced only two balls in the IPL, crashed his third cleanly over Ryder’s head for six, and carved the next through backward point to spark off celebrations in the Delhi dug out.Such a tense finish was a remote possibility when David Warner and Virender Sehwag were batting, and for the first time in the tournament showcased just how explosive an opening combination they can be. Warner was all muscle, bludgeoning the ball down the ground and square of the wicket. He was particularly severe on the South African pair, taking three boundaries off one Wayne Parnell over and hitting Alfonso Thomas for four, six and six off consecutive deliveries. At the end of the Powerplay, Delhi had scored 67, four more than Pune had.Warner was eventually run out for 46 and Sehwag, after scoring 37 off 23, had his middle stump knocked back in the 10th over. Pune had finally got through Delhi’s powerful top order but they failed to break the lower-middle.The difference between the two sides was the number of batsmen that pulled weight: four for Delhi while only Ryder and Yuvraj for Pune. The free-spirited Ryder struck the tournament’s second-fastest fifty, off 24 balls, laying into mediocre bowling from Venugopal, Pathan and Umesh Yadav. He swung hard, aiming straight or over midwicket, and made powerful contact several times.Delhi began to pull Pune back after Ryder’s dismissal with Hopes bowling tight overs and dismissing the dangerous Robin Uthappa cheaply. Only one wicket stood between Delhi and keeping Pune to a merely competitive total, but they failed to take it.Yuvraj got into his stride with a sweep and a six on the leg-side off Shahbaz Nadeem, and he punished Pathan by slamming him over long-off, but it wasn’t until the final over that he really hurt Delhi. After taking two off Ashok Dinda’s second ball and top-edging the third over the wicketkeeper for four, Yuvraj sent the last three flying into the crowds at midwicket and long-on with powerful swings off the front foot. Pune plundered 26 runs off the 20th, but ultimately that didn’t cost Delhi the game.

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge26-Apr-2011
ScorecardJames Cameron fell to a neat catch in the slips but it was the exception rather than the rule from Nottinghamshire’s fielders•PA Photos

After a while, you start to wonder if Nottinghamshire go out of their way to make life difficult for themselves, as if they need a particular kind of challenge to make winning cricket matches worthwhile.Close examination of the facts would probably prove it was not the case but by the end of last year’s title-winning campaign it felt like they had pulled themselves out of a hole time and again and wound up champions despite themselves.This year they have carried on in similar vein, beating Hampshire first up after a wobbly batting performance rescued by Samit Patel’s hundred and improbably overcoming Yorkshire last week from a first-innings deficit of 193.After the first day here, there is every reason to suspect that Worcestershire will not offer them an easy ride. So far, certainly, there has been more credit due to the relegation favourites than the defending champions, who chose this occasion to squander chances in the field.They gave their opponents the benefit of four dropped catches, three of which were of the kind that Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, would them to take in their sleep.Alex Hales and Neil Edwards, at first and third slips respectively, took it in turns to drop Gareth Andrew off Charlie Shreck, both of them routine slip catches. Hales missed another opportunity – admittedly somewhat harder – when Matt Pardoe’s drive against Luke Fletcher flew off the edge.Newell, perched in his eyrie on the third level of the pavilion, was wearing a face like thunder at this point – but that was not the end of it. Mark Wagh then compounded his frustration by spilling the most straightforward chance of them all at midwicket, with Pardoe again fortunate, although Newell’s expression was most likely out-thundered by Paul Franks, the unfortunate bowler.They weren’t exactly inexpensive misses, either. Andrew, who had scored 4 at the point of his double escape, added 44 before he lobbed an ordinary ball from Patel’s left-arm spin straight to Andre Adams at cover. Pardoe, given his second chances on 15 and 35, was 56 not out at the close and Worcestershire, having surrendered from a good position against Warwickshire last week, will be satisfied with their day’s work.”Four missed catches, all of the which should have been taken, have cost us a lot of runs and a lot of time in the field,” Newell said. “I can’t really explain it because we are generally pretty good in that respect. I’m frustrated and I know the bowlers are too.”Newell is disarmingly frank about Nottinghamshire’s strengths and weaknesses. In his own words, they are a “one-dimensional” team, heavily reliant on their seam attack’s ability to exploit bowler-friendly conditions at Trent Bridge and make up for the shortcomings of a brittle batting line-up.Sharp fielding is also part of the game plan and, given that slip fielders don’t usually find their concentration drifting here, it is one area in which Newell has every reason to expect flawless execution.Worcestershire’s slips are likely to have their chance in due course and they will look to extend a potentially strong position on the second day. Pardoe, for all his moments of luck, looked impressive. The 20-year-old left-hander from Stourbridge is in only his third match but he looks organised at the crease and times his shots well, with the confidence, honed in the tough world of Birmingham League cricket, to take an opportunity when it presents itself. He already has two Championship half-centuries and this is his best score to date.His runs, with support from Andrew and veteran Aussie Damien Wright helped Worcestershire recover from a much less promising position just after lunch, when they were rocking at 102 for 5 after having been 55 without loss and Adams already had four wickets, the last of which came with the help of a brilliant leg-side catch by the peerless Chris Read behind the stumps.It appeared they had wasted a good start, with Vikram Solanki having been guilty of a loose stroke when he was caught at third slip and Moeen Ali of an error of judgment when he lost his off stump offering no stroke.Read’s outstanding athleticism and safe hands stopped Alexei Kervezee in his tracks when the Dutchman looked to be setting himself up for a substantial innings, which was probably a critical moment. There is no better wicketkeeper in the Championship than the Nottinghamshire captain. It was a pity for his team that others could not follow his example.

Dwayne Bravo cracked a vital six off Shahid Afridi in the final over before a terminal rain shower rolled across the Kensington Oval, as West Indies clawed their way to a face-saving victory in the fourth ODI against Pakistan

The Bulletin by Andrew Miller02-May-2011West Indies 154 for 4 (Simmons 76) beat Pakistan 248 for 9 (Hafeez 121, Shafiq 71) by one run – D/L

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsLendl Simmons gave West Indies’ innings vital impetus with a 70-ball 76•AFP

Dwayne Bravo cracked a vital six off Shahid Afridi in the final over before a terminal rain shower rolled across the Kensington Oval, as West Indies clawed their way to a face-saving victory in the fourth ODI against Pakistan. Chasing a reduced target of 223 in 39 overs after a Mohammad Hafeez century, West Indies were given a flying start by Lendl Simmons, who made 76 from 70 balls, but an untimely burst of wickets left them needing Bravo’s late injection of humpty to secure a one-run victory courtesy of Duckworth-Lewis.In a game punctuated by rain delays, the denouement was dramatic. West Indies had at one stage been coasting to victory, with Simmons and the recalled Ramnaresh Sarwan going steady in a 75-run stand for the third wicket, but when both men fell in the space of seven deliveries, the final overs turned into a scramble, with Bravo and Marlon Samuels struggling to get the better of a disciplined bowling attack.At 148 for 4 after 29 overs, the scores were tied on D/L. With orders ringing out from the dressing room, Bravo leant back to wallop Afridi for the decisive blow over midwicket, then blocked out two more balls before the heavens opened. The result was West Indies’ first victory over senior opposition since India’s tour of the Caribbean in June 2009, and though it arrived by an unconventional means, it was no less welcome for that fact.The final result was due reward for Simmons’ purposeful approach to the run-chase. His opening partner, Kirk Edwards, was caught behind off Junaid Khan for a golden duck, but that set-back did not impede his approach in the slightest. After a let-off from the keeper, Mohammad Salman, on 3, Simmons smashed Tanvir Ahmed over midwicket for six before repeating the dose in Tanvir’s next over, which went for 20 all told, including consecutive fours for Simmons, the first from a free hit, and an effortless flick off the pads from Darren Bravo.In the very next over, Bravo undid his good work with a rank slap to third man to give Junaid his second wicket of the innings, whereupon Sarwan arrived to embark on the partnership that should have made the game safe. He had reached 28 from 56 balls when he allowed his good work to go to waste with a limp chip to mid-off, before Simmons chased a hint of width from Tanvir and holed out to deep point. But Dwayne and the rain ensured their efforts were not in vain.Mohammad Hafeez anchored Pakistan’s innings with his second ODI hundred•Getty Images

If the defeat was harsh on any one player, it was the Man of the Match Hafeez, who confirmed his new-found reliability at the top of the order with a superbly paced 121 from 138 balls, his second ODI hundred of the year and of his career. On his watch, Pakistan posted a dominant 248 for 9, the highest total in the series to date, although it could have been more formidable still but for the wiles of Devendra Bishoo, whose legbreaks claimed 3 for 37, and applied an emergency brake to an innings that had been running away from West Indies at 210 for 3 in the 44th over.In five of his previous seven ODIs, Hafeez had made scores between 32 and 61, and he followed up with another measured anchor role. Though he had struck his third ball of the day, from Roach, through point for four, he had added just one more boundary, again from Roach, in a 40-ball 25, when the rain started falling in the 12th over. Upon the resumption, however, he lifted the tempo to good effect.Dwayne Bravo’s fourth over went for 14 runs, including the first six of the innings, before Sammy was launched over midwicket with a disdainful pull. At the other end, Shafiq bedded in to play the supporting role. He notched up just one boundary in his first 58 deliveries, a lofted swat off Sammy, having survived a tough caught-and-bowled opportunity from the previous delivery, but together with Hafeez, he scarcely put a foot wrong in a 153-run stand for the second wicket.Bravo eventually forced the breakthrough in the 39th over, when he brought up his midwicket to tempt a cross-batted stroke, and Shafiq duly obliged with a flick to long-on. Afridi promoted himself to No. 4 for a quick bash, and though he swiped a Roach beamer for four through third man, he fell one ball later to a front-foot swipe to mid-off as Roach dug the ball in.Hafeez by this stage had eased along to his century, but Bishoo ensured the gloss would be taken off the innings with three wickets in the space of six balls. The reliable Misbah-ul-Haq was bowled off the back pad for 5, before Hammad Azam’s skittish innings of 1 ended with a wipe to leg gully, one ball after Bishoo had dropped him off his own bowling. The big wicket, however, was that of Hafeez, who was bowled by a beauty that dipped and turned from leg to middle, as Pakistan slipped to 220 for 7.A pair of crass run-outs accounted for Mohammad Salman and the new boy Usman Salahuddin, but his fellow ODI debutant, Tanvir, smacked a four and two sixes in a 12-ball 18, to ensure a difficult chase lay ahead for West Indies. Nevertheless, that late loss of momentum would prove crucial in the final reckoning.

Ravi Rampaul, the West Indies seamer, kept up his strong form with a three-wicket haul that gave the home team the advantage against Pakistan in St Kitts

ESPNcricinfo staff21-May-2011Ravi Rampaul, the West Indies seamer, kept up his strong form with a three-wicket haul that gave the home team the advantage against Pakistan in St Kitts. Rampaul collected seven wickets in the first Test and by stumps on the opening day of the second Test, he had 3 for 40 and had given West Indies an encouraging start as they aim to take the series 2-0.Rampaul picked up his three wickets early and had Pakistan at 24 for 3, although by the close of play the visitors had steadied somewhat at 180 for 6. It was the perfect start for West Indies after Pakistan’s captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, won the toss and chose to bat at Warner Park, a ground at which teams have scored 500-plus in the first innings of both its previous Tests.”The pitch here is usually ideal for the batsmen,” Rampaul said. “In past matches it has always been a batting track, but it had in some extra moisture in the morning and I was able to get the ball to bounce and carry. I knew I had to use whatever little advantage we had and I decided to exploit it and I got the result we were looking for as a team.”It was the ideal start. We knew from the start it was going to be a good pitch for batting but in the back of my mind I was thinking maybe we could get them for something in the region of 250.”West Indies will begin the second day searching for the remaining four wickets to keep on top of Pakistan, and Rampaul will be hoping for his first five-wicket haul in a Test match.”We are on our way to that score (less than 250) and we believe we could be able to finish off the job on Saturday,” Rampaul said. “We have confidence and we are playing good cricket as a team. I’m very happy with the way I’m bowling. Everything felt right and I will be looking to finish off the work tomorrow.”

Sri Lanka have been fined for maintaining a slow over-rate during the third Test against England, at the Rose Bowl

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jun-2011Sri Lanka have been fined for maintaining a slow over-rate during the third Test against England, at the Rose Bowl. There had been significant rain delays during the game but even after allowances for interruptions were taken into consideration, Sri Lanka were found to be two overs short of the number they should have bowled. They bowled 92.4 overs in 435 minutes of game time.Under ICC regulations, Kumar Sangakkara, who was stand-in captain for the Test in Tillakaratne Dilshan’s absence, will be docked 40% of his match-fees while the rest of the players will be fined 20%.

The Bangladeshis were shot out for 188 runs in 60.1 overs on the opening day of their three-day practice game against Zimbabwe XI at the Harare Sports Club

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jul-2011
ScorecardMushfiqur Rahim stood head and shoulders above the rest of the Bangladeshi batsman in their first three-day outing as a team in 14 months. The Bangladeshis were shot out for 188 runs in 60.1 overs on the opening day of their practice game against Zimbabwe XI at the Harare Sports Club. But by the end of the day they made a comeback, taking four quick wickets to leave Zimbabwe XI struggling by stumps.Mushfiqur’s dogged 64 and small contributions from Nasir Hossain and Mahmudullah ensured the Bangladeshis at least got close to 200, which looked unlikely when they were 31 for 5. Zimbabwe XI looked uncertain from the very start of their response. Off the first ball of the innings, Tino Mawoyo was dropped at gully off Shafiul Islam. Shafiul then clean bowled Sikandar Raza and got Mawoyo’s edge again, with Mushfiqur taking the catch this time. In between, Robiul Islam bowled Regis Chakabva and Tatenda Taibu was run out, leaving Zimbabwe XI four down at stumps and still 146 behind the Bangladeshis.The last phase of play emphasised how important Mushfiqur’s half-century was in the context of the match. He came in to bat at No. 7, and worked hard on a two-paced wicket. His initial toil of leaving as much as possible and playing with soft hands paid off as he gently took the Bangladeshis out of a terrible position and possible embarassment.After Shakib Al Hasan decided to bat, openers Junaid Siddique and Imrul Kayes were dismissed by the fourth over. Kayes had his stumps disturbed by a Keegan Meth inswinger after Junaid edged a simple catch to the slips off Kyle Jarvis. Mohammad Ashraful was next to go, taken low in the slips before Shahriar Nafees also edged to the slips.When Shakib fell leg-before, the Bangladeshis were reeling. Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah led the fight by adding 36 for the sixth wicket before Mahmudullah fell to seamer Njabulo Ncube. He made 21 off 64 balls with the help of two boundaries.Mushfiqur continued his good work, hammering boundaries, and reached a well-deserved half-century. What also stood out was Nasir’s contribution. He added 72 for the seventh wicket with Mushfiqur, striking four confident boundaries in his 38 off 60 balls.After Mushfiqur became the eighth Bangladeshi wicket to fall, the tail added 21 runs with Shafiul Islam hitting 16 off 13 balls.Among the bowlers, Ncube ended up with three wickets but it was the first spells of Meth, Jarvis and Tendai Chatara that had the Bangladeshis in trouble. Meth and Jarvis had two wickets each while Prosper Utseya too ended with a couple.

Ryan Harris scooped 3 for 24 on day three as Australia closed in on a deserved victory, and rightly viewed his success as the reward for consistently hostile and accurate bursts

Daniel Brettig in Galle02-Sep-2011Ryan Harris gave nothing away in Sri Lanka’s first innings. He has received plenty in return so far in the second. Harris scooped 3 for 24 on day three as Australia closed in on a deserved victory, and rightly viewed his success as the reward for consistently hostile and accurate bursts, with both the new ball and the old.Figures of 8-5-6-0 on the second day helped create much of the pressure that the spin debutant Nathan Lyon exploited, and Harris discovered his luck was further in the next day, when he started with a punchy 23 batting at No. 9. Taking the new ball after Australia were bowled out for 210 to set Sri Lanka a target of 379, Harris pinned Tharanga Paranavitana lbw first ball, and nearly had Kumar Sangakkara the same way with his next one. Both calls were marginal.”It’s good reward,” Harris said. “I knew I wasn’t far away in the first innings so I just wanted to do the same thing today and got some wickets, so it’s very rewarding.””I know the first one, to me, was out. I obviously didn’t know where it pitched, but I swung it back in and that to me was dead, but obviously being told it wasn’t, it pitched outside leg stump, and the second one maybe was closer. One of those things.”Australia’s bowling has been outstanding for tightness, immaculate length and the consistency across the attack, fulfilling the wishes of the new bowling coach, Craig McDermott. Harris said the importance of the right length and the use of pressure had been paramount.”That’s what we tried to do, we planned that before we came over and we’ve been talking a lot about that as quick bowlers that’s what we want to do,” Harris said. “The wickets are pretty flat but the natural variation in the wicket is going to help us. With that old ball, I love bowling with the old ball, bowling in and out swingers and that sort of stuff.”Shane Watson, the length he bowled in their first innings was great, and today with that ball to Sangakkara, that is what we’re trying to do, exploit all those different conditions and hopefully the ball plays up for us.”Harris added his name to those of Michael Hussey and Ricky Ponting in calling the pitch the driest he has played on, and described the clouds of dust that sprang up when one of the pace bowlers slammed their front foot down on the crease.”It is probably the driest. I haven’t played on too many of those myself,” Harris said. “I’ve been to India a few times, seen Kolkata which is pretty dry, but that one I haven’t seen too many like it. With the footmarks and the holes that have formed and all the loose dirt, I think every time you see someone land and bowl there’s a dust storm almost. So it’s something I probably haven’t seen before, and batting, I haven’t really batted in those conditions. So it was a bit of learning out there, as well as trying to score runs, so it was interesting.”Australia are on course to resoundingly win their first Test since the loss of the fifth Ashes Test at the SCG in January, and Harris said the time in between had been well spent.”It’s no surprise, we just didn’t play well in the Ashes, full stop, and we lost them,” he said. “But we’ve done a bit of planning since then and forgot about them and worried about this Test series and the build-up to the next Ashes series I guess. That’s the ultimate thing, but we’ve got a fair bit of cricket to play between now and then.”For us, it was just trying to get back to playing well and consistent I guess. There’s a few young players in the team, so get them involved and get them into the culture and get them performing, and that’s what we’ve done so far.”