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Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle and Ben Cutting have been named as the Australian pace quartet for the first Test against New Zealand

Daniel Brettig26-Nov-2011Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle and Ben Cutting have been named as the Australian pace quartet for the first Test against New Zealand after the new selection panel took a balanced approach to the injury dramas surrounding the naming of the squad.The selections, announced by the national selector John Inverarity, suggest a combination tailored to the Gabba, as Trent Copeland, a Test debutant in Sri Lanka and first reserve in South Africa, was overlooked.”Unfortunately Mitchell Johnson, Shane Watson, Patrick Cummins, Ryan Harris and Shaun Marsh are unavailable for selection due to injury and Michael Beer and Trent Copeland are the players to have missed selection after being part of the Test squad in South Africa,” Inverarity said.”The absence of these players obviously provides a great chance for David Warner, James Pattinson, Ben Cutting and Mitchell Starc to come into the squad and perform on the international stage and I know that is an opportunity they are all looking forward to Although injuries to those key players are not ideal, this provides an opening for these promising young players to come into the Australian squad and further their development.”David, James and Mitchell have been in and around the Australian limited overs squad at various times recently and showed that they have the talent and skills required to perform on the international stage This is obviously the first time Ben Cutting has been included in an Australia squad and he has impressed us with his performances in the Sheffield Shield this year and this is reflected in his success at the competition’s leading wicket-taker.”Trent has had a lack of opportunities to push for selection in recent times. He will be disappointed but will work hard with New South Wales and I have no doubt he will again be putting his hand up for inclusion with good performances for his state.”Starc, Cutting and Pattinson provide the youth and aggression in the attack, with Starc’s imposing record at the Gabba and left-arm variety helping to earn him a berth. In first-class matches Starc has taken 12 wickets at 18.41 at the ground, while he also claimed 4-27 against Sri Lanka in his one ODI appearance in Brisbane last year.Cutting has enjoyed a strong start to the summer for Queensland, impressing with his aggression, speed and also his lower order hitting.Pattinson has been around Australia squads for some time, touring India last year and Sri Lanka in 2011. He was a narrow omission from the South Africa Test squad to make room for Pat Cummins, but is now in line for a debut at the Gabba.As expected, David Warner was named to open the batting, while Ricky Ponting and Brad Haddin were retained following their contributions to the Australian victory over South Africa in Johannesburg. Haddin has been named vice-captain to Michael Clarke in the absence of Shane Watson.Test squad: Michael Clarke (capt), David Warner, Phillip Hughes, Usman Khawaja, Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin (vice-capt, wk), Peter Siddle, Ben Cutting, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson.

Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has said he would rather win matches than worry about maintaining a balance between attack and defence

Umar Farooq07-Jan-2012Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has said he would rather win matches than worry about maintaining a balance between attack and defence. Though Misbah led Pakistan to six wins in 10 Test matches in 2011, there has been some criticism that he adopts a safety-first approach as captain.”Cricket these days should be taken up with a balanced approach,” Misbah said at the end of a four-day training camp at the Gaddafi Stadium organised to help Pakistan prepare for their upcoming series against England in the UAE. “[But] it’s better to win by playing defensively, instead of losing by playing aggressively. It’s all about the situation; what you are required to do or not do in a particular scenario.”The camp in Lahore mainly focussed on the bowlers and entailed strenuous fielding drills at the beginning of each day, as well as mental strengthening sessions for the players. Among the batsmen, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Imran Farhat and Mohammad Hafeez were spotted having intense sessions in the nets. A big positive to come out of the camp was that fast bowler Junaid Khan, who suffered an abdominal muscle strain during Pakistan’s recent one-day series against Sri Lanka, was declared fit to play. The players have now dispersed and will reconvene on January 9 to leave for the UAE, with the first Test to begin on January 17 in Dubai.England are the No. 1 Test team in the world according to the ICC rankings, but Misbah said his team would not be intimidated by their opposition’s reputation. “My approach is simple in cricket: when you go onto the ground, give your 100% and focus on your performance. Forget about who the opposition is, do what you can do right, play tough cricket and then you look at the results. When you do all these things right, results will be in your favour.”While fast bowler Aizaz Cheema had said the conditions in the UAE are similar to those in Pakistan, Misbah said, based on his experience of playing in the UAE, both batting and bowling will be a challenge. “If you look at the conditions in the UAE, it’s difficult for bowlers to take wickets, it’s also difficult for batsman to score runs because of the slow pitches where the ball doesn’t come onto the bat. It will be a challenge for both teams; both departments will have to work hard.”England is a thoroughly professional team, and we have to put in real hard work to score runs against them and will have to bowl up to the mark to bowl them out.”The Decision Review System (DRS) is a welcome addition to the series, he said. “I always say it (the DRS) gives both teams a chance because umpires are also human-beings and they can make mistakes sometimes. This is an option for both batsmen and bowlers to help rectify the mistakes of the umpires. I am always in favour of this superb innovation. No doubt it needs better accuracy but I still believe it’s quite helpful for the teams.”Pakistan had an impressive run in 2011; they did not lose any of the Test series they played and reached the semi-finals of the World Cup. They have been helped by consistent all-round performances, Misbah said. “If you look at our recent performance, Pakistan is doing well in every department: batting, spin bowling, fast bowling. We do lack [a bit] in fielding and there are a few lapses, but overall every department is doing the required hard work. Against top teams you can’t depend on a specific department, you have to perform well in every department to compete.”

The Bangladesh Premier League is an opportunity for players from Associate countries to showcase their talents alongside international stars and in front of packed stadiums

Tariq Engineer and Mohammad Isam01-Feb-2012The IPL has not been a fertile hunting ground for players from the Associate nations, with Netherlands allrounder Ryan ten Doeschate the sole owner of an IPL contract to this point. The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), however, stands to be a different proposition. A league rule required each of the six franchises to buy at least one player from an Associate country, a nod to Bangladesh’s own history as an Associate.The players who were snapped up at the player auction earlier this month were Alex Kervezee (Netherlands), Kyle Coetzer (Scotland), Rizwan Cheema (Canada), Niall O’Brien (Ireland), Hamid Hassan (Afghanistan) and Freddie Klocker (Denmark). For them, the league is an opportunity to showcase their talents alongside international stars and in front of packed stadiums.”This is kind of the world stage,” Cheema told ESPNcricinfo. “Playing with international players, all the top players from around the world, it is a big chance for the associate players to show their abilities.”Cheema hammered 93 off 71 balls against England in a practice match before the 2011 World Cup to become an instant star in Dhaka. He was bought by Duronto Rajshahi for US$25,000. Their coach, Khaled Mashud, said Cheema was captain Mushfiqur Rahim’s choice. “He is a good all-round cricketer and though we had some options on the table, we went for him,” Mashud said. Cheema will be playing alongside the likes of West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels, Pakistan allrounder Abdul Razzaq and South Africa legspinner Imran Tahir. He said the tournament will be a great way to get vital experience before the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 qualifiers in March, where he will be Canada’s vice-captain. “There is a lot to learn because there are so many people coming from all over the world.”The BPL is expected to draw big crowds for its first season and Cheema, who averages 30 at a strike rate of 121.38 from eight Twenty20 internationals, said that playing in front of a lot of people would be great motivation. “It gives you more energy and it really, really excites you. You want to do well when you see a lot of people around. It gives me more confidence.”At 22, Alexei Kervezee is the youngest of the Associate country players to be bought. Despite his relative youth, he has already played two World Cups and has played with Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan at Worcestershire. He was bought by Dhaka Gladiators for $35,000. “Kervezee is a stable middle-order batsman and a good team-mate,” Shihab Chowdhury, one of the franchise’s owners, said. “He was recommended by our coach Ian Pont, who was with the Dutch team a few years ago.”Among Kervezee’s team-mates are West Indies allrounder Kieron Pollard, Pakistan offsinner Saeed Ajmal and former Australia legspinner Stuart MacGill, and he said he was looking forward to picking their brains. “Being team-mates with proven high quality players of the likes of Ajmal, MacGill and Pollard, people like that, I can take advantage of that to become a better player. I think it will help me become an overall better player in Twenty20 cricket.”Lurking in the background, is, of course, the possibility of an IPL contract should any of the players excel. “You want to do well so the people can see you,” Cheema said. “If you do well, you might get a chance to play for the IPL.”Beyond the potential monetary rewards though, the BPL gives the Associate players a chance to hone their skills in a different part of the world. “That’s the professional life,” Cheema said. “Go and play in different countries and with different types of players. Makes you stronger mentally, and technically too.”

Only 15.2 overs were bowled on the second day of the Test between New Zealand and Zimbabwe at McLean Park before light, but persistent, rain set in to make further play impossible

The Report by Andrew Fernando27-Jan-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
A calf injury led to Ross Taylor having to retire hurt•AFPOnly 15.2 overs were bowled on the second day of the Test between New Zealand and Zimbabwe at McLean Park before light, but persistent, rain set in to make further play impossible. BJ Watling shone through the gloom of the curtailed morning session to consolidate his side’s dominance with a bright fifty, his second in Tests. Watling finished unbeaten on 52, having helped his side advance to 392 for 5, with a large first-innings score becoming ever more critical following the loss of two and a half sessions of play.New Zealand managed to waltz through unscathed on the scorecard, but sustained an injury to overnight centurion Ross Taylor, who retired hurt before being taken to hospital with a suspected calf tear. It may mean today’s modest gain of 61 runs proves a potentially pyrrhic victory for the hosts, with South Africa, the home summer’s main event, due in the country in two weeks.Watling passed his first Test as wicketkeeper-batsman by producing the kind of innings the selectors signed him on for in his first dig in the new role. Watling began the morning with a pair of liquid drives through the off side, and rarely allowed a half-volley to go unpunished. With an abnormally docile Ross Taylor’s sights seemingly set on long occupation on day two, it fell to Watling to provide the early impetus, and he responded with a brace of runs square of the wicket, even as his partner’s start starved him of the strike.As in the morning session on day one, Zimbabwe’s bowlers were guilty of straying too often, particularly on the pads, and despite the already-slow outfield becoming ever more sluggish as drizzle set in, Watling’s timing ensured wayward bowlers paid due penance.The visitors also lacked intensity on the field, again much as they had for in the opening day, with Brendan Taylor positioning a solitary slip instead of pressing for early breakthroughs under some cloud cover. Ross Taylor was happy to allow the bowlers come to him, dealing in languid singles instead of militant strokeplay, with his counterpart seemingly content to leave enough gaps to allow him his leisurely approach.Ross Taylor’s plan to build patiently struck an abrupt roadblock when he pulled a calf, setting off for his 122nd run. Unable to summon a runner under the new rules, the New Zealand captain was forced to leave the field.Zimbabwe’s woes were then both epitomised and compounded by perhaps the worst drop in Tests so far in 2012. Doug Bracewell toed a sitter to Forster Mutizwa at cover, handing the debutant a chance not even worthy of being called catching practice. Mutizwa shelled the opportunity, and a few overs later, Watling edged through vacant first slip to reach his fifty before the rains came down.

A parsimonious, wicket-taking spell by Kevon Cooper helped Chittagong Kings defend a modest 120 against Dhaka Gladiators

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2012
ScorecardA parsimonious, wicket-taking spell by Kevon Cooper helped Chittagong Kings defend a modest 120 against Dhaka Gladiators. The Trinidadian seamer took 3 for 13 off four overs to keep Dhaka to 107, and the win helped Chittagong move to second place.Put in to bat, Chittagong got off to a poor start, losing the in-form Nasir Jamshed in the first over. Jahurul Islam hit a 35-ball 40 to give Chittagong a base, but the batsmen found it difficult against the left-arm spin of Elias Sunny, who took 3 for 23. Dwayne Bravo remained unbeaten on 48 to take the score past 100.The Dhaka top order made starts but could not carry on. Enamul Haque jnr, the left-arm spinner, chipped in with the wickets of Darren Stevens and the dangerous Kieron Pollard to help Chittagong push for the win. Cooper got Mohammad Ashraful at the top, then removed Mehrab Hossain jnr and Dhiman Ghosh to shut Dhaka out of the game. Only two players passed 20, with Anamul Haque’s 22 being the highest.

Pune Warriors have filled up all their overseas slots having inked a deal with Bangladesh batsman Tamim Iqbal on Wednesday.

Nagraj Gollapudi and Mohammad Isam29-Mar-2012Pune Warriors have signed up Bangladesh batsman Tamim Iqbal, filling all their overseas slots for the coming season. Tamim, whose signing was formalised on Wednesday, became the eleventh overseas player for the Warriors and their second signing this week after Australian captain Michael Clarke.Tamim and the franchise management, led by their captain Sourav Ganguly, had been involved in talks for the past week. He joins Shakib Al Hasan as the second Bangladesh player in this year’s IPL, and the fifth from that country in the tournament overall.”I can gain a lot of experience by playing with greats like Sourav Ganguly and Michael Clarke. I like to talk a lot about cricket so I think I am lucky to be playing with them and look forward to learn new things,” Tamim told ESPNCricinfo.”It’ll be an extra boost, so it is very important that I do well. More importantly, just like Shakib opened the door for me, I would want that with my inclusion in the IPL, it will let other players from my country to play in this competition.”With the T20 World Cup coming up this year, it will be a big opportunity for me to perform in the format,” Tamim said.Tamim would look to carry his form into the IPL – he hit four half-centuries in the recent Asia Cup – given his failure during the Bangladesh Premier League last month where he only played two matches for the Chittagong Kings and scored only eight runs.

Kieron Pollard muscled his way to his highest IPL score and propelled Mumbai Indians to the highest total of this IPL season so far

The Report by Abhishek Purohit11-Apr-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsOwais Shah’s 76 was in vain•AFPThe scoreboard might not tell you that but Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals gave IPL 2012 its first close high-scoring game as Wankhede Stadium cheered. The 27-run margin did not do justice to Rajasthan Royals for the way they went after an asking-rate of nearly ten an over against a quality bowling attack. This after Kieron Pollard had muscled his way to his highest IPL score and propelled Mumbai Indians to the highest total of this IPL season so far.Pollard’s all-round performance, 64 off 33 deliveries and 4 for 44, left in the shade a dazzling innings of 76 off 42 from Owais Shah, which had rudely threatened to gatecrash what had shaped up to be Pollard’s night. Till the end of the 14th over, as Shah kept peppering the on-side rope with boundaries, Royals had an almost even chance. But in a game where no bowler apart from him went for less than seven an over, Lasith Malinga uprooted Shah’s off stump with a yorker off the first ball of the 15th.While Munaf Patel and Pollard ended with four wickets each, it was Malinga’s over that turned the game in Mumbai Indians’ favour. While Malinga stood out with figures of 4-0-13-2 in a match where 367 runs were scored, it was Pollard who towered above everyone with his all-round performance.Pollard’s assault with the bat helped Mumbai Indians pull away from Rajasthan Royals after the visitors had clawed back with Brad Hogg’s two wickets in four balls. Pollard’s power also left an important innings from Ambati Rayudu in the shade.Pollard came in after Hogg, on IPL debut, had dismissed Rohit Sharma and Richard Levi with fizzing left-arm legbreaks. By the time he was dismissed, Pollard had carted Royals’ attack with 64, and Mumbai Indians had rocketed from 68 to 164 in the space of 52 balls.Pollard had no role to play in his first boundary, Hogg’s googly beating the batsman on the forward push and going between the wicketkeeper and first slip. It was Rayudu who took on Hogg in the 11th over, slog-sweeping for six over midwicket.Kevon Cooper’s meeting with his Trinidad & Tobago team-mate was much awaited, but Pollard lofted his first ball from his fellow allrounder for six over long-on. Still, Royals had somehow managed to keep the expected torrent of runs down and Mumbai Indians were going around eight an over after 13.Johan Botha came on in the 14th, and Pollard dispatched his first four balls for boundaries. Botha dragged the first delivery short, tossed the second one up and went wide of Pollard with the third. It made scarce difference to Pollard as he swung all three deliveries between deep midwicket and long-on. His power showed off the fourth ball as even a leading edge beat the sweeper to the deep extra cover rope.Twenty-three runs came off that Botha over, and the pressure on Royals had increased significantly. Pollard threatened to do an encore of the Botha over in the 17th against Ankeet Chavan, hitting his first delivery so hard that it deflected off the non-striker’s stumps to the straight boundary even as umpire Aleem Dar barely got out of the way. The next two balls also disappeared for boundaries but Pollard found long-on off the last ball.Harbhajan Singh ensured Mumbai Indians did not falter after Pollard’s departure and left Royals with a mountain to climb. Munaf removed Rahul Dravid and Shreevats Goswami off consecutive deliveries in the second over to make the ascent appear steeper.Shah and Ajinkya Rahane, though, almost did a Pollard-and-Rayudu with an 82-run stand off 57. Rahane signalled the start of the fightback with a chipped four over mid-off and a six over deep midwicket in Munaf’s next over.Shah put up a display of sustained calculated hitting, moving around in his crease and using the angle of the deliveries into him to swing for boundaries on the on side. Rahane’s fall off Pollard in the 12th over hardly mattered to Shah. Thirty-five runs came off the next two overs, bowled by Harbhajan and Pollard, the latter pulled and slogged for consecutive boundaries.The equation came down to 64 needed off 36. Harbhajan had saved two overs of Malinga for the death. He was forced to bring him on slightly earlier, but Malinga delivered immediately, Shah backing away too far outside leg to a yorker, which was right on off stump.Botha followed in the same over, and though Cooper and Ashok Menaria tried, Pollard struck thrice in the 18th over to ensure the night would be only his.

Lancashire survived a late onslaught from Graham Napier to secure a 28-run win over Essex at Old Trafford.

20-May-2012
ScorecardLancashire survived a late onslaught from Graham Napier to secure a 28-run win over Essex at Old Trafford. The result leaves Essex still looking for their first win in the competition, while Lancashire have now won their opening two matches.Stephen Moore, Steven Croft and Paul Horton all hit half-centuries as Lancashire posted 258 for 9 and Essex looked in trouble on 139 for 6 in the 28th over in reply before Napier smashed 51 in just 25 balls in a quick-fire 68-run partnership with Greg Smith to give them a fighting chance.Once Napier holed out to a brilliant catch from Croft, Smith continued the fightback with 44 from 40 deliveries. But, in the end, Essex fell short as they were bowled out for 230 with 15 balls left, Lightning spinner Gary Keedy claiming three for 49.Moore and Croft gave Lancashire a lightning start after winning the toss. They both brought up their half-centuries at faster than a run-a-ball, with Moore smashing a six off Tymal Mills to bring up their 100 partnership off 77 deliveries. Tom Craddock ended the 111-run stand when Moore was caught at cover by Smith for his 62 which came off just 50 deliveries.David Masters then struck twice in an over. First, Croft was trapped lbw for 53 and then Karl Brown chipped the ball to Mark Pettini for 15 as Lancashire slumped from 130 for 1 to 148 for 4. Horton, however, led the rebuilding with 54 from 53 balls.Lancashire continued to lose wickets regularly, with Masters finishing with 4 for 41 by adding the scalps of Stephen Parry and Horton and Napier seeing off Sajid Mahmood as he claimed 2 for 49.Alviro Petersen and Pettini made a bright start for Essex until Ajmal Shahzad claimed his first wicket at Old Trafford as a Lancashire player by bowling Petersen for 24. Pettini, who was dropped by Horton on nine, added just eight more as Parry took a difficult catch.After Tom Westley was involved in a mix up which saw Adam Wheater run out for a duck, he put on 56 with James Foster to keep Essex in the game before being caught on the boundary by Mahmood for 33.Foster made 41 before being bowled by Keedy, and when Michael Comber was run out for a duck two overs later, the game looked over. But Napier and Smith ensured Lancashire were tested to the end, with Mahmood suffering the brunt of their attack as his eight overs went for 60 runs.

Eric Simons has defended the decision to leave out Morne Morkel for their knockout clash against Chennai Super Kings, saying it was necessitated to maintain the balance of playing six batsmen, four bowlers and an allrounder

ESPNcricinfo staff26-May-2012Eric Simons, the Delhi Daredevils coach, has defended the decision to leave out Morne Morkel for their knockout clash against Chennai Super Kings, saying it was necessitated to maintain the balance of playing six batsmen, four bowlers and an allrounder. Daredevils were forced to replace their injured allrounder Irfan Pathan, but instead of swapping him for an Indian bowler, they brought in the West Indies allrounder Andre Russell. That meant one of the four foreigners had to make way, hence Morkel was benched.The decision was puzzling, considering Morkel has been their best bowler and held the Purple Cap for the most wickets (25) in the tournament. With another slot available, Daredevils picked the little-known Tamil Nadu offspinner Sunny Gupta over the left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem, who had impressed in the tournament earlier. The move backfired as Gupta leaked 47 off three overs as Super Kings blazed 222 to set up their 86-run win.”Irfan was pivotal to our team. When you lose Irfan you have to find the right balance,” Simons said. “We spend hours talking about these things – do you bring in Andre Russell, do you play just six batters? It’s dangerous to sit in a situation and completely judge on hindsight.”He (Russell) gave 30 in four overs, scored 16, could have had a catch taken. He made a good contribution. The nature of the IPL is trying to find the right balance. The direct replacement for Irfan was Russell but unfortunately that meant that Morne missed out.”Morkel said the plan was to beef up their spin attack. “Taking the pace off the ball was the key here, so they went with spinners,” Morkel told . “Umesh [Yadav] and Varun [Aaron] bowled well. But unfortunately, we didn’t win.”Simons admitted that playing a debutant, Gupta, in such a crucial match was a risk, but the decision was based on Super Kings’ batting composition.”Sunny was a risk. They (Super Kings) are a well-balanced side with four left-handers and four right-handers and we had to play someone who takes the ball away (from the left-handers),” Simons said. “We’ve been very successful chasing. Had we restricted them to 180 we would have got it.”Simons gave credit to Super Kings, saying the better-balanced side won. “They sneaked into the playoffs by probably their own admission. They’re so well balanced. They started to come together from the playoffs and that’s the sign of champions. M Vijay (who scored 113) played an incredible innings.”Daredevils held the pole position in the points table for most of the tournament but stumbled in the playoffs, losing to Kolkata Knight Riders and now Super Kings. Simons said there were plenty of positives, particularly in the bowling and praised two uncapped Indian spinners, Pawan Negi and Nadeem.”Negi did nicely, Nadeem did well. In that aspect we have moved well. I’m actually quite happy with the way Umesh has bowled. Morne as moved on as a Twenty20 bowler.”

Tim Murtagh is hoping to take his chance for international cricket with Ireland, starting with the visit of Australia to Belfast

Daniel Brettig15-Jun-2012As a travelling spectator during the last Ashes series, Tim Murtagh watched James Anderson’s dismantling of Australia’s batting with no little awe. Called up to play for Ireland against the Australians in an ODI in Belfast on June 23, Murtagh now has the chance to emulate Anderson – and he has happy memories of a past meeting with Michael Clarke and company to aid his search for wickets.Murtagh, 30, qualified for Ireland via his grandparents, leaving the move until a point in his career when he knew that an England call-up was out of the question. He had played for England at Under-19s level in 1999 but his medium-fast swing and seam has not caught the attention of the ECB since. England’s oversight is Ireland’s gain, at a time when Murtagh feels he is putting the ball more or less where he wants to.”I played Under-19s and I had no contact or been selected for any squad after that, so my chance is gone now, it probably disappeared a few years ago,” Murtagh told ESPNcricinfo. “They’re a very strong team, but certainly having grown up through the age groups, starting at Surrey and moving to Middlesex, I had ambitions to play for England. But it’s obvious they didn’t want to utilise my services, so the Ireland thing came in. I probably should’ve done it a few years ago if I’m honest. It’ll be a great opportunity to play international cricket.”I’m a much better bowler now than I was four or five years ago … all bowlers get to a certain stage where you start to know your game a lot better than you did as a youngster and just feel more confident because of that. Over the last few weeks my bowling has felt in really good rhythm, so hopefully leading into that Australia game I’m peaking at the right time. The last couple of years I’ve bowled better than at any stage of my career, so that’s some confidence I can take into the game in Belfast.”Murtagh’s interest in the England team extended to a visit to Australia for the Ashes of 2010-11, where he watched Anderson intently. Clarke, Ricky Ponting and others struggled to counter Anderson’s swing and accuracy, leaving Murtagh with hope that he could do something similar on what may prove to be a seaming Stormont pitch, given the rain that has drenched the UK and Ireland so far this summer. Murtagh is also bolstered by a tour match during Australia’s 2010 ODI visit, in which he deceived Clarke and Ponting and returned a snappy 3 for 43.”Any time you get Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, guys like that out, it sticks in your memory,” Murtagh said. “It was a game I enjoyed. It was their first game in England for that ODI tour and they were a little rusty, and hopefully it will be more of the same [this time]. The Aussies will have come from back home from a series in the Caribbean, so it’ll take them some time to adjust back to English conditions and hopefully that’s something we can exploit in the game in Belfast.”They’re world-class players, but if we can catch them a little bit on the hop, it does take time to get used to conditions, especially with the amount of rain and dampness we’ve had around in the early part of summer, it might just take them a little bit of time to get used to that. We’ll have a team meeting and go through specific plans to all these guys, we’ve been sent footage of all the players from Cricket Ireland just to have a look through and start thinking about it.”Ireland’s summer is building towards the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, but there is also the 2015 World Cup beyond. Murtagh said the team he had joined in camp in Dubai earlier this year was growing from a group “punching above their weight” to one that will become a genuine international force. The match against Australia will provide a useful measure of that growth.”The last few years watching them, they’ve punched above their weight and taken down some pretty big scalps in world cricket,” Murtagh said. “I think now having spent a bit of time out with them in Dubai, they’ve got some genuinely top-class players. I know from first-hand experience Paul Stirling, who’s at Middlesex as well, is I think one of the best T20 players going around at the moment and I’d be very surprised if someone doesn’t snap him up in the IPL in years to come.”We’ve got two games against Afghanistan in the summer as well, after the Australia game, and the points in those games will go towards that 2015 World Cup. Those are two very important games. Irish cricket wants to compete on the biggest stage now, qualifying for the T20 in Sri Lanka later this year is a massive thing, but that tournament in 2015 will be a massive thing as well. There’s some genuine top-class players that can perhaps prove a few people wrong and provide a few upsets in the years to come.”