In every sports competition in the world, fans of one team will claim another team gets more favourable treatment than their own, whether it’s selection in representative teams, concessions regarding player salaries or favourable refereeing decisions. Cricket in Australia is no different. The dawn of summer is almost inevitably accompanied by bleating, generally from Victorian fans, about how players from New South Wales are more likely to be selected in the national team than players from other states. This opinion found a voice in David Hookes, who claimed:

"When they give out the baggy blue cap in New South Wales, they give you a baggy green one in a brown paper bag as well to save making two presentations."

It’s about time we put this idea to the test. Since the 1977/78 season, all 6 Australian states have played in the Sheffield Shield, Australia’s domestic first-class cricket competition. Since 1982/83, the season has culminated in a grand final (previous to this the winner was determined league style by whoever won the most throughout the season). I will use data from 1982/83 till now for consistency and so that all states are represented. The following table shows the players who have debuted for Australia since the start of the 1982/83 season, the state they were playing for at the time of their debut, and the number of Tests they played throughout their career.
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Player	Years	Tests	State		Player	Years	Tests	State
Carl Rackemann	1982–91	12	Qld		Matthew Elliott	1996–2004	21	Vic
Kepler Wessels	1982–85	24	Qld		Michael Kasprowicz	1996–2006	38	Qld
Tom Hogan	1983–84	7	WA		Jason Gillespie	1996–2006	71	SA
Roger Woolley	1983–84	2	Tas		Andy Bichel	1997–2003	19	Qld
Wayne B. Phillips	1983–86	27	SA		Shaun Young	1997	1	Tas
John Maguire	1983–84	3	Qld		Simon Cook	1997	2	NSW
Greg Matthews	1983–93	33	NSW		Stuart MacGill	1998–2008	44	NSW
Steve Smith	1984	3	NSW		Gavin Robertson	1998	4	NSW
Dean Jones	1984–92	52	Vic		Paul Wilson	1998	1	SA
David Boon	1984–96	107	Tas		Adam Dale	1998–99	2	Qld
Bob Holland	1984–86	11	NSW		Darren Lehmann	1998–2004	27	SA
Murray Bennett	1984–85	3	NSW		Colin Miller	1998–2001	18	Tas
Craig McDermott	1984–96	71	Qld		Matthew Nicholson	1998	1	WA
Simon O'Donnell	1985	6	Vic		Adam Gilchrist	1999–2008	96	WA
Dave Gilbert	1985–86	9	NSW		Scott Muller	1999	2	Qld
Robbie Kerr	1985	2	Qld		Brett Lee	1999–2010	76	NSW
Merv Hughes	1985–94	53	Vic		Simon Katich	2001–	56	WA
Geoff Marsh	1985–92	50	WA		Martin Love	2002–03	5	Qld
Bruce Reid	1985–92	27	WA		Brad Williams	2003–04	4	WA
Steve Waugh	1985–2004	168	NSW		Nathan Bracken	2003–05	5	NSW
Simon Davis	1986	1	Vic		Andrew Symonds	2004–09	26	Qld
Tim Zoehrer	1986–87	10	WA		Michael Clarke	2004–	67	NSW
Chris Matthews	1986–88	3	WA		Nathan Hauritz	2004–	17	Qld
Greg Dyer	1986–88	6	NSW		Shane Watson	2005–	25	Qld
Peter Taylor	1987–91	13	NSW		Shaun Tait	2005–08	3	SA
Mike Veletta	1987–90	8	WA		Michael Hussey	2005–	57	WA
Tim May	1987–95	24	SA		Brad Hodge	2005-08	6	Vic
Tony Dodemaide	1987–92	10	Vic		Phil Jaques	2005–08	11	NSW
Ian Healy	1988–99	119	Qld		Stuart Clark	2006–09	24	NSW
Trevor Hohns	1989	7	Qld		Dan Cullen	2006	1	SA
Mark Taylor	1989–99	104	NSW		Mitchell Johnson	2007–	40	Qld
Greg Campbell	1989–90	4	Tas		Chris Rogers	2008	1	WA
Tom Moody	1989–92	8	WA		Brad Haddin	2008–	30	NSW
Mark Waugh	1991–2002	128	NSW		Beau Casson	2008	1	NSW
Shane Warne	1992–2007	145	Vic		Cameron White	2008–09	4	Vic
Wayne N. Phillips	1992	1	Vic		Peter Siddle	2008–	20	Vic
Paul Reiffel	1992–98	35	Vic		Jason Krejza	2008	2	Tas
Damien Martyn	1992–2006	67	WA		Doug Bollinger	2009–	12	NSW
Justin Langer	1993–2007	105	WA		Andrew McDonald	2009	4	Vic
Jo Angel	1993–95	4	WA		Ben Hilfenhaus	2009–	15	Tas
Michael Slater	1993–2001	74	NSW		Phillip Hughes	2009–	8	NSW
Brendon Julian	1993–95	7	WA		Marcus North	2009–	21	WA
Glenn McGrath	1993–2007	124	NSW		Bryce McGain	2009	1	Vic
Matthew Hayden	1994–2009	103	Qld		Graham Manou	2009	1	SA
Michael Bevan	1994–98	18	NSW		Clint McKay	2009	1	Vic
Damien Fleming	1994–2001	20	Vic		Ryan Harris	2010–	4	SA
Phil Emery	1994	1	NSW		Tim Paine	2010	4	Tas
Greg Blewett	1995–2000	46	SA		Steven Smith	2010–	3	NSW
Peter McIntyre	1995–96	2	SA		Peter George	2010–	1	SA
Stuart Law	1995	1	Qld		Xavier Doherty	2010	2	Tas
Ricky Ponting	1995–	151	Tas		Michael Beer	2011–	1	WA
Brad Hogg	1996–2008	7	WA		Usman Khawaja	2011–	1	NSW

Of the 104 players who debuted after 1982/83, 28 were playing for NSW when they were first picked for Australia (27% of the new players).

	Players	Percentage
NSW	28	27%
WA	20	19%
Qld	18	17%
Vic	16	15%
Tas	10	10%
SA	12	12%

Clearly NSW players have played more Tests. But is this unreasonable? There are two measures we can look at here. Sheffield Shield results and state populations. The following shows the results of the Shield since 1982/83.

Season	Winner	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth	Sixth		Season	Winner	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth	Sixth
1982–83	NSW	WA	SA	Tas	Qld	Vic		1997–98	WA	Tas	Qld	NSW	Vic	SA
1983–84	WA	Qld	Tas	NSW	SA	Vic		1998–99	WA	Qld	Vic	SA	Tas	NSW
1984–85	NSW	Qld	SA	WA	Vic	Tas		1999-00	Qld	Vic	WA	SA	Tas	NSW
1985–86	NSW	Qld	Vic	WA	SA	Tas		2000–01	Qld	Vic	NSW	Tas	WA	SA
1986–87	WA	Vic	Qld	SA	NSW	Tas		2001–02	Qld	Tas	WA	SA	Vic	NSW
1987–88	WA	Qld	NSW	Vic	SA	Tas		2002–03	NSW	Qld	Vic	SA	WA	Tas
1988–89	WA	SA	Qld	NSW	Tas	Vic		2003–04	Vic	Qld	Tas	WA	NSW	SA
1989–90	NSW	Qld	SA	Tas	WA	Vic		2004–05	NSW	Qld	WA	Vic	SA	Tas
1990–91	Vic	NSW	Qld	WA	SA	Tas		2005–06	Qld	Vic	SA	Tas	WA	NSW
1991–92	WA	NSW	Vic	Qld	SA	Tas		2006–07	Tas	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA
1992–93	NSW	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	Vic		2007–08	NSW	Vic	WA	Tas	SA	Qld
1993–94	NSW	Tas	WA	Vic	SA	Qld		2008–09	Vic	Qld	SA	Tas	WA	NSW
1994–95	Qld	SA	Vic	WA	NSW	Tas		2009–10	Vic	Qld	NSW	WA	Tas	SA
1995–96	SA	WA	Qld	Tas	NSW	Vic		2001–11	Tas	NSW	Qld	WA	Vic	SA
1996–97	Qld	WA	NSW	Tas	Vic	SA

NSW has won 9 Shields, ahead of WA’s 7. If you look at the percentage of Shield wins per state and compare this to the number of players picked for Australia from that state, you will notice that these results are remarkably similar. Is it any surprise that the most successful team over this time has more players picked for representative honours? If you look at all the Tests played since 82/83, 34% of the Test positions up for grabs were occupied by NSW players, and the order of states is exactly the same as the order for number of Shield wins. This is strong evidence that rather than a selection bias, players are being picked either because they are the best players or because they have been a part of successful teams.

	Players			Tests			Shield wins
NSW	28	27%		983	34%		9	31%
WA	20	19%		540	18%		7	24%
Qld	18	17%		516	18%		6	21%
Vic	16	15%		380	13%		4	14%
Tas	10	10%		306	10%		2	7%
SA	12	12%		208	7%		1	3%

The second way to look at this is by state population. I don’t particularly like this method because sportsmen, especially in this professional age, move teams for many reasons, including for better opportunities and more pay, and don’t necessarily play for the state of their birth. The most populous state is not necessarily going to have the best team. But because this is often the first measure people look to when analysing team results (for example, Olympic results), and because arguably a larger population means a bigger economy and therefore more money flowing through the team, we shall include some analysis. Since 1982, NSW (+ACT) has averaged 36% of the total population of the states (excluding Northern Territory). Again, this matches quite closely the number of players picked for Australia – indeed, you might argue that more players from NSW should have been picked. It would be by this measure that Victorians may claim some bias.

	Population	Shield Wins
NSW + ACT	36%	31%
Vic	25%	14%
Qld	18%	21%
WA	10%	24%
Tas	3%	7%
SA	8%	3%

Finally, let’s look at the one-test wonders – the players who only played one test.

	One Test wonders
NSW	3
WA	3
Qld	1
Vic	4
Tas	1
SA	4

Victoria and SA share this honour with 4 one-test wonders – and this is possibly why David Hookes, of SA stock and coach of Victoria after his retirement, was cranky. In the case of SA, this is a third of their players who have made their debut since 1982/83 – indeed, 7 of their 12 Test players did not play more than 4 Tests. Tasmanian players also fair poorly in this regard, with 6 of their 10 players playing no more than 4 Tests – Tasmanian results are severely skewed by Ponting’s 151 and Boon’s 107 Tests.

No matter what state a Test player is from, he has roughly the same chance of playing 15 or more Tests. Thus the data does not support the idea that selectors are more likely to stick with NSW players through a patch of poor form.

	Percentage of state Test players (15+ Tests)
NSW	43%
WA	40%
Qld	56%
Vic	44%
Tas	40%
SA	42%

I would be interested to hear your thoughts regarding this – I know it can stir some passions. But the data would suggest that there is no unfair bias towards NSW.

Further thoughts:

• I have made no attempt to look at players moving state during their careers. Simon Katich, for instance, had a career revival when playing for NSW, even though he was originally picked for Australia when playing for WA. Nathan Hauritz similarly had his fortunes revived when playing for NSW, even though he debuted when playing for Queensland. There are also many examples of this working the other way – Jason Krejza moved to Tasmania, and Adam Gilchrist to WA, both from NSW and then made their debut. Even Don Bradman first played for NSW before an ongoing career with SA.
• You could do the same analysis if you have time and patience on your hands for one-day and Twenty20 cricket.
• It was quite difficult in some cases to track which state a player was playing for when they made their Australian debut, especially if they moved state soon after. I have put the data here (some of the array formulae don't work in Google docs, and I have stripped out the macros, but you can redo them). If I have made a mistake, let me know!

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The best of the action from the second round of the 2011 County Championship. Updates thoughout the day and click here for scores

6.40pm: A round-up of scores before we close for the day, comments will be open over the weekend if you fancy carrying on discussing the games:

Leics 230 & 4/0 v Derbyshire 439/9d
Glamorgan 202 & 185/3 v Gloucs 188
Middlesex 277 v Essex 115 & 215 (f/o)
Kent 202 v Northants 429/7
Hampshire 218 v Notts 293/9
Warwickshire 642 v Somerset 147/6
Durham 327 & 64/3 v Yorkshire 149

5.08pm: Trent Bridge has brought some food for thought for the England selectors: a Samit Patel hundred, a somewhat slimmed-down Patel, too, yet again reviving hopes that he might address the fitness issues that have stalled his international career, writes David Hopps.
Patel's hundred had a large slice of fortune. He was dropped four times in the slips, three times by Neil McKenzie, the last of them off Friedel de Wet when he was in the 90s. He was not cowed by that in a second fifty that came at almost a run a ball and struck Danny Briggs for a straight six before hooking De Wet for another boundary and celebrating his hundred with a leap in the air that told of his new-found athleticism.
 
Cricket might never have taken root at Trent Bridge if William Clarke, who was later to become the founder of the All England XI, had not taken a shine to the widowed landlady of the Trent Bridge Inn, married her and decided that the spare land at the back of the pub would make a wonderful cricket ground.
 
Trent Bridge has become one of England's best-loved grounds, but in recent years The World Renowned Trent Bridge Inn, as it proclaims itself, had become an eyesore.  But better times lie ahead for one of cricket's most famous hostelries; it has been bought by Wetherspoons and will reopen as a cricket-themed pub in late May.
 
For once, the cries of "waiting" that could be heard on an overcast day came not just from batsmen contending with a difficult early-season pitch but from builders hauling equipment onto scaffolding. Nottinghamshire had toyed with the idea of trying to purchase the inn and demolish it, so removing a piece of history for the sake of another 1,000 on their ground's capacity. As enlightened as their development of Trent Bridge has been, William Clarke, described by John Arlott as "the first man to make a fortune out of cricket" would drink to that.

4.25pm: A (very) small amount of good news for Yorkshire: their total was revised upwards to 149, so Durham's lead was adjusted down to 178.

4.14pm: For the second time in as many Championship matches this season, Durham have earned the right to make their opponents follow on - and decided not to bother, writes Andy Wilson at Headingley. Just as at Hampshire last week, although this time under a different captain (Benkenstein rather than Mustard), they will first try to bat Yorkshire completely out of the game, and then hope to bowl them out for a second time - but this time, Durham regulars suggest, on a pitch that is already offering more help to messrs Blackwell and Borthwick than the Rose Bowl track that flattened into a shirt front.

It's funny to think that the afternoon session began with Yorkshire 93 for two, and apparently well set to make progress towards Durham's 327. But then their captain Andrew Gale played an appalling shot at Graham Onions to spark a collapse, with the last eight wickets falling for 47 - 16 of those from the last pair of Brophy and Ashraf.

Onions ended with five for 51 from 15 overs, an outstanding return after so long out, and was generously applauded to the pavilion by Yorkshire's players and members, as well as his own team-mates.

3.46pm: Warwickshire were finally dismissed for 642, 142 better than they have ever made at Taunton before, writes Mike Averis, and are now making about three appeals an over as their bowlers get the ball to do things Somerset found impossible.

With 10 on the board, Trescothick was still to score having played and missed or "left" either Woakes or Andrew Miller half a dozen times. After 21 balls the former England opener finally got off the mark with elegant boundaries either side of the wicket, before playing and missing again.

After eight overs Somerset are 31-0 with Arul Suppiah surviving a big appeal for caught behind.

2.59pm: Graham Onions has just taken his sweater with figures of four for 40, having seized the advantage for Durham in this absorbing northern battle, writes Andy Wilson at Headingley. Onions, playing his first senior game after 16 months of injury misery - full circumstances explained below, and yesterday, and in various previews over the last couple of weeks - fired out Andrew Gale, Jonathan Bairstow and Joe Root in consecutive overs as Yorkshire slipped from 100 for two to 113 for five.

It was high-class stuff in front of the watching England selector James Whitaker, especially considering Onions was obviously feeling his way back as he has so far bowled seven no-balls in his 11 overs.

He was given a big helping hand by Gale, just as he had been by Adam Lyth for his first wicket with his second ball of the season, as the Yorkshire captain top-edged a misguided pull to Ian Blackwell at mid on. But the next two scalps were earned not gifted, with Bairstow lbw and Root edging a late outswinger which the debutant wicket-keeper Michael Richardson did well to take.

Root had done more than enough to underline his promise by grafting to 45 with a couple of stylish boundaries, but Yorkshire are now looking to Gerard Brophy to rescue them for the second time in consecutive Championship matches.

2.38pm: Only 11 overs after lunch and the records keep coming, writes Mike Averis. A full toss from Mendis not only brought up Warwickshire's 600 – by 100 runs their best score at Taunton – but also the Sri Lankan spinner's worst figures in his first class career – 173 for two in 39 overs.

With Woakes making his third championship century, Trescothick's decision to ask Warwickshire to bat will take some explaining. The only good news for Somerset is that Woakes has gone for 129, mistiming a drive to mid-off.

1.57pm: Adeel Shafique, Notts' academy wicketkeeper, continues to keep wicket for Hampshire at the start of the afternoon session against Notts at Trent Bridge, writes David Hopps. This news goes under the classification of something I should have told you earlier if only I had found the time.

Hampshire's wicketkeeper Nic Pothas plays no further part after injuring a calf on the opening day and after clearance from the ECB Shafique gets a chance to step in until Hampshire's reserve keeper Michael Bates makes it to Nottingham from the south coast. Not the best time for the M1 to be closed and presumably clog up traffic in all directions.

Notts will have to negotiate a post-lunch spell from David Griffiths before they begin to feel settled. Griffiths bowled both Notts openers and had Samit Patel dropped in the slips on 0 and 9, firstly by Dominic Cork and then by Neil McKenzie. Alex Hales was also dropped by Cork, this time probably unnerved by the suggestion that McKenzie might go for the catch. That edge was forced by Freidel de Wet who then gave up the unequal struggle of bowling for slip catches and knocked out Hales's leg stump instead.

12.34pm: David Hopps writes: This is how hants_cricket told the story of the Trent Bridge morning so far on Twitter
 
BREAKING NEWS: David Griffiths has conceded a run, an Alex Hales single, after a succession of unplayable brilliance. (4-3-1-2). Notts 44-2
 
That sums it up really. Griffiths has produced an excellent morning's under thickening Trent Bridge cloud cover, bowling Nottinghamshire's experimental opening pair of Paul Franks and Mark Wagh and repeatedly passing the bat. He has also just had Samit Patel dropped at second slip by Neil McKenzie, a chance that he made look more difficult than it really was. Patel and Alex Hales are digging in for Nottinghamshire in the expectation that conditions will ease this afternoon. Griffiths' spell stands at 8-3-14-2 and Notts are 63-2 in reply to Hants' 218.

12.30pm: Ten overs into the day and Chopra went to his maiden double century, having added 26 to his overnight 174 in rapid time, writes Mike Averis at Taunton. He and Woakes were going along at just under seven an over when the opener, who managed only 409 runs in the entire championship last season, edged Hussain to third man for two.
The 200 took 330 deliveries, starting carefully but going on to add 30 boundaries, three of them sixes. Unfortunately the innings didn't last much longer.
Ajantha Mendis, so expensive and so obviously rusty yesterday, first baffled Woakes with balls that turned away from the right hander, then trapped Chopra lbw with one that came back. The stand had put on 123.

12.20pm: An unusual story from t'other side of the Pennines, in fact the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, about the Surrey opener Michael Brown taking over as chairman of Burnley CC, writes Andy Wilson at Headingley. Brown, who is one of six players in the last 15 years to make it into county cricket from the Turf Moor club - most famously James Anderson - hopes to tap into some of his former colleagues on the Stock Exchange to give the finances a boost.

"We are not talking a lot of money in the general scheme of things," said Brown. "But it is difficult for all clubs, not just cricket clubs. The culture is changing. People don't drink in the clubs any more and even the players' attitudes are changing. When I was coming through the ranks the players used to go into the bar after nets and have a couple of pints - you look now and the club is not even open. There needs to be a change, clubs need to be multi-purpose, not just a bar. You look at the likes of Rawtenstall where they have the clubhouse and the functions. You can't just rely on people to come in."

He has already sent Anderson advance notice that he'll be mithering for some practical support.

Yorkshire 46-2 here, Plunkett has taken over from Onions whose figures of 6-1-25-1 included six no-balls, which cost a total of 16 runs, for reasons explained by the anoraks who lurk below the line. Elsewhere Alastair Cook gone for 19 to Corey Collymore as Essex have slumped to 63-4 against Middlesex at Lord's, with no wickets yet for Steven Finn.

12.17pm: David Hopps has some news on New Zealand's latest appointment:

John Buchanan, a cricket coach variously described in his time as a genius or a charlatan. Buchanan has been confirmed as New Zealand's director of cricket and will take over the role in May. This new post puts him in charge of New Zealand's high-performance programme and he will also oversee the selection panel and implement a new system to identify emerging talent.

This is Buchanan's first major international job since he resigned as Australia's coach following the 2007 World Cup win, although he did have an unsuccessful stint in the IPL with Kolkata Knight Riders where he decided to implement a whole series of captains because of the fast nature of Twenty20. Suggesting to Soarav Ganguly, Lord High Everything in Kolkata, that he might like to limit his captaincy input to, say, setting the field in the first 10 overs, did not go down well. Shane Warne was among those who treated him with derision and that is putting it kindly.

 Despite this, nobody can question his record. He was in charge of a great Australian side that during his eight years that brought them three World Cups and a record 16 consecutive Test victories. He also coached Queensland to their first Sheffield Shield title.
"John's appointment is an exciting one for New Zealand Cricket," NZC's chief executive Justin Vaughan said. "He has a great cricketing pedigree and will provide outstanding leadership as NZC look to move forward."

One thing is certain: the ECB will no longer be calling up Buchanan for a summer brainstorming session.

11.52am: Day two started only 16 minutes late and with Somerset in an obvious hurry, writes Mike Averis at Taunton. Otherwise, how do you explain Marcus Trescothick helping to push the covers from the wicket and Craig Kieswetter driving the ground-staff tractor. Unfortunately Chopra had a similar mind set, taking nine off Charl Willoughby's first over - two off the first ball and a sweet cover-driven four to round things off.

Woakes twice played and missed against the South Africa, then after warming up with a few fours to third man off Gemaal Hussain, belted Willoughby through the covers to go to 50 from 46 balls with eight boundaries. The first seven overs have produced 40.

11.28am:Ten minutes before the start of the second day at Taunton the covers were back on and it's spitting with rain, writes Mike Averis. There was some heavy stuff early on, but we seemed set until the clouds rolled in. However, the umpires and the ground staff are in the middle suggesting that if there is a delay it will be a short and that Varun Chopra and Chris Woakes will soon be adding to the overnight score of 416 for six - 174 of them to Chopra.

11.26am: A dream return for Graham Onions, writes Andy Wilson at Headingley. He was given the new ball from the Kirkstall Lane end by the acting Durham captain, Dale Benkenstein, and after a sight-setter angled harmlessly across Yorkshire's left-handed opener Adam Lyth, the Whitby dasher tried to pull the next ball, got a bit tucked up, and picked out Ben Stokes just in front of square on the leg side. Joy unconfined for Onions and his team-mates. Yorkshire, replaying to Durham's total of 327, were 0-1.

Anthony McGrath has joined Joe Root, Yorkshire's bright batting hope for 2011 - aiming to replicate the impact Lyth made last year, no doubt - and Callum Thorp is sharing the new ball with Onions, leaving Liam Plunkett to come on first change.

10.51am: Another prompt start here, with the clouds a little higher than they were yesterday, writes Andy Wilson at Headingley, and Yorkshire and Durham staging some lengthy pre-match entertainment before Leeds face Huddersfield in the Super League on the other side of the Rugby Stand tonight. Graham Onions will start the day with his pads on, having picked up for Durham where he left off for England as a stubborn No11 as if the last 16 miserable months had never happened, but there will be much more interest in how he bowls. Talking of Durham seamers, and a quick word for Liam Plunkett – the new edition of Wisden provides a handy reminder of how badly his batting form fell away last season, but he's rediscovered his all-round ability with an excellent unbeaten 64 here.

Durham's overnight total of 326 for nine represents a fine recovery after their slipped to 134 for six shortly after lunch, and as well as Plunkett, their debutant wicket-keeper Michael Richardson deserves the lion's share of the credit. Richardson, the 24-year-old son of the former South Africa wicket keeper Dave, has been living in England for the best part of a decade, studying at Stonyhurst College near Blackburn then Nottingham University, and spending a couple of years at Lord's with the MCC Young Cricketers before joining the Durham staff last summer. When grilled last night, he confirmed that he intends to complete his residential qualification to play for England, which has been delayed after he spent one winter playing domestic cricket in South Africa, meaning he is relying on his mother's German heritage to play for the moment. Wonder how Richardson senior would feel about his boy 'keeping for England? And this morning's quiz question, how about fathers and sons who have represented different countries in international cricket?

Another quick quote from Wisden, and David Warner's Yorkshire review. "The more rounded a cricketer Adil Rashid becomes, the less interested England seem to show in him." Always a good read.

10.48am: We've got a press release through from the ECB on Paul Collingwood's fitness:

England and Durham all rounder Paul Collingwood has successfully undergone routine arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to remove 'loose bodies' and correct cartilage damage.

Collingwood will begin his recovery and rehabilitation period with Durham CCC and is expected to be available for Durham ahead of the NatWest International T20 and ODI series against Sri Lanka in June.

10.44am: There is the mouthwatering prospect of watching the new ever-so-slightly slimline Samit Patel have his first bat of the season for Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge today, writes David Hopps. He abounds with talent, was in great nick on Notts' pre-season jaunt to Abu Dhabi, and I'm looking forward to it.

Andy Wilson sounded convinced that Patel has slimmed down in his piece on Wednesday and he certainly does seem to have shed a few pounds. In an effort to find out exactly how much weight he had shed, I buttonholed Notts' chief executive Derek Brewer and media manager Michael Temple. "It's not something we want to quantify in pounds and ounces," said Temple, who has thereby become the early favourite in the Media Manager Quote Of The Year award.

Neither is there much quantifying going on from Notts in kilos, waist-size or indeed in litres of lost body fluids every time somebody utters the word "beep test." Suffice to say that Patel looks as if he has gone from woefully overweight to potentially not far from the range where he might begin to interest England again. But England's interest depends not just on weight but a minimum level of fitness and on that the situation is less clear. They did not call him up for the World Cup when Michael Yardy returned home with clinical depression, but opted for Adil Rashid instead. And Samit only had to make the four-hour hop from Abu Dhabi to Colombo.
 
Patel's weight readings have been a source of much amusement whenever the Cricketers' Who's Who comes round. He was officially recorded as 12st 7lbs in 2008 and then made a quite miraculous drop to 12st a year later when presumably he had one foot on the floor or there was a certain amount of PR involved in the reading. In 2010, I'm told, his weight was not recorded, presumably because by then it had become a source of national debate or because it was ballooning around dramatically depending on whether the ECB was due to make a visit. So if Who's Who records him at, say, 14st 7lbs next season, his slimming-down efforts will have been so successful that the figures available will actually suggest that he has put on two-and-a-half stone. He will then become the first cricketer ever to officially put on weight after a successful diet.
 
I must admit that I am wary of Patel dietary stories. I penned a "I've given up the chocolate for good" story two or three years ago, only for Samit to be discovered a few weeks later by the match umpires before start of play lurking in a dark corner of McDonalds, just across from the ground. He had said nothing about giving up cheeseburgers and milkshakes.
 
But even that did not match the day that I interviewed Freddie Flintoff in Cheshire on how he was going to cut back on the booze. Immediately after I had turned off the recorder, Freddie jumped into his car and roared out of the drive in the general direction of Manchester. He could feel a thirst coming on. At about 3am he was snapped by a News of the World photographer stumbling across a dance floor, somewhat the worst for wear. It was roughly four hours before anybody read his blithe assurances in the Guardian that he would never drink again. The News of the World told a different story 24 hours later.

10.15am: Some early reading for you before play gets under way: a Small Talk with Michael Holding, in which he discusses intimidating opponents, why there are few great fast bowlers these days, and Caribbean Christmases, among other things.

9.20am: The second round of County Championship games continues today:

Andy Wilson is at Headingley, David Hopps is at Trent Bridge and Mike Averis at Taunton.

A preview of all the counties can be found here.

You can find full fixture lists for the season here.

And you can follow the action throughout the season here.

And there's county cricket commentaries on BBC local radio here.

County tables can be found here: Division One and Division Two

You can follow our cricket team here and on Twitter: David Hopps, Andy Wilson, Andy Bull and Steve Busfield.

The fourth year of the much-hyped Indian Premier League launches at the same time as the English domestic season. Who will win this year's T20 jamboree?

For those of us relishing the start of the English county cricket season on Friday morning – in my case at Aigburth, an attractive club ground in the southern suburbs of Liverpool, where Lancashire will be playing Sussex – it is hard to imagine what awaits our Indian counterparts in Chennai a few hours later.

It isn't the first time that the opening round of Championship fixtures have clashed with launch night for the Indian Premier League, inviting unflattering comparisons between three bearded men and a dog shivering in the European spring – cricket's past, most would be expected to conclude – and the spectacular scenes on the subcontinent that represent its present and future.

But the county game stumbles on endearingly – with the success of our County Cricket Live! blog last summer offering reassuring and tangible evidence of that – while the anticipation for IPL4 must presumably be at record levels now that every game will include a clutch of World Cup winners.

Launch night could easily be rebranded What Dhoni Does Next, as the captain and six-hitting hero returns to the Chennai Super Kings franchise which he also led to glory in IPL3. They face Kolkata Knight Riders in the opener, pitting the most consistent team over the first three seasons against IPL's most mocked under-achievers.

As an IPL ignoramus, it came as a pleasant surprise to discover that Dav Whatmore – a man who will have some fond memories of Aigburth himself, as a former Lancashire coach – has found himself a role in cricket's most lucrative competition. He is now in charge of the Knight Riders, who have a new look this year having discarded a less-fondly remembered Red Rose old boy – Sourav Ganguly – and spent big to sign Gautam Gambhir as the new captain.

So in the absence of a team from Ahmedabad – the Manchester of India, the guidebooks told me when I arrived there for the first game of the 1996 World Cup, although sadly we don't have an equivalent of Gandhi's Ashram on the Irwell – I'm going to adopt Kolkata as my IPL team for the season in an effort to get more worked up about it.

Those English journalists who had the foresight to get themselves out to the IPL when it was launched describe it as an unforgettable experience, and the idea of zipping about between Kolkata, Chennai, Jaipur and now Kochi to cover big-time cricket sounds intoxicating. The only reservation I'd have is about the cricket itself.

Twenty20 is OK as far as it goes, but I wonder whether the IPL might suffer slightly this time around as those millions of Indian fans who were so absorbed by the twists and turns of 50-over cricket during their heroes' World Cup triumphs feel a bit short-changed by the comparatively relentless crash-bang-wallop of 70-odd 20-over matches.

Doubtless the readers of this ramble will be much better-qualified than me to comment on that. And for that matter on the likely successes and failures of IPL4.

Are Dhoni's Super Kings a good bet to retain their title, with other cool customers on and off the field in Mike Hussey and the coach Stephen Fleming, or might the injuries to Dwayne Bravo and Doug Bollinger knock them off course?

Maintaining the parochial Lancastrian theme, Faf du Plessis could be a very popular import, as he showed with some handy innings and his brilliant fielding for South Africa during the World Cup. It's funny to think that this time last year he was preparing to play club cricket for Ramsbottom, where he had his wallet pinched from the dressing room during his debut.

Maybe Mumbai and Sachin Tendulkar can gain revenge for their defeat by Chennai and Dhoni in last year's final? That must be another of the great appeals of IPL – in Australian rugby league, the initial success of the State of Origin series between Queensland and New South Wales was largely down to the "State against State, mate against mate" brutality, although it would be a surprise to see the saintly Sachin laying into his World Cup captain as Arthur Beetson famously did to his Parramatta team-mate Mick Cronin in 1980.

Sorry for that diversion. Can Daniel Vettori lead Bangalore to glory, fired by Virat Kohli's runs? With Dimitri Mascarenhas now withdrawing from the Kings XI Punjab, and Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen also injured, will any English player other than the Kolkata-bound Eoin Morgan actually take the field? How much of a threat will a 41-year-old Shane Warne pose for the Rajasthan Royals? (And as a side issue, how many games will Nayan Doshi, a little-known left arm spinner formerly of Surrey and Derbyshire, play)

How will the two new franchises do? Each has invested in an inspirational leader – Yuvraj Singh in Pune, and Mahela Jayawardene for the Tuskers down in Kerala. Oh to be in Kochi for their opening game against Bangalore on Saturday.

Now it's over to you. I'm off to Aigburth for a nice quiet day in the County Championship.

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In every sports competition in the world, fans of one team will claim another team gets more favourable treatment than their own, whether it’s selection in representative teams, concessions regarding player salaries or favourable refereeing decisions. Cricket in Australia is no different. The dawn of summer is almost inevitably accompanied by bleating, generally from Victorian fans, about how players from New South Wales are more likely to be selected in the national team than players from other states. This opinion found a voice in David Hookes, who claimed:

"When they give out the baggy blue cap in New South Wales, they give you a baggy green one in a brown paper bag as well to save making two presentations."

It’s about time we put this idea to the test. Since the 1977/78 season, all 6 Australian states have played in the Sheffield Shield, Australia’s domestic first-class cricket competition. Since 1982/83, the season has culminated in a grand final (previous to this the winner was determined league style by whoever won the most throughout the season). I will use data from 1982/83 till now for consistency and so that all states are represented. The following table shows the players who have debuted for Australia since the start of the 1982/83 season, the state they were playing for at the time of their debut, and the number of Tests they played throughout their career.

Player	Years	Tests	State		Player	Years	Tests	State
Carl Rackemann	1982–91	12	Qld		Matthew Elliott	1996–2004	21	Vic
Kepler Wessels	1982–85	24	Qld		Michael Kasprowicz	1996–2006	38	Qld
Tom Hogan	1983–84	7	WA		Jason Gillespie	1996–2006	71	SA
Roger Woolley	1983–84	2	Tas		Andy Bichel	1997–2003	19	Qld
Wayne B. Phillips	1983–86	27	SA		Shaun Young	1997	1	Tas
John Maguire	1983–84	3	Qld		Simon Cook	1997	2	NSW
Greg Matthews	1983–93	33	NSW		Stuart MacGill	1998–2008	44	NSW
Steve Smith	1984	3	NSW		Gavin Robertson	1998	4	NSW
Dean Jones	1984–92	52	Vic		Paul Wilson	1998	1	SA
David Boon	1984–96	107	Tas		Adam Dale	1998–99	2	Qld
Bob Holland	1984–86	11	NSW		Darren Lehmann	1998–2004	27	SA
Murray Bennett	1984–85	3	NSW		Colin Miller	1998–2001	18	Tas
Craig McDermott	1984–96	71	Qld		Matthew Nicholson	1998	1	WA
Simon O'Donnell	1985	6	Vic		Adam Gilchrist	1999–2008	96	WA
Dave Gilbert	1985–86	9	NSW		Scott Muller	1999	2	Qld
Robbie Kerr	1985	2	Qld		Brett Lee	1999–2010	76	NSW
Merv Hughes	1985–94	53	Vic		Simon Katich	2001–	56	WA
Geoff Marsh	1985–92	50	WA		Martin Love	2002–03	5	Qld
Bruce Reid	1985–92	27	WA		Brad Williams	2003–04	4	WA
Steve Waugh	1985–2004	168	NSW		Nathan Bracken	2003–05	5	NSW
Simon Davis	1986	1	Vic		Andrew Symonds	2004–09	26	Qld
Tim Zoehrer	1986–87	10	WA		Michael Clarke	2004–	67	NSW
Chris Matthews	1986–88	3	WA		Nathan Hauritz	2004–	17	Qld
Greg Dyer	1986–88	6	NSW		Shane Watson	2005–	25	Qld
Peter Taylor	1987–91	13	NSW		Shaun Tait	2005–08	3	SA
Mike Veletta	1987–90	8	WA		Michael Hussey	2005–	57	WA
Tim May	1987–95	24	SA		Brad Hodge	2005-08	6	Vic
Tony Dodemaide	1987–92	10	Vic		Phil Jaques	2005–08	11	NSW
Ian Healy	1988–99	119	Qld		Stuart Clark	2006–09	24	NSW
Trevor Hohns	1989	7	Qld		Dan Cullen	2006	1	SA
Mark Taylor	1989–99	104	NSW		Mitchell Johnson	2007–	40	Qld
Greg Campbell	1989–90	4	Tas		Chris Rogers	2008	1	WA
Tom Moody	1989–92	8	WA		Brad Haddin	2008–	30	NSW
Mark Waugh	1991–2002	128	NSW		Beau Casson	2008	1	NSW
Shane Warne	1992–2007	145	Vic		Cameron White	2008–09	4	Vic
Wayne N. Phillips	1992	1	Vic		Peter Siddle	2008–	20	Vic
Paul Reiffel	1992–98	35	Vic		Jason Krejza	2008	2	Tas
Damien Martyn	1992–2006	67	WA		Doug Bollinger	2009–	12	NSW
Justin Langer	1993–2007	105	WA		Andrew McDonald	2009	4	Vic
Jo Angel	1993–95	4	WA		Ben Hilfenhaus	2009–	15	Tas
Michael Slater	1993–2001	74	NSW		Phillip Hughes	2009–	8	NSW
Brendon Julian	1993–95	7	WA		Marcus North	2009–	21	WA
Glenn McGrath	1993–2007	124	NSW		Bryce McGain	2009	1	Vic
Matthew Hayden	1994–2009	103	Qld		Graham Manou	2009	1	SA
Michael Bevan	1994–98	18	NSW		Clint McKay	2009	1	Vic
Damien Fleming	1994–2001	20	Vic		Ryan Harris	2010–	4	SA
Phil Emery	1994	1	NSW		Tim Paine	2010	4	Tas
Greg Blewett	1995–2000	46	SA		Steven Smith	2010–	3	NSW
Peter McIntyre	1995–96	2	SA		Peter George	2010–	1	SA
Stuart Law	1995	1	Qld		Xavier Doherty	2010	2	Tas
Ricky Ponting	1995–	151	Tas		Michael Beer	2011–	1	WA
Brad Hogg	1996–2008	7	WA		Usman Khawaja	2011–	1	NSW

Of the 104 players who debuted after 1982/83, 28 were playing for NSW when they were first picked for Australia (27% of the new players).

	Players	Percentage
NSW	28	27%
WA	20	19%
Qld	18	17%
Vic	16	15%
Tas	10	10%
SA	12	12%

Clearly NSW players have played more Tests. But is this unreasonable? There are two measures we can look at here. Sheffield Shield results and state populations. The following shows the results of the Shield since 1982/83.

Season	Winner	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth	Sixth		Season	Winner	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth	Sixth
1982–83	NSW	WA	SA	Tas	Qld	Vic		1997–98	WA	Tas	Qld	NSW	Vic	SA
1983–84	WA	Qld	Tas	NSW	SA	Vic		1998–99	WA	Qld	Vic	SA	Tas	NSW
1984–85	NSW	Qld	SA	WA	Vic	Tas		1999-00	Qld	Vic	WA	SA	Tas	NSW
1985–86	NSW	Qld	Vic	WA	SA	Tas		2000–01	Qld	Vic	NSW	Tas	WA	SA
1986–87	WA	Vic	Qld	SA	NSW	Tas		2001–02	Qld	Tas	WA	SA	Vic	NSW
1987–88	WA	Qld	NSW	Vic	SA	Tas		2002–03	NSW	Qld	Vic	SA	WA	Tas
1988–89	WA	SA	Qld	NSW	Tas	Vic		2003–04	Vic	Qld	Tas	WA	NSW	SA
1989–90	NSW	Qld	SA	Tas	WA	Vic		2004–05	NSW	Qld	WA	Vic	SA	Tas
1990–91	Vic	NSW	Qld	WA	SA	Tas		2005–06	Qld	Vic	SA	Tas	WA	NSW
1991–92	WA	NSW	Vic	Qld	SA	Tas		2006–07	Tas	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA
1992–93	NSW	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	Vic		2007–08	NSW	Vic	WA	Tas	SA	Qld
1993–94	NSW	Tas	WA	Vic	SA	Qld		2008–09	Vic	Qld	SA	Tas	WA	NSW
1994–95	Qld	SA	Vic	WA	NSW	Tas		2009–10	Vic	Qld	NSW	WA	Tas	SA
1995–96	SA	WA	Qld	Tas	NSW	Vic		2001–11	Tas	NSW	Qld	WA	Vic	SA
1996–97	Qld	WA	NSW	Tas	Vic	SA

NSW has won 9 Shields, ahead of WA’s 7. If you look at the percentage of Shield wins per state and compare this to the number of players picked for Australia from that state, you will notice that these results are remarkably similar. Is it any surprise that the most successful team over this time has more players picked for representative honours? If you look at all the Tests played since 82/83, 34% of the Test positions up for grabs were occupied by NSW players, and the order of states is exactly the same as the order for number of Shield wins. This is strong evidence that rather than a selection bias, players are being picked either because they are the best players or because they have been a part of successful teams.

	Players			Tests			Shield wins
NSW	28	27%		983	34%		9	31%
WA	20	19%		540	18%		7	24%
Qld	18	17%		516	18%		6	21%
Vic	16	15%		380	13%		4	14%
Tas	10	10%		306	10%		2	7%
SA	12	12%		208	7%		1	3%

The second way to look at this is by state population. I don’t particularly like this method because sportsmen, especially in this professional age, move teams for many reasons, including for better opportunities and more pay, and don’t necessarily play for the state of their birth. The most populous state is not necessarily going to have the best team. But because this is often the first measure people look to when analysing team results (for example, Olympic results), and because arguably a larger population means a bigger economy and therefore more money flowing through the team, we shall include some analysis. Since 1982, NSW (+ACT) has averaged 36% of the total population of the states (excluding Northern Territory). Again, this matches quite closely the number of players picked for Australia – indeed, you might argue that more players from NSW should have been picked. It would be by this measure that Victorians may claim some bias.

	Population	Shield Wins
NSW + ACT	36%	31%
Vic	25%	14%
Qld	18%	21%
WA	10%	24%
Tas	3%	7%
SA	8%	3%

Finally, let’s look at the one-test wonders – the players who only played one test.

	One Test wonders
NSW	3
WA	3
Qld	1
Vic	4
Tas	1
SA	4

Victoria and SA share this honour with 4 one-test wonders – and this is possibly why David Hookes, of SA stock and coach of Victoria after his retirement, was cranky. In the case of SA, this is a third of their players who have made their debut since 1982/83 – indeed, 7 of their 12 Test players did not play more than 4 Tests. Tasmanian players also fair poorly in this regard, with 6 of their 10 players playing no more than 4 Tests – Tasmanian results are severely skewed by Ponting’s 151 and Boon’s 107 Tests.

No matter what state a Test player is from, he has roughly the same chance of playing 15 or more Tests. Thus the data does not support the idea that selectors are more likely to stick with NSW players through a patch of poor form.

	Percentage of state Test players (15+ Tests)
NSW	43%
WA	40%
Qld	56%
Vic	44%
Tas	40%
SA	42%

I would be interested to hear your thoughts regarding this – I know it can stir some passions. But the data would suggest that there is no unfair bias towards NSW.

Further thoughts:

• I have made no attempt to look at players moving state during their careers. Simon Katich, for instance, had a career revival when playing for NSW, even though he was originally picked for Australia when playing for WA. Nathan Hauritz similarly had his fortunes revived when playing for NSW, even though he debuted when playing for Queensland. There are also many examples of this working the other way – Jason Krejza moved to Tasmania, and Adam Gilchrist to WA, both from NSW and then made their debut. Even Don Bradman first played for NSW before an ongoing career with SA.
• You could do the same analysis if you have time and patience on your hands for one-day and Twenty20 cricket.
• It was quite difficult in some cases to track which state a player was playing for when they made their Australian debut, especially if they moved state soon after. I have put the data here (some of the array formulae don't work in Google docs, and I have stripped out the macros, but you can redo them). If I have made a mistake, let me know!

• 28-year-old paceman decides to focus on Twenty20 game
• Tait will represent Surrey in shortest format this summer

The Australia fast bowler Shaun Tait has announced his retirement from one-day cricket. The 28-year-old, a 2007 World Cup winner and part of the squad knocked out of the tournament last week, will quit both international and domestic 50-over cricket to focus on the Twenty20 format.

"I have decided to retire from one-day cricket for both Australia and the South Australian Redbacks," said Tait, who plays in the Indian Premier League for Rajasthan Royals and will also represent Surrey in the shortest format this year.

"This is not a decision I have taken lightly but I believe it is one that will help me to prolong my cricketing career through the many Twenty20 avenues available. In reality, playing all year round for Australia and South Australia is not allowing my body to stand up as I would like and I do not want to be forced into retirement through career-ending injuries."

Australia, the defending champions, were knocked out of the World Cup at the quarter-final stage by the co-hosts India.

"My goal was to hopefully help Australia retain the World Cup," Tait said. "However, with our involvement now finished I feel it is the perfect time to move on in a new direction.

"I have many great memories of one-day cricket both for my state and country with the 2007 World Cup obviously being the stand out. Being a member of a team containing so many legends of the game was a true highlight of my cricketing career."

The Cricket Australia general manager, Michael Brown, said: "Shaun has been an important contributor to Australia's short-form cricket over the last few years. Bowling at the speeds he generates places an unusual strain on his body and Cricket Australia respects the decision."

Australian Brad Hodge returns to the Northern Distrcits side for a crucial domestic Twenty20 cricket championship match against Canterbury tomorrow.

The IPL show moves on.

The IPL player auctions are scheduled for January 8 and 9 in Bangalore.

Over 400 players will go under the hammer.

Each team has a cap of $9 million to be played with.

Only two teams have opted to retain their full complement of four players—Mumbai Indians and Chennai SuperKings. Their kitty is whittled down to $4.5 million.

The cricketers have been classified into six brackets—ranging from $20,000 to $400,000.

Players in the top bracket include:

Adam Gilchrist, Shaun Marsh, Brett Lee, Kevin Pietersen, James Anderson, Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, Luke Wright, Michael Yardy, TM Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Chris Gayle, Brian Lara, Daniel Vettori, Ross Taylor, Brendon McCullum, Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers.

Brian Lara returns after a hiatus of four years, though he has recently participated in Zimbabwe’s T20 league.

The IPL will miss the services of Mitchell Johnson, Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke. The left-arm bowler has opted against playing the T20 tournament, as he does not wish to jeopardise his international playing career.

Rest and recuperation is preferred to the high-jinks of an IPL season; Michael Clarke has expressed similar sentiments. Family and national commitments keep the vice-captain away.

Matthew Hayden and Glenn McGrath are other notable Australian omissions.

David Warner is one Australian who views the IPL as an opportunity to showcase his skills:

"The Twenty20 game, I’ve slightly been pigeonholed in some respects, but that’s the game I’m playing at the moment and I’m playing one-day cricket for NSW," Warner said.

"They’re the games I’m playing at the moment and then obviously look forward to getting a start in the four-day stuff, but in the meantime it’s Twenty20 cricket and it’s one-day cricket. That’s all I can keep working towards and scoring runs.”

The stalemate with regards to Pakistani participation continues: The Islamic state’s players were snubbed in the 2010 IPL auction; the PCB has not forwarded any player names to the BCCI this year.

Wasim Akram has laid the blame squarely at the PCB’s doorstep:

"Even if the Indian board had not shown keenness I think our board should have taken the initiative and shown interest in sending our players to the IPL and also sending their names to the Indians. An effort to remove any misunderstandings should have been taken by our board," Akram said.

Sohail Tanvir was the spearhead of the Rajasthan Royals bowling attack in the inaugural 2008 edition. The north Indian team won the tournament against all expectations, despite being the most parsimonious. Shane Warne and Shane Watson are the only two players retained from the original squad.

The BCCI have issued a circular to all 10 IPL teams, asking them to refrain from recruiting uncapped domestic players until the administrative body gives them the go-ahead.

The domestic players come in three flavours:

The lowest tier have a price tag of Rs. 10 lacs (US$21,500) per year, the middle tier, Rs 20 lakhs ($43,000) and the top tier—those who have played at least five seasons of Ranji Trophy—Rs 30 lakhs ($64,500) per year.

The paucity of talent has the franchisees seeking to scout out players and close deals as soon as possible.

 

Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.

Mark Twain

Dr Andrew Butcher is Director of Policy and Research at the Asia New Zealand Foundation.

A recent Department of Labour report on international students in New Zealand shows two trends that might be eerily familiar to Australian readers of this blog: there is a rapid increase in students from India and, overwhelmingly, they are studying in New Zealand as a stepping stone to permanent residence. The rise in Indian students in New Zealand is being matched by an increase in dodgy private training and education providers.

While in Australia recently I heard one interlocutor remark that the problems with the way Indian students were treated and perceived in Australia in the last couple of years has put the Australia-India bilateral relationship back ten years.

There are many in New Zealand who look back wistfully on the days of the Colombo Plan, where students from developing countries in Asia were educated in New Zealand and then went on to become 'the great and the good' in their own countries. Much is made of largely intangible yet substantial benefits for New Zealand's foreign policy and 'brand' from the education of students of the Colombo Plan era.

This perception is largely accurate. Foreign policy isn't just made by officials and politicians; it is also informed by friends, foreign and domestic. People-to-people links, through diaspora communities or returned students, can oil the wheels of diplomacy and trade; or they can stop them turning altogether.

With New Zealand negotiating a free trade agreement with India, and a large New Zealand-born and migrant Indian community of its own, the best way to ensure the wheels keep turning would be for New Zealand to not follow Australia's lead but rather chart its own course: resource its education providers appropriately, ensure strong student support, and weed out the fly-by-night education providers who want to make a quick buck. All of that might set India-NZ relations on a good footing for the 21st century.

But if New Zealand only sees its relationship with India resting on common bonds like cricket and Ed Hilary, and doesn't treat its growing Indian student population with care, then all the good diplomatic work may be in vain. New Zealand may follow Australia after all and may need to spend years repairing what was a promising relationship. 

Photo by Flickr user will ockenden of Indian student protestors in Melbourne.

ESPNcricinfo.com

Tough ask: How to fix Australian cricket BigPond News Australian cricket, in the broader sense, is in real crisis. We love the fact that the Sheffield Shield is the hardest-fought domestic competition in the ... Australia's slide down cricket's ladder is very similar to West Indies in 1995The Australian Cricket in two moodsJamaica Gleaner RICKY'S DEFIANTMirror.co.uk Sydney Morning Herald -Daily Mail -bettor.com (blog) all 24 news articles »

• The slow left-armer has taken just 16 first-class wickets
• Australia make four changes for the third Test at the Waca

Australia, trounced in the Adelaide Test and 1-0 down in the Ashes series, have not brought Shane Warne out of retirement, which should bring to an end the year's most nonsensical sports story. But they have done something equally extraordinary: they have responded by giving England the chance to play a Beer Match.

Michael Beer was the third-choice spin bowler for Victoria a year ago and his chances of ever playing first-class cricket were receding, but he moved to Western Australia and now finds himself in Australia's Test 12 on his home ground at the Waca.

Beer is the first Australian spin bowler to be plucked from obscurity for at least two weeks, replacing another slow-left armer, Xavier Doherty, the last player to be unfortunate enough to be asked to look the Warne legend in the eye. The odds are that others will follow until Australian cricket lovers learn to look to the future again.

Australia's squad shows four changes from the side beaten in Adelaide. Simon Katich is out of the rest of the series because of a damaged achilles and Marcus North and Doug Bollinger have also been dropped.

There is a recall for Phillip Hughes, the unconventional New South Wales opener, who has just made four and nought for NSW against South Australia in Sydney, and for Mitchell Johnson, Steve Smith and Ben Hilfenhaus, who all return to the squad after being omitted in Adelaide. Hilfenhaus' ability to bowl into the wind at the Waca could win him selection ahead of Peter Siddle, whose hat-trick at The Gabba now seems a long time ago.

But it is Beer's selection that has stunned Australian cricket. He made his first-class debut exactly two months ago and he has only played four matches at the Waca, where he must now help to prevent an England victory that would retain the Ashes. One of those four games came against England when he took career-best figures of 5-209. He has 16 first-class wickets in his career at a shade under 40 runs each. It is solid, but hardly spectacular.

Beer is a Ponting pick, in as much as Ponting appears not to want Nathan Hauritz anywhere near the side, a stance that could look indefensible if Australia do not turn the series. He is also a Greg Chappell pick, in as much as Australia's first full-time selector is always tempted in adversity by a punt on an unknown.

Allan Border, the captain who sorted out Australia's last crisis a generation ago, said of Beer's selection: "I'm in a state of shock. They might just go with four quickies and just have Beer around the squad."

Andrew Hilditch, Australia's chairman of selectors, hinted that Beer was likely to play. "Michael is a left-arm orthodox spinner who has been very impressive at domestic level this year," he said. "He took wickets against England in the tour match earlier this summer and we expect he will bowl very well against the English on his home ground."

Beer was also favoured by Warne himself, which will encourage him, but which was also much in keeping with Warne's habit of promoting players from within his own clubs. At Hampshire, he wanted Nic Pothas to be England's wicketkeeper, among many others, and swung Michael Lumb an IPL deal with Rajasthan Royals. Now he has advocated a spinner who was Victorian cricket's most successful club bowler last season when he played for Warne's old club, St Kilda.

His selection did have an impact on the Bringbackwarne.com rescue fund, which seeks to induce Warne to come out of retirement and which had languished around AUD$4,500 for most of the morning, but which leapt past AUD$5,000 within an hour of Beer's selection becoming public.

Warne has his own celebrity chat show and is in danger of having to interview himself; Beer is so unknown that he does not even have a statistics page on the Cricket Australia website. At the start of the series he had roughly 30 followers on Twitter, which means that not everybody will be aware that he bagged England midway through the first Test at The Gabba, saying: "The Barmy Army are the only Poms who are performing." He has yet to make his international debut and he has already pulled off the least successful sledge in Australian cricket history.

Australia want Beer to fulfil the holding role that Doherty found beyond him, and if he proves capable then Western Australia's coach, Mickey Arthur, will take much of the acclaim. Arthur has likened Beer to South Africa's slow left-armer, Paul Harris, another spin bowler short of panache who eked out an existence at international level.

"I think our chap Michael Beer is probably one of the best left-arm spinners I have seen in Australia," Arthur said after England's six-wicket win against Western Australia in Perth last month. "Michael Beer, if he were South African, would be pushing quite hard for selection. The role he has played for us through the summer has been exceptional. There are not many spinners who can come on, especially in Perth, and stop a game. He has been able to do that."

Australia squad for third Test, Perth, December 16-20

Ricky Ponting (capt), Shane Watson, Phillip Hughes, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin, Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, Michael Beer, Ben Hilfenhaus.

Wellington have their experienced spinners, a wily Australian pace bowler and a patient batsman to thank for a last over, eight-wicket defeat of Central Districts in a low-scoring domestic Twenty20 cricket championship match at Nelson tonight.

Wellington's fixation with overseas signings for the domestic Twenty20 cricket competition shows no signs of abating.

Mike Hussey scored a composed unbeaten 81 as middle-order wickets tumbled Friday to revive Australia's first innings and silence the critics who questioned his selection for the first Ashes test against England.

Hussey and Brad Haddin combined for an unbeaten sixth-wicket stand of 77 to lift Australia to 220 for five in reply to England's first innings of 260 when bad light and rain forced an early end to day two at the Gabba,

The pair combined with Australia in trouble at 143-5, and while the hosts had wrested back a marginal ascendancy, Hussey thought the game remained delicately poised.

"The game is 50-50 at the moment," the veteran middle-order batsman said. "We'd love to be two or three down and the same as them scorewise but the two teams are very tight.

"It's going to ebb and flow throughout the test match. We are very close and it could well come down to pivotal moments in the game. One ball or one diving catch."

Australia resumed Friday at 25 without loss and extended the opening partnership to 78 before James Anderson dismissed Shane Watson (36) and skipper Ricky Ponting (10) either side of lunch.

Steven Finn, on his Ashes debut, followed that up by snaring Simon Katich (50) and Michael Clarke (9) before Marcus North (1) fell to Graeme Swann, leaving Australia still 117 adrift of England's first innings total with the top order already removed.

Hussey belied the pressure of intense scrutiny over his selection, combining with Haddin to bat Australia out of trouble with some assured strokeplay. Only a century in a recent domestic first-class match secured the 35-year-old lefthander's test spot after a run of poor form in the longer form of the game. Now he's in good position to post his 12th test hundred.

England will take the new ball when play begins on day three, 30 minutes early to make up for time lost Friday.

Hussey almost went first ball, edging a Finn delivery just short of Swann at second slip.

But immediately he took advantage of that reprieve with the first of a series of aggressive pull shots for boundaries and the test's first six — driving Swann over long on.

Hussey insists he did not have any preconceived intentions to play more positively but acknowledged he felt more confident playing on a pitch that was more like his high-bouncing home ground at the WACA in Perth.

"Nothing's changed at all, I just tried to stick with what works for me," Hussey said. "My mind is a bit clearer and I'm maybe seeing the ball clearer out of the bowler's hand.

"At other times, particularly in the last couple of years, there's negative thoughts or situations that go through your mind; about the game or what the pitch is doing so it stops you playing with the same freedom."

Earlier, the lone wicket to fall in the first session came when Watson nicked an Anderson off-cutter to Andrew Strauss in the slips.

The ball before his dismissal, Watson had survived an lbw appeal which was turned down but then referred to the video umpire. The review showed the ball may have clipped the top of leg stump, but was inconclusive enough for the initial not-out decision to stand.

Katich also survived a video referral in the first session after he was initially given out lbw when on 29 but replays showed the ball would have bounced over the stumps.

After Australia dominated two sessions, England's rally began on just the second ball after lunch, when Ponting gloved a legside catch to the keeper.

Finn sent Katich back to the dressing room with a superb, low caught-and-bowled shortly after the opener reached his half century.

He later had Clarke, who scored just nine runs from 50 balls, caught behind attempting to pull. Clarke, in doubt for the test due to a chronic back injury, looked uncomfortable as he frequently played and missed.

North — another on a lengthy list of Australian batsmen whose form was under the selectors' microscope — fell for one, caught by Paul Collingwood at slip off Swann, giving the dangerous offspinner his first wicket of a series in which he is expected to thrive.

England coach Andy Flower missed the day's play as he was in hospital having a cancerous lesion removed from his face.

An England and Wales Cricket Board spokesman described the operation to remove a melanoma from under his right eye as successful.

Fielding coach Richard Halsall took charge but Flower is expected to return to duty on Saturday.

"He went off for a routine check, and they said they felt it prudent to take it out," the spokesman said.

"He may well be back on deck tomorrow, or most definitely the following day. As far as he is concerned, it is business as usual."

Associated Press

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Ashes lead-up No 7 - Cricket Ministry is all year round Christian Today -- Australia The Ashes Cricket series (Australia – England) commences on Thursday 25 November at the Gabba in Brisbane and in celebration of this much awaited for Ashes ... Paine injury shows Oz cricketing chiefs have taken leave of their senses: RoebuckDailyIndia.com Cricket Special Report: History and Structure of Australian Domestic Cricket ...bettor.com (blog) Cricket Special Report: History and Structure of Australian Domestic Cricket ...bettor.com (blog) all 11 news articles »

• Left-armer Xavier Doherty replaces off-spinner
• Kevin Pietersen takes knock on right arm

All the talk came to nought. No ruthless swath has been cut through the ranks of the Australian Test team in the wake of some disappointing results and performances in domestic cricket.

Instead it is the off-spinner Nathan Hauritz alone who has been excised from the squad, to be replaced by the Tasmanian left-armer Xavier Doherty, who will be 28 on Monday. Also included in a 13-man squad for the first Test in Brisbane starting on Thursday are the all-rounder Steve Smith, whose leg-spin was savaged by Ian Bell during his century at Bellerive Oval this week, and Peter Siddle, who has recovered from stress fractures of the back.

The selection of Doherty, the ninth frontline spinner chosen in the four years since Shane Warne retired, is a gamble. His first-class record is modest, with an average close to 50, but he managed four wickets on his one-day debut against Sri Lanka recently. His role, should he play, will probably be as a stock bowler to back the seamers.

Recent events suggest it will not make life easier for Kevin Pietersen, who left the field yesterday for treatment on his right arm, damaged while attempting a stop in the field. It was not serious, however, and he soon returned.

The other players omitted from the 17-man squad announced on Monday are Callum Ferguson, Ryan Harris and Usman Khawaja.

It is a quirk of the accounting calendar that the reporting season for the big four Australian banks falls in the dead news period between the end of the footie season and the beginning of the cricket.

Usually, for want of something more lurid to report, such as drunken footballers, newspaper commentators fall upon the major banks, lamenting the vast bonuses being paid to chief executives for seemingly little work.

Following the tight federal election, rather than lampooning bank bosses, this year's bank bashing season has seen heavyweight politicians performing Olympic quality ideological back-flips (while attempting to keep a smirk off their faces). And shadow Treasurers have suddenly discovered the need for a bond market (though only to bail out banks rather than fund much needed infrastructure).

This bank-bashing season, we have seen politicians and learned economists weighing in on 'competition' (presence or lack of) and focusing on the gouging, robbing (add your own preferred epithet) big bad banks. The banks are not helped by their own ineptitude in explaining even the simplest economic issues to the public.

Banks argue (and the RBA appears to agree) that they have been forced to raise their mortgage rates at this time because funding has become more expensive, not only through offshore wholesale markets but also domestic deposits.

This, of course, may be true, but raises the interesting question: why did the banks not lower their mortgage rates or increase their deposit rates when international cash rates were much lower than those in Australia?



The first chart (from the RBA website) shows that, for most of the last decade, the Australian cash rate was considerably higher than the equivalent US rate (the main source of international funding). For comparison, see the second chart of banks' standard variable mortgage rates for the same period.



In effect, banks were forced (no doubt reluctantly) to boost their profits by increasing mortgage rates in line with the RBA, while continuing to fund from overseas markets and provide miserly deposit rates! If such a differential in mortgage and funding rates were not an argument for a backdated Windfall Tax on banking profits for the last decade, what would be?

Of course, the reason why the banks could not lower their rates when overseas funding was cheaper was that the RBA would not let them. If banks could fund completely overseas, the central bank would lose control of the one tool they have for managing the economy – the cash rate.

As it turns out, it was good that the RBA did control the banks in this way. By doing so, Australia avoided what befell the UK government when it had to bail out Northern Rock, which was funded almost completely by cheap US funds before the whole market fell apart after Lehman's collapse.

While politicians twitter on about competition, the reality is that there is no real competition in the Australian banking system!

The decision of the ACCC to knock back the NAB's take-over bid for part of AXA illustrates yet again that, on the big issues, it is not the so-called C-Suite (CEO, CFO, CRO etc.) that oversees Australian banks but the A-Team (ACCC, APRA, Australian Treasurer and the RBA). Arguably, it is the A-Team that should take the bulk of the credit for steering Australia through the Global Financial Crisis, by enforcing strong and consistent regulation on acquiescent bank boards.

For sure, bank management does make many important decisions on a day-to-day basis, but the biggest, strategic, profit-impacting decisions are taken elsewhere. The big Australian banks resemble more four 'brands' acting within one overall centrally directed corporation than four totally independent institutions. [Think of Coca Cola and Fanta - different brands, same management direction.]

Is this a dreadful prospect? No.

One of the tenets of good risk management is diversification. The Australian banking system achieves this, in spades, not by diversifying assets (since they are all chasing the same small pool) but by diversifying management – allowing no one of the big four banks to get too big to bring the whole economy down.

It is one of the delightful ironies of the fallout from the GFC, that both the government and banks are arguing against increased capital charges on Australian banks under the up-coming Basel III rules, precisely because the banking system in Australia is so tightly regulated by the government and central bank.

Of course, there should be another Productivity Commission report into the operation of the big Australian banks but not on peripheral issues, such as ATM fees, rather on how to strengthen the corporate governance and management of banks to ensure even greater transparency.

One could start with remuneration but there is no time for that. The parliament is about to leave for its long break and already the gladiators are suiting up for the Ashes, relegating the banks to the anonymity of the business pages.

Maybe this time next year?


Dr Patrick Mc Connell is a Visiting Fellow at Macquarie University Applied Finance Centre, Sydney

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John Buchanan, the country's most successful coach, says the public mood in Australia is already is one of disappointment

"The knives are always poised," John Buchanan says laconically as he describes the dark mood of the Australian cricket media and public nine days before the Ashes begin next Thursday in Brisbane. "Sometimes the knives can't be plunged because the results suggest it's not the right time. But as soon as an individual or the team begins to falter the knives are all well and truly out. I can see lots of knives at the moment."

Buchanan is the most successful coach in cricket history, with Australia winning 69 out of the 90 Tests they played under his tenure, from 1999 to 2007, as well as three Ashes and two World Cups. But, as a man who was also derided as a "fraud", who simply got lucky in coaching a team containing Steve Waugh, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting, Buchanan casts a wary eye over critics who use words like knives. One of his own players, Warne, accused Buchanan of "living in pixieland" and being "a goose" with "verbal diarrhoea". Another outspoken Australian, Ian Chappell, said Buchanan's contribution to the longest winning run in Test cricket, culminating in 16 successive victories, was "absolutely nil". His Test captains, Waugh and Ponting, were more considered as they detailed the innovative ways in which he helped a swaggering team strive for constant improvement.

Buchanan offers engaging and thoughtful company and, following his curiously ambivalent experiences in Australia, he is well positioned to judge the extent of pre-Ashes abuse. "It's an unhealthy feature of society," he says, "but it's significant the knives are pointing at the home team. That's very unusual. Generally, teams travelling to Australia find it pretty difficult. The visitors are given the once over and the Australian team are allowed to go about their business. But the boot is now on the other foot. The Australian team is copping a hammering and England are sailing nicely under the radar."

Until they beat Sri Lanka 10 days ago, Australia had suffered seven consecutive international defeats. "The public mood is one of disappointment," Buchanan says, "and Tim Nielsen [the coach] and Ricky Ponting are spending the whole time defending themselves. This all helps England – and, under Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss, they're enjoying the freedom."

Does Ponting, whom Buchanan knows so well, get hurt by the carping? "He does – but he'll never say that. He's phlegmatic and he'll just say we'll work harder and execute better. But he'll be pretty angry inside the dressing room about the way the team is being treated and how individuals, including himself, are being treated. All this will fuel his seemingly unquenchable drive to perform well as a batsman and as a captain. He'll use this series to show people their opinions have been inaccurate."

Warne attacked Ponting's captaincy on Twitter last month, using words such as "terrible", and asking, "Ricky, what are you doing?" The 57-year-old Buchanan, who can sound magisterial, just about conceals his distaste. "Generally, I don't think former players or coaches should criticise current teams. Ricky would definitely feel that criticism personally from Shane Warne. It would certainly impact on their relationship."

Yet Ponting would surely not be able to retain the captaincy if Australia lost the Ashes, for the third time under his leadership? "That's a pretty interesting question," Buchanan says. "If Australia lose, the first question will focus on how well Ricky has played. If he's had a good series with the bat he can ask himself: 'Am I right person to lead the side?' But if Australia lose and he doesn't perform well he will face a double-barrelled question about his future.

"I think Ricky wants to go to the World Cup next year as captain of all Australia's international sides. He'll want to go there having won the Ashes and he'll want to retain the World Cup. After that, whatever happens, I suspect he'll wind down his one-day commitments. But he'll still look to go to England for the Ashes in 2013. That's only guesswork, but I've known the guy for some time."

Australia's batting might be heavily reliant on Ponting but Buchanan pinpoints the team's bowling as a more notable weakness. "The batting has been up and down but I'm more concerned about the bowling. The batsmen have a good understanding of their own games and of Test match conditions in Australia. The bowling is less strong. One of the things the bowlers have missed most is a leader. Mitchell Johnson is an automatic selection and so he gets cast in that role. But it doesn't sit comfortably with him. He'd rather not shoulder any additional responsibility. I think he'd just like to be thrown the ball and if it doesn't work out we'll go back to our main man. But there is no main man – not like we had with McGrath. So the bowling group has a certain vulnerability."

Buchanan believes England, despite their upbeat mood, are potentially even more fragile. "Australia are stronger on paper – certainly in batting down to No7. At the moment England still have concerns about Alastair Cook [despite his century against South Australia]. But what's disturbing for England is that if they lose someone on the batting side, either through form or injury, they look very skinny."

Steve Finn, as the first-change bowler at the age of 21, also faces an exacting Ashes debut at The Gabba. "Finn is reasonably athletic and hits the deck with decent pace," Buchanan says. "But one of the key factors for Finn, and England, is David Saker [their bowling coach who is an Australian]. Saker has a huge role not only in a technical sense but in bringing the fast bowlers together as a real group. Finn's progress will be determined by the group's progress. It'll be very difficult for him if [James] Anderson and [Stuart] Broad struggle."

Buchanan's insights are linked to his few brief forays as a consultant to the ECB over the past year. "I spent time with the Lions in New Zealand, but I was mainly dealing with the coaching pathway and the U-17 and U-19 squads. I hoped to work with their coaches but, unfortunately, it wasn't to be." The ECB was hardly thrilled when Buchanan recently observed that Kevin Pietersen could be "a major problem" for England as he "has the potential to be fragmentary and an individualist". Asked if he anticipates working again with the ECB, Buchanan says: "Not in the immediate term – no."

Yet he is effusive when considering England's coach and captain. "The beauty of Flower and Strauss is their bringing the whole team together. My comment about Pietersen was actually about strength in unity. You cannot be a conditional team player – and only be one when it suits you. I made this reference after Pietersen did his thing on Twitter [and swore angrily at being "rested" from England's one-day team]. Since then Flower and Strauss have talked about how strong the unit is. They know unity is key."

Pietersen reacted furiously to Buchanan: "He's a nobody. He had the best team to coach in the history of cricket. Anyone could have coached that team. He's done nothing else solid."

In Queensland, where Buchanan lives, they have not forgotten how he guided the state to two Sheffield Shield titles. Their initial triumph under Buchanan, in 1995, was the first time Queensland had won Australia's premier domestic competition. And so he addresses Pietersen's vitriol calmly: "Unfortunately, some people take themselves too seriously. I wasn't surprised by it but there was no need for him to do that. But, whether he meant it or not, he made a very good point when he called me 'a nobody'. Nobody is bigger than the group. That's the whole point."

Mavericks such as Pietersen and Warne, who always believe their individual brilliance matters more than any coach, are vital to any great team. "Yeah," Buchanan agrees. "You do need people who are quite selfish because they clearly understand their game and what they need to get themselves ready. But you also want them to integrate themselves into a team environment. You can be an individual, and selfish, but many times you have to sacrifice your ego in a team environment. We can only assess whether Pietersen can do that after this series. But he is the one England player that can take on Australia."

Does he expect Pietersen to have a successful series? "I wouldn't put money on it," Buchanan says wryly. "But if he does have a good series, which means a couple of hundreds and a couple of 50s, England will take a big step towards retaining the Ashes."

Much depends on the first Test. Australia have a formidable record in Brisbane where, as Buchanan says: "It's a very green wicket with good pace and bounce. When that's combined with humidity and heat it becomes a confrontational cauldron. But England are giving themselves the best chance by extending their preparation."

They are unlikely to succumb as easily to the old Australian ruse of "mental disintegration", which reached its zenith under Waugh and Buchanan. In the 2006‑07 Ashes, England imploded disastrously from the first ball in Brisbane – which Steve Harmison bowled into the hands of an embarrassed Andrew Flintoff at second slip. "That won't happen this time," Buchanan says, remembering how his last series as Test coach ended in an Ashes whitewash for Australia. "This group is far more mentally resilient."

Buchanan may be more comfortable quoting The Art of War by Sun Tzu but he enters pre-Ashes banter with a traditional prediction. "The last series was compelling because, whatever the quality of cricket, it was totally unpredictable. We're in for another compelling Ashes and we could even have one or two exciting draws. I'm going with a 2-1 win to Australia."

He chuckles when reminded this was the exact prediction he made before the 2009 Ashes – only for Australia to lose 2-1. This time, if Buchanan is wrong, the knives will be plunged deep into Australian cricket.

• Batsman failed to make 17-man line-up for opening Test
• 'He needs to score runs,' says chairman of selectors

Andrew Hilditch, Australia's chairman of selectors, said Phil Hughes's form did not warrant his selection in the squad for the opening Ashes Test in Brisbane. Hughes was a shock omission from an extended 17-man line-up named today, with his fellow New South Welshman Usman Khawaja and South Australia's Callum Ferguson chosen ahead of the batsman.

The 21-year-old has not been a permanent member of the Australia team since he was replaced by Shane Watson ahead of the third Ashes Test in England last July. But having played matches against Pakistan and New Zealand as an injury replacement, the diminutive left-hander, who travelled with the squad on the recent tour of India, was widely considered the next Australian batsman in line.

However, Hughes's modest return of 78 runs from three first-class and two domestic one-day innings since returning from the subcontinent sealed his omission.

"Phillip's playing for Australia A [against England in Hobart] this weekend and obviously I've spoken to Phil this morning and he's disappointed, but he needs to score runs," Hilditch said. "On the other side of the coin we're really happy with our opening partnership [of Shane Watson and Simon Katich] and Phil's primarily trying to crack into that spot.

"We would consider him in a middle order position but at the moment we think the two young players [Khawaja and Ferguson] from Australia A that we've picked are in a bit better form and ready to go."

The Australia captain, Ricky Ponting, has backed Hughes to recover from his latest disappointment: "You've just got to tell him to keep working hard and keep doing his best and make sure he knuckles down this week and makes some runs. The one thing you don't want to do with young blokes is over complicate things and get them thinking about too much stuff."

Hughes boasts an impressive record of 615 runs at 51.25 from seven Test appearances, including two centuries against South Africa. The selectors will decide which 12-13 players they take to Brisbane at the conclusion of this week's Australia A and Sheffield Shield fixtures.

Australia have planned a high-profile squad announcement but it is a sign of how their fortunes have changed

For the best part of two decades, it was a wonder that there were any formal announcements of Australian Test sides. A selection meeting might be little more than "same again", players' diaries filled in long since. How things change. In Sydney on Monday morning, the Australia squad for the first Test is being announced with the sort of fanfare that would be greeted with derision were it Geoff Miller and not Andrew Hilditch doing the honours.

No discreet televised press conference this but a major event, in the open, to a spectacular backdrop of Circular Quay, and with members of the public gathered to witness. Those selected players who happen to be in Sydney will be introduced and interviewed, and autographs offered.

At a time when reports suggest that confidence in the national side is wavering, it is a PR stunt that is hostage to fortune: to the weather for a start, and to the expectation that anyone will turn up, given the pathetic turn out for the recent one-day international against Sri Lanka in Sydney. It is free, of course.

That it is taking place a full 10 days before the teams meet at the Gabba may seem more of a surprise, given the uncertainty that surrounds the future of the Test team. There is a round of Sheffield Shield matches still to be played and Australia A, containing many of the next generation with eyes on the Ashes series, will not yet have begun their match against England.

The obvious conclusion to be drawn is that the selectors, augmented for the first time by a full-time national selector in Greg Chappell, have come to the conclusion that those cricketers responsible for Australia's lack of success recently and consequent drop down the rankings should be given first go at reversing the trend.

Only a few fitness concerns, most particularly those of the opener Simon Katich, who broke a thumb during the recent tour of India, and the paceman Doug Bollinger, might lead them to expand their squad beyond a normal 13 that would cover uncertainty over conditions and the balance of the final XI. Both have a first-class match in which to prove themselves, although Bollinger has already pronounced himself "100%".

Selectorial faith is no bad thing and is generally stronger than that of supporters, who can crave change when things go wrong. It is a novel experience in Australia and Chappell's appointment, tied in with his role as national talent manager, is indicative of a need for a more in-depth monitoring of the domestic game.

Hilditch will find on his panel a strong proponent of the early advancement of youth: there will be a few elder statesmen in the Australian ranks who will be playing with a little more nervousness than before.

However, they will recognise that Australia have not been playing out-and-out bad cricket (if, inevitably, not up to the exceptional standards to which they had become accustomed) but have lost the knack of seizing the moment. And all the expectations are that the outcome of this forthcoming series will be dictated by which side recognises the key moments and has the capability to exploit them to their advantage. There is much common sense in showing consistency now, not least because to do otherwise would be a tacit admission that something is seriously wrong.

It will also go some way to appeasing those critics who have suggested that baggy greens have been handed out a little too freely of late, with some priorities not standing up to scrutiny. Injuries, a result of Australia's increased workload as Cricket Australia struggles for income, have been an inevitable consequence. However, the number of players used in the past calendar year, while appearing excessive, stands comparison with England, who claim that it is consistency of selection that has underpinned their upward path.

Seventeen players have played in eight Tests for Australia, of whom five (four batsmen plus Mitchell Johnson) have played in all games. For England, the figure is 18 in 10 matches, with five ever-presents (four batsmen plus Graeme Swann). Australia have played 25 ODIs, picking 23 players of whom only Cameron White has played in all. England chose 21 for 17 matches in the same period, Eoin Morgan the only full-time representative. England fielded 17 players in 11 Twenty20 games (six played all) while Australia's 15 games featured 20 players.

In other words, there is little to choose in the selection process of a side claiming to be in the ascendant, England, and one facing change, Australia. Most of the turnover is in the bowling ranks, which is to be expected, and the key battle for Australia has been to ensure that their first-choice pace attack is fit.

This would include Johnson and Bollinger, with 29 wickets apiece this past year, Ben Hilfenhaus, with half as many wickets from half as many games, and, despite the tide of feeling against him in Australia, Nathan Hauritz, who has 22, albeit at 41 runs apiece. The surprise has been Shane Watson, whose 17 wickets have come at 20 apiece.

While not chairman, Chappell's feelings on the balance of the side will surely carry weight, which would mean the inclusion of Hauritz rather than four frontline seamers. Both Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle may expect the call to Brisbane, although Ryan Harris might be pushing hard.

Should Katich not be fit, then the obvious alternative is Phil Hughes, whose idiosyncratic technique was successfully neutered by England last year. The selectors will want to see a reversal of a trend from Mike Hussey and Michael Clarke, and more solidity from Marcus North, who teeters between feast and famine.

Possible Australia squad Ponting (capt), Watson, Katich, Clarke, Hussey, North, Haddin, Johnson, Hauritz, Hilfenhaus, Bollinger, Siddle, Hughes, Harris.

• The Ashes Podcast
• The Ashes Podcast: The Video
• David Hopps: The Cook conundrum
• Catch up with yesterday's Ashes chat
• Please comment or leave links below or email or on Twitter

The Ashes Podcast Video

11.15am:
The Ashes Podcast Video - which some people call Vodcasts - is shorter than the audio version, but, er, more visual....

Zaltzman assesses Australia

10.58am:
Cricinfo's Andy Zaltzman runs the rule over the Aussies in "Australia? Don't make me laugh."

Sample: Of Hilfenhaus he says: "If Australia pick him and Bollinger, they will lose. The last time they picked two seam bowlers with tri-syllabic surnames – Gillespie and Kasprowicz in 2005 – they lost."

(Hat-tip to hblove btl)

Not the Ashes: More Zulqarnain Haider

10.57am:
Dileep Premachandran asks: "Why did Zulqarnain Haider not go to his Pakistan team-mates first?"

The Ashes Podcast

10.00am:
Here it is, the Ashes Podcast, starring Mike Brearley, Mike Selvey and Vic Marks and hosted by Miles Jupp, recorded with a live audience at the Guardian's Kings Place HQ.

Mike Brearley recalls the daunting experience of arriving in Australia for the first time with the England team; Vic Marks explains why Kevin Pietersen will thrive on the abuse he gets from home supporters, and Mike Selvey boldly outlines why England should be favourites to retain the Ashes.

The Cook conundrum

David Hopps today focuses on how "Flower between a rock and a hard place over Cook". Although the headline is slightly misleading as it is a play on the fact that the England coach spent his free day rock climbing. On Cook he seems pretty certain:

It's only two innings into the tour. We have two more preparation games for him to spend some time in the middle and I expect him to do so. He is a quality batsman with a really good Test record and a strong bloke. Confidence going into a Test is important but we are pretty clear about most spots.

Popgun Poms

With more than a little disrespect to Tim Bresnan, Chris Tremlett and Monty Panesar, the Sydney Morning Herald today berates England for planning to send the likely Test bowlers to Brisbane next week rather than to Hobart to play against Australia A, leaving the match to those who would like to force their way into the Ashes line-up: "Australia A to meet 'pop-gun' Poms".

England are likely to play what is assumed to be England's First Test line-up at Adelaide in the warm up game which starts at 11.30pm (GMT) tonight. David Hopps will be reporting from there tomorrow morning.

Sydney Harbour

Meanwhile the Australians seem to be taking their own team selections Very Seriously. The squad for the first test will be unveiled at a "Major Free Public Event on Sydney Harbour, Monday 15 November", says the Cricket Australia release.

The squad will be announced against the world-famous backdrop of Sydney's Circular Quay and cricket fans should get down to First Fleet Park well before the 11.30am announcement time...Depending on selection, it is envisaged that around eight players will be on stage and available for autographs and interview afterwards. Captain Ricky Ponting, Vice-captain Michael Clarke and a host of other Australian Test stars will be present.

Not the Ashes: Zulqarnain Haider

The Pakistan wicketkeeper is threatening to blow whistle on corruption, but is keeping what he knows close to his chest until he feels that he and his family are safe. He did speak to the police and he also spoke to Pakistani news channel Geo TV.

CricketNext highlighted a domestic game - Lahore Eagles v National Bank of Pakistan - that certainly raised a few eyebrows. Here is the scorecard, which we highlighted in yesterday's Haider live blog. We will keep you up to date with any developments today.

Updates

Further Ashes coverage will be posted here later. You can keep up to date with those via Twitter.

Please comment and/or leave links to other interesting Ashes coverage below the line. Or email steve.busfield@guardian.co.uk.

• Plymouth Argyle fans on alert after Ridsdale visits
• Chief executive tries to cool speculation

If the previously mid-table club you left after five years as chief executive were top of the Championship and playing in a swanky new stadium, you might expect fans of other clubs to welcome your interest. Unless you are Peter Ridsdale, of course.

Tongues have been wagging angrily down in Devon about Ridsdale's possible return to football at Plymouth Argyle, a club actively looking for outside investment. Ridsdale was spotted in the directors' box at Home Park during their win over Huddersfield Town on 23 October.

Keith Todd, the Plymouth chief executive, explained it away as part of Ridsdale's holiday in the south-west. But Todd's explanation seemed shaky when Ridsdale again pitched up in the directors' box when Plymouth went to Oldham on Saturday. Now Todd is fighting a rearguard action.

"Unbelievable, isn't it," he laughed, when asked about Ridsdale's latest appearance. "He was not an invitee of ours. He was invited by Oldham and we happened to be there. I am not expecting it to happen at future matches." And Ridsdale? "I'm a football person, I've been in the game 25 years," he said. "The base I left at Cardiff is proving I can do a decent job. I'd love to be back involved in football."

But those pesky fans just will not let his time at Leeds United lie.

FA to go in-house

The chairman of the 92nd-placed team in English football is thought to be the most reform-minded of those who will lead the search for a new Football Association chairman. Tony Kleanthous, Barnet's owner, is on the nominations committee and friends say he is sure to speak out in favour of a candidate from outside the FA's cloisters. Regrettably, it is unlikely his fellow members will do anything of the sort. The decision last week of Roger Burden, the acting chair, to put himself forward for the role – he was "inundated with requests", he told FA councillors – makes him an almost guaranteed pick for the four‑man committee, half of whom are, like Burden, grassroots administrators. The other half is Kleanthous and Phil Gartside, the Bolton Wanderers chairman and FA board member.

Unlike Kleanthous, Gartside, who sat next to Sir Dave Richards at last week's council meeting, is unlikely to favour a candidacy like that of Richards's enemy, David Dein, pictured. Nor is he expected to want a strong businessman – Sir Terry Leahy, say, Sir Stuart Rose or Sir Keith Mills – who would seek to impose proper corporate governance on the FA and have the political clout to front up to the Premier League.

And so Kleanthous looks set to be a lone voice in pointing out that an internal appointment like Burden, dedicated and effective grassroots administrator though he is, might not be the wisest choice from the point of view of a corporate governance.

Anfield out of the pink

No news is bad news for Liverpool's shirt sponsor Standard Chartered. The bank's head of corporate affairs, Gavin Laws, defended the £80m deal at the Brand Finance Forum last week as a powerful tool for brand recognition. He added that it was "almost a shame that [Liverpool] have sorted out the ownership issue, as they're no longer on the front page of the Financial Times".

Ideas short at ECB

The Australian cricket authorities are talking about selling 33% stakes in the state teams in the Big Bash T20 league, each stake apparently worth between £9m and £12m. Yet English cricket's ailing counties can but dream of such riches and instead are kicking around potential tweaks to a domestic T20 format that fans and players alike agree is overexposed. The England and Wales Cricket Board's working group does not look like considering the all-too-obvious money-spinner: geographical franchises that can tap in to the tribalism of football fans, thus building a new and lucrative audience. Blazers say that it would not fit the counties' "brands", whatever they may be.

TheMercury.com.au

Big Bash revenue to rival international kitty Sydney Morning Herald DOMESTIC Twenty20 cricket could generate as much revenue as the international game within 20 years, according to Cricket Australia projections released ... Indian players to sell Big BashThe Australian Pitched battle for Indian cashHerald Sun Australia needs to 'learn how to milk Indian cricket cash cow', not fight it ...Sify Yahoo! Eurosport UK -Hindustan Times -Daily Telegraph all 102 news articles »

TheMercury.com.au

Cricket Australia to consider privately-owned teams CricInfo.com Cricket Australia will decide on Friday whether to allow private ownership of domestic Twenty20 teams in a shake-up it thinks could be as big as the World ... Australian cricket's $160m revolutionDaily Telegraph Foreigners set to splurge for a share of our Twenty20 Big BashHerald Sun Indians eyeing off stake in T20 sidesThe Australian Cricketnext.com -Radio Sport -Courier Mail all 23 news articles »

• 35-year-old says he will follow Tendulkar's example
• Hussey: 'I don't think age is a barrier whatsoever'

The Australia batsman Mike Hussey is taking inspiration from India's Sachin Tendulkar and has no plans to retire from cricket.

Hussey's place in Australia's Test side has come under increasing pressure, with only two centuries since the start of 2009 prompting talk that the 35-year-old should be phased out of the team.

But, after watching the 37-year-old Tendulkar score his sixth Test double century and take his career tally past 14,000 runs in India's 2-0 series win over Australia, Hussey said: "It does give you a bit of inspiration."

Tendulkar scored 214 in the first innings of the second Test – his 49th Test century – and took his series aggregate to 403 runs, at an average of 134.5.

Hussey said he was also encouraged by the late-career performances of fellow Australian players. "Steve Waugh played quite late into his 30s, Matthew Hayden played very well, Justin Langer played very well into his late 30s, so I don't think age is a barrier whatsoever. It's about whether you're up for the battle, you're enjoying the challenge out in the middle."

Hussey will make a rare appearance for Western Australia in their Sheffield Shield state game against South Australia, starting on Friday at the Adelaide Oval, and the 17-20 November match against Victoria in Melbourne.

The left-hander said the domestic games were vital for his Ashes preparation. The first of five Ashes Tests begins on 25 November in Brisbane.

Never considered a nation that was big in soccer, FIFA made a very risky decision in July of 1988 when they decided to give the United States the right to host the 1994 World Cup.

Before this decision was made, the United States national team had not qualified for a World Cup since 1950. And despite the success of NASL during the mid-1970s, soccer was not a mainstream sport.

But, the United States was able to qualify for the 1990 World Cup, and once the 1994 World Cup came, the U.S. was able to put together a fantastic tournament.

Overall, a record 3,587,538 people went to this World Cup over just 52 matches, averaging a staggering 68,991 people per each match.

The United States national team was also able to reach the Round of 16 and was able to win their first World Cup match in 44 years over Colombia.

The World Cup was able to propel soccer into the American mainstream media, and a domestic football league, Major League Soccer, was created.

In the last 16 years, soccer inside of the United States has grown tremendously.

Major League Soccer has witnessed an expansion from 10 original franchises to 19 franchises as of the beginning of the 2011 MLS season.

Along with this, MLS has also seen stars such as David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez come to the league during the last couple of years, joining American internationals such as Landon Donovan and Robbie Findley.

Outside of MLS, American internationals have now ventured over to Europe, where in many cases they have become starters in the Premier League and the German Bundesliga.

Thanks in large part to the better talent that surrounds the American game, the United States was able to reach the quarterfinals in 2002, and the Round of 16 in 2010 after winning their group in the World Cup for the first time since 1930.

This does not include the 2009 Confederations Cup, in which the United States were able to reach the final after defeating European Cup champion Spain 2-0 before losing 3-2 to Brazil.

In response to the success that the United States has had since the 1994 World Cup, U.S. soccer president Sunil Gulati submitted a bid to FIFA for the United States to host either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.

Overall, the United States found themselves against bids from Australia, England, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico, Qatar, Russia and South Korea for single bids, and combined bids from Belgium/Netherlands and Portugal/Spain.

Indonesia and Mexico both withdrew their bids early in the bidding process.

Overall, the United States found themselves as the bid that would have the highest capacity for its fans, and Gulati has given this impression as the next major step to make soccer big in the United States.

The U.S. also found themselves as the only non-European entry in the 2018 World Cup until several days ago when the U.S. took themselves out of the bid to focus solely on the 2022 World Cup.

By doing this, the 2018 World Cup will be hosted by a European nation with the remaining four bids for 2018 all European nations, while the United States will contest themselves as the sole non-Asian bid for the 2022 World Cup.

However, when one looks at the United States' bid, they have to realize that the United States should host the 2022 World Cup.

To start this off, here is a look at the opposing four bids that the United States finds themselves against in the 2022 World Cup.

 

Australia

The Australian bid is the strongest potential bid to face the United States for 2022.

Overall, many of the stadiums that would be used for this World Cup are all existing, and despite the fact that upgrades would be needed at many of the stadiums, they should all be able to be ready for the World Cup.

However, the Australian bid has some major problems in front of it.

The first part is that many stadiums that could have been used during the World Cup are venues that are used by cricket, rugby league and Australian rules football, all of which will lots of money if the World Cup comes to Australia due to rules that do not allow other sports to use the stadiums that would be for the World Cup.

The next major problem for Australia is its location. All of the matches that will be played will come at an inconvenient time for Europe and the Americans to watch.

And now, there is the corruption scandal that involves Oceania's Federation president Reynald Temarii and Nigeria's Amos Amadu allegedly dealing with the transfer of votes for the United States to host the 2018 World Cup (even though the Americans previously withdrew from hosting the World Cup in 2018).

Supposedly, both of the voters would vote for Australia to host the 2022 World Cup.

Going forward, Australia might be the United States' biggest opponent to host the World Cup, but it must hope that the corruption scandal doesn't cause significant damage to their bid.

 

Japan

Japan's bid has a feature that would have 3-D holographic display technology to show the game virtually inside of stadiums all throughout the world.

With this technology, hundreds of millions of fans will get to see games in the third-dimension without the use of 3-D glasses for people to wear.

In order to power this technology, solar panels will be put on top of the stadiums to allow the holograms to work.

However, the technology that has been promised in this bid does not exist, and Japanese researchers have claimed it would take 12 years for everything to be ready, which would be the same amount of time from 2010 to 2022.

Japan have two major factors that will work against them: the lack of having a 80,000 seat stadium for the final, and the fact that Japan hosted the World Cup in 2002.

Japan had a plan to have a 100,000-seat stadium in Tokyo for the 2016 Olympics, but those plans are no longer in use due to Rio de Janeiro winning the bid.

Currently, Japan's biggest stadium is the International Stadium in Yokohama, the same stadium that hosted the 2002 World Cup final. Currently, the capacity at the stadium is at 72,327.

Due to those two major factors, Japan is one of the two true long shots to win the bid for the 2022 World Cup.

 

Qatar

In Qatar's World Cup bid, they plan to create the most advanced stadiums of all time by putting in a cooling system in the outdoor stadiums.

Along with that, the stadiums all have fantastic and futuristic designs that could eventually be the basis for which future football stadiums are designed after.

And, the bid plans to use the World Cup as a way to bridge the gap between the western world and the Middle East.

Sepp Blatter has also stated his support for Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup, stating the great infrastructure inside of the country and the fact that the Middle East has never hosted the World Cup.

But despite all of the good that could happen in Qatar, there are some major problems with their plan.

The first problem deals with Qatar's size. Qatar would be not only the smallest nation in terms of size to ever host the World Cup, but it also would be the smallest nation in terms of population to host the World Cup.

The closest nation to Qatar in these categories was Uruguay in 1930, which was a bigger nation in size and its population in 1930 (approximately 1.75 million) was larger than Qatar is today.

The next major issue involves the consumption of alcohol.

Alcohol is legal in Qatar, but it is heavily restricted, with the exposure of alcohol or being drunk in public both illegal.

The bid committee has already stated that specific fan-zones would be used to sell alcohol to the fans.

But, FIFA would certainly lose money from potential alcoholic sales if the World Cup is played there.

Overall, Qatar can certainly host the World Cup, but their bid is just as strong as Australia's right now and they will certainly need some time to get all of the bugs worked out of its program.

 

South Korea

The final bid for the 2022 World Cup, South Korea are a nation that along with Japan, is looking to host its second-ever World Cup after combining with the Japanese to host the 2002 World Cup.

In South Korea's plan, they want to promote world peace, assuming that tensions with North Korea will dissolve in the next decade.

Overall, South Korea will need to do very little work on their stadiums for this World Cup due to the fact that many of the stadium were built for use in the 2002 World Cup.

But, despite what South Korea has proposed, they (along with Japan) are the two most improbable nations to win the World Cup.

However, regardless what South Korea has said about the reunification process with North Korea, we are still completely unsure if it will happen.

Despite the future power change that is believed to happen between current leader Kim Jong-il to his youngest son Kim Jong-un, no one knows if Kim Jong-un will be like his father and grandfather, or if he will open North Korea up to the world.

And again, there is the fact that South Korea hosted the World Cup in 2002, a feature that will end South Korea's chances of hosting the World Cup.

 

At the end of the day, there is one final problem that exists within all four Asian bids; the 2026 World Cup.

Already, China has expressed interest in hosting the 2026 World Cup, and it has been reported that India will use the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi as a way to launch a bid for the 2026 World Cup.

These two countries are the countries with the highest populations in the world, and have been relatively untapped in terms of football.

In each nation's history in the World Cup, China was able to qualify for the 2002 World Cup, but left the World Cup pointless and without a goal while India qualified for the 1950 World Cup, but did not participate due to a rule that banned bare-foot play.

Overall, the NBA has been able to make basketball extremely popular in China, going as far to have offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

And the NBA is now starting to get itself established inside of India and can easily replicate its success in China if India can produce a superstar such as Yao Ming to play in America.

Due to this, FIFA knows that these two countries are huge markets for football and having a World Cup in either of these countries would bring in lots of money for FIFA.

Having a World Cup in China or India could easily eclipse the numbers that were established by the United States from 1994.

Due to this, FIFA wants the World Cup in China or India, and they want to have it happen sooner than later.

They (FIFA) certainly remember the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing and how successful it was despite all of the problems that China faced before the start of the Olympics.

This also showed that China can host a major event despite the restrictions of media by the Communist government.

And because all four nations bidding against the United States are all members of the Asian Football Confederation, all four bids have a major hurdle to clear in China and India's interest for the 2026 World Cup.

Now, United States fans will have to wait until Dec. 2 to find out that they will in all-likelihood host the World Cup in 2022 in what will be one of the greatest days in American soccer history.

Australian fast bowler Brett Lee will play in New Zealand's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition, which will start from Dec 2010.Media reported that Brett Lee has signed to play for Wellington province. Lee will play five rounds of the 10-round competition as

Australian fast bowler Brett Lee has signed to play for Wellington province in New Zealand's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition this season. Lee will play five rounds

Former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee is the latest high profile overseas signing for New Zealand's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition this summer.

Australian fast bowler Brett Lee has signed on to play domestic Twenty20 cricket in New Zealand later this year with the Wellington Firebirds.

Former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee is the latest high profile overseas signing for New Zealand's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition this summer.

Australian quick Brett Lee will make his return from an elbow injury in Sunday’s domestic one-day cup match against Western Australia at Hurstville Oval. The 33-year-old paceman has been named in the team to take on the Warriors in what will be his first State cricket appearance since November last year. A ten-over spell in ...

The world is a pretty uncertain place right now, and institutions of all kinds—businesses, governments, universities, religions—are trying to figure out how, and whether, they can survive in the 21st century.

The story I want to tell you is about how cricket—yes, that cricket—has become a model for them all.

Over the past decade cricket, one of the world's oldest and most popular sports, has shown a remarkable capacity for change. In its format, its governing laws and regulations, its relationship to technological advances, and its social media savvy, a sport that could have languished in the past has become one of the most innovative on the planet.

A Flexible Format

For the uninitiated, there are three flavors of modern cricket: Extra-long, long, and still fairly long. For much of the game's history, which dates back to the mid 1500s, the sport was dominated by a marathon, five-day contest called the test match. In the 1960s, cricket responded to the quickening pace of modern life with the one-day match, and adopted a batting limit of 50 overs per team (an over consists of 6 balls). Stadium lighting and changes in ball color have ensured that the game actually fits into one day. (And it has also modernized aesthetically, as well. Players have shed their all-whites in favor of sometimes garish outfits).

Within the last ten years, cricket has added yet another format, the Twenty20, in which each team receives 20 overs to bat. The T20—lasting between two and three hours—has exploded in popularity, setting domestic and international match attendance records worldwide.

Moving from the test match, to the one-day match, to Twenty20, cricket has shown a rare capacity to experiment with the very definition of cricket that has allowed the centuries-old game to position itself as a relevant sport for many generations of fans and athletes. Akin perhaps to the book, the article and the blog post, each format of cricket caters to different segments of the cricket-loving world, and rewards multiple levels of engagement.

Technology and Tradition

To many sports fans, this will be remembered as the summer of blown calls. Officiating mistakes in baseball and the World Cup marred important matches for many fans, and raised questions about how we should integrate new technologies with longstanding traditions.

In recent years, cricket has given its officials access to technology that allows them to see if a ball hit the batter's bat, rather than some other part of the batter's equipment. Using infra-red cameras, umpires can see the heat generated by the ball's impact on the bat, and as such they can readily determine where the ball made contact. This type of heat mapping is much more sensitive than even the slowest replay, and allows umpires to make much more accurate decisions about whether a batter has been, for example, caught out on a tipped ball. It closes the gap between what the audience sees at home, and what the officials can reasonably be expected to observe during the pressures of real-time sports.

In cricket, outs—roughly analogous to an out in baseball—can be awarded based on an umpire’s expectation of future events. In order to give an out based on Leg Before Wicket, the umpire must believe that, "the ball would have hit the stumps had its path not been obstructed by the batsman's pads or body." In other words, the out depends on an umpire extrapolating the trajectory of a ball. This is hard to do in ideal conditions, let alone after standing outside for six hours in the Australian summer sun.

To assist in ensuring correct decisions, cricket uses modeling technology called Hawk-Eye—which is also used to help with close calls in tennis—to determine the future flight of a ball. When assisted by Hawk-Eye, the umpire's prediction can be tested, and ultimately corroborated or refuted, as the ball's trajectory in three-dimensional space can be modeled almost instantaneously.

Using a challenge system similar to that in professional American football, cricket has adopted a framework that balances the inherent subjectivity of the umpire's role with technological advances that serve to strengthen both players' and fans' trust in the rules and officials that govern the game. In so doing, cricket has managed to create a perfect hybrid for the 21st century—one that fuses a leisure activity born in the early stages of industrial capitalism with advanced technologies, such as sophisticated, near-real-time modeling, that are increasingly a part of our modern day lives.

Old Sport, New Media

As a final testament to the innovative capacities of modern cricket, the sport has been extremely advanced in experimenting with both the content and the platform of broadcast cricket matches. During this summer's Tour de France, fans of team HTC-Columbia were able to track the heart rates of team members. In cricket broadcasts I've watched, similar technology has been applied to add a layer of information for the home viewer. It may seem superfluous, but watch a batsman’s heart rate increase when he faces a particularly fast bowler and see if yours doesn’t as well. Equipped with this extra sensory input, I felt closer to the action on the pitch in an entirely new way.

Cricket has also experimented with delivering media to fans through new avenues. The upstart, wildly successful T20 Indian Premier League has shown itself to be far ahead of the curve, providing a comprehensive, free-to-access stream of the league’s matches on YouTube.

The IPL’s partnership with YouTube marks a substantial shift in content delivery for the sports industry. With an estimated brand value of almost $4 billion, the IPL's wholesale embrace of online content is significant, especially as it stands in stark contrast to the intellectual property rights asserted by, for example, Major League Baseball. Past IPL games can be found for free online, which allows a broad, international audience to connect with the sport. This kind of access to the game helps the league's audience engage more directly with the league, as they can watch any team's game at any time, and serves as the foundation for a strong community of dedicated followers of the sport.

Howzat?!

The depth of cricket's foresight is remarkable.

Consider the music industry. When music distribution began to shift online, and consumers began to download MP3s, companies like Sony were steadfast in their support of the album as the format in which music should be sold. Instead of accepting the structural diversity that the mp3 heralded—perhaps complementing the album and the concert—these companies declared, in effect, that if the consumer didn't want to watch one-day matches, then he couldn't enjoy any cricket at all. Obviously this was a shortsighted view, as Apple demonstrated when it launched the music equivalent of the T20—the iTunes store.

Similarly, while blogs were growing as sources of entertainment and information for the online world, the belief that the format generated lesser editorial products slowed newsrooms from hiring writers who could work with the new technology. In both cases, the lesson is clear—blind faith in the supremacy of existing structures prevented venerable institutions from seeing valuable opportunities to experiment with their core business model. The music and news industries could have learned something from cricket.

Cricket's use of preview technology mirrors an increasingly important practice in the world outside of sports. Harnessing the massive amounts of data that is being generated by, for example, online consumer behaviors, computation-driven modeling is being used to make sense of a wide variety of parameters, and to offer predictions of potential outcomes and recommendations for future courses of actions. In the case of the Netflix Prize, past user behavior was used to create algorithms that can improve the quality of choices we may make in the future.

In his seminal work on the sociology of play and games, Roger Callois wrote about how the games that a culture plays are reflective of the culture itself:

[the] preferred and widely diffused games [of a culture] reflect, on the one hand, the tendencies, tastes, and ways of thought that are prevalent, while, at the same time, in educating and training the players in these very virtues or eccentricities, they subtly confirm in them their habits and preferences.

The most important lesson we can learn from cricket is that, in order to remain relevant, an organization shouldn't cling to inflexible traditions and pretend it's possible to wall itself off from the influence of technology, but must instead look for ways to adapt these traditions to the changing world.

Despite what some critics may say, all games—sports included—reflect the cultures that play them, and in this sense cricket is the perfect sport exemplar for our time. At odds with its own history and structure, in the past decade cricket has rapidly adapted to technological advances, and has become representative of the global, internet-connected culture that follows the game.

Mathias Crawford is a research manager at The Institute for the Future.

Times LIVE

Lee seeks New Zealand stint, eyes World Cup Daily Times WELLINGTON: Australian fast bowler Brett Lee is poised to play domestic Twenty20 cricket in New Zealand as he seeks a career swansong at next year's World ... Lee close to Wellington dealYahoo! Eurosport UK Cricket Update: Lee seeks New Zealand domestic T20 cricket, gearing up for ...bettor.com (blog) all 28 news articles »

AFP

Lee seeks N.Zealand stint, eyes World Cup: report AFP WELLINGTON — Australian fast bowler Brett Lee is poised to play domestic Twenty20 cricket in New Zealand as he seeks a career swansong at next year's World ... Firebirds target English playerStuff.co.nz Lee close to signing with WellingtonCricInfo.com all 20 news articles »

PREVIEW NOTES – DAY ONE
The 2010 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group Play-off between the United States and Colombia will take place from Friday, September 17, to Sunday, September 19, in Bogota, Colombia, at the Plaza de Toros La Santamaria on an outdoor red clay court.

The United States is 3-1 in World Group Play-offs since the World Group was instituted in 1981. The country’s last Play-off took place in 2005, when the U.S. defeated Belgium 4-1 in Belgium on a clay court. The U.S.’s only Play-off loss came in 1987, after which it spent one year in the Americas Zone, in 1988. The U.S. has competed in the World Group every year since and holds the longest uninterrupted run in the World Group of any competing nation. Colombia will be competing for a spot in the World Group for the first time in its 43-year history in the competition.

The United States and Colombia hold an even 1-1 record in Davis Cup competition. The two nations have not faced each other since 1979, when the U.S. team faced the Colombians in the North & Central America second round at the Cleveland Skating Club in Ohio. The U.S. swept Colombia 5-0 in that tie on an indoor hard court. The U.S. and Colombia also met in the same division and round in 1974, with the U.S. losing 4-1 in Bogota.

The U.S. last played in South America in 1997, when the country faced Brazil in the World Group first round on clay and won 4-1. The last time the U.S. played south of the equator was in 2000 in the World Group first round, defeating Zimbabwe 3-2 in a decisive fifth singles match on a hard court. Also, in this tie, the U.S. Davis Cup team will be competing at its highest-ever elevation; Bogota is 8,626 feet above sea level.

Since the competition began in 1900, the United States has faced 39, posting a 208-64 record (most wins by any nation in the event). The U.S. has a winning record against 35 countries, a level record with two countries, and a losing record against two nations. The U.S. is undefeated versus 21 countries and holds an active winning streak against 33 of the 39 nations it has faced.

ORDER OF PLAY

The opening day of play in the best-of-five match series features each country’s No. 1 singles player against the No. 2 player from the opposing country. The exact order of play (which country’s No. 1 plays first) was determined at the Draw Ceremony, which was held today at the Plaza de Toros La Santamaria. The second day of competition features the pivotal doubles match. The event concludes Sunday with the “reverse singles,” starting with each country’s No. 1 player squaring off followed by the No. 2 players. Each match is best-of-five-sets until one nation wins three matches and clinches the tie.  The remaining matches, if any, are played as best-of-three sets.

DAY/LOCAL TIME   EVENT       DETAILS/PAIRING
Friday, 10 a.m.       Singles A:   Mardy Fish (USA) vs. Alejandro Falla (COL)
    Singles B:   Sam Querrey (USA) vs. Santiago Giraldo (COL)
Saturday, 11 a.m.   Doubles:   Ryan Harrison/John Isner (USA) vs. Robert Farah/Carlos Salamanca
Sunday, 10 a.m.       Singles C:   Fish (USA) vs. Giraldo
            Singles D:   Querrey (USA) vs. Falla
            *Team captains may substitute the doubles team up to one hour before the match.


CHANGING OF THE GUARD

U.S. Davis Cup Captain Patrick McEnroe is bringing a new lineup to this World Group Play-off in Mardy Fish, Sam Querrey, John Isner and rising American talent Ryan Harrison. For the first time, McEnroe’s lineup will include neither Andy Roddick, James Blake nor the Bryan brothers. This will also be the last tie for McEnroe, the longtime U.S. Davis Cup captain. Currently in his 10th year as captain, McEnroe is the longest-tenured captain in U.S. Davis Cup history. He led the U.S. to its record 32nd Davis Cup title in 2007, its first title since 1995—ending the longest drought in U.S. Davis Cup history.  His 16 victories rank second all-time in U.S. Davis Cup history behind Tom Gorman’s 18.


SINGLES A: MARDY FISH (USA) vs. ALEJANDRO FALLA (COL)


MARDY FISH (USA)       ALEJANDRO FALLA (COL)
19   World Ranking   64
28   Age   26
Edina, Minn.   Birthplace   Cali, Colombia
Tampa, Fla./Los Angeles   Resides   Bogota, Colombia
6' 2"   Height   6’1”
180 lbs.   Weight   169 lbs.
Right-handed   Plays   Left-handed
2000   Turned Pro   2000

229-174 (37-14)   Singles Record
Career (2010)   
56-70 (14-16)

5 (2)   Singles Titles
Career (2010)   
0 (0)

$4,690,478 ($899,498)   Prize Money
Career (2010)   
$1,170,154 ($284,024)
4-5   Davis Cup
Career Singles   18-2
1   Head to Head   1


CAREER HEAD-TO-HEAD: Fish vs. Falla (level at 1-1)
Year   Event   Surface   Round   Winner   Score
2008   Los Angles   Hard (O)   R32   Fish   62 62
2008   Washington, DC   Hard (O)   R32   Falla   57 64 62


SINGLES B: SAM QUERREY (USA) vs. SANTIAGO GIRALDO (COL)



SAM QUERREY (USA)       SANTIAGO GIRALDO (COL)
21   World Ranking   61
22   Age   22
San Francisco   Birthplace   Pereira, Colombia
Las Vegas   Resides   Bogota, Colombia
6' 6"   Height   6’2”
200 lbs.   Weight   165 lbs.
Right-handed   Plays   Right-handed
2006   Turned Pro   2006

132-101 (38-19)   Singles Record
Career (2010)   
24-37 (15-18)

6 (4)   Singles Titles
Career (2010)   
0 (0)

$2,904,371 ($1,174,197)   Prize Money
Career (2010)   
$638,236 ($289,668)
1-2   Davis Cup
Career Singles   9-5
First meeting   Head to Head   First meeting


CAREER HEAD-TO-HEAD: Querrey vs. Giraldo (0-0, first meeting)

 

INITIAL ROSTERS

Both captains submitted an initial four-man roster 10 days prior to play, but could change two of the four players originally nominated up to one hour before Thursday’s draw ceremony, when they wee required to submit their official lineups..

UNITED STATES   COLOMBIA
John Isner     Santiago Giraldo
Mardy Fish   Alejandro Falla
Sam Querrey   Carlos Salamanca
Ryan Harrison   Juan Sebastian Cabal
Captain Patrick McEnroe   Captain Felipe Beron

Colombian Captain Beron replaced Cabal with Robert Farah at the Draw Ceremony.

DOMESTIC TELEVISION SCHEDULE

Tennis Channel will air live daily coverage. Friday’s and Sunday’s singles matches will air live at 11 a.m. ET. Saturday’s doubles match will air live at 12 p.m. (noon) ET.  Tennis Channel will continue its Davis Cup primetime tradition and rebroadcast matches nightly at 8 p.m. ET.

DAVIS CUP TEAM COMPARISON:
UNITED STATES VS. COLOMBIA

UNITED STATES   DAVIS CUP COMPARISON   COLOMBIA
1900   First year played   1959
96   Years played   43
272 (208-64)   Ties played   90 (47-43)
29 (56-23)   Years in World Group
(since 1981; including 2010)   0 (0-0)
32-time Champion
(32-29 in finals)   Best Finish   Advanced to World Group Play-offs this year


INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS & RECORDS (thru September 13)

INDIVIDUAL SINGLES RESULTS

UNITED STATES
Player   Singles
Ranking   Doubles
Ranking   SINGLES
2010   RECORD
Career   TITLES
(2010)
Mardy Fish   No. 19   No. 47   37-14   229-174   5 (2)
Sam Querrey   No. 21   No. 34   38-19   132-101   6 (4)
John Isner   No. 23   No. 35   31-19   77-61   1 (1)
Ryan Harrison   No. 170   No. 210   4-9   5-10   0 (0)
           
DOUBLES     
RECORD   TITLES
(2010)
Mardy Fish   —   No. 47   18-12   117-95   8 (2)
Sam Querrey   —   No. 34   21-10   40-55   2 (2)
John Isner   —   No. 35   20-7   40-32   2 (1)

COLOMBIA
Player   Singles
Ranking   Doubles
Ranking   SINGLES
2010   RECORD
Career   TITLES
(2010)
Santiago Giraldo   No. 61   No. 1149   15-18   24-37   0 (0)
Alejando Falla   No. 64   No. 332   14-16   56-70   0 (0)
Carlos Salamanca   No. 144   No. 391   1-0   3-4   0 (0)
Juan Sebastian Cabal   No. 281   No. 197   1-0   3-2   0 (0)
Robert Farah   No. 206   No. 297   0-0   0-0   0


U.S. vs. Colombia Head-to-Head Player Breakdown

    Santiago Giraldo   Alejandro Falla   Carlos Salamanca   Robert Farah
Mardy Fish   1-0 (on grass)   1-1 (both on hard)   —   —
Sam Querrey   —   1-1 (both on grass)   —   —
John Isner   1-0 (on clay)   2-0 (both on hard)   —   —
Ryan Harrison   —   —   —   —



U.S. DOUBLES COMBINATION RESULTS

UNITED STATES
Team   
Doubles
Record   Doubles Record (2010)   

Best Result
John Isner/Sam Querrey   21-13   17-6   Winner – 2010 Memphis;
Runner-up – 2010 ATP Masters Series Rome
Mardy Fish/ John Isner   10-3   DNP   Winner – 2008 Newport
Quarterfinal – 2009 Australian Open
Mardy Fish/ Sam Querrey   7-6   4-1   Winner – 2010 San Jose

DAVIS CUP CAREER RECORDS (thru 2010 first round)

U.S. DAVIS CUP TEAM


Player   Ties
Played   Singles
Record   Doubles
Record   Overall
Record
Mardy Fish   8   4-5   2-1   6-6
Sam Querrey   2   1-3   —   1-3
John Isner   1   0-2   1-0   1-2
Ryan Harrison   0   —   —   —

COLOMBIA DAVIS CUP TEAM


Player   Ties
Played   Singles
Record   Doubles
Record   Overall
Record
Santiago Giraldo   10   9-5   —   9-5
Alejandro Falla   18   18-2   9-6   27-8
Carlos Salamanca   19   3-4   10-6   13-10
Juan Sebastian Cabal   4   3-2   1-2   4-4
Robert Farah   0   —   —   —


PLAYING ON CLAY

The United States has played 84 Davis Cup ties on clay (71 outdoors, 13 indoors), and has a record of 59-25, posting a better winning percentage (.702) than Colombia, which is 28-25 (.528) in 53 ties on clay.

UNITED STATES   RECORD ON CLAY   COLOMBIA
84   Ties played   53
59-25   Record   28-25
2010 World Group first round
Lost to Serbia 3-2 in Belgrade, Serbia   Last Time
    2010 Americas Group I semifinal
Win over Canada 4-1 in Bogota, Colombia

U.S. DAVIS CUP TEAM ON CLAY



Player   Davis Cup Singles Record   Davis Cup
Doubles
Record   Career
Singles
Record*   
Career
Titles/Finals   

BEST FINISH AT THE FRENCH OPEN
Mardy Fish   2-3   1-0   20-29   1/0   Second Round, 2008, 2010
Sam Querrey   1-3   0-0   17-22   1/1   First Round, 2007-10
John Isner   0-2   1-0   11-14   0/1   Third Round, 2010
Ryan Harrison   0-0   0-0   1-1   0/0   Competed in qualifying in 2010
               
COLOMBIA DAVIS CUP TEAM ON CLAY


Player   Davis Cup
Singles
Record   Davis Cup
Doubles
Record   Career
Singles
Record*   
Career
Titles/Finals   

BEST FINISH AT THE FRENCH OPEN
Santiago Giraldo   6-4   0-0   10-13   0/0   First Round, 2010; Played in Qualifying, 2007-09
Alejandro Falla   10-1   4-4   18-14   0/0   Second Round, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010
Carlos Salamanca   3-1   4-3   3-1   0/0   Competed in qualifying in 2010
Juan Sebastian Cabal   3-2   1-2   3-2   0/0   Has not competed
*Individual records as of September 13, 2010




2010 DAVIS CUP RESULTS

United States
World Group First Round:   lost to Serbia in Belgrade, Serbia (indoor clay)       2-3

Colombia   
Americas Group I Semifinal:   def. Canada in Bogota, Colombia (outdoor clay)         4-1
    
2010 DAVIS CUP INDIVIDUAL RECORDS
UNITED STATES   POSITION   COLOMBIA
John Isner (0-2)   No. 1 singles   Santiago Giraldo (2-0)
Sam Querrey (1-1)   No. 2 singles   Carlos Salamanca (1-0)
    Substitute No. 2   Juan Sebastian Cabal (1-0)
Bob Bryan (1-0)   Doubles   Juan Sebastian Cabal (0-1)
John Isner (1-0)       Alejandro Falla (0-1)

SUCCESS IN THE WORLD GROUP PLAY-OFFS

The U.S. will make its first appearance in a World Group Play-off since 2005, and just its fifth since the World Group was instituted in 1981. The U.S. is 3-1 in World Group Play-offs, with its only loss coming in 1987 to West Germany. The U.S. defeated Belgium on red clay in its last appearance in the World Group Play-off, in 2005, after losing to Croatia in the World Group first round.
The United States is 3-0 in World Group Play-off ties on the road, having won its last first round road tie in 2005 against Belgium 4-1 on an indoor red clay court in Bratislava. Overall, the U.S. is 2-0 on clay courts in World Group Play-offs. (The U.S. played the other two ties on indoor carpet.)
Mardy Fish is the only player on the U.S. roster who has competed in a World Group Play-off. Fish played in the 2003 World Group Play-off versus the Slovak Republic, where he won the second singles match to help lead the U.S. to a 3-2 victory. Later in the tie he lost a dead rubber in three sets.
Colombia will be competing in its first World Group Play-off and for a spot in the World Group for the first time in its 43-year history after defeating Canada 4-1 in the Americas Zone Group I Semifinal in Bogota in March. Colombia has hosted its last three ties, going 2-1 in competition.
UNITED
STATES   RECORD IN
WORLD GROUP PLAY-OFFS (since 1981)   
COLOMBIA
3-1   OVERALL   0-0
0-1   Home   —
3-0   Away   —
    BY SURFACE   
—   Hard   —
2-0   Clay   —
1-1   Indoor Carpet   —
—   Grass   —


RECORD IN
WORLD GROUP PLAY-OFFS
HOME-AWAY BREAKDOWN BY SURFACE
UNITED STATES       COLOMBIA
Home   Away   Surface   Home   Away
—   —   Hard   —   —
—   2-0   Clay   —   —
0-1   1-0   Indoor Carpet   —   —
-—   —   Grass   —   —
0-1   3-0   OVERALL   —   —



HEAD-TO-HEAD
UNITED STATES VS. COLOMBIA

THE UNITED STATES AND COLOMBIA HOLD AN EVEN 1-1 RECORD IN DAVIS CUP.

The United States and Colombia have not faced each other since 1979 in the North & Central America second round at home at the Cleveland Skating Club in Ohio. In that tie, the Americans did not lose one set and swept Colombia 5-0. The U.S. and Colombia met one other time, in 1974, where the U.S. lost 4-1 in Bogota, also in the North & Central America second round.

YEAR   SCORE   ROUND   LOCATION   SURFACE
2010   TBD   World Group Play-off   Bogota, Colombia   Outdoor Clay
1979   USA, 5-0   North & Central America Second Round   Cleveland, Ohio   Indoor Hard
1974   COL, 4-1   North & Central America Second Round   Bogota, Colombia   Unknown

The first meeting between the U.S. and Colombia was played in 1974 in Bogota, Colombia, in the North & Central America second round. The team of Harold Solomon, Erik Van Dillen and Charlie Pasarell traveled to South America to play at the highest altitude ever for a U.S. Davis Cup tie. Jairo Velasco and Ivan Molina played every match for the Colombia. Velasco rallied to beat Solomon in five sets in the opening match then Molina swept Van Dillen in straight sets. Pasarell and Van Dillen kept the U.S. hopes alive in the doubles, but Velasco clinched the tie with a four-set win over Van Dillen.
The United States and Colombia last faced each other in 1979, when the U.S. team of John McEnroe, Dick Stockton and Peter Fleming faced the Colombians in the North & Central America second round at home at the Cleveland Skating Club in Ohio. In the tie, the Americans did not lose a single set, sweeping Colombia 5-0 on an indoor hard court. The Colombian team was comprised of Orlando Agudelo, Ivan Molina and Alvaro Betancur.
1974 North & Central America Second Round: Colombia def. United States 4-1
Club Los Lagartos, Bogota, Colombia * January 11-13, 1974
Captains -     Colombia: Dario Behar                   United States: Dennis Ralston
Singles A:   Jairo Velasco (COL) d. Harold Solomon (USA)       6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
Singles B:   Ivan Molina (COL) d. Erik Van Dillen (USA)           6-4, 7-5, 6-2
Doubles:       Charlie Pasarell/Erik Van Dillen (USA)/
d. Ivan Molina/Jairo Velasco (COL)           6-4, 13-11, 6-4
Singles C:   Jairo Velasco (COL) d. Erik Van Dillen (USA)           6-0, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3
Singles D:   Ivan Molina (COL) d. Harold Solomon (USA)           6-2, 6-1, 6-0

1979 North & Central America Second Round: United States def. Colombia 5-0
Cleveland Skating Club, Cleveland, Ohio (Indoor Hard) * March 16-18, 1979
Captains -     United States: Tony Trabert               Colombia:    Dario Behar
Singles A:   John McEnroe (USA) d. Alvaro Betancur (COL)       6-2, 6-1, 6-1
Singles B:   Dick Stockton (USA) d. Ivan Molina (COL)           6-2, 6-3, 6-4
Doubles:       Peter Fleming/John McEnroe (USA)     
d. Orlando Agudelo/Ivan Molina (COL)       6-4, 6-0, 6-4
Singles C:   Dick Stockton (USA) d. Alvaro Betancur (COL)       6-1, 6-2, 7-5
Singles D:   John McEnroe (USA) d. Ivan Molina (COL)           6-4, 6-3, 6-2


THE PLAZA DE TOROS LA SANTAMARIA

The Plaza de Toros La Santamaria in Bogota, Colombia, is Colombia’s bullfighting ring with a capacity of 14,500 spectators. Since 1931, the bullfighting season has taken place in January and February. “La Santamaría,” short for its full name, is an imposing work of architecture, which includes a museum that exhibits bullfighters’ attires, bullfighting capes and banderillas (the barbed sticks that are planted on the bull’s flanks).

This will be the second time in three years that the U.S. Davis Cup team is playing in a bullfighting ring. Spain hosted the reigning champion U.S. team in the 2008 semifinals at Plaza de Toros Las Ventas in Madrid.



BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
Bogota, the capital of Colombia, is a city of contrasts, with high-rise buildings that stand next to colonial churches, and is filled with universities, museums, theaters and shantytowns. Located on a high plateau on the Andes Mountains, it is the main city in the country, the seat of the national government and a destination for congresses and conventions. It has a mixture of Spanish, English and Indian influence with great wealth to great poverty. The city has grown to be the largest industrial and commercial center of the country and the main offices of most coffee-producing and exporting firms and flower growers. Home to more than 7 million people, Colombians flock to Bogota in search of opportunities and also for the many cultural events and thriving nightlife.
U.S. DAVIS CUP RECORD BOOK PREVIEW

PATRICK MCENROE IN THE U.S. RECORD BOOK: Patrick McEnroe is the longest-tenured U.S. Davis Cup captain, serving 10 years since making his debut in 2001 and becoming the fifth-youngest non-player U.S. Davis Cup Captain. With the 2010 first round win versus Switzerland, McEnroe became the second-winningest U.S. Davis Cup captain with 16 team wins, just two short of Tom Gorman’s 18.  

U.S. Davis Cup Team Record   McEnroe’s Total   McEnroe’s Placement
Most Wins by a U.S.
Davis Cup Captain   16   Second all-time, surpassing Tony Trabert after winning at the 2009 first round tie versus Switzerland
Longest Tenure by a U.S.
Davis Cup Captain   10 years
(2001-2010)   First all-time,
surpassing Tom Gorman (1986-1993) at the 2009 first round ties versus Switzerland
Youngest Non-player U.S.
Davis Cup Captain   34 years, 7 months, 9 days   Fifth all-time, made debut in 2001


**This World Group Play-off will be McEnroe’s last U.S. Davis Cup tie, as McEnroe announced his resignation as the U.S. Davis Cup captain at the 2010 US Open. McEnroe will focus his efforts on USTA Player Development and his family.



DID YOU KNOW…

The United States has won more Davis Cup titles (32) and more Davis Cup ties (208) than any other country.

The United States owns a 208-64 overall Davis Cup record. In ties played in the United States, the U.S. owns a 109-15 record. It is 73-44 in ties played in its opponent's home country and is 26-5 on neutral ground.

Since Davis Cup began in 1900, only 137 players have had the privilege of representing the United States.



THIS WEEK IN U.S. DAVIS CUP HISTORY

September 13
1924 Bill Tilden and Vincent Richards complete a 5-0 sweep of Australasia (Australia-New Zealand) at the Germantown Cricket Club in Philadelphia with straight-sets wins over Pat Wood and Gerald Patterson, respectively.
September 14
1946     Bill Talbert and Gardnar Mulloy defeat Torsten Johansson and Lennart Bergelin 3-6, 9-7, 3-6, 6-0, 8-6 to give the United States an insurmountable 3-0 lead over Sweden in the Davis Cup Inter-Zone Final at the West Side Tennis Club at Forest Hills, N.Y.
2001      The International Tennis Federation postpones the United States vs. India Davis Cup Qualifying Round until Oct. 12-14 due to terrorist activities at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
September 15
1963   Arthur Ashe makes his Davis Cup debut, defeating Orlando Bracamonte 6-1, 6-1, 6-0 as the United States completes a 5-0 shutout of Venezuela in the Davis Cup third round at the Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver. Ashe goes on to become one of the greatest figures in U.S. Davis Cup history, helping the United States win the Davis Cup five times as a player and two times as a captain. Ashe competes in 18 ties as a player and compiles a 28-6 Davis Cup record (27-5 in singles). He serves as U.S. captain from 1981 to 1985 and guides John McEnroe and the U.S. team to Davis Cup titles in 1981 and 1982.
1978   Harold Solomon and Brian Gottfried give the U.S. a 2-0 lead over Chile in the Davis Cup quarterfinals in Santiago. Solomon defeats Hans Gildemeister 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 and Gottfried defeats Jaime Fillol 6-4, 7-5, 6-2.
September 16
1940   U.S. Davis Cupper Butch Buchholz is born in St. Louis, Mo.
1978   A 19-year-old John McEnroe makes his Davis Cup debut, clinching the U.S. victory over Chile in the Davis Cup quarterfinals in Santiago, Chile. McEnroe and Brian Gottfried give the United States an insurmountable 3-0 lead over the Chileans with a 3-6, 6-3, 8-6, 6-3 win over Jaime Fillol and Belus Prajoux. McEnroe goes on to become the greatest American Davis Cup player in history. An owner of 22 U.S. Davis Cup records, McEnroe leads the U.S. to five Davis Cup titles and posts an incredible 59-10 Davis Cup record (18-2 in doubles).
September 17
1908   Beals Wright becomes the first member of a U.S. Davis Cup team to come from two sets down to win a Davis Cup match, as he defeats James Parke 8-10, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 to give the United States a 2-0 lead over Britain at the Longwood Cricket Club in Boston.
1952   U.S. Davis Cupper Harold Solomon is born in Washington, D.C.
1978   Chile sweeps the meaningless final two matches against the United States in the Davis Cup quarterfinal in Santiago, Chile, to make the final score between the two nations 3-2 for the United States. Jaime Fillol defeats Harold Solomon 6-3, 6-2 and Hans Gildemeister defeats Brian Gottfried 4-6, 7-5, 12-10.
2002   U.S. Ambassador to France Howard Leach welcomes the U.S. Davis Cup team to a cocktail reception at the ambassador’s residence in Paris in preparation for the U.S. vs. France Davis Cup semifinal at Roland Garros.
September 18
1908   Harold Hackett and Fred Alexander put the United States into the Davis Cup Challenge Round by defeating Major Ritchie and James Parke 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 to give the U.S. an insurmountable 3-0 lead over Britain at the Longwood Cricket Club in Boston.
1994   U.S. Davis Cupper Vitas Gerulaitis dies at the age of 40.
1997   The draw ceremony for the United States vs. Australia Davis Cup semifinal in Washington, D.C. is held on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. American Todd Martin grabs headlines as he faints during the ceremony.
September 19
1960   Barry MacKay and Bernard “Tut” Bartzen complete a 5-0 shutout of Venezuela in the Davis Cup third round at the Cleveland Skating Club in Ohio. MacKay defeats Iyo Pimental 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, while Bartzen defeats Marcos Gambus 6-1, 6-0, 6-0. The U.S. loses a grand total of 24 games in the five matches played in the tie.
1969   Arthur Ashe and Stan Smith give the United States a 2-0 lead over Romania in the Davis Cup Challenge Round played at the Harold T. Clark Courts in Cleveland. Ashe defeats Ilie Nastase 6-2, 15-13, 7-5 and Smith defeats Ion Tiriac 6-8, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
1997   Michael Chang defeats Patrick Rafter 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 to help the United States take a 2-0 lead on the opening day in the Davis Cup semifinal in Washington, D.C. Chang’s victory avenges his loss to Rafter in the semifinals of the US Open two weeks earlier.

Australian One Day allrounder James Hopes has replaced Chris Simpson as captain of the Queensland Bulls for the upcoming domestic cricket season.

Source : The Age

Explore : Australia

Australian One Day allrounder James Hopes has replaced Chris Simpson as captain of the Queensland Bulls for the upcoming domestic cricket season.

Source : Sydney Morning Herald

Explore : Australia

Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting says he is concerned the new domestic one-day format will hamper the World Cup preparations of fringe players.

more images more images more images SYDNEY - Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting is concerned that the preparation of some of the players currently outside the national team ahead of the World Cup will be hampered by the new domestic one-day format. Cricket Australia recently announced domestic one-dayers will now be split into two innings of 20 and 25 ... Original source on Gaea Times at : New Oz ’split-innings’ domestic ODI format will hurt World Cup preparations: Ponting.

Captain Ricky Ponting said Saturday he was concerned Australia's revamped domestic one day format would hamper the World Cup preparations of players on the fringe of the national team.

• Batsman quit as captain earlier this season
• Australian leaves Derbyshire on good terms

Derbyshire have confirmed that their former captain, Chris Rogers, will leave the club at the end of the season to join Middlesex.

The Australian opening batsman, who celebrates his 33rd birthday today, joined Derbyshire in 2008 after spells with Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. He has played one Test for Australia.

Derbyshire said in a statement: "Chris Rogers has informed Derbyshire that he does not intend to return to the club in 2011 after accepting an offer from Middlesex."

Rogers resigned as the captain of Derbyshire earlier this month, with Greg Smith taking over the leadership of the team. He will, however, depart on good terms with Derbyshire's head of cricket, John Morris, saying: "Chris has been a great player, captain and ambassador for the past three years and I would like to thank him for all he has done during his time with us. He has been a great professional and a consistent scorer of big runs; he leaves the club with our very best wishes."

Rogers said: "I am sad to leave as I feel I have become a part of the side here and have forged some great relationships. I wish Derbyshire all the best and I believe that under John Morris they have the squad and support to become a successful side."

The news of Rogers' transfer to Middlesex comes a day after the Lord's club's director of cricket, Angus Fraser, dismissed the possibility of Kevin Pietersen joining his county for the remainder of the domestic season.

When it comes to Pakistan's team of mercenaries, we need to understand a little more and condemn a little less

There are two possible reactions to the alleged betting scam involving the Pakistan team: you can cut them adrift, as Martin Samuel suggested in a beautifully composed article in the Daily Mail yesterday, or you can try to get them out of this mess. The cricket authorities, with their matchless ability to get it wrong in almost every situation, will try to do a bit of both, and thus make things worse.

The England and Wales Cricket Board's priority seems to be to ensure that the rest of the Pakistan tour goes ahead – but without the alleged scammers being allowed to play. This is offensive at several levels: it assumes their guilt, thus reversing the usual judicial imperative; it puts money before principle (in some ways rather appropriate in the circumstances); and it makes a mockery of the cricket which would be played. England are already much the stronger team; now Pakistan would be deprived of their two best bowlers. The matches would be pointless.

Far better to scrap the rest of the tour, and, instead of playing a Pakistan XI, let England play a hastily assembled World XI, perhaps including some of the untainted Pakistan players (the supposed would-be whistleblower Shahid Afridi might, symbolically, be allowed to captain), alongside some greats of the past and the present from other countries. Put out urgent calls for Shane Warne, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara; get Michael Vaughan and Nasser Hussain to strap their pads on one last time; organise a festival of cricket that encapsulates the most cherished features of this best of all games. And give a hefty percentage of the proceeds to flood relief in Pakistan.

That's the immediate problem dealt with. The longer-term challenge – tackling the institutionalised corruption in Pakistan cricket – is, of course, more complicated. But far from banning the players involved, I would try to understand why they did it (if indeed they did), give them a slap on the wrists, and offer them one last chance. This is partly because I believe in the possibility of redemption, partly because it would be criminal (sinful even) never to allow the 18-year-old Mohammad Amir to play Test cricket again, but also because the key to the problem is not the uniquely vicious or stupid nature of Pakistan's cricketers, it is the circumstances in which they have been forced to play.

The infrastructure of first-class cricket in Pakistan has always been shaky; now it is almost non-existent. Selection policies are unfathomable. Captains and players come and go with breathtaking speed. The life of the Pakistan cricketer can be nasty, brutish and short. Little wonder they take the money while they can. They are far less well paid than their English, Indian and Australian counterparts. In this series they will have been earning perhaps a tenth the amount of their rivals. How tempting it must be to bowl a no ball – something which will have little bearing on the overall match – for a substantial amount of money, more probably than they will earn for slogging away for five days against a well-paid, carefully honed team that has a battery of coaches, nutritionists, psychologists, video analysts and, no doubt, accountants to support it. This has been a series between the first world and the developing world, and is it any wonder that cracks have appeared in the team representing the latter? Pakistan have some immensely talented players, but they play in a vacuum; they are having to make it up for themselves as they go along.

Also, think about the psychology of this team. They have been on the road for months, in Australia and England, living in anonymous hotels, bored to death, surrounded by sycophants and bloodsuckers offering them gifts and money … and perhaps suggesting that if they don't take the easy option bad things might befall their families back home in Pakistan. Current and former England players, blessed with the stability and comparative riches of the game here, have rushed to judgment without knowing any of the true facts or trying to understand the pressures on the Pakistan players.

Pakistan currently play no home Tests because of the security situation in that country; they are a team of exiles, forced to carry on because world cricket only has nine Test-playing countries and can't afford to lose one, especially one with Pakistan's rich cricketing heritage. The roots of the game have withered in Pakistan, and this group of talented young players tour the world like cricket's equivalent of the Harlem Globetrotters. They are cricketing mercenaries, and we should not be surprised if sometimes they act in that way.

So, the solution? Pakistan should take a cricketing time out. This is a team that represents a failing state, and both the state and the team need help. Set up a board of unimpeachable figures from Pakistan and world cricket to set about overhauling the game in Pakistan. Identify the best 50 cricketers in Pakistan and attach two of them to county sides in England and state teams in Australia, to embed them in the structure of world cricket. Let them play in the Indian Premier League – they are currently excluded – so they can share the largesse of the top cricketers in other countries.

Assume that for five years at least it will not be possible for visiting teams to tour Pakistan, so let them play "home" Tests in Sharjah and elsewhere in the Gulf, where a large population of migrant workers from Pakistan give them a base of support. The International Cricket Council (ICC) will have to underwrite all this, as well as starting to rebuild the domestic game in Pakistan. And give all past wrongdoers an amnesty. Yes, what they did was disgraceful, but special circumstances prevailed, and sadly professional sportsmen do not in general take a romantic view of sport. They are more interested in their bank balance than in beauty, put accumulation before aesthetics. It is we, the fans, who seek some grand narrative in sport, even a sort of spiritual salvation. Players just play, and happily usually play to win, since that guarantees them money and sporting longevity. When that breaks down – as in Pakistan, which no longer seems to do longevity when it comes to sporting careers and where losing can sometimes be more lucrative than winning – the rules of sport are turned upside down.

Rather than condemn and punish, let's try to understand and repair – the old liberal nostrum. Recognise the structural nature of the problem in Pakistan, let the past wrongdoers carry on playing, pay them properly so they aren't tempted by shady fixers, and integrate them into world cricket. What 18-year-old hasn't done something profoundly stupid? A single violation should surely not cost him what could be a magical career? His cricketing life has just begun; let him live it. Redeemed and with 600 Test wickets in 10 years' time, he can tell succeeding generations how close he came to destruction.

It's very tempting to categorize the News of the World "exposé" as a problem endemic to Pakistan cricket. After all, less than 6 months ago, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced what was essentially a purge of players who were alleged / proved to have not been on their best behaviour during the thrashing in Australia.

The recommendations were:

After careful and detailed analysis of the events, the personal accounts of the team management and players and examination of record, videos and statistics, the unanimous recommendations of the Committee were as follows:

1. Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan keeping in view their infighting which resulted in bringing down the whole team, their attitude has a trickledown effect which is a bad influence for the whole team should not be part of national team in any format.

2. For the shameful act of Shahid Khan Afridi, which has brought the game and country into disrepute, he be fined Rupees Three Million. A warning be issued to him by the Chairman PCB and he be put on probation for 06 months, during which his conduct be strictly monitored.

3. Kamran Akamal be fined Rupees Three Million. A warning be issued to him by the Chairman PCB and he be put on probation for 06 months, during which his conduct be strictly monitored.

4. Umar Akmal be fined Rupees Two Million. A warning be issued to him by the Chairman PCB and he be put on probation for 06 months, during which his conduct be strictly monitored.

5. Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Shoaib Malik be fined Rupees Two Million. They should not be part of national team in any format for a period of one year.

Recommendations of the Inquiry Committee have been accepted by PCB in totality.

The recommendations of the Committee will go a long way to arrest the continuing decline Pakistan cricket and improve the state of cricket in Pakistan. It is a landmark exercise which is an outcome of labor and hard work of the members of the Committee.

The punishments lasted less than 3 months. Only Rana Naved-ul-Hasan has not been 'pardoned'. Younis' ban was lifted although he has not been picked yet. Mohd. Yousuf was recalled for the last 2 tests of the series against England. Shahid Afridi was even made captain after revoking his fine. Kamran and Umar Akmal were let off with lower monetary fines. Shoaib Malik's one year ban was over-turned and his fine was slashed by 50%.

The ICC definitely has little jurisdiction over the PCB's player-handling procedures. Maybe, that's why it did not raise a red flag. Neither did any of the other members of the ICC Executive Board. However, if it was so obvious that the PCB's administration was effectively cocking-a-snoop at all those who were for stronger punishments and a cleaner game, was it not even talked about at the board meeting in July?

Just as the IPL's governing council was culpable of sleeping when Lalit Modi & co. ran rings around it, the ICC's board is equally to blame for not asking the PCB tough questions.

Questions are being asked about why the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) of the ICC was blissfully unaware of what was going on. A couple of months ago, it confirmed that Mohammad Aamer was not using a mobile phone while waiting for his turn to bat. In hindsight, that clean chit seems so premature!

From a player management perspective, I have serious doubts over whether some of Pakistan's players even want to play international cricket. Pakistan didn't play a single test in 2008 and have not played at home since the terror attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in March 2009.

Under these circumstances, I'd assume that they'd be raring to go, make an impression and show the positive side of Pakistan cricket. The emergence of Umar Akmal, Mohd. Aamir, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal, etc. gave cricket fans some hope. No more.

Now, as was the case for around 5-6 years in the 1990s and 2000, every single collapse will be viewed with suspicion. Every single recovery by an opponent will generate debate. The worst part is that the suspicion will not be about Pakistan alone. All fans, across the world, will wonder about events in a game.

Did Pakistan 'throw' the Sydney test against Australia earlier this year? If so, how did Mohammad Sami, among Pakistan's crappiest and most inconsistent quicks in the last decade, just turn up 3 years after playing a test and rip through Australia's top order? Why has he not been picked again since that game?

Other countries are hardly above board.

It's hard to not laugh when Hayden says "I believe it is a shock to cricket and if I can talk on behalf of Australian cricket and the playing group, it's just not even in our DNA to accept any kind of skulduggery when it comes to the game of cricket". He's just suffering from a little amnesia. Heard of John, Mark and Shane, Matty?!

This year, Danish Kaneria and Mervyn Westfield, who play for Essex, were arrested on spot fixing charges.

There's hardly a major cricket playing country which hasn't been touched by match fixing or spot fixing allegations.

This is yet another opportunity to get things right. The last 10 years have certainly been better from a control over 'fixing in cricket' compared to the 1990s, but the events in the last 2 days have clearly shown that there's a long way to go!

There's a leadership crisis and the ICC must step in. So far, it hasn't said anything. The first thing it must do is to stop the ODI series between England and Pakistan. It is unfair & ridiculous to expect fans, and players, to turn up, knowing in advance that specific events in the game have already been agreed to in lieu of money, or even worse, that the result has been fixed.

Secondly, the ICC must demand that countries stop revoking bans or penalties without a proper appeals process being adhered to. The appeal should only be heard by a group of eminent leagles (legal eagles!) and well-respected cricketers. National jurisdiction makes no sense unless the ban / penalty was applied for events in domestic cricket.

Thirdly, the ICC and the ECB must demand that Pakistan not do something stupid every time they land up in the country to play a test series. In 2010, it is about no-balls. In 2006, it was over changing the condition of the ball. In 2001, it was again about no-balls. In 1996, it was a libel case. In 1992, it was about ball tampering and snatched sweaters.

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Ricky Ponting's comments have blown the lid off the self-imposed moratorium

This week it felt as though a peculiar kind of white-trousered stasis had been briefly punctured. The winter's Ashes series has been a tangible presence all summer, stalking the fringes, rattling its chains and making the kind of hollow, sinister booming sounds that are often the cue for someone to remark in an urgent whisper: "It's as though it's trying to crash through the dimensional portal ... into our world." Finally, though, the pressure has shifted, the blockage prodded decisively around the U-bend by Ricky Ponting's comment during Australia's hilariously solemn two-day "Ashes planning conference" that his team can win the series 5-0.

With this single stroke of levity it felt as though the lid had been blown off: England were also now free to not talk about the Ashes while talking about the Ashes, sending forward Andrew Strauss to mumble awkwardly about "people coming out with all sorts of predictions", with all the ease of the young Prince Charles discussing The Goon Show and modern beat music with a frowning Richard Dimbleby. With this in mind I feel it is now acceptable to call a brief, one-page amnesty right here, to cast off the old strictures, tear down the drawing-room curtains and hurl away our pinafores. Let's talk about the Ashes. You know you want to.

To date people have tended to get quite cross about the idea of not talking about the Ashes. Ashes talk has been banned, snorted at and subjected to much weary grimacing. The most common reason is that it is "disrespectful to Pakistan", England's current opponents. Is this really right? I love Pakistan's cricketers for their talent, their mischief and their great hair, which tends towards the imperiously bouffant, reminiscent of a muscular male hairspray advert of the 1970s. They also have the brilliant Mohammad Asif, who may lack pace, muscles and an ECB-issue eager facial expression but who does have a terrible genius in his zippy fast-medium, and who, like Glenn McGrath before him, delivers the ball as though somehow his severed hand is still attached as it fizzes down, still jabbing and primping and waggling its rudder. Plus Pakistan provide two members of my world XI of uncooperative-sounding cricketers (so far Butt and How are opening the innings with Asif and Ishant taking the new ball). Pakistan are great. But I do still want to talk about the Ashes.

Perhaps the real problem is that talking about the Ashes is just so alluring. The fear is that once you start you might not be able to stop. There are already words I find myself wanting to blurt out. For example the phrase "that first morning in Brisbane", as in: "It all comes down to that first morning in Brisbane;" or: "You've got to stand up on that first morning in Brisbane." It sounds so bracing and salty, like the kind of thing only usually attempted by men in Thinsulate balaclavas.

I have also felt an urge to ask out loud various questions, questions such as "But how do you balance the team?" and "What more does Carberry have to do?", this last generally brought on by the sight of the crabbed and geriatric Alastair Cook, a player who after tireless fine-tuning of his technique in the nets now bats like an arthritic family retainer thrashing at the scullery mice with a yard broom.

In the end the real reason talk of the Ashes seems almost wickedly exciting is that it is just such a brilliant thing: a 25-night after-hours private party that thrums away behind each daylight-hour mundanity – work, talking to people, the obligation to have breakfast – yeastily colonising entire continental lobes of the waking brain. It is that feeling of being lulled to sleep by gruff amiable Australian men abrasively joshing some flustered and suddenly effete domestic radio export. Plus the eerily washed out Aussie summer TV colours, the familiar watercolour sunshine in which a half-speed Ian Botham somehow finagled five wickets at the MCG in 1986 with a selection of paunchy bouncers and jowly away-nibblers; and in which, in 2002, a visibly panicked Nasser Hussain won the toss, put Australia in and then watched Andy Caddick embrace the first morning by barfing up a series of floaty wide leg-side half-volleys.

The Ashes are a distinctly public party these days and it is perhaps the salesmen-presenters of Sky Sports who have embraced most hungrily Pointing's remarks. With this in mind it is probably best to cap this Ashes amnesty by suggesting a new rule: from now on the only people allowed to talk about the Ashes – having embraced all necessary disclaimers – are Ricky Ponting saying something silly and that little voice that keeps popping up inside your head with all its tantalising (you can't ignore Monty's record), dangerous (Tremlett's the man in form) and wickedly distracting Ashes talk.

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• Australian will be consultant for England during Ashes series
• Coached Australia between 1999 and 2007

John Buchanan says he is not giving away Australia's secrets by acting as a consultant for England during the Ashes series.

Buchanan, who coached the Australian team between 1999 and 2007, said: "I am Australian, and cherish the part I played in the ongoing development of Australian cricket.

"Just as I am a Queenslander, and so would never be a full-time coach of another domestic team. This may be misguided loyalty. However, I am loyal to my principles of always assisting those organisations or individuals who seek to be better."