Paine's loss is Wade's gain

Matthew Wade is looking forward to making the most of his big break, he just wishes it hadn't arrived because of the wrong kind of break for his good mate Tim Paine. When Paine was ruled out of Australia's upcoming Twenty20s in South Africa due to a fractured finger, Wade, 23, was the logical choice to take the gloves.

As Victoria's wicketkeeper over the past four seasons, Wade has made impressive progress in both his glovework and his batting, and was second on the Ryobi Cup run tally last summer. He had moved to Melbourne from Hobart when he realised that sneaking past Paine into the Tasmania side would be a very difficult task.

Wade knew from personal experience just how good Paine was. The pair had known each other from their childhood days, when they competed in games of backyard cricket that became so serious that the loser had to go and buy fish and chips for everyone.

"Tim and I grew up together, so I'm disappointed for him to have to go and get another operation on his finger," Wade told ESPNcricinfo. "It's devastating for him. But I'm really happy to take the opportunity. I know that he's happy for me - I got a text from him and I know that he's happy I got the opportunity."

By winning an international call-up, Wade has already beaten the odds. It has been notoriously difficult for glovemen to force their way into Australia's team over the past couple of decades, with Ian Healy, Adam Gilchrist and Brad Haddin each monopolising the position during their respective eras.

In the past 20 years, only nine specialist wicketkeepers have taken the gloves for Australia in any format, plus a few non-specialists like David Boon, Justin Langer and Jimmy Maher. During the same period, more than 50 fast bowlers, 40 batsmen and 20 spinners have played for Australia.

"I'm really happy to get the chance to play for Australia," Wade said. "It's everyone's dream. A lot of hard work goes into getting there. I'm just stoked that I've got my opportunity. Hopefully I can take it and things can go further from here."

A muscular left-hand batsman and a good keeper whose glovework has improved dramatically over the past four years, Wade is likely to slot in down the order for Australia. However, the highest score in his 27-match Twenty20 career - which included some IPL games for Delhi Daredevils this year - was 80 opening for Australia A.

"I haven't played a lot of Twenty20, it's the least amount of games I've played out of the three forms," Wade said. "But I feel like I'm getting better. I know my game very well now. I'm happy to get an opportunity in whatever form it is, and T20 I feel comfortable playing it and hopefully I can do the job."

There will be plenty of familiar Victorian faces in the Twenty20 side with Wade, including the captain - and selector - Cameron White, the batsmen Aaron Finch and David Hussey, and the fast bowler James Pattinson. The two Twenty20s in Cape Town and Johannesburg on October 13 and 16 will be followed by three ODIs and two Tests.

New South Wales v Trinidad & Tobago, CLT20, Chennai

Was banking on Rampaul's experience - Daren Ganga

Daren Ganga, the Trinidad & Tobago captain, has said that Ravi Rampaul would have bowled a tight final over and a Super Over "on most days". Rampaul conceded 16 in the final over to allow New South Wales to force a tie, after which he went for 18 in the Super Over, a target T&T could not chase in Chennai.

"Rampaul is our most experienced bowler," Ganga said. "He has done the job for us in the past, and with more than 15 runs to defend in one over, he is going to pull it off on most days. Maybe he was tired [for the Super Over], having to bowl back-to-back overs after having bowled at the death.

"You have to give credit to [Moises] Henriques, though, for the way he batted. We have tried it [bowling around the wicket] time and again during practice, angling it across, and more often than not it worked."

Chasing 140, New South Wales were 123 for 8 at the end of the 19th over. Rampaul was hit for three fours in the 20th over - Henriques hit two, while Patrick Cummins hit one - as New South Wales tied the game. Rampaul then came back on to bowl the Super Over, and Henriques hit him for four fours.

There was confusion over Trinidad's batting line-up in the Super Over. Darren Bravo, a left-hand batsman, initially came out to open, but had to return to the dug out as Lendl Simmons and Adrian Barath took strike against left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe. Trinidad wanted a left-right pair, but were unaware they had to follow the order mentioned in the list the captains submit before the Super Over.

"We were under the impression that you could ask any two of the three to open," Ganga said. "The rules aren't explicit and it's a learning [experience] for us."

New South Wales' captain Simon Katich said he had chosen O'Keefe to bowl the Super Over because of the sluggish pitch. "We felt pace off the ball was the best option, it showed at the back of our innings as well. Also, O'Keefe had a good outing with the ball [1 for 14 in four overs]."

Henriques, who was Man of the Match for his two wickets, 18 not out off nine balls, and his Super-Over blitz, said he was clear about how to go about the chase.

"He [Cummins] was fresh to the crease, and at that stage [in the last over] we needed eight of three. I thought about it before the ball was bowled and realised if we took the two [off the fourth ball] I could still be on strike for the last ball if a four or a six was required. As it turned out, I was not needed at all."

 

Australia in South Africa 2011-12

Mature' Warner keen to grab ODI chance

David Warner is confident he is much better prepared for one-day international cricket than he was when he last played for Australia more than two years ago. Warner has been picked in the ODI squad to take on South Africa in October and he could be auditioning for a long-term role in the side as they embark on the lengthy path to the 2015 World Cup, while he also hopes it could be a stepping stone towards Test cricket.

He last played ODI cricket in a one-off match against Scotland in August 2009, after making six other appearances earlier that year during the home summer. Warner didn't grasp his one-day opportunities, and by his own admission struggled to adjust from Twenty20 to the 50-over format, but he has now developed so much that he was a standby player in the Test squad during the recent series in Sri Lanka.

"I'm definitely more mature this time around," Warner said after learning of his call-up while in India playing for New South Wales in the Champions League. "I know what I've got to do and I know what to expect. I know the opposition that we're coming up against and I know exactly what I could be up against with Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn. I've just got to go out there and play the way I play and hopefully I can score some runs.

"Back then [in 2009] ... I thought I had to go out there and play the way I did in the Twenty20, like I did in my debut. It all just went so quickly. Now I've realised what one-day cricket is all about: setting the tone from the start and trying to make your way to the latter part of the overs. I've learnt a lot in the last couple of years, speaking to the likes of Michael Clarke and Shane Watson about one-day cricket has helped me a lot."

Warner's recent form was described by the outgoing chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch as "irresistible" and it's hard to disagree. After finishing the Sheffield Shield season with a century in Perth, he headed to Zimbabwe with Australia A and made 152 in a practice match, 120 in a one-day game and 211 in a first-class match.

"It was a thrill for me to get picked for Australia A in the four-day stuff as well, and to put runs on the board there was a fantastic opportunity for me to show the selectors what I can do and show everyone else that I'm not just a T20 specialist. I'm thoroughly going to take this opportunity into the one-dayers and the Twenty20s and score more runs, and hopefully get a Test spot in the near future."

The Australians head to South Africa in early October, ahead of two Twenty20s and three one-day internationals. The squad for the two Tests that follow in November will be announced in the coming weeks.

 

Chennai Super Kings v Cape Cobras, CLT20, Chennai

Bravo blasts Chennai Super Kings to victory

Chennai Super Kings 146 for 6 (Bravo 45*, Duminy 4-20) beat Cape Cobras 145 for 7 (Shah 45, Bravo 2-23) by four wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Chennai Super Kings got their title defence back on track with a chase that covered the spectrum from blue to yellow and all the colours in between against Cape Cobras. Michael Hussey got the pursuit of 146 off to a positive start, but JP Duminy's four wickets wrested the advantage back, and put the Cape Cobras in the pound seat. MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo's 43-run partnership helped Chennai recover but Vernon Philander dismissed Dhoni to give the Cobras another sniff. Then, Bravo made a mockery of Dale Steyn, scoring 17 runs off his last over, the 19th of the innings, to paint the Chidamabaram Stadium in the colour of the home team.

With 23 runs required off the last two overs, Chennai needed someone to launch them over the line, and Bravo took it upon himself to do so. First, he mowed a Steyn slower ball which turned into a full toss over midwicket, and carved the next delivery behind point for four, before playing a classy inside-out cover drive to ensure the Super Kings succeeded in a tricky chase on a slow pitch.

Hussey set the tone when he picked up from where he left against the Mumbai Indians with an authoritative knock upfront. In M Vijay's company, he put the Super Kings on the right path before Duminy came on to bowl. He started bowling in the Powerplay and did not hesitate to flight the ball, drawing Hussey forward and giving Dane Vilas enough time to complete the stumping.

Justin Ontong extracted good turn and bounce from his end, and Duminy capitalised on the pressure he was creating. In his second over, Duminy enticed S Badrinath to play a lofted drive straight to short cover. A quiet third over was followed by an eventful fourth in which Duminy got rid of Wriddhiman Saha who swept to deep square leg, and Suresh Raina who played too early and handed a return catch.

MS Dhoni held himself back and came out at No.6, at a time when the Super Kings needed to play catch-up. Dhoni and Bravo played cautiously for three boundary-less overs against Robin Peterson's crafty spin, Philander's slower balls and Justin Kemp's offcutters. Bravo broke the drought when Philander got his line wrong and allowed the pull to fine leg.

Duminy then turned from hero to villain by over-running a Dhoni catch at deep cover, and the Cobras' fortunes worsened from that moment. Bravo unleashed a six over extra cover off a Philander slower ball to keep the asking-rate under control. Even Dhoni's departure did not affect his resolve, and he hauled Chennai to their first win.

The Cobras would have rued not scoring enough runs after being dragged back from a position where they looked set to score over 170. They had a stuttering start, when R Ashwin trapped Richard Levi lbw with his first delivery. Herschelle Gibbs fizzed for a while, but fell after trying to pull a length ball from Doug Bollinger.

Thereafter, Owais Shah's responsible, yet busy knock and his partnership with Duminy troubled Chennai. The pair complemented each other, with Duminy the energiser and Shah the sage. Albie Morkel removed both in the same over to peg the Cobras back just when they looked set to take off.

With the pressure building and the Super Kings deploying a series of slower deliveries, some of which were a touch short, the Cobras became edgy. Bravo's variations proved particularly problematic and the innings ended with the Cobras unable to find a boundary off any of the last 29 deliveries. Bravo's real contribution, however, came much later in the piece.

Innings Dot balls 4s 6s Powerplay 16-20 overs NB/Wides Cape Cobras 50 10 3 48/2 30/4 0/9 Chennai Super Kings 51 11 3 47/2 48/1 (19.4) 0/6

 

England in India 2011

Harbhajan dropped for first two ODIs

Offspinner Harbhajan Singh has been left out of India's squad for the first two ODIs against England on October 14 and 17. Karnataka medium-pacer S Aravind and Punjab legspinner Rahul Sharma have received their maiden international call-ups.

Fast bowler, Varun Aaron who was part of the ODI squad in England but did not play, retained his place in the 15-man team. Batsmen Ajinkya Rahane and Manoj Tiwary are the other replacements sent to England who kept their spots.

Fast bowler Umesh Yadav, who was not part of the India set-up since the Test series in South Africa, also made a comeback.

The squad is missing Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Munaf Patel and Ishant Sharma due to injuries sustained on the recent tour of England. Ashish Nehra, who had declared himself fit, was not selected.

This is the first selection meeting since the BCCI replaced Yashpal Sharma with Mohinder Amarnath as the North Zone representative on the selection panel.

Squad: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Gautam Gambhir, Parthiv Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Varun Aaron, Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar, S Aravind, Rahul Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Praveen Kumar.

 

Hafeez to undergo surgery on cyst

Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan's opening batsman, has been ruled out of the domestic Faysal Bank T20 competition because of a cyst on his chest that requires surgery. The timing of the surgery has been decided with an eye on Pakistan's upcoming international commitments.

"It's a minor surgery, nothing serious, but he [Hafeez] opted to skip the Twenty20 championship as precaution," a PCB spokesman told ESPNCricinfo. "He has very less time ahead of the Sri Lanka series [the first Test begins on October 18 in Abu Dhabi], which is followed by Bangladesh and England series. So it's the ideal time for him to undergo surgery.

"He needs to go through a recuperation process after surgery and, since the commitments of the national team obviously have priority, ensure his availability for Pakistan."

Hafeez, 30, is a key member of the Faisalabad Wolves, who kicked off their Faysal Bank campaign with a convincing 54-run win against Multan Tigers in Karachi. He was in prime form during Pakistan's recent tour of Zimbabwe, scoring 467 runs and taking 13 wickets across formats, with four Man-of-the-Match awards and two centuries.

Australia in South Africa 2011-12

Paine's loss is Wade's gain

Matthew Wade is looking forward to making the most of his big break, he just wishes it hadn't arrived because of the wrong kind of break for his good mate Tim Paine. When Paine was ruled out of Australia's upcoming Twenty20s in South Africa due to a fractured finger, Wade, 23, was the logical choice to take the gloves.

As Victoria's wicketkeeper over the past four seasons, Wade has made impressive progress in both his glovework and his batting, and was second on the Ryobi Cup run tally last summer. He had moved to Melbourne from Hobart when he realised that sneaking past Paine into the Tasmania side would be a very difficult task.

Wade knew from personal experience just how good Paine was. The pair had known each other from their childhood days, when they competed in games of backyard cricket that became so serious that the loser had to go and buy fish and chips for everyone.

"Tim and I grew up together, so I'm disappointed for him to have to go and get another operation on his finger," Wade told ESPNcricinfo. "It's devastating for him. But I'm really happy to take the opportunity. I know that he's happy for me - I got a text from him and I know that he's happy I got the opportunity."

By winning an international call-up, Wade has already beaten the odds. It has been notoriously difficult for glovemen to force their way into Australia's team over the past couple of decades, with Ian Healy, Adam Gilchrist and Brad Haddin each monopolising the position during their respective eras.

In the past 20 years, only nine specialist wicketkeepers have taken the gloves for Australia in any format, plus a few non-specialists like David Boon, Justin Langer and Jimmy Maher. During the same period, more than 50 fast bowlers, 40 batsmen and 20 spinners have played for Australia.

"I'm really happy to get the chance to play for Australia," Wade said. "It's everyone's dream. A lot of hard work goes into getting there. I'm just stoked that I've got my opportunity. Hopefully I can take it and things can go further from here."

A muscular left-hand batsman and a good keeper whose glovework has improved dramatically over the past four years, Wade is likely to slot in down the order for Australia. However, the highest score in his 27-match Twenty20 career - which included some IPL games for Delhi Daredevils this year - was 80 opening for Australia A.

"I haven't played a lot of Twenty20, it's the least amount of games I've played out of the three forms," Wade said. "But I feel like I'm getting better. I know my game very well now. I'm happy to get an opportunity in whatever form it is, and T20 I feel comfortable playing it and hopefully I can do the job."

There will be plenty of familiar Victorian faces in the Twenty20 side with Wade, including the captain - and selector - Cameron White, the batsmen Aaron Finch and David Hussey, and the fast bowler James Pattinson. The two Twenty20s in Cape Town and Johannesburg on October 13 and 16 will be followed by three ODIs and two Tests.