George Bailey suspended for slow over-rate

Australia will need a new one-day captain for their third Carlton Mid ODI Tri-Series match after George Bailey was suspended for his side’s slow over-rate in yesterday’s tense win over India.

International Cricket Council match referee Andy Pycroft ruled that Australia were one over short of their target at the conclusion of India’s innings when time allowances were taken into consideration, and in doing so suspended Bailey from Australia’s next ODI in Hobart on Friday.

It was Bailey’s second slow over-rate offence in the last 12 months after he was fined in the first ODI in Perth against South Africa on November 14, and pleaded guilty to the offence, accepting the sanction without the need for a formal hearing.

Australia comfortable victory in tri-series opener

David Warner’s first one-day international century in almost three years has guided Australia to a three-wicket, bonus point win over England in the first Carlton Mid ODI Tri-Series match at the SCG.

Warner’s 127 from 115 balls was his first since March 2012 as Australia chased down England's 234 all out with 61 balls to spare to secure five competition points.

The win was set up by Australia’s new ball attack which ripped the tourists’ top order apart, with Mitchell Starc picking up two wickets in the first three balls of the match to finish with figures of 4-42 from 8.5 overs.

England recovered from the horror start thanks to Eoin Morgan’s first hundred as the full-time 50-over captain, scoring 121 off 136 balls to give his bowlers a respectable total to bowl to.

England’s leading ODI run-scorer in 2014 Joe Root lasted 15 balls before a thick outside off the pace of Pat Cummins found Shane Watson’s safe hands at first slip to reduce the visitors to 3-12 inside four overs.

More trouble would follow when Moeen Ali succumbed to George Bailey’s trap at deep point to go for 22 from 21 balls and sink England to 4-33.

Amidst the carnage, Morgan established a steely presence at the crease, and in tandem with Ravi Bopara saw England through the mandatory 10-over power play the drinks break.

With the players rehydrated and the lacquer all but gone from the pair of white kookaburras, Bailey turned to his specialist spinner Doherty, who wasted no time in removing Bopara at backward point to continue the visitors’ decline.

Morgan found an ally in wicketkeeper Jos Buttler as the pair worked singles, ran hard for twos and defied Bailey’s attempts to break through and expose England’s lengthy tail.

It would be more than 14 overs in between boundaries for the tourists, but the six that broke the dought brought up Morgan’s fifty in the first over of the batting powerplay.

The batting powerplay is designed to provide batsmen a five-over block to hit out before the obligatory final stages blitzkrieg, but invariably produces wickets. That trend continued when England’s rear guard partnership of 67 was broken by James Faulkner who removed Buttler to a good catch by David Warner at deep point.

As Morgan pushed England towards 200 and his own century, Woakes offered Steve Smith arguably the easiest catch of his blossoming career at mid-wicket, and the 25-year-old obliged to send the fast bowler on his way for eight.

Twelve runs off Glenn Maxwell’s sixth over had Morgan within one blow of reaching his seventh ODI ton, and two overs later a lofted drive over cover for four got him to triple-figures from 127 deliveries.

Another fifty-run stand came in flash between Morgan in Jordan before the fast bowler picked out Maxwell in the deep to go for 17, and two lusty blows and 10 runs later, Morgan’s valiant knock came to an end to give Starc his third wicket, before wrapping up the innings with Steve Finn first ball.

While Warner’s Test form has reached new heights over the past 18 months, his form in the 50-over format has been forgettable.

But the dynamic left-hander set about fixing his one-day dilemma in the first match of 2015 by launching at the English attack with the fearless stroke play that’s made him one of the most feared batsman in Test cricket.

Six boundaries in the first 10 overs had Warner on his way, but his opening partner Aaron Finch failed to match his partner’s exuberance, chopping Woakes on for 15 off 18 balls.

Warner was joined by the broad shoulders of Watson in the middle, and after a clip and cut for four each, Watson’s uneasy time with the blade was prolonged when he top edged Jordan to be caught short of the square leg boundary for 16.

At one stage the 25-year-old was nine off 26 balls, but in a blink of an eye, the blond batsman was 33 off 40 and had Australia in the box seat to take out game one of the seven-match tri-series.

But as Warner closed in on his hundred, an uncharacteristic rush of blood by Smith saw him run past an Ali off-break to be bowled for 37.

Skipper Bailey survived a strong appeal for lbw that on replay was proven adjacent, but his luck ran out on 10 when he skied Woakes to Buttler when 36 runs were needed with 82 balls remaining.

The rub of the green went England’s way three balls later when Maxwell was judged to have edged Woakes behind, but this time it was Hot Spot that found the Victorian not guilty of hitting the ball.

However, any hope of a miracle England victory was dashed when Brad Haddin belted three consecutive boundaries to have not only the win secured, but a bonus point in their sights.

Striving for the necessary quick finish for the extra competition point, Warner hit Woakes for a brace of boundaries before the hunt for a third found Bell at point to end his blockbuster knock on 127.

A mix up saw Haddin run out for 16, leaving Faulkner – Australia’s modern Michael Bevan – to ice the game and deliver the bonus point.

Australia’s next match is against India on Sunday in Melbourne, while England travel to Brisbane to take on MS Dhoni’s men on Tuesday.

Australia XI: George Bailey (c), Aaron Finch, David Warner, Shane Watson, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Brad Haddin, James Faulkner, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Xavier Doherty.

England XI: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Ian Bell, James Taylor, Joe Root, Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Stuart Broad, Steve Finn.

Brett Lee retires from T20

Few written tributes can more succinctly or completely capture Brett Lee’s playing career than did the televised pictures of his involvement in what could well be his penultimate competitive match.

There he was last night, taking the new ball in search of the vital early strike against the KFC Big Bash League’s dominant batting line-up as he sought to again steer his side into the finals.

The fact that as a world-class exponent of cricket’s most gruelling job – the express pace fast bowler – Lee continued to not only play but as a potential match-winner as well as a drawcard, until beyond his 38th birthday.

The records that Lee takes with him into retirement, and indeed a future already secured in a similar if not the same commentary box in which Ponting now spends much of his summer, are considerable and would doubtless be evaluated as even more so if he had not played in the era of bowling greats Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.

Australia’s fourth-highest Test wicket-taker of all-time behind Warne, McGrath and Dennis Lillee.

Equal-highest wicket taker for Australia in one-day internationals, although McGrath can claim an extra scalp having played for an ICC World XI.

And even after a calf injury – his first major muscle tear in almost 20 years of top-level cricket – robbed him of plans to finish his international career at the ICC World T20 in 2012, Lee continued to ply his attritional trade in the Indian Premier League and the BBL.

Of the 14 Australians to have taken 200 Test wickets or more, none have returned them at a higher average than Lee’s 30.82 apiece.

Which makes his post-Test career – he played his final match in a Baggy Green cap at the same venue where he started (the MCG) just over six years ago – even more noteworthy.

Reverse swinging yorkers, slower ball bouncers, ‘perfume balls’ that could whizz past a batsman’s nose and make him reconsider any thoughts of charging down the pitch.

The arsenal that Lee developed through his Test experience enabled him to prolong his career in a format of the game that – at first glance – he would have seemed something of a mismatch for.

But as his final game for the Sydney Sixers will doubtless prove and as he is afforded the send-off he so duly deserves, Brett Lee was never one to shy away from a challenge.

And he took them all on with a smile.

ICC CWC 2015 Trophy Tour

Moin Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq with ICC CWC 2015 Trophy

ICC CWC 2015 Trophy in Pakistan

Pakistan ODI Team Captain Misbah-ul-Haq holding the World Cup Trophy

ICC CWC 2015 Trophy at Australian Beach

England Cricket Team for ICC CWC 2015

ECB announced 15 man squad for ICC Cricket World Cup starting from February 14, 2014.

Squad:
Eoin Morgan (Capt)
Moeen Ali 
James Anderson 
Gary Ballance
Ian Bell
Ravi Bopara
Stuart Broad
Jos Buttler
Steven Finn
Alex Hales
Chris Jordan
Joe Root
James Taylor
James Tredwell
Chris Woakes

Afghanistan Squad for ICC CWC 2015

Afghanistan Cricket Board announced 15 man squad for ICC Cricket Worldcup 2015 starting from February 14, 2015.

Squad: Mohammad Nabi (capt), Nawroz Mangal, Asghar Stanikzai, Samiullah Shenwari, Afsar Zazai (wk), Najibullah Zadran, Nasir Jamal, Mirwais Ashraf, Gulbadin Naib, Hamid Hassan, Shapoor Zadran, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Javed Ahmadi, Usman Ghani.

CWC 2015 Schedule

Complete Schedule of ICC CWC 2015 with Venue details.