Graeme Smith said it ‘meant the world’ for South Africa to win their second successive series in Australia and hold on to the No. 1 ranking

Firdose Moonda at the WACA03-Dec-2012When Graeme Smith took his team home from Australia in the summer of 2005-06, he could not see a way to beat Ricky Ponting’s Invincibles. If you had told him then that seven years later, he would have had the better of Ponting twice he would not have believed it. After South Africa’s win in Perth, Smith had done just that and his satisfaction far outweighed any disbelief.”In 2005, it seemed a very long shot to be able to achieve this. I am extremely humbled,” he said. “I hope the people in Australia can respect what we have done and the way we have done it. For us, it means the world.”There are people in our set up that have taken many beatings at the hands of Australia. We know what is required to come here and be victorious. When we get on the plane, I will have a warm feeling to have been a part of something incredible and something special and to have been able to share with guys who have put in an immense amount of hard work behind the scenes to celebrate these moments.”The post-match party began in customary style, as the Australia team went over to the South Africa change-room to share a drink. The visitors, who were also the victors, stayed long after the hosts had left. After 8pm, the South Africa team made their way on to the field, bags and all, to have a celebratory photo session, which reminded team manager, Mohammed Moosajee, of their MCG revelries four years ago. As they walked out to the pitch where they had made history they were snapped along the way.In the privacy of the dressing room there may have been wilder festivities but in the open they were more restrained, even though there was no one but a few journalists watching while they worked. South Africa gathered together for a huddle and sang their team song. The lyrics haven’t been released but the essence of the anthem is about understanding what representing the country means. There might also have been a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ for Mark Boucher.In previous series wins, South Africa have held longer parties on field but this time it only lasted ten or so minutes. Then, they gathered their bags and walked off. Some of the team were able to get on a flight back home tonight, along with most of the management. The rest will follow tomorrow. Having spent almost half the year on the road, returning home has been a priority for the team throughout the year.This time, they go back having achieved more than ever before. The No. 1 ranking is secure and they have enjoyed a year during which they racked up a second successive series win in both England and Australia. That pattern is the “proudest achievement,” of Graeme Smith’s career – and surely every other member of the squad too. As a mark of how rare success in Australia is, consider that before today, only England and West Indies had recorded successive series victories in Australia.Winning in Australia is an achievement purely because of the quality of the opposition and their history of dominance. But for South Africa it is also how they won this series that stands out. “We had to scrap and adapt and our depth was tested,” Smith said. “At times, we didn’t bowl well. We hit our straps in this match and we got everything together. This was the performance that I have got used to in our guys over the years and it’s important not to take that for granted.”Now, Smith believes South Africa are on course to create their own period of hegemony. They have already overcome one of the toughest hurdles and with assignments against New Zealand and Pakistan to follow at home, they see an opportunity to hold on to the mace for longer than some of their predecessors have. “This series was going to be the challenge for us to give ourselves the opportunity to lengthen that gap [at the top of the rankings] and create that legacy,” Smith said.The era may have already begun. South Africa have played ten Tests in 2012, nine away, and have not lost one. “I am extremely proud to be a part of the last nine matches. For us to win back-to-back Test series in England and Australia is an immense effort. You just have to look back and see how long it took us to get here. Now to be able to take that and play in front of our home fans will be great.”

Shitanshu Kotak has acknowledged Mumbai are the stronger side in the Ranji Trophy final, but hopes Saurashtra will do enough to gain the upper hand and not let go

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jan-2013Shitanshu Kotak, the 40-year old Saurashtra batsman who will play his first Ranji Trophy final in his 129th game, has acknowledged Mumbai are the stronger side in the summit clash, but hopes Saurashtra will do enough to gain the upper hand and not let go.Kotak, with 7982 runs in his 20-year career, is the Ranji Trophy’s highest run-getter without having won the title, and will have a chance to correct that from Saturday.”Mumbai are obviously a superior team. One can lie that they are not, but the truth is they are a superior team,” Kotak told . “But if we get a grip on the match, we have to make sure, we don’t lose it.”I look at it in two ways. If you win the toss, the only way is to bat them out of the game and try and get them out once. Or if we field first, we have to try and utilise the wicket and dismiss the first five batsmen quickly. You have to play one big innings and you have bowl them out once.”We have played them many times in the last five six years and we got the first-innings lead three times. There is something positive for us to look at.”Kotak said Saurashtra making the final was a “great achievement”. “I can’t think of playing any bigger match than this Ranji final in my life. I think we have been improving gradually in the last 15 years. And in the last eight years, it has been getting better with outstanding players emerging like [Cheteshwar] Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja and Jaydev Unadkat.”Saurashtra, however, will play the final without Pujara and Jadeja, who are part of India’s squad for the final ODI against England in Dharamsala. Kotak wasn’t too upset by that though. “Even when they [Pujara and Jadeja] were available they needed support from the others and players like [Sheldon] Jackson and [Arpit] Vasavada performed. In the bowling department when we needed wickets someone or the other stepped up his performance. That’s the reason we are in the final.”Any team will miss them. If they are playing for India, that’s fine. If the BCCI thinks that it has to look after the Indian team first, because we need to win 4-1 and that the team should regain its confidence, then that should be the priority.Kotak was undecided on whether the final would be his last first-class game. “I love the game. I don’t have to announce my last match on the ground and declare it in such a big game. The focus is on winning the game. Retirement is an emotional thing and I don’t want any emotion to dominate this match.”

Alex Hales, the England and Nottinghamshire opener, will not take part in the controversial Bangladesh Premier League which starts next week

Andrew McGlashan12-Jan-2013Alex Hales, the England and Nottinghamshire opener, will not take part in the controversial Bangladesh Premier League which starts next week even though none of the international players due to appear in the tournament has yet received a contract.Hales had been bought at the auction by Duronto Rajshahi and insisted he would join the event despite strong concerns from the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) who remain extremely worried about payment and contract issues.Hales recently joined Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League as a replacement for the injured Marlon Samuels and enhanced his reputation by smashing 89 off 52 balls just hours after stepping off a place from England.He is guaranteed at least one more BBL match with the Renegades in a semi-final against Brisbane Heat on Tuesday and, it is understood, that has been enough for him to have a change of heart over the BPL, for which he would only have been available for a short period before reporting for Twenty20 duty with England on the New Zealand tour.Hales, along with Nottinghamshire team-mates Michael Lumb and Samit Patel, has been barred by his county from putting his name forward for this year’s IPL as it clashes with the English county season.Currently, Luke Wright, who like Hales will not be available for the whole tournament, is still set to take up his BPL deal.Angus Porter, the chief executive of the PCA, said that none of the promises made by the BPL organisers ahead of the second running of the event have been delivered. “We are five days away from the tournament and there had been a promise that contracts would be delivered well in advance,” he said. “This hasn’t happened, and now there’s no chance it will happen before the event.”I still fully expect some international players to take part, but they will be heading into another unknown situation with very few assurances. I would really like the BPL to work, Bangladesh cricket needs it to be a success, but history tells us that it looks unlikely at the moment.”The problems do not stop at the international stars, either. ESPNcricinfo understands that some of the Barisal players are refusing to sign No Objection Certificates for their franchises until they are paid last year’s fees.

Going by the first two games of their World Cup campaign, New Zealand Women seem to have a problem of plenty on their hands as far as their bowling department is concerned

Amol Karhadkar in Cuttack03-Feb-2013The problem of plenty. That’s what every team hopes for going into a big tournament. Going by the first two games of their World Cup campaign, New Zealand Women seem to have one on their hands as far as their bowling department is concerned.After thumping South Africa by 151 runs in their tournament opener two days ago, New Zealand made two changes to their bowling line-up going into Sunday’s game against Pakistan. Sian Ruck and Morna Nielsen, the two most successful bowlers against South Africa with figures of 4 for 31 and 3 for 34, respectively, made way for Rachel Candy and Kate Broadmore. And both replacements made utmost use of the opportunity.While Broadmore bowled an economical spell of medium-pace bowling, with figures of 1 for 15 off her 10 overs, Candy walked away with a rich wicket haul. Playing her first World Cup match, Candy was handed the new ball on a low and slow Barabati Stadium pitch, and went on to register her personal best: 5 for 19.As a result, the New Zealand team management will have plenty to ponder before finalising their team combination for the last group game against Australia, which will determine the group topper. “We’ve got some competition with our bowling [department],” captain Suzie Bates said after their seven-wicket victory. “The way Rachel Candy bowled today, it’s going to be tough to pick our bowling side. We’ve got the bowlers who can do the job.”Pakistan, meanwhile, would be wondering who can deliver with the bat for them, going into Friday’s must-win game against South Africa; if Pakistan have to progress to the Super Six stage, they will not only have to beat South Africa but win with a big margin. And with totals of 84 and 104 in their first two outings, the task seems to be a little too difficult.Pakistan captain Sana Mir remained positive, though, drawing inspiration from the past. “The tournament format is such that there’s not much time to recover in between the games. But I am sure we can bounce back against South Africa,” Mir said. “We have beaten them in the World Cup qualifiers and there’s no reason why we can’t do it again. It’s just a matter of playing out the 50 overs. The day we can do that, I am sure we will end up on the winning side.”It was disappointing to see hardly any Pakistan batswoman putting a price tag on her wicket for the second time in succession. In the last game, it resulted in the bowlers’ good work being undone against Australia, while today they failed to put up a total that could have put a formidable New Zealand batting line-up under any pressure.Trying to explain the batsmen’s lack of application, Mir said: “After the World Cup qualifiers, early on in the year, we didn’t play any 50-overs cricket. And before the World Twenty20 [in September-October], we were in the 20-overs mould.”After World T20 also, we didn’t play any tournament or a bilateral series of ODIs coming into the World Cup, so that could be a reason why the girls are struggling to really apply themselves.”

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews suggested his side needed to stray from their traditional Test match strategy at home to give themselves the best chance of beating Bangladesh in the second Test

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo15-Mar-2013Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews suggested his side needed to stray from their traditional Test match strategy at home to give themselves the best chance of beating Bangladesh in the second Test starting tomorrow at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.Sri Lanka have depended on their spin bowling in home Tests in the past and have generally played on pitches conducive to turn early in the match. But a strong batting performance from Bangladesh in the first Test, during which they played the hosts’ two frontline spinners with ease, and a Premadasa pitch likely to favour seam bowlers has made Mathews rethink his options.In the last 17 home Tests, Sri Lanka have played only twice with fewer than two frontline slow bowlers in the side.”We have to take 20 wickets to win a Test match and have to think how we are going to take those 20 wickets,” Mathews said. “We have to go with a plan. When teams like Australia, England and New Zealand come to Sri Lanka, we get a lot of pitches that help spin bowlers, but I think Bangladesh play spin bowling well. We have to take stock of that situation.”Mathews said the pitch in Galle did not offer any assistance to bowlers, as batsmen amassed 1613 runs in the Test, but expected the pitch for the second Test to be better for the fast bowlers, stressing that the bowlers needed to be positive. The track has a thin layer of grass on the eve of the match and has also been better for fast bowlers since it was re-laid in 2010.”It looks a very good sporting wicket – a seamer-friendly wicket. When you play against Bangladesh, you need to try and be as positive as you can,” he said. “There is a possibility of an additional seamer coming in, but we haven’t finalised our XI yet.Mathews said Sri Lanka had worked on building a battery of reliable bowlers, and would not look to make drastic changes to the attack, despite its ineffectiveness during the first Test.
“We haven’t changed our bowling department in the recent past,” he said. “When it comes Nuwan Kulasekara, Shaminda Eranga and Rangana Herath, they have always been there in the Test matches. It’s not a case of us cutting and chopping. Herath will be our number one spinner and, if we opt for three seamers, Ajantha Mendis will probably sit out.””We can’t play one less batsman, because everyone is pretty set in their position. We have tried a couple of young batters and they have lived up to our expectations. We’ll play four genuine bowlers.”Mathews stressed there was no additional pressure on the side after Bangladesh drew the first Test, having lost on all the previous occasions they had played Sri Lanka in Tests.
“There’s not really any added pressure. As I said before the first Test, Bangladesh have played some really good cricket in the recent past. They are a dangerous side and we can’t underestimate them.”

Preview of the first Test between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in Harare

The Preview by Mohammad Isam16-Apr-2013

Big Picture

April 17-21, Harare
Start time 1000 (0800 GMT)Mushfiqur Rahim goes to Zimbabwe knowing it has always been a tough place to tour for Bangladesh captains•AFP

Big Picture

If these two teams were geographically closer, their running battles over the years would have gathered more edge and may have prompted a nickname for their matches. As nations, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are only tied together by their placing in international cricket, right down at the bottom of the Test-playing countries pile.In this year’s battle of prestige, the visitors have their noses ahead after an impressive last 18 months. Bangladesh have learned the harsh lessons in their last tour to Zimbabwe where they lost the one-off Test and also went down in the ODI series. It brought about major changes in the side, the biggest of them being the sacking of Shakib Al Hasan as captain and the subsequent appointment of Mushfiqur Rahim. The change at the top has made Bangladesh a more stable line-up, reflecting in their results.After completing their most successful tour of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh should be mentally a stronger side. They have a few more confident batsmen, which ensures a middle-order less prone to collapse. An offspinner has emerged while players with more experience have fought their way back into the team. The pace attack is worrisome, but the biggest hole in the team’s psyche remains their lack of knowledge of winning a Test match, the last of which came almost four years ago.Zimbabwe on the other hand had won that game against Bangladesh in 2011, a confidence-boosting victory as it was their first Test on return from self-imposed exile. But they have not enjoyed success since, and theirs is a side mired in disputes and injuries. They have managed to recover mostly unscathed from what looked like a dire situation surrounding player payment, Craig Ervine being the only player who didn’t sign the contract. But injuries have wrecked havoc: Christopher Mpofu (lower back), Tino Mawoyo (groin) and Regis Chakabva (finger) are out, leaving the team without one experienced seamer and two batsmen.The hosts have named a 21-member squad just in case, but their bigger worry is the quiet confidence of the opposition. An interesting contest is ahead, over the weekend, if Zimbabwe can take full advantage of home advantage, but Bangladesh’s previous experiences in this country have fitted them with pragmatism.

Form guide

Bangladesh: LDLLL (most recent results first)
Zimbabwe: LLLLL

Players to watch

Kyle Jarvis burst onto the scene in his debut Test two years ago against the same opponents. He would be expected to spearhead the attack this time, having gathered some experience during this period. Apart from a strong action, Jarvis can be expected to swing the ball in favourable conditions.Nasir Hossain‘s first international foray came against Zimbabwe; he will have happy memories of scoring 63 on ODI debut there. His current form should help him continue his good work from the previous visit, as he remains an important batsman coming in at No. 7 for a team that is prone to a collapse.

Team news

Zimbabwe will have to make a number of changes, with Mpofu, Mawoyo and Ervine unavailable for their various reasons. To lengthen the batting line-up, captain Brendan Taylor could give the wicketkeeping gloves to Richmond Mutumbani. They are likely to continue with the spin duo of Graeme Cremer and Prosper Utseya, but the pace combination could see Bangladesh’s tormentor from the last tour, Brian Vitori, sit out.Zimbabwe (probable) 1 Vusi Sibanda, 2 Timycen Maruma, 3 Hamilton Masakadza, 4 Brendan Taylor (capt & wk), 5 Malcolm Waller/Sean Williams, 6 Richmond Mutumbami, 7 Elton Chigumbura, 8 Graeme Cremer, 9 Keegan Meth, 10 Kyle Jarvis, 11 Tendai ChataraBangladesh have a problem in balancing a line-up that could see Shakib Al Hasan in only a limited bowling role. After a shin problem, Shakib is working on a rehab programme. While he will definitely play as a batsman, it’s still 50-50 on whether he will bowl. Tamim Iqbal’s thumb injury hasn’t healed enough, while the form of Mahmudullah is another concern. Mominul Haque could make way for Shakib, while Enamul Haque jr could play alongside Sohag Gazi.Bangladesh (probable) 1 Jahurul Islam, 2 Shahriar Nafees, 3 Mohammad Ashraful, 4 Shakib Al Hasan, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 6 Mahmudullah/Mominul Haque, 7 Nasir Hossain, 8 Sohag Gazi, 9 Enamul Haque jr, 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Robiul Islam.

Pitch and conditions

The pitch is not considered to be too lively, because of the mild weather conditions during this time of the year. It has good, fairly consistent carry, and is likely to be flat.

Stats and trivia

• This will be only the second Test at the Harare Sports Club in the month of April. The previous occasion was in 2001, also against Bangladesh
• Out of three Bangladesh captains to tour Zimbabwe, Naimur Rahman and Shakib Al Hasan lost their jobs after losing Test series there

Quotes

“We have had hard moments but we still have our smiles and we still keep going. Life goes on. It’s just one little blip and we come back and we play cricket.”
“I have tried to find a way that works with the players and give them freedom. At the same time we want to have a disciplined environment, and we want to have fun. We just have a team focus and ensure that everyone steps up for the team.”

In the increasingly intense fight for the play-offs, Mumbai Indians joined Rajasthan Royals at No. 2 hours after the latter had broken away with a win of their own

The Report by Sidharth Monga07-May-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
In the increasingly intense fight for the play-offs, Mumbai Indians joined Rajasthan Royals at No. 2 hours after the latter had broken away with a win of their own. And the win came easy against the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders. It was the kind of win that coaches love: almost everything went to plan. They won the toss, batted first, Sachin Tendulkar and Dinesh Karthik got them a target, and their superior attack shut Knight Riders out. Only a faulty light tower and some good fielding towards the end of Mumbai’s innings posed any resistance.It was all one-way traffic from the moment Tendulkar smacked Ryan McLaren for five successive fours, all to different areas of the ground, in the fourth over. By the time the power failure countered the Tendulkar blaze, he had reached 29 off 17 balls. Despite Dwayne Smith’s struggle to get going at the other end, Mumbai were headed in the right direction.The lights came back on for Tendulkar to score 19 more off 11 more balls. Smith failed to reach a run a ball, but by the time they fell, Mumbai had reached 99 in the 14th over. Some good fielding – Eoin Morgan’s catch at deep midwicket, lobbing the ball up, stepping over the boundary and coming back in to complete the catch; and two run-outs – reduced Mumbai to 144 for 6 in the 19th over.Karthik, though, kept scoring from one end. Most striking was his unsettling of Sunil Narine. He used sweeps to hit Narine off his length, and took 20 off the 11 balls he faced from Narine. Mitchell Johnson, as if to give a sample of what was to follow, smacked the last ball of the innings for a straight six.Ten minutes later, he began swinging the ball at a high pace. An inside edge saved Manvinder Bisla first ball, and then next hit him high on the thigh pad. Two balls later, Gautam Gambhir played for the non-existent swing, and was bowled for a duck. Jacques Kallis and Bisla looked to revive the chase, but Pragyan Ojha had Bisla stumped just after the Powerplay.Kallis soon fell to Harbhajan Singh, who had dropped him earlier. And when Eoin Morgan sliced Abu Nechim to point in the 13th over, the game was virtually over, just like Knight Riders’ campaign.

Pakistan offspinner Saeed Ajmal has been working closely with the team’s video analyst as he prepares to target the opposition’s batsmen in the Champions Trophy

Umar Farooq 06-May-2013Pakistan offspinner Saeed Ajmal has been working closely with the team’s video analyst as he prepares to target the opposition’s batsmen, including Chris Gayle, in the Champions Trophy in England. Ajmal said he was expecting batting pitches during the tournament but said his variations would be effective during the tournament.”I know they [teams] plan against me,” Ajmal told reporters on the fourth day of the training camp in Abbottabad. “And I am also planning against them. Although I haven’t added any new variation this time, I am looking at their videos and planning accordingly. Spinners have an important role in all formats of the game and those like me, who bowl in death overs, have to work extra hard to counter the batsmen.”We are targeting players like Chris Gayle, who plays so well in Twenty20,” Ajmal said. “He [Gayle] may be a good batsman but I am also the number one spinner (in ODI rankings) and look forward to dismissing him quickly and seizing the advantage.”The specialist batsmen skipped the fourth day of the camp while the bowlers had an extended batting session. The batsmen, instead, opted to have physical training sessions at the Army PT school within the Pakistan Military Academy, where the team is currently staying. At the ground, Ajmal, Junaid Khan, Abdur Rehman and Mohammad Irfan had individual batting sessions in the nets with assistant coach Shahid Aslam.”Tail-enders weren’t given a proper run with the bat in the past but now coaches insist on giving bowlers ample training so that they can stay at the crease,” Ajmal said. “In case the top order collapses, a tail-ender must have the ability to score 20-odd runs and share a stand of at least 70 to 80 runs.”The PCB has developed different types of pitches, including a grassy one at the Abbottabad Stadium, to give the batsmen a look into the conditions during the Champions Trophy. Ajmal also said that Pakistan were preparing for different kinds of tracks, in spite of the fact that most limited-over tournaments featured batting pitches.”I think 90% of the pitches in the world are batting tracks while green tops are only 10 to 15%,” Ajmal said. “We are preparing ourselves for everything. This will be the last Champions Trophy and hopefully we can win this.”

Essex lost opener Jaik Mickleburgh in a 30-minute session of play on the second day of the Division Two promotion clash with Worcestershire at New Road

29-May-2013
ScorecardEssex lost opener Jaik Mickleburgh in a 30-minute session of play on the second day of the Division Two promotion clash with Worcestershire at New Road.After a complete washout on Tuesday, the teams waited until after lunch for the ground to dry out but only 6.5 overs were bowled before the rain returned. Having won the last two games after putting their opponents in to bat, Worcestershire followed the successful formula when Daryl Mitchell won the toss.It was rookie Chris Russell who claimed the solitary success rather than his 38-year-old new-ball partner, Alan Richardson, who took 24 wickets in his county’s back-to-back victories over Kent and Gloucestershire.Russell got one to move across Mickleburgh as the opener shaped to play towards midwicket but edged to third slip where Moeen Ali held on to a smart catch, waist-high to his right.Tom Westley got off the mark in the seventh over, clipping Richardson through the leg-side, but only two more balls were bowled before umpires Jeremy Lloyds and Graham Lloyd took the players off because of bad light.They were not to return as steady rain set in until play was called off for the day at 4.20pm. This left Nick Browne still awaiting his first run after facing only two deliveries on his Championship debut for Essex.

Michael Clarke has not denied the existence of serious rifts within the team in the past but insists the tourists have put the problems of the Mickey Arthur era behind them

Daniel Brettig at Lord's16-Jul-2013Michael Clarke has not denied the existence of serious rifts within the team in the past but insists the tourists have put the problems of the Mickey Arthur era behind them under the guidance of the new coach Darren Lehmann. The revelation of Arthur’s log of claims about his sacking broke as the tourists trained at Lord’s two days out from the second Ashes Test, forcing hurried meetings about the team’s official response.Allegations of precisely how dimly Clarke viewed Shane Watson, and that the allrounder had been the one to inform Arthur of David Warner’s misadventures, will not necessarily be a shock to members of the Australia team. Clarke stated that the squad was more united now than it had been for some time, which bodes well for the rest of the Ashes but also casts harsh light on the team under Arthur.”I can’t remember for a long time the team being as united as we are right now,” Clarke said. “And no coincidence Darren’s played a big part in that. I think him as a man and a gentleman brings that to the forefront. He was a great guy to play with, and he’s no different as a coach. He loves having a good time, loves us enjoying our cricket and he was really proud, as I was, about the way we played over the past five days.”The most important thing is that we as a team are as focused as we can be on Thursday. We’ve obviously got a huge game in front of us, the boys are feeling great. As we showed in the last Test match we’re here to fight and do as well as we possibly can in this Test series. Nothing will get in the way of the team harmony at the moment. The feeling around the camp is magnificent. The feeling’s what you want it to be around the Australian cricket team.”The timing of the documents’ release has attracted the criticism of the Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive, Paul Marsh, and Clarke said he was doing his best to ensure the team remained entirely focused on Lord’s, rather than the problems of the preceding six months.”For me right now it is ‘be focused on what’s in front of me, not what’s behind me’,” Clarke said. “Decisions have been made and made for reasons. We’ve got a fantastic group with a great coach who has united us, and we’re heading in the right direction. It makes no difference to me … my eyes are focused on one goal, and that’s winning this Test match. I know everybody in that change-room’s exactly the same. Boys have trained well today, come and train tomorrow.”Brad Haddin, the vice-captain, struck a similarly insistent tone about the health of the team. “We’ve been going in the right direction since day one of the tour,” he said. “My stance hasn’t changed. Disappointing result in first Test. Nice to get close but we want to win. I’m comfortable with where things are. Love to see a couple of guys names on the board and get a win here. Don’t think that brought us tighter. The group has been fine since day one of the tour.”Since I’ve been back everything has been fine. Day one was exciting and that hasn’t changed. DL has done a wonderful job like all staff and players. Ashes is as good as it gets. All the other stuff is white noise. It hasn’t affected the side. Darren Lehmann is the coach of Australia. That won’t change. We’re here to play an Ashes campaign, and our job is to get on with this.”