ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2015
ScorecardFifties from middle-order batsman Ali Asad and wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal helped Pakistan A extend their dominance over Sri Lanka A into the third day of the third unofficial Test in Dambulla, as they amassed a first-innings total of 580 for 8 declared. Udara Jayasundera’s fifty helped Sri Lanka A wipe away 119 runs from their deficit, leaving them trailing by 188 runs at the end of the day.Asad resumed his innings on the third morning from an overnight score of 31 and stretched the fifth-wicket partnership with Shan Masood to 124 runs before the latter was dismissed 18 runs short of a double-century. Asad and Akmal added 60 brisk runs to the scoreboard before Nisala Tharaka ended Asad’s innings at 89, with the batsman hitting 13 fours in his 147-ball stay. Akmal, however, carried on and finished on an unbeaten 54 off 77 deliveries with five fours, before the side declared their innings. Lahiru Gamage was the most successful bowler for Sri Lanka A with returns of 4 for 112, while Dushmantha Chameera, Tharaka, Ashan Priyanjan and Jayasundera took one wicket apiece.Jayasundera, who had scored 6 in the first innings, gave Sri Lanka A a better start in their second innings, adding 88 runs for the first wicket with Dhananjaya de Silva. However, Sri Lanka suffered a wobble towards close of play, losing their top three quickly to finish at 119 for 3.

Shane Watson and Mitchell Marsh will face-off once again for the allrounder’s berth in Australia’s final warm-up ahead of the first Investec Test against England in Cardiff

Daniel Brettig in Canterbury28-Jun-20151:55

‘We’re not worried about what England are doing’ – Lehmann

Shane Watson and Mitchell Marsh will face-off once again for the allrounder’s berth in Australia’s final warm-up ahead of the first Investec Test against England in Cardiff, after the coach Darren Lehmann said he expected the senior man to be bowling to a strong standard against Essex at Chelmsford in order to retain his place.Lehmann revealed the XI for Wednesday’s four-day match in the minutes after the tourists completed a 255-run defeat of a modest Kent side at Canterbury, where Shaun Marsh, Steven Smith and Mitchell Johnson could feel best pleased with their efforts.The aforementioned trio will all be rested from the team to face Essex, as Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood come in for their first competitive bowl of the tour while Adam Voges and David Warner are also included. Ryan Harris, Michael Clarke and Chris Rogers will all play again as they seek further match conditioning, but most of the interest will surround how Mitchell Marsh and Watson fare as the days tick down to the Ashes.Watson has missed four Test matches since Lehmann took over as coach, all of them because he was unfit to bowl. Lehmann stated that he needed to be sending the ball down with decent oomph to make his place safe. “Yeah, like always,” Lehmann said. “I thought he bowled really well in the West Indies, for a short amount of time so we know that’s important for us especially in England, he shapes the ball nicely so he’s going to have to bowl well.

Australia XI for Essex

Michael Clarke (capt), Chris Rogers, David Warner, Adam Voges, Shane Watson, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill, Mitchell Starc, Ryan Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon

“It’s going to be tight, isn’t it. I thought Marsh was exceptional in the innings as was Shane Watson to be perfectly honest. We need Watto bowling and he’ll definitely bowl in the next tour game so that’s going to be a key for us as well. So both pushed their claims really well.”Strong competition for places in the Australian XI was highlighted by the way Johnson stepped up on a flat pitch to bowl perhaps his swiftest spells since South Africa in February 2014. It was a striking display that pleased Lehmann, who has always placed a premium on high pace among his seam bowlers and has dropped numerous players in the past if he has not thought them able to provide it.Harris was somewhat patchier, and Lehmann concurred with his former South Australia’s team-mate’s view that there were no “credits” for players around the Australian side. “No credits for players as far as we’re concerned,” he said. “In the two Test matches in the West Indies the three quicks who played there got 40 wickets for us so that’s really pleasing. At the end of the day Ryan Harris has got to be fully fit and if he’s doing that then he’s a big part of our side or squad going forward.”He’s got to prove to us he can bowl 20 overs in an innings or roughly about that and make sure he’s ready to go. If he can do that he certainly comes into consideration. He’s obviously been one of our greats in these conditions and at the end of the day we’ve got to pick the best attack and if that’s with him in that’s with him in, if it’s not it’s not.”The pressure is on Shane Watson to send down some high-quality overs against Essex ahead of the first Test•Getty Images

There was also an incredulous remark or two from Lehmann about the words of Stuart Broad, who had contended that the promotion of Smith to No. 3 would leave his idiosyncratic technique vulnerable to the new Dukes ball in English conditions. Lehmann did not quite roll his eyes at the suggestion, but he was not far off doing so.”I thought this sledging stuff was supposed to stop,” he quipped. “There’s a lot of sledging going on in the media. They’re allowed to have their comments, I’m not too worried about that. I think Steven Smith’s a pretty good player – I think he got 199 at No. 3 the other week.”It’s pretty much always swung in the history of the game here in England and you’ve got to be a good player to make runs. I think Steven Smith is a good player.”As for a bus trip to Colchester while England were plotting their own plans with the new coach Trevor Bayliss at a Spanish resort, Lehmann showed precious little interest. “I don’t know, don’t want to know – I don’t care,” he said. “I only worry about us to be perfectly honest.”We’ve got to worry about how we are going to produce really good cricket in England because we haven’t won here for 14 years and that’s our focus. We are not worried too much about England. We’ve got to worry about getting it right day and day out on the training track and getting better at the game of cricket, because that’s how you improve.”

American fielding coach Mike Young says he is eager to start working with players in the USA as he comes back to America later this month ahead of the ICC Americas Combine in Indianapolis in September

Peter Della Penna16-Jul-2015American fielding coach Mike Young, who has been employed in Australia on and off since 2002, says he is eager to start working with players in the USA as he comes back to America later this month ahead of the ICC Americas Combine in Indianapolis in September. Following the announcement of his involvement in the combine, Young said he believes fate has taken his career a full circle to bring him back home.”I believe that my background in the sport and in baseball, but obviously in cricket, I believe this is what I was meant to do and things happen for a reason,” Young told ESPNcricinfo. “The combine is a start. I think we’re on a great track right now with the ICC. This combine is a good start and will pull some people together. I’ve worked with Courtney Walsh before and he’s a great guy. Obviously he was a fantastic bowler and knows the game. What [ICC’s] Tom Evans and Tim Anderson are doing, they have to be highly complimented for their passion in trying to get this thing kicked off. That inspires me so I’m going in and the combine for me is just a start. To me it’s a rebirth for me and my coaching career.”Young, 59, most recently worked with Australia as a fielding consultant during their World Cup triumph but was first involved with the team under coach John Buchanan during Steve Waugh’s captaincy in 2002. He said he has been following USA’s progress, or lack thereof, from afar ever since he was on the opposite sidelines during Australia’s encounter with USA at the 2004 Champions Trophy in England, a match Australia won by nine wickets, chasing 66 in under eight overs.”I remember being proud to see them actually playing in a world tournament,” Young said. “I had just gotten into the sport myself and it was actually the first time that I took notice that USA has a team in a world tournament so there was something going on. We had the best team in the world so I didn’t expect them to win but I remember their enthusiasm. I had a few chats with guys afterwards. For me it was inspirational.”The amount of players there, the amount of enthusiasm, the expats there that follow cricket, it’s immense in the United States. You have to tap into it and do it in the right professional way. I’m excited but I remember that sitting there on my own. I’ve been an Australian citizen for years as well but having come from the United States, seeing those guys out there was surreal. I kept in touch with some of the players. I know there are guys who play around Chicago. I had written to the [USACA] over the years in the past to try and keep my hand in it.”Young said despite numerous attempts to offer his services to USACA over the years, the only time they took him up on it was during Darren Beazley’s time as chief executive in 2013. Beazley and then USACA high performance officer Andy Pick recruited Young to be a part of the team’s Florida preparation camp in October 2013 before they went for the World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE. Young said he was immediately struck by how hard the players were working despite their amateur status and balancing life with day jobs.”One thing that I was really impressed by was their wanting to be there,” he said. “I spent a lot of time talking to them, just talking and not getting caught up in nonsense about the sport, just talking to them as athletes and how proud they were to be representing their country. It’s our job to motivate and inspire them and give them the best situation possible. It’s not going to happen overnight but it has to start somewhere. That’s the exciting aspect of this combine.”As an American, Young also feels he will bring a unique perspective in helping to bring up the standards of the team both on the field and administratively. Ironically, he has found his greatest success overseas but believes that his understanding of mainstream American sports culture will allow him to connect with stakeholders in a way others have not been able to accomplish.”Being the only American to work at the highest in professional cricket, three World Cup wins, Ashes, IPL, I have a good feel,” Young said. “I also have a different perception having spent a lot of years in professional baseball in America and internationally, I look at the sport in a different light. I see creative areas where we can do things with the sport. I understand the American culture and some things potentially may not work there that will work in India.”That background of being an American and understanding it I think is massive. I’ve seen Americans come over to Australia who are very competent and try to work in baseball here because they worked in baseball in America but they struggle because they don’t understand the Australian culture, the sociological impact when they talk to people. That’s where I think I can play a massive role.”

Nottinghamshire can do no wrong since Peter Moores joined the coaching staff: their defeat of Worcestershire made it 10 wins in all competitions in a seasaon that has fired up too late

ECB/PA10-Aug-2015
ScorecardLife is full of blue skies for Peter Moores since his arrival at Trent Bridge•Getty Images

Fast-improving Nottinghamshire dodged the worst of the rain to register their third victory in four LV= County Championship matches by beating Worcestershire by five wickets at New Road.Needing 75 more runs, they were delayed for 75 minutes by a heavy shower and it was after lunch when a strong team performance came to a successful conclusion after a stand of 157 by James Taylor and Riki Wessels.On the resumption at 157 for three, their partnership was worth 120 and when it was broken by Saeed Ajmal it was the county’s highest for the fourth wicket in championship meetings with Worcestershire.Taylor, a former academy player at New Road, compiled a classy 66 from 127 balls and Wessels, after a first-innings duck, more than made amends with 88 from 190 balls on the ground where he marked his debut for Notts by scoring 67 in May 2011.Worcestershire, as always, kept fighting to the end but they were eventually overpowered by two batsmen – and a team – at the top of their game since the forner England coach, Peter Moores, was added to the coaching staff as an assistant to Mick Newell.After a sluggish start to the season, it now seems that Nottinghamshire can do no wrong. Since propping up the Division One table in the Championship on June 24, they have amassed 77 points from four matches, two of them against Worcestershire, and in completed games in all competitions they have reeled off 10 consecutive wins.Worcestershire, in contrast, have lost seven completed matches in a row, mostly in the Royal London One-day Cup, and the struggle against relegation in the Championship continues despite another committed display.The match was probably lost on the second day when a dropped chance allowed Nottinghamshire to take control by adding 157 in the afternoon session.By the last day their victory was close to being a formality, although Taylor and Wessels went out of their way to avoid unnecessary risks in adding 31 in 12 overs by lunch.It was only when they looked for a big finish that they came unstuck, departing in successive overs from Ajmal as they tried to take on the off-spinner. Taylor was caught at extra cover and Wessels at mid-off.Notts eventually got home 45 minutes after lunch. Samit Patel (17 not out)) avoided a “pair” with a six to mid-wicket off Brett D’Oliveira and Chris Read (19 not out) finished it off with successive fours off Ajmal.

Danny Briggs, the left-arm spinner who was once hailed as the answer to England’s one-day spin bowling needs, has sought to re-energise a faltering career by switching to Hampshire’s south coast neighbours Sussex

David Hopps09-Oct-2015Danny Briggs, the left-arm spinner who was once hailed as the answer to England’s one-day spin bowling needs, has sought to re-energise a faltering career by switching to Hampshire’s south coast neighbours Sussex.He moves to Hove on a three-year deal with Luke Wright, recently announced as Sussex’s captain in all three formats, proclaiming that he remains the “best one-day spinner in the country.”But it is Briggs’ ambitions to develop into a Championship spinner that has provided the impetus for one of the close season’s more surprising transfers. He played only eight Championship matches for Hampshire in a season where they only avoided relegation on the last day of the season with the county preferring the extra batting skills of Liam Dawson and occasional forays with the up-and-coming legspinner Mason Crane.Hampshire’s director of cricket, Giles White, presented Briggs’ departure as all but inevitable. “Losing Danny is tough,” he said. “However this is the right decision for him and therefore he goes with our blessing. I have been lucky enough to have seen him grow into the cricketer and person that he is today and he has been a pleasure to work with throughout.”He understands the wider picture and in some ways it was inevitable, considering his ambition to progress in all forms of the game that it would lead to him moving on. I hope the move allows him the opportunity to further his career in the longer form of the game with a good club like Sussex. Danny is an extremely popular player, the team will miss him but I have no doubt that they will all wish him well.”Briggs must have been privately torn on the last day of the season as Hampshire’s survival was secured at Sussex’s expense, but arguably a season in Division Two for a county strongly expected to bounce back at the first attempt will allow him the chance to build his repertoire in less taxing circumstances, which after a few unrewarding seasons in four-day cricket may be no bad thing.Wright said: “Danny is a fantastic signing and one I am really excited about. We are signing a young England international spinner who is arguably the best one-day spinner in the country, and is young enough to develop into a top four-day bowler too. He is a hard worker and a tough competitor.”Briggs, released early from his Hampshire contract, has taken 191 first-class wickets in his 67 matches, with a best of 6 for 45 for the England Lions in 2011. His wickets have come at an average of 32.14, with an economy rate of only slightly over 3 runs per over.He made an England ODI debut against Pakistan in Dubai in 2012 – becoming the youngest Hampshire player, and the first Isle of Wight-born cricketer, to play for his country – and has also played seven times in the T20 international format.His ability in the shortest format helped Hampshire to a record six consecutive T20 Finals Day appearances from 2010 onwards. He set a club record of 31 wickets in 2010 as Hampshire won the trophy on home turf and became their go-to bowler in the shortest format, taking 119 wickets at an average of 19.4 from 94 matches.In the Championship, however, his lack of spin has counted against him. He will not find it easy at Hove, which possesses one of the smaller playing surfaces in the country.Briggs said of his move: “I’m excited for the opportunities that lie ahead. I’m really grateful that Hampshire are letting me leave early. I’d like to thank all the playing staff and the coaches that I’ve worked with.”

Sydney Thunder will play their BBL 2015 home games at the recently renovated Spotless Stadium in Sydney, they will carry three drop-in pitches from their previous home ground

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Sep-2015Big Bash League team Sydney Thunder will play their BBL 2015 home games at the recently renovated Spotless Stadium in Sydney, but they will be taking an important part of their previous home ground.The Thunder will carry three drop-in pitches from the ANZ Stadium. The Thunder’s latest signing Shane Watson lauded the decision and said it would provide them a good home advantage.”It’s a great acquisition for the Thunder to make sure we have a bit of a home-town advantage, knowing what the wickets are going to do,” Watson told Cricket Australia.”In previous years the wickets had been a little slow at ANZ, but the last couple of years they have been world class. Being able to take them over to Spotless will make sure the really intimate setting at the stadium is combined with really good wickets that are going to provide a lot of entertainment as well,” Watson added.The average innings score on the centre wicket of the ANZ Stadium was 176, in the two matches played at the venue last season – the highest average for any ground in the BBL. Jaques Kallis and Michael Hussey put on a record 160-run opening stand in last season’s first game against Brisbane Heat.

A round-up of the Ram Slam T20 matches on November 1, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2015Warriors beat Knights in the one-over eliminator as the Ram Slam T20 got off to a thrilling start at Newlands in Cape Town.A delayed started reduced the contest to six-overs-a-side and Warriors, who were asked to bat first, posted 81 for 2 in their quota of overs. Colin Ingram top-scored with a 25-ball 52, which included five fours and four sixes. In reply, Knights lost openers Tumelo Bodibe and Reeza Hendricks in the first over and were soon reduced to 40 for 4 before Ryan McLaren’s unbeaten 14-ball 34 forced the game into a Super Over, with Knights finishing on 81 for 5.Knights, who batted first in the one-over shootout, lost McLaren and Theunis de Bruyn off consecutive deliveries to pacer Andrew Birch to leave Warriors with just a run to score. Ingram then hit a boundary after one dot delivery to seal the game for Warriors.Prenelan Subrayen came up with a decisive spell of offspin bowling as Dolphins beat Titans by six runs in a high-scoring clash in Centurion. Subrayen put the brakes on with figures of 4 for 22 off his four overs as Titans were restricted to 173 for 8 in pursuit of 180. That consigned Albie Morkel’s unbeaten 34-ball 67 to second best.Dolphins, who were asked to bat, got off to a brisk start with openers Morne van Wyk (41) and Cameron Delport (25) adding 48 in just 5.1 overs. Kevin Pietersen, making his Ram Slam T20 debut, hit two fours in his 22 to set things up nicely going into the second half of the innings. David Miller, who enjoyed a modest run during the limited-overs series in India, provided the power boost, hitting eight fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 32-ball 62 to finish with a flourish.Titans’ chase hit roadblocks as the top three fell inside the eighth over. Hopes were pinned on Farhaan Behardien to pilot the chase, but his dismissal for 11 meant Titans slipped to 81 for 5 in the 12th over. Morkel then took over, and nearly single-handedly took his side home by hitting three fours and seven sixes, but regular strikes put a lid on the chase.A half-century from Rassie van der Dussen helped Lions beat Cape Cobras by seven wickets in a truncated fixture in Cape Town. Cape Cobras’ 125 for 8 in 18 overs was overhauled with eight balls to spare, with Dwaine Pretorious, who made an unbeaten 10-ball 24, hitting the winning runs.Cape Cobras got off to a brisk start as Richard Levi and Andrew Puttick added 54 in just 5.3 overs, before they lost four wickets for the addition of one run. Aaron Phangiso, the left-arm spinner, accounted for two of them on his way to figures of 2 for 8 off three overs. That Cobras put up a total of substance was courtesy Kieron Pollard’s unbeaten 29.Lions began steadily with the openers wiping out 42. But van der Dussen, who made an unbeaten 55, ensured they were ahead of the chase at all times and got home quite easily. Pollard was the pick of the bowlers with two wickets.

Andrew Fitch-Holland, the co-defendant in Chris Cairns’ perjury trial, has denied ever asking Lou Vincent to provide a false witness statement and said that the only thing Cairns was guilty of was “not keeping his trousers zipped”

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-2015Andrew Fitch-Holland, the co-defendant in Chris Cairns’ perjury trial, has denied ever asking Lou Vincent to provide a false witness statement and said that the only thing Cairns was guilty of was “not keeping his trousers zipped”.Fitch-Holland, a barrister who previously represented Cairns, is charged with perverting the course of justice over his role in the 2012 libel case against Lalit Modi. The jury at Southwark Crown Court was told last month by former New Zealand international Chris Harris that Fitch-Holland had admitted Cairns was guilty of match-fixing.Although he could not remember the conversation at an exhibition match due to drinking alcohol, Fitch-Holland said he would have been referring to Cairns’ marital situation. Cairns left his wife Carin in 2008 for the woman he is now married to, Mel Cairns.”I would have said the only thing Chris Cairns is guilty of is not keeping his trousers zipped up,” Fitch-Holland told the court.Vincent, a former team-mate of Cairns in the Indian Cricket League (ICL), has given already evidence about his own involvement in match-fixing. This included a recording of Skype conversation in which Fitch-Holland allegedly accepted Cairns’ role, saying: “we all know some of what is being said is clearly true”.However, Fitch-Holland said he have never asked Vincent to lie on Cairns’ behalf and that his statement referred to the activities of other players at the ICL.”At the time of the Skype call, I had no idea that Lou Vincent had ever been involved in match fixing or spot fixing,” he said. “I had no reason to believe he was anything other than an honest, decent chap.”At the time of the Skype call, I had no reason, nor do I now, to believe that Chris Cairns had been involved in match-fixing or spot-fixing.”Fitch-Holland, who was involved with the management of Lashings Cricket Club, met Cairns in 2006 and subsequently advised him on contracts and business deals. He said that Cairns had described rumours that he was involved in fixing during the ICL as “pub talk and bullshit”.He added: “Not a single one of the many cricketers I know has ever suggested to me, by phone or to my face, that Chris Cairns has done anything corrupt.”He also described the moment when Cairns contacted him after Modi, the former IPL chairman, made claims on Twitter about his involvement in corruption.”My mobile phone rang and it was Chris, freaking out, saying ‘You won’t believe this, Modi’s f***ed me. I’m done, He’s tweeted I’m involved in match fixing’,” Fitch-Holland said.Fitch-Holland, who will be cross-examined by the prosecution next week, revealed that he advised Cairns to settle out of court with Modi, to avoid further damage to his reputation. However, the parties had been unable to agree on a sum, with Cairns’ mounting legal costs threatening to bankrupt him, Fitch-Holland said.The trial continues.

Challenging light conditions and a system crash contributed to the unavailability of ball-tracking for an LBW appeal against Jason Holder late on the final day of the Boxing Day Test, the technology operators EagleEye have revealed

Daniel Brettig30-Dec-2015Challenging light conditions and a system crash contributed to the unavailability of ball-tracking for an lbw appeal against Jason Holder late on the final day of the Boxing Day Test, the technology operators EagleEye have revealed.An ageing ball and stark shadows across the MCG were making it difficult for ball-tracking cameras to pick up the ball to a level that satisfied the technology’s handlers, causing them to state to the broadcast producer that they could not provide a ball-tracking model of the Holder lbw appeal immediately.When EagleEye operators then attempted to track the Peter Siddle delivery via Nine’s video footage – the secondary option – a system crash meant they were unable to do so in time for the DRS referral, though it was shown later to demonstrate the ball was missing leg stump.Such eventualities are accounted for in DRS protocols, with the third umpire Ian Gould duly compelled to return to the on-field umpire Marais Erasmus’ original decision of not out. Australia did not lose a review as a result of the course of events. Ian Taylor, head of the New Zealand company Animation Research that provides EagleEye for the broadcaster Channel Nine, said the firm took responsibility for the outcome.”The guys weren’t happy with the first data they got because of a lighting issue so they did a re-track from the video. Unfortunately when they did that the system crashed and they lost the video,” Taylor told ESPNcricinfo. “Doing the re-track without the video takes much longer.”They had to let the producer know they weren’t happy with what they had and advised him there was no useable track available at the time. That is part of the protocol and in that case ‘umpire’s call’ stands. They did retrieve the track in the end but it was too late to use, but they did put it to air.”I want to be clear this is our responsibility. We weren’t able to track this ball to a satisfactory standard and said so.”Taylor said this was only the third such occasion that EagleEye operators had needed to indicate they were unhappy with the data they were getting, in an association with cricket in Australia that dates back to the 2010-11 Ashes summer. By contrast, Taylor said that the Marlon Samuels lbw in the first innings of the match – considered by many to be out though tracking had the ball clearing the stumps – was not a source of consternation for the company.”They were happy with it,” Taylor said of the operators at the MCG. “Side-on showed he was on his tip toes and he was hit on the top of the pad. They felt happy with that tracking, based on what the side-on cameras showed.”There are ongoing discussions between technology operators and the ICC about how to further improve the system, including the advent of a specialist third umpires rather than the current rotation between on-field and off-field duty. It is believed that this concept is also supported by the umpires themselves, as they find it difficult to make the adjustment from the instincts required in the middle to the data analysis of the television review job.Taylor is also an advocate for a system of universal DRS training to be undertaken by umpires and technology operators alike, so all are accredited with the same knowledge base and thus have a greater degree of trust in each other. The Holder lbw was discussed between the match referee Chris Broad and officials from both teams following the conclusion of the Test. Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann said his team remained staunch supporters of the system.”You just want them to get it right, that’s all, make sure the technology is up to speed,” Lehmann said. “Everyone loves it, we’re pro it, it’s just making sure they get it right. It was missing leg stump, they handled it well from a match referee/ICC point of view, where we didn’t lose a review, got that back. Making sure it’s working 100% of the time is the key.”

The Indians needed a pair of half-centuries from Rohit Sharma and Manish Pandey to patch up an underwhelming batting performance, but their bowlers had little trouble defending 249 against Western Australia XI in the warm-up one-dayer at the WACA

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRohit Sharma top-scored for the Indians with 67•AFP

The Indians needed a pair of half-centuries from Rohit Sharma and Manish Pandey to patch up an underwhelming batting performance, but their bowlers had little trouble defending 249 against Western Australia XI in the warm-up one-dayer at the WACA.This was India’s final practice match before facing Australia in the first ODI on Tuesday and everyone in their squad was given a go, except fast bowler Ishant Sharma, who was benched as a precaution owing to a cut on his finger. “He’s perfectly alright,” insisted bowling coach B Arun. “Just before the game, he was bowling on the ground, he’s been bowling 25-30 balls on the ground. It’s an opportunity for us to try other boys and with Shami being injured it becomes even more important for us to check who we are going to play in the next game”So Barinder Sran (7-1-22-0) and Rishi Dhawan (7-1-28-2) were given the new ball and there were good signs – only three fours were hit off their bowling in the first 10 overs. “He’s a bowler with a lot of potential,” Arun said of Sran. “He’s been pretty impressive in these two games that he’s played. Being a left-armer too, gives us an added advantage and we have a bowler we can groom in the future for us.” The ones India will likely bank on in the present – R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja – were able to further the squeeze in the middle overs. Western Australia XI was bowled out for 185 in 49.2 overs, which meant that they faced one ball more than the Indians did.Having opted to bat, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli were dismissed inside six overs. Both men had shown excellent form in the warm-up T20 on Friday, but that did offer the rest of the line-up some match practice. Rohit, who had run himself out in the last game, played steadily to reach his half-century off 64 balls, with five fours and two sixes. He would strike one of each kind of boundary before he was caught spectacularly by D’Arcy Short at slip.For most of his innings, Rohit had the company of Ajinkya Rahane and their 88-run stand for the third wicket came at a healthy 5.33 per over. Rahane managed three fours in his 53-ball 41 before chopping legspinner James Muirhead onto his stumps.Then the Indians decided to test some of their lower-middle order options. A flatfooted Gurkeerat Singh received a lovely outswinger and nicked off for 6 off 13 balls. Drew Porter was the wicket-taker and he finished with 5 for 37 from 9.1 overs. The 30-year old fast bowler was the main reason for the Indians finding themselves at 171 for 6 with MS Dhoni back in the pavilion for 15 off 35 balls.But Manish Pandey was able to progress fluently at No. 6. He struck only three fours, but was able to maintain a strike rate near 100. His 58 off 59 was vital to India crossing 200. Jadeja chipped in with 26 off 25 balls, but his greater contribution was working in tandem with Ashwin in the second innings. The two spinners got through their 20 overs for only 70 runs and picked up four wickets. Axar Patel provided a couple of breakthroughs as well and maintained an economy rate of 3.62.”The idea of playing practice games, and the fact that we are playing on the same ground [as the first ODI] also gives us the advantage,” Arun said. “Though we have played a lot of cricket in Australia recently, but then again coming back after playing a lot of cricket in the subcontinent, we are getting used to the ground on which we are playing.”There were only two Western Australia XI batsmen who managed a strike-rate of 80. Opener Jake Carder (45) and No. 7 Jaron Morgan (50) were the only sources of concerted resistance.