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Andrew Jones, the former Cricket Australia head of strategy, has been named as the new chief executive of Cricket New South Wales

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-2013Andrew Jones, the former Cricket Australia head of strategy, has been named as the new chief executive of Cricket New South Wales. Jones will take up the role vacated by David Gilbert, who spent 11 years in the position before resigning in January amid instability at the organisation and calls for his sacking from Brett Lee.Jones, 40, is president of the University of New South Wales Cricket Club and a former player for the team, and he joined Cricket Australia in 2010 having consulted for them since 2004. At Cricket Australia he managed the Argus review and the development of the Strategy For Australian Cricket 2011-15 project.”I am excited and humbled in equal measure to be asked to lead Cricket New South Wales,” Jones said. “I was never a first-class cricketer, but I am aiming to provide the first-class leadership the fans, players, past players, volunteers, country colleagues, staff and board in this state expect.”When New South Wales cricket is strong, Australian cricket is strong and it is my aim to return this state to its rightful position as a leader of Australian cricket. To achieve that we will need to harness the great depth of experience and passion we have throughout the state. With everyone working together I am excited about the challenges that lie ahead.”Jones has previously served as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company and Centaurus Partners. John Warn, the Cricket New South wales chairman, said Jones was a good fit for the role.”The board is extremely happy to have found a candidate with the all-round credentials of Andrew Jones,” Warn said. “When we started the process of seeking a new chief executive, the absolute priority was finding the individual who had the right balance of business and cricketing backgrounds.”Andrew is someone who understands business, has consulted to CNSW at various times and has worked closely with the board of Cricket Australia in his previous role. He is also connected at grass-roots level, as the current president of the University of New South Wales Cricket Club, and has a tremendous passion for the game of cricket and a strong sense of the history and traditions of cricket within this state. I am thrilled that he is going to be joining us.”

West Indies’ stand-in captain Kieron Pollard praised his side for showing character in a tense one-wicket win over India at Sabina Park, despite the main batsmen failing to close out the game

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jul-2013West Indies’ stand-in captain Kieron Pollard praised his side for showing character in a tense one-wicket win over India at Sabina Park, despite the main batsmen failing to close out the game. Chasing 230, West Indies lost their ninth wicket with ten needed, but Nos 9 and 11, Kemar Roach and Tino Best respectively, held their nerve to seal their second consecutive win in the tournament.”At the end, we got over the line and that’s what matters,” said Pollard, who stood-in for the injured Dwayne Bravo. “In the recent past, West Indies teams would have capitulated completely, so it shows we have a bit of fight and character in this side.”We are West Indian cricketers. We attack. If we get into our shell, we get out. That’s how we play cricket and it has worked for us. At the end of the day you have to back yourself. We have to be happy for victories. We cannot say we are not feeling so good because No. 10 (sic.9) and 11 got us over the line. They are batsmen in the team as well.”A modest target of 230 was made to look complicated by West Indies, who lost wickets due to extravagant strokes, despite being well ahead of the required rate. Johnson Charles, who set the platform with 97, was one of those who perished trying to clear the infield. In the end, it was a level-headed partnership of 10 runs between Roach and Best that ended India’s five-match unbeaten streak in ODIs.However, Pollard wanted his team to assess the reasons for such a tense finish. “It’s just a matter of us doing the things that we haven’t done so well, especially in the middle overs.” he said. “As middle-order batsmen, we just have to take it upon ourselves and finish it for the team rather than letting No.10 and 11 (win the match).”Charles anchored the innings and added 116 with Darren Bravo to give West Indies control after losing three early wickets. After a labored 29 off 58 balls in the first match against Sri Lanka, Charles was pleased to get his rhythm back, hitting eight fours and four sixes.”I felt nice and relaxed at the crease. I was told to go out and play my natural game and that is what I did.” Charles said. “In the last game I had no rhythm but this game I came out with a bit more intent and I knew exactly where I wanted to score. I played to my strengths and played shots according to the fields India set”.On a damp wicket, India lost Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli inside the first ten overs, before Rohit Sharma’s eighth half-century against West Indies anchored the innings. A wayward Best returned at the death to claim the important wicket of India captain MS Dhoni first and Ravindra Jadeja in his next over.”We bowled well against the Indians and reduced them to a score we knew we could chase down,” Charles said. “The pitch got a bit flatter and was more of a batting pitch. I would have liked to have reached three figures and carry my team to victory but I’m happy we made it two wins in a row.”Pollard said he felt little pressure on his captaincy debut. “At the start of the game, there wasn’t any pressure. It came later on when we were trying to win the game.” he said. “We have experienced guys in the side, who have captained West Indies before, who have played all over the world and their knowledge was always going to help me go about the task of trying to lead West Indies.”

Somerset’s supporters have had good reason to grumble on occasions this season. But all they needed to do today was lap up wall-to-wall sunshine and roar their approval at a near perfect performance.

David Lloyd at Taunton21-Jul-2013
ScorecardPakistan international Yasir Arafat blew Warwickshire away•Associated PressSomerset’s supporters have had good reason to grumble on occasions this season. But all that another bumper crowd at Taunton needed to do today was lap up wall-to-wall sunshine and roar their approval at a near perfect performance.Championship cricket continues to be a real struggle for this team but when it comes to limited-overs stuff, they are now well and truly punching their weight – even without Marcus Trescothick, currently sidelined by an ankle injury.Warwickshire were on a little bit of a roll themselves before this afternoon with three consecutive Friends Life t20 victories to add to a sudden revival of four-day fortunes. But here, the Bears were completely and utterly flattened – knocked onto the ropes by a bowling and fielding performance almost without blemish and then floored with a ruthless batting display that saw victory achieved inside nine overs.There cannot have been many more one-sided games in the relatively short history of T20s – and none more embarrassing for Warwickshire, who had never before been dismissed for fewer than three figures.The visitors had won three games while batting second to ease themselves level on points with third-placed Somerset in this tight group. But here they chose to set a target and then saw only two players – Darren Maddy and Rikki Clarke – reach double figures on a pitch offering a bit of zip but nothing untoward.There was not a weak link for Somerset but three players best summed up their terrific performance: widely travelled paceman Yasir Arafat, wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter and would-be stumper Jos Buttler.Arafat, the 31-year-old Pakistani who has appeared for Kent, Lancashire, Surrey, Sussex and now Somerset in this country, was a relatively late and fairly low-key T20 signing by the Taunton hierarchy. But he has been on song since the start of this competition and scarcely wasted a delivery here while returning the remarkable figures of 4 for 5 from three overs.Like all the bowlers, Arafat was backed up by some terrific catching. The best of the lot was plucked out of the air, just inches off the ground, by a diving Nick Compton at backward point. The ball, carved away by Chris Woakes off Alfonso Thomas, appeared to be past the fielder but it somehow lodged in his left hand.Not far behind that take was the skier held by Buttler at deep backward square leg – pouched on the run, diving forward, when Varun Chopra must have thought he had got away with a slightly top-edged pull against Arafat.In Buttler’s ideal world, he would be behind the stumps in this form of cricket, gaining experience to enhance his England ambitions. That is not the way it is working out at Taunton, leaving Buttler to decide whether to seek pastures new at the end of this season. But he is a more than handy outfielder, a fact beyond dispute.And as for Kieswetter, currently out of England favour, everything went right on both sides of the stumps. He held three catches, two of them routine takes and the other a splendidly well-judged effort on the run, and then dashed off an unbeaten 39 to put Warwickshire out of their misery.There is still a long way to go in this group – both these teams have three more games to play. But on the evidence of this performance, only one of them looks to be on course for the quarter-finals.

Gautam Gambhir has cut short his maiden stint in English county cricket with Essex to return to India for “family reasons”, according to a statement released by Essex Cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2013Gautam Gambhir has cut short his maiden stint in English county cricket with Essex to return to India for “family reasons”, according to a statement released by Essex Cricket. Ignored by the national selectors for a while, Gambhir had signed up with the county in August.”Gautam Gambhir returned to his native India on Sunday for family reasons,” the Essex statement said. “At this stage Essex Cricket and Gautam are unable to make any further comment. Essex Cricket is fully supportive of Gautam and very much hope that he will return to Essex before the end of the 2013 English domestic season.”Gambhir had an underwhelming start with Essex but followed up scores of 31, 21, 2 and 0 with a second-innings hundred on August 30 against Gloucestershire in a drawn match in Bristol.The short stint with Essex was Gambhir’s first outing since the IPL in May. He was not part of the India side for the Champions Trophy, the tri-series in the West Indies and the ODI tour of Zimbabwe. His last game for his country was the final ODI against England at home in Dharamsala in January. He was recalled to the national side for the final Test against Australia in Delhi in March, before missing out after coming down with jaundice.

Ajit Chandila, during his ongoing bail hearing in a Delhi court, has said he has been “falsely implicated” in the IPL spot-fixing case

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-2013Ajit Chandila has submitted, during his ongoing bail hearing in a Delhi court, that he has been “falsely implicated” in the IPL spot-fixing case. Chandila’s counsel also added that his client, currently in judicial custody, had no link with either Dawood Ibrahim or his aide Chhota Shakeel, among India’s most wanted criminals. The two are also charged in the case and are alleged by police to be controlling a cricket betting syndicate.”There is no link with the alleged perpetrators Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel… I am a sportsperson,” advocate Rakesh Kumar, appearing for Chandila, told additional sessions judge Dharmesh Sharma, according to . “Two of the other sportspersons [Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan] have been granted bail. I was playing for Rajasthan Royals. I am a successful cricketer. They are falsely implicating me. I was performing well. This is a false case just to implicate me.”During the arguments, Chandila’s counsel told the court that provisions of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) were “mischievously added” by Delhi Police against the accused so that they cannot get bail. Chandila’s lawyer argued that police had not been able to satisfy another trial court – which had granted bail on June 10 to Sreesanth and Chavan, along with 17 others – on this count.While granting bail then, the judge had said Delhi Police had not produced enough evidence to charge the players under MCOCA, a special law passed by the Maharashtra state government to tackle organised crime syndicates and terrorism, which contains far stricter provisions compared to the Indian Penal Code. However, after naming the three cricketers among 39 people in a 6000-page chargesheet at the end of July, Delhi Police had lodged a plea with a Delhi trial court to cancel Sreesanth’s and Chavan’s bail. The two were then issued bail notices by the court, and would have to respond, giving reasons as to why their bail should stand; it was understood then that the investigation had progressed to a point where the police believe the MCOCA law can be invoked.Delhi Police had charged the players along with the others under this law in their chargesheet, as well as under the Indian Penal Code, accusing them of criminal conspiracy, cheating and dishonesty. The police had told the trial court the accused were “part of a larger betting syndicate” controlled by Ibrahim and Shakeel, and “knowingly abetted the operation of this international organised crime syndicate”.Public prosecutor R Mohan will advance his arguments on the bail pleas of Chandila and other accused on August 30, the next date of hearing.

Brisbane Heat will be without several key players, either due to injury or IPL franchise commitments

Brydon Coverdale19-Sep-2013Overview
Like Perth Scorchers, Australia’s BBL champions Brisbane Heat will enter this tournament without their leading run scorer from last summer. Luke Pomersbach is unavailable for the Champions League for family reasons and the squad will also have to do without Shane Watson, who will be playing for Rajasthan Royals; Mitchell Johnson, who is with Mumbai Indians; Thisara Perera, who is with Sunrisers Hyderabad; and the injured Ryan Harris. It leaves them short on big names, although any attack boasting Kemar Roach must still be respected, while Alister McDermott, Ben Cutting and Nathan Hauritz will back him up with a combination of youthful talent and experience. The captain, James Hopes, has plenty of international experience on which to draw as well.Watson’s presence would really have been a bonus, for he played only one game in the BBL last summer, but the absence of Pomersbach (397 runs at 44.11) is a major blow to the batting. Joe Burns is a serious young talent but one more suited to the longer formats, while Chris Lynn perhaps has the power to have an impact in this tournament and could use it as a chance to kickstart his season. Much will be asked of Daniel Christian, the allrounder, who has played Twenty20 cricket for three IPL franchises, two counties and three Australian domestic teams, as well as 11 times for his country.Key player
That Daniel Christian has the ability to be a force in this tournament, with both bat and ball, is not in question. But after a difficult 2012-13 summer, which led him to move from South Australia to Victoria during the off season, it will be interesting to see whether he enters this series with a freer approach and a clearer mind. A clean hitter and wicket-taking seamer – though one who can be expensive in T20 cricket – Christian was considered good enough to be part of Australia’s World T20 campaign last year, but has not played international cricket since.Surprise package
One way or another, allrounder Chris Sabburg will be a surprise package in this tournament if he plays. Why? Because he is yet to bat or bowl for Brisbane Heat, despite playing for them three times last summer. He did, however, take five catches, and has an impressive pedigree – he is the cousin of former Australia fast bowler Andy Bichel and the nephew of the former Queensland fast bowler Dirk Tazelaar. A worker at Brisbane’s fruit and vegetable markets, Sabburg bowls offspin and bats left-handed.Weaknesses
Given the subcontinental pitches on which this tournament will be played, the Heat’s spin depth could be a concern. Hauritz is the only specialist spinner in the squad, and Sabburg is the only man who could offer him any significant backup, although Lynn’s part-time left-armers have been used on occasion. It also appears doubtful whether the squad boasts enough big-hitting batsmen, the same issue that might affect their compatriots the Perth Scorchers.

Suresh Raina indicated the under-pressure Ishant Sharma could play the Ranchi ODI, and said he hoped his team-mate would come back strongly

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit22-Oct-2013Match factsWednesday, October 23, 2013
Start time 1330 local (0800 GMT)MS Dhoni will play his second international game in his hometown of Ranchi•BCCIBig PictureIndia’s bowlers are usually a much scrutinised lot. As the ODI series moves east to their captain’s hometown, Ranchi, the spotlight will shine ever brighter on them. They have conceded more than 300 every time they have bowled in this series. MS Dhoni has warned that one cannot expect his batsmen, powerful as they are, to score that many in every match.The cricketing world has been conspiring against ODI bowlers for years now, but lamenting about one less deep fielder won’t help India. Even nine fielders on the leg-side boundary would not have helped them in Mohali during Ishant Sharma’s 30-run over, because James Faulkner’s sixes would have cleared them easily. Will the India bowlers be able to keep their cool at the death? Even in Pune, Australia were 264 for 7 in the 47th over before Faulkner took them to 304.It seems an age ago, going by their current form, but in January, India’s bowlers dismissed England for 155 in 42.2 overs in Ranchi’s first international match. The fast bowlers found some movement, and the spinners some turn. Dhoni got the chance to hit the winning runs, making it a “perfect script” for him in his hometown. As long as India manage to square the series, he won’t care about ideal endings this time. Falling 1-2 behind means India have to win three of four games to take the series.Australia will know that it was the contributions from the lower order that pushed them past 300 in both their wins. They have started solidly but have lost wickets regularly in the middle. In Mohali, they were tied down by Ravindra Jadeja, who has conceded only 4.60 runs an over this series. With only four men allowed in the deep, the odd pressure-releasing boundary shouldn’t be too hard to find.Form guideAustralia WLWWL (most recent games first)
India LWLWWIn the spotlightVarious ODI captains have spoken of the need to preserve wickets against the two new balls and build for an onslaught later. In this context, a strong opening partnership becomes even more important. Australia’s openers have put on 56, 110, 74 and 68 so far on the tour. India’s openers, in comparison, have managed 12, 26, 176 and 14. Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have established themselves at the top this year, and now India need them to be more consistent.Glenn Maxwell has threatened to cause much damage with a couple of fearsome cameos, as his 53 off 32 in Jaipur highlighted. He’s also been involved in a couple of mix-ups that have led to him being run-out. “I need to work on that,” Maxwell said. “It’s something that’s happened to me a few times in the past. Hopefully it stops very soon.” Australia will want him to kick on tomorrow.Team newsNow that the selectors have persisted with Ishant for the rest of the series, the big question is whether he will play in Ranchi. “I hope he will come back strongly tomorrow,” Suresh Raina said of his team-mate in the pre-match press conference. If one goes by that statement, Ishant will keep his place. Considering how much Dhoni supported Rohit during his horror run in 2012, backing Ishant for a few more games won’t be much of a stretch.India (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suresh Raina, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Vinay Kumar 11 Ishant Sharma/Jaydev UnadkatAustralia, like India, have played the same XI for the first three games, and there seems to be no pressing reason why they would want to tinker with their combination.Australia (probable) 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Phillip Hughes, 3 Shane Watson, 4 George Bailey (capt), 5 Adam Voges, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 James Faulkner, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Clint McKay, 11 Xavier DohertyStats and trivia R Ashwin has a higher economy-rate (6.03) than Xavier Doherty (5.63) in this series. Australia’s victory in Mohali was their 25th against India in India, the most by any team. West Indies are second with 24Quotes”Ishant has been a quality bowler around the world for a number of years. We respect that but we just came up trumps against him.”
“We have bats in hand to counter their bowling, and balls in hand when they bat. You just have to stay positive.”

A round-up of the Dhaka Premier Division matches played on November 20, 2013

Mohammad Isam20-Nov-2013Gazi Tank Cricketers made a strong start to the Dhaka Premier Division’s Super League phase with a 142-run win over Kalabagan Cricket Academy. Four Gazi Tank batsmen scored half-centuries to help the team reach 337-4, the second-highest score in this season’s tournament.Imrul Kayes and Aftab Ahmed put together an opening stand of 114 runs after Gazi Tank opted to bat first at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. Kayes scored 64 off 79 balls, while Aftab made 53 off 69 balls. England batsman Eoin Morgan made only 11 before Raqibul Hasan dominated proceedings with an unbeaten 64-ball 98 that included ten fours and five sixes. He shared a 58-run fourth-wicket stand with Gazi Tank’s captain, Mahmudullah.KCA then had to bear the onslaught of Ryan ten Doeschate, who joined Raqibul in the 43rd over. The pair adding 124 runs and scored at a 16.17 runs per over, with the Dutch batsman blasting seven sixes and a four in his 26-ball unbeaten 54. Hamilton Masakadza bore the brunt of the aggressive batting, giving away 46 in 4.2 overs while Zakaria Masud went for 62 off just five overs.KCA were hardly threatening with the bat, losing their top four for 26. Sharifullah and Saghir Hossain made fifties but the side was out of the contest in spite of their efforts. Arafat Sunny took three wickets while Rubel Hossain had 2 for 14.Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club beat Prime Bank Cricket Club by 56 runs, powered by an all-round performance from their captain Farhad Reza.Farhad picked up three wickets for 33 runs after hitting 43 off 32 balls earlier in the match. He removed openers Saikat Ali and Rumman Ahmed, before dismissing Golam Mabud in his last spell as Prime Bank were all out for 188. Legspinner Sabbir Rahman took two wickets while Sohag Gazi, Taijul Islam, Josh Cobb and Shafiul Alam picked up one each.Earlier, Doleshwar made 244 for 7 powered by Reza’s innings and contributions from Mehedi Maruf (49) and Dawid Malan (40) in the middle-order. For Prime Bank, Enamul Haque jnr took 3 for 53 while Shehan Jayasuriya picked up two.Pace bowler’s Subashis Roy four-wicket haul restricted Mohammedan Sporting Club to 165 before Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club chased down the target with four wickets and more than 15 overs to spare.Mohammedan’s decision to bat first backfired and they were struggling at 48 for 6 in 16.4 overs. Mashrafe Mortaza made 49 off 66 balls, which took the score to 165 in 46 overs. Apart from Subashis’ four wickets, legspinner Tanveer Haider picked up three wickets to wrap up the tail.Afghan legspinner Rahmat Shah briefly threatened Dhanmondi Club’s chase with three wickets, but Mushfiqur Rahim’s unbeaten 44 guided the reply.

Darren Sammy has bit his lip over the suspension of offspinner Shane Shillingford due an illegal action but admitted there was a lot he would like to say about the issue

Andrew McGlashan in Hamilton18-Dec-20130:00

McGlashan: NZ look to seal series

Darren Sammy, the West Indies captain, has bit his lip over the suspension of offspinner Shane Shillingford due an illegal action but admitted there was a lot he would like to say about the issue.There is a strong sense that West Indies feel harshly treated over Shillingford, whose doosra and traditional offspinner were found to breach the 15-degree limit laid down by the ICC. Before the report was issued Ottis Gibson, the coach, said “there are a few people around the world bowling with similar, if not worse actions.”It is the second time he has been suspended from international cricket and the WICB are still digesting the full report before deciding on their next course of action. Marlon Samuels was also banned from using his faster ball although the impact on his immediate career is far more limited than for Shillingford.”I’d love to spill my guts out and say what I have to say,” Sammy said. “No matter what the situation there is a procedure in which things are done. I’ve always been one whose stuck by the rules. I don’t want find myself in any compromising situation.”I would have loved to say a lot of things but I’ve always been a diplomatic guy so won’t take part in that. We all have our personal opinions. Some have voiced it and we’ll just put all our energy into this Test.”The board and coach and director of cricket at home are going to handle it and I’m backing them to handle it in the best possible way for us as a team and esp for Shilly and Marlon.”Sammy and Shillingford are domestic and international team-mates, playing for Windward Islands, so have known each other for many years. He wants West Indies to channel their feelings into the final Test against New Zealand which they need to win to level the series.”Shilly is a very close friend of mine and he’s quite sad and disappointed about the results but that’s life and sometimes you get curve balls thrown at you. You have to face it and come back stronger. It’s a tough pill to swallow. We all support Shilly as a team. He’s been through that before and hopefully his mental toughness will carry him through.”The West Indies team are remaining diplomatic after Shane Shillingford’s suspension•Associated Press”When your backs are really against the wall is when you can reach the highest point,” he added. “That’s what we face in this Test. We will go out and fight for one of our team-mates, come out strong and hit back at New Zealand.Shillingford is still with the West Indies squad in Hamilton, but Sammy said he hoped he would be able to return home to the Caribbean in time for Christmas before beginning the process of working on his action.”I guess he wants to be home with his closer loved ones at that time,” Sammy said. “I would also suggest that he goes home and spends some time with his fiancée or his mum or his parent, where he will feel an even stronger bond and love and where he can move on.”

Australian captains are judged on their Ashes campaigns. Allan Border is remembered for 1989. Steve Waugh never let the Urn go. Ricky Ponting lost three times and now Michael Clarke has ensured his legacy.

Brydon Coverdale at the WACA17-Dec-20130:00

‘Expect more of the same’

Australian captains are judged on their Ashes campaigns. Allan Border is remembered for the 1989 triumph. Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh never let the Urn go. Ricky Ponting lost three times but also revelled in a 5-0 clean sweep. And now, Michael Clarke has ensured his legacy.For the first time since that 2006-07 thrashing, Australia have beaten England in an Ashes series and Clarke was the captain who delivered it. Nobody can take that away from him.If Border’s 1989 success seems like the modern watershed, the end of a dark era for Australia, consider this: it’s been even longer for the current side. Border’s men regained the Ashes after 1429 days without them; Clarke’s team has endured a 1577-day drought. So long has passed that Clarke himself was the only member of this squad to have tasted Ashes success before.Perhaps that explains why the rest of the players appeared more emotional than Clarke at securing the Ashes in Perth. Ryan Harris and Mitchell Johnson were on the verge of tears at the end of the WACA win, and they were not the only ones. Clarke celebrated, hugged his team-mates, smiled and laughed, but remained in control. He was part of the world’s No. 1 team for many years; he knows success, even if he’d nearly forgotten it.”It’s as big, there’s no doubt about it,” Clarke said when asked if this was the biggest moment in his cricket career. “I certainly don’t want to show any disrespect to 2006-07, that was a very special series and a different time in my career. I was a lot younger but it was extremely special. But being a little bit older and a little bit greyer this is certainly as special.”For the guys in the change room to feel this, I don’t think you’ll find one bloke whether it be player or support staff, who doesn’t say this is the pinnacle, playing Test cricket against England and winning the Ashes.”That’s always been the pinnacle for an Australian cricketer. Test cricket in my opinion is certainly the pinnacle and the hardest form of the game. All the boys in the change room, for the work they have put in, they deserve to have this feeling and we’ll make sure it lasts a long time tonight.”0:00

‘The Series of Haddin’s career’

The celebrations began in the WACA changing rooms soon after Johnson picked up the last wicket, fittingly, given his impact on the series so far. Australia have chosen the same squad for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne – again with Doug Bollinger and Nathan Coulter-Nile on standby – and inevitably their thoughts will turn to the possibility of another clean sweep. But not yet.”I’m not looking at it tonight, I can guarantee you that,” Clarke said. “I’m going to enjoy 3-0 for as long as I can tonight. I think it’s really important that we celebrate and enjoy this feeling. But we’ll worry about the clean sweep in Melbourne and Sydney. I can guarantee you there won’t be any complacency and we will turn up in Melbourne 100% ready to go and doing everything we’ve done in the first three Test matches.”Clarke’s goal remains to return Australia to the No. 1 ranking – they sat fifth before this series began – and there will be considerable challenges ahead to get the team back to the summit, such as winning in South Africa in the new year. But for now all he wants to do is celebrate a victory that was a long time coming, and seemed impossible to imagine when the side was crushed 4-0 in India earlier this year and the Ashes tour in England began with the turmoil of Darren Lehmann replacing Mickey Arthur as coach.”I don’t think we’ve worked as hard as how we’ve worked over the last 12 months, probably because we didn’t perform as well as we would have liked in India,” Clarke said. “I think that certainly changed a few attitudes and we had to work hard in preparation for the Ashes series in England. Boof’s been fantastic, there’s no doubt about it.Michael Clarke has secured his reputation as an Ashes-winning Australian captain•Getty Images”There’s been a lot of people behind the scenes that have played a big part in helping this team move forward, that never get any recognition, that never get any credit. And you know what? If anything they cop criticism.”We’ve spoken for a long time about this rotation or resting policy. We don’t seem to talk about Mitchell Johnson coming home from India anymore. We flew him home early to get him right for this Ashes series. The strength and conditioning coach, the doctors, the physios, those guys have done such an amazing job to get these three quicks on the field for these three Test matches. And they’ve done it for a long time.”Johnson, Harris and Peter Siddle have been critical to Australia’s success in Australia, for England have not scored more than 400 in an innings on this tour. But then, the same was true of the series in England this year, when the difference was the failure of Australia’s batsmen to post the kinds of scores they have at home.”It hasn’t been one player, it’s been the whole team,” Clarke said. “And the same in regards to coaches. Boof, who I love to bits, he’s a fantastic guy and a wonderful coach, it’s not just because of Darren Lehmann. It’s because of all the coaches, all the support staff, all the people behind-the-scenes that we sit here today.”