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Steven Smith’s hopes of participating in the third Ashes Test will rest in the hands of Australia’s medical team

Daniel Brettig at Lord's18-Aug-2019Steven Smith will need to bat against top pace within the next three days and show no further signs of discomfort in order to be passed fit for the third Test at Headingley on Thursday. He said that he did not want to return unless he was “100% fit” to play in the next chapter of this Ashes series.While expressing hope that he would be able to play in Leeds, Smith conceded that the “quick turnaround” between the second and third Tests was an obstacle for his return from what he described as a “mild concussion” resulting from a blow to the back of the neck from Jofra Archer on day four at Lord’s – a diagnosis that led to him becoming the first concussion substitution in international cricket.”It’s obviously a quick turnaround between Test matches,” Smith said. “I’m going to be assessed over the next five or six days, each day a couple times a day, to see how I’m feeling and progressing and I’m hopeful I will be available for that Test match, but it’s certainly up to the medical staff and we’ll have conversations. It’s certainly an area of concern concussion and I want to be 100% fit.”I’ve got to be able to train probably a couple of days out and face fast bowling to make sure my reaction time and all that kind of stuff is in place. There’s a few tests I’ll have to tick off and I guess time will tell.”I’d love to be out there trying to keep performing and try help Australia win another Test match but I think the right decision’s been made and I’ll obviously be monitored very closely over the next few days with a pretty quick turnaround in between Test matches and I’m hopeful I can make a recovery and be okay for that.”On Sunday evening, Cricket Australia said that Smith had been sent for a precautionary scan of his neck, which had cleared him of any structural damage. He returned to the team hotel afterwards to be monitored on an ongoing basis.Speaking about how he felt on the fifth morning, Smith said his condition had deteriorated relative to what it had been in the hour after he was hit by Archer, at the time passing the concussion tests he needed to in order to resume his innings.Steven Smith walks off after being hit by a bouncer•Getty Images

“I started to feel a little bit of a headache coming on last night, probably as the adrenaline got out of my system,” Smith said. “I was able to get a good sleep in, which is somewhat rare for me. But woke up feeling a little bit groggy and with a headache again, so had some tests done and upon some further assessments deemed to be a mild concussion unfortunately.”We did a test this morning here at the ground, did one last night and results changed slightly and unfortunately that and how I’m feeling have contributed to me being ruled out for the rest of the Test match. Yesterday when I came off the ground the results were normal. I passed all the tests and felt fine, felt normal. I was allowed to go back out and bat, upon discussions with the team doctor and the coach as well. They were both happy and I was comfortable as well, so we were all happy and I was able to go out and continue batting.”I didn’t have any real pain in my neck yesterday when I touched it or when anyone else touched it. Today I do have a bit of pain there, whether that’s some swelling or what I’m not sure. Perhaps that’s leading to me having a headache and feeling a bit groggy. In regards to the arm, the arm feels pretty good today. It’s quite a good bruise I have on it and it’s feeling a lot better. The movement I have in it is far greater than I had yesterday and that feels really good.”In explaining why he did not use a stem guard to protect the back of his neck, Smith said that he would now have to consider adopting the extra protection in the wake of his injury. “I along with a few other players in the team find it a little bit different, uncomfortable to what we’re used to,” he explained. “For me, I feel a little bit claustrophobic when it’s on, I feel like I’m enclosed and not overly comfortable. But it’s certainly something I need to probably have a look at and perhaps try in the nets and see if I can find a way to get comfortable with it.”Australia’s the leader in bringing the concussion subs and rules around concussion in the domestic competition back home. We’re very thorough in the way we deal with knocks to the head and neck to ensure that the safety and health of a player is of paramount importance. The doc’s had a pretty close eye on me since I came off the field yesterday and I’ve been assessed and asked a lot of questions over the last 20 hours or thereabouts, and unfortunately I’ve declined in the way I’ve felt over that time.”

South African all-rounder rescued the Rapids after they had slipped to 35 for 3

ECB Reporters Network31-Jul-2019Worcestershire 159 for 8 (Parnell 81*) beat Derbyshire 156 for 4 (du Plooy 52) by two wicketsWayne Parnell scored his maiden Vitality Blast half-century for Worcestershire Rapids as they overcame a wobbly start and finish to their innings to edge out Derbyshire Falcons by two wickets at New Road.The South African all-rounder, who celebrated his 30th birthday yesterday, rescued the Rapids after they had slipped to 35 for 3 in reply to Derbyshire’s 156 for 4. He reached his half century off 34 balls with the aid of four sixes and one four.Ben Cox and Ross Whiteley proved crucial support but then the Rapids lost four wickets for seven runs when the finishing line was in sight before victory was secured with one over to spare.Parnell finished unbeaten on 81 from 46 balls with seven sixes and two fours to move the Rapids within one point of leaders Lancashire Lightning.Derbyshire were put into bat on the same pitch used for the Rapids’ run blitz against Durham on Sunday.Dillon Pennington took the new ball and his third legitimate delivery accounted for captain Billy Godleman (0) who shaped to cut and was caught behind.Luis Reece found the England Under-19 paceman to his liking in his second over as he collected two fours and a huge six over mid-wicket.But he perished to the last ball of the power play on 29 when deceived by a slower ball from Pat Brown which he scooped straight to mid-off.Skipper Brett D’Oliveira came into the attack and Wayne Madsen (28) fell to a fine diving catch by Parnell at cover with the South African celebrating with a series of press-ups.The legspinner struck again when Matt Critchley (9) tried to repeat his straight six from earlier in the over and was pouched at long off.
The ball was sticking in the pitch and batsmen were struggling to time the ball.Veteran opening batsman Daryl Mitchell tied down the Derbyshire batsmen with a mid-innings spell of four overs for just 15 runs.But Leus du Plooy and on loan Kent all-rounder Darren Stevens gave the innings some late momentum with an unbroken stand of 70 in seven overs.Du Plooy brought up a 46-ball half-century with five fours and Stevens ended unbeaten on 26 from 18 deliveries.In reply, Fynn Hudson-Prentice claimed the scalps of Martin Guptill and Riki Wessels in the space of four balls in his first over, and that became 35 for 3 when Callum Ferguson (6) was caught off a leading edge at cover from the first delivery by Reece.Parnell added some impetus to the Rapids innings and a six over mid-wicket off Reece brought up the 50 in the eighth over.Cox gave him good support until he was caught around the corner off Mark Watt (20) but Whiteley proved to be a useful ally to Parnell in a stand of 49 in just four overs. He made 20 off 12 balls before he was bowled by Watt and then Ed Barnard (0) was run out from the following delivery.Mitchell (5) fell to Rampaul with 10 still needed and then D’Oliveira (1) was bowled by the West Indian paceman at 149 for 8.But Parnell drilled Alex Hughes for six over long off amidst great excitement and relief amongst the 3,000 crowd to settle the contest in the Rapids’ favour.

England are to swap the positions of Joe Denly and Jason Roy in the order for the fourth Test

George Dobell30-Aug-2019Joe Denly is set to open the batting for England in the fourth Test in Manchester. While Denly has opened in first-class cricket just three times in the last four years – two of those occasions coming when he made his Test debut in Antigua earlier this year – he is poised to swap places in England’s Test team with Jason Roy, who is expected to bat at No. 4.Roy has averaged just 8.85 in his four Tests as opener. His one substantial innings, 72 against Ireland, was made when he came in at No. 3.It is likely neither Denly nor Roy relishes the prospect of opening the batting at Test level. Neither fulfil the role at county level – though both have in the not-so-recent past – and stepping up against this Australia attack is fiendishly tough. Indeed, you could argue it’s unreasonable even to ask it of them. You wonder, for example, if Roy’s long-term viability as a Test player has been damaged by the recent experience. It can have done little for his confidence.ALSO READ: Anderson ruled out of Ashes, Craig Overton called upDenly, meanwhile, has made one century at the top of the order in first-class cricket – and that in a Division Two Championship match against Gloucestershire in 2015 – in the last eight years. He hasn’t reached 50 in any of his most recent 14 attempts.You can, to some extent, sympathise with the England selectors. They have tried more than a dozen options at the top of the order over the last few years and could almost be forgiven for reaching the conclusion that the county game simply hasn’t produced any suitable candidates.Almost. For it seems increasingly odd that Dom Sibley remains surplus to requirements by England. He has scored seven first-class centuries in the last 12 months, all of them as an opener, and has many of the old-fashioned skills required for the role. He is patient, he is disciplined and, most of all, he does the job on a regular basis. One hopes he has not missed out due to his aesthetics. He is not a batsman who is especially pleasing on the eye. But nor was Alastair Cook or Gary Kirsten or Graeme Smith. And how England would dearly love a player of such class right now.All of which leaves you wondering if the selectors are not being a little stubborn. Reluctant to admit they were wrong to ask Roy to open – and they were, very clearly, wrong – they are now shuffling their pack in the hope they may chance upon an ace. But there are legitimate concerns over Denly’s suitability to open and Roy’s suitability to bat even as high as No. 4.Perhaps they did not want to make too many changes ahead of such an important game. Such a move could have destabilised the dressing room, it is true – though little more than watching your side bowled out for 67 – and might have also produced a scent of panic for Australia to seize upon. Jos Buttler, now 34 Tests into a career that has produced one century, may count himself especially grateful for that continuity of selection policy. You wonder how many centuries Ollie Pope, for example, may have scored given the same opportunities.With Denly and Roy set the swap positions, it seems the only possible change in the England team might be to see Sam Curran or Craig Overton replace Chris Woakes. While Overton’s bowling average of 42.28 from three Tests is unexceptional, it does not quite reflect the positive impression he made.Not a bad first Test wicket: Craig Overton celebrates removing Steven Smith•Getty Images

In those games, two on the Ashes tour of 2017-18 and one in Auckland shortly afterwards, he proved himself a brave and committed all-round cricketer who would not be overawed by the opposition or the situation. He played on gamely in Australia despite a broken rib – well, until he worsened it with a typically whole-hearted dive on the boundary in Perth – and batted as well as anyone in top-scoring in England’s first innings in Adelaide. He is not swift – he has been timed at 85mph in recent days – but he is tall, he hits the seam and he has good control. He won’t let England down.Whether he plays ahead of Woakes – or any of the other seamers in the event of injury – remains to be seen. Woakes endured an off-colour game in Leeds. His worst, perhaps, since the tour to South Africa in 2015-16. He has not been especially sensitively handed by his captain, however – Joe Root has looked as if he’d rather bowl Ben Stokes or Jofra Archer into the ground than trust Woakes with another spell – and you wonder if that apparent lack of confidence has had a knock-on effect into his performance.Either way, James Anderson’s unavailability – though most unfortunate – does solve one problem for the team management. Had he played, England faced the prospect of a diplodocus length tail featuring Archer at No. 8, Stuart Broad at No. 9 and Jack Leach and Anderson at No. 10 and No. 11. The involvement of Woakes or Overton will stiffen that a little.And what of Anderson? Under normal circumstances, you would presume this is the end of the line for him. He is 37, after all, and has nothing more to prove. This winter’s Test tours are to New Zealand – where he might have been rested, anyway, as the series is not part of the World Test Championship – South Africa, where he had a tough time on England’s last tour four years ago, and Sri Lanka, where he claimed one wicket in England’s 2018-19 Test series victory. The following winter England travel to India. None of those tours offer the prospect of much joy for a seamer of reduced pace and with a lot of miles on the clock.But you don’t earn Anderson’s Test record without possessing remarkable levels of resilience and determination. He has come back from stress fractures, poor tours, being dropped and countless other setbacks. And, while the pace maybe reduced, the skills have continued to mitigate. He really has been bowling as well as ever in recent times. He deserves not to be ruled out of contention just yet.

Umesh Yadav will replace the fast bowler in India’s squad

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2019Jasprit Bumrah, India’s No. 1 fast bowler, has been ruled out of the Test series against South Africa, which begins in Visakhapatnam on October 2. Bumrah has suffered a “minor stress fracture in his lower back,” according to a BCCI press release. The injury came to light “during a routine radiological screening.”Umesh Yadav will replace Bumrah in India’s Test squad. The emergence of Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami as India’s first-choice fast-bowling combination has reduced Umesh’s opportunities of late, limiting him to only five Tests since the start of 2018. In his second-to-last Test, however, he picked up a career-best match haul of 10 for 133 against West Indies in Hyderabad.

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Bumrah’s injury is a significant blow to India. Since his Test debut in January 2018, he has quickly established himself as one of the world’s most dangerous fast bowlers, picking up 62 wickets in 12 Test matches at an average of 19.24. He already has five-wicket hauls in each of the four tours he has been on – South Africa, England, Australia and the West Indies – and the series against South Africa was to be his first at home.This is the second time Bumrah has had to miss Tests due to injury. A thumb injury, picked up during a T20I against Ireland in Malahide, forced him to miss the first half of India’s tour of England last year, including the first two Tests. The stress fracture, though, will worry India a little more since it was not sustained on the field of play.India have been mindful of Bumrah’s workload, resting him from the limited-overs legs of their tours of Australia, New Zealand and the West Indies earlier this year.Some, though, believe it will help Bumrah’s fitness to play as much cricket as possible.”Bumrah should play as many games as possible, I always endorse that,” the former India quick Zaheer Khan told when asked what the best way to preserve Bumrah would be. “More matches you play, more experience you get. That bowling rhythm and fitness is very important. You have to strike that right balance.”The way Bumrah has evolved in such a short span of time has been remarkable. He is a thinking bowler. You can achieve such success, when you keep improving, keep thinking, keep upgrading.”

The 16-team tournament will last 24 days, with the final scheduled for February 9

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-2019Hosts South Africa will kickstart the 2020 U-19 World Cup on January 17, when they take on Afghanistan in Kimberley. The schedule for the 16-team tournament, to be played over 24 days across eight venues, was announced by the ICC on Thursday. Apart from Kimberley, the games will be played in Benoni, Bloemfontein and Potchefstroom with the final scheduled for February 9. There is free entry to all matches.Along with Afghanistan, South Africa have UAE and Canada in Group D. Defending champions India are in Group A, slotted with New Zealand, Sri Lanka and first-time qualifiers Japan. Australia, the runners-up of the 2018 edition, are paired up with England, West Indies and another first-time team Nigeria in Group B while Group C sees Pakistan being joined by Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Scotland. From each group, the bottom two teams will fight in the Plate tournament while the top two teams will proceed for the Super League stage.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Potchefstroom’s JP Marks Oval will play host to both semi-finals and the final. There are also warm-up games scheduled between January 12-15 in Johannesburg and Pretoria.Japan and Nigeria qualified for the tournament after emerging as champions of the East Asia Pacific and Africa regions. The other three regional qualifiers are Canada (Americas), UAE (Asia) and Scotland (Europe). With four titles, India have won the most U-19 World Cups. Australia have won three times, Pakistan twice while England, West Indies and South Africa have won once each.

The series opener on December 6 will now be played in Hyderabad, while Mumbai will host the game on December 11

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Nov-2019The BCCI has swapped the venues for India’s first and third T20Is against West Indies. The series opener, on December 6, will now be played in Hyderabad, while the Wankhede will host the third and final game on December 11.It is understood that on Friday Mumbai Cricket Association secretary Sanjay Naik along with former MCA president Ashish Shelar updated the BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah about Mumbai police’s inability to provide adequate security on December 6, which is the anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition as well as Ambedkar Jayanti. Accordingly, the BCCI requested Mohammad Azharuddin, the president of Hyderabad Cricket Association, who readily agreed to the swap.”The BCCI has agreed to swap the dates of the Mumbai [December 6] and Hyderabad [December 11] games. We were able to carry out the swap after HCA president Mohammed Azharuddin agreed,” a senior MCA official was quoted as saying by PTI.Last year, the fourth India-West Indies ODI was also moved from the Wankhede to Cricket Club of India’s Brabourne Stadium due to administrative issues at MCA.

Most of the other major venues have been updated well enough to host international cricket again

Umar Farooq in Rawalpindi15-Dec-2019Day 1: 68 overs of play
Day 2: 17.5 overs
Day 3: 5.2 overs
Day 4: Called off without a ball (teams remained at hotel)
Day 5: Predictable draw
Nine sessions of the Rawalpindi Test were effectively washed out but a full house still turned up for the final day’s play and they were treated to a remarkable innings from Abid Ali. The 32-year old became the first male cricketer to score a century on both his Test and ODI debuts but even his performance couldn’t distract from the fact that the return of Test cricket to Pakistan – the end of 10 years of exile – literally turned into a washout.No ground outside of Rawalpindi and Karachi was considered to host the Sri Lanka Tests, although originally the series itself was expected to take place in October, the best time for cricket in Pakistan.So, over the last four days as rain doused the prospect of an outright result, the PCB has been under the spotlight for their choice of venue. The last 10 Test matches played in northern Punjab in the month of December have all failed to produce a result with an exception of one game against Zimbabwe in 1993. There was one Test in Faisalabad which was abandoned without a ball bowled. Another, in Gujranwala, had weather that was good enough for only 36 overs of cricket.Even so, Rawalpindi was the best option available to the PCB. Multan, Faisalabad and Peshawar have not been upgraded well enough to host international cricket again. Lahore and Karachi do but one city is experiencing heavy smog and the other will host the second Test on Thursday.In the aftermath of the 2009 attacks, logistics – direct flights in and out – and security clearances play a huge part in any match that is played in Pakistan. PCB had prioritised getting Lahore and Karachi ready first and had only recently invited ICC security consultant Reg Dickason to assess the state of affairs in Rawalpindi. Multan is next on the list; it is currently being considered to host four games in PSL 2020. Peshawar is already under renovation. Faisalabad, however, is yet to receive much attention.

Offspinner withdrawn from Thunder squad, is ineligible to bowl for at least 90 days in Cricket Australia-run competitions

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jan-2020Offspinner Chris Green has been suspended from bowling due to an illegal action, Cricket Australia announced on Wednesday.Green was withdrawn from the Sydney Thunder squad for their Big Bash League match against the Melbourne Stars, scheduled for later in the day. Thunder are fourth on the points table, while the Stars are at the top.He was reported by umpires Nathan Johnstone, Mike Graham-Smith and third umpire Paul Wilson, after the match between the Thunder and Stars at the Sydney Showground Stadium on January 2.Green will be unable to for a minimum of 90 days in CA-run competitions, effective immediately. After the 90-day suspension has elapsed, Green will be eligible to undergo testing once again with a view to returning to bowling. He will be permitted to play as a batsman should the Thunder or Cricket NSW desire and can also play premier cricket (including bowl) under the supervision and with the consent of Cricket NSW during his suspension.So far, Green had played in each of the Thunder’s seven matches in BBL 2019-20, and had the second best economy rate among Thunder’s bowlers, with 7.55. He picked up only three wickets, but his miserly economy rate has been among his chief strengths.In December, he had the best economy rate of any bowler in T20 cricket in the past year, giving up runs at just 6.57 per over.Green had been picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders at his base price of INR 20 lakh in the IPL auction on December 19, and in November last year, he had signed the longest deal in BBL history, with Thunder snapping him up for six seasons.Once he was reported, Green underwent testing at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane on January 5 under the guidance of Dr Luke Kelly. Results from the test were made available to Cricket Australia on Wednesday, which showed Green to have an illegal bowling action.Peter Roach, CA’s head of cricket operations, praised the bowler and the franchise for their cooperation in the matter, and how they had handled it.”We’d like to commend Chris and the Thunder for the way they have approached this process with complete cooperation and respect,” he said. “Chris undertook testing at the earliest possible time and satisfactorily replicated his bowling action in the controlled environment. We look forward to working with Chris in the coming months and conducting further testing once the suspension period has elapsed.””Gutted I couldn’t be out there with my Thunder team-mates tonight,” Green tweeted. “Whilst the news surrounding my action is disappointing, I respect the process and the results of the test. Perspective is a powerful thing with what is currently happening in our country.”Through the help of my coaches, I will be doing everything I can to get back to doing what I love with ball in hand. I would like to thank everyone for their messages, I am very fortunate to have the best people and fans around to support me. Work starts tomorrow.”

Quetta failed to make a formal complaint against Peshawar within the 48-hour window

Danyal Rasool24-Feb-2020Peshawar Zalmi will have no case to answer for alleged ball-tampering during their game against Quetta Gladiators, after the PCB confirmed that Quetta had failed to formally make a complaint. Quetta captain Sarfaraz Ahmed’s claim they had reported what they perceived as ball-tampering by Peshawar has been refuted by the PCB, who in a press release stated Quetta had not filed the complaint through the “correctly stated procedure”.Following the conclusion of the match between Quetta and Peshawar on Saturday, Sarfaraz said his side believed Peshawar had altered the condition of the ball, and they were taking the matter up with the match referee and the PCB. “As far as ball-tampering is concerned, we have followed the protocols of [the] PCB and submitted our report on the matter,” he said. Team manager Nabeel Hashmi, who was with Sarfaraz at the press conference, appeared to clarify the comment, suggesting a formal complaint had not been made.The procedure to file a formal complaint was never followed though. Quetta wrote their complaint on the match evaluation form, which is not the platform to lodge formal complaints. Instead, the PCB pointed out, “all Reports must be completed on Form “Rep 1″ (or such other form as may be made available for such purpose by the PSL from time to time). All Reports must be signed and dated by the person lodging the Report.”That needed to be done within 48 hours of the conclusion of the game, which Peshawar won by six wickets. With that time having now lapsed, the window of opportunity available to Quetta to make a complaint has closed.”The Pakistan Cricket Board today confirmed match referee Roshan Mahanama has not received an official complaint from Quetta Gladiators against Peshawar Zalmi for changing the condition of the ball…” the PCB media release said.The PCB made clear they will not recognise Sarfaraz’s public comments as an official complaint, and were not happy with the manner in which Quetta had handled the matter.”We are aware that a statement on changing the condition of the ball has been made without providing any concrete evidence or lodging a formal complaint through the correctly stated procedure,” Wasim Khan, the PCB CEO, said.”In this case, this should have been submitted to the match referee by 6pm on Monday, 24 February. Such irresponsible statements without formal follow-up will only effect the integrity of the event and cast doubts on international cricketers, and, as such, I request the players to use caution and show responsibility.”A source at Quetta Gladiators told ESPNcricinfo that they had no intention to formally complain, insisting Sarfaraz’s comments had been misinterpreted. Quetta merely wanted to raise awareness of the issue, and to ask umpires to pay more attention to the ball’s condition, which would explain why they included their remarks on the umpire evaluation form instead of lodging a complaint to the match referee.The PSL resumes in Multan on Wednesday, where Multan Sultans will take on Peshawar. Quetta next play in Rawalpindi against Islamabad United.

“I think we can (take confidence from recent form). India were the No.1 ranked team and we beat them two-nil,” he said

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Mar-2020New Zealand coach Gary Stead has called Australia a “benchmark” that they try and aspire to and has welcomed more white-ball fixtures against them in the coming years.”I look at what’s coming ahead in the next few years, and I do see that we are playing Australia in white ball cricket reasonably regularly.. They are a great team, we respect them a lot for the way they play their cricket. That’s ultimately, sometimes, they set a benchmark for us to aspire to,” he said.New Zealand were thrashed three-nil in the Tests in Australia in December, but subsequently whitewashed India in ODIs and Tests at home, although they themselves were on the wrong side of a T20I whitewash that preceded those. On the back of those results, Stead believes New Zealand come to Australia a confident side.”I think we can (take confidence from recent form). India were the No.1 ranked team and we beat them two-nil in our home conditions and played really well in the ODis series prior to that as well. I think we have played some really good ODI cricket in the last three or four years and hopefully we can continue that on”Australia, on the other hand, are coming off a three-nil hammering in the ODIs in South Africa, before which they were beaten two-one in India, despite having taken a lead in the series opener. But Stead expects Australia to be a different beast at home, and certainly “never vulnerable”.”I think Australia are never vulnerable at home,” he said. ” It’s one of the toughest places to come and play in world cricket I guess as well. Their reputation, and the record that they have I guess, you see the record and that’s why they do have that reputation. And so, I mean, they have come off being beaten in South Africa, but all a lot of teams struggle away from home, and I guess no different for us, that’s going to be our biggest challenge.”It is an unusual time for ODI cricket as it takes the backseat for most teams in terms of importance with the World Cup still more than three years away, and with the Test Championship and the T20Is – given the T20 World Cup later this year – taking priority. The timing of the Australia-New Zealand series was questioned by former Australia captain Michael Clarke who called it “token games of cricket”, and head coach Justin Langer admitted that Australia have some weary players, but Head was quick to dismiss the “some games are not important” argument.”I think every game you play for your country is an important game, so I don’t sort of buy into the it’s not important sort of series,” Stead said.
“You can make your importance out of these series and what you do, and how you play, and who you select, and what you are looking for as well. So for us, every opportunity we get to play for New Zealand, it is a proud moment and certainly go out there and try and win every game we play.”Stead also felt that though the formats are different and the conditions may not be the same as the current ODIs come the T20 World Cup, any information that they can gather playing on Australian grounds could be beneficial.”It is a different format, but I guess the more information you can get, and the more intel you can get on all the grounds, the good thing is. I’m not sure if the pitch conditions will look the same in the T20 time. So you take all those factors in. you can look at the Big Bash, and scores and things that go on there and who is successful at different grounds before you come to making your final decisions. But I guess ultimately we select the 15 that we think can do the job here, and we’ll do that for the World Cup as well.”