England set to make three changes

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

ENGLAND is poised to make up to three changes to the team that meekly surrendered the Ashes in Perth last week.

Left-arm tweaker Monty Panesar will be rushed from Sydney grade cricket back into the fray after Graeme Swann's shock retirement on Sunday.

But as the tourists went through a demanding first training session at the MCG on Sunday, two more switches became distinct possibilities.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Jonny Bairstow, who has batted well in limited opportunities on tour, was heavily involved with the gloves during fielding practice and took additional practice after the main session, appearing to try to familiarise himself with the backdrop of the giant stands.

With regular wicketkeeper Matt Prior going through the batting horrors and coming off a bad Test with the gloves in Perth, a change to bolster the feeble England middle-order seems likely.

And Stuart Broad was badly hampered by the foot injury he suffered when hit by a Mitch Johnson missile at the WACA Ground.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Broad clearly looked in pain and it would be a huge surprise to those who watched him hobbling if he could recover sufficiently before Thursday.

This leaves the path clear for another non-English player to pull on the navy blue cap for the first time with Northern Ireland-born Boyd Rankin the most likely replacement.

Rankin, who has played all bar five of his 42 one-day internationals for Ireland, has moved past the erratic Chris Tremlett and Steve Finn, who has struggled for even the most basic rhythm throughout the tour.

It's a remarkable rise for Rankin, 29, who for most observers would have been a distant last among the three beanpoles in consideration for a Test berth when the tour began.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Watson thrashing sent Swann off

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

AS it transpired, the final over Graeme Swann bowled in Test cricket simply underscored his inkling that his time had come.

With Shane Watson swinging for quick runs in Perth, the larrikin who had for years traded in flight and deception as much as his off-spin had no answer.

Four. Six. Dot. Six. Dot. Six. An inglorious 22-run salvo to effectively end the career of one of England's finest spinners.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

History will show that Swann's 255 Test wickets came at a more than commendable average of 29.96. He took five wickets in an innings an impressive 17 times and 10 in a match three times.

What doesn't jump off the page is that England won half the 60 Tests in which Swann played and, befitting his own self-perception, his record of 150 wickets at 22 in those 30 games regularly had him branded as a match-winner.

Yet as much as Swann was a constant topic and threat in his 18 Ashes appearances, Australia didn't see his best.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

His average was almost exactly 10 runs worse against the Aussies - despite their often lengthy list of left-handers - and his economy rate also by far his worst.

Worse, his average in Australia is 52.59, including just seven wickets at 80 in the current series.

Yet for all that, he deserves his spot in the pantheon of great English tweakers.

He's second only to left-armer Derek Underwood's 297 victims as England's most successful spinner. In fact, he's sixth among all bowlers to have worn the Lions.

And other than Shane Warne (708), Swann's haul leaves him seven clear of Australia's next most prolific spinner, Richie Benaud (248).

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Yet most veteran observers will say he wasn't in the same class as Jim Laker - he of the 19-wicket match haul against Australia in 1956 - whose 193 wickets came at an average of 21.2.

But he of the proud collar said when he slid into retirement that he rated winning far above the numbers that invariably define cricketers' careers.

And as his 34-year-old body - in particular the troublesome right elbow that kept him out of last summer's tour of New Zealand - betrayed him, his motivations were never clearer than yesterday when he made his exit midway through a losing Ashes cause.

"I wasn't willing to hang on and just get by being a bit-part player. I want to be a guy who wins matches for England and I don't feel I was doing that ... any more," he said.

"As a result, it's time to go."

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

New sail a 'big relief' for Loyal

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

SKIPPER Anthony Bell and his Perpetual Loyal team will get Christmas Day off to enjoy with their families after a crucial sail for their Sydney to Hobart campaign arrived early from the US.

The sail was flown in yesterday with the supermaxi sailing Monday or Tuesday for the final time before the Boxing Day start of the race.

The early arrival of the replacement sail for the one which exploded during a Sydney Harbour race almost a fortnight ago is a major relief for the Loyal crew, who also lost one of their prime helmsman, Michael Coxon, to illness in the lead-up to the race.

"It's a big relief,'' Bell said yesterday.

Bell is the man behind the transformation of one of the fastest yachts in the world - the supermaxi Spedboat/Rambler - from a trashed hull in a UK boatshed to being on the start line of the Sydney to Hobart as Perpetual Loyal.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Bell decided to forge ahead with plans to rebuild the yacht, which capsized during the 2011 Fastnet Race, after watching last year's race on television.

The yacht is significantly heavier than her 100-foot rivals and will need certain conditions to gain the edge on them.

But in Bell's corner is top numbers man Stan Honey who has flown from the US to do the race after navigating Bell's former yacht Investec Loyal to victory in the 2011 race.

The yachts will sail south with TV personalities Larry Emdur and Karl Stefanovic in its crew, along with round-the-world solo sailor Jessica Watson and former Swans captain Jude Bolton.

The celebrities are aboard to help raise money and awareness for the Loyal Foundation charity.

Yesterday, rival Wild Thing went for her final sail before the Sydney to Hobart with Wild Oats out on Saturday in a big southerly testing sails and her repaired mast ahead of the race.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Meyer hopes to take a bow

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

SHE'S a mother of two by day but Karen Meyer is hoping to become a sailing ground-breaker post Christmas as the first female bowman on a Sydney to Hobart line honours winner.

Incredibly, only four women have been part of line honours-winning crews since 1945 - American Dawn Riley in 1998 aboard Sayonara, navigator Adrienne Cahalan winning aboard both Nicorette and Wild Oats, Nicky Souter also aboard the record-breaker Wild Oats for her maiden win in 2005 and Layne Beachley on Investec Loyal two years ago.

But none of those women were ever on the bow.

This year, skipper Grant Wharington has hand selected three women in his crew, with Meyer and Sophie Ciszek, taking time out from the all-female crew preparing for the next round-the-world race, sharing the duties on the bow.

"It would be the coolest thing in the world if Wild Thing won this year,'' Meyer said.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

"Sophie is my mentor on the bow, so to be sailing with her is great and I have learned everything I know from Grant, so to know he has such faith in me is incredible.''

Last year Wharington had six women in his Hobart crew - a record number on a line honours contender - before an issue with paperwork left him shorebound while the fleet set sail.

"I was shattered, we all were,'' Meyer said. "It's probably why I am so excited about racing this year.''

Meyer and Ciszek will do opposite watches during the race but both will be on call for one of the most dangerous jobs on the boat if needed - being hauled up the 120-foot high mast on the supermaxi while at sea.

"If there is an issue with any equipment we are the ones who have to go up the mast,'' Meyer said.

"It can be pretty scary. You have to be very careful with safety. I do all my own connections and then get someone to check them.

Karen Meyer descends down the rigging on Wild Thing ahead of the Sydney to Hobart. Source: News Limited

"Once up there the movement is quite extreme. It's seven times what it is one deck so you get flung around a bit.''

Meyer is hoping her sailing record, which includes never being beaten in any race she has done on Wild Thing, will bring the 100-footer good luck this year.

"That would probably be too good to be true but you never know,'' she said.

A number of women will work as bowmen aboard yachts, including the 40-footers Aerial (Jenny Andrew) and Breakthrough (Katherine Halpin).

The fleet for the race still stands at 94 - one of the biggest in recent years.

It also boasts seven former overall winners and five 100-footers which will lead the fleet south when the canon fires at 1pm on Boxing Day.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Petkovic dancing to new tune

Andrea Petkovic is the first of the global stars due in town for The Brisbane International. Source: Peter Wallis / News Limited

INJURIES suffered in Australia mean effervescent Andrea Petkovic no longer feels like dancing on the tennis court.

Petkovic's lithe dance steps to celebrate a win became common sights on the WTA Tour in 2011 when she reached a career-high ranking of No.9, finishing runner-up at the Brisbane International and ambushing Maria Sharapova at the Australian Open.

When Australians ask Petkovic how she is, it is not small talk.

Petkovic left Australia last summer with a knee injury which saw her off the tour until April.

The extra baggage from her previous visit in 2012 was a back injury, ruling the German out of the Australian Open and requiring three months on the sidelines.

Petkovic is one of the first foreign players to arrive for the Brisbane International, hitting on Sunday at the Queensland Tennis Centre, where she was a runner-up in 2011 and a quarter-finalist in 2012.

"Australians ask me if I still like Australia now, but I still love Australia,'' she said.

"There are bad memories - I also injured my knee here in 2008 - but on the other hand I played in my first quarters at a Grand Slam at the Australian Open (in 2011).

Andrea Petkovic celebrates a win by making a gun shape with her hand .... Source: News Limited

"I like to come to Brisbane early because I have family and friends here, so I enjoy this more than going somewhere to practice.''

The 26-year-old's ranking improved from No.177 to No.43 during 2013 and while a $100,000 ITF tournament in France was her only title, she did lower the colours of two experienced Brisbane International entrants, world No.8 Jelena Jankovic and 33rd ranked Daniela Hantuchova, in matches.

"I retired my dance last year after all my injuries. I didn't feel like dancing,'' she said.

"Who knows? It might come back in happy Australia, I don't know.

"A lot of people thought I would quit after the third injury or maybe the fourth. I hear a lot of people saying when they get injured 'I never stopped believing in myself'. That wasn't true for me at all. I doubt myself every day and I still do.

"But I never stop wanting it - I still had the guts to practice and do rehab because I love competing. I thought being injured was not the way to end it. I have to end it on a bigger note.

"Hopefully I will get back to Germany back in one piece after the last three years.''

... and finishes it off by pretending to blow smoke away from her 'pistol'. Source: News Limited

Petkovic said as an unseeded player at Tennyson, she had to become attuned again to the possibility of being drawn against one of the six top-10 entrants.

"But that's OK for me. I am here to have really good matches and prepared for the Aussie Open,'' she said.

* Sharapova will bring the on-court practice of only one exhibition match when she plays her first tournament since August at the QTC.

It had been reported that Sharapova, who was hampered by shoulder and hip ailments, would play exhibitions in Mexico and Thailand on top of her one match, in early December against Ana Ivanovic in Colombia.

But these appearances seem to have been deleted from her schedule and she will now fly from the United States to Brisbane without playing in Thailand.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

A joyful player's joyless end

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

GRAEME Swann had always posed a threat. The problem on this tour was that Jonathan Ross was in more danger than Michael Clarke.

Ross is England's talk-show king. Think Rove McManus with a lisp and some actual jokes.

Swann, a sportsman with rare wit and charisma, could easily fill his shoes. The highlight of the off-spinner's interviews was more often improvisational comedy than his observations on the game.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

After a spectacular take in Adelaide, Swann insisted: "I'll take no less than 10 questions about the catch."

That provided a rare laugh on a tour that has been as much fun as a vasectomy with a pair of hedge clippers.

A tour that will be remembered for the sensational implosion of a team that had, just five months ago, posed and selfied on the dais at The Oval after winning a third consecutive Ashes series.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Swann was rightly castigated for telling his brother via Facebook that he would have preferred to be at a concert at home than "being arse-raped in Perth''. But if the choice of words was regrettable, the sentiment was unmistakable.

For England, cricket had suddenly been reduced from the source of huge enjoyment, incredible self-worth and rich rewards to joyless drudgery. All in the time it takes to narrowly avoid decapitation by a Mitchell Johnson bouncer.

We have spelt out the reasons for this mind-boggling transformation before. The hubris of a team that had, until now, planned its cricket as meticulously as it planned its gourmet meals. The failure to acknowledge, and adequately prepare for the hostile conditions and - particularly in Johnson's case - the improved team they would face.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Swann's retirement will be mistakenly bracketed by some with Jonathan Trott's early departure. But Trott falls into a different category because he succumbed to a pre-existing illness. Even if the symptoms were triggered by some harrowing experiences on the field.

On the other hand, Swann's mid-series retreat quite reasonably poses a tough question of a once fiercely focused and grimly determined England outfit. Is the team that dominated Australia and, for a time, was near the summit of the game a bunch of shameless front-runners?

This is not to belittle the talent or the achievements of the best England team in decades. Certainly not those of Swann, whose 255 Test wickets at 29.96 made him, in some expert minds, the best English spinner since 'Deadly' Derek Underwood.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

But if you believe adversity most often provides a true test of character, on this tour England has been more Mr Bean than Atticus Finch. With a few honourable exceptions such as Joe Root in Adelaide and Ben Stokes in Perth, they have been meek, fragile and, all too ready to wave the white flag.

Swann cited the injuries he felt no longer allowed him to perform over five days as the reason for his retirement.

But the initial suspicion was that he had promptly called it quits after being told he would be left out of the Boxing Day Test.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Which, given he had taken just seven wickets at 80 in the first three Tests, would not be the most shocking English selection decision since the Conservative Party dumped Margaret Thatcher.

Whatever the reason, Swann's timing seems uncharacteristically selfish. He will have Christmas with his family here while his former teammates wander out onto the MCG hoping not to be force-fed more humble pie.

It is one thing to know when your time is up and make a dignified exit. It is quite another to leave a bunch of embattled teammates in the lurch because pride will not allow you to run drinks or bring out the new gloves.

The current team - or what's left of it - put English cricket back on its feet. Now it is dying on its knees.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Swann: I couldn't be more satisfied

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

WHEN I look back on my England career, I can't help breaking out into a huge smile.

It's been brilliant fun. I've played against some of the world's greatest cricketers and had a fair bit of success along the way.

I've taken part in three successive Ashes series wins and helped England lift the World Twenty20 in 2010.

It couldn't have been much better and I couldn't be any more proud.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

So why retire? I know some people will be surprised by the suddenness of my decision and the fact that I'm making myself unavailable for the final two Tests of the Ashes series.

Well, it's quite simple really. I'd hoped that, when we walked out for the fifth Test in Sydney on January 3, it would have been with a chance of winning or retaining The Ashes.

But that has gone now. Our heavy defeats in the first three Tests in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth mean we have already lost this series.

It would be wrong for me to stay on for two more games just in the hope of picking up a few more wickets and adding to my personal tally.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

When I left home back in October, I thought this might be my last tour for England. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I looked in the mirror and knew it would be.

People always say that sportsmen instinctively know when the time is right to retire and I had that exact feeling during the Adelaide Test.

So now, with the series beyond our reach, I have just brought forward the decision by a couple of matches.

When I look back, I can't quite believe what I've achieved.

I was picked for England's tour of South Africa in 1999-2000 as a 20-year-old but didn't exactly create the greatest impression.

Missing the team bus a couple of times didn't help!

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

It was almost eight years before I got another chance with England. When I told Andy Flower of my decision to retire here on Sunday, I said to him that I thought my career might have amounted to three or four Tests and maybe 20 one-dayers.

So I'm incredibly proud that I've helped England win three Ashes and that World Twenty20 - which is often overlooked but remains one of my career highlights. We've also topped the world rankings in all three formats at various times.

Eight years ago, nobody would have put a fiver on my achieving a quarter of what I have managed.

If they did, perhaps they can send me a bit of a dividend please! Having to wait so long for my big chance with England has always made me appreciate playing for my country that little bit more.

I look back with great fondness and a huge smile on my face.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

I've made some friends for life and been to some of the greatest places in the world. I consider myself one of the privileged few.

Maybe, with hindsight, it might have been a good thing to have swung my boots over my shoulder after the Oval Test last summer, waved to the crowd and retired there and then.

But I'd never have forgiven myself for not having had one final dart at the Aussies. I always remember the send-off Paul Collingwood received from the Barmy Army in Sydney three years ago. What a fantastic way to go - winning The Ashes and having 30,000 fans singing your name.

Sadly, that won't happen to me now. I guess I could have played in the final two Tests and had a bit of a farewell from the Barmies.

But it would have been hanging on for the wrong reasons. I've always wanted to be the centre of attention - but for taking wickets and winning matches. It's time for England to look to the future and that future won't have me in it.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

My right elbow hasn't felt quite the same since I had a second operation earlier this year. The surgeon did an unbelievable job to get me back on the field but the joint struggles to cope when I bowl a lot.

From day to day it feels great but, when I'm into my 35th or 40th over, it's not ideal.

I've been bowling off-spin for nearly 20 years now and I suppose it's no surprise there's some wear and tear in certain areas.

This tour has been a big downer for us and Australia have played some unbelievable cricket.

But the cricket wheel turns very quickly and I'm convinced that, come the home Ashes series in 2015, England will be on top again.

I don't have a clear plan at the moment, either for the next few days or my future beyond that.

My wife Sarah and our two children are here in Melbourne, so we'll have Christmas with the team - if they'll have me - and then maybe we'll explore Australia a little.

It's a chance to do some of the things that you're unable to do as a player.

I've had one or two offers for TV work, but I've not said yes or no to anyone yet. It's important to get this decision out in the open first.

Whether I play any more cricket, I don't know. There are one or two possibilities with the IPL.

But I've not been home much during the past seven years so it will be great to spend some time with my family. Mind you, Sarah might soon be marching me out the door to find some work!

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

We'll show England no mercy: Boof

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

DARREN Lehmann maintained the party line on Sunday when asked his thoughts on England's horrendous Ashes tour.

The Australian coach insisted his focus was solely on his own squad and wouldn't be drawn on the myriad problems engulfing the tourists before the Boxing Day Test.

But in the next breath he was keen to discuss the success of his team's plan to tire the England pacemen by getting after retiring spinner Graeme Swann.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Lehmann lauded Swann's 255-wicket Test career, but said the batsmen's instructions to launch after his bowling had been important to his team's 3-0 series lead.

"We had a plan for him in England and we didn't execute it as well (in the winter series). We obviously changed things around a little bit, but he's a big player when they only had four bowlers (before Ben Stokes' inclusion)," Lehmann said.

"You have to try to take one or two of them out of the equation and make their quicks bowl more. That was certainly the plan for us.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

"If we make them bowl as much as we can, it means we're batting well and that's the key. We didn't have the opportunity to do that in England and in a long series you have to do that."

Lehmann said the exclusion of several veteran English players could provide an important edge in what has been a hard-fought series full of niggle.

"We just want to play the brand of cricket that wins us cricket games. Obviously it's been quite aggressive from both sides and it's good, hard Ashes cricket.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

"To have two senior guys not play, that may be an advantage, but also (their) younger guys get a chance.

"But I only worry about us. That's all we can do. We can't worry about England and I'm sure they weren't worried about us (earlier in the year)."

Lehmann said there would be no lack of motivation for the Aussies, despite having secured the Ashes.

And he said the improvement he demanded needed to come from the top-order batsmen in the first innings.

But he was quick to hose down any talk of pressure on Victorian opener Chris Rogers, who made the candid confession on Saturday that he thought his place was the most in jeopardy among a team that will start with the same XI that has played all series.

"There's no dramas at all," Lehmann said of Rogers.

23.01 | 0 komentar | Read More