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The New South Wales allrounder has been a regular reserve for Australia but it’s been nearly a year since a red-ball game

AAP17-Oct-2022Sean Abbott is eyeing the chance to prove his red-ball game is up to Test standard in a long-awaited stretch of Sheffield Shield as the silver lining to missing Australia’s T20 World Cup squad.Abbott will play his first red-ball game in close to a year on Tuesday, when NSW take on Queensland at Drummoyne.In many ways, Abbott has become the forgotten man of Australian red-ball cricket. A year ago he was being talked about as an option for an Ashes debut if one of Australia’s quicks went down or was rested. Then life, Covid bubbles and injuries got in the way.He pulled out of the Australia A squad early last summer ahead of the birth of daughter Ella. And when Pat Cummins became a Covid-19 close contact and Josh Hazlewood was injured at the Gabba, Michael Neser and Jhye Richardson got the chance.Related

• Peirson lauds impact of Labuschagne and Khawaja for Queensland

• Bird and Siddle cut through South Australia, but Manenti provides boost

A week later, on Boxing Day, Scott Boland was handed his debut and starred, earning selection for the ensuing Test tour of Pakistan. Meanwhile, Abbott has not played a red-ball game since.He was injured after last summer’s Big Bash, then missed the end of the Shield season while with the white-ball squad in Pakistan. He broke his finger before the first T20 in Sri Lanka, played two top-end ODIs against New Zealand and a T20 in India before sitting on the sideline against England.”I definitely wouldn’t say I am frustrated. I’m right where I want to be,” Abbott told AAP.  “Although you are running drinks, it’s only because our Aussie side is so strong and the bowlers do well to play all three formats.”But this year I have got my cricket all going in the right direction and the players I am with are almost the best coaches.  My white-ball has always been there, but I have got my red-ball going right. So all of a sudden I am either on stand-by or getting called up.”This week should mark the first of five straight games for Abbott before the BBL, with the only possible interruption a call-up to Australia’s Test squad. In his two Shield games last summer, Abbott took 11 wickets at 20.72.  In the season before it was 21 at 29.14, while also scoring a maiden century and averaging 63.33 with the bat.”I’ve made no secret that playing Test cricket is the dream, and I have to play Shield to do that,” Abbott said. “If the opportunity comes up, I know 100 percent I am ready to go.”Even though I have only been in white-ball squads for the past two years, you are still working on things. Unless you’re doing structured bowling, your line-and-lengths and the way you feel at the crease is still the same as you would be aiming for in a four-day game.”

She bettered Charlotte Edwards’ tally of 10273 during the third ODI against England in Worcester

Annesha Ghosh03-Jul-2021Mithali Raj, the India Test and ODI captain, has surpassed former England captain Charlotte Edwards as the leading run-scorer in women’s international cricket on Saturday. Raj, 38, bettered Edwards’ tally of 10,273 in the 24th over of the Indian innings in the third ODI in Worcester. She reached the milestone with a four down the ground off quick bowler Nat Sciver. New Zealand’s Suzie Bates is third on the list with 7849 runs.Raj finished on an unbeaten 75, steering India to a four-wicket win on Saturday. After being named the Player of the Match, she told Sky Sports: “I never gave up in the middle. It’s being in the middle because you can’t win the match sitting out in the dugout. I wanted to win the game for the team.”I just needed to get the partnership to take it to the last. That’s something that kept me going through the innings. I knew in the middle overs I could manage the game. When you have young players in the side, you need to guide them along, that’s a responsibility.”When asked about becoming the highest run-scorer in women’s internationals, Raj said, “I’m just happy, thank you.”Mithali Raj had gone past Charlotte Edwards as the highest run-scorer in ODIs in July 2017•PA Photos/Getty Images

On July 12, 2017, during the league stage of the 11th edition of the ODI World Cup, Raj went past Edwards to become the highest run-getter in women’s ODIs. In the same match, against Australia, she became the first batter to cross 6000 runs in the format. Her 58 fifties, three of which came in the ODI leg of the ongoing multi-format series against England, are the most by a woman in ODIs.Raj quit T20I cricket in September 2019, and is placed at No. 7 on the list of the leading run-scorers in the format, with 2364 runs at an average of 37.52 and strike rate of of 96.33. Harmanpreet Kaur, who succeeded Raj to T20I captaincy, is the only other Indian in the top ten of that chart.In Tests, her 669 runs from 11 matches at an average of 44.60 are the fourth-most among India Women players and highest among Indians still active in the women’s international cricket.Raj, who completed 22 years as an India cricketer last month, is one win away from becoming the most successful captain in women’s ODIs.

Warwickshire chief executive appointed ECB Managing Director of County Cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jan-2020Neil Snowball, the Warwickshire chief executive, will become the ECB’s new Managing Director of County Cricket.The 53-year-old Snowball, who joined Warwickshire at the beginning of 2016, is expected to remain at the club during their search for his successor and take up his new role later in the year, with former MCC chief executive Derek Brewer standing in at the ECB in the interim. Snowball replaces Gordon Hollins, who announced in October that he would be leaving the job this month.”It is a huge honour to be entrusted with such an important role within the game and I look forward to continuing to work closely with the many talented and dedicated people across the cricket network,” Snowball said. “I’ve been fortunate to have worked with so many incredible people at Warwickshire and will always look forward to returning to Edgbaston in my new role.”Before joining Warwickshire, Snowball held positions with England Rugby for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and investment bank Goldman Sachs.ECB chief executive officer Tom Harrison described Snowball as “the outstanding choice” for the role, which will involve growing and developing domestic cricket in England and Wales and managing relationships between the ECB and the domestic and recreational game.”This is an exciting time for cricket with £500 million set to be invested into the network over the next five years as we look to support and nurture the core, grow the game and make sure that cricket remains relevant for generations to come,” Harrison said.Warwickshire chairman Mark McCafferty said: “We were very disappointed to receive Neil’s resignation. However, we appreciate that it’s an excellent opportunity for him as he pursues the next phase of his career.”

Australia have dramatically reshaped their one-day squad for the three-match series against India with just six players retained from those that faced South Africa earlier in the season

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-20195:53

Martyn: Like Lyon’s selection in ODI squad, not Siddle’s

Australia have dramatically reshaped their one-day squad for the three-match series against India with just six players retained from those that faced South Africa earlier in the season.This is partly due to the three main quicks – Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins – being rested with an eye on their workload, but there have also been significant changes to the batting line-up with Travis Head, Chris Lynn, D’Arcy Short and Ben McDermott all omitted.Ashton Agar has also been dropped with Nathan Lyon given a chance to compete for the spin-bowling role alongside Adam Zampa at the start of the World Cup year, while Nathan Coulter-Nile has been left out after experiencing some lower back pain.There were one-day recalls for Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Mitchell Marsh, who was dropped for the final Test against India, Peter Siddle, who played the last of his 17 ODIs in 2010 having impressed in the BBL over the last couple of seasons, alongside Western Australia pair Jason Behrendorff and Jhye Richardson.”After a disappointing period in ODI cricket, the National Selection Panel along with team coaches have reviewed our performances across this format and we’ve identified a number of key areas that we feel we need to improve in order to help put this team in the best possible position to turn this period around,” national selector Trevor Hohns said.”With this in mind and the World Cup looming, we’ve selected players we feel provide us with the flexibility to play a variety of roles at different stages of a match.”With a focus on improving our ability to post competitive totals we’ve recalled Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb and Mitch Marsh to the squad.”Usman is a batsman we know can put vital runs on the board at the top of the order, and Peter is not only a fine player of spin bowling, he’s also a batsman we know can hold an innings together while keeping the scoreboard ticking over. Mitch gives us another all-round option with his ability with both bat and ball.””Travis Head, D’Arcy Short and Chris Lynn have been unlucky to miss out. All three have had opportunities to cement their spots, but unfortunately, they have not been as productive as we would have liked in recent times when playing ODI cricket for Australia.”Hohns confirmed the decision to rest Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins was with a view to the two Sri Lanka Tests which follow the India ODIs. He also singled out Siddle’s “leadership qualities” and picked out Behrendorff as a like-for-like swap with Starc.”It’s wonderful to have Peter [Siddle] back in the squad for the first time since 2010. His white ball cricket has improved considerably the older he has got, and his selection is great reward for his professionalism and strong leadership qualities.”We have rewarded both Jhye and Jason as they continue to put up strong performances with the white ball. Jason provides us with a left arm option in the absence of Mitchell Starc and is very capable of taking wickets early in the innings.”Nathan [Lyon] is the best offspin bowler in the world and we’ve noted how successful teams around the world have been using a two pronged spin attack in the right conditions in white ball cricket, something we are very mindful of heading to the World Cup.”Squad Aaron Finch (capt), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Peter Handscomb, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Peter Siddle, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Pakistan have left out former ODI captain Azhar Ali from their squad for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka in the UAE

Umar Farooq06-Oct-20170:51

Who is Imam-ul-Haq?

Pakistan have, unsurprisingly, kept faith with much of the squad that won them the Champions Trophy but with a couple of notable changes. They have left out former ODI captain Azhar Ali for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka in the UAE and included the uncapped batsman Imam-ul-Haq. Imam is the nephew of former captain and current chairman of selectors Inzamam-ul-Haq.

Pakistan squad

Ahmed Shehzad, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (capt), Imad Wasim, Shahdab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Mohammed Amir, Ruman Raees, Junaid Khan, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq

Relieved of the captaincy, Azhar played some of his most assured ODI innings in the tournament, including fifties in the semi-final and final. But the knee problem that almost ruled him out of the Test series is one selectors want to rest. That is one of the reasons Imam, an opener, has been brought into the squad.Imam, 21, has been on the selectors’ radar for a few seasons now, especially when he was selected in the Islamabad side for the 50-over Pakistan Cup in 2016 – filling in for Misbah-ul-Haq. He scored a century in his first game. But questions will be asked about his inclusion on the back of what has been, at best, lukewarm form in the 50-over format. He played four games in the National One-Day Cup in January this year for Lahore Whites and scored only 96 runs (including an innings of 49). A month earlier in a National One-Day Cup for department sides, he scored 318 runs at 35.33 for Habib Bank. Over the last three years, Imam has played 24 List A games; in the last 10 months, he has played 13 matches, scoring 414 at 31.84.According to some board officials, in the past Inzamam had expressed reluctance in pushing Imam into the national fold – in one of his first selections ahead of the England tour last year, he said: “I’ve seen his [Imam’s] first-class record, he hasn’t scored many runs in this season and I have not selected him. That should be the way.”It would seem that has changed over the last year. “If you say he is my nephew then it was difficult,” Inzamam said of the selection in Dubai on the first day of the second Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. “But if you look at his performances then I thought it’s ok. We wanted to keep the Champions Trophy team, to continue that, but unfortunately Azhar has a knee injury through which we had to bring an opener up. In my view, of all the openers who have performed recently, he was pretty good in that and deserves the pick.”The performances Inzamam spoke of have mostly been in the four-day game. Imam scored 848 runs at 49.88 in the last Quaid-e-Azam trophy, with three hundreds, including a double-century, for Habib Bank Limited. He has opened this season with a hundred for Habib Bank as well, against FATA at the end of last month.”We have to see what the talent is, what he can do,” Inzamam said. “His performances in the QeA everyone can see. He scored two hundreds in an U-23 tournament. Then recently in Sialkot he scored a hundred, so we look at performances but also how much talent a player has. Mickey [Arthur] and Sarfraz [Ahmed] and others were also involved in this decision. We give all the names but there is a discussion. So it would be better to not look at this selection in that way.”

India A surged to the top of the points table in the Quadrangular A team one day series with a bonus-point, 86-run win over the National Performance Squad in Townsville on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Aug-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Karun Nair stitched together important partnerships with the rest of India A’s middle order•AFP

India A surged to the top of the points table in the Quadrangular A team one day series with a bonus-point, 86-run win over the National Performance Squad (NPS) in Townsville on Sunday. Karun Nair and Sanju Samson scored 72 and 54 respectively to help India A post a formidable 7 for 304, the highest team total of the tournament so far, after which India A’s bowlers bundled NPS out for 218 in 46 overs. The pace pair of Jaydev Unadkat and Dhawal Kulkarni took three wickets each.India A had raced off to 27 in the first three overs, after being put in to bat by NPS. They lost opener Faiz Fazal to left-arm seamer Tom O’Donnell in the fourth over. Nair, who opened the innings, anchored India with an 85-ball 72, which included seven fours, while at No. 6, Samson took charge towards the slog overs, striking 54 off 42 balls with three fours and as many sixes. Bookended between the two fifties, were contributions from Shreyas Iyer (45), Manish Pandey (31) and Kedar Jadhav (45) that ensured India kept up a healthy scoring rate in the middle overs.After the early loss of Caleb Jewell, the NPS chase stabilised through a 108-run partnership for the second wicket between the in-form Hilton Cartwright and Sam Heazlett. Cartwright’s 65 was his second successive fifty, while Heazlett maintained his place at the top of the tournament’s run charts with 60. Both batsmen were dismissed in the space of four overs and the NPS chase fell apart after that, as the team lost their last seven wickets for 62 runs.This was the first defeat of the series for NPS, and the action now moves from Townsville to Mackay.

Hampshire kept their NatWest T20 Blast hopes alive following a thrilling four-run victory over Sussex at Hove

ECB/PA17-Jul-2015
ScorecardJames Vince led the way as Hampshire kept hopes of qualification alive•PA Photos

Hampshire kept their NatWest T20 Blast hopes alive following a thrilling four-run victory over Sussex at Hove.James Vince made an unbeaten 90 and Adam Wheater a quickfire 51 as Hampshire amassed 204-3 after being put in to bat but Sussex looked on course to pull off an unlikely win when Chris Nash and Luke Wright put on 98 for the opening wicket inside ten overs.Nash fell for a career-best 88 in the 17th over but successive sixes from Craig Cachopa in the penultimate over got the equation down to ten from the last six balls. But former Sussex bowler Yasir Arafat came back to haunt his old club with a brilliant final over to restrict Sussex.It means Hampshire can still secure a quarter-final spot if they win their final game against Somerset on Thursday while Sussex missed out on the chance of guaranteeing their progress.Vince and Wheater laid the platform for Hampshire’s biggest total for five years after Michael Carberry was well caught by Ollie Robinson off the bowling of Chris Liddle for 14. Wheater dominated a stand of 93 from 53 balls but could have been out without scoring as he survived a close run-out appeal.

Insights

For much of this season Hampshire’s progress towards qualification was serene. More recently they have struggled and have not strung consecutive wins together since early June, but this win keeps them in contention for the quarter-finals heading into the final week. Wickets win matches. At least that’s what Sussex’s run-chase suggested. For the first 15 overs of the chase, the run rate remained steady at 10 – and then wickets started to fall. Sussex lost four wickets in their final four overs as they cracked under pressure. Hampshire live to fight another day.

The wicketkeeper pulled his fourth ball for six off Robinson and also cleared the ropes off the bowling of Will Beer and Liddle. He brought up his 50 with his fourth four off Chris Nash but was out the very next ball when he mistimed a pull and was caught at midwicket by Liddle.Wheater’s departure did not slow Hampshire’s momentum, however, as Owais Shah blasted a quickfire 40 in a stand of 72 from 36 balls.Vince also survived a scare when Robinson put a tough chance down on 41 and made the most of the reprieve. He brought up his 50 from 38 balls but was left short of a first Twenty20 century.Sussex needed to make a quick start and in-form opening duo Nash and Wright provided it. Nash smashed Will Smith for two sixes in the opening over as the Sharks raced to 66-0 at the end of the Powerplay.Nash brought up his 50 – from 28 balls – with a delightful inside out cover drive but was denied a third century partnership of the season with Wright when the Sussex skipper was bowled for 42 by Yasir Arafat. Legspinner Mason Crane picked up the wicket of Matt Machan in the next over to swing the momentum back in Hampshire’s favour.A partnership of 65 from 39 balls between George Bailey and Nash kept Sussex very much in contention until both fell in the space of three balls. Nash holed out to former Sussex player Joe Gatting at long-on off Chris Wood for 88 and then Bailey was well caught right on the rope by Gatting for a 21-ball 33.Sussex needed 35 runs from 19 balls at that point but there hopes seemed to have disappeared when the equation became 22 from eight balls. Successive sixes from Cachopa off Wood got it down to ten from the final over but Arafat produced a brilliant final over to deny his old club.

Shane Watson will not play a match in his redefined role as a non-bowling batsman before the India Test touring squad is chosen

Daniel Brettig21-Jan-2013Australia’s selectors will have their trust in Shane Watson tested by the revelation he will not play a match in his redefined role as a non-bowling batsman before the India Test touring squad is chosen.Watson is in the latter stages of recovering from a calf strain that was aggravated during the Melbourne Test against Sri Lanka, and ESPNcricinfo understands that he is expected make his return to the game in a domestic limited-overs fixture for New South Wales on January 30.The national selector John Inverarity has said that the squad for India is due to be announced before the end of this month, meaning Watson’s inclusion in the touring party would have to be made on faith rather than form and fitness.Watson trained in front of Inverarity and Andy Bichel in Sydney on Sunday and batted in the nets on Monday, but he was ruled out of Australia’s Twenty20 matches against Sri Lanka and a Sheffield Shield match for the Blues against Western Australia, due to begin on Thursday.”He had a good running work-out. Andy Bichel and I were there when he did his running drills . . . but he didn’t bat,” Inverarity said. “When we left it yesterday it was uncertain, but he’ll certainly play before the end of this month.”This means that neither Watson nor the man he has effectively nominated to displace in the Test side, Ed Cowan, will play a first-class match before the announcement.NSW’s next Shield fixture is due to take place against Tasmania in Hobart from February 6-9.Inverarity said that his panel would not be swayed by Watson’s public airing of his preference to open the batting. “Not really, no. We’ll consider all players on their merits, in a dispassionate way,” Inverarity said.”The captain always determines the batting order. We’ve had many discussions with Shane. One of the basic points is he’s always willing to play and bat where he’s asked to bat.”Another player of interest to the selectors is Moises Henriques, who is likely to be slotted into the NSW Shield team to play against WA even if his Australian duties with the ODI team in Hobart on Wednesday means he makes a delayed entry to the match.

Rahul Dravid has called for cricket’s players and administrators to tackle the game’s challenges by taking decisions that would always “respect the fan”

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2011Rahul Dravid has called for cricket’s players and administrators to tackle the game’s challenges by taking decisions that would always “respect the fan.” He was delivering the annual Bradman Oration on Wednesday, the first cricketer from outside Australia invited to do so in the ten-year history of the event.The 40-minute speech, delivered at the Anzac Hall at the National War Memorial, Canberra, urged the game’s stakeholders to remember that “everything that has given cricket its power and influence in the world of sports has started from that fan in the stadium.”
Dravid said players needed to think of the fans when they played the game, in terms of conduct, intensity and integrity. Administrators, he believed, needed to keep the viewing public in mind when they tried to handle the trickiest of the challenges, balancing the three formats in cricket.”They [the fans] deserve our respect and let us not take them for granted. Disrespecting fans is disrespecting the game. The fans have stood by our game through everything. When we play, we need to think of them. As players, the balance between competitiveness and fairness can be tough but it must be found.”Dravid said he had been surprised to see grounds half-full during the India v England ODI series in October which to him was an indicator that there had been a “change in temperature” in Indian cricket over the last two years. “Whatever the reasons are – maybe it is too much cricket or too little by way of comfort for spectators – the fan has sent us a message and we must listen…Let us not be so satisfied with the present, with deals and finances in hand that we get blindsided.”

The administrators’ biggest challenge in terms of retaining public interest and support of the game all over the world was, he said, to work out a sensible road-map for the game’s three formats. An alternate plan giving every game context and relevance would have to be worked out because, “the three formats cannot be played in equal numbers – that will only throw scheduling and the true development of players completely off gear. Cricket must find a middle path,” he said.”It must scale down this mad merry-go-round that teams and players find themselves in: heading off for two-Test tours and seven-match ODI series with a few Twenty20s thrown in.”
Dravid described Test cricket as “the gold standard” and the form that the players most wanted to play, ODI cricket had kept the game’s revenues going for three decades while T20 was the format the fans wanted to see. Despite the popularity of T20, Dravid said, “Test cricket deserves to be protected, it is what the world’s best know they will be judged by”.”Where I come from, nation versus nation is what got people interested in cricket in the first place. When I hear the news that a country is playing without some of its best players, I always wonder, what do their fans think?”He said the popularity of Test cricket could be reflected not so much in packed grounds but how its most loyal fans followed the scores. “We may not fill 65,000 capacity stadiums for Test matches, but we must actively fight to get as many as we can in, to create a Test match environment that the players and the fans feed off. Anything but the sight of Tests played on empty grounds.It was where the administrators had to ensure that teams played, “Test cricket that people can watch,” and ensure that Tests, “fit into 21st century life, through timing, environments and the venues they are held in.” He supported discussions around day-night Tests and a Test championship, despite anxieties over its financial difficulties. He spoke of playing a day night first-class game for the MCC in Abu Dhabi which left him convinced, “day-night Tests is an idea seriously worth exploring. There may be some challenges in places where there is dew but the visibility and durability of the pink cricket ball was not an issue.”Dravid also said that a Test championship would encourage every team and player to deliver strong performances in every match, with context provided for every Test. At the moment, there is an ICC Test rankings table but the inaugural Test championship will not be held until 2017, when Dravid will be 44 years old. The ICC had hoped to bring the championship forward to 2013 and use it to replace the Champions Trophy, but commitments to the broadcaster and sponsors meant that could not be done. Dravid said he was against the idea of scrapping ODIs altogether but believed that events like the World Cup and the Champions Trophy should be the focus, with other ODIs contributing to rankings for those events.”Since about, I think 1985, people have been saying that there is too much meaningless one-day cricket,” he said. “Maybe it’s finally time to do something about it … Anything makes more sense than seven-match ODI series.” More context for matches might also help draw crowds back to the game. Dravid said he had been surprised to see the lack of spectators at an ODI series featuring India this year and he described the sight of empty stands as “alarming”.Dravid said that even if fans were watching on television, the experience was not the same. And that, he argued, could have consequences in the long term. “Whatever the reasons are – maybe it is too much cricket or too little by way of comfort for spectators. The fan has sent us a message and we must listen. This is not mere sentimentality. Empty stands do not make for good television. Bad television can lead to a fall in ratings, the fall in ratings will be felt by media planners and advertisers’ looking elsewhere.”If that happens, it is hard to see television rights around cricket being as sought after as they have always been in the last 15 years. And where does that leave everyone?”

Michael Hussey has admitted that Australia will have one eye on the heavens come the final day of the second Test at Adelaide

Andrew Miller at Adelaide06-Dec-2010Michael Hussey has admitted that Australia will have one eye on the heavens come the final day of the second Test at Adelaide, as they resume their second innings on 4 for 238, a deficit of 137 runs. A gutsy day’s batting from Australia was undermined by the last ball before stumps when Michael Clarke fenced Kevin Pietersen to short leg, leaving Hussey – and the weather – as their best hopes of escaping with a draw and going to Perth next week with the series all-square.England declared early on the fourth morning on 5 for 620, meaning Australia began their second innings with a 375-run deficit. For a while it seemed that they might reach the close with seven wickets still intact, when a tropical storm swept through the ground to bring an abrupt halt to the afternoon session. However, the weather cleared almost as quickly as it had arrived, and after a 57-minute delay, the teams were able to get back out onto the field.Hussey will resume his innings on 44 not out alongside the under-pressure Marcus North, who has yet to face a ball, and he said that another deluge would be very gratefully received. “A little bit of rain would help, that’s for sure,” Hussey said. “I don’t think we can look at the weather too much, we’ve just got to try and concentrate on batting as much time as we can and hanging in there. We’re going to need a bit of luck, the conditions are pretty tough for batting at times, but certainly, a couple of hours of rain would help our cause.”Australia’s bid for salvation may also have been aided by a stomach muscle strain that Stuart Broad sustained during the afternoon session. Though he returned to the field after treatment and produced some energetic work on the boundary’s edge, he did not bowl in the latter stages of the day, and was earlier seen wearing a brace in the nets and looking very immobile as he went through his motions with the England back-room staff.Graeme Swann, who is England’s likeliest matchwinner on a wicket offering considerable turn out of the footholes, played down the extent of Broad’s injury in his typically off-hand manner. “I don’t actually know [if he’ll be able to bowl],” said Swann. “I assume so because he came back on the field so I assume his time off was just being spent with the medical staff, having his hair done or something.”In Broad’s absence, Steven Finn produced one of his best spells since his six-wicket haul at the Gabba, finding a hint of reverse swing with the old ball, and Swann backed him to play a big part on the final day. “Reverse swing is very hard to control and for a young lad to be able to control it like he did, he bowled exceptionally today,” said Swann. “He hits good channel, gets good pace, especially at the end of the day, but he’s a relatively robust young man so there’s no surprise that he can do that.”Hussey, meanwhile, set his sights on another marathon rearguard innings, in a series in which he is emerging as Australia’s only reliable batsman. “I’d be lying if I said I loved it, but it’s certainly rewarding to come in in a pressure situation and get your team into a position to win the match or save the match,” he said. “It gives you a lot of satisfaction. I wish I could come out like Bradman and smash them everywhere, but unfortunately the game doesn’t work that.”We’ll have to wait and see [if we can save it],” he added. “We’ve got a lot of hard work to do before we can think about that, but if we can draw the match, England will see it as a loss so that’s got to drive us on. We’ve certainly been outplayed, no question, but if we can get away with 0-0 it will be a great result for us. But we’ve got a bit of hard work to do, maybe a bit of luck and hopefully some weather to help us along the way.”