Dean Elgar raised concerns about the condition of the pitch at The Gabba in the closing stages of Australia's six-wicket win in the first Test against South Africa.
The hosts secured victory on day two in what was the second-shortest Test in the country after the same two sides played out what remains the shortest Test in history in 1932 in Melbourne.
A green pitch offered considerable bounce and movement, which led to wickets falling regularly as the match was over after a total of just 144.2 overs.
After a first innings score of only 152, South Africa limited Australia to 218, before capitulating with the bat again and posting just 99 in their second innings, setting the hosts a target of a mere 34 to win.
Even then, four Australia wickets fell as Kagiso Rabada (4-13) tore through their top order, though the target was reached in large thanks to the bounce of the pitch, with the top scorer being the 19 extras that mostly came from bouncers that flew over wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne and raced to the boundary.
"I did ask the umpires when [Rabada] got [Travis] Head out down leg, I said 'how long does it go on for until it potentially is unsafe?'," South Africa captain Elgar said.
"And then [Anrich] Nortje was bowling those short ones that were flying over our heads. I know the game is dead and buried, it was never to try and change or put a halt to the game. That's where the umpire's discretion comes into play, not us as players. I am definitely not going to say it was safe or unsafe.
"There were only a handful of runs left so I thought maybe they thought I was just trying to take the mickey," he added, having not received any response from the officials. "But it's not a bad reference point going forward to get a reply.
"You've got to ask yourself the question – is that a good advertisement for our format? Thirty-four wickets in two days – a pretty one-sided affair, I would say.
"The nature of it, how it started to play with some seriously steep bounce with the old ball, you are kind of on a hiding to nothing as a batting unit. I don't think it was a very good Test wicket, no."
Elgar's opposite number Pat Cummins, who took 5-42 in the second innings, felt the surface was well short of concerning levels.
"No way, it was fine," he said. "Sideways movement, there was a little bit of up and down bounce, but it was fine. There were no balls jumping off a length or anything like that.
"It was certainly tricky. Two days probably isn't ideal… personally, I don't mind it if the groundsman err on the greener side occasionally. [I've] played a lot of Tests where they've erred on the flatter side. I think it was the same for both teams."
Day two also saw Mitchell Starc take his 300th Test wicket when he bowled Rassie van der Dussen with a trademark inswinger, and Cummins paid tribute to his team-mate.
"You can talk about strike rate, average, all those things," he said. "[But] the longevity you've got to have to get 300 as a fast bowler, the injuries you've got to overcome… you've seen it all by the time you get 300.
"I've seen him mending a lot of scars, bruises and blisters in the change room. You see the toil behind the wickets and performances. It puts him right in the upper echelon of great Aussie bowlers. Now he's nipping the ball a bit more. I reckon his next 300 will come pretty quickly."
Dawid Malan leads Yorkshire to Roses win as Jos Buttler fails to fire Lancashire
Dawid Malan starred while Jos Buttler endured frustration as Yorkshire claimed a 15-run victory over Lancashire in the Vitality Blast Roses clash at Headingley.
After Malan hit a superb 83 off 50 balls in the Vikings’ 195 for six, England colleague Buttler made just one in his first Lancashire appearance of the summer, caught at mid-off from the off-spin of Dom Bess seven balls into the Lightning’s pursuit.
They subsequently finished on 180 for eight, with Ben Mike and Dawid Wiese having each claimed two for 31.
Also in the North Group, a career-best unbeaten 109 by Wayne Madsen set up Derbyshire for a first win of the campaign at Leicestershire, who ran them close but fell three runs short of their target.
Madsen’s brilliant 61-ball innings, which contained 12 fours and four sixes, helped the Falcons post 189 for five after being put in, Tom Wood making 37 from 24 balls and Brooke Guest 25 not out from 20.
The Foxes, who have lost all of their opening four matches, put up a decent fight, with Colin Ackermann (59 not out) and Rehan Ahmed (28 not out) scoring 58 off the last 31 balls after Rishi Patel’s 44 – but it was not quite enough as they closed on 187 for five.
In the South Group, Essex thrashed Sussex by 25 runs at Hove with captain Simon Harmer taking a hat-trick.
Harmer struck with his first three balls after coming on in the third over as Essex easily defended a target of 164. After losing Ravi Bopara in the first over of their reply, the hosts then saw Harmer dismiss Tom Alsop, Shadab Khan and Michael Burgess to leave them at 15 for four with their chase effectively over before it had begun.
They ended up dismissed for 138 with eight balls unused, Harmer finishing with figures of four for 28.
Essex’s earlier 163 for seven featured 55 from Feroze Khushi, while Shadab took three wickets.
CWI announces red and white ball coaching and support staff for upcoming West Indies Men’s Teams
Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Thursday announced the members of the coaching and support staff for the West Indies Men’s red ball and white ball teams.
Former West Indies captains Carl Hooper and Floyd Reifer have been named as Assistant Coaches in the white ball teams to work alongside new Head Coach Daren Sammy. James Franklin, the former New Zealand allrounder is the third Assistant Coach. They have joined the team ahead of the start of the upcoming three-match One Day International (ODI) series against United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Speaking on the appointments, Sammy said, “Cricket is a team sport. Therefore, having the right set of people around you, who share your vision, is extremely important. This is a group of hard-working, passionate men, who have no egos. Our collective desire is to have a positive impact on the players and West Indies cricket.”
Hooper is one of the most successful allrounders in West Indies history – the only player to score over 5,000 runs and take over 100 wickets in both Tests and ODIs. He worked previously at various levels coaching in the Caribbean and Australia. Reifer also has experience across various levels from regional up to internationals.
The former allrounder from Guyana expressed his desire to see West Indies cricket move forward. Hooper stated, “When I was initially approached by Daren about the potential opportunity, I immediately confirmed my interest, as I really want to help with the challenge and make a meaningful impact. I firmly believe that it is time for West Indies Cricket to ascend, and I am confident in my ability, knowledge, and experience to aid in this endeavor.”
For the Test Team, former West Indies players Kenny Benjamin and Stuart Williams; as well as Rayon Griffith will be the Assistant Coaches, working alongside Head Coach, Andre Coley. Benjamin and Griffith were part of the coaching staff for the tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa earlier this year, while Williams has previously worked as an Assistant Coach on various tours.
Coley, who took the team to Zimbabwe and South Africa earlier this year as head coach, is confident that some continuity will be beneficial to the players, stating “We are looking for as much continuity as possible in the preparation for our upcoming assignments. Kenny and Rayon will continue in their roles from the previous two tours, and Stuart Williams is currently with the ‘A’ team in Bangladesh. It is a hard-working group with some clear tasks outlined and we can effectively serve West Indies cricket as a unit for the upcoming series against India.”
The other members of the Team Management Unit who will work with the WI Men’s teams across all formats are: Rawl Lewis (Team Manager), Denis Byam (Physiotherapist), Ronald Rogers (Strength & Conditioning Coach), Avenash Seetaram (Analyst) and Dario Barthley (Media & Content Officer).
The West Indies are presently in Sharjah for the series against UAE, which bowls off on Sunday 4 June at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The second match is on Tuesday 6 June and the third and final match is on Friday 9 June.
For the ICC World Cup Qualifiers, West Indies have been drawn in Group A, where they will face hosts Zimbabwe, United States, Netherlands, and Nepal in the preliminary round. The ten teams will be competing for the two remaining places at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, to be hosted in India later this year.
All new Assistant Coaches have been appointed on a short-term basis and will be reviewed after the India Series in August 2023.
WI Men White Ball Team Management Unit
Daren Sammy (Head Coach)
Carl Hooper (Assistant Coach)
Floyd Reifer (Assistant Coach)
James Franklin (Assistant Coach)
Rawl Lewis (Team Manager)
Denis Byam (Physiotherapist)
Ronald Rogers (Strength & Conditioning Coach)
Avenash Seetaram (Analyst)
Dario Barthley (Media & Content Officer)
WI Men Test Team Management Unit
Andre Coley (Head Coach)
Kenny Benjamin (Assistant Coach)
Rayon Griffith (Assistant Coach)
Stuart Williams (Assistant Coach)
Rawl Lewis (Team Manager)
Denis Byam (Physiotherapist)
Ronald Rogers (Strength & Conditioning Coach)
Avenash Seetaram (Analyst)
Dario Barthley (Media & Content Officer)
Almost perfect start to big summer – Stuart Broad hails dominant England display
Stuart Broad toasted the near-perfect start to a big summer after his five-wicket haul helped England dismiss Ireland for 172 before the hosts finished only 20 runs behind on the opening day of the one-off Test at Lord’s.
Broad ripped through the Irish top order during the first hour on his way to figures of five for 51 from 17 overs to get himself on the Lord’s honours board for the first time since 2013.
James McCollum (36), Paul Stirling (30) and Curtis Campher (33) all made starts but could not kick on with Jack Leach helping himself to three wickets and Matthew Potts securing a brace of scalps.
It was then over to Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, who wasted little time getting back into the groove and played true to the aggressive ‘Bazball’ style that has taken the nation by storm with fifties in a century opening stand to help England close on 152 for one.
“When you win the toss and bowl, your aim is to bowl the team out in a day so to have done that was a big tick,” Broad reflected a day before the one-year anniversary of the Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum era.
“Then I thought the way the three guys played this evening was exactly the mindset that Baz and Stokesy want. It was positive, aggressive, put the bowlers under pressure and we’ll hopefully see a bit more of that tomorrow.
“It is obviously always nice when you get on the honours board at Lords but no major difference between four wickets and five wickets really.
“It feels good for me leading the attack this week to have taken a few poles and got us on the front foot as a team, but I thought we did really well as a whole group. It is almost the perfect start to a big summer.”
With James Anderson and Ollie Robinson rested ahead of the Ashes opener on June 16, Broad relished the chance to lead an England attack that contained debutant Josh Tongue and Potts playing his first Test since August.
The Nottinghamshire seamer claimed the 20th five-wicket haul of his Test career to move within 19 of the 600-wicket mark which could be achieved during the upcoming series with Australia.
Broad is not nailed on to start the first Test at Edgbaston with Mark Wood and Chris Woakes for competition but did his case no harm and accepts he will sit out some Ashes fixtures during the next two months.
He added: “I love Ashes cricket but I can honestly say to you whether I play the first, the second or the fifth (Test), my mindset is the same, just have an impact on the game, change the momentum and look to put in a performance that will win the Test.
“I feel like I have done that. I bowled beautifully in my first Test match at Mount Maunganui after last summer, bowled nicely at Wellington, bowled nicely here today.
“I think we all know, not that there has been any talk of the Ashes in our group, that we need an armoury of bowlers over the next six weeks.
“The games come round thick and fast and it is unrealistic to think any bowler will play six Tests in a row, so we’ll need a few of us to be ripe and ready.
“It is great when you look around the changing room, obviously there are a few injuries about with Jof (Jofra Archer) and (Olly) Stoney, then niggles with Robbo and Jimmy, but you only have to look at the bowlers that aren’t playing this week like Woakesy, Jimmy, Robbo and Woody to know we have a lot of strength in depth.”
England captain Ben Stokes was not required to bowl with Ireland all out in the 57th over and after debutant Tongue impressed in an enforcer role that saw him clock 91mph.
Ireland head coach Heinrich Malan was left disappointed with their showing after a poor batting display was followed by Crawley crunching 56 off 45 balls while Duckett finished on 60 not out alongside Ollie Pope, unbeaten on 29, after they tucked into some wayward bowling by the tourists.
“Obviously not our best day, to be honest, I think it’s a little bit more disappointment around the way we went about our business,” Malan said.
“I didn’t necessarily think that they played, you know, Bazball, if you want to term it that way, because I just think we didn’t bowl that well.
“They batted pretty well, with us bowling pretty averagely. So look, I hope we can bowl a little bit better tomorrow.”
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