FICA report: 76% of men's players surveyed are against four-day Tests
Also: more than half of the 277 players polled want more than 10 teams playing the World Cup
ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2020ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Also: more than half of the 277 players polled want more than 10 teams playing the World Cup
ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2020ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Shashank Manohar is set to be elected BCCI president unopposed on Sunday, replacing Jagmohan Dalmiya who died in Kolkata on September 20.
Nagraj Gollapudi and Amol Karhadkar03-Oct-20154:48
Ugra: BCCI’s legal wrangles the challenge for Manohar
Shashank Manohar is set to be elected BCCI president unopposed on Sunday, replacing Jagmohan Dalmiya who died in Kolkata on September 20. At 3 pm on Saturday, the deadline to file nominations, only Manohar’s name was filed as a candidate for the election that will be held during the special general meeting in Mumbai on Sunday afternoon.Manohar received backing from all the six members from East Zone – Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), National Cricket Club, Odisha Cricket Association, Jharkhand Cricket Association, Assam Cricket Association and Tripura Cricket Association. It is understood all six East Zone members nominated him, as it is the zone’s turn to nominate the president for the period till 2017. Soon after Dalmiya’s death, there was talk of the East camp wanting one of its own to stand for the elections, but there was no consensus, thus paving the way for Manohar.Confirming the East zone’s stand, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, representing the CAB, told the media at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai: “A lot of important people have led BCCI in the past and Manohar has also done it quite well. I am sure he will do a good job.”Dalmiya was the first BCCI president to die while in office, thus necessitating the unprecedented action of the board choosing a replacement at a special general meeting. This will be Manohar’s second stint as BCCI chief – he served as president between October 2008 and September 2011. He had first emerged as the consensus candidate when the ruling political party in India, the Bharatiya Janata Party, backed him and opposed Sharad Pawar’s candidature.
Richardson hit important runs down the order and then bagged four wickets in another impressive display
Daniel Brettig22-Jan-2021Matthew Wade returned to BBL ranks and Tim Paine sat on the Hobart Hurricanes’ bench, but it was the Perth Scorchers’ South Africa tour aspirant Jhye Richardson who maintained his dominance of the tournament to effectively seal a finals place for his side.The Scorchers’ innings endured more than a few hiccups courtesy of some useful spin from the Hurricanes and another excellent display from Nathan Ellis, however the Scorchers’ gloveman Josh Inglis put together an excellent middle order innings and was aided by some powerful late blows from none other than Richardson.Hobart’s chase was unsettled early on by Richardson, defeating Wade and Ben McDermott in his opening two overs, before he returned to also account for Pete Handscomb and then rounded off the contest by snaring Tim David. Jason Behrendorff also figured importantly by finding ways past D’Arcy Short and Dawid Malan.Spin slows Scorchers’ early hittingA fine, sunny afternoon in neutral Melbourne was more reminiscent of Perth than Hobart, and an ideal seeing day for the Scorchers’ top order after Ashton Turner won the toss. Jason Roy was quickly into gear, taking 10 from Riley Meredith’s first over and then lining up Scott Boland to set the Victorian on the path to an unflattering 0 for 48 from his four overs.Wade called on spin to shift momentum, and was well served by Will Jacks, Sandeep Lamichhane and Short after the skilful Ellis had found a way through Roy’s defence. Jacks’ first wicket of the tournament was a helpful drag-on from Colin Munro, before Liam Livingstone and Mitchell Marsh both miscalculated against Lamichhane’s leggies. A promising 1 for 44 quickly became a sickly looking 4 for 66.Ellis, Inglis duel for prominenceWith Australia having both T20I and Test tours soon to commence, there will be extra places available due to those players unable to take part in both. This should mean close consideration of Ellis, who as a Power Play and death bowler is among the more canny in BBL ranks while also having enough pace when he chooses to use it. He is a study in contrasts with the quicker, taller but not always as game-aware Riley Meredith, who went to England with the white-ball squad last year. A return of 4 for 34 went a long way towards limiting the Scorchers at Docklands.At the same time, Inglis’ tidy wicketkeeping and improving batting has rewarded the faith of the Scorchers and Western Australia at both BBL and Shield levels. Having to endure as the Scorchers’ innings staggered, Inglis was then able to accelerate intelligently while making the most of an array of different ways to find the fine leg boundary. Using both power and finesse, Inglis joined forced grandly with another international aspirant in Richardson, who hammered 29 from 14 balls in the closing overs to vault Perth well past 170.Richardson knocks the top off HurricanesFollowing a Test series that achieved little for Wade other than to take his Test batting average below 30, he was understandably hopeful of a strong rebound in the BBL – an arena that had been something of his playground on his road back to the international realm in 2018-19. Instead he ran headlong into Richardson who is close to taking off for South Africa with the Test team in late February.Wade defended a couple, mistimed a couple and cracked one fierce boundary through cover before being cramped into a leading edge and a tame return catch to Richardson, departing for just 6. Richardson followed up by coaxing another miscue out of Ben McDermott, and after a brief rest was brought back by Turner to find a way through Pete Handscomb, to that point looking very much like the Hurricanes’ best chance of mounting a successful chase.David defeated by line-ball full tossTowards the end of the innings the Hurricanes found one small glimmer through the heavy hitting of David, a WA product well familiar with most of the Scorchers’ bowlers. While lacking support, he had the Hurricanes needing an unlikely but not impossible 32 from nine balls while farming the strike. At this point Richardson, in his final over, erred on the full side with a delivery that looked very close to waist height as it whirred down towards the batsman.David threw everything at it, slicing a catch to deep cover and forcing a long wait while the third umpire Sam Nogjaski deliberated. It was a line-ball call, but the umpire eventually decided that the delivery had not risen above waist height in David’s regular stance, handing Richardson his fourth wicket for the match and 25th for the tournament. The Scorchers duly finished off the job to entrench their position in the BBL top five.
You could make the case that Smith has never had to work hard for his runs, yet while it has been the summer of Labuschagne he has been there when it matters
Andrew McGlashan in Sydney03-Jan-2020The crowd cheered and Steven Smith acknowledged them. But this was a landmark of a different sort. Smith had finally got off the mark.After 38 balls, he tucked a ball off the hip against his nemesis Neil Wagner and scampered through for such a sharp single that Marnus Labuschagne had to get the dive out. The SCG roared, Smith smiled, raised a sheepish glove in mock celebration and got a pat on the back from Wagner.”I actually had no idea he was on zero until the 38th ball. I actually thought we were rotating the strike quite well, which is quite funny,” Labuschagne said after the day’s play. “I came to the middle and though what was the carry on for, there’s a lot of noise, and he’s like ‘I’m on zero’ and I had no idea.”Runs have not come easily for Smith this season, the fluency of the Ashes rarely being on view except in the T20Is against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, with the series against New Zealand (strike rate 34.13) and the Test season (strike rate 36.23) of 2019-20 comfortably the slowest of his career. Since 2000, no Australia batsman who has faced more than 500 balls in a home season has scored slower than Smith.The tone was set by his two Sheffield Shield hundreds earlier in the summer which were valuable but grinding affairs on slow pitches, the second against Western Australia the slowest of his career. In the Tests against Pakistan he twice entered on the back of mountainous partnerships, playing around Yasir Shah in Brisbane and edging a swipe against Shaheen Afridi in Adelaide. There was little riding on those situations, but against New Zealand it has been a little different in the first innings of these matches.The final scorelines are heavily in Australia’s favour, but in each of the three Tests Smith has walked in with New Zealand buoyed by removing David Warner who, like Smith, fell to Wagner for the fourth time. Another wicket and there would have been an opening, but each time Smith has stood firm when it mattered, often riding in the slip stream of Labuschagne who has had the summer of his life.In Perth he batted 164 balls across more than three hours adding 132 with Labuschagne in the first innings. In Melbourne it was a more modest stand of 83, with Smith eventually being bounced out by Wagner for 85 by when New Zealand’s energy had also been zapped.At the SCG, Smith again entered with Warner not converting a start into something more substantial – he has not quite built on the prolific form against Pakistan – when he flicked to leg gully and what transpired was the latest installment in the fascinating contest between Smith and Wagner.The first ball (short, of course) took Smith in the stomach and Wagner sent down another 19 dots to him. At the other end Colin de Grandhomme and then legspinner Todd Astle did their part, Smith’s frustrations growing by the moment as he kept hitting the fielders when he tried to work Astle away. The crowd were getting into it, the absorbing nature of watching the best batsman in the world being kept scoreless. The moments in Test cricket where nothing, but everything, is happening in unison.Smith had got to 4 off 48 balls when he danced down the pitch and lofted Will Somerville over wide mid-on and steadily the runs came a little more freely as he picked off errors in length from the spinners. From getting off the mark, he added 41 in another 62 deliveries to tea, the stand with Labuschagne again grinding New Zealand down in what was a re-run of the first two Tests.And then things stalled again. He was kept on 49 for 17 balls – unsurprisingly with Wagner in the midst of another spell – before grabbing the single to bring up a half-century that brought another ovation from the Sydney crowd.The second new ball did for him, edging an outswinger from de Grandhomme to slip, to give the depleted New Zealanders something to cling on to. It was the first time this series Smith hadn’t fallen to Wagner, his series tally against him 27 runs from 159 balls. “They’ve come prepared, come at the best batter in the world in a different way. He’s still countering it, he’s still putting runs on the board. It’s just testament to him as a player,” Labuschagne said.You could make the case that Smith has never had to work hard for his runs, yet while it has been the summer of Labuschagne he has been there when it matters.
England’s top-order plays the same familiar refrain, as West Indies’ best day of the series doesn’t quite finish with them in command
Alan Gardner at Headingley25-Aug-2017Ben Stokes, England’s first-innings centurion at Headingley, said the team knew their performance was “not one of our best days with the bat” after they were dismissed for 258. Having won the toss, England slipped to 37 for 3 and 71 for 4 against an improved West Indies before a half-century from Joe Root and Stokes’ 100 from 124 balls took them to respectability.Both players were dropped early on, with the tourists still proving fallible in the field despite an improved bowling display. Root went on to equal AB de Villiers’ world record of 12 consecutive Tests with a fifty or better, while Stokes negotiated a watchful start before unfurling some trademark shots during the afternoon and evening, as England then claimed a late wicket before the close to ensure an even day.”Their seam-bowling unit bowled a lot better than they did at Edgbaston,” Stokes said. “They made it hard work for us. The conditions were more in the bowlers’ favour today, there was always a bit of seam movement, and every now and then the ball swung. They managed to expose that today.
Kemar Roach led the way with a four-wicket haul as West Indies came back strongly after being beaten by an innings at Edgbaston last week and he admitted the players had a “point to prove”.
“We had a very open discussion in our team meetings and the guys were totally honest – we weren’t good enough in the first Test,” he said. “We have a point to prove in this Test and we’re going to try our best to go out there and play the best cricket we can.”
Roach’s personal haul could have been even better, with two glaring drops off his bowling allowing Ben Stokes to escape on the way to a hundred, but he was not in the mood to point fingers.
“It can be frustrating, you’re working hard to set a batsman up and chance goes down but no one drops a catch on purpose. It’s just a mistake, keep your head up and come again.”
“We said as a team in the changing rooms that it’s probably not one of our best days with the bat. But we never know if it’s a good score until the West Indies innings has finished. It’s 260 more than we had this morning, it’s all up to how we respond tomorrow, how we bowl and hopefully we can create a few chances.”Stokes might have edged Kemar Roach behind on 9, though technology was inconclusive, and then survived a straightforward chance without having added to his score when Kraigg Brathwaite could not hold on at second slip. He was rarely fluent and could also have been dismissed on 98, when Shannon Gabriel dropped a sitter at mid-on, but went on to his sixth Test hundred from the very next ball.”It’s always nice to [capitalise on a drop],” he said. “I guess you get some luck every now and again and to do well you need some luck on your side. On another day, they hold it and you’re walking off.”I found it quite hard to start with, it took me a while to get off the mark and I thought I had to change my normal approach to when I’m first in. I walked down the wicket and went deep in my crease … I got a couple away and thought it was a tennis-bally slow wicket, so if I’m to play my attacking shots it’s going to have to be at 100 percent rather than half-hearted.”Of the words he and Gabriel appeared to exchange after he was eventually caught behind a few balls later, he said: “It’s not the first time. It’s just part of the game, he was probably still annoyed at himself for dropping me on 98. There’s nothing to it, he’s got me out. It’s international sport, we’re all trying to do well so emotions can come out.”He also had high praise for Root, who might have been caught at slip on 8 but otherwise looked in excellent form in progressing to a landmark half-century in front of his home crowd before edging an attempted paddle sweep off Devendra Bishoo.”He’s a hell of a player, he has been for a long time now,” Stokes said. “The captaincy hasn’t affected his run-scoring ability whatsoever – if anything it’s made him into a better player, if that was possible. There’s guys around the world who are known as the best players in the world and we’ve got one of them, if not the best. The records that he’s managed to break, the runs he’s scoring, is showing why he is.”
He showed symptoms during the second round match against Southern Punjab in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy
Umar Farooq04-Nov-2020Bismillah Khan, the Balochistan wicketkeeper-batsman, has tested positive for Covid-19 in Karachi. Bismillah had shown symptoms during the second round match against Southern Punjab in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy but wasn’t tested until the fourth day, after which he was substituted on the field by Adnan Akmal. Bismillah is currently in a dedicated quarantine room in the hotel, and is being monitored by a doctor.Bismillah’s positive result had initially raised questions about the immediate fate of the tournament, as all six teams were staying at the same hotel. However, the PCB confirmed in a release that all 132 players, personnel and match officials involved in the tournament had since tested negative for the virus, and that they will be fit to take part in the third round of matches, starting November 6.”The PCB understands domestic cricket is being played under difficult circumstances and fully appreciates the support of all involved,” the board’s high performance director Nadeem Khan said. “It is also appropriate that we remind all involved to religiously follow the PCB Covid-19 protocols, which will guarantee their health and safety as well as all those around them.”It is unclear as to how Bismillah might have contracted the virus. Before this round, nine Sindh players underwent Covid-19 tests after experiencing flu-like symptoms, but their results came back negative; only fast bowler Mir Hamza returned home after being declared unwell.Professional cricket returned to Pakistan in September after a 24-week hiatus forced by the Covid-19 pandemic. The 2020-21 domestic season had kicked off with the National T20 Cup – played over two legs in Multan and then Rawalpindi – followed by the first-class tournament Quaid-e-Azam trophy, held fully in Karachi.In preparation for the tournament, the PCB first ensured each team quarantined separately at a different venue before they were allowed to enter the biosecure bubble in Karachi. All teams have been undergoing regular testing throughout the tournament to ensure the bubble remains safe. The PCB has conducted a total of 1478 tests to date, including 1091 in the domestic events.After the third round of matches, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will be put on hold for 11 days, as Karachi will play host to four remaining matches in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).The Covid-19 situation in Pakistan is nearly under control, with the country slowly returning to normalcy in recent weeks. While the government has been issuing daily alerts about a potential second wave of infections and appealing to the public to wear masks, only a few cities are observing a lockdown as restaurants, educational institutes, marriage halls and public transportation continue to operate freely.
Garg was trying to take evasive action when a back foot punch from Avesh Khan struck him
Hemant Brar in Alur01-Sep-2019India Green batsman Priyam Garg was hit in the neck while fielding at silly point on day four of his side’s Duleep Trophy match against India Red in Alur. Garg was conscious but in pain as the physio applied an ice pack to the injured area. An ambulance was brought on to the field and, as a precaution, he was taken to hospital to run some tests and scans.The incident took place on the last ball of the 138th over of India Red’s innings, bowled by Rahul Chahar. Garg found himself directly in line of the travelling ball while taking evasive action against a back-foot punch from Avesh Khan. Garg’s helmet had a neck guard, which softened the impact.”Initially, we had suspected a concussion and that’s why took him for some scans. But he never showed any signs of a concussion,” India Green physio Prasanth Panchada said. “Still we are sending the MRIs to another radiologist for a second opinion but as of now he is fine and can bat as well.”Meanwhile, Avesh’s maiden first-class half-century helped India Red take a one-run lead. Avesh, who hit two fours and seven sixes in his 56-ball 64, added 73 for the tenth wicket with Sandeep Warrier; the latter contributing only 5.Despite conceding the lead, their higher quotient means that India Green are almost through to the final, unless they collapse in the second innings.
Having arrived with a strong bowling attack, this could be Pakistan’s best-ever chance to finally win a Test series in South Africa
The Preview by Liam Brickhill25-Dec-2018
South Africa’s first Test of the home summer is one of three starting on Boxing Day around the world, and there are a couple of reasons why this match is definitely worth following amid a packed schedule. For starters, it will be Centurion’s first time hosting the fixture, but that’s not the only historic element to the occasion: having drawn level with Shaun Pollock six months ago in Galle, Dale Steyn needs one more scalp to make the South African Test bowling record his own.Steyn won’t have his bunny Mohammad Hafeez to bank on for the record after the Pakistan opener’s Test retirement, but he’ll be no less motivated to perform in his absence. Steyn will also have the added responsibility of leading the attack without Vernon Philander or Lungi Ngidi as back-up, with both players injured, though the presence of the world’s top-ranked Test bowler, Kagiso Rabada, will help. While Steyn is no less fearsome a prospect at 35 than he was the last time Pakistan toured in 2013, it is likely Rabada who will challenge them most.ALSO READ: Bogeyman Steyn returns to claim his recordWith or without Hafeez, Pakistan are one of the most watchable teams going, whether they’re winning or losing, and they will be chasing a little history of their own. Pakistan have never won a Test series in South Africa and indeed, haven’t won a Test here in more than ten years.This series could present Pakistan their best ever chance to get past South Africa in their backyard. The hosts no longer have the genius of AB de Villiers to call upon, a couple of their preferred bowlers are injured, and Hashim Amla is in the midst of a long dry spell. Pakistan have arrived with a bowling attack capable of exposing any frailties in South Africa’s middle order.The visitors will also still be carrying the pain of their defeat to New Zealand a month ago, when inconsistent batting allowed the visitors to break a 49-year run of away bad luck against them. Victory would provide a salve for those wounds, but South African conditions will not make things any easier for the visiting batsmen, and they will also know that if Steyn does not get them, Rabada will. There is a mountain to climb if Pakistan are to overcome the hosts.
South Africa LLWWW (completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan LWLWD
It’s been a long haul for Dale Steyn to reach the milestone at the brink of which he now stands. He has played only six Tests in the last three years due to injury, but he has found both form and fitness in the lead-up to this series. He held nothing back during the Mzansi Super League, but Steyn has made no secret of the desire for Test success that has kept him motivated. Expect crazy eyes, fire and brimstone with the ball, and a chainsaw celebration to top them all when the moment comes.Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur reckons his team has the bowling power take 20 wickets “comfortably” in any conditions, and he has made similarly bellicose comments about his batsmen. With Fakhar Zaman back to fitness, the opportunity has come for him to build on his debut effort against Australia, when he fell six runs short of a century in his first Test innings. His efforts at the top of the order will be vital to Pakistan’s success. If he can overcome the challenges presented by Steyn and Rabada, the job of the middle order becomes much easier.Fakhar Zaman stretches forward to defend•AFP
South Africa’s pace cupboard has been stripped by injury, and there have been a couple of niggles in the batting camp too. Theunis de Bruyn has recovered from the back injury he picked up during the Mzansi Super League, but there are still lingering doubts around Temba Bavuma’s hamstring. If Bavuma isn’t passed fit to play, Zubayr Hamza will slot into the XI – becoming the 100th South African to play Test cricket since readmission.South Africa (probable): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Dean Elgar, 3 Theunis de Bruyn, 4 Hashim Amla, 5 Faf du Plessis (capt), 6 Temba Bavuma/Zubayr Hamza, 7 Quinton de Kock (wk), 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Duanne OlivierPakistan have announced that Shadab Khan and Mohammad Abbas are not fit for the first Test. Fakhar Zaman is going to play, however, and will open the batting with Imam-ul-Haq.Pakistan: 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Haris Sohail, 5 Asad Shafiq, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), 8 Mohammad Amir, 9 Yasir Shah, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Shaheen Afridi
The Centurion pitch is gaining a reputation for being somewhat unpredictable. It’s traditionally pace-friendly, but during the Mzansi Super League the tracks here encouraged spinners, with Tabraiz Shamsi clean-bowling AB de Villiers with one that dipped, gripped and turned through the gate, and the likes of Jeevan Mendis, Shaun von Berg and Sean Williams enjoyed themselves too. The South Africans have apparently not been in touch to ask for a tailor-made track for the first Test, and while the groundsman is aiming for pace and bounce, don’t be too surprised if there’s something in it for the spinners. The first two days of the Test should be hot and sunny, but summer thunderstorms are common on the Highveld this time of year and there could be rain around towards the back end of the game.
“No, I’ve got him out enough times. He’s a fantastic player and we had a great rivalry. I hope he enjoys his time off.”
Skipper’s 181-run stand with Rachael Haynes flattened the Pakistan bowling, after which Sophie Molineux’s 4 for 14 bowled Pakistan out for 123
ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-2018Meg Lanning latches on to a short ball•Getty Images and Cricket Australia
Meg Lanning’s 12th ODI hundred in 68 innings helped Australia trounce Pakistan by 150 runs in the second ODI in Kuala Lumpur. Batting first, Australia posted an imposing 273 for 7. Left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux then ran through the Pakistan line-up with a 4 for 14 to bowl them out for 123, helping Australia go 2-0 up in the series with one match still to go. The win also put Australia two points clear at the top ICC Women’s Championship table.Pakistan displayed a marginally better show with the bat on Saturday after being skittled for 95 in the first encounter. But that was all thanks to opener Nahida Khan’s 114-ball 66, the highest score by a Pakistan batsman against Australia. The second-highest contribution was Sana Mir’s 15, while the rest of the batsmen crumbled once again.Chasing 274, they were 37 for 3 in the tenth over with Megan Schutt and Ellyse Perry doing the damage early on, after which Molineux came to the fore. Molineux took two wickets in her first spell to reduce Pakistan to 77 for 5 before coming back to break the 44-run sixth-wicket stand by Nahida and Sana. In her nine overs, Molineux bowled 48 dots. Eventually, Pakistan were all out in the 41st over with Ashleigh Gardner’s two wickets cleaning up the tail.Earlier in the day, Lanning opted to bat after winning the toss, and walked in when Alyssa Healy was dismissed by Diana Baig in the seventh over. Lanning then saw Nicole Bolton and Perry make the walk back, after which she combined with Rachael Haynes for a 181-run fourth-wicket stand that flattened the Pakistan bowlers. Haynes and Lanning were then dismissed in the 44th and 46th over respectively, as Nashra Sandhu helped Pakistan finish their bowling effort on a strong note.
The opener dominated the first day with a superb 141 against some demanding New South Wales bowling
Alex Malcolm28-Mar-2019Incumbent Australia Test opener Marcus Harris confirmed his status as a genuine big game player after scoring his third century in Sheffield Shield finals to hold Victoria’s first innings together on day one against New South Wales.He made a sublime 141 off 229 balls on a day when the home side managed just 6 for 266. New South Wales will rue the four catches they put down on a day of hard toil for little reward. At stumps the bonus points, which would decide the title in the event of a draw, stood at 0.66 for Victoria and 0.6 for New South Wales.Harris added to his extraordinary record in Shield deciders. He became the eighth player to make 500 runs or more in Shield finals taking his tally to 521 runs from six innings at an average of 104.20. His love affair with the Junction Oval also continued. He now has 661 runs at 94.43 with three hundreds and two 90s in seven innings at the ground. He also took his remarkable Shield season tally to 1165 runs at 72.81 including three centuries.Victoria needed Harris’ heroics after winning the toss and electing to bat on a dry, up and down surface. The home side agonised in the lead-up over whether to select another specialist batsman but opted for the five bowlers, with James Pattinson batting at No.7, as they have done for most of the season.Travis Dean and Matt Short both played a part in 63 and 80-run stands with Harris but no other player in the top six scored more than 34.Dean played a loose stroke after a solid start edging Sean Abbott on the up to slip. Victoria reached 1 for 87 at lunch before Trent Copeland trapped Will Pucovski lbw for 11.But Harris played with typical fluency while the scoring stalled at the other end. He was savage on any width, particularly off the back foot. The vast majority of his 17 boundaries came square of the wicket with trademark cuts and square drives. He was unperturbed in the middle session as the Blues set quite a defensive field and was happy to milk singles and twos to deep point and deep backward square.He did have a fair bit of good fortune. He edged Abbott knee-high between third slip and gully in the eighth over and popped a drive just over Jack Edwards’ head at cover off Copeland in the 15th. He was also dropped on 71 and 121. Nick Larkin spilt a very sharp low catch to his right at a floating slip before tea and then Copeland grassed a waist-high chance in the same position six overs away from the second new ball.However, the Blues got their own slice of luck with the dismissal of Seb Gotch. Copeland found Gotch’s outside edge with a good length outswinger and Edwards pouched the flying chance at third slip only for replays on the television coverage to show Copeland had overstepped the front line by a long way, which had been missed by umpire Paul Wilson. Despite the final being broadcast live on in Australia, the playing conditions for the final don’t allow for the third umpire Gerard Abood to check for no-balls after a wicket has fallen.The incorrect decision stood as a result, leaving Victoria 3 for 113. That soon became 4 for 124 when Cameron White spooned a catch to point five overs later. But Harris and Short steadied in the afternoon session. Short fell to a superb catch from wicketkeeper Peter Nevill, diving to his left to grab an inside edge that deflected some way from the bowling of Moises Henriques.Harris got good support from James Pattinson before falling to the second new ball when he edged a very full ball from Abbott to Copeland at slip.Pattinson and Chris Tremain scratched for 57 balls to get to stumps six down, adding just 15 runs to the total. Pattinson also had a reprieve late in the day when the usually flawless Nevill dropping a catchable chance off Copeland after he was wrong footed.