Report from day 3 at the Rose Bowl

Ivo Tennant at the Rose Bowl14-Apr-2012This match merits, and could well have, quite a finish. No play was possible on the third day before 3 o’clock owing to prolonged April showers, and thereafter Gloucestershire did not bat with quite the nous or durability they had shown in their first innings. They had taken Hampshire’s three remaining wickets cheaply enough, but then lost five batsmen for 71 on another day on which anyone venturing out of the pavilion atrium was liable to catch a chill.The bowler who excelled for Hampshire was not David Balcombe, who had taken eight wickets in Gloucestershire’s first innings – although he did have Dan Housego brilliantly held left handed at fourth slip by Danny Briggs – but Hamza Riazuddin. If the name is largely unknown beyond these parts, that is because he is what is known in football as a squad member. He came to the club from Mark Nicholas’ Bradfield College and has represented England u-19s. Although his bowling would appear to be little more than military medium to professional cricketers, in conditions such as these that is sufficient.Riazuddin, now 22, tries to bowl the lot: outswing, inswing, seamers, even quick leg breaks. If he does not know what the ball is going to do – and it would not be unkind to say that some of the time he does not – then the batsman won’t, either. He is playing only because Kabir Ali, James Tomlinson and Dimitri Mascarenhas are not, but this was the ideal kind of pitch, coupled with constant cloud cover, for him to make an impression.The cold weather seemingly did not prevent him from obtaining some movement through the air as well as off the pitch. He had Richard Coughtrie leg before with one that appeared not to deviate at all, and he dismissed Alex Gidman through a mistimed flick to short midwicket. His removal of Hamish Marshall, taken by Michael Bates behind the stumps, could be attributed to his own skill. Never before had he taken three wickets in an innings at this level.The key wicket was that of Chris Dent, a century maker in the first innings, who now was picked up very well low at second slip by Liam Dawson off Chris Wood. A further wicket or two before the close and Hampshire would have left the field wholly satisfied. As it is, they
have some batting as well as further bowling to do to win this match, for Ian Cockbain and Will Gidman added an unbroken 58 in the final session of a day of 51 overs. The upshot is that Gloucestershire have a lead of 244 runs.Hampshire resumed, when the rain relented and the drainage on this fast drying ground had proved the worth of a huge investment, on 182 for seven. Dent soon took his fourth slip catch to account for Wood, off Will Gidman’s medium pace – we have seen little else in this
contest – and the same bowler had Briggs leg before. David Payne finished off the innings through bowling Riazuddin..So a match which seemed likely to finish well inside four days, given Gloucestershire’s fragile batting last week and general impecunious state which has affected the strength of their playing staff, will probably continue longer than any other fixture in this round. That has had something to do with the weather, but also is down to the players trying to contend with difficult batting conditions without recourse to attempting to clear the in-field in one day mode. The ancients would have approved.

England’s professional cricketers have overwhelmingly rejected the Morgan Report into the future of the first-class game and have called for the introduction of a high-profile T20 tournament that bears comparison with IPL

David Hopps02-May-2012England’s professional cricketers have overwhelmingly rejected the findings of the Morgan Report into the future of the first-class game and have called for the introduction of a high-profile Twenty20 tournament that can bear comparison with IPL.The survey, conducted by the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), reveals in detail for the first time the strength of opposition to the proposed shake-up.The players show almost universal support for the retention of the 16-match Championship and calls for T20 to become a highly promoted tournament in the middle of the season – in the manner of the IPL – to maximise the chances of attracting some of the world’s best players.The PCA report concludes that the English game must: “Establish a high quality T20 competition which draws on experience from other T20 events worldwide, and balances the requirement for short-term financial return for the counties with the need to establish a sustainable T20 income stream.”For that, we need a competition which has the potential to attract the best overseas players and maximises overseas broadcast interest. A significant increase in the prize money at stake is a critical element of that.”The T20 competition has a crucial role to play, both from a cricketing perspective, and for county finances. From the point of view of the players, the limitations on their ability to play a full part in the IPL because of the overlap with the start of our season … make it critical that our own T20 competition delivers adequate compensation in terms of excitement and reward.”The question for T20 is not simply ‘how many games can we squeeze in?’ particularly given the dangers of putting quantity before quality, but ‘how can we make our T20 competition as good as it can be?'”In designing the optimal competition, we believe ECB must engage with players (including those who have played in the IPL, Champions League, and Big Bash), spectators, sponsors and broadcasters (both at home and overseas) to understand how best to create a successful competition, played in front of large crowds, and attracting a good TV audience.”But the desire for a high-profile T20 tournament comes alongside a desire to protect the integrity of the 16-match two-divisional Championship.The report concludes: “The County Championship remains the priority, and this is a competition which must have full fixture symmetry and integrity. This is regarded by the players as more important than creating space in the schedule to allow our teams to compete in the Champions League, and this in turn is a higher priority than achieving further reductions in the amount of cricket played in the domestic season.”We cannot support changes to our premier competition which are made to allow more room in the schedule for the other competitions … We would further argue that the financial benefits claimed are (a) unproven, and (b) relatively small compared with the cricketing and commercial imperative of sustaining England’s position as No. 1 Test playing nation.”As many as 91% of players regarded the Championship, often derided for its low crowds, as the most important tournament, with a similar number (87%) placing the Friends Life t20 as the second-most important competition. CB40 came a distant third, with the PCA calling for a “fundamental review” of how much 40 or 50-over cricket is played by the counties.The players’ views, which preliminary soundings conducted by ESPNcricinfo also suggest are shared by the bulk of spectators, place further pressure on the ECB to accept that the Morgan Report’s solutions to the game’s ills are not supported either by those who play or watch.The exhaustive review, conducted by David Morgan, a former ECB chairman, was shelved by the ECB in March as the board decided instead to conduct further research throughout the 2012 season into the future of professional cricket in England.Growing opposition to Morgan’s recommendations, which included a reduction in Championship matches from 16 to 14, a return to 50-over cricket and 14 T20 matches, left the ECB board unable immediately to adopt a report that many senior officials still want to see become reality.Morgan’s proposal to play T20 cricket across much of the summer, on nights preferred by individual counties, was opposed by 77% of players polled who wanted the group stages to be played in a single block.The PCA research was carried out online and involved 277 registered professionals, with a response rate of approximately 70%.

With two of England’s favourite venues to come it will be a tough task for West Indies to keep the series alive

The Preview Andrew McGlashan24-May-2012

Match Facts

May 25-29, Trent Bridge
Start time 11.00 (1000GMT)Tight call: Steven Finn is desperate to regain his Test place but may not squeeze out Tim Bresnan•PA Photos

The Big Picture

England were forced to work hard for their victory at Lord’s but ultimately had too much depth for West Indies. The visitors showed the resourcefulness they displayed against Australia – especially on the fourth day with the bat – but too many familiar failings emerged at crucial times to allow England to wrestle back control.It may have been West Indies’ best chance because now England have got a foothold in the series. With two of England’s favourite venues to come it will be a tough task to keep the series alive. Trent Bridge offers help for swing bowling – even now the sun has emerged after a cold, damp start to the season- which will provide another examination of West Indies’ top order, the area that remains their weakest link.England, though, are on message that they cannot lose focus. Kemar Roach gave them a fright in the run chase while Shivnarine Chanderpaul was only dismissed after 425 deliveries at the crease. West Indies were not the pushovers of 2009 by a long way and the contest was all the better for it.Inevitably, however, when West Indies are playing, it is off the field issues that continue to take the headlines. Chris Gayle is a constant source of questions but certainly will not be here for this Test at least. Then there are the slightly differing issues surrounding Ramnaresh Sarwan and Jerome Taylor. Meanwhile the captain Darren Sammy is again under pressure to justify his place in the side. Given all the distractions it is commendable that West Indies are being competitive.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
England WWLLL
West Indies LLDLD

Watch out for…

Kevin Pietersen had a quiet match at Lord’s but that is not the same as being out of the news. He has been fined for his Twitter remarks about Nick Knight, and during the net session on Thursday was giving the ball a fearful smack. A frustrated Pietersen can be dangerous if he can channel his feelings into motivation. If he scores a hundred it is just a shame Knight is not on the commentary roster for this Test to interview him afterwards.He is not confirmed in the team, but Shane Shillingford‘s absence was keenly felt at Lord’s and he is pushing hard for a recall. One of the by-products of his omission was West Indies’ awful over-rate which cost them financially and he is also a bowler who can provide control for Sammy. England have struggled against spin in recent times – albeit away from home – so it is surely worth a punt from West Indies.

Team news

As at Lord’s, England’s only decision revolves around the third quick bowler. Tim Bresnan now has 12 wins in 12 (and last year he hit 90, then took 5 for 48 against India at Trent Bridge) but had a limited impact at Lord’s with one wicket and duck although, for long periods, did an important holding role with the ball. The question remains: Could Steven Finn do the same job and also provide an additional cutting edge? Finn is frustrated at being on the sidelines. He may have a bit more time there yet.England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 James AndersonWest Indies will need to make one enforced change to their bowling attack after Shannon Gabriel was ruled out of the tour. Sadly, from an entertainment point of view, that is likely to mean a recall for Ravi Rampaul, who has now recovered from his neck problem, rather than Tino Best who has recently arrived from the Caribbean. They will also give serious consideration to playing Shillingford and he could replace Fidel Edwards after a disappointing display at Lord’s.West Indies (probable) 1 Adrian Barath, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Kirk Edwards, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Marlon Samuels, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Shane Shillingford

Pitch and conditions

Typically in the UK the first sign of warm weather has made front-page news and it is expected to last throughout the Test. It could offer the batsmen a chance to prosper although Trent Bridge is rarely flat even in the best of conditions.

Stats and trivia

• West Indies have never lost a Test at Trent Bridge. However, they have not played there since 1995 when Mike Watkinson helped save the match for England
• England have won their last three Tests at the ground and by huge margins: 319 runs against India, 354 runs against Pakistan, and an innings and nine runs against New Zealand. There has not been a draw since 2002 against India.
• This will be the last Test for the old, traditional-style, scoreboard at Trent Bridge which is due to be replaced by another electronic version.
• James Anderson is back on a happy hunting ground where he has taken 33 wickets at 17.45 in five Test, while last year Stuart Broad claimed a hat-trick against India.

Quotes

“It’s all about keeping our feet on the ground and making sure we’re willing to do the hard graft necessary to get on top of the side ahead.”
Andrew Strauss will ensure England do not get carried away“There is a good chance that Shillingford might play in this Test match. Ravi is fit for us again. He has been the guy taking wickets with the new ball, so probably we would go back to two hard fast bowlers and myself, and a spinner.”

Gloucestershire have appointed Hamish Marshall to captain their T20 side, in place of Alex Gidman – their captain in all formats since 2009.

Alex Winter11-Jun-2012Gloucestershire have appointed Hamish Marshall to captain their Friends Life t20 side, in place of Alex Gidman – their captain in all formats since 2009.Marshall, the former New Zealand batsman, has scored 1,669 T20 runs in 72 innings and he also played three T20s for New Zealand before sacrificing his international career in 2007.John Bracewell, Gloucestershire director of cricket, said: “Having Hamish at the helm will allow Alex Gidman an opportunity, in what has been an exceptionally busy start to the season, to freshen up and for the team to hear a new voice during this time.”Gidman has been Gloucestershire captain since taking over from Jon Lewis. He is closing in on 1,000 T20 runs but his side have failed to make any impression on the competition since reaching Finals Day for the second time in 2007 when they lost to Kent in the final at Edgbaston.Gloucestershire’s other appearance at Finals Day came at Trent Bridge in the inaugural year of T20 in 2003 where they lost to eventual winners Surrey in the semi-final: Gidman’s 61 could not get his side home as they fell five runs short.They also lost to Surrey in 2006 – the only other occasion where they have progressed out of the group stage – in a quarter-final at Bristol. They open their 2012 campaign against Somerset at Bristol on Thursday.Their overseas player is former Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan but Kevin O’Brien, Gloucestershire’s second overseas player from last season, has signed for Somerset.O’Brien scored a 44-ball hundred in Gloucestershire’s world-record domestic T20 score against Middlesex at last season, an innings where Marshall also scored a century from 53-balls. It was the first T20 innings in which two players have scored a century.

Rahul Sharma, the India legspinner, and Wayne Parnell, the South Africa fast bowler, have reportedly tested positive for recreational drugs

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jul-2012The Mumbai police have reportedly confirmed that Rahul Sharma, the India legspinner, and Wayne Parnell, the South Africa fast bowler, tested positive for recreational drugs after being detained by the police after a raid on a party in Mumbai in May. The BCCI said it would wait for all the details before taking any action against Rahul, who was among the 90 people arrested.Rahul is currently in Sri Lanka with the India team for their limited-overs series, while Parnell is in Zimbabwe as part of the South Africa A squad for a tri-series.The BCCI president N Srinivasan said there would be no hasty decision. “I don’t know why everyone is in a mood to execute Rahul Sharma without even going into the details,” Srinivasan told PTI. “The BCCI will first procure each and every bit of relevant information and then study them before deciding on the course of action.”Cricket South Africa said it was still waiting for news. “We have not heard anything from officials in India and we cannot comment until then,” Mohammed Moosajee, South Africa team manager, said.The Indian team management in Sri Lanka said they were waiting for an update from the Indian board. “We have not received any communication from BCCI,” the team’s media manager Ravi Jain said. “So it would not be proper for me to comment anything on this at this stage.”After being detained by the police in May, both cricketers had insisted that they had not taken any drugs. Parnell had said he was “in the wrong place, at the wrong time” while Rahul said he would quit cricket if found guilty.Sourav Ganguly, captain of the Pune Warriors IPL franchise, which employs the two players, and the head of the BCCI’s technical committee, said the punishment shouldn’t be too harsh. “I don’t think it was a performance-enhancing drug for which he (Rahul) should be punished,” Ganguly said. “I think it was of those strange incidents, one unfortunate incident that should not cost him his India place.”He should be punished for little bit of time but I don’t think it’s such a grave issue that he should be banned from playing for India. The BCCI needs to counsel him.”Rahul, 25, has played three ODIs and two Twenty20 matches for India. Parnell is three years younger but has greater international experience – three Tests, 22 ODIs and 15 Twenty20 matches.

20-Aug-2012
ScorecardNed Eckersley gave Leicestershire a good chance of dodging an unwanted double of failure by smashing an unbeaten 72 from 44 balls to snatch an unlikely Clydesdale Bank 40 victory over Worcestershire at New Road.With 92 wanted from the last 10 overs, the 23-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman transformed the game by clubbing seven sixes and two fours to see his side home by two wickets with an over to spare.The victory took Leicestershire off the bottom of Group A, moving them a point above Worcestershire with one game to play, and gave them hope of avoiding a last-placed finish in both the CB40 and County Championship Division One, where they are currently 11 points adrift.The race to beat Worcestershire’s 223 for 9 seemed to be going against them when Leicestershire skipper Josh Cobb was bowled for 51, the second of two wickets in four balls from Daryl Mitchell.This followed a valuable spell of two for 35 by leg-spinner Brett D’Oliveira as the visitors slumped to 107 for 6, but Eckersley suddenly wound up for a spectacular display of hitting.One by one he took Worcestershire’s bowlers apart, racing to his first limited-overs fifty from 29 balls in a seventh-wicket stand of 87 in 9.1 overs with Wayne White.White was lbw to Jack Shantry for 22 but James Sykes (12 not out) kept his nerve with Eckersley and nudged the winning single in a shattering penultimate over for Nick Harrison.The young paceman delivered two no-balls, one of which was driven into the press box window, while conceding the last 20 runs.After losing the toss and being put into bat, Worcestershire openers Moeen Ali (30) and Vikram Solanki (41) gave their side a brisk start with 67 on the board before Eckersley held a brilliant catch to his left to remove Moeen.Phil Hughes made only nine before finding mid-wicket off Sykes, the left-arm spinner who finished with two for 18 when Eckersley held another catch from Mitchell (five).Solanki helped his side into three figures before White claimed his second wicket when Worcestershire’s former captain, soon to depart for Surrey, failed to clear Nathan Buck at deep square leg.Neil Pinner, who scored a career-best 82 against Lancashire, lifted the scoring rate with 31 until Buck took wickets in each of his last three overs.It might have been even better for Leicestershire but for Gareth Andrew’s 28 from 21 balls.

Kumar Sangakkara has won three awards, including the prestigious Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer of the Year at the annual ICC awards ceremony in Colombo

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Sep-2012Kumar Sangakkara has won three awards, including the prestigious Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer of the Year at the annual ICC awards ceremony in Colombo. Sangakkara also won the People’s Choice prize, an honour he had received last year as well.For Cricketer and Test Cricketer of the Year, Sangakkara was chosen ahead of South Africa’s Hashim Amla and Vernon Philander, and Australia captain Michael Clarke.He was prolific in both Tests and ODIs during the 12-month voting period ending in early August: in 14 Tests, he compiled 1,444 runs at an average of 60.16, including five centuries and five half-centuries, highlighted by a match-saving 211 against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi; in 37 ODIs, he scored 1457 runs with three hundreds, and also completed 39 catches and three stumpings as a wicketkeeper.”This is an amazing honour and I’ve seen the people who have won it before me and the nominees too, to be named alongside them is wonderful,” Sangakkara said after receiving the Sir Garfield Sobers trophy for Cricketer of the Year from ICC president Alan Isaac. “I admire them greatly and even more so when I looked up at their records on the screen this evening. It’s great to be amongst them. Now to receive this honour this evening, is simply fantastic.”Previous winners of the Cricketer of the Year award include Rahul Dravid (2004), Andrew Flintoff and Jacques Kallis (joint winners in 2005), Ricky Ponting (2006 and 2007), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (2008), Mitchell Johnson (2009), Sachin Tendulkar (2010) and Jonathan Trott (2011).West Indies legend Brian Lara presented Sangakkara with the Test Cricketer award. “I’m continuing to ensure I am consistent and I need to keep raising the bar each year and keep trying harder and harder to ensure I keep playing good Test cricket,” Sangakkara said. “It’s a constant battle but I have the support of a great team that helps me to do the best I can.”Sangakkara missed out, though, on a third major gong when Virat Kohli was named ODI Cricketer of the Year, an award Sangakkara had won in 2011. During the period under consideration, Kohli played 31 ODIs and scored 1733 runs at an average of 66.65, including eight hundreds and six half-centuries.Among the other winners was West Indies offspinner Sunil Narine, who was named Emerging Cricketer of the Year. His hard-to-read variations quickly led to him being labelled a mystery spinner, and he was instrumental in West Indies’ series wins over New Zealand in all three formats in July-August.Another mystery spinner, Ajantha Mendis, missed out on Twenty20 Performance of the Year, which was won by South Africa opener Richard Levi, for his record-breaking 45-ball century against New Zealand.New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori received the Spirit of Cricket Award for his sporting recall of a Zimbabwe batsman during a tense Test in Bulawayo.Ireland left-arm-spinner George Dockrell took home the Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year prize, becoming the second Irishman to win the award after William Porterfield in 2009.Women’s cricket had two prizes for the first time, with the ICC awarding the ODI Cricketer and T20I Cricketer of the Year, instead of awarding a single honour. Last year’s winner West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor won the ODI gong, while England’s Sarah Taylor took the T20 award.Besides Sangakkara’s three prizes, Sri Lanka won one more: umpire Kumar Dharmasena took the Umpire of the Year award. That ended a three-year winning run for Aleem Dar and left Pakistan, already unhappy at offspinner Saeed Ajmal’s exclusion from two top award shortlists, without a prize on the day.

The Irani Cup fixture has been moved from Jaipur after the BCCI grounds and pitches committee chairman reported the conditions “unplayable” upon inspection

Nagraj Gollapudi08-Sep-2012The Irani Cup fixture has been moved from Jaipur after the BCCI grounds and pitches committee chairman reported the conditions “unplayable” upon inspection. Venkat Sundaram, the committee chairman, visited the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday and found the venue unsuitable for the September 21 domestic season opening clash between defending champions Rajasthan and Rest of India, despite desperate measure being put by the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA).”Because of heavy rains the playing conditions are not likely to improve,” Sanjay Jagdale, BCCI secretary, told ESPNcricinfo. “Venkat Sundaram inspected the outfield and the wicket today and felt it would not be playable in the short period. We are now in the process of finding an alternate venue.”Sundaram, who inspected the ground for about an hour in the morning, was “concerned” about the pitch, which he felt was in no condition to stage the match. “The outfield could be improved. But he [Sundaram] felt it would be difficult to prepare the pitch in time – it needs top dressing which would mean at least four to six weeks of work,” an RCA official said.”There is lot of water on and around the pitch still due to the rains. There was also fungus on the grass as the ground was locked for two months,” the official said.Sundaram advised the groundsman and the RCA officials, including secretary KK Sharma, to take necessary measures to make the ground match fit for the rest of the season.The news would come as a setback for the RCA, which had been embroiled in a stalemate with the Rajasthan Sports Council (owners of the ground) since July and had been allowed entry to the ground only earlier this week. Despite not having access to the ground for two months, Taposh Chatterjee, the head groundsman at the RCA, was confident about getting the ground ready for the match. However, the inclement weather posed a threat to the preparation. “The biggest challenge would be the weather. Otherwise we are confident to get the ground ready in a couple of weeks,” an RCA official had said on Tuesday.

The BCCI remains firm in its demand of what it calls “realistic costs” of providing space and access for independent TV and radio commentary teams to cover England’s tour of India

Sharda Ugra25-Oct-2012The BCCI remains firm in its demand of what it calls “realistic costs” of providing space and access for independent TV and radio commentary teams from Sky TV and BBC’s Test Match Special to cover England’s tour of India which is due to begin in early November.Officials have refused to make a statement on the matter but ESPNcricinfo understands that the BCCI has not signed any rights deals or contract with either Sky or TMS. The dispute of the amounts mentioned – £500,000 (US$806,000) for Sky and £50,000 (US$80,000) for BBC – has arisen because, for the first time, the BCCI holds production rights for the coverage of Indian cricket.Sky and BBC have signed sub-licencee agreements with Star TV which is the owner of “global media rights” of Indian cricket which will give them access to the world feed. As Star is not in charge of production, the arrangements to set up independent commentary teams and provide access to commentary boxes and independent studios must be made between sub-licencees and the production house, in this case the BCCI.A BCCI official, preferring anonymity, said: “It is not as if they have only asked for a commentary box. They have demanded a full control room, just like the one our host broadcaster has at every venue. If you have to create an additional space of 2000 sq ft, fully air-conditioned, it will bear a lot of cost. And neither the BCCI nor any of our affiliated units who would be hosting the match would bear the additional cost.”In the past, the TV channel that owned the rights, usually also controlled production. During tours by visiting teams, the cost of providing access and facilities to commentary teams from overseas was worked out between the production house and the foreign media channels. The “access fees” were worked out through mutual relationships between the broadcast and production companies. Costs have often been waived and even if the extent of the support required was substantial, the fees were arrived at following mutually-agreeable discussions.With the BCCI owning production rights to all cricket out of India, the visiting broadcast companies must independently negotiate costs over and above what it has paid the rights owners for sub-licences. Just after Star won its global media rights, a joint ESPNStar production team had made a pitch for production rights of cricket in India but had not won the contract.BCCI is not the only cricket board that owns production rights: Cricket South Africa’s global rights are sold to SuperSport but it keeps production under its own control. Under CSA’s terms, the Board has the final say on its commentary team for its home audience while IMG takes care of some of camera crew and graphics and also sorts out the agreements between independent visiting commentary teams.The fees being asked for by the BCCI from Sky and BBC for production costs have led the visiting broadcasters to suggest they may decide to provide independent commentary from their UK headquarters off a television set rather than live action at the venue.

Selection panel support for Ricky Ponting’s place in the Australian Test team remains unanimous despite his failures in the series against South Africa

Daniel Brettig27-Nov-2012Selection panel support for Ricky Ponting’s place in the Australian Test team remains unanimous, and the coach Mickey Arthur has stated emphatically that the former captain is still a much-needed component in plans for next year’s Ashes series.In a staunch defence of Ponting, Arthur said there had been no discussion about his place in the team in the selection meeting to choose an extended squad for the third Test against South Africa in Perth, and that the panel’s eyes were still on Ponting’s usefulness over the next six months, leading into the first of two back-to-back bouts with England.”All I know is inside that dressing room, and privately, we’ve all backed Ricky Ponting,” Arthur said. “If Ricky’s scoring runs, we certainly want Ricky Ponting around for the next six months. We want Ricky Ponting to go to the Ashes, there’s no doubt about that. Like any batsman, though, you’ve got to keep scoring runs, and that’s by Ricky’s own admission. I’m 100% sure and confident Ricky will come through in Perth.”We’re hoping, we back Ricky, we unanimously back Ricky Ponting to get us some runs. By his own admission Perth is a big test for him … but Ricky’s prepared brilliantly, he’s really given us everything we can possibly ask for.”Ponting, who has been named captain of the Prime Minister’s XI to play West Indies in Canberra on January 29, had said he expected to discuss his future with the selectors ahead of the Perth Test, given a poor run of scores in this series despite entering it as the highest run-scorer in the Sheffield Shield. Ponting seemed bothered by the manner of his dismissals as much as his low scores, possibly intuiting the signs that his famously decisive batting had lost a small but critical measure of sharpness at international level.Former captain Ian Chappell, still an influential figure in Australian cricket and close to the selector Rod Marsh in particular, believes Perth should be the final stop in Ponting’s career, allowing a younger batsman, likely to be Phillip Hughes or Usman Khawaja, to re-establish themselves in the team against Sri Lanka, ahead of assignments in India and England.”I think the selectors should say to Ricky Ponting, ‘Mate we’re happy to give you a fond farewell in Perth, but you’ve got to announce your retirement before the game’, for the obvious reason that the selectors could get badly embarrassed if he goes well,” Chappell told ESPNcricinfo. “But if you do it that way it then gives the selectors the opportunity to play a couple of the younger players.”You’ve got Hughes making some runs, Khawaja now starting to make some runs. They come in against Sri Lanka, and as a selector what you’re trying to do is give young players the best possible chance to succeed, so I think that would be the ideal thing for Australian cricket – to finish it off in Perth.”Rob Quiney’s exit from the squad for the third Test may mean a swift end to his fleeting moment on the international circuit. Arthur said Quiney remained a part of the selectors’ wider plans, but significantly mentioned Hughes and Khawaja as the next men in line, based on the form they have displayed in domestic matches this season.”Rob Quiney knocked the door down and got selected on the form he showed throughout our local domestic competition and that’s the way we as a panel always want to go,” Arthur said. “You’ve got to reward good domestic cricket form. I had a quick chat to Rob, he’s been simply outstanding with everything he’s done since he’s arrived in our group.”Obviously he didn’t get the runs he wanted but for everything else he’s been outstanding. The message to him is keep knocking the door down because you never know what’s around the corner and if he keeps his name up in lights he’ll certainly get another crack at some stage.”At this stage Quiney is right up there and I guess you can’t look past Phillip Hughes, and Usman Khawaja is making a really good case as well. We’ve got some young players who have a taste of international cricket and when called up, or when needed, ready to step into the breach.”