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Christian Pulisic made his mark with a goal and an assist off the bench, but it wasn't enough to save Milan in a 4-2 loss to Monza.

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Pulisic scores equalizing goalUSMNT star sets up Giroud as wellMilan throw it away lateWHAT HAPPENED?

With both Pulisic and Yunus Musah left out the XI, Milan dug themselves quite a hole, conceding twice in the first half against midtable Monza.

Both goals came just before halftime, with Matteo Pessina opening the scoring in the 45th minute from the spot. Dany Mota doubled that lead in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time, giving Monza a 2-0 advantage heading into the break.

It got no better for Milan in the opening moments of the second half. Luka Jovic was dismissed with a straight red card in the 52nd minute, leaving Milan with it all to do and down a man.

Milan, though, did fight back. Having subbed in several stars at halftime, Milan broke through with a goal from Olivier Giroud. The Frenchman was thrown into the fray alongside Pulisic and Rafael Leao, and it was the American's flicked-on assist that teed up the Frenchman to make it 2-1.

Pulisic, then, leveled the match late on, scoring a stunning goal in the 88th minute. His fantastic finish to the back post seemingly earned Milan a split of the points. It wasn't to be, though.

Monza struck back to reclaim all three points, netting the game-winner in the 90th minute. Warren Bondo provided the finish to reclaim the lead before on-loan striker Lorenzo Colombo added another to add insult to injury as Monza stunned Milan in a 4-2 win.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

With the loss, Milan joins Juventus in dropping points this weekend. As a result, the title has been all but handed to Inter, who have opened up a massive lead atop Serie A. As things stand, Inter have a nine-point lead on second-place Juve and an 11-point lead on their local rivals Milan. And, to make matters worse, Inter have a game in hand on both of them as we head into the final third of the Serie A season.

Getty ImagesUSMNT IMPACT

Pulisic more than made his mark off the bench, but Milan were unable to coast in a match that saw Stefano Pioli rotate the team. That was done, no doubt, due to the club's Europa League schedule, as Milan topped Rennes 3-0 on Thursday in the first leg of their tie with another match in France set for Thursday.

As a result, there's no need to read into Pulisic's benching, as he was sat alongside fellow starters Olivier Giroud and Rafael Leao. Pulisic's goal and assist, though, will be a huge positive for a player whose form has taken a slight dip in recent weeks. The left-foot finish to make it 2-2, in particular, was fantastic, as Pulisic placed his shot to the far post to score what should have been the final goal of the game.

Pulisic had largely been held quiet in recent weeks as a resurgent Leao led the charge in attack. This performance will give the American a bit of a lift, even if it didn't lead to the three points Milan desperately needed in this title race.

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Getty ImagesGOAL'S RATINGS

Christian Pulisic (9/10):

Came on in the second half and made a big impact, starting with his flicked-on header to Giroud. That was just the start, though, as Pulisic went on to score a superb goal to single-handedly drag Milan back into it.

Yunus Musah (6/10):

Went all 90 minutes against Rennes on Thursday, so no need to worry about him not getting thrown into this one until very, very late. Once on, he didn't get to do too much.

Zimbabwe Cricket has confirmed the upcoming tour to Pakistan against the advice of the country’s Sports and Recreation Commission

Firdose Moonda17-May-20154:18

Raja: Need to applaud Zimbabwe Cricket’s effort

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has confirmed the upcoming tour to Pakistan against the advice of the country’s Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC). The board’s final decision comes after three days of debate, which began on Thursday when ZC issued a press release suspending the tour and 20 minutes later sent an email retracting it. In the interim, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had told journalists that ZC had been in contact with it and had reassured that the tour would take place as scheduled.The ICC, meanwhile, has decided not to appoint its match officials for the series after receiving a report from its security consultant. It had already made provision for the PCB to use its own umpires and match referees in such a case.ESPNcricinfo understands that Zimbabwe’s players were made to sign indemnity forms after their country’s foreign affairs ministry advised that a visit to Pakistan would not be safe. As a result, the SRC would not give permission for the tour to take place unless the players were going of their own accord, as the forms now state.Aleem Dar, Tiffin among officials for series

With the ICC refusing to send its own officials for the tour, the Pakistan Cricket Board released its list of match officials for the two T20 internationals and three ODIs. The list includes Aleem Dar, who is a part of the ICC’s Elite Panel, will officiate in the first ODI, while Zimbabwe umpire Russell Tiffin will be an on-field umpire for all three ODIs. The other officiating umpires are Ahsan Raza, Shozab Raza, Ahmed Shahab and Khalid Mahmood. Azhar Khan has been named match referee for all games.
Ahsan Raza was injured during the terror attacks on the Sri Lanka team in 2009, and had to undergo surgery to repair a collapsed lung and a damaged liver.

Several players were hesitant to make the trip, with a few even considering pulling out, but concerns over the impact that would have on the future of their careers forced them to change their minds. All 16 squad members, which includes six returnees and one new cap, have agreed to travel to Pakistan for the two T20 and three ODI series which begins on May 22.The visit makes Zimbabwe the first Test-playing nation to tour Pakistan since 2009, when an attack on the Sri Lankan team bus resulted in the suspension of international cricket from Pakistan. Afghanistan and Kenya have both toured Pakistan in that time, without incident.Zimbabwe have been promised VIP security which includes armed guards, an armed vehicle escort and helicopter monitoring of their travel in Lahore, the only city they will visit. An advance delegation of ZC officials visited Pakistan in the first week of May for a thorough explanation of the measures that had been put in place to protect the players and were satisfied with what they were shown.Despite that, the international player body FICA said their security report revealed that the risks of touring Pakistan were “unmanageable.”The series will be Zimbabwe’s first post the 2015 World Cup and first without Brendan Taylor in seven years.

GOAL looks at how various talents from the continent performed in their club’s engagements just after the international break

Getty.Review of Africans in Europe

Whereas Kelechi Iheanacho helped Leicester City pick up a point at Old Trafford against Manchester United, his counterpart Alex Iwobi’s lack of concentration denied Everton a point against West Ham.

AdvertisementGettyToo Good: Kelechi Iheanacho

The Nigerian was on the scoresheet as Leicester City drew 1-1 against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Iheanacho scored the first goal of the game in the 63rd minute before it was cancelled out by Fred's strike three minutes later.

This was his 36th Premier League goal, with only four other Nigerian players managing more (Yakubu 95, Nwankwo Kanu 54, Efan Ekoku 52, and Shola Ameobi 43).

GettyToo Bad: Edouard Mendy

Mendy was in goal as Chelsea suffered a 4-1 defeat to Brentford at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have now conceded four or more goals in the Premier League at home to a newly-promoted side for just the second time – also 2-5 against West Brom in April 2021 – both occasions under Thomas Tuchel.

It was also the second time that Chelsea have lost by three or more goals in a Premier League London derby at Stamford Bridge, after a 0-3 defeat to Arsenal in April 1997.

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Getty ImagesToo Good: Sebastien Haller

The Ivorian forward was involved as Ajax defeated Groningen 3-1 to maintain a four-point gap at the top of the Eredivisie table.

However, Haller was substituted in the 71st minute for Adjei Brobbey as his side won by a comfortable margin.

USWNT midfielder Sam Coffey has explained why she wore Becky Sauerbrunn's No. 4 jersey for her team's 2-1 friendly win over China.

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USWNT beat China in friendlyCoffey takes over No. 4 shirtScored in victory for hostsWHAT HAPPENED?

The USWNT came from behind to beat China 2-1 in a friendly in Texas. Coffey, who took over Sauerbrunn's No. 4 shirt for the game, curled home a fine equaliser to net her first international goal for the Stars and Stripes. Jaedyn Shaw then followed up with the winner on her first-ever USWNT start to make it a good night for Twila Kilgore's side.

AdvertisementTHE EXPLANATION

There was no Sauerbrunn in the USWNT squad for the game, with the veteran defender missing out alongside other big names such as Alex Morgan, Alyssa Naeher, and Crystal Dunn. Interim coach Kilgore instead went for a youthful roster for the two friendlies with China. The absences allowed Coffey to take on the No. 4 shirt, although she also admitted after the game she had asked the long-time captain for permission.

GettyWHAT COFFEY SAID

Coffey told : "I would never pick it without addressing Rebecca! So I reached out to her and I was like, ‘Hey, would you mind if I wore this? I’d love to just honor you and channel your energy. Obviously, Becky is my teammate, but she's also a hero of mine and someone I look up to. I told her after the game, ‘This means that you scored an international goal.’ And she was like, ‘Oh, is that how it works?’"

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DID YOU KNOW?

Coffey is the fifth different player to score her first USWNT goal in 2023. The last year more players scored their first goal was in 2013 (6).

Luis Enrique apparently “doesn’t like Kylian Mbappe”, with the PSG boss accused of displaying an “oversized ego” when it comes to the star forward.

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World Cup winner subbed in last Ligue 1 appearanceQuestions asked of manager's approachSummer move to Spain labelled a "win-win"Getty/GOALWHAT HAPPENED?

Paris Saint-Germain are having to come to terms with the fact that World Cup winner Mbappe may not be on their books for much longer, with the France international seemingly poised to link up with Real Madrid when hitting free agency this summer.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

With that in mind, Enrique took to substituting Mbappe in the 65th minute of PSG’s latest Ligue 1 fixture – despite his side trailing 1-0 to Rennes at the time. That decision has been questioned by many, and Mbappe has now been told that a switch to Spain is quickly becoming “a win-win”.

GettyWHAT DUGARRY SAID ABOUT MBAPPE

That is the opinion of 1998 World Cup winner Christophe Dugarry, who has told : “I think Luis Enrique doesn’t like Kylian Mbappe. He doesn’t like the way he plays and his attitude. Is it because Luis Enrique has an oversized ego and wants to be the star, or because he has a certain Spanish vision of football? I don’t know anything about it. But I think he doesn’t like Kylian Mbappe. Did he hide it well? He has no choice. One time, he put him on the right, one time on the left, a shot in front. There have always been little sentences…Afterwards, Kylian Mbappe can tell him: ‘You take me out, but I’m going to show you that I’m the strongest and that I’m going to make you win because I want to finish well’, and Luis Enrique also has the right to shake him up a little because Kylian Mbappe’s performances are largely insufficient. So, I think it can be a win-win.”

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WHAT NEXT FOR MBAPPE?

Mbappe, who is PSG’s all-time leading scorer, has 32 goals to his name through as many appearances this season. He is helping to keep his current employers in the hunt for another Ligue 1 title and potential shot at Champions League glory.

The Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers kept their home run going, stopping Mumbai Indians just short of 130 on a slow pitch which the visiting batsmen could never get going on, despite losing only four wickets

The Report by Abhishek Purohit01-May-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIshant Sharma’s spell of 2 for 15 kept Mumbai Indians to a low score•BCCIThis was a clash between the IPL’s most powerful line-up and its most effective attack. Here was a line-up that had had just one failure in nine games. Here was an attack that was still to concede more than 130 at home. The Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers kept their home run going, stopping Mumbai Indians just short of 130 on a slow pitch which the visiting batsmen could never get going on, despite losing only four wickets. Shikhar Dhawan guided the chase single-handedly, peppering both square boundaries as he motored to his second fifty in three innings.Apart from the pitch and the home attack, what went against Mumbai Indians was that they lost their four wickets in groups of two each, sucking out whatever momentum they had managed to build on both occasions. The first time it happened, a start of 32 in 4.2 overs was squandered. The second time, two batsmen, Dwayne Smith and Rohit Sharma, who had spent enough time in the middle to have assessed the wicket, fell in the same over.It was Ishant Sharma who began Sunrisers’ dominance. Sachin Tendulkar had whipped and lofted Dale Steyn for successive fours but Ishant’s short of a good length stuff was to prove difficult to time. Tendulkar backed away and missed one that nipped in from that length. Two balls later, the in-form Dinesh Karthik reached for one that wasn’t quite there for the drive, and sliced it to backward point.As he usually does, Dwayne Smith took his time in the Powerplay but unlike normally, he found the runs weren’t coming even during the middle overs. Ishant was bowling a superb line and length, and the two legspinners, Amit Mishra and Karan Sharma, were getting grip and turn.Smith was dropped by Ishant at long-off in Mishra’s second over but got a poor decision in the bowler’s next, given out lbw after gloving an attempted sweep onto the pads. Four balls later, Rohit mishit in front of long-off and this time, Ishant made no mistake.Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard had seven overs to go, and managed to last till the end, but as evidence of how accurate the Sunrisers bowlers were, the partnership went over run a ball only twice in those overs.Steyn came back well after an expensive opening over, signing off with six full and low balls in his last over. Thisara Perera wasn’t far behind apart from the 20th over that went for 16, finding swing on his full deliveries.Mumbai Indians don’t have a bad attack at all, but Dhawan is not in bad form either after Test debut against Australia. A chase of 130 could easily have got close – Sunrisers defended 126 here against Pune Warriors – but Dhawan was in a different mood.Pragyan Ojha created some pressure, giving just 18 in four overs, but Sunrisers broke away in the 12th over as Rohit tried Smith. Dhawan and Hanuma Vihari took 15 off Smith’s mediums. Dhawan bossed the attack after that, cutting, pulling and lofting over extra cover at will to end the game with a couple of overs left.

A more established cricket structure has helped Namibia reach the World Twenty20 qualifiers after finishing in the top two of the Africa Division One Twenty20 tournament

Firdose Moonda26-Jul-2011A more established cricket structure has helped Namibia reach the World Twenty20 qualifiers after finishing in the top two of the Africa Division One Twenty20 tournament. They last made international headlines when they qualified for the 2003 World Cup but are ready to get back on the biggest stage, with better organisation backing them this time.”The national team have a more professional approach towards the game,” Johan Rudolph, the Namibia coach, told ESPNcricinfo. “We have also been able to contract some players on a full-time basis.”Unlike many African Associates, Namibia have been able to invest money in the game. As part of the ICC’s High Performance Programme (HPP), they receive funding from world cricket’s governing body, but there is also a small contribution from the government, a larger sponsorship from cellular telephone company MTC and small donations from others.”We started in a garage which we used as an office and put into place a development program, financial budgets and administrative policies and procedures,” Laurie Pieters, chief executive of Cricket Namibia, said. “This has now grown so that we have a dedicated office with a chief executive, development manager, national cricket coach and 12 staff, including development co-ordinators and officers as well as a full-time ground curator with ground staff.”While the infrastructure has steadily got better, the cricket has yo-yoed between successful and disappointing. Namibia all but disappeared off the scene after the 2003 World Cup, where they failed to win a single match. Since then, they’ve taken small steps, first by qualifying for the Intercontinental Cup at the end of 2006, the HPP in 2007 and eventually playing in the final of the Intercontinental Cup against Ireland in the 2007-08 season.However, they have since dropped down to the World Cricket League Division Two and suffered a disappointing 2009 World Cup qualifier campaign, where they scraped through to the Super Eights and then finished last. Now, having been selected to play in the Intercontinental Cup again this year and with their success in the twenty-over version of the game, Namibia are aiming for a more steady progression, especially since their rebuilding phase is just about complete.”After the 2003 World Cup many of our players retired,” Pieters said. “However, we had a core group from which we could build another squad. Further to that there were promising Under-17 and Under-19 players who have graduated. We now have a settled squad, eight of whom have full-time contracts.” The likes of batsman Jan Berrie-Burger and allrounders Bjorn Kotze and Gerrie Snyman, who were in their early 20s during the 2003 World Cup, are now the senior players of the side. Youngsters such as Louis van der Westhuizen have come up the ranks from the Under-19s and are establishing themselves in the side.Together, that youth and experience combined almost flawlessly in the Twenty20 tournament in Kampala, where Namibia won eight matches before losing to Uganda in the final. Twenty-over cricket has been earmarked as the format in which smaller nations will be blooded in cricket. Despite that, only two slots have been made available for next year’s World Twent20 in Sri Lanka, and Rudolph thinks that all teams will “need to be on top of their game and be very lucky to qualify for this one.”He also does not want the country to focus on the shortest format only. “I don’t believe this is the only format for the Associates to be involved in. The longer version is where you learn the game and playing only T20 cricket can send the wrong message to the Associates,” Rudolph said.While matters off the field have improved, on the park Namibia still have a battle to fight when it comes to playing enough four-day cricket against quality opposition. “You can only practise so much and only play so much club cricket,” Rudolph said. “You need to create opportunities for teams to play against stronger opposition.” Namibia compete in South Africa’s amateur competition, which will become a semi-professional league from this season, exposing them to first-class cricket. They finished in last place in the competition in the 2010-11 season.

Middlesex are yet to lose a Championship game this year, while Glamorgan’s start to the season has been rather more mottled, but on the first day of their meeting at Lord’s it was the Welsh county that played by far the better cricket

Liam Brickhill at Lord's19-May-2011
ScorecardJames Harris rattled through Middlesex’s batsmen to claim 5 for 41•Getty ImagesMiddlesex are yet to lose a Championship game this year, while Glamorgan’s start to the season has been rather more mottled, but on the first day of their meeting at Lord’s it was the Welsh county that played by far the better cricket.James Harris, who already has 23 first-class wickets at an eye-catching average this summer, led the way with 5 for 41 as Middlesex folded for 150 after Neil Dexter had won the toss and opted to bat. Gareth Rees and William Bragg then both reached unbeaten half-centuries, putting on 102 for the second wicket to give Glamorgan full control as they passed Middlesex’s effort in the final over of the day with nine wickets in hand.Overlooked by the England Lions, Harris will nevertheless surely have made an impression on England Test captain Andrew Strauss, whom he trapped in front of his stumps in the seventh over of the morning to start Middlesex’s slide. Chris Rogers, whose first season of Championship cricket with Middlesex has started reasonably well with half-centuries against Gloucestershire and his former team-mates Derbyshire, then departed to the ball of the day – a brutal lifter that took off up the hill, kissed the shoulder of the bat, and landed safely in Mark Wallace’s gloves.In an opening spell from the Nursery End that also included the scalp of a flat-footed Scott Newman, Harris lopped the top off Middlesex’s batting line-up. After seven overs of bristling, energetic seam bowling, his wickets coming in the space of 10 electric deliveries, he had figures of 3 for 18. His efforts were enthusiastically cheered by a mob of several hundred schoolchildren, encamped in the Mound Stand, who shrieked their delight at every run and wicket, happily out of lessons and in the sunshine.Amid the constant din from the animated youngsters and the changeable weather Middlesex flopped spinelessly to 33 for 4, Graham Wagg quickly getting the better of Dawid Malan, before, in a partnership that had the potential to add greatly to the day’s narrative, Dexter and Jamie Dalrymple stopped the rot with some tenacious batting.Dexter may well have been motivated by the wish to compensate for his decision to bat first under grey skies, but it is Dalrymple who surely had the greater incentive to dig in and prove a point against the team from which he was so unceremoniously dumped during a tumultuous offseason for Glamorgan. His knock thus leant something of an undercurrent to proceedings, and after seeing the shine off the ball he and his captain took Middlesex to the relative safety of 74 for 4 at lunch.The interval belonged entirely to the children, who burst forth from the stands in a riotous explosion of reds, greens, yellows and blues to fill the outfield. Lost in the sea of colour and noise were the neon yellow vests of their teachers and minders, who were powerless to keep order amid the joyous mayhem. Not that there was anything mischievous in the youngsters’ behaviour. They did as they were told by the stewards, who gently ushered them away from the square whenever their cartwheeling, tumbling games strayed too close, and at the end of the break the various groups trooped off the ground with charming politeness, forming orderly lines and trundling slowly back to their places in the stands.Dexter’s attempt to break free in the second session resulted only in a regulation nick to slip and when Dalrymple, who had showed his strength on the leg side off the fast bowlers and quick feet against the spinners in moving into the 40s, thrust his hands out at a slanting delivery from Graham Wagg to be caught at third slip Middlesex were in serious strife at 123 for 6.Harris grabbed his fifth when a leg before appeal against John Simpson was upheld – a result perhaps a touch unfortunate for the batsman – and Middlesex’s end was swift in coming thereafter. By three o’clock the sun had burnt off most of the cloud and in the bright afternoon the strange alchemy of the morning session dissipated with the departure of the schoolchildren.The breeze dropped and as the sun baked some hardness into the pitch Glamorgan’s batsmen showed the value of patience and application against the new ball. Tim Murtagh’s opening spell was at times wildly erratic, while Corey Collymore was steady but unexceptional and it was left to Toby Roland-Jones to make the breakthrough. Alviro Petersen, who had looked classy on the drive but anonymous off the back foot, found himself in an awkward position as he went to pull, the top edge landing safely in Malan’s hands as the opening stand was broken one short of fifty.But that was Middlesex’s last joy of the day, as both Rees and Bragg proved far more judicious and watchful outside off stump than the left-handers in Middlesex’s top order had been, leaving a great many deliveries that they didn’t need to play at and waiting for the bad ball to put away. Bragg was particularly strong through cover point off the back foot, and soon caught up – and passed – Rees as they set about putting together the highest stand of the day.What chances there were went Glamorgan’s way – Rees, on 19 at the time, was missed by Dalrymple in the slips off Collymore – and in an extended evening session they assumed a grip on this game that will be supremely difficult for Middlesex to shake off. Much like the schoolchildren, who enjoyed every moment of a day out of the classroom, at the end of the day Harris and Glamorgan must have thought: Why can’t every day be like this?

In a low-scoring final, the new-ball pair of Sandeep Sharma and Rush Kalaria bowled India Under-19 to a thrilling five-run win over Sri Lanka Under-19 in Visakhapatnam

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2011In a low-scoring final, the new-ball pair of Sandeep Sharma and Rush Kalaria bowled India Under-19s to a thrilling five-run win over Sri Lanka Under-19s in Visakhapatnam. Sandeep and Kalaria took seven wickets for 57 runs between them as Sri Lanka were dismissed for 163 chasing India’s 168 despite Lahiru Madushanka following up his 4 for 17 with the ball with 63, the highest score of the game.Sandeep and Kalaria had run through the Sri Lanka top order, reducing the visitors to 27 for 5 in the ninth over. Madushanka came in at No. 7 and revived the chase with a 75-run partnership with Duleeka Thissakuttige. When Thissakuttige fell to the series’ leading wicket-taker B Aparajith for a slow 29, Madushanka found enough support from the lower order to take Sri Lanka within 19 runs of victory with three wickets in hand. Kalaria, however, brought India back, catching Madushanka off his own bowling in the 44th over. Amila Aponso was not giving up though and his patient 21 put Sri Lanka on the verge of a win. Sandeep had Aponso caught before bowling last man Dilshan Dhanushka first ball to end the Sri Lanka innings in the 47th over.India had earlier recovered from a top-order slump as well after being put in, with a 67-run sixth-wicket stand between Akshdeep Nath (55) and wicketkeeper Smit Patel (31) lifting them from 37 for 5. Nath was the eighth wicket to fall – like Madushanka – with the score on 146. What helped India in the end was that they managed to bat out their 50 overs while Sri Lanka were dismissed with 19 balls to spare. India won all their seven games in the tournament.In the third-place play-off, West Indies Under-19s hammered 365 before keeping Australia Under-19s 16 runs short. West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite set up the highest total of the tournament with his second century in seven matches. Brathwaite added 162 for the second wicket with Anthony Alleyne after John Campbell fell for a duck. Alleyne was more aggressive, hitting 12 fours and three sixes in his 90 off 77 deliveries. Brathwaite continued to anchor the innings after Alleyne fell in the 26th over and put on another 87 with Kavem Hodge. Hodge and wicketkeeper Sunil Ambris ensured West Indies would go well past 350 with frenetic fifties. Hodge’s 62 came off 37 balls while Ambris’ 50 took just 24. Though Alex Pyecroft and Shane Cassell took four wickets apiece, no Australia bowler went for less than a run a ball.Derone Davis struck with his first two deliveries in the second over to have Australia in trouble at 11 for 2. Australia were steadied by Cameron Bancroft (63) and Sam Truloff (39). William Bosisto joined Bancroft in the 12th over with the score on 87 and settled in to put Australia on course. Though wickets continued to fall at the other end, No. 9 Cassell joined Bosisto in an 88-run stand off 61 deliveries. Bosisto finally fell for 107 with the score on 297 in the 44th over but Cassell hustled his way to a fifty in 29 balls, keeping Australia in with a chance. His run-out in the 47th over effectively ended Australia’s chances. In a game where no bowler went for less than six an over, Davies finished with 3 for 30.

The question of scheduling a Twenty20 domestic tournament directly at odds with Australia’s Test preparations for the Australia-India Tests had Michael Hussey stumped

Alex Malcolm15-Dec-2011Michael Hussey has always been a diplomat. In school-yard terms you would describe him as the teacher’s pet, always sitting at the front of class, answering every question as perfectly as he can, eager to please, keen to say and do the right things. But the question of scheduling a Twenty20 domestic tournament directly at odds with Australia’s Test preparations for the Australia-India Tests had him stumped.”It’s a difficult one. I think . . . I think it’s err . . . I think, I don’t know what I think really.” Hussey said in a confused tone. He knew what he wanted to say. He just had to word it as carefully as he could.”I really want to be a part of the Test team,” Hussey said with clarity. “I love the traditional Test matches like the Boxing Day Test and the New Year’s Test. Obviously playing in my home Test match is really special as well. So, for me, that’s the No.1 priority.”With the amount of injuries that have been around the team in the last few months it does make you a little bit nervous that if you do have injuries to the Australian Test team, that we might be picking players that have only been playing Twenty20 cricket.”It is maybe a small concern. But from a Twenty20 point of view it is the ideal time to be playing the game with school holidays on and trying to get as many new kids down to the ground. And it’s important for us players to really engage with the young kids out there as well. It’s probably not ideal. But we’ve just got to live with it.”That was as controversial a comment as you could get from Hussey. You could tell in his own mind he was wrestling with the concept of promoting the game to a wider audience, whilst protecting the integrity of its traditional form.His Perth Scorcher team-mate Shaun Marsh is an example of an injured player possibly returning to the Test side through Twenty20 cricket.Marsh, still battling a bulging disc in his back, was hopeful he could play in a Big Bash League fixture for Perth, in Melbourne on December 22, in order to prove his fitness for the Boxing Day Test. Whether such an audition will be enough was another question.”I’m not too sure,” Marsh said. “I guess it would give me the confidence if I got through that game, that I could play in a Test match. Obviously Twenty20 is pretty quick and it would be nice to spend a bit of time out in the middle, but like I said, I’m not a selector, I’m not too sure what they’re thinking.”Switching from the shortest format to the longest version without any lead-in is not a new concept for Hussey. His sole preparation for Australia’s two-test Tour of India in 2010 was to participate for Chennai Super Kings in the Champions League in South Africa. Chennai’s success in that tournament forced Hussey into a more awkward situation than the present, which is a one-off outing for the Scorchers, against the Hobart Hurricanes at the WACA on Sunday, followed by the Boxing Day Test on December 26.”For me personally it’s only one game. We’ve had Test matches in Sri Lanka, South Africa, two Test matches against New Zealand so I think we’re still, pretty much, in Test mode. I don’t think one Twenty20 game will affect the preparation too much,” Hussey said.But he admitted it was not an easy task given his previous experiences.”I found it tough playing Test match cricket, a few years ago, and then going straight to a Twenty20 tournament. It took me a good couple of weeks to fully adapt to Twenty20 mode from Test match mode. So I guess I’m not expecting any miracles out here on Sunday. As I said, I’ll just go out there and enjoy it. If things go well, great, if not, I’m not going to lose any sleep over it.”