Aussies name their UK tour squads

Cricket Australia has named the T20 and One Day squad for the Australia tour of England and Australia A squad for a series against Sri Lanka A. Even though Micheal Clarke had a poor run in the T20 World Cup, CA has retained him as the T20 Captain.

Shaun Marsh makes an comeback to the One Day team after being ruled out of the New Zealand tour with injury. His younger brother, Mitchell Marsh too has been given a chance to play in the Australia A team.

But, Australian test squad has not yet been announced.

Australia team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris commented:

“Peter Siddle is recovering well from a lower back stress fracture sustained during the Australian summer. However it was felt that there was too big a risk for his to return for the tour of England and Ireland, particularly with the important 12 months coming up. Peter remains on target to return to the playing field at the start of the Australian domestic summer. Brett Lee is recovering from the elbow muscle injury that he picked before the ICC World Twenty20 and is yet to commence bowling.”

“Brett Lee is recovering from the elbow muscle injury that he picked before the ICC World Twenty20 and is yet to commence bowling.”

SQUADS

ODI squad Shane Watson, Shaun Marsh, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Cameron White, Brad Haddin, Steven Smith, James Hopes, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Ryan Harris, Clint McKay, Doug Bollinger.

Twenty20 squad Shane Watson, David Warner, Michael Clarke (capt), Cameron White, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin, Daniel Christian, Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Ryan Harris, Dirk Nannes, Shaun Tait.

Australia A four-day squad Ed Cowan, Usman Khawaja, Michael Klinger, George Bailey (capt), Peter Forrest, Andrew McDonald, Tim Paine, Mitchell Marsh, Steve O’Keefe, Ben Hilfenhaus, Josh Hazlewood, Peter George, Mitchell Starc.

Australia A one-day squad Tim Paine, Usman Khawaja, Adam Voges, George Bailey (capt), Travis Birt, Aaron Finch, Andrew McDonald, Mitchell Marsh, Xavier Doherty, Brendan Drew, James Pattinson, Jake Haberfield, Josh Hazlewood.

SCHEDULE

VB Tour of The British Isles
17 June Australia v Ireland, Clontarf, Dublin (One-Day International)
19 June Australia v Middlesex, Lord’s (One-Day Tour Match)
22 June Australia v England, Rose Bowl (One-Day International)
24 June Australia v England, Cardiff (One-Day International)
27 June Australia v England, Old Trafford (One-Day International)
30 June Australia v England, The Oval (One-Day International)
3 July Australia v England, Lord’s (One-Day International)

VB Pakistan Series
5 July Australia v Pakistan, Edgbaston (Twenty20 International)
6 July Australia Pakistan, Edgbaston (Twenty20 International)
*8-9 July Australia v Derbyshire, Derby (Two-Day Tour Match)
*13-17 July Australia v Pakistan, Lord’s (1st Test)
*21-25 July Australia v Pakistan, Headingley (2nd Test)

Australia A Series
18-21 June Australia A v Sri Lanka A, Allan Border Field, Brisbane (Four-Day Match)
25-28 June Australia A v Sri Lanka A, Townsville (Four-Day Match)
2 July Australia A v Sri Lanka A, Townsville (Twenty20 Match)
4 July Australia A v Sri Lanka A, Townsville (One-Day Match)
7 July Australia A v Sri Lanka A, Townsville (One-Day Match)
10 July Australia A v Sri Lanka A, Allan Border Field, Brisbane (One-Day Match)

Lee back for T20 World Cup

Australian Veteran Pacer, Brett Lee who recently retired from Test Cricket and just recovered from an injury has been chosen in the T20 World Cup Squad coming up after the IPL in West Indies. Along with him, Micheal Hussey too has been chosen in the squad.

But, Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh have not been included. Lee selection was a surprise ahead of the emerging pacer Ryan Harris.

The Chairman of Selectors said:-

While Brett Lee hasn’t played the amount of cricket we would’ve liked him to in preparation for this World Cup, at his best he is one of the best Twenty20 cricketers in the world.

He also has the opportunity of continuing to play in the IPL as preparation for this tournament. Ryan Harris is extremely unlucky to miss selection given his strong performances in all forms of the game in recent times for Australia

We’ve gone with Mike Hussey who brings great international experience and is in fantastic form in all formats of the game right now

We’ve also added Tim Paine to give us cover in case of injury to Brad Haddin and of course, Tim’s ability with the bat, which saw him have a great KFC Twenty20 Big Bash, more than warrants his selection.Dan Christian had limited opportunities in the lead-up to this selection but we see him an exciting Twenty20 cricketer with his all-round skills with bat and ball

SQUAD:-

Michael Clarke  – Captain
Cameron White  – Vice-captain
Daniel Christian
Brad Haddin
Nathan Hauritz
David Hussey
Mike Hussey
Mitchell Johnson
Brett Lee
Dirk Nannes
Tim Paine
Steven Smith
Shaun Tait
David Warner
Shane Watson

Aussie Lee and Marsh join KXIP camp

After a consecutive three match defeat, the Punjab Kings XI just managed to win a match thriller after a tie of the Super Over against the Chennai Super Kings.

The Sangakkara led Punjab team has just found winning ways and are in high spirits. With the win, to boast the team’s spirit, Brett Lee and Shaun Marsh have arrived in India to join the team.

Just a day before the IPL kicked of, Brett Lee went back to Australia to treat his elbow injury.

Marsh scored 616 runs in IPL 1- 2008 and was the top scorer in the tournament while Lee led the team attack in both 2008 and 2009.

Senior Vice President of KXIP told:-

Lee went to Sydney to get an injection shot on his injured elbow. He is fit and raring to go. He has obtained necessary clearance from Cricket Australia and the final call on whether he will play on Wednesday will be taken on the eve of the match.

Preview: Kings XI Punjab

PREVIEW: Kings XI Punjab

Comparing the glamour factor, Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) is one of the best teams in the IPL with the bubbly Preity Zinta as its co-owner along with Ness Wadia. With Yuvraj, Sangakara and Jayawardene in the batting line up and bowlers like Brett Lee, Irfan Pathan and Sreesanth, aggression is the other name of the team. Team had to be disappointed in the 1^st season as it failed to move beyond the semifinal level.

In 2009, when the IPL moved to South Africa, the power packed side faltered before the semifinal stage. The failure can be attributed to the absence of the pace spearhead Brett Lee. Yuvraj Singh was also not consistent though he got 2 hat-tricks in the IPL 2. The only find for the team was Yusuf Abdullah, whom the team bought again this year.

Luke Pomersbach and Nuwan Kulasekara were bought ahead of the 2010 auction while they picked former India batsman Mohammed Kaif who is expected to recreate the magic with Yuvraj Singh in the Punjab side under new captain Kumar Sangakkara.

KEY PLAYERS:

Yuvraj Singh: When he is on song, there is no sight as majestic in the cricketing world. He will be keen to perform and score good amount of runs as it will be the 1^st tournament after his recovery from injury. The man with records like fastest 50 in T20 interntionals, 6 sixes in an over in ODIs, will be the most dangerous man for the opponents.

Kumara Sangakara: Probably, he is one of the best in his field when it comes to technique. He will try to prove his mettle after being appointed as the captain of the side. Adding to his unparallel batting techniques, he is a great player to have in the side for his work behind the stumps.

Mahela Jayawardene: The middle order batsman of the Sri Lankan side will be the anchor of the KXIP middle order. His skills to play elegant shots make it tough for the opponent bowlers to get him out. His precision in shot selection and placement is beyond comparison.

Irfan Pathan: As IPL returns to India, Irfan will be more lethal than the last edition. Irfan has got impressive records in the Indian conditions. His swing can put even the best batsmen in trouble. His pinch hitting abilities makes him the perfect bowling allrounder for the team.

Yusuf Abdulla: 27 year old medium pacer from South Africa impressed all with his bowling in the IPL 2. The team bought him back this year when his 1 year contract ended. His strength is to vary the pace and the angle of deliveries. Opponent batsmen must be aware!

SQUAD:  AB Barath, K Goel, DPMD Jayawardene, M Kaif, RS Bopara, S Marsh, Y Singh, TM Srivastava, K Sangakara, MS Bisla, I Pathan, J Hopes, RS Sodhi, Bipul Sharma, B Lee, PP Chawla, RR Powar, L Ablish, SJ Srivastava, S Sreesanth, VS Malik, Y Abdulla, Amanpreet Singh