All posts by h716a5.icu

New Zealand allrounder Corey Anderson is expected to join his IPL team, Mumbai Indians, later this week, with his finger injury having healed well

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Apr-2014New Zealand allrounder Corey Anderson is expected to join his IPL team, Mumbai Indians, later this week, with his finger injury having healed well. Anderson had cut and dislocated the little finger of his of his right hand during the World T20.”There’s no fracture, no break and we’re very happy with how the injury is going,” Anderson said, according to , after seeing a specialist in Auckland on Friday, April 4. “The ligaments are all fine too; everything else is good to go. Everything went well and the news was all positive.”Anderson was bought for US$750,000 at the IPL auction in February, after an impressive few months in international cricket, during which he broke the long-standing record for the fastest ODI century. His participation in the tournament, however, was in doubt, after he hurt himself while attempting a catch against Sri Lanka.The IPL begins on April 16, in the UAE, with defending champions Mumbai Indians playing the opener against Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi.

County cricket has sustained Marcus Trescothick for nearly eight long years since his England career came to such a premature end

David Hopps at Hove28-Apr-2014
ScorecardFrom a pair to a ton: Marcus Trescothick scored his first Championship hundred since 2012•Getty ImagesCounty cricket has sustained Marcus Trescothick for nearly eight long years since his England career came to such a premature end. It has given him professional consolation and personal contentment and he has given a huge amount of entertainment in return. For those who care only for England, he has been a player lost from view before his time. On the county circuit, where the best players are often absent, his presence has been a blessing.This is an age when so many England cricketers retire without a second thought of finishing their days traversing the county grounds of England, but Trescothick because of personal circumstance has been an exception. His commitment has been unconditional as he has galumphed around the circuit, despatching attacks in that amiable and big boned manner. He symbolises much that is good about Somerset but he has gained a popularity that goes beyond mere partisanship.That bond between the player and those who watch has rarely been stronger than on the second day of this contest at Hove. This time the applause for his hundred was tinged with relief. It marked Trescothick’s first Championship century since September 2012. Last season he went without one for the first time since 1998 and, at 38, unsuccessful runs so prolonged are not often reversed.Trescothick’s 116, an innings ended when he spectacularly lost his middle stump driving ambitiously at Steve Magoffin, armed with the second new ball, would not figure in the list of the most dominant of his 57 first-class centuries, but it would deserve a mention for difficulty.He turned around his form in exacting circumstances, labouring for five hours in overcast conditions and on a surface where Chris Jordan, coming down the hill, finished with 5 for 76 in 27.3 overs and did much to advertise his claims for a Test debut against Sri Lanka at Lord’s in June. Jordan earned the hill on the first day; he won it by right on the second. “I like coming down the hill,” he said.When Trescothick assesses a player he does so with a wealth of experience behind him, no more so than when considering the attributes of a new-ball bowler. He recognises in Jordan a player whose threat is developing, and views him of capable of making the grade in a Test debut against Sri Lanka at Lord’s if he outdoes rivals for the place such as Tim Bresnan and Chris Woakes.Quite how Chris Adams, who has been brought in by Sri Lanka as a consultant for their tour of England, will explain that he saw fit to release Jordan at Surrey is hard to imagine. He, too, thought Jordan was going downhill – though not in the way he did at Hove.”He bowled a heavy ball: he is probably quicker than most,” Trescothick said. “I didn’t bat against him much last season because I got a pair. But from two seasons ago I would say he has come on a long, long way. He looks a good prospect.”He has a big chance at the start of the summer. There is a very good chance he could make the starting line-up because his batting has also been good in the one-day games. He will be fresh on the lips of the selectors.”The groundwork for Trescothick’s hundred was laid on the first evening when he negotiated a passage of 32 overs that could easily have seen Somerset lose half a dozen wickets; to lose three, one of them a nightwatchman, represented a job well done. Jordan continued to find alarming bounce at times with the slope in his favour on the second day, but Trescothick’s peace of mind never wavered. He progressed in relaxed fashion, as contented as if he was tucked under a duvet watching a favourite DVD.When he brought up his hundred half-an-hour after lunch, it banished more bad memories. Last year – now very much last year, a year put behind him – he made the first pair of his Championship career against Sussex, his fourth successive duck in all competitions. On both occasions, the bowler was James Anyon. It was Anyon again who this time was pulled through the legside to reach 99 and then pushed wide of mid on the next ball to rid himself of the leanest run of his career.”It was tough at all times,” he said. “The new ball in particular was pretty hard to face. I had to graft and dig in.” The pair had not crossed his mind when he made his hundred, he said. But it had crossed his mind on nought. “I was pretty twitchy to begin with,” he said.Packing up the footballs on the dressing room balcony as he spoke was David Houghton, who was released by Derbyshire last October as part of a coaching reshuffle and who has been centrally involved in Trescothick’s drive as Somerset’s new batting coach.”We were lucky to pick him up when left Derby and we have done massive amounts of work. John Pitt is also our mind coach – our sports performance coach – and these sorts of people are always vitally important, building individuals back up into the right frame of mind.”Somerset look a reliable fast bowler short of a good season, but they have played some solid cricket so far with draws against Yorkshire, seen as prospective champions by many, and the defending champions Durham. They are commandingly placed midway through this game and have already picked up the in-form Ed Joyce in the 11 overs faced by Sussex before the close.Trescothick’s accomplice in a fifth-wicket stand of 139 was Alviro Petersen, whose assertive 76 needed two let-offs – by Joyce at third slip off Jordan and by the wicketkeeper Ben Brown, who missed a low chance as Petersen sought to cut the slingy slow left-armer Ashar Zaidi.England are taking a cagey approach with the management of Matt Prior’s Achilles problems. He is expected to return as a batsman against Lancashire at Old Trafford, returning to wicketkeeping duties the following week against Durham.Upon Trescothick’s departure, the second new ball seemed likely to bring Somerset’s innings to a quick conclusion – James Hildreth received a brute from Jordan to be caught at third slip – but the use of two nightwatchmen meant that Lewis Gregory walked out at No. 11. He is a clean hitter and the knowledge that nine wickets were down did not constrain him. He added 75 in 15 overs with Johann Myburgh, playing with great gusto for 47 from 51 balls before he perished on the cover boundary, leaving Jordan with an eye-catching return.

Pravin Amre, the former India batsman, has been named the coach of the Mumbai Ranji team

ESPNcricinfo staff05-May-2014Pravin Amre, the former India batsman, has been named the coach of the Mumbai Ranji team. It’s the second time Amre has been handed the role – he led Mumbai to three Ranji wins during his previous tenure that lasted five seasons between 2006-07 and 2011-12.Amre was chosen over Ajit Agarkar, Balwinder Sandhu, Sairaj Bahutule, Rahul Mankad and Sandeep Dahad, the other five candidates interviewed by the Mumbai Cricket Association. Apart from the past success with the Mumbai team, Amre’s CV also includes a stint with Mumbai Indians in 2009 as batting coach and three years as assistant coach with the now defunct Pune Warriors franchise.Amre also started a new trend in domestic cricket when he took up the role of personal batting coach to Robin Uthappa. He has since helped Suresh Raina and Ajinkya Rahane in a similar capacity. It remains to be seen if he would continue his work with Uthappa with the increased responsibility.The Mumbai coach’s position had been left vacant due to the sacking of Sulakshan Kulkarni after Mumbai’s quarter-final exit in 2013-14 Ranji Trophy. Mumbai appointed Lalchand Rajput as the interim coach for the remainder of the season, but the team continued its dismal run and failed to qualify for the knockouts of both the one-day and the T20 tournaments.

The recent ICC East Asia Pacific Trophy in Japan showed the considerable amount of life in the women’s game away from the traditional markets

Alan Curr23-May-2014The recent ICC East Asia Pacific Trophy in Japan, won by Papua New Guinea who defeat the hosts by 11 runs in a tense final, showed the considerable amount of life in the women’s game away from the traditional markets.The tournament, hosted by the beaten finalists in the city of Sano, was bathed in sunshine throughout the five days and a crowd close to 1000 watched on as the initiative seesawed between the sides in a match that perfectly showcased the spirit and desire in both camps.At a time when the England women have signed their first professional contracts and Australia’s Southern Stars are only a year on from a considerable pay increase of their own, the teams from the EAP region displayed the raw passion that still exists when playing for your country.Tournament director Laura Piekarski said: “I just cannot get over how much all these teams have improved in the last two years. Since Vanuatu in 2012 these players have come on leaps and bounds; they’re playing straighter, bowling more consistently and it is huge credit to all of them who have put so much effort.”There was plenty of ability on display too. Away from the final, Samoa’s Moelagi Tuilagi carved the Cook Islands for a 74-ball 104, the first century by any woman in the region in the T20 format, while her compatriot Regina Lili’l was the player of the tournament as Samoa finished third.Tournament ambassador and three-time World Cup winner Alex Blackwell, who worked with all of the teams, said: “What encourages me most is the clear pathway that is now in place. These girls have great opportunities coming their way with a Big Bash League next year and talk of a women’s International Cricket League in Singapore too. There’s lots of talent here and with the right support some of these players could go far.”There were outstanding individual performances from Alvina Chilia of Vanuatu and Tekura Kaukura of the Cook Islands who took her team to fourth place, registering their first ever win at international level along the way, while Chelsea Moscript from the invitational side Cricket Without Borders, coached by former Test player Bryce McGain, has been identified as one of Australia’s emerging talents.That win was particularly significant for coach Alister Stevic who told ESPNcricinfo of how there were no female cricketers at all in the islands just five years ago, while now there are around 30 clubs. He believes his win alone is likely to bring in 30-40 new players overnight and create a belief that suddenly they can compete with other teams in the region. That belief should prove a powerful tool in the further development of the game and the tears of joy that were openly shed after the winning runs were hit would have lifted the spirits of even the most sceptical observer.With every team registering a win during the four-day event there are now some real rivalries developing and it will be interesting to see how players improve further when the majority of these teams next come together at the Pacific Games in PNG next year.Full tournament match reports, standings and statistics can be found on the ICC website here.

Damian D’Oliveira, the Worcestershire Academy director, has died aged 53. He had been battling cancer for two-and-half years

George Dobell29-Jun-2014Damian D’Oliveira, the Worcestershire Academy director, has died aged 53. He had been battling cancer for two-and-half years.Born in Cape Town in 1960, Damian was taken to England when he was six-months old as his father, Basil, sought opportunities away from apartheid South Africa. Basil signed for Worcestershire in 1964, starting Damian’s lifelong affiliation with a club he was to serve as player and coach.While Damian’s first ambition was to play football – as a 15-year-old he had trials at Arsenal and West Bromwich Albion – he became more interested in cricket when his father brought home a pair of wicketkeeping gloves given by Damian’s hero, Alan Knott.He joined the MCC groundstaff in 1980 and, after two years with them, returned to Worcestershire where he became a regular member of the side in the county’s glory years. Worcestershire, with the likes of Ian Botham, Graham Dilley, Graeme Hick, Tim Curtis, Neal Radford and Phil Newport in the side, won two County Championships, two Sunday Leagues and the Benson Hedges Cup with D’Oliveira contributing as a batsman, sometime bowler and excellent slip catcher.While there were inevitably times when he lived in the shadow of his father, who played 44 Tests and eventually had a stand at New Road named after him, Damian was good enough to make 1000 runs in a season four times and finished with nearly 10,000 first-class runs and almost 5,000 in List A cricket.But it was perhaps as a coach that he made his greatest impact. Patient, good-humoured and knowledgeable, several generations of young Worcestershire players benefited from his wisdom and kindness. The majority of the current squad were either spotted or coached by him at some stage.Worcestershire’s players were informed of the news shortly before the start of their Championship match with Glamorgan at New Road. A minute’s silence was held in his honour.Damian leaves a wife, Tracey, and three children Brett, Marcus and Dominic. Brett, a legspinning allrounder, is also on the Worcestershire staff; the third generation of the family to represent the club.

Right-arm seam bowler Lahiru Gamage has been called up to the Sri Lanka squad as injury cover for Shaminda Eranga, who has developed inflammation in his hip following the first Test against Pakistan

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Aug-2014Right-arm seam bowler Lahiru Gamage has been called up to the Sri Lanka squad as injury cover for Shaminda Eranga, who has developed inflammation in his hip following the first Test against Pakistan. Gamage was with the Sri Lanka A team on their tour of England, but will arrive in Sri Lanka on Wednesday, and is available for selection for the match, which begins on Thursday.Sri Lanka are likely to go in with a two-man pace attack at the SSC, with Dhammika Prasad and Chanaka Welegedara the frontrunners to be in the XI, if Eranga is unfit. Gamage and rookie Binura Fernando are the other quicks in the squad.Gamage, 26, plays for Chilaw Marians Cricket Club and has 93 first-class wickets at 33.58. He had taken 3 for 59 against England Lions in a high-scoring match in Taunton on August 6, and had had a five-wicket haul against Durham in another one-dayer two weeks prior.Eranga is the third Sri Lanka fast bowler to have his place put in doubt by injury during the series. Nuwan Pradeep injured his ankle at training during the Galle Test, ruling him out of the SSC match, and Suranga Lakmal had already been ruled out of the series, also with an ankle injury.

After scraping through on Tuesday by two wickets, Afghanistan trounced Zimbabwe by 100 runs, thanks to their seamers who looked primed to take the game after reducing the hosts to 29 for 6

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShafiqullah top scored for Afghanistan when the team needed a rebuild•AFPAfter losing the first two games, Afghanistan had their backs to the wall, needing nothing less than wins from their two remaining games to show what they were made of. After scraping through on Tuesday by two wickets, they trounced Zimbabwe by 100 runs, thanks to their seamers who looked primed to take the game after reducing the hosts to 29 for 6 in pursuit of 260. This was Afghanistan’s first drawn ODI series against a Full Member.The trouble began in the sixth over when Regis Chakabva fell to Aftab Alam for 9, before Brendan Taylor departed the following over flicking Mohammad Nabi to cow corner. The run out of Sean Williams unsettled them further and in the following over, Dawlat Zadran struck twice, bowling the in-form Sikander Raza and taking a return catch to get rid of Elton Chigumbura. Three balls later, Mirwais Ashraf trapped Malcolm Waller lbw, walking across the stumps. The hosts were reeling at 29 for 6 and the task ahead of the debutant wicketkeeper Richmond Mutumbami was not just survival but to match the required run rate, that had already passed six.After a quiet beginning, Mutumbami opened up when he went down the track to Mirwais. Mutumbami and Maruma batted positively, with the former scoring at nearly a run a ball. Though Afghanistan still held the edge, once the stand passed 50 and edged closer to a century, there was a glimmer of hope for the Zimbabweans.The pair batted together for nearly 20 overs and had added 97 before the left-arm spinner Sharafuddin Ashraf struck, trapping Maruma lbw on the sweep. The sweep led to Mutumbami’s downfall as well as he only managed a top edge off Sharafuddin and was caught by the wicketkeeper. The match predictably ended soon after Zimbabwe’s highest scorer departed and in the 38th over, Aftab Alam sealed the win by bowling Donald Tiripano.It was a memorable game with the ball for Tiripano, though, as he picked up his maiden five-for in ODIs. The right-arm seamer sent back the openers by the eighth over, before taking three lower-order wickets. A fourth-wicket stand of 64 between Nasir Jamal and Samiullah Shenwari stabilised Afghanistan. Jamal batted patiently, scoring only two fours in his 39 before he was run out. When Shenwari departed four overs later, the visitors were in need of a rebuild at 146 for 5.The recovery came via Nabi and wicketkeeper Shafiqullah, who added 72 in just 8.5 overs. Shafiqullah’s 56 off 43 balls gave Afghanistan the impetus as they headed towards 250. He launched Tiripano for two sixes before the bowler had the last laugh, getting him caught at short third man. He finished with 5 for 63 to bowl out the visitors with five balls to spare, but 259 turned out to be more than sufficient.

Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann has said his men should be embarrassed by their loss to Zimbabwe, despite conceding that he and his fellow selectors erred when picking the side

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Sep-2014Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann has said his men should be embarrassed by their loss to Zimbabwe, despite conceding that he and his fellow selectors erred when picking the side.Zimbabwe’s spinners caused problems throughout Australia’s batting innings before Elton Chigumbura and Prosper Utseya saw Zimbabwe home in the chase of 210. It ended a 31-year drought since Zimbabwe last beat Australia in a one-day international and resulted in Australia slipping from first to fourth on the ICC one-day rankings.”There’s probably not enough expletives in the English language at the moment for the way I’m feeling,” Lehmann told reporters after the game. “It’s just embarrassing for everyone involved in the touring party, and I hope they’re hurting. They should be.”The most notable deficiency in Australia’s game was their handling of Zimbabwe’s spinners, who between them collected six wickets, including the first four wickets that left Australia wobbling at 57 for 4. It was the recurrence of an ongoing theme in Australian cricket, where capitulations often occur in slow, turning conditions.Although next year’s World Cup will be played on faster, bouncier pitches in Australia and New Zealand, the Australians must still find a way to handle good spinners in helpful conditions. Not surprisingly, Michael Clarke looked the most comfortable until he retired hurt with a hamstring problem, but the selectors had omitted another good player of spin, Steven Smith.Clarke said after the game that it was “disappointing” Smith was not picked, and the Australians also hurt their chances in the match by resting Mitchell Johnson. However, Lehmann said the team chosen should still have been able to account for the tenth-ranked one-day team in the world.”By the end of the result, we probably thought we did get it wrong,” said Lehmann of the selections.”But if we can’t beat Zimbabwe with that side we’ve got problems, so we’ve got to sort them out. We’ve got to learn really quickly because teams are going to see that and they’re going to react to it.”Australia will still make the final of the tri-series unless they lose to South Africa on Tuesday and then Zimbabwe upset South Africa in the last match on Thursday.

With one heroic blow, Lancashire’s captain Glen Chapple took their relegation fight against Middlesex into a final day

Paul Edwards at Old Trafford25-Sep-2014
ScorecardThat Glen Chapple six: symbol of Lancashire’s defiance•PA PhotosMore than any sport cricket is a series of duels within the context of a team game; and as the summer drifts by, the importance of each tiny battle becomes even clearer within the 64 days of each side’s Championship programme. By late September, the pattern of the season is revealed: a Gobelin tapestry of simple shapes and unsuspected intricacies.At precisely 11.30 on the third morning of beguiling contest, Middlesex’s Toby Roland-Jones prepared to bowl the 110th over of Lancashire’s first innings to Glen Chapple. The home side were 293 for 8 and needed seven runs to secure a third bonus point. If they failed to do this or if a wicket fell, Lancashire were relegated, for they could not make up the 19-point margin between the sides.Roland-Jones had been bowling tightly and his first ball was on a good length. Yet Chapple, who has always had a good eye, sweet timing and buckets of courage, hoicked it over midwicket for six. Once again this season, we heard bellows of relief from the players’ balcony and cheers from the pavilion opposite; and almost before their echoes had died, those cheers were redoubled as Lancashire’s warrior-captain squirted three more runs through backward point and declared his side’s innings closed.Without those shots in that very small personal encounter between two fine professional cricketers, the second half of this game could have represented little more than a chore, the routine completion of a very long fixture-list.As it is, Lancashire’s cricketers know that their only objective is to win the match, and by close of play, notwithstanding Sam Robson’s 75, his first half-century since the third day of the Trent Bridge Test in July, Middlesex have made 202 for 4, giving them a lead of 114. The game remains afoot.Eoin Morgan is 41 not out and Neil Dexter, having taken 50 balls to get off the mark with a boundary is unbeaten on 4. We will therefore go into the last day of the season with the final issue of the 2014 season still to be decided. The last threads of the tapestry remain unstitched.Yet whichever of these two teams joins Northamptonshire in Division Two next April, no one present at Old Trafford this dull Thursday morning will forget that the tension they felt and shared with their fellows as they watched some of the most riveting county cricket of the season.Beginning the day on 259 for 6, Lancastrian hopes were raised by two boundaries, a drive by Luke Procter and a biff over midwicket by Chapple. Yet it was Tim Murtagh who struck the most significant blows when he had both Procter and Kerrigan lbw in the space of four balls, the first of these achieved with a ball which pitched outside leg stump. But such things happen during the course of a season. It is often the teams which get over them who prevail and prosper.Chapple was joined by Tom Bailey, a 23-year-old playing his fourth first-class game. Bailey was just one year old when Lancashire’s captain made his debut but the young lad immediately showed that he was overawed neither by his partner nor the situation. He got off the mark with a two; then there was an edged four and a push for three. Singles followed but Middlesex’s bowlers kept to their work and stifled the run rate. Safety beckoned them.There was a scurried single, then block, block, play and miss. Silence on the ground. Journalists were unable to type their updates. Experienced ex-cricketers said how wonderful all this was and then found themselves almost unable to watch the play. At least Chapple and Bailey had the comfort of involvement, as did eleven Middlesex cricketers who have scrapped like hell these three days.We got to that 110th over. Roland-Jones v Chapple.To paraphrase Sid Waddell: Maxine Peake is playing Hamlet at the Royal Exchange but she won’t beat that for drama.The cricket that followed Lancashire’s innings had a different tempo to it – thank God for that, thought the paramedics perhaps – but it was no less involving. Lancashire managed to drop Rogers twice before lunch but the Australian opener has looked a little less secure than usual in this match.Perhaps he was remembering his decision to bat first on Tuesday morning. In any event, it was no huge surprise when, having made 21 in 93 minutes, he edged a cramped cut onto his stumps to give Bailey another reason to remember his day. But Middlesex were then 78 for 1 and the deficit was a mere 10 runs.At the other end Robson was batting with increasing confidence, as if he was relearning skills that had temporarily deserted him. Slow left-armer Kerrigan, by contrast, was still searching for his best rhythm; indeed, he has spent most of the summer engaged in this quest. Maidens were rare and the spinner was not applying pressure as he did in his golden-gleaming early seasons.Yet Kerrigan has never wanted for flinty courage. There was some loop, some spin. Robson had hit ten boundaries in 105 balls when he received a short delivery from the spinner and slapped it straight to short extra cover where sub fielder Liam Livingstone took a good catch above his head. A mere 18 runs later Kerrigan had a second wicket when Joe Denly tried to take his bat away from a good ball but only gloved a catch to Paul Horton at slip. Middlesex took tea on 141 for 3, a lead of 53.The last session was the quietest of the day. Junaid Khan produced a brute of a delivery to have Dawid Malan caught at slip by Steven Croft for a patient 39 and Lancashire would have slept a little better had Horton not spilled a slip catch off Dexter when the Middlesex man had yet to play his single scoring shot.The light closed in and the umpires fussed about it. The players came off with eight overs to be bowled. There is one more day left in this game and only the brave or foolish would predict its shape.

There is no Test match at the fast and bouncy WACA this summer, so for the time being Mitchell Johnson will have to settle for a pair of ODIs there against South Africa on Friday and Sunday

Brydon Coverdale12-Nov-2014What a difference a week makes. Last Monday, Mitchell Johnson was one of the final men dismissed in Australia’s defeat in Abu Dhabi, which gave Pakistan a 2-0 Test series win. Johnson was Australia’s best bowler on the tour but in hot conditions on slow surfaces, every wicket was hard fought.Now, he is back at the WACA, the site of several Johnson demolitions over the years. In six Tests at the venue he has taken 42 wickets at 20.19, and frightened countless batsmen along the way. There is no Test match at the WACA this summer, so for the time being Johnson will have to settle for a pair of ODIs there against South Africa on Friday and Sunday.”Yesterday was a bit of an eye-opener again, just seeing how much bounce and pace there is,” Johnson said at training on Wednesday. “I came down and watched the Shield match the other day and saw the ball flying around. I was quite excited. I’m looking forward to getting out there and playing some cricket in Australia.”If the speed in the practice pitches was an eye-opener for Johnson, imagine what it will be for South Africa’s batsmen. Or, for that matter, for Johnson’s team-mates, who have had to face him over the past two days in the nets on pitches that Johnson said were “almost dangerous”.”I bowled Steve Smith a short ball and I think I got him on the finger, but he’s okay,” he said. “If you can challenge the batsmen there, they’re going to get a good contest and hopefully out in the middle it makes it a little bit easier. I always go hard in the nets and try and make it as realistic as possible without trying to kill the batsman.”I might not have said sorry, but I made sure he was okay. I did get Davey Warner here a couple of years ago and felt pretty bad about it. You’re not intending to hurt the batters. When I do bowl my short ball I’m trying to practice like they are, but I’m not trying to knock their heads off. I’m trying to just get myself right.”Not that Johnson is the only bowler capable of gaining scary pace and bounce out of the WACA surface. Morne Morkel will challenge the Australians with his steepling bounce, Vernon Philander can get the ball to zip through, and Dale Steyn – the No.1 Test bowler in the world and No.3 in ODIs – will ask the same kinds of questions that Johnson has done in the nets.”Both of us can bowl in the high 140s and it’s very exciting,” Johnson said of Steyn. “He’s a world-class bowler and he’s been the No.1 bowler in the world for a long time. He’s a guy that should do really well in these conditions. They’re very similar to back home for him. I’m looking forward to the contest and I’m sure he’s looking forward to getting out there on these wickets.”Steyn might have a special bouncer or two in store for Australia’s captain Michael Clarke, after an on-field sledge from Clarke to Steyn during the final day of the Cape Town Test in March. When the two teams were in Zimbabwe for the tri-series later in the year, Steyn said he had taken Clarke’s comment personally and was yet to forgive him.”There’s always tension between the two sides,” Johnson said. “In the end we’re going to play them on skill and that’s what we’re about. We want to beat them with bat and ball, and whatever else happens, happens out in the middle. It’s probably going to be fiery again. But we want to go out there and play the best cricket we can.”There’s a lot of competition going on. Both teams don’t like to lose. I think that’s where we see the fire in the game. They’ve got some of the best players in the world on their team. We’ve got a couple ourselves who are very competitive natured. You see that fire in the belly and see that hard contest.”