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Shaiman Anwar and Mohammad Naveed impressed for UAE but they couldn’t prevent Australia from picking up a morale-boosting win ahead of their T20Is against Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2018Getty Images

A change of format brought about a much-needed change in result for Australia, even though a win in their first-ever T20I against UAE was briefly in doubt in Abu Dhabi. UAE batted first and made 117, and later had Australia 32 for 2 in the sixth over. Then their inexperience showed and Australia took the game away, romping to a seven-wicket win with 23 balls remaining.D’Arcy Short was the chief architect of the chase, finishing 68 not out when the winning runs were hit by debutant Ben McDermott, the 23-year old son of former Australia fast bowler Craig McDermott. A decent workout now sets Australia up for the three-match T20I series against Pakistan starting October 24 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.The positives for Australia stretched beyond just Short’s contribution. Nathan Coulter-Nile and Billy Stanlake, two quicks who have been injury-prone lately, returned to action and impressed immediately. The two new-ball bowlers finished with identical figures of 4-1-20-2. Their early damage left UAE reeling at 17 for 3 in the sixth over, and staring at a giant mismatch.Rameez Shahzad and Shaiman Anwar reconstructed the innings with a 53-run stand, preventing a middle-order collapse and setting up Mohammad Naveed to inject some late momentum. He hit Andrew Tye for two sixes and a four in his 13-ball 27, allowing UAE to take 45 off their last four overs. Tye finished as the most expensive Australia bowler with figures of 4-0-39-1.Australia started watchfully, losing captain Aaron Finch in the second over to Amir Hayat. Chris Lynn made 20 before he nicked to wicketkeeper Ghulam Shabber to give Hayat his second wicket. Glenn Maxwell, who has spent more than a week in the UAE since flying in as a replacement during the Test series, scored 18 off 15 balls, falling to Imran Haider when Australia needed 43.Short put an end to UAE’s hopes, hitting eight fours in his 53-ball knock, while McDermott finished 10 not out in his maiden outing in Australia colours.

All India A batsmen surpassed double figures, but captain Karun Nair and Ankit Bawne endured failures, falling for 19 and 10 respectively

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2018Fading light and sporadic rain meant that only 69 overs were possible in Whangarei, but India A made some progress, with the help of half centuries from opener Abhimanyu Easwaran and allrounder Vijay Shankar to go to stumps on 248 for four against New Zealand A in the third unofficial Test. Shankar top-scored, remaining unbeaten on 60 off 78 balls, in the company of Shubman Gill, who was batting on a more circumspect 47. All India A batsmen surpassed double figures, but captain Karun Nair and Ankit Bawne endured failures, falling for 19 and 10 respectively.Opting to bat, India started well, as Easwaran and R Samarth added 98 for the first wicket before the latter fell for 47 off Doug Bracewell, the pick of the New Zealand A bowlers with two for 43. That was the start of a mini-flurry of wickets in the middle session, as India plummeted to 150 for four, with Easwaran, Bawne and Nair, who was caught behind off a Lockie Ferguson bouncer, following suit.But in the next 21.4 overs, Shankar and Gill seize the advantage back. The pair added 98 quick runs for the fifth wicket without being separated, as play was called-off early.

The legspinner ripped through New Zealand in the second Test with 14 wickets in the match, returning the second-best figures for Pakistan in a Test

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2018Yasir Shah’s match-winning haul of 14 for 184 – the second-best match figures in Tests for Pakistan – in the second Test against New Zealand in Dubai has sent coach Mickey Arthur into raptures.
The leg-spinner ripped through New Zealand in the first innings, claiming eight wickets in two sessions on day three, before picking another six in the second. Arthur reckoned that Yasir’s performance was “some of the best leg-spin bowling you will ever see”. Pakistan won the second match on the back of Yasir’s bowling, and levelled the three-match series at 1-1 heading into the final Test.”That first-innings – I think there was that spell for about half an hour that was some of the best legspin bowling you’ll ever see – the drift, the pace, the spin, it was phenomenal. Fourteen wickets in a Test match is superb,” Arthur said.
Yasir, who returned to the Test side after recovering from an injury that saw him miss the one-off Ireland Test and the England tour, had a lukewarm series against Australia, finishing with eight wickets in the two Tests. However, Arthur felt that in the second Test in Abu Dhabi, in which Yasir took 3 for 45 in the second innings, was an indication that the legspinner was close to his best.”He got some nice rhythm going in Abu Dhabi,” Arthur said. “We knew he had a big performance inside of him. I think he’ll get better and better from here.”Arthur also had words of encouragement for under-fire captain Sarfraz Ahmed, and drew attention to his wicketkeeping ability in addition to his leadership.”I think Sarfraz is almost an unsung hero. Sarfraz has captained very well in this Test match and what goes unnoticed a lot of the time is his glovework – his wicketkeeping. There’s no dropped catches, he doesn’t miss stumpings. Whatever needs to be done gets done. He ticks all the boxes,” Arthur said.

The former Australia allrounder has opened up on the impact of the incident in Sydney ten years ago

Daniel Brettig16-Dec-20181:05

I went downhill pretty fast after ‘monkeygate’ incident – Symonds

Andrew Symonds has claimed that an emotional Harbhajan Singh apologised to him in private – when the pair played together for Mumbai Indians in the IPL in 2011 – for racially abusing him during the 2007-08 “Monkeygate” scandal in India and Australia. Harbhajan, however, denied later on Twitter that he broke down.Speaking to his former team-mates Adam Gilchrist and Brett Lee for a documentary to air on Monday night, Symonds said that Harbhajan had made the effort to apologise for what had taken place, and how it had affected Symonds, when they became team-mates in 2011.”We go to a very wealthy man’s place for a barbecue, drinks and dinner one night and the whole team’s there and he had guests there, and Harbhajan said ‘mate, can I speak to you for a minute out in the garden out the front’,” Symonds said in . “He goes, ‘look, I’ve got to say sorry to you for what I did to you in Sydney. I apologise, I hope I didn’t cause you, your family, your friends too much harm and I really apologise for what I said, I shouldn’t have said it’.”And he actually broke down crying, and I could just see that was a huge weight off his shoulders, he had to get rid of it. We shook hands and I gave him a hug and said: ‘Mate, it’s all good. It’s dealt with’.”Harbhajan took to Twitter on Sunday morning to question Symonds’ version of events*. Reflecting on the saga, which saw India threaten to withdraw from their tour of Australia in 2008 after Harbhajan was initially found guilty of racial vilification by the ICC before the verdict was overturned on appeal, Symonds said that it had been a pivot point leading to the end of his international career as he became disillusioned by the game and its political forces at work.”I suppose this would be the moment where my whole persona to cricket changed. I didn’t realise the politics, the power, the money until this moment in my career,” Symonds said. “I didn’t realise how powerful one player, one incident, how much money was at stake and the ramifications.””I started drinking way too much and my cricket, my mindset – I started to go downhill, I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind. I went downhill pretty fast after this because I felt responsible for four of my mates, close mates, that I dragged into this whole situation and it beared very heavily on me.”Symonds and the Australia team had always maintained that the incident at the SCG in January 2008, when Harbhajan was alleged to have called the allrounder a monkey, broke a personal agreement between the pair not to stoop to similar levels after a hot-tempered ODI series in India prior to the start of the Australian summer.”I think it was in the second one-day international in India, Harbhajan called me a monkey, so at the end of the game I went out of our dressing shed and knocked on their door and said ‘can I speak to Harbhajan outside please’,” he said.”They were just having something to eat after the game so he comes out, and I said ‘look, this name calling stuff has got to stop, otherwise it’s going to get out of control, we’ve got a few good names for you boys and I’m sure you the same for us, so let’s knock it on the head and be done with it’, and we shook hands and I remember him saying ‘no problems boss, that’s the end of it’.”Symonds conceded that the exchange which resulted in the second use of the word, resulting in an initial charge and suspension for Harbhajan for racial vilification, was instigated by him as he grew frustrated with his opponent’s niggardly approach and successful partnership with Sachin Tendulkar during the Indian first innings.”He was batting well and it was that exact moment there when he tapped Binga on the arse,” Symonds said. “I think I was fielding at mid-off and I came in pretty hard [at him]. I’d taken a disliking to how he carried on when he got Punter out, and so I was probably looking for a fight.”The pair would go on to gradually repair their relationship at the Mumbai Indians in 2011, culminating in a tearful exchange at a dinner party. Later that year, Harbhajan stated publicly that he had mended fences with Symonds, without going into detail as to how.”I think Andrew Symonds is a lovely guy,” Harbhajan told . “I have played with him at the Mumbai Indians and I found out he is a really good guy. Me and Symo do not have any problems at all and we get on very well. I understand him now and I think he understands me.”I am really happy he is enjoying his life and all I want is the very best for him. I know some people have said that we don’t get on too well. We had some problems but that is all in the past. We are friends. We played well together for Mumbai.”*0730 GMT: The story was updated after Harbhajan Singh tweeted.

UAE’s winning margin of 189 was also a record in women’s T20Is

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jan-2019China were bowled out for 14, the lowest women’s T20I total ever, sinking to a 189-run defeat against UAE on Sunday. The margin of victory was the largest ever in women’s T20Is, pushing Namibia’s defeat of Lesotho by 179 runs in August 2018 to second place.UAE had elected to bat first in a Group B game at the ongoing Thailand Women’s T20 Smash, a 10-team tournament underway in Bangkok, and put on 203 for 3. China’s reply lasted only 48 minutes and 10 overs, and featured six ducks with a top score of four.The only ones to get off the mark were opener Zhang Chan (2), wicketkeeper Zhang Yanling (3), No. 4 Hin Lili (4) and Zhou Ying (3), as China slumped to 12 for 6 in 7.3 overs. In the next over, Ishni Mananelage struck thrice in the first four balls to hasten a swift end.China’s brief outing with the bat came in response to UAE’s highest T20I total, which was underpinned by wicketkeeper-batsman Esha Oza’s 121-run opening stand with Chaya Mughal. Oza, the 20-year-old right-hand batsman, smashed a personal best of 82 off 62 balls, also the highest T20I score by a UAE woman. After Mughal fell for a 38-ball 33 in the 14th over, Kavisha Kumari and Namita DSouza blasted a 51-run third-wicket stand off 18 balls, as five of the seven bowlers used by China conceded over 10 runs per over.The tournament, which also features other fringe women’s international sides such as Nepal, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Bhutan, Indonesia and Myanmar, along with a Thailand A team, is to provide much-needed game-time to the countries ahead of the ICC Women’s 2020 World Cup Qualifiers.Last year, the ICC ruled that all Twenty20 matches between member nations would have international status, with a view to using the T20 format to globalise the game across both men’s and women’s cricket. Although the governing body had initially set July 1, 2018, for the decision to come into effect for women’s matches, all matches at the women’s Asia Cup in June, too, were retrospectively granted international status. For the men’s teams, all matches between ICC members were to be awarded T20I status from January 1, 2019, onwards, following the cut-off point for qualification to the 2020 T20 World Cup.

Coach Steve Rhodes has said the left-armer’s fitness makes it a ‘struggle’ for him to bowl in back-to-back Test matches, and that he will feature in the second Test in Wellington

Mohammad Isam01-Mar-2019Mustafizur Rahman’s fitness limitations were the reason for his exclusion from the Hamilton Test, Bangladesh coach Steve Rhodes has said. The team management, Rhodes said, felt it was better to rest him, with a bigger workload planned for him in Wellington.Mustafizur’s absence has come into focus with Bangladesh’s inexperienced three-man pace attack going wicketless while delivering 66 overs so far in New Zealand’s first innings. Mustafizur has played 12 Tests so far. Of the three quicks featuring in Hamilton, Abu Jayed is playing his fourth Test, Khaled Ahmed his second, and Ebadot Hossain is on debut.Rhodes said Mustafizur would have to bowl into the notoriously strong wind at the Basin Reserve in the second Test, which begins on March 8.”It is a real struggle for him to bowl in back-to-back Test matches,” Rhodes said. “To get the best out of him mentally and keeping him fresh, is to spell the Tests that he plays. I think you can gather from that that he will come back into the fold in the next Test.”One of the reasons we wanted him to play in Wellington is because there’s going to be a blowing gale there. He is our best bowler into the wind. There’s a lot of work for the Fizz in Wellington, which is why we wanted him to be fresh. Everything is horses for courses.”Rhodes felt Ebadot bowled with good pace on his first day in the field as a Test cricketer, but would have to be physically and mentally stronger, alongside Khaled and Jayed, in order to bowl more consistently, as well as recover for the next day’s battle.”It is very difficult to be critical of someone like Ebadot,” Rhodes said. “He showed great enthusiasm. Good pace. They need a bit of experience. They have to recover quickly for tomorrow, so those are areas they have to improve upon, as well as hitting that line and length for long enough.”You have to hit that wicket nice and hard for a sustained period. These are all learning curves for Khaled, Ebadot and Rahi.”

Mumbai continue their losing run in IPL openers since 2012 as Rishabh Pant sets up 37-run win for Delhi with blazing knock

The Report by Shashank Kishore24-Mar-2019The India auditions are done, but Rishabh Pant refuses to go away from the spotlight.He blasted 78 not out off 27 balls, the joint third-fastest IPL half-century, to set the tournament alight for Delhi Capitals.Also crucial for Delhi was Colin Ingram’s 43 that gave the innings momentum in the first place after the top order sputtered. This meant, Shreyas Iyer celebrated an away win at his home ground as Delhi defended their mammoth 213 for 6 in style.Mumbai Indians, meanwhile, haven’t won a season-opening game since 2012. They will now travel to Bengaluru with not just questions to address, but also concerns over Jasprit Bumrah’s shoulder.McClenaghan strikes, Delhi struggle
Delhi might have begun the season thinking ‘there we go again’ when Prithvi Shaw and Iyer were out to Mitchell McClenaghan inside the fourth over. Shikhar Dhawan pottered to 13 off 16 balls in the first six overs. This allowed Rohit Sharma to use up three overs of debutant Rasikh Salam by the seventh over.Although nervous, the 17-year-old from Jammu & Kashmir impressed with his skiddy pace and late away movement. At that stage, after seven overs, Delhi were 49 for 2, with ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster pegging Delhi’s final total at 144. The innings needed impetus.BCCI

Ingram takes on the Pandyas
A stable base, strong bottom hand and expert picking of lengths makes Ingram lethal. His re-entry into the IPL after eight years immediately injected momentum to the innings. He announced himself off his 13th delivery when he muscled a short Hardik Pandya delivery deep into the first tier on the leg side.In the 11th over, he didn’t spare Krunal Pandya, who repeatedly tried to fire the ball full, trying to angle the ball away from the sweeping arc. Ingram was a step ahead, using the gaps in the off side to drill the ball in the arc between point and long-off. The over went for three fours, which came on the back of Dhawan playing a delicious uppercut off McClenaghan. The wheels were turning. From 70 for 2 in nine, Delhi were now 95 for 2 in 11.Mumbai had no spinner to take the ball away from the left-handers. This forced Rohit to turn to Ben Cutting to cover for Krunal’s quota. But he too was scooped disdainfully. Ingram would make 47 off 32, and his 83-run stand with Dhawan led a superb revival.Pant’s pyrotechnics
Virat Kohli has emphatically stated that the IPL wouldn’t impact World Cup selection, but Pant could give the team management its biggest headache yet. He was held back but it didn’t cost Delhi. He whipped, swept, flicked, pulled and danced his way to sixes, peppering the second tiers of different parts of the ground, although the arc between deep square-leg and long-leg was his favourite.His first five deliveries yielded just one run, but the next 10 brought him 40. He’d hit five fours and three sixes in the interim; like Ingram, Pant too took a liking for Hardik, hitting him for two sixes and a four in the 16th to rev up. The decision to test him with short balls, particularly, fell flat. Short on middle: pulled, short outside off: slapped over long-off. Short further away: fetched and swatted over deep midwicket. This was Pant unleashed. Delhi smashed 99 off the last six overs.Mumbai’s Powerplay failure
Six games in 2017 yielded no wickets for Ishant Sharma. He went unsold subsequently in 2018, and was among the last buys for Delhi in 2019. His first IPL scalp in three years was Rohit, who top-edged a scoop to fine leg in the fourth over. In his next over, Ishant had the dangerous Quinton de Kock holing out at fine leg for a 16-ball 27. In the same over, Suryakumar Yadav was brilliantly run out by Iyer. Mumbai sputtered to 46 for 3 in the first six.Yuvraj sparkles but not enough
Yuvraj Singh walloped Axar Patel’s darts to offset a slow start that had him at 8 off 10 at one stage, struggling particularly against the short ball. But Kieron Pollard and Hardik, who chipped a return catch for a second-ball duck, fell within three balls of each other to put pressure on him. Krunal walked out at No. 7 in the 12th over and eased some of it, despite the asking rate spiraling to 13 an over by then. Delhi briefly lost the plot here, and Krunal made a mockery of their lengths by using his crease to muscle 32 off 15.But when he got out, Mumbai needed 80 off 30. Essentially, Yuvraj or Cutting had to do to Delhi what Andre Russell did to Sunrisers Hyderabad. Yuvraj by then had moved to 47 off 29, and a half-century duly arrived off a thick outside edge, but the game was beyond Mumbai by then, with Delhi closing out the game through Kagiso Rabada and Trent Boult.

The RCB captain feels responsibility for managing workloads would lie with the players themselves, a view shared by coaches Ashish Nehra and Gary Kirsten

Saurabh Somani in Bengaluru16-Mar-2019Virat Kohli has quietened speculation over whether IPL franchises have been asked to “manage” the workloads of India players who are likely to be part of the World Cup squad, saying no instructions have been issued to cap the number of games a player would take part in.”You cannot put a cap on anything,” Kohli said in Bengaluru, at an event to launch a new app for Royal Challengers Bangalore, his IPL franchise. “If I’m able to play 10, 12 or 15 games, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the other guy can only play that many. My body might demand I play a certain number of games and I need to be smart about that and rest. Someone else’s body might be more capable than mine or less, that is a very individual thing. And everyone wants to play the World Cup, so people will be smart about it because you don’t want to miss out on such a big event.”Kohli emphasised that the responsibility for managing workloads lay with the players themselves.”From a responsibility point of view, all the Indian players will have the responsibility during the IPL to keep a watch on their fitness and their workloads,” he said. “And to continue the frame of mind we have created in the Indian team – strive towards excellence and improve every day. Each player will take this tournament as an opportunity to go to the World Cup in a good frame of mind.”While Kohli said it was left up to players when they would want to play or rest, Ashish Nehra, the former Indian bowler and joint coach of RCB, said playing in the IPL would give players an advantage leading up to the World Cup, and that prolonged rest before the tournament could be counterproductive.”If somebody tells Virat Kohli that you are not playing this IPL, come fresh for the World Cup, I don’t think it’s the right way,” Nehra said. “If he’s only practising, that practice is different [from match play]. The IPL is a pressure tournament, it is as good as international cricket, that’s why everybody wants to play. So you are going to the World Cup through that pressure. If I’m a bowler, I keep bowling yorkers or good-length balls, it’s the same thing I have to do in the World Cup.”There’s a three-week gap between the IPL final and India’s first game [at the World Cup]. If you’re not injured, three weeks is enough time. If someone tells me, ‘You bowl in the IPL final today and then for the next three weeks you don’t bowl, and then bowl straightaway against South Africa’ – I would not like to do that. Active rest is very important, not just for fast bowlers but for everyone.”It doesn’t matter how tired Virat Kohli is… he might stay away from the nets for maybe a week, or ten days at the most. The last 11 days, he will want to have seven-eight sessions. The more you play the better you get. I can understand if the IPL final is on the 12th and the first World Cup game is on the 16th, you might feel [Jasprit] Bumrah or Bhuvneshwar [Kumar] or Mohammed Shami [might need to be rested]. Some bowlers come up to me and say, ‘We are fresh; the more we play the better we feel.’ Some won’t say that. Everyone is different.”Gary Kirsten, RCB’s other coach, agreed with Nehra.”We do understand all the international players, apart from the Indians, will be called back to their internationals teams anyway through the IPL,” Kirsten said. “We have to accept there’s not much we can do about that. We understand the demands that an international player has. We’ll be very reasonable in that space.”And Ashish has made a good point: if you get yourself match-ready during the IPL, that’s going to hold you in really good stead during the World Cup. I think it’s an advantage to the Indian players, actually. Because the IPL is such a pressurised tournament, it’s great preparation for the World Cup.”

The biggest question mark surrounds Jhye Richardson’s injury but Pat Cummins continues to look in fine form and Nathan Coulter-Nile offers an all-round option

Andrew McGlashan in Brisbane07-May-2019Pat CumminsAfter a season where he was crowned the Allan Border Medalist, as the men’s player of the year, followed by the tours to India and the UAE, Cummins had some down time ahead of the camp in Brisbane. The early signs are that a few weeks off have not dampened the form. He struck twice in the opening over of the first match against the New Zealand XI – the delivery to take Henry Nicholls’ outside edge was especially eye-catching – as he bagged 3 for 36 in a continuation of the form he showed overseas by taking 17 wickets in his last five ODIs. Could be one of the stars of the World Cup.Mitchell StarcHasn’t played since the second Test against Sri Lanka when he suffered a pectoral muscle injury. Bowled with good pace in the nets in Brisbane but was always unlikely that he would feature in three matches in quick succession. It could be, if the management are feeling cautious, that he only plays once before getting on the plane to England. Has only played three ODIs in the last 15 months due to a mixture of injury and rotation and there will be a few crossed fingers that he can recapture the form that made him the Player of the Tournament at the 2015 World Cup.Nathan Coulter-NileFrom venting some frustrations about selection during the home summer to finding himself in the World Cup squad, it has been an interesting few months for Coulter-Nile. He took 10 wickets in five matches against India and Pakistan after being overlooked for the home series against India, which is when he made a few comments about lack of communication. He showed his all-round value in the opening match against the New Zealand XI with three wickets and a useful 34, although admittedly he was not at his best with the ball early on. His batting certainly bolsters the lower order and could tip the balance when it comes to a starting place in the World Cup.Jason BehrendorffAfter plenty of battles with injury, Behrendorff has the chance on the big stage, having only made his ODI debut during the recent home season against India. Likely to be an understudy for Starc at the World Cup, but when on song he is an extremely threatening left-arm quick. Bowled nicely on Monday to collect 3 for 34. He was the only one of Australia’s frontline World Cup quicks to head to the IPL where he played five matches for Mumbai Indians.Jhye RichardsonIt is shaping up as a race against time for him to make the World Cup, following the dislocated shoulder he suffered against Pakistan in the UAE. Although he avoided needing surgery, which would have ruled him out there and then, he has yet to resume bowling with the squad just four days from flying out. Justin Langer hoped for some clarity on his situation this week. It could be that Richardson still travels with the team to the UK via their Gallipoli stopover and a decision will be made closer to the tournament. Squads can be changed freely until May 23, but if Richardson remains injured after he could still be replaced by seeking approval from ICC.Kane RichardsonHe is the likely replacement for his namesake if the change needs to be made, having been officially confirmed as one of the standby quicks when the squad was named. Kane made a late bid for World Cup consideration with a prolific BBL where he was the leading wicket-taker and although a side injury ruled him out of the India series he played two matches against Pakistan. He has recent experience in England, having been part of the one-day squad which toured last year.Josh HazlewoodStill being nursed back from the stress fracture, which curtailed his season after the India Test series and ultimately ruled him out of the World Cup squad. He has returned to bowling in the nets although not at full tilt and the Australia A tours still seem his likely return, even though he was bracketed with Kane Richardson as a World Cup reserve. His best chance of appearing in the tournament could be if Australia need a replacement towards the back-end of the group stage.And a few others…Sean Abbott and Michael Neser, both in the Australia A one-day squad, have been part of the training camp in Brisbane. Meanwhile, James Pattinson continues to bowl very quickly for Nottinghamshire. He would certainly be an exciting option if pace-bowling reinforcements were needed for the World Cup although all indications are that the priority for him is the Ashes

The medium-pacer, Jai Kishan, was bowling to David Warner and was struck by a shot that came back at him before he could react

Melinda Farrell at The Oval08-Jun-2019A net bowler working with the Australian team at The Oval has been given the all-clear after a precautionary scan, after he was struck on the head during training. The medium-pacer, Jai Kishan, was bowling to David Warner and was hit by a shot that came back at him before he could react.Kishan was treated immediately on the field by the medical staff present at the ground before being strapped onto a medivac and transferred to hospital. He was reportedly conscious and smiling before he left.A CT scan showed no damage, though he is still being monitored for delayed concussion and other after-effects. He has since spoken to the Australian doctor and said he is feeling much betterThe Australian players, clearly shaken by the incident, suspended their training for around 20 minutes and gathered at the side of the nets. Aaron Finch, speaking to the media just after the incident, said Warner had been particularly affected.David Warner in a sombre mood as Mitchell Starc looks on during Australia’s training session•Getty Images

“Dave was obviously pretty shaken up,” Finch said. “The young guy seems to be in pretty good spirits at the moment. He’s obviously been taken off to hospital and will continue to be assessed just to make sure that everything is okay. But yeah, Dave was pretty shaken up, no doubt. It was a decent hit to the head. Hopefully everything keeps going well for the youngster and he’s back up and running shortly. It was tough to watch.”While it is not a common occurrence for net bowlers to be hit during training, there have been a number of incidents that have raised concerns in the past. England Test bowler James Anderson has previously suggested that net bowlers could wear protective equipment, such as helmets.”Yeah, that could be a decent idea, Finch said. “Again, it’s a bit like everything; it’s such a personal preference for net bowlers, and we’re very lucky to have so many of them come in and want to bowl to us and help us prepare as best we can for the game. But I think it’s going to be a personal preference. It’s lucky that there were so many good medical team on standby.”It’s quite rare that somebody gets hit, and it’s obviously very unfortunate. The medical staff that were on hand, obviously our own medical staff, doctor and physio and also the medical staff, paramedics at the ground, did a great job in being there very quickly to assess and make sure that all the right protocols and right processes were put in place.”Yeah, maybe [bowlers could wear helmets] – it is a difficult one because you get some guys that are coming in and who probably aren’t as well-equipped with their game to be able to deal with that.”