Picking Steve O’Keefe: a key step towards solving Australia’s woes in the subcontinent

During Darren Lehmann’s tenure as Australian coach, much praise has been directed at his laidback approach to managing the Australian side. Prior to the 2013 Ashes, Super-Lehmann donned a BUPA-emblazoned tracksuit and set about repairing a team, whose fractures had come to the forefront in the infamous ‘Homework-gate’ tour of India. He focused on providing a healthy, supportive environment for the players so that they could play their natural games.

As such, for better or worse, the aggression of many an Australian player has shone through. It has produced results and has, perhaps, been the primary factor in the ascent of Steve Smith’s side to the number one position in Tests. But such are the vagaries of the ICC Test Rankings system that Australia has done so without winning a single Test in Asia for almost the past five years, while losing six of the past six Tests there. What is the answer to Australia’s problems in the subcontinent? Unfortunately, the Australian Test side has a whole host of issues to deal with in regards to this. But a key step forward lies with a step away from aggression in the form of a steady left-arm orthodox bowler by the name of Stephen O’Keefe.

Things to note so far from CPL 2016 (Part 2)

Match 11: Guyana Amazon Warriors v Trinbago Knight Riders at Providence, 10 July  – Match 19: Jamaica Tallawahs v Trinbago Knight Riders at Kingston, 18 July

At the near two-thirds point of the tournament, the Jamaica Tallawahs are at the top of the leaderboard, having lost just one match in seven games. At this point, all six teams are mathematically capable of making the play-offs, although St Kitts and Nevis will probably have to win all three of their last matches and need results to go their way. Upcoming in the last third of the group stage are the inaugural Caribbean Premier League matches in the US, which will be played in Lauderhill, Florida.  

Record Watch (July)

Monthly update on upcoming Test records/milestones

As the Test series roll on, record and milestones tumble for players from all sides. While these might seem like statistical oddities, they often say quite a lot about the longevity of a player or the rapidity of their rise. Take for example, Yasir Shah, who is on track to break the record for the fastest to 100 Test wickets. This encapsulates just how unprecedented Yasir Shah’s breakthrough has been in Test cricket. As such, this is the start of a monthly log of what’s happening in the Test arena.

The Remarkable Tale of Misbah-ul-Haq (Lord’s edition)

As Misbah-ul-Haq reeled off a Lord’s hundred at the scarcely believable age of forty-two, I had a quick glance at the records for “Oldest player to score a Test hundred“. Not surprisingly, he was reasonably high on the list – sixth oldest – but he was leapfrogged by players from the 1920s/1930s era; their careers were often extended by years of inactivity during the First World War and the absence of the cut-throat professionalism of modern times. The noteworthy thing, however, is not his position on the list, but it is the fact that he is on the list at all, given the circumstances of his career.

Things to note so far from CPL2016

Match 1: Trinbago Knight Riders v St Lucia Zouks at Port of Spain, 29 June – Match 10: Guyana Amazon Warriors v St Kitts and Nevis Patriots at Providence, 9 July

As I’ve explained before, the rapid pace of the domestic Twenty20 schedule means that it is pretty difficult to keep up with the noteworthy features of the games. Hence, I’ve written on a few of the features of CPL2016 that have emerged in the first ten matches so far. (Although the Natwest T20 Blast is going on at the same time, I probably won’t write about it until finals time since it has progressed further than the CPL.)