Michael Clarke fit for Adelaide Test, Hughes named 13th man

By Admin
Michael-Clarke-Australia-vs-India-Test-Series-2014-15

 Michael Clarke has been declared fit to play in the first Test against India starting Tuesday. The Australian captain has recovered fully from his hamstring injury and will lead the team at the Adelaide Oval. (Also Read: Virat Kohli became the 32nd to lead india in Test)

Shaun Marsh, who was called up to cover for Clarke, will fly back to Western Australia to participate in the Sheffield Shield Cup match against Victoria. As a gesture of tribute, Phillip Hughes has been named the 13th man of the squad.

Welcoming the availability of Clarke for the all-important first Test, Australian fast bowler, Mitchell Johnson said, "It's a huge boost to have him back in and playing for us and with his captaincy.”

"And it shows how strong he has been over the last couple of weeks with the tragedy we have had. He is a strong leader and has always been an aggressive leader. He just has something about him when he's out there as captain."

Johnson said the team is still overcoming the grief of Hughes’ death and admitted it will be emotionally challenging to focus on cricket with their deceased mate on their minds. "It's going to be an emotional morning. For me going out there bowling, the first spell might be the most difficult.”

However, the pacer also said he will have no qualms in using the bouncer as a weapon against the Indian batsmen if the situation demands so. 

"We have got to play the way we have been playing and that has been aggressive. If that is bowling the short ball like we have been, then that will be what we do. It might be different this time but I don't know how I'm going to feel," he said.

The Australian players will wear No. 408, Hughes’ Test number, on their jerseys for the first Test. Johnson said it will be a matter of pride for them to do so.

"It's really special, to make his family and Phil very proud. I'm certainly proud to be able to wear that number.”

Australian team for the first two Tests: Chris Rogers, David Warner, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke (c), Steve Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris, Nathan Lyon. Josh Hazlewood (12th), Phillip Hughes (13th)

 source: bcci.tv

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Story behind Yusuf Pathan jersey No. '999'

By Admin
Image
Like in life, in sports too there are people who remain an enigma. At least to those who watch them from the outside. They fascinate and frustrate in equal measures. At times, one feels they are surviving on their reputation and not its execution. But these enigmatic geniuses often find someone who understands their worth, who believes in them as much as they believe in themselves. Yusuf Pathan is an enigma. Everyone knows of his supreme leather-pounding power and they love him for that. But to their dismay they don’t see that skill being converted into runs. But those close to him and his team mates see what others can’t. His Kolkata Knight Riders skipper, Gautam Gambhir, surely does.  Questions have been raised about Pathan’s place in the KKR Playing XI since the beginning of the 2012 IPL. And with every low score against his name, they have gotten louder. In IPL 2013, Pathan has played three matches so far and scored 18*, 0 and 27.  They’re not big scores but they’
Read more

Rohit Sharma 264 Runs - Report: India vs Sri Lanka, 4th ODI, Eden Gardens, Kolkata

By Admin
Image
Propelled by Rohit Sharma’s magnificent double-century, India marched to a 153-run win in Kolkata. While Eden Gardens celebrated 150 years, Rohit lit-up the stadium with a well paced 264 off 173 to make the occasion memorable. In doing so, he etched his name in the history books by posting the highest individual score in ODI cricket and became the only batsman to post two double hundreds in the 50-over format till date. It was breathtaking knock by the opener that set-up the match for India. The hosts then bowled the visitors out for 251 to take a 4-0 lead in the series.  (Also Read:  Rohit Sharma 264 Runs - Stats: India vs Sri Lanka, 4th ODI ) Post by Indian Cricket Team Updates . Coming out to open with Ajinkya Rahane after India elected to bat, Rohit made the Sri Lankans regret the missed chance to send him back when he was batting on four. The opener taking the aerial route was dropped by Thisara Perera at third-man.  Having received a life, Rohit who was back in the
Read more

INDIA v PAKISTAN 1ST ODI ᴴᴰ FULL HIGHLIGHTS, CHENNAI, 30 DEC 2012

By Admin
Image
FULL HD HIGHLIGHTS INDIA v PAKISTAN 1ST ODI, CHENNAI, 30 DEC 2012. Man-of-the-Match: MS Dhoni  for his 113-run knock that helped India set up a competitive total Brief scores: India   227/6 in 50 overs  (MS Dhoni 113*, S Raina 43, R Ashwin 31*, J Khan 4/43) lost to  Pakistan 228/4 in 48.1 overs  (N Jamshed 101*, Y Khan 58, S Malik 34*, B Kumar 2/27) by six wickets   Nasir Jamshed:   "It was a tough start when we lost Hafeez off the first ball, but we played out the tough period and now we are confident in this series." Misbah-ul-Haq:  "It was really good toss to win and the spell by Junaid Khan was very good. He has done it before in a Test match in Sri Lanka. Good to see that the bowlers pitched in the right areas in helping conditions. There was a change in the nature of the pitch. It was more difficult to play in the first half, very well played by Dhoni. But Nasir played an extremely good knock and showed the way by finishing the game. Humidity
Read more