Clarke ruled out of England match
Australia captain to miss opening tie due to back problem.
Giles wants his side to bring out their best game when they take on Australia in their Champions Trophy opener today. PHOTO: AFP
LONDON:
Australia captain Michael Clarke has been ruled out of his side’s opening Champions Trophy match with England today due to a back problem, Cricket Australia announced yesterday.
Clarke, 32, has already missed Australia’s warm-up games with the West Indies and India, raising concerns about his participation in the Ashes series later this year.
“Michael is making steady progress in his recovery from the recent lower back injury but is yet to return to training,” said Cricket Australia physiotherapist Alex Kountouris. “He will remain in London over the coming days to continue his rehabilitation and will not be available for the first match against England.
“How he responds to the ongoing treatment will determine his availability for the match against New Zealand next Wednesday.”
‘England need to produce ‘A’ game’
On the other hand, England one-day team coach Ashley Giles wants to see the side produce their ‘A game’ against Australia.
Tournament hosts England were below their best for much of their recent 2-1 One-Day International series defeat by New Zealand, although they did at least avoid a whitewash with a 34-run win over the Black Caps in Nottingham on Wednesday.
“It was still not anywhere near a perfect performance,” he said. “It’s disappointing to have lost a series, and we’ve let ourselves down in certain departments.
“There are some big positives, but we’ve certainly not played our ‘A’ game yet. Maybe we’re saving that.”
Wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler, who scored a breathtaking 47 not out off just 16 balls, produced an array of astonishing shots on Wednesday, with the Somerset starlet seemingly uninhibited despite not even taking guard until the 47th over.
Giles believes Buttler is capable of more than mere ‘cameo’ innings.
“I think he can do it over a longer period. I think what Jos needed was to do it once in 50-over cricket. It doesn’t mean he’s going to do it all the time — but in Twenty20 cricket, once he crossed that hurdle, he looked a different player. I’m hoping that will happen again.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 8th, 2013.
Australia captain Michael Clarke has been ruled out of his side’s opening Champions Trophy match with England today due to a back problem, Cricket Australia announced yesterday.
Clarke, 32, has already missed Australia’s warm-up games with the West Indies and India, raising concerns about his participation in the Ashes series later this year.
“Michael is making steady progress in his recovery from the recent lower back injury but is yet to return to training,” said Cricket Australia physiotherapist Alex Kountouris. “He will remain in London over the coming days to continue his rehabilitation and will not be available for the first match against England.
“How he responds to the ongoing treatment will determine his availability for the match against New Zealand next Wednesday.”
‘England need to produce ‘A’ game’
On the other hand, England one-day team coach Ashley Giles wants to see the side produce their ‘A game’ against Australia.
Tournament hosts England were below their best for much of their recent 2-1 One-Day International series defeat by New Zealand, although they did at least avoid a whitewash with a 34-run win over the Black Caps in Nottingham on Wednesday.
“It was still not anywhere near a perfect performance,” he said. “It’s disappointing to have lost a series, and we’ve let ourselves down in certain departments.
“There are some big positives, but we’ve certainly not played our ‘A’ game yet. Maybe we’re saving that.”
Wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler, who scored a breathtaking 47 not out off just 16 balls, produced an array of astonishing shots on Wednesday, with the Somerset starlet seemingly uninhibited despite not even taking guard until the 47th over.
Giles believes Buttler is capable of more than mere ‘cameo’ innings.
“I think he can do it over a longer period. I think what Jos needed was to do it once in 50-over cricket. It doesn’t mean he’s going to do it all the time — but in Twenty20 cricket, once he crossed that hurdle, he looked a different player. I’m hoping that will happen again.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 8th, 2013.