South Africa should use the upcoming three-Test series against Sri Lanka to deepen their pool of international players, according to the former national selector Hugh Page

Firdose Moonda05-Dec-2011South Africa should use the upcoming three-Test series against Sri Lanka to deepen their pool of international players, according to the former national selector Hugh Page. Sri Lanka travel as the underdogs – not only do they have the historical disadvantage of never recording a Test win in South Africa, but their current form is dismal – they have not managed one Test victory this year. Page sees it as a chance to blood fringe players ahead of a year which includes tours to New Zealand, England and Australia.”If you are going to give guys an opportunity, this is the series to do it,” Page told ESPNcricinfo. “South Africa currently have a very healthy situation, the nursery is full. But, they don’t want a situation where when some of the old guys go; you have five or six totally new players.”Page, who was part of Omar Henry’s selection panel nearly ten years ago, identified two key areas for South Africa’s selectors to zone in on: wicketkeeping and batting. The former is a particularly prickly issue, with no clear successor being earmarked in place of Mark Boucher, who had a poor series against Australia and is under pressure to produce with the bat. Page identified one candidate who could be tried.”Mark Boucher probably does not have a long time left and I like the look of Dane Vilas,” Page said. Vilas plays for the Cobras where he bats in the lower-middle order and boasts a first-class average of 46.62. He scored an authoritative, unbeaten 161 in a match against the Titans in this year’s SuperSport Series.According to Page, South Africa’s top-six could also use a shake-up, which would involve moving Jacques Rudolph down the order. “I would recall Alviro Petersen. He should open the batting and Jacques Rudolph should come in the middle order,” Page said.Petersen was dropped in favour of Rudolph for the two-Test series against Australia. Rudolph topped the SuperSport Series rankings last season and has the same so far, this season. But, Rudolph had an unremarkable return to Test cricket, top-scoring with 30 in four innings. His opening stands with Graeme Smith never lasted more than 40. Petersen and Smith had nine opening stands of at least 50 in the nine Tests they played together. “Petersen and Smith also form that left-right combination which is quite a nice asset to have,” Page said.South Africa’s attack is not a cause of concern for Page, although he would like to see an injection of youth with players such as Wayne Parnell and Marchant de Lange on the radar. de Lange has only played 14 first-class matches but made a big impression in last month’s tour match against the Australians, where he took 5 for 56. Page suggested South Africa emulate their recent rivals when it comes to fast-tracking players. “Look at Australia, their two debutants [Nathan Lyon and Patrick Cummins] took five-wicket hauls in their first series. Same with Vernon Philander. We should do something similar with our youngsters.”Seamers are expected to play a major role in the series, with the hosts likely to prepare pitches that favour pace and bounce. Sri Lanka are depleted in the pace department due to injuries. Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Kulasekara, Shaminda Eranga and Dhammika Prasad are all injured. “When we go there, they won’t do us any favours, so we shouldn’t do them any over here, especially when they are down,” Page said.While Page was in favour of experimentation in the Test squad, he warned that the ODI leg of the tour may prove trickier. “In the one-dayers, we will have to be wary of them, they are a very good side and we should be sensible in our selections there.” South Africa lost their three-match ODI series against Australia 2-1 and, after crashing out of the World Cup in the quarter-final stage, still have a few unanswered questions about the make-up of their limited-overs squads.The South African selectors have some time before they pick the ODI squad but are expected to announce the Test squad on Tuesday. Sri Lanka’s tour will begin next Friday, with a three-day warm-up match against South African A in Benoni.

While there were murmurs from former players and members of the media questioning the legality of Saeed Ajmal’s action, Matt Prior said the England players were not talking about it

George Dobell in Dubai 17-Jan-2012It was as inevitable as it was regrettable that another absorbing day’s cricket between Pakistan and England should be tarnished by more controversy.At a time when Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal should have been talking about the career-best bowling spell that had earned his side the initiative in the first Test, he was instead forced to defend the legality of his bowling action in the post-play media conference. It appears that games between these sides will always be plagued by one issue or another.Ajmal, utilising all his skill and variation, claimed 7 for 55 as England were dismissed for just 192. Though Ajmal gained little turn from a sluggish surface, there was just enough movement in each direction to send confusion through the English ranks. It was a masterful performance from a fine cricketer.There were no complaints from the England dressing-room. Matt Prior, the England wicketkeeper, could not have made it clearer. “It’s not something we’re concerned about,” he replied when asked what the England team thought of Ajmal’s action. “It’s not something we talk about. It’s nothing to do with us.”But there were murmurs from former players and members of the media that suggested the issue could well dominate the headlines in the coming days. A waft of sour grapes, perhaps?The debate was sparked by the former England captain turned pundit, Bob Willis. Willis made the point, a quite legitimate point in context, that England are putting themselves at a disadvantage by not encouraging their young cricketers to bowl the doosra, a delivery that is harder to bowl while maintaining the legal margin of 15 degrees of arm straightening.There’s some truth in Willis’ complaint. Very few English coaches encourage the doosra and one of the very few county players who could bowl it with any degree of control and bite, Maurice Holmes, was recently suspended from bowling and released by his county after doubts about his action were raised.”The delivery that I have a problem with is the doosra,” Willis said. “The ICC have accommodated this delivery; they changed the rules to allow these bowlers to bend their elbow 15 degrees, which is what makes it so difficult for the batsmen.”The authorities are now allowing these mystery spinners, unorthodox offspinners to bend their elbow to a degree. If they are going to be allowed to do that then England have to address this and decide whether we should be teaching our young spinners to bowl like that as well.”Prior, whose performance stood head and shoulders above his team-mates, refused to encourage talk about Ajmal’s action. Instead he thought his side had to take responsibility for a poor display with the bat, while acknowledging that any bowler with the ability to turn the ball both ways always presented extra difficulties. Neither did he think that Ajmal’s talk of a mystery new delivery – the teesra – had proved to be a successful mind game.”We have to hold our hands up,” Prior said. “We had a bad day at the office. It was a pretty good batting surface and the ball wasn’t really turning. We just played a few cross-batted shots when we should have played straight.”I don’t think Saaed got in our heads at all. Any spin bowler who spins it both ways is tricky. His wrist is pretty quick when he delivers the ball so it’s pretty difficult to pick him at times and that obviously plays on a batsman’s minds, but we have to deal with him a lot better than we did today.Ajmal also chose to rise above questions on the issue. “I’m just going to concentrate on my bowling,” he said. “Umpires and referees are responsible for judging my action. Such questions were raised with Saqlain Mushtaq [the former Pakistan offspinner], too, but we both played county cricket and there were no problems. It’s no problem for me that someone in England has questioned my action.”This was the best performance of my life. I just bowled wicket to wicket and, while I had a good day, England had a bad one. They are all good players and it would be wrong to say that England doesn’t play spin well. Andrew Strauss should have played off the front foot rather than the back, but I’ve worked hard on my bowling against left-handers and I’m very happy to have dismissed four left-handers today.”

Papua New Guinea have appointed former Queensland and South Australia wicketkeeper Peter Anderson as their new coach

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Feb-2012Papua New Guinea have appointed former Queensland and South Australia wicketkeeper Peter Anderson as their new coach. Anderson replaces Brad Hogg, who resigned as coach of PNG following his recall to Australia’s Twenty20 side.Anderson’s first-class career spanned eight years from 1986 to 1994. He made 1399 runs from 56 matches, averaging 17.93, and effected 172 dismissals. Cricket PNG general manager Greg Campbell said the team was looking for a long-term coach. The big assignment ahead is the World T20 Qualifier in March.”We’re coming into a very important and exciting time for Cricket PNG right now, and needed someone to spend vast periods of time with the team,” Campbell said. We’ve been blessed in recent times to have the both Brad Hogg and Andy Bichel working with the team, but given their reputations in the cricket world, they would always have opportunities knocking at the door. With Peter, we know we’re going to get 100% and the vision and attributes he brings to the team will be great for the boys.”Anderson has been coaching local clubs in Queensland over the last six years and has also been working with wicketkeepers in the ICC Pacific region.”I think Peter will be a great addition to our coaching staff, with many years playing and coaching behind him, I feel we have picked the right man to take us to the next level,” Cricket PNG chairman Mick Nades said. “As a board, we congratulate him on his appointment, and look forward to moving forward together.”Anderson will join the PNG team in Canberra next month.

Playing on uncovered pitches and incentivising wins by tweaking the Ranji Trophy points system were some of the ideas proposed at a BCCI conclave for domestic captains and coaches

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Mar-2012Playing on uncovered pitches, incentivising wins by tweaking the Ranji Trophy points system, scheduling Ranji knockouts at neutral venues, increasing the number of rest days between games, increasing the number of bouncers allowed per over in first-class cricket; these were all ideas proposed at a BCCI conclave for domestic captains and coaches, in Mumbai.With team officials from nearly 27 states in attendance, the meeting was chaired by BCCI president N Srinivasan along with Sanjay Jagdale and Ratnakar Shetty, the board secretary and chief-administrative officer respectively. The conclave, a concept that had been discontinued a few years ago, made a resounding comeback according to some participants, who said there had been fruitful discussions.One of most important discussions in this year’s conclave concerned the revamping of the points system in the Ranji Trophy. WV Raman, the former India opener and current Bengal coach, suggested there was a need to encourage teams to win games outright. Under the current points system, once a team takes the first-innings lead they sit back, he said. “My suggestion was if a team gets a first-innings lead then give them the impetus to go for an outright win by allowing them to retain the three points even if they lose the game. The team that wins will get four points.”According to the existing rules, a team that takes a first-innings lead gets three points if the match ends in a draw, with the opponent getting one point. An outright win is worth five points with an additional bonus point available for an innings victory or ten-wicket win. According to Raman’s formula, a team would secure three points once they took a first-innings lead, regardless of the result, and would then chase a further four points for a win.”It will give the teams the drive to challenge the opponents and make sporting declarations,” Raman said.The other topic which saw animated discussion was that of uncovered pitches. Bishan Singh Bedi, the former India captain and current Jammu & Kashmir coach, said playing on uncovered pitches would toughen up domestic batsmen and simultaneously negate home advantage in matches. The idea met some opposition, particularly, according to Hyderabad coach Sunil Joshi, from the batsmen and coaches at the conclave.”In domestic cricket the quality of bowling is bad while the batsmen continue to bat on for days,” Bedi said. “The uncovered pitches will give the bowlers some encouragement.”According to Joshi, a better idea would be to use uncovered pitches at the Under-19 and Under-22 levels. “That would allow the youngsters to negotiate variable bounce, moisture, dew and a variety of other factors. It could be a good learning experience not only for the youngsters but also for the coaches,” Joshi said.During the BCCI’s technical committee meeting last month, Sourav Ganguly and his nine-member panel had struck down the suggestion of playing Ranji matches at neutral venues, an idea that had come out of the BCCI working committee meeting. The technical committee had recommended carrying on with the existing home-and-away format during the league phase.One advantage of neutral venues would be that sides like Tamil Nadu could avoid playing in Chennai, where several matches are affected by rain•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

During the conclave, many coaches and captains supported the idea of knockout matches being played at neutral grounds, saying it would guard against any bias a home-team curator might have while preparing a pitch. However, Raman pointed out that the home team lost in both semi-finals and the final this Ranji season. “So you can’t take it for granted that the home side will tweak things in their favour,” Raman said. Also, Raman said, the fact that BCCI grounds and pitches committee officials were present to overlook pitch preparations during the knockout phase was a good enough assurance that tracks would be fair to both sides.Raman also suggested at the conclave that fast bowlers be allowed to bowl three bouncers in an over in first-class cricket. “It would give the fast bowlers an added weapon and also help batsman counter short-pitch bowling,” Raman said. It was an extension, Raman said, of the technical committee’s decision to allow two bouncers in an over during domestic one-day tournaments.There was also a unanimous opinion among the captains and coaches that a four-day break between matches during the Ranji season was needed as opposed to the prevailing three-day breaks.Ganguly’s committee had suggested that Kookaburra balls continue being used during the Duleep Trophy. That idea did not find favour at the conclave, as members suggested playing with SG Test balls would be better. “What is the point of playing with a Kookaburra ball when the domestic players play the Ranji season with SG balls,” Joshi said. “Also, in the next 18 months India will be playing only at home so it would be much better to use SG during the Duleep Trophy too.”Kookaburra balls are used for the domestic 50-over and 20-over competitions, and it was recommended that teams be given more balls to practise with, well in advance of the tournaments. “Normally we are given a few Kookaburra balls two days before the tournament. How do you expect the bowlers to get used to it?” one of the coaches said. Another idea discussed was the introduction of a league phase in the Duleep and Deodhar Trophy.Joshi and Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the captain of Rajasthan, winners of the last two Ranji Trophies, proposed the idea of having just one group in both Elite and Plate divisions, increasing the number of games each team would play in the league phase, and thus giving them more chances to qualify for the knockouts. “So you play about 14 matches in the Elite division, and 11 in Plate. Then you could have the top four or the top two from each group progress to the quarterfinals or the semi-finals,” Joshi said.That idea, though, was in contradiction to the agreed-upon notion that players needed more rest. “On the one hand people wanted the rest period increased, but at the same time they were requesting more cricket in an already packed calendar,” one of the captains who attended the meeting said.Edited by Dustin Silgardo

New Zealand opening batsman Martin Guptill fired Derbyshire into a strong position at the end of the third day against Northamptonshire.

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Apr-2012New Zealand opening batsman Martin Guptill fired Derbyshire into a strong position at the end of the third day against Northamptonshire. With so little to choose between the two sides at the end of the first innings, Guptill set Derbyshire off to the perfect start in their second innings with an authoritative 131 not out as he and partner Paul Borrington put on an unbroken 213 for the first wicket.Northants did not help their own cause by dropping three catches off the pair and, at the close, Derbyshire had an overall lead of 235, having earlier bowled the visitors out for 264.
Borrington’s share of the opening stand was 66 not out in an admirably defiant effort. He has faced 226 balls so far and has hit six boundaries, content to allow Guptill to be the more free-flowing stroke-player but both players had to be exceptionally cautious at the beginning of their innings.With plenty of swing for the seamers in the overcast conditions, the first 20 overs from Northants allowed only 20 runs and the Derbyshire pair had to ride their luck at times as the ball regularly beat the outside edge.But the batsmen began to feel more comfortable shortly after lunch, with Guptill leading the way. He was given a life on 43 when Alex Wakely dropped him at first slip and the same fielder also later spilled another chance in the same position when Borrington was 42.
Guptill brought up his century with a steered single to third man off the last ball of the 51st over. It was his sixth in first-class cricket and his second for Derbyshire, coming off 135 balls with 11 fours and a six.On 108, Guptill was dropped again as substitute fielder Con de Lange put down a steepling chance at deep mid-wicket and, when bad light brought an early close with 15 overs to go, he was edging towards his highest score for the county, which is 143.Derbyshire earlier earned their first-innings lead of 22 when they claimed the last three Northants wickets for 23 runs in the first 10 overs of the morning. James Middlebrook added only five more to his overnight score of 40 when he attempted to force Mark Footitt away off the back foot and was caught by wicketkeeper Tom Poynton to make it 252 for 8 in the fifth over of the day.There were seven fours and a six in Middlebrook’s valuable innings and with him went Northants’ chance of nudging into a lead. Tony Palladino finished them off as Lee Daggett edged to second slip and Jack Brooks to first slip.

Chris Nash and Ed Joyce turned the clock back 12 months with an unbroken stand of 143 before the weather halted a Sussex charge against Worcestershire

18-May-2012Chris Nash and Ed Joyce turned the clock back 12 months with an unbroken stand of 143 before the weather halted a Sussex charge against Worcestershire in the Division One match at New Road.Their first century partnership in a year stretched their team’s lead to a commanding 199 but bad light and light rain wiped out the final session and put declaration plans on hold until the last day.It was a timely resurgence by a pair who lost some of their momentum after starting last season with five three-figure stands, culminating in a stand of 201 in a successful run chase against Somerset at Hove on May 19. Nash has not scored a century since reaching 120 in that match but the trip to Worcester for his 100th appearance in first-class cricket has been highly profitable so far with scores of 84 and 69 not out.Apart from a couple of sketchy shots, notably a top-edged cut parried by Michael Klinger at third slip, Nash played himself into a good rhythm. His driving was particularly impressive with 11 fours before the umpires took the players off at 3.00pm.In cruising to 70 from 118 balls, Joyce was a different player from the one who laboured for more than an hour over 6 runs in the first innings. His timing was spot-on from the outset, with nothing better than an effortless pull for six off David Lucas, and he also notched eight other boundaries.For Worcestershire, the third day, albeit cut short by 44 overs, became increasingly uncomfortable. Last year they stayed in Division One despite losing their first six matches. This year there has been an improvement, with three draws so far, but finding a way to win games will be key to their survival battle.Any hopes they had of matching Sussex’s first innings total of 315 evaporated on the third morning with their dismissal for 259 after losing their last three wickets for the addition of 28 runs. Jack Shantry managed to hold out with 22 not out in his first Championship knock of the season but there was nothing substantial from his partners.Ben Scott was leg-before to Jimmy Anyon, Lucas was run out by Nash’s quick reactions at short leg and Richard Jones scooped up a catch to mid-on as Monty Panesar completed a return of 3 for 65 in 23 overs. In terms of economy Steve Magoffin had the best figures after an immaculate performance in bowling 30 overs for his 2 for 35.

Lancashire have bolstered their ranks for this season’s Friends Life t20 campaign with the recruitment of Pakistan all-rounder Yasir Arafat

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-2012Lancashire have bolstered their ranks for this season’s Friends Life t20 campaign with the recruitment of Pakistan allrounder Yasir Arafat.Arafat, 30, will join his compatriot Junaid Khan as Lancashire’s second overseas player for the 20-over tournament. Lancashire will be Arafat’s fourth county after spells at Surrey, Sussex and Kent. He has played three Tests for Pakistan as well as 11 ODIs and seven T20Is.Mike Watkinson, Lancashire’s director of cricket, said: “The addition of Yasir to our squad emphasises our determination to progress in the Friends Life t20 tournament and we are delighted to have him on board. Our squad doesn’t have the depth that we have been accustomed to and Yasir brings experience and skill to fulfil this important role.”Peter Moores, the head coach, said: “Yasir has a wealth of experience of playing in this country. He is a very experienced one day bowler and a big hitter of the ball down the order.”Arafat, who last played for Pakistan two years ago, told PakPassion.net that his aim was a place in World Twenty20.”I’ve been out of favour with the national side for more than two years and all I can do is to try and perform well and to attempt to impress the selection committee,” he said. “I would dearly love to play in the Twenty20 World Cup later this year.”

Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain who was convicted of spot-fixing, has returned home after serving seven months in prison

Umar Farooq22-Jun-2012Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain who was convicted of spot-fixing, has returned home after serving seven months in prison. He arrived in Lahore at around 2.30 on Friday morning, exited from the airport lobby and spoke to reporters. He said he was not involved in any spot-fixing but claimed his mistake was not to report to the ICC when an offer was made.Butt, wearing a green polo shirt and jeans, was surrounded by a crowd as he made his way out of the airport after being cleared by Pakistan’s immigration authorities, and had to shout for walking space. “I have no links with spot-fixing nor I have never entertained any offer, nothing ever practically happened in a match that was linked to any offer,” he told reporters. “Of spot-fixing or any fixing, I never asked anyone to do anything or bowl any no-balls, I am not associated with it.”I apologised to the ICC for this, I did not report the events (in advance) between these two to three months because I knew the person. To the people of Pakistan, all the cricketers, those who support us and make us stars, I apologise – but for failure to report.”Butt was jailed in November for his part in the delivery of deliberate no-balls in a Test match at Lord’s in 2010. Originally sentenced for 30 months, he was released seven months into his sentence under the UK government’s early-release scheme for foreign nationals. However, it means he has been formally deported from the UK and cannot return to the country for 10 years.”I am happy and relieved,” Butt said upon his arrival. “No place like Pakistan. I want two to three days with my family and once I [have] that, I will hold a detailed press conference to answer all questions to clear my name from spot-fixing.”I am thankful to all those who helped me in difficult times and I hope my tough days are over. I am desperate to see my second son, whom I’ve not seen since his birth.” Butt’s second son was born on November 3, the day he was sentenced.Fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were also found guilty of corruption and accepting corrupt payments. Asif was released in May after serving six months of his 12-month prison term but he is still in the UK, planning his appeal against a seven-year ban from cricket. Amir served three months in the young offenders’ institute and is currently undergoing rehabilitation with a psychologist in Lahore.While Amir has decided not to appeal against the ICC ban, Butt said he was planning to. “I am consulting my legal advisers and will decide on when to appeal against the ICC ban.” When asked what he wanted to do next, Butt said he wanted to make a comeback as a “good person, a good Pakistani and a good cricketer.”Mazhar Majeed, the agent who was accused of setting up the deal that was uncovered by a sting operation, was imprisoned for 32 months. He is the only one among the conspirators still in prison.

Kevin Pietersen has opened the door for an England comeback in limited-overs international cricket, admitting he would “love to play for another three or four years in all forms of cricket”

George Dobell13-Jul-2012Kevin Pietersen has sensationally opened the door for an England comeback in limited-overs international cricket, admitting he would “love to play for another three or four years in all forms of cricket.”It is understood that Pietersen’s representative privately met ECB officials to discuss a return on Thursday night. Pietersen is also thought to have met Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, earlier in the week.Asked whether negotiations into his England return in all three forms of the game were ongoing, Pietersen replied: “I think so.”Pietersen did not disguise his discontent with the way he has been managed by England, matters that would surely have to be resolved if he was to make a smooth return into the England side.He complained that he had “never been looked after” by the England management and insisted that his schedule would have to be eased before he consented to a return.Pietersen, speaking moments after he finished the third day of Surrey’s Championship match at Guildford unbeaten on 234, reiterated his desire to be included in England’s World Twenty20 squad in Sri Lanka in September.The selectors meet this weekend to pick a 30-man preliminary squad for the tournament and must submit it to the ICC on July 18. England enter the tournament as defending champions.Pietersen retired from limited-overs international cricket at the end of May. While he wanted only to retire from the 50-over game and to continue to play T20 cricket, the terms of England central contracts state that for a player to be considered for either format of limited-overs cricket, they must be available for both.”I’ve always said I want to play in the T20,” Pietersen said. “But I needed to get away from the schedule. I cannot keep playing every single day’s cricket. I’ve never been looked after. I cannot keep playing every warm-up game, I cannot keep practising every single day. There comes a time when I know what I need to do to be successful. I’ve got a young family and I cannot be on the treadmill all day every day.”I’ve said before that, if the schedule was right, if they could sort my schedule out, I would love to play for another three or four years in all forms of cricket. But the schedule at the moment is a nightmare.”Morris was an influential figure when Pietersen lost his job as England captain more than three years ago after a breakdown in his relationship with England’s coach at the time, Peter Moores, broke down. Moores was also sacked.England’s unease will be all the greater because Andy Flower, England’s director of cricket, has referred to similar tensions in balancing his professional and personal life because of the proliferation of international cricket.

Ricky Ponting has said he is motivated every day by the memories of losing the past two Ashes series in England and he hopes to retain his place long enough to have another chance to win the urn away from home

Brydon Coverdale13-Aug-2012Ricky Ponting has said he is motivated every day by the memories of losing the past two Ashes series in England and he hopes to retain his place long enough to have another chance to win the urn away from home. Ponting will be 38 when Australia tour England next year and having had his ODI career ended by the national selectors earlier this year, he knows that he will not make the trip unless his form over the coming 12 months justifies it.As a Test-only player, Ponting now has plenty of down-time to ponder his goals, and while his colleagues fly out for a limited-overs tour of the UAE this month he will remain at home, working on his game. And visions of Michael Vaughan, Andrew Strauss and their team-mates raising the urn in triumph at The Oval will not disappear.”It’s one of the biggest motivators I have right now. Every morning I get up and go to the gym and I’m pounding away on the bike or the treadmill, it’s with some of the memories of The Oval still in my mind from the last couple of tours,” Ponting told ABC Radio on Monday. “They’re things that don’t go away quickly.”We’ve been very close over there on the last couple of tours, haven’t quite been good enough and we were nowhere good enough when England were in Australia last time. I think all Australian Test players have a point to prove to England and probably more of a point to prove in England.”But while thoughts of an Ashes redemption are in Ponting’s mind, he knows that he cannot afford to overlook the many contests looming before that trip. His next engagement for Australia will be the Test series against South Africa starting in early November, before three Tests against Sri Lanka, and then a tour of India before the Ashes.There is also the prospect of playing in two more Ashes battles, for back-to-back series have been scheduled for next year, with England to tour Australia barely six months after the series in England. By then Ponting will be 39, and while reaching that point while remaining in the baggy green might seem like a best-case scenario for him, it is not a goal he thinks is out of reach.”It might be easier to sustain now that I’m only playing one form of the game,” Ponting said of the desire to keep playing. “The amount of cricket that I’ve played over the last 15 years is pretty immense, 160-odd Tests and 370 one-dayers… that’s a lot of cricket. Now that I’m not playing that one-day side of things I’m playing a few [Sheffield] Shield games this year, a few Ryobi Cup games, I’ll get a few more Hurricanes games this year, but as far as where do I end, that all depends on how my hunger is and how I’m playing and how my form is.”We’ve got 18 months of some of the most competitive Test cricket that we’ve had in a long time: South Africa in Australia, India in India and then the Ashes, back-to-back series pretty much. It doesn’t get any bigger or better than that for an Australian cricketer. If I can make it through to the end of that, that would be great. If I can play well enough to have an impact on some wins through that period that would be great as well. Really for me all I can focus on now is being right for the start of November.”In Ponting’s favour is the fact that few middle-order batsmen are knocking the door down at domestic level. The national selector John Inverarity has spoken of George Bailey, Peter Forrest and David Hussey potentially being the next men in line for Test cricket but none have dominated in the Shield over the past few years to the extent that their case is irresistible. Ponting said he would accept it if he lost his place to someone more deserving.”If there’s someone out there better than me that is breathing down my neck and pushing me out the side, that’s international sport,” he said. “If there’s someone better than Michael Hussey or David Warner that’s the way it is. You have to be picking the best team to win every game you play. I honestly think if we play the way these guys can play and we just do things that little bit better … they’ll find it hard to beat us – I don’t care who we play.”