NEWS ALERT

NEWS UPDATE : Asian Cricket Third Sri Lanka-Pakistan ODI abandoned due to rain COLOMBO: The third One-day International between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was abandoned due to rain here at the R Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday. The umpires made this decision after consulting ... Australia want to master all forms of game: Clarke SYDNEY: Australia's limited-overs tour of England and Ireland represents the start of a two-year campaign to make them the top nation in all three forms of the game, captain Michael Clarke said ... Bopara glad to be back for England SOUTHAMPTON, England: Ravi Bopara is eager to make up for lost times as he tries to revive his ... South Africa name unchanged squad for England series JOHANNESBURG: South Africa have kept faith with a winning formula by naming an unchanged squad for the three-Test series in England starting next month, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on ...


Thursday, December 15, 2011

Aussies set up batting camp ahead of India Test


SYDNEY: New Australia coach Mickey Arthur has set up a training camp for his under-fire batsmen ahead of the opening Boxing Day Test against India in Melbourne.

Concerned by Australia's fallibility against the swinging ball exposed in the team's seven-run loss to New Zealand in this week's Hobart Test, Arthur has put in place a three-day camp in Melbourne next week.

Cricket Australia said Thursday Test captain Michael Clarke will be joined by Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin, Dan Christian, Shane Watson and possibly Shaun Marsh, who has a back injury, in the MCG nets from next Tuesday.

They will be facing bowling machines that will simulate the deliveries of tall Indian seamer Ishant Sharma and others.

Meanwhile in Canberra, David Warner, Phillip Hughes and Usman Khawaja, who all played in the Hobart Test, will be playing for a Chairman's XI against India in a three-day game.

Arthur said the camp was designed to sharpen the focus of the Australian top order ahead of four Tests against the second-ranked Indians.