Australia Cricket

Despite Australia’s triumph in the 2015 World Cup, their performances in the Twenty20 format last year were dubious at best. In the seven matches they played, they won just twice. But T20 is largely a lottery. Even with the best players in your team, it doesn’t always mean that you’ll win.

The T20 format is all about margins, and it is marginal differences that make certain players more valuable than others. James Faulkner is one of those players.

In 2014, Faulkner's bowling average was 16.00 in five fixtures. That has jumped to 29.60 this year, but it is not his bowling that sets him apart on margins. Faulkner’s chasing and, more importantly, his ability to hold his nerve when finishing, is truly extraordinary in limited-overs cricket.

Recently, in the second T20 against South Africa, Faulkner stepped in with just four balls left and 11 runs to get. He didn't need to go for the big shots and take undue risk but helped to tick the scoreboard over so that Australia could reach their target. This might not seem extraordinary, but the ability to keep a cool head like that is vital.

In one-day cricket, Faulkner is a cut above the rest. In a piece recently written for ABC, Geoff Lemon pointed out the following:

In the 15 ODI run chases that he's batted in, James Faulkner averages 119.

Of Faulkner's 15 run chases, Australia has won 11.

In those 11 winning chases, Faulkner averages 287.

You can deduce from this that in 11 successful chases, he has been out once. He has remained at the crease for the win on the other 10 occasions.

On nine of those 10 occasions, Faulkner has hit the winning runs himself.

Four times, he has hit the winning runs in the last over. Two other times, in the second-last over.

Now, you might argue that one-day cricket and T20 cricket are two completely different beasts. That is true, but Faulkner hasn’t earned himself the nickname “The Finisher” for nothing.

In the second T20 in Johannesburg, Faulkner helped Australia complete their highest ever chase with the bat, but he also contributed significantly with the ball.

While Josh Hazlewood, John Hastings and Mitchell Marsh were all carted for more than 10 runs an over at a venue known for its high scores, Faulkner’s figures were three for 28. He used his off-cutter effectively and, when asked about it, was acutely aware of the importance of mixing things up in international cricket.

“There’s so much cricket being played all around the world...you come up against the players so often now so they know what’s coming. So I’m just trying a few different things,” Faulkner said.

“There’s going to be times when I look a bit silly and everyone at home and at the ground are thinking ‘what is he doing.' There might be days when it comes off.”

Faulkner seems to come off more often than he doesn’t, and having a player who is not afraid to take risks will make a big difference to Australia in the World T20.

All information obtained firsthand, unless otherwise stated.

Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood seems likely to find himself under scrutiny after launching a tirade against umpire Ranmore Martinesz after Kane Williamson was given not out in the 73rd over of New Zealand's second innings of the second Test. 

With the ICC's world No. 1 ranking on the line, the Aussies are understandably combative but even they will surely recognise that Hazlewood overreacted. 

Cracking respect shown by Josh Hazlewood here towards the third umpire... pic.twitter.com/Sf2wcFyIxH

— Andy (@ABJ_LFC) February 22, 2016

Third umpire Richard Illingworth was the actual target of Hazlewood's abuse but Martinesz was on the front line and can be expected to mention the incident in his report. 

Hazlewood's relationship with his match fee seems almost certain to be short-lived. 

Australia's quest to regain their status as the world's top-ranked ICC Test side continues on Saturday, when they take on Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in the second Test at Christchurch.

The visitors arrive with a 1-0 series lead after running out easy victors at the Basin Reserve, winning by a comfortable margin of an innings and 52 runs.

Here's a look at the odds for Saturday's Test, as well as a couple of recommended bets. All odds are courtesy of Oddschecker (accurate as of 1.45pm GMT on Tuesday):

Hazlewood to Finish as Top Australian Bowler—7/2

Since shrugging off injury issues that blighted the early part of his career, Josh Hazlewood has become a central figure in the Baggy Greens' cricket in the last 12 months.

The 25-year-old fast-bowler displayed his quality and ruthlessness in Wellington, as he gathered a four-wicket haul in the first innings to dismantle the New Zealand top order. 

Tom Latham, Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum and BJ Watling were all sent on their way by the right-armer as Hazlewood took 4-42 in an impressive 14 overs. 

In the second innings it was the turn of Nathan Lyon to take four wickets to add to his already impressive career statistics.

Cricket Australia's communications manager revealed further data behind Lyon's bowling success: 

Hagley Ovel is regarded as one of the fastest and bounciest wickets on New Zealand soil, per Andrew Wu of the Sydney Morning Herald, and in-form Hazlewood has a strong opportunity to repeat those figures once more. 

Australia to Win the Series 2-0—11/10

Darren Lehmann's side utterly dominated the Black Caps last time out, forcing New Zealand to suffer the humiliation of a home innings defeat for the first time in almost two decades, per ESPN Cricinfo. Steve Smith is also yet to suffer defeat in the 10 Test matches in which he has skippered the side. 

Additionally, not only are Australia's bowlers producing magic, their batsmen are also contributing huge totals. Adam Voges will arrive at the second Test following an innings of 239, per ESPN Cricinfo. They can also call upon Usman Khawaja, who has struck 644 runs in his last six innings as Australia's No. 3, per Hijam Raju Singh of the Times of India. 

Despite it being McCullum's farewell series, per Mark Geenty of Stuff.co.nz, the New Zealand attack of Tim Southee and Trent Boult have lacked any reply with the ball, and the pair are likely to suffer a similar fate when they pitch up on Saturday. 

McCullum's final showing in international cricket has perked the emotions of some fans: 

With one Test win already in the bank, Australia will be desperate to seal a series win to help them prevail in their attempt to return to the summit of the ICC Test rankings. Fortunately for them, they hold a fast-bowler in Hazlewood in fine form and two key batsmen in great touch.

Another Australian masterclass should be expected in the second Test, with the wicket aiding the visitors' hopes further.

Shane Warne had an interesting theory to share on Monday.

The Australian cricket legend is currently taking part in the country's version of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here, when he offered his original take on evolution.

"If we’ve evolved from monkeys, then why haven’t those ones evolved?" Warne queried. "Because, I’m saying, aliens. We started from aliens."

But the former leg-spinner wasn't done there, as he went on to explain his thinking to fellow contestant Bonnie Lythgoe:

Look at those pyramids, Bonnie. You couldn’t do them. You couldn’t pull those ropes, huge bits of brick and make it perfectly symmetrical. Couldn’t do it. So who did it? Whatever planet they’re on out there, they decided that they were gonna start some more life here on earth and study us. Maybe they turned a few monkeys into humans and said, ‘Yeah, it works.'

Interesting theory, Warnie...

[YouTube: Ten Insider]

Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has officially announced he will return to cricket, and he intends to start at the grade level.

Fox Sports News confirmed the report and shared this quote from the 34-year-old, explaining why he's coming back:

Clarke retired from cricket in 2015 after Australia's loss against England in the Ashes.  

As Veeran Rajendiran of CricTracker reported, Clarke was approached by his hometown club, Western Suburbs, to play against Randwick-Petersham on February 20-21.

As it turns out, the veteran had continued training even after announcing his retirement, and he missed the game badly. He plans to use the opportunity of playing grade cricket to see whether it could lead to bigger things, like the Big Bash League, county cricket or even a return to Test cricket:

To step away from cricket for four months has been great, I have found my body has enjoyed it and my mind has really enjoyed it too.

At the same time I’ve ­realised the game of cricket is in my blood. I’ve been looking for an outlet to replace what I’ve chosen to walk away from.

So I’ll start with playing this grade game for Western Suburbs and see if I miss it as much as I feel like I’m going to.

If I do, the option is there to train the entire winter and then we’ll see what happens.

Clarke retired from One Day cricket after the 2015 World Cup and built a legacy as a top Test player, appearing in 115 matches and averaging 49.10, per ESPN Cricinfo. He led the Aussies to the No. 1 Test ranking and was the top-ranked Test batsman in the world at his peak.

In 2012, he became the first man to score four Test double-centuries in a calendar year, per BBC Sport, and he guided the Baggy Green to a famous whitewash win in the 2013-14 Ashes series. 

But chronic back issues started to take their toll on Clarke, and while the 2015 World Cup win was undoubtedly one of the highlights of his career, Australia's defeat in the 2015 Ashes marked the end of a difficult couple of years for the team and Clarke himself, per ESPN Cricinfo.

Pup will turn 35 in April, which is still relatively young for a middle-order batsman, and perhaps some time away from the game was all he needed. We'll find out whether he's still the same old prolific hitter in February and whether his return to grade cricket will lead to a full-time return to the sport.

Follow @ReverschPass

It was a tough afternoon in the field for Australia at the WACA on Tuesday, but George Bailey's sensational throwback to a hat of yesteryear has set social media alight.

Deciding against the typical baseball cap, Bailey opted to sport a wide-brimmed, floppy, yellow hat during the first ODI against India in Perth.

A decision that was met with near-universal respect.

(Twitter, H/T Fox Sports)

As the World Twenty20 tournament draws near, teams are trying to get as much preparation as they can, and this five-match one-day international series between Australia and India is a good way for these two teams to start gearing up for the competition.

Date: Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016

Time: 11:20 a.m. local (03:20 a.m. GMT)

Venue: Western Australia Cricket Association Ground, Perth

Live Stream and TV Info: Channel Nine (Australia), Sky Sport (New Zealand), Super Sport (South Africa), Star Sports (India)

Weather: Overall, the forecast seems good, according to AccuWeather.com. Temperatures will be in the mid 20-degree Celsius range and a shower is possible, but it should not be so bad that the whole match is rained off.

Overview

The last time Australia and India played each other in Australia was in the 2015 World Cup semi-final. The Aussies came out on top with a 95-run victory as the visitors' batsmen failed to repeat their exploits from earlier in the series.

The squad India have sent to Australia is one made up of largely familiar faces, though they also have three uncapped players. Rishi Dhawan, Gurkeerat Singh and Barinder Sran are three names that many people will be unfamiliar with. 

Overall, Australia are very much the favourites. They come into this series on the back of a dominant showing against the West Indies in their Test series.

Australia also have a very good record against India at home. The hosts have won 31 of their 43 ODIs played in the country and have lost just 10. Since the start of 2010, they have lost to India just once in Australia in seven fixtures.

With players like David Warner and Aaron Finch, who can take the game away from the opposition in just a few overs, India’s bowlers will have to box clever. They might have to do so without the help of Mohammed Shami, who sustained an injury during their first warm-up match and was not named in the second on Saturday.

India won their first against a Western Australia XI by 74 runs with Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli both hitting half-centuries, but neither managed to get into double figures in the second fixture, which was still on the go at the time of writing.

Both of their warm-up fixtures were played at the same venue as the first ODI, so India's players should have familiarised themselves with the conditions.

These warm-up results don’t really tell you much about the state the team is in, though. That will only be revealed in the first fixture and with two monstrous batting lineups, it could be a humdinger.

Key players

Australia

David Warner comes into this series on the back of an unbeaten 122 off just 103, which he hit in the final Test against the West Indies. While bad weather ensured that match ended in a draw, Warner has clearly had some batting practice and will be key for Australia at the top of the order.

India

Virat Kohli averages 47.76 against Australia and just 41.33 in Australia. By his standards, these numbers are quite low and there is no doubt that the feisty batsman will have a point to prove after averaging only 36.64 in 2015.

Squads

Australia:  David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steven Smith (capt), Shaun Marsh, George Bailey, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade (wk), James Faulkner, Kane Richardson, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Joel Paris.

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Axar Patel, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Gurkeerat Singh, Rishi Dhawan and Barinder Sran.

Ho, ho, ho! It's been a rollercoaster year for the Australia cricket team with the soaring high of winning the 2015 ICC World Cup contrasting with the surprise loss to England in the Ashes.

But professional sport waits for no man and with a packed schedule booked in for the next year, including the Twenty20 World Cup, two trips to South Africa and a tour of New Zealand, the capability of Steve Smith's squad is going to be severely tested.

With that in mind, here are three wishes which Baggy Greens' fans will be hoping come true soon.

3. A high-class all-rounder

Shane Watson has gone. Glenn Maxwell has fallen down the pecking order. Shaun Marsh seems too old to be a long-term fit and his younger brother Mitchell has yet to prove himself with the bat.

Yes, alongside the lump of coal and the satsuma in their Christmas stocking, Australia would be delighted to find a genuine Test-class all-rounder some time soon.

The presence of a genuine multi-skilled player obviously adds much needed balance to a side and opens up a variety of options, as England have utilised of late with Ben Stokes.

True, current incumbent Mitchell Marsh has the potential to secure the role full time and has produced some useful contributions so far, including taking eight wickets at just over 18 in the 2015 Ashes.

Although with just one half century in 19 Test innings and a first-class average of only 31.01, it's questionable whether his batting can justify a position in the top six.

However, as there doesn't appear to be anyone else on the periphery of the Australian team knocking on the door right now, it's Marsh's position to claim permanently.

2. Miracle return to health for Starc

One wish Baggy Greens skipper Smith would desperately like to see come true, is a rapid return to fitness for his premium paceman, Mitchell Starc, who broke his foot a few weeks ago.

While the Australian seam bowling unit had little trouble taking the West Indies apart in the recent Hobart Test, they could look one dimensional on a less conducive deck and against superior opposition.

Peter Siddle, Josh Hazelwood and James Pattinson all have their merits, but they are all similarly styled right-arm seamers.

Conversely, as well as bringing his sought after left-arm variation, Starc offers a high-calibre combination of pace—see the famous 100 mph ball at Perth—and lethal late swing.

The timing of Starc's injury, just after Mitchell Johnson's surprise retirement, couldn't have been worse and put an end to a prolific 2015 which saw him claim 46 wickets in 11 Tests at an average of just over 25.

The latest news, as reported by the Guardian, indicates the 25-year-old will undergo surgery shortly and is a major doubt for the Twenty20 World Cup in March.

Smith would surely sacrifice his haul of Christmas presents and then some to have the services of Starc back at his disposal for all formats of the game.

1. The big present you save until the end

Australia's biggest wish for the forthcoming year—one which will have both Smith and Darren Lehmann crossing their fingers and toes for—is also one that could easily come true.

Namely, to lift the ICC World T20 trophy in India.

In five editions since the competition came into life in 2007 in South Africa, somewhat surprisingly, the Australians have yet to get their name on the cup.

And while their campaign this time around has already been hampered by the likely absence of Starc, they have enough firepower to blow anyone away.

Equally, most of their likely starting XI have plenty of experience of playing in the Indian Premier League, which sets them in good stead for handling the conditions and the pressure of the situation.

Will this wish materialise? We'll find out in a few months' time. Happy Christmas!