Sydney faces a fight to keep hosting the New Year’s Test with the South Australians launching a bold bid to steal the match next year.
The SCG Test has been hampered by Sydney’s early-January rainfall in recent years and the South Australian Cricket Association and state premier Peter Malinauskas have contracted Cricket Australia about Adelaide Oval hosting the marquee event.
There have been calls for the Sydney Test to be moved earlier or later in the summer schedule due to the city’s climate with rain proving a constant headache for players and officials.
Last year’s Ashes Test ended in a draw after rain enabled England to bat out the final day while the 2023 match against South Africa also ended in a stalemate because of the fickle Sydney weather.
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According to a report in The Sydney Morning Herald, the South Australians have pointed to the fact that the Adelaide Test always draws a big crowd with more than 86,000 fans watching this summer’s win over the West Indies over four days even though the match was one-sided against an outclassed opponent.
(Photo by Sarah Reed – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
CA is in the midst of finalising venues for next summer’s schedule with three Tests against Pakistan to be played from mid-December to the New Year’s Test before two matches against the Windies in January.
“We believe SACA’s got a compelling case in front of Cricket Australia that shows that our premium product deserves premium scheduling,” SACA president Will Rayner told the SMH.
Christian keen to coach in retirement
T20 specialist Dan Christian is keen on forging a coaching career now that his days touring the world as an in-demand allrounder are over.
The 39-year-old announced plans to retire last month and played his last game of professional cricket at the SCG on Thursday night, when the Brisbane Heat eliminated his Sydney Sixers in the penultimate game of the Big Bash finals.
In total, globetrotter Christian played 409 games of T20 cricket for 18 different teams in six different countries and represented Australia a total of 43 times in white-ball cricket.
Ahead of his final game, both teams gathered to honour Christian, who was then unable to mark the occasion with fireworks on a slow SCG wicket, getting bowled by Spencer Johnson for seven just as the Sixers’ innings was beginning to go pear-shaped.
He wasn’t given the chance to roll the arm over either but did catch Heat skipper Jimmy Peirson from the bowling of fellow veteran Steve O’Keefe
On announcing his retirement, Christian admitted his desire to train had waned this summer but after the loss to the Heat, said he had no intentions of leaving the game behind altogether.
“I’m definitely not lining up to do a nine to five job,” he told reporters. “I’ll probably put my hand up somewhere and try to get a (coaching) gig somewhere.”
Christian had a taste of coaching at last year’s T20 World Cup, when he and former South Africa coach Gary Kirsten were the two marquee signings to the Netherlands’ staff for the Australian-based tournament.
He said taking on leadership roles as a player had cemented his intentions to coach.
“I’ve really enjoyed being an older player and being able to help the younger guys in whatever way shape or form that I can, be it with tactics or with any kind of experience that I’ve had,” Christian said.
“I suppose coaching’s the exact same thing without the pressure of having to perform on the field.”
Sixers captain Moises Henriques endorsed Christian’s career aspirations but encouraged his former teammate to give himself time to relax in retirement first.
Dan Christian. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)
“He’s going to be missed for sure but hopefully we can keep him involved in some capacity,” Henriques said.
“He’s the type of guy that whatever he tries to put his mind to, he should be okay.
“I just hope he enjoys the next chapter of his life and doesn’t try to force it too quickly.
“He’s been playing cricket for a long time so hopefully for him it’s six months of golf somewhere, and just enjoy that, get his handicap even lower and then he can worry about working after that.”
Teen spinner added to white-ball squads too
England have named 18-year-old legspinner Rehan Ahmed in their white-ball squads for the first time ahead of the tour of Bangladesh.
Ahmed became England’s youngest men’s Test cricketer when he lined up against Pakistan in Karachi in December aged just 18 years and 126 days and marked the occasion by taking a five-wicket haul.
The Leicestershire spinner had played just three first-class matches before making his Test debut, but has slightly more experience in white-ball cricket having played 19 T20 matches and seven List A games for his county.
Lancashire fast bowler Saqib Mahmood has also been included in the ODI squad for the first time since the back stress fracture he suffered in May.
Rehan Ahmed. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
The 25-year-old is currently with the England Lions in Sri Lanka, but has not bowled so far during the red-ball series.
There was no place for Alex Hales however, who is set to play franchise cricket in the Pakistan Super League after only returning to the national set-up last summer. Hales played a crucial role in England’s T20 World Cup victory in Australia in November after a positive recreational drugs test on the eve of the 2019 World Cup resulted in three-and-a-half years in the international wilderness.
Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali and Jason Roy were also selected by PSL franchises, but have been included for the tour of Bangladesh.
England will play three ODIs and three T20s in Bangladesh from March 1 to 14, which will be the first T20 matches since Jos Buttler’s side became world champions in November.
ODI Squad: Jos Buttler (Lancashire, captain), Tom Abell (Somerset), Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Moeen Ali (Warwickshire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Sam Curran (Surrey), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Reece Topley (Surrey), James Vince (Hampshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).
T20I Squad: Jos Buttler (Lancashire, captain), Tom Abell (Somerset), Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Moeen Ali (Warwickshire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Chris Jordan (Surrey), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Reece Topley (Surrey), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).
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