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Tim Paine Making Rapid Strides Towards Full Fitness Before Ashes Series At Home

Tim Paine making rapid strides towards full fitness before Ashes series at home

Australia Test captain Tim Paine is making rapid strikes to get back on the cricket field after his neck surgery in order to prepare for the first Test of the Ashes series due to start on December 08 in Brisbane.

Paine said that he would test his fitness in as many as four games including a game of the Sheffield Shield and Marsh ODI Cup for Tasmania before taking the field in the Ashes series.

Although he won’t be available for the next round of the Sheffield game for Tasmania starting November 10, the postponement of the only Test against Afghanistan has allowed him more time away from the international game and to prove his fitness. Now, he will have the opportunity to feature the Sheffield clash against Western Australia starting November 21 and the Marsh cup fixture against the same opponent on November 26 in Hobart.

"Ideally, I'd like to play a club game, a 2nd XI game, a Shield game, and a one-dayer for Tassie in late November and then go up to Queensland," Paine said. "Potentially I'm getting two, three or four games of cricket in before that first Test which would be a really good result,” Paine told SEN Hobart radio station.

He has also said that the training has been going flawless for him and he does not have any difficulty in moving around the field and diving as well. He said that apart from the normal stiffness that players pick up due to a long time away from the game, he has not been dealing with any major issue and will be back soon playing competitive cricket on the field.

"I had a decent catch yesterday, pretty good," Paine said. "I had a bit of a dive around yesterday, so I'm a little bit stiff today."It's nothing to worry about, just a bit of stiffness having had a few months off. I've pulled up a bit sore. But yesterday was as I would train normally, so it's a really good sign that I got through that and I'm looking forward to playing a game of cricket in the coming weeks."

A lot is riding on Tim Paine’s shoulder in the upcoming Ashes series at home after he became the only captain to lose the Test series to India at home and especially, the defeat the last summer raised many questions about his role and place in the side. He would be desperate to make a strong comeback in the Ashes series and sign off on a high as the series could also be a swansong for the cricket who made his debut way back in the year 2010.

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Cape Town to host third Test between India and South Africa

There is a change in the venue for the third Test between India and South Africa as announced by Cricket South Africa. India are slated to travel to South Africa for a three Tests, three ODIs and four T20Is. The third and final Test will be held in Cape Town instead of Johannesburg from January 3. The Test series which will start on December 17 is a part of the second cycle of the World Test Championship. "CSA is excited to welcome India back to South Africa, which also significantly marks the 30th anniversary of South Africa's first tour to India after re-entry into International Cricket in 1991. This tour affirms our unique relationship with the BCCI," Graeme Smith, CSA's Director of Cricket, said. "This tour comes at a fitting moment when Cricket South Africa, together with the people of the world celebrate Mahatma Gandhi's 152nd birthday. We are indeed indebted to India for its support to our cricket efforts over the years. We are looking forward to hosting our guests for what promises to be nail-biting on-field encounters," CSA Acting Chief Executive Officer Pholetsi Moseki said. The ODI series will begin in Paarl on January 11 while the second and third ODI are scheduled to be played in Cape Town on January 14 and 16 respectively. The two sides will then play each other in the T20I series, beginning on January 19 in Cape Town.

Azeem Rafiq's racism row: Michael Vaughan denies allegations, Naved-ul-Hasan contests his claims

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has come forward to admit that he is the former player named the report prepared by the Yorkshire County Cricket Club into the allegations of racism levied by the former leg spinner Azeem Rafiq. However, he has denied all the allegations against him that he was involved in hurling racist slurs to players of Asian origins such as Azeem. Reportedly, Vaughan has been blamed for saying "too many of you lot, we need to do something about it" to Azeem while they were playing together for Yorkshire in the year 2009. “I completely and categorically deny that I ever said those words. I have nothing to hide. The ‘you lot’ comment never happened. Anyone trying to recollect words said 10 years ago will be fallible but I am adamant those words were not used. If Rafiq believes something was said at the time to upset him then that is what he believes.” However, his claims of innocence have been contested by Rana Naved-ul-Hasan of Pakistan, who was playing with both of them at Trent Bridge at that time. He has confirmed to ESPNcricinfo about hearing “too many of you lot” comments from Vaughan and reiterated his commitment to providing evidence to inquiry if he is asked for. The racism saga is refusing to be brushed under the carpet and the gloves are off on sides for Yorkshire, who have been suspended from hosting major games such as the international ones and the Hundred games by the ECB. Earlier, Gary Ballance had come forward to admit that he is the player mentioned in the report who hurled words such as “P..i” to Azeem while their playing days at the club. However, he too claimed innocence and said that it was “inappropriate” words to exchange between friends who spend a lot of time together and that he was unaware of the impact those words had on Azeem’s life.

Yorkshire chairman quits, lambasts ECB for not giving prompt response to Azeem Rafiq's allegations

Just a day after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) banned Yorkshire county from hosting major matches due to its poor handling of the racism allegations levied by Azeem Rafiq, Roger Hutton has resigned as Yorkshire chairman with immediate effect. Notably, he joined the club in April last year, way after Azeem had left the club raising the issue of racism in the club, but Hutton has apologised to the leg spinner for not carrying out strong investigations into “serious allegations of racism” and making changes at the county. "Azeem left the club in August 2018, 18 months before I joined. I have never met Azeem. I know, however, that when someone makes claims as serious as his, they need to be investigated and changes need to be made. I would like to take this opportunity to apologise unreservedly to Azeem. The club should have recognised at the time the serious allegations of racism,” he said to ESPNcricinfo. As things stand now, the ECB has stepped into the racism row and reprimanded the Yorkshire club for not acting swiftly and botching up the response to Azeem’s allegations of racism. However, Hutton expressed his frustrations and said that the board, too, has to take a fair share of the blame after not providing him with enough assistance when he sought help to look into a “matter of great importance”. "I want to be clear that when I was made aware of Azeem Rafiq's allegations, I immediately reached out to the ECB to ask for their help and intervention to support a robust inquiry," Hutton said. "I was saddened when they declined to help as I felt it was a matter of great importance for the game as a whole. It is a matter of record that I have continually expressed my frustration at the ECB's reluctance to act."

Australia formally postpone only Test against Afghanistan citing uncertain situation

After months of threatening to postpone the only Test between Australia and Afghanistan scheduled towards the end of this month due to a ban on women’s cricket in the country in the wake of change in government in Afghanistan, Cricket Australia has now formally deferred the Test citing uncertainty. It also said that the game has not been cancelled and that it will take place in future when the “situation is clearer” while hoping that Australia will be able to host both men and women cricketers from Afghanistan in not too distant future. Australia has been a favourable cricketing ground for Afghanistan players as they have found reputation and traction among franchises in the Big Bash League. Cricket Australia said that it is looking forward to hosting Afghanistan players whom they called “great ambassadors” of the game. "CA is committed to support growing the game for women and men in Afghanistan and around the world, however, given the present uncertainty, CA felt it necessary to postpone the Test match until a later time when the situation is clearer," a statement said. "CA looks forward to hosting Afghanistan players in the BBL this season, who are great ambassadors for the game, and to hosting both the Afghanistan women's and men's team in the not too distant future." Afghanistan’s T20 captain and one of their biggest all-time stars, Mohammad Nabi expressed disappointment on the development but at the same time, he was “happy” at Australia not cancelling the Test altogether. Nabi said that he is aware of the decision-making process of Cricket Australia who is committed to the development of the game in Afghanistan and he will carry on having discussions over the issue. "It's disappointing the Test match isn't going ahead this year but I'm happy that the match is only postponed and not cancelled. My representative has been assured by Cricket Australia that they remain committed to the development of cricket in Afghanistan, so I look forward to hearing how we can work together in this regard,” Nabi said. Afghanistan suffered a regime change after the Taliban overthrew the civilian government and imposed a massive crackdown on cultural activities such as women’s sport and Cricket Australia has always maintained its stance over the issue. It threatened to cancel the Test against Afghanistan in order to safeguard women’s game in the country despite calls from former players and experts on that being not a good option to produce desired results.