Image courtesy of: The Mirror
Security around Broad and his team-mates will be dramatically increased
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have announced that they will be bolstering security when the national team travel to Australia in November due to fears for the players safety after Australia coach Darren Lehmann told the public to “get stuck into” pace bowler Stuart Broad for his “blatant cheating” in the first Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
Image courtesy of: The Indian Express
Khan and Singh worked on improving their fitness in France
Veteran India pace bowler Zaheer Khan has admitted that he feels ashamed about his fitness levels over the last year as it has cost him his spot in the national team.
Image courtesy of: Cricketdawn.com
Qasim remains doubtful about Pakistan’s chances of becoming the number one side in any of the three formats
Almost no player will ever admit that his team is experiencing a turbulent transition period, however, in the case of Pakistan, chief selector Iqbal Qasim has come clean and admitted that the team are facing some difficulties after having dropped several senior players for talented youngsters.
Swann knows his elbow issues will continue troubling him in the future
In a move that could prove to be a mighty blow for England, off-spinner Graeme Swann has admitted that he may not be fully fit in time for the start of the Ashes series in July after having surgery on his troublesome elbow.
Broad knows his troubles are far from over
While England may be thanking their lucky stars to have pace bowler Stuart Broad back in the squad, the seamer himself is a lot more pessimistic as he knows the recent heel injury he picked up in India is going to be a long-term problem that the medical staff will have to continuously keep a close eye on.
Hodge’s next assignment will be the IPL
Australia veteran batsman Brad Hodge, who had a grand plan of making an international comeback during this year’s back-to-back Ashes series, was left bitterly disappointed after Victoria decided not to select him for the last few games of the Sheffield Shield season, which he was planning to use as a launchpad for his dazzling return to Test cricket after an absence of nearly five years.
Starc was poised to be one of highest-paid players in the tournament
While a majority of Australian players, both past and present, seem ready to play in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL), which begins on April 3, one pace bowler has not given into the peer pressure or lucrative contract temptations and is instead looking forward to spending some time at home and recharging himself after a brutal Test summer.
Ponting and Hussey’s retirement has left a huge void in Australia’s middle order
The retirement of veteran batting pair Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey has hit Australia hard and at a crucial time, where they will be under serious pressure to regain the Ashes from arch-rivals England after failing to do so on the previous two occasions.
Siddle and Starc are the only two pace bowlers capable of keeping themselves fit at the moment
While Cricket Australia may have made the rotation policy amongst their pace bowlers in the national side mandatory, it does not mean that all of seamers are pleased its implementation.
Starc has attributed a lot of his early success to Siddle
Australia pace bowler Mitchell Starc has announced that veteran seamer Peter Siddle is the “heart and soul” of the national team’s pace attack and added that he is the person all bowlers look up to, just like all the batsmen in the side admire Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey.
