Melbourne: Cricket Australia (CA) has responded positively Saturday to India coach Ravi Shastri’s request for more warm-up matches ahead of their Test series Down Under later this year.
India only had one practice match ahead of their recent Test series against England, which they lost 1-4, and Shastri believes his side would be better prepared to tackle Australia if more red-ball cricket was scheduled prior to the first Test in Adelaide starting, December 6.
“We are happy to discuss options with the BCCI, but we have not received any formal notification to increase the number of tour matches prior to their series commencing in Australia,” a CA spokesperson was quoted as saying.
In England, even the lone four-day practice match against county side Essex was reduced to three days amid high drama over the condition of the pitch and the outfield, both of which apparently left the visitors unhappy.
Shastri had said Thursday he was not averse to the idea of playing practice games. “Absolutely not. Why would we be? You can only see the results (in the England Tests). Every time after the second Test we have improved. You can still get better. But why can’t we be in that position in the first Test match?,” he was quoted as saying by a cricket specific website.
Australia and India are scheduled to play three T20 matches prior to the Adelaide Test and Shastri said India had ‘requested a couple of (warm-up) games in Australia before the Test series commenced’.
Besides, three T20s, India will play four Tests and three ODIs from November 21 to January 18. India were beaten 0-2 in the four-Test series on their last tour of Australia in 2014-15.
Oz board to probe Moeen’s allegations
Melbourne: Cricket Australia (CA) has decided to launch a probe into England all-rounder Moeen Ali’s allegations that he was racially abused by an Australian player during the 2015 Ashes. Moeen, who is of Islamic faith, made the claim in his soon-to-be released autobiography. The alleged abuse occurred during the first Test of the series in Cardiff, in which the Englishman made a fine Ashes debut. “There was one incident which had distracted me. An Australian player had turned to me on the field and said, ‘Take that, Osama’.” In reaction to the allegation, a CA spokesperson said: “Remarks of this nature are unacceptable and have no place in our sport, or in society. We have a clear set of values and behaviours that comes with representing our country. We take this matter very seriously, and are following up with the ECB as a matter of urgency to seek further clarification around the alleged incident.”
