Clarke’s injury leaves Aussie selectors with much to ponder

Monday, 15 December 2014 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

REUTERS: With Michael Clarke already ruled out indefinitely because of a hamstring injury, Australia’s selectors face some tricky decisions for the second test against India.

Australia lead the four-match series 1-0 after their nailbiting 48-run win at Adelaide Oval on Saturday but with the second match starting in Brisbane on Wednesday, the makeup of the team remains uncertain. Shaun Marsh has already been added to the squad to fill Clarke’s place in the batting lineup while wicketkeeper Brad Haddin is the overwhelming favourite to take over the captaincy, considered one of the greatest honours in Australian sport. But with only a few days between matches, the biggest dilemma facing the selectors is the bowling lineup. Nathan Lyon is all but assured of retaining his place as the specialist spinner after capturing a career-best 12 wickets in Adelaide but the pace attack could come under review. The Australian coach Darren Lehmann said he wanted to check on the fitness of his seamers before deciding on his lineup. The most concern centres around Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle. Harris was playing his first test since undergoing knee surgery while Siddle was battling a stomach bug. “We will see how they pull up. If they are 100% they will play,” Lehmann told reporters. “A couple of them are sore but the next day or two will tell.” Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc loom as the most likely to get a call-up if the Australian selectors do want some fresh legs. Opener Chris Rogers is also under the microscope after a lean run with the bat. While his opening partner David Warner has piled on six centuries from his last 11 innings, including twin hundreds in Adelaide, Rogers has only made it past 50 once in his last 12 knocks. “He has put on some really good partnerships with David Warner over the last 18 months and been a great foil behind the scenes,” Lehmann said of Rogers. “So we are really pleased where he’s at (but) we’d obviously like him to make some more runs though.” Clarke, who has been plagued by back and hamstring problems for the past year, expects to miss the entire series. He even flagged the possibility he might never play again though Lehmann was optimistic.

Warner, Dhawan and Kohli fined by ICC

Reuters: Australia’s David Warner and India’s Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli have been fined by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for ill-tempered incidents during the fourth day of the first test in Adelaide. Warner and Dhawan were fined 15 and 30% of their respective match fees for a confrontation after the Australian opener was bowled by a no-ball. India paceman Varun Aaron had celebrated after rattling Warner’s stumps, only for the batsmen to retaliate towards the bowler after his let-off. Dhawan was involved in a heated exchange with the fiery Australian after the next delivery. India captain Kohli, deputising for the injured MS Dhoni, was docked 30% of his match fee after an argument with Australian bowler Steven Smith following a rejected lbw appeal against Rohit Sharma. “The three players admitted the offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by Jeff Crowe of the Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees. As such, there was no need for a formal hearing,” the ICC said in a statement on Saturday. The match was Australia’s first since the death of their former batsman Phillip Hughes, who was struck on the head by a bouncer during a first-class match in Sydney two weeks ago. Australia beat India by 48 runs on Saturday in the first game of the four test-series. The second teststarts on Wednesday in Brisbane.

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