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Opener shared a 209-run stand with Australia A skipper Jason Sangha who also made an unbeaten 121

AAP22-Jul-2025Darwin-born Jake Weatherald sealed a happy homecoming and put his name in the conversation surrounding Australia’s opening batter conundrum for the Ashes with an imperious century for Australia A against Sri Lanka A.Starting day three of the second four-day game on 45, Tasmania’s Weatherald powered to 183 in a magnificent 275-ball innings punctuated by 16 fours and two sixes.Australia A captain Jason Sangha made an unbeaten 121, his third first-class century in his last five innings dating back to the end of the Sheffield Shield season. The pair’s 209-run third-wicket stand, after Kurtis Patterson made 59 in a 134-run second-wicket stand with Weatherald, took Australia A from 76 for 1 on resumption to a strong 379 for 3 by stumps on Tuesday, in reply to Sri Lanka A’s 485 for 6 declared.With the Darwin pitch ideal for batting, the chance of a result looks slim, with the series poised to end 0-0 after game one finished in a stalemate.Most discussion out of the match, then, may centre on Weatherald after the 30-year-old made hay on the Marrara Cricket Ground pitch to score his 13th first-class century.Coming after his 54 in his only innings in game one, the knock was a timely reminder to national selectors as they weigh top-order options for this summer’s home Ashes after a bleak tour of the West Indies for openers. Usman Khawaja has averaged 15.37 in his last eight Test innings and will turn 39 during the Ashes. The 19-year-old Sam Konstas fared even worse when recalled to partner Khawaja in the recent 3-0 Test series romp in the Caribbean, averaging 8.33 and looking well short of the finished article. Nathan McSweeney – dropped after averaging 14.40 through his first three Tests last summer against India – made 94 for Australia A last week to push his case for a possible recall, but failed on Monday in the second match, making 12.Jason Sangha brought up a century from No. 4•Cricket Australia

Into calculations for a top-of-the-order Test debut in the Ashes comes Weatherald, who opened for Australia A and raised his century on Tuesday off 146 deliveries, scoring in virtually every part of the ground.The left-hand batter is coming off the finest summer of his career, in which he topped the Sheffield Shield competition with 905 runs.His three Shield centuries – as with his effort on Tuesday – showed his capacity to push on to make a big hundred, scoring 186 against Queensland, 155 against Victoria, and 145 against New South Wales.On Tuesday, he and Patterson progressed their second-wicket partnership to 134 before Patterson was caught at point for 59 reaching for a wide delivery from paceman Asanka Manoj.Weatherald and Sangha piled on 209 for the third wicket before Weatherald was bowled by offspinner Nuwanidu Fernando.

High-octane duel anticipated as two-time champions go head-to-head in Super Eight

Andrew Miller18-Jun-20243:29

Bishop: Confidence the key for West Indies at the business end

Match details

West Indies vs England
June 19, St Lucia, 8.30pm local time

Big picture:

After the angst they endured in the group stage, England have floated down to St Lucia on a wave of exhalation. Whatever happens in their T20 World Cup defence from hereon in, their avoidance of a humiliating first-round exit might yet prove to be as much of a fillip as four rousing wins from four. Their campaign can begin in earnest now, which is just as well, because they are about to bump into a team with no such concerns to weigh them down.England and West Indies are each competing for an unprecedented third T20 World Cup title, and the events at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Beausejour – a venue named in honour of the man who delivered the hosts those first two titles – could go some way towards confirming the readiness, or otherwise, of these two very real contenders for the crown.West Indies are fit, focused and firing on all cylinders. They come into this contest on an eight-match unbeaten run, and if there were a few early-tournament nerves on show in an anxious pair of Group C victories over Papua New Guinea and New Zealand, then their unmitigated thrashings of Uganda and a highly-rated Afghanistan have assuaged them in uncompromising fashion.Quite apart from the power of their recent victories, the range of West Indies’ match-winners has propelled them firmly into the title mix. From Andre Russell’s 71 from 29 balls against Australia in Perth, to Brandon King’s 79 from 45 against South Africa in Jamaica, via Roston Chase and Johnson Charles, and all the way through to Sherfane Rutherford’s innings-salvaging 68 not out against New Zealand and Nicholas Pooran’s ballistic 98 from 53 balls against Afghanistan, they’ve time and again showcased a batting line-up with complete faith in each other’s attributes, and an ability to stand up when called upon.Only the captain, Rovman Powell, has been short of recent runs, even though a 24-ball fifty in a warm-up match against Australia is sufficient proof that his eye is still firmly in. With Sammy ensconced as head coach, and instilling the same spirit of collective responsibility that powered their twin titles in 2012 and 2016, England know there’ll be no room for lapses if their mini-resurgence is to be translated into vital Super Eight points.There were certainly a few of those on show in their timid display against Australia in Barbados, most particularly in a middle-order that found it impossible to cut loose once the powerplay fielding restrictions had been lifted. At times in their trudge to a deeply one-sided 36-run loss, it was like watching their formless performances at the 50-over World Cup in India, a campaign that Jos Buttler had tried to pretend never happened in some notably terse media engagements at the start of this trip.The disjointed nature of England’s build-up is a partial excuse – after two wash-outs on home soil against Pakistan and three matches against Scotland, Oman and Namibia that saw them bat for a total of 13.2 overs, time in the middle has been a rarity, especially with Buttler and Phil Salt in a solid vein of form at the top. But these big-match players should have visualised enough scenarios in their time to make light of such straitened circumstances. They were spared a soggy exit by that break in the clouds in Antigua. Now’s the time to prove that they are worthy of the reprieve.

Form guide

West Indies: WWWWW
England: WWLWW

In the spotlight – Phil Salt and Gudakesh Motie

Go hard or go home. That has been Phil Salt‘s mantra throughout his T20 career, and right now, his unrelenting approach at the top of England’s order has never been more valuable. After flitting around the periphery for several seasons, Salt’s international breakthrough came against this same West Indies team back in December, when his back-to-back centuries in Grenada and Trinidad carried the attack back to the world’s most aggressive batting line-up, and reminded England of the fearlessness that they had so clearly mislaid in their 50-over World Cup defence. Given the truncated nature of their 20-over campaign to date, it’s hard to judge exactly how the middle-order is tracking, which means that impetus at the top could be all the more important as they seek their first major scalp of the campaign.In a power-packed line-up, there’s something unassuming about Gudakesh Motie‘s left-arm offerings, but as England discovered in December – and as seven wickets at 11.85 amply attest now – his relentless flight and guile has the ability to apply a handbrake to all manner of free-flowing teams, particularly ones quite as stacked with right-handers as England’s. In his first T20I encounter with Jos Buttler’s men, in Grenada six months ago, he returned the remarkable figures of 1 for 9 in four overs, then capped that impact with 3 for 24 in the series decider in Trinidad. Straightening the ball at the stumps from round the wicket might not seem the most complex of modus operandi, but if there’s an iota of assistance in a used surface in St Lucia, he’s likely to exploit it.

Team news

Not a lot of concerns for West Indies after a dominant display against Afghanistan, although they do have a handful of selection conundrums. Roston Chase and Shai Hope are competing for the same middle-order berth, while Romario Shepherd missed the last match for paternity leave, but is due back with the squad in good time for the match. He could slot back in ahead of Obed McCoy.West Indies (possible): 1 Brandon King, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Shai Hope/Roston Chase, 5 Rovman Powell (capt), 6 Andre Russell, 7 Sherfane Rutherford, 8 Akeal Hosein, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Gudakesh Motie, 11 Obed McCoy/Romario Shepherd.England mixed it up a touch after the showers in Antigua had reduced their Namibia match to 11 overs, with Sam Curran and Chris Jordan both included to offer a wider range of death-bowling options. Both could keep their places, with Jordan’s death bowling and extra batting giving him an edge over Mark Wood. Will Jacks also seems likely to come back into the XI, potentially down the order at No. 6, with Liam Livingstone missing training due to a sickness bug – but having recovered from the side niggle he suffered against Namibia.England (possible): 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 3 Jonny Bairstow, 4 Harry Brook, 5 Moeen Ali, 6 Will Jacks, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Mark Wood/Chris Jordan, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Reece Topley

Pitch and conditions

This will be another outing for the belter of a surface on which West Indies racked up 218 for 5 against Afghanistan on Monday, so a high-scoring contest is in prospect. The dimensions are a touch lop-sided, 63 metres on one square boundary, compared to 72 metres on the other, but the prevailing wind tends to blow to the longer side, so the big hitters can expect some bang for their buck.

Stats and trivia

• England and West Indies duked it out in an entertaining T20I series in December, with West Indies winning 3-2 thanks to a four-wicket win in the decider in Trinidad.
• Moeen Ali and Obey McCoy each need one wicket to reach 50 in T20Is, while Akeal Hosein needs two more for the same milestone.
• England have played three previous T20Is in St Lucia, and have never yet lost a game. Two of those came during their triumph World T20 campaign in 2010, including a crushing semi-final victory over Sri Lanka. Most recently they beat West Indies by four wickets in March 2019.
• West Indies themselves have played in ten of the 21 T20Is at the venue, winning six of those, including five of their last six.

Quotes

“It’s good that we’re starting here and actually we play one game on it, before the start of the Super Eight. We’re a little bit accustomed to the bounce and accustomed the wicket. Hopefully that would suit us a little bit more than the Englishmen.”
“I think maybe the West Indies would be hopefully trying to get their own back for our fans that were so incredible… they’ll try and rally them and create this cauldron of an atmosphere tomorrow night. It’s going to be incredible.”

Director of cricket Alan Coleman hails addition of “world-class talent”

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2023Middlesex have recruited Keshav Maharaj as an overseas player for the first four months of the 2023 season.Maharaj, South Africa’s left-arm spinner, will arrive ahead of Middlesex’s third Championship game against Nottinghamshire on April 20 and will be available for eight four-day fixtures in total, as well as the entirety of the T20 Blast.Alan Coleman, Middlesex’s director of cricket, said that it was “essential” to bring in a “world-class talent” ahead of the club’s first season in the Championship’s top division since 2017, and that he would play a role mentoring Luke Hollman and Thilan Walallawita.”We are delighted that Keshav has signed for Middlesex this season and are really excited to have someone of his calibre and experience joining us for the first four months of the season,” Coleman said. “The young spinners we have in our squad will benefit enormously from having Keshav with us this year.”Related

• Henry joins Somerset as overseas player for Championship, Blast

• Durham bring in Stubbs for Blast

• Warwickshire hail 'amazing signing' as Maxwell joins for Blast

• Middlesex appoint Fraser as interim chair

• Roland-Jones named as Middlesex red-ball captain

Maharaj will be playing for his third different county, after previous stints with Lancashire and Yorkshire. He has taken 72 wickets at 21.72 across his 13 games in the Championship.”I’m really excited to be linking up with such a professional and experienced county and am looking forward to wearing the Middlesex colours and calling the Home of Cricket my home,” he said.Middlesex previously announced that Pieter Malan would return as an overseas player after a successful stint last year.Elsewhere, Richard Gleeson has re-signed with Lancashire on a two-year, T20-only contract.

Century stand with Mark Watt puts Derbyshire in firm control at Hove

ECB Reporters Network27-Jun-2022Derbyshire’s batsmen ran amok to place their side in total control on the second day of their LV= Insurance County Championship match at Hove. They piled up 551 for eight before declaring and at the close Sussex were 142 for three in reply.The Sussex bowlers toiled on a flat pitch and on a warm day and their worst period was after lunch, by which time Derbyshire were seven wickets down. Sussex did take an eighth wicket. But then Anuj Dal (146 not out) and Mark Watt (55 not out) thumped a century partnership off just 115 balls. Their unbroken stand of 108 in 20 overs is a new ninth wicket record for Derbyshire against Sussex, beating the partnership between Maynard Ashcroft and Joe Humphries at Hove in 1904, a match in which the great CB Fry scored a double century.In their partnership Dal, who scored his second century of the season from 236 deliveries, and Watt appeared to score at will and at one period Sussex captain Tom Haines handed over control of his side to Steve Finn. Haines had left the field for a spell but when he returned he fielded at long-off while Finn talked to the bowlers and set the fields.A Sussex spokesman said: “It was easier for Finn to manage the field while Tom was on and off and preparing to bat.” But there was a sense of frustration among the spectators. “Come on,” one shouted, angrily, after a misfield. Sussex did succeed in changing the ball, but it didn’t make any difference.Sussex are looking for their first championship victory since April 2021. That looks well beyond them already and it didn’t get much better when they batted. Ali Orr was bowled for five by Sam Connors, who then dismissed Haines, driving, for 17. But then Tom Alsop (44) and Mohammad Rizwan (54 not out) added 95 before Alsop fell to a juggling catch at midwicket shortly before the close.Derbyshire had resumed on 339 for five, with Wayne Madsen on 171 and Dal unbeaten on 45. The batsmen had already put on 136 and soon added the three runs needed to make it a sixth wicket record for the county against Sussex.Sussex opened their attack with Sean Hunt and Jack Brooks and, for the first hour at least, bowled with purpose and aggression. Dal edged Hunt between wicketkeeper Oli Carter and first slip Tom Alsop to reach his fifty.But Madsen had added just five runs to his score when he was dismissed by a fine delivery from Brooks. Madsen was surprised by the extra pace and bounce and edged to first slip where Alsop took a good catch high to his left. Madsen had faced 263 deliveries and hit 19 fours and a six.Derbyshire were 390 for seven when Hayden Kerr, making his championship debut for the county, was lbw to Delray Rawlins as he attempted to pull. They reached lunch on 430 for seven, with Dal unbeaten on 89. Sussex took the eighth wicket when Rawlins drifted the ball into Alex Thomson’s pads to have him lbw for 27. But that was about as good as it got for Sussex.

Our rolling report from the first women’s ODI between England and South Africa at New Road

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2018Welcome to our rolling report from England women’s first ODI against South Africa at Worcester. We will bring you colour, pictures, statistics and intermittent updates from New Road, as England’s World Cup winners begin their home season. For live score updates, click here for our match card.

Kane Williamson took charge of Sunrisers Hyderabad a day after David Warner stepped down, and was later banned from playing IPL 2018

Nagraj Gollapudi29-Mar-20180:37

Quickinfo: Kane Williamson

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson took charge of Sunrisers Hyderabad a day after David Warner was banned from playing IPL 2018 in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal troubling Australian cricket. In accepting the role, Williamson made a point to mention he was “standing in as captain for this season.”On Wednesday, Cricket Australia had slapped one-year bans on Warner, and Steven Smith, for their role in using a foreign substance to change the nature of the ball to generate reverse swing. Soon after that news broke, the BCCI announced that both players would not be allowed to take part in the IPL season. Warner and Smith had already relinquished captaincy of Sunrisers and Rajasthan Royals respectively.Although there were other contenders, like Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sunrisers on Thursday chose to appoint Williamson as the interim captain. They had originally bought him in 2015 and regained his services at this year’s auction for USD 468,000. Bhuvneshwar has been appointed vice-captain of the team.BCCI

The franchise’s decision to pick Williamson is likely to raise a few eyebrows. In his previous three seasons with the Sunrisers, Williamson played only 15 matches with a modest record: 411 runs at a strike rate of 129.24 with three half centuries. Also, during a T20I tri-series between New Zealand, England and Australia, former fast bowler Simon Doull was concerned over Williamson’s role in the shortest format, suggesting he should give up T20Is in an effort to manage his workload better.Williamson responded to those comments on the field – scoring a match-winning 72 off 46 balls – and off the field insisting he wanted to play all forms of cricket.

CSA has announce eight marquee international players to be drafted to the franchises in its new T20 tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Apr-2017Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum and Kevin Pietersen are among the marquee international players who have been signed up by Cricket South Africa (CSA) for its new T20 tournament, scheduled to begin in 2017-18.CSA has announced that the eight players – Gayle, McCullum, Pietersen, Dwayne Bravo, Lasith Malinga, Eoin Morgan, Kieron Pollard and Jason Roy – have agreed to two-year contracts and will go into a mini-draft, with the franchises each bidding to be allocated one. Franchise owners will be asked to consider which cities certain players already have links to before making their picks.”We are thrilled by the calibre of the top eight international players we have lined up to participate in our new T20 League,” CSA chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, said. “They are all stars in their own right and will add great value to the franchise teams they will represent.”This top quality list of players will set a high standard for our tournament. With each one of them [being] a household name in the world of cricket, we can certainly look forward to some enthralling contests that will grip the imagination of fans in South Africa and around the globe.”The high level of interest from players and sponsors to participate in our league is proof of the great attraction of South Africa as a global destination. This is indeed very exciting for the country.”CSA is hoping to completely overhaul its domestic T20 offering, creating a competition similar to the IPL and Big Bash, with private ownership, foreign investment and a roster of international names. The eight franchise teams will also be allocated a marquee South Africa player.The threat of Kolpak departures to England was also behind CSA’s planning for the league, which is expected to run in November-December this year.

Bangladesh will tour South Africa for the first time in nine years, and the centres of Potchefstroom and Bloemfontein are set to host Tests after a long tim

Firdose Moonda29-Dec-2016South Africa will host Bangladesh for the first time in nine years to open what is set to be a bumper 2017-18 summer, although their opponents for the Christmas-New Year period are yet to be confirmed. South Africa will host at least 10 Tests, including four each against India and Australia. Details of those tours are expected early in the new year.

Bangladesh’s itinerary in South Africa

• September 21-23: Three-day tour match v SA Invitation XI, Benoni

• September 28-October 2: 1st Test, Potchefstroom

• October 6-10: 2nd Test, Bloemfontein

• October 12: Tour match v SA Invitation XI, Bloemfontein

• October 15: 1st ODI, Kimberley

• October 18: 2nd ODI,Paarl

• October 22: 3rd ODI, East London

• October 26: 1st T20I, Bloemfontein

• October 29: 2nd T20I, Potchefstroom

The Bangladesh visit, between September and October 2017, has created the opportunity for Bloemfontein and Potchefstroom to host their first Tests since 2008 and 2002 respectively. The two venues had hosted Bangladesh in those years but have not hosted matches in the longest format since.Bangladesh’s tour includes two Tests, three ODIs – all day-games – and two T20s. All matches will be played at South Africa’s lower-profile grounds. Kimberley, Paarl and East London will host the three ODIs.After the Bangladesh series, South Africa are scheduled to host India for a full tour comprising four Tests, five ODIs and three T20s but it is yet to be confirmed whether these will take place over the Christmas and New Year period or later in the summer. The FTP originally had Sri Lanka down to tour over Boxing Day and New Year, for the second season in succession, but there has been no mention of whether that series will take place. There was also a suggestion that Pakistan could be invited. According to the FTP, Pakistan are scheduled to play India in November-December 2017.”Our scheduling discussions with the BCCI are in progress and we hope to be in a position to announce the fixtures for this tour in the new year,” Haroon Lorgat, CSA CEO said.India’s previous visit to South Africa was in 2013-14, when they cut short a tour that was due to be of the same length as the upcoming one because of disagreements over the scheduling. India only played two Tests and three ODIs on that visit but hosted South Africa for four Tests, five ODIs and three T20s late in 2015.

It has been such a dreadful year for Surrey that were they to be relegated they would only attract sympathy

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge21-Jul-2012
ScorecardJason Roy enlivened the final day with a rapid 83•PA Photos

It has been such a dreadful year for Surrey that were they to be relegated after only one season back in the First Division of the LV= County Championship they would only attract sympathy. Yet there were signs in this truncated contest that a healing process is under way.After two and a half days lost to the weather, and no agreement on a way to salvage a positive result, there were some passages of play that lacked a little energy although others that fizzed, particularly when Jason Roy was batting. In the end, both sides benefited from the points gained – in Nottinghamshire’s case keeping Warwickshire’s lead at the top to a single point – but perhaps for Surrey the draw will be of greater significance.They could have gambled with the terms Nottinghamshire put their way but reasoned that to avoid defeat to one of the title contenders was a safer way to bolster morale than to take risks in pursuit of a win. Given their circumstances, you could not really criticise them for that.In fact, the points Surrey gained take them out of the bottom two again ahead of Worcestershire and Durham and put them only a point behind Lancashire, who have played a game more. What’s more, a brilliant 83 from Roy off only 50 balls, with five sixes, confirmed that their spirit of adventure is not dead, while a composed 79 from 20-year-old opener Rory Burns offered hope of good days ahead.It was only the third time Burns, a left-handed batsman who also keeps wicket, had faced county opposition in a first-class match. Against Lancashire at Guildford last week, he was bowled first ball by Glen Chapple but emerged here unfazed, and though he was badly dropped on 54 after completing his maiden Championship half-century, he otherwise played with a maturity beyond his years.He and his similarly youthful partner, the 21-year-old Zafar Ansari, denied Nottinghamshire a wicket for an hour and three quarters before Andy Carter took out the latter’s off stump. It was an impressive effort considering that the senior members of the Nottinghamshire attack – namely Andre Adams, Ben Phillips and Samit Patel – have more than 1,000 first-class wickets between them.Burns had his bit of luck facing Harry Gurney, the left-arm seamer, when an attempted pull went straight up in the air. It seemed an age coming down, perhaps too long for Patel, who jogged in from short midwicket but somehow left the ball slip through his hands.”I was pretty happy with the innings,” Burns said afterwards. “It was a challenge against good bowlers. They are a good quality attack, that’s why they are challenging at the top of the table. They give you a lot to think about but I tried to play at my tempo and did not feel in any trouble until I was out, really.”Adams is always asking questions but I was pleased with the way I played him and until he did me with the slower ball I was comfortable.”Roy, generously entertaining the crowd on his birthday, played at an altogether different tempo, rarely passing up an opportunity to attack. He hit five sixes, mixing wonderful timing with the bold audacity that has become his signature. The innings ended with consecutive reverse sweeps for six off Patel’s left-arm spin before, going down the pitch, he missed the next ball and was stumped.The match ended after Stuart Meaker had added a lusty 29 to the five-wicket haul he had completed earlier, giving Surrey a second batting point. Four wickets for Adams, beginning with the slow yorker that foxed Burns, raised his tally for the season to 50 and gave Nottinghamshire their second bowling point.Earlier in the day, the unfinished partnership between Chris Read and Adam Voges grew to 145 before Voges was leg before to a nip-backer from Jon Lewis. Read looked set for his 22nd career century until he was bowled by a full, quick delivery from Meaker, by which time a stand of 75 with Ben Phillips (47) had claimed a third batting point.Read handed the wicketkeeping gloves to Riki Wessels for the last hour after taking a blow on his left index finger but the injury is not serious.

Steve Rixon wants to bring more intensity to Australia’s training regime, especially among the younger players, after being named the fielding coach on Tuesday

Brydon Coverdale28-Jun-2011Steve Rixon wants to bring more intensity to Australia’s training regime, especially among the younger players, after being named the fielding coach on Tuesday. Rixon believes the standards of fielding in the Australia team have dropped since the glory days when Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath were creating catching opportunities, and that’s something he wants to change.After a decade of working with the American Mike Young, the Australians will be drilled by Rixon during the next two tours, to Sri Lanka and South Africa. The initial short-term appointment is likely to become a longer association as Australia try to force their way back up from fifth in the ICC Test ranking table.Their slump was not helped by the Ashes debacle, which began with a draw at the Gabba, where the Australians dropped seven catches. Rixon said in a developing side, it would be all the more important for such key moments not to missed, with less experienced bowlers less likely to find edges and force mistakes over and over again.”We’ve got some world-class fielders, Ricky Ponting is one, Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey,” Rixon told ESPNcricinfo. “They’re three of the older boys. That tells me there are a lot of youngsters that need to get back to some simple basics in the field like they do in the other aspects of their game and see if we can’t move them forward. I have no question they are crying out to be helped and I think they will improve. But we’re definitely not leading the way in the fielding anymore.”If you think back to a lot of these eras, it was a little bit different when you had Warne and McGrath in your side, because even if you did drop a catch, it wouldn’t be too much longer before McGrath would give you another opportunity. That, to me, is something we’ve got to be realistic with. In the changing of the guard, you don’t have that … So what we’ve got to do is make sure that when we have an opportunity, we’re going to make the best of it.”And while the batting and bowling coaches, Justin Langer and Craig McDermott, have plenty of work to do in order to bring the younger players up to scratch and keep the veterans in form, the same can be said for Rixon. He said the struggles in Australian fielding could be traced to the quality of fielding at state level, and that was an area that needed to be addressed.”It is a reflection on our domestic game, which is a bit sad,” Rixon said. “I’ve seen some [domestic] games where the fielding is very, very good, and I’ve seen some games where the intensity level is down. Your intensity level comes from your preparation. If you prepare and train smart, you’ll probably find you’ve got a little bit of an edge.”It’s not by accident those three older guys I talked about turned out to be very good fielders. They’re all quite athletic, but more importantly, who does that little bit extra every time from a young age all the way through? These guys have done the extra work, so to me I just think there’s a little bit in that as well. So we need to focus on the intensity of training.”Rixon, 57, will be by far the most experienced member of Australia’s coaching staff, with 15 years as a first-class player and two decades as a mentor. That coaching resume includes four Sheffield Shield titles with New South Wales, two IPL triumphs and a Champions League victory with the Chennai Super Kings, and an impressive stint at the helm of New Zealand.Although his official brief is as the side’s fielding coach, Rixon is keen to help the side in other areas as they rebuild under the new captain, Clarke. He said he was looking forward to assisting the head coach Tim Nielsen in whatever ways he could as they aimed to arrest the slide down the Test rankings.”I’d be very surprised if they didn’t want to hear from that new set of eyes around the place,” he said. “It’s not about individuals, this is about a group going together and trying to get Australia back on track, to get away from looking at fifth position on a Test table ever again. We don’t want to ever be seen or thought of in the same breath or thought as, say, the West Indies after their reign at the top of the tree. We need to recover quicker than anything the West Indies have done.”