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Trinbago Knight Riders’ firm grip on home field advantage appeared to loosen after they lost for the second night in a row

The Report by Peter Della Penna12-Aug-2018Getty Images

Having lost just once at Queen’s Park Oval during their CPL championship run in 2017, Trinbago Knight Riders’ firm grip on home-field advantage appears to have loosened after they lost for the second night in a row at their home ground. St Kitts & Nevis Patriots rode on a half-century from Devon Thomas and a fiery cameo from Carlos Brathwaite to race to a 200-plus total that was more than sufficient to canter to a 42-run win on Saturday night.Ali Khan’s redemptionKnight Riders fast bowler Ali Khan took 3 for 24 a night earlier against Jamaica Tallawahs, and each wicket was followed by an enthusiastic dance routine with his captain Dwayne Bravo. But by the end of the night, Ali was much better remembered for dropping Andre Russell’s first ball to open the door for a whirlwind 40-ball century in a record Tallawahs chase.Ali set that right by taking three wickets on Saturday, although his celebrations were quite toned down, perhaps as a result of the Russell reprieve still nagging at the back of his mind. Evin Lewis mistimed a pull to short midwicket on the second ball of the match, after Dwayne Bravo had sent the Patriots in. Three balls later, the Knight Riders captain pulled off a phenomenal one-handed catch, diving to his left at slip, to leave the Patriots two down before the end of the first over. Ali came back at the death to dismiss Brathwaite, and also completed a calm catch of Chris Gayle running in from long-on, shaking off any lingering effects of his costly drop a night earlier.No doubting ThomasPatriots wicketkeeper Thomas served as the backbone of his side’s innings, with a 28-ball half-century. Four of his nine fours, as well as his lone six, were smacked off Dwayne Bravo, who suffered a thrashing for the second night in a row. Thomas was in command until he chopped Sunil Narine onto his stumps in the 14th over, but there was hardly any respite for Dwayne Bravo and the rest of the Knight Riders attack thereafter.Brathwaite’s blitzThe West Indies T20I captain may have reimagined Ben Stokes running in when Dwayne Bravo had the ball in hand for the 18th over of the innings, with the score on 147 for 6. Coming on strike on the third ball, after Ben Cutting had struck a six and taken a single off the first two balls, Brathwaite smoked three successive sixes to take Dwayne Bravo apart for 25 runs in the over. After receiving a punishment to the tune of 0 for 59 in four overs on Friday, Dwayne Bravo leaked boundaries once more against the Patriots, ending with 1 for 52 in three overs. His lone bright spot was pinning Anton Devcich lbw with a yorker.Brathwaite and Cutting continued their assault on Kevon Cooper, with the former hitting two more sixes in the 19th over, as the pair tacked on 60 runs off just 23 balls for the seventh wicket. Brathwaite eventually fell on the penultimate ball of the innings, skying a slower ball from Ali to extra cover, but by that stage, Patriots had plenty to defend.Super Sandy’s wicket maidenThe Knight Riders chase got off to an ominous start as Narine skied a catch to Devcich at point off Sheldon Cottrell three balls into their reply. But Nepal legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane, coming into the game on the back of a brilliant spell of 2 for 12 in four overs two nights earlier, struck the bigger blow. Arriving in the fourth over with Colin Munro and Chris Lynn in a good rhythm, Lamichhane beat Lynn with a googly to clean-bowl the Australian, before troubling Brendon McCullum off the final two balls of the over to complete a scoreless frame. McCullum fell to Cutting three balls later and the Knight Riders’ chase never got back on track.Lamichhane conceded just three runs in his second over, too, and by the halfway stage of the chase, Knight Riders were 71 for 5 as Munro pulverized a pull off Brathwaite straight to Lewis at deep backward square. Denesh Ramdin then produced a leading edge off Jeremiah Louis to Gayle at cover.Darren Bravo provided mild resistance with 41 off 38, before he was caught on the boundary off Louis to make it 115 for 7 in the 16th over. Cooper made cosmetic improvements to the scorecard with a few lusty blows off Cottrell and Lamichhane in the final two overs, well after the result was more or less decided, ending with 42 not out off 22 balls.

The players also received one demerit point each for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-2018Pakistan’s Hasan Ali and Afghanistan’s Asghar Afghan and Rashid Khan have all been fined 15% of their match fees for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct in separate incidents during their Super Four clash in the Asia Cup in Abu Dhabi on Friday. One demerit point was subsequently added to their disciplinary records. It took Afghan’s demerit-points count to two, having already received one in February 2017, within a period of two years.Hasan and Asghar were found to have violated Article 2.1.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which relates to “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game”, while Rashid breached Article 2.1.7, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batsman upon his/her dismissal during an international match.”Hasan was penalised for threatening to throw the ball towards Hashmatullah Shahidi, after the batsman had driven it back to the bowler, in the 33rd over of Afghanistan’s innings.Afghan was pulled up for brushing shoulders with Hasan, the bowler, while completing a single four overs later.The incident involving Rashid came in the 47th over of Pakistan’s tense 258 chase, when the legspinner gave Asif Ali a send-off, holding his index finger up and staring into the eyes of the batsman.After the game, all the three players admitted to the offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Andy Pycroft.

ESPNcricinfo’s live blog of the first round of the Ranji Trophy 2018-19 season

Shashank Kishore02-Nov-2018

Bilal Asif set for debut, while Mohammad Hafeez is expected to be part of the XI for the first Test against Australia

Osman Samiuddin in Dubai05-Oct-2018Pakistan’s hopes of coming at Australia with a rare two-legspinner combination have taken a hit with Shadab Khan all but ruled out of the opening Test in Dubai on Sunday. Shadab has yet to recover from a groin injury he picked up during the Asia Cup, though Pakistan remain hopeful he will be fit for the second Test in Abu Dhabi.In his place the offspinning allrounder Bilal Asif is set for a Test debut. And it also all but guarantees a return to the side for Mohammad Hafeez, discarded and disgruntled earlier this year after being axed from the ODI side, but now back for a first Test in over two years. As much as his runs, Pakistan will look to Hafeez’s overs against an Australia top six that includes three left-handers.Nevertheless, Shadab’s absence will come as a blow. Earlier this summer, while Pakistan were on tour to England, Mickey Arthur was relishing the prospect of unleashing Yasir Shah and Shadab in tandem at teams in the UAE.That tour was a breakthrough of sorts for Shadab in the longer format. Though his numbers shine with bat in hand – three fifties across the three Tests in swinging conditions – there were signs that his legspin was developing too. He was far from the finished product, but a vast improvement from his Test debut in Bridgetown in April 2017.Pakistan have not been historically averse to playing two legspinners in the same Test XI. Abdul Qadir and Mushtaq Ahmed played a Test together in 1990 against West Indies; Mushtaq played a couple of Tests with Danish Kaneria in 2003. And though Shahid Afridi counts as an allrounder, his legspin accompanied that of Kaneria in as many as 17 Tests. In the 60s and 70s, Intikhab Alam and Mushtaq Mohammad played together many times, both allrounders strictly speaking but both also legspinners.Spin was the major factor in Pakistan’s 2-0 triumph when Australia last toured the UAE four years ago. Yasir, Zulfiqar Babar and Hafeez took 30 of the 40 Australian wickets in that series.Pakistan are considering another debutant in Mir Hamza, the left-arm fast bowler who could partner Mohammad Abbas in a two-man pace attack. With Mohammad Amir out of the picture, the choice would appear to be between the returning Wahab Riaz and Hamza, but the former’s low impact for Pakistan ‘A’ in the warm-up game may work against his inclusion.

A win in the first T20I would have lifted Australia’s spirits, especially with India having started the tour as favourites

The Preview by Sidharth Monga22-Nov-20181:43

Should Coulter-Nile and Chahal play in Melbourne?

Big Picture

This is Australian cricket’s new reality at least for now. Even a win in a truncated T20I will be hailed as a significant moment in a possible renaissance. Wednesday in Brisbane was only their sixth win in 23 internationals since the sandpaper came out in Cape Town. Three of those wins have been against Zimbabwe and UAE. Imagine starting this big India tour with a defeat. India already have eyes set on their first-ever Test series win in Australia. A win at the start of the tour is expected to lift Australia’s spirit, or at least not let them be dispirited.Make no mistake, it was a good win. Everything was against Australia. They were batting first in an increasingly bowl-first game, rain robbed them of all the batting momentum they had built, and they had to contend with the disadvantage of being the side not chasing in a rain-affected match.India should be bitterly disappointed they let Australia get away with this one. They were given a sneak peek into what Hardik Pandya’s absence costs them. They are wary of going in without an allrounder, so Krunal Pandya had to play. They are also wary of playing three spinners, so one of their two match-winning wristspinners had to sit out. They didn’t get their match-ups right – Jasprit Bumrah didn’t bowl to Chris Lynn at all even though he has a great record against the big hitter. Captain Virat Kohli also sacrificed his No. 3 position to accommodate KL Rahul, which on the surface is an experiment worth trying two years before a World T20. But Kohli needs to ascertain the cost and benefit of it swiftly.Given the slip-ups in the first game, all eyes will be on Kohli’s captaincy on Friday.

Form guide

Australia WLLLL (last five completed games, most recent first)
India LWWWW

In the spotlight

Kuldeep Yadav has started his Australia tour much as he did England. His 5 for 24 in Manchester restricted England; here he took 2 for 24, and would have benefited greatly from pressure at the other end too. His slow pace, and batsmen’s inability to pick his wrong ‘un continue to be a big weapon in T20 cricket.The match-ups Virat Kohli missed out on in the series opener•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Marcus Stoinis played the perfect allrounder’s role for Australia in the opening match, scoring 33 off 19 and then backing it up with an excellent final over with only 12 to defend. He is what India don’t have: a proper bowler who can bowl his quota of overs and play the big shots when needed.

Team news

India should make the bold decision of playing three spinners. Dropping Krunal after an off-night will diminish their batting. With the MCG’s big boundaries, India should have the confidence of playing Chahal over Khaleel Ahmed. KL Rahul should continue now that he has been shown faith in.India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt.), 4 KL Rahul, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Dinesh Karthik, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Khaleel Ahmed/Yuzvendra ChahalAustralia shouldn’t have any reasons to change the combination that delivered them with a rare win.Australia (possible): 1 Aaron Finch (capt.), 2 D’Arcy Short, 3 Chris Lynn, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Ben McDermott, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Andrew Tye, 9 Adam Zampa, 10 Jason Behrendorff, 11 Billy Stanlake

Pitch and conditions

Friday in Melbourne is expected to be cloudy with showers on and off. Don’t rule out another shortened match.The drop-in pitch is usually slightly slow with spongy bounce.

Stats and trivia

• Kohli has played 178 of his 235 T20 innings in the top three and averages 45 in these innings. He averages 27 outside the top three. The change in the strike rate is not significant.
• Kuldeep is a great starter. Or rather, batsmen take time to get used to his bowling. In the first match of all the series he has played – across formats – he averages 11 with a wicket every 14 balls. His average goes to 29 and strike rate to 22 in the remaining matches.

Quotes

“We have got good memories in the team. We dominated T20s last year. We were in good form not so long ago. Obviously, things have not gone our way but we know we are still a good side.”
“It was a game where we had to target all the bowlers. We didn’t have much time [in the chase]. We tried to target him [Adam Zampa] but he got us out. Next game, we will have better plans against him, and implement them in the middle.”

The allrounder chipped in with a handy cameo for Northern Districts in his first game in nine months

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Dec-2018In his first competitive match in nine months after recovering from knee surgery, left-arm spin-bowling allrounder Mitchell Santner made a cameo with the bat, bowled three overs, and even took two catches. All these contributed to Northern Districts’ victory in the Super Smash opener.Santner came into bat in the 17th over after Norther Districts were inserted by Wellington Firebirds. He marked his return with a hard-run two and ended unbeaten on 22 off 13 balls, lifting his side from 179 for 4 to 215 for 6.Santner belted the third ball he faced straight over mid-off for four and then cracked James Neesham for two fours off three balls, including a firm back-foot punch through extra-cover.Santner got a life when he was dropped on 13 by Luke Woodcock at short fine leg off Neesham in the same over. He added nine more to his tally, setting Wellington 216.Santner’s bowling showed signs of rust: his first ball was a low full-toss that was hacked away to the leg side and his second was short, wide ball that was carved away behind point for four. He then tightened up and came away with figures of 0 for 28 in three overs.Santner tested out his knee in the outfield, taking two catches, including that of Malcolm Nofal, which sealed a 45-run win for Northern Districts.Santner had carried the knee complaint for a large chunk of the previous season and eventually needed surgery. He was sidelined from New Zealand’s Test series against England, Pakistan, and the ongoing series against Sri Lanka. Santner also missed the IPL with Chennai Super Kings and his county stint with Derbyshire earlier this year.

His 115 off only 109 deliveries was key to overhauling a target of 255 with four wickets and 32 balls to spare

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jan-2019Paras Khadka struck both his and Nepal’s maiden ODI century as he led the team to a memorable four-wicket victory over UAE in Dubai. His 115 off only 109 deliveries was key to overhauling a target of 255 with four wickets and 32 balls to spare.Nepal were actually struggling in the chase at one point. From 81 for 1 in the 15th over, they slipped to 129 for 4 in the 26th as spinners Imran Haider and Ashfaq Ahmed took control in the middle overs. The series was tied at 1-1. The game was starting to drift away. A big innings was needed and as is often the case, the captain stood up.Khadka batted through to the 39th over, acting as both the sticky-tape that held his team together, and also a source of rapid runs. He struck 15 fours and a six, ensuring that Nepal were never too far behind the asking rate. He finally fell with only 40 runs needed, which proved an easy ask for Sompal Kami and Aarif Sheikh as they raced to the target.The fireworks at the end were in stark contrast to the start of the game, when UAE’s openers were dismissed for ducks even though they faced a combined 28 deliveries. Kami removed Ashfaq and KC Karan took out Chirag Suri as the score stuttered to 2 for 2 in the sixth over. It took some insane hitting by the middle order to get to a decent total, with Shaiman Anwar coming in at No. 6 and hammering 87 off 70 balls and Mohammad Boota scoring his maiden ODI fifty and a blistering one at that – 59 off only 31 balls. UAE were 47 for 5 in the 21st over but somehow they managed to get to 254 and would have had high hopes of defending it. But Khadka just wouldn’t give in.

The likes of Harris, Head and Labuschagne suffered for the lack of guidance from the other end, feels the Australia paceman

Daniel Brettig19-Feb-20191:20

Smith and Warner were a bit rusty early on, but improved quickly – Hazlewood

Even as he conceded that he had no idea whether he would be reconsidered for Australia’s vice-captaincy, injured fast man Josh Hazlewood has declared that perhaps the biggest gap caused by the bans on Steven Smith and David Warner was the absence of first-hand experience and advice for the group of young batsmen cycled through Test series against Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka.Neither Shaun Marsh nor Usman Khawaja are universally regarded as seniors, according to Hazlewood, and his comments reflected the fact that advice provided exclusively by coaches was unable to get any further than the boundary’s edge. Hazlewood said that the likes of Marcus Harris, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne, all new batsmen in the Test side, suffered for the lack of guidance at the other end from players who had found ways to be consistently high scorers at Test level.While the aforementioned trio looked the part at times throughout the summer, it was not until the final match of the home Test calendar that any batsman reached three figures. Khawaja, his season interrupted by a knee injury, did not reach the milestone until his final innings in Canberra, and Marsh was dropped after an underwhelming run of innings against Pakistan and India.”Every time Steve goes out to bat, he pretty much gets a hundred these days, so the time with the feet up is pretty important [for the fast bowlers],” Hazlewood told ESPNcricinfo when reflecting on the gulf set to be filled in time for the Ashes series in England later this year. “It’s probably been the first time when you’ve had the top six with no real senior batsmen to feed off, I guess, around training and games, so they [the newcomers] have had to do all their learning from the coaches.”It’s just so important to have those couple of senior guys when you bring those couple of young guys into the top six to learn from. You just can’t teach some things as coaches, you have to learn out in the middle batting with a senior person, so I think the other young batters will really feed off having them back.”Hazlewood got a vantage point from which to observe how the reflexes of Smith and Warner had been dulled by what is now close to a year without top-tier first-class cricket, having participated in a pair of net sessions against them in Sydney in early January. It suggested that coach Justin Langer’s desire to see both the former captain and his deputy playing a significant volume of cricket before returning to Australian ranks is well-founded.2:12

Hazlewood admits to Australia bowling plans being ‘confused’ in Sydney Test v India

“It was great to have them around – it’s better than bowling to a stump if no-one’s available,” Hazlewood said. “They were really keen to get in there and have a hit. I think all three quicks were there on one of the occasions and there was just me and Patty [Cummins] the other time.”They’re class players and they really put you to the test and it really makes you get something out of the net session. They were a little bit rusty early on, it’s hard to prepare to face 140kph-plus if you haven’t been doing it, but you saw over the course of three or four overs how much improvement they had even in that short space of time, so there’s no doubt they’ll be ready to go when called upon.”When they do return, Smith and Warner will be kept away from holding leadership positions, the former for another year, the latter for the remainder of his career. Hazlewood was part of the churn of vice-captains for Tim Paine and Aaron Finch this summer. He revealed that he had taken a minimalist approach to the role before he was sidelined with a back stress fracture, adding that he had not received any word either way about whether or not he would be required as an official team leader upon his return.”Not really going forward, to be honest. I’m not sure how it will all work out, there’s obviously been a few guys have a go of the vice-captaincy and help out as best they can at different stages,” he said. “I really enjoyed my time doing it for a couple of one-dayers and four Tests. I didn’t see my role change too much from previous years, to be honest.”[Paine] probably came to me a bit more than in the past, but I’ve always voiced my opinion when we’re out there in the field or in team meetings and things, so I didn’t go out of my way too much to add to that. If I saw something, I’d mention it and go from there. I’m not sure how the roles will go moving forward. They obviously pick the team and then we’ll work it out from there. Interesting times.”Perhaps the most prominent example of unsteady leadership in a time of struggle for Australian cricket was on day one of the Sydney Test against India, where Paine and the fast bowlers – Hazlewood among them – could not agree on a collective approach to test the opposition top order after the still newish Kookaburra ball had stopped swinging.”It’s just part of learning, I guess,” Hazlewood said. “We’ve got quite an inexperienced leadership group to a degree and the plans were a bit mixed and we weren’t all in on the one plan and things got a little bit confused. On a wicket like that, you had to be 100% on the plan I guess, and have everyone buy into that.”There was a little bit of confusion, but I don’t think it played too much of a role, to be honest. It was probably blown up a little bit too much – those little things happen all the time, and different people have different opinions of what’s going to work on a different wicket. We could have bowled a bit better, there’s no doubt about that, but it wasn’t as big a thing as it was made out I think.”

Iftikhar starred with two wickets for just four runs, before staying unbeaten on 33 to guide his team home against Lahore

The Report by Danyal Rasool28-Feb-2019

How the game played out

Karachi and Lahore are the two largest cities in Pakistan, boasting a population in excess of 25 million. These are gigantic numbers, but when the two have met in the latest edition of the PSL, big numbers have been in short supply. The two played out an edgy low-scoring contest for the second time in ten days, but this time Karachi Kings prevailed, thanks to an an all-round performance from Iftikhar Ahmed, which helped them to a five-wicket win. Karachi’s need was greater, and they have now propelled themselves back in contention for the playoffs.It was a subdued batting performance from Lahore Qalandars, who never seemed to get the lift-off they needed to put up a more testing total. Fakhar Zaman was well contained at the top, while Haris Sohail could manage no more than a start. Even AB de Villiers couldn’t be his destructive self, and though the South African was at the crease for the better part of Lahore’s innings, the team would have hoped for more than the somewhat plodding 32-ball 33 he scored.Iftikhar was the pick of Karachi’s bowlers, oddly bowling just two overs, but conceding just four runs in them and taking the wickets of Fakhar and Haris in the process. It meant they put up 133, left needing another big performance from their bowlers on a track that had begun to slow down.The bowlers did give it a right go, with Sandeep Lamichhane continuing his dazzling form. He took 2 for 17 in his four, with David Weise impressively economical and Haris Rauf irrepressibly valiant. But not everyone was able to deliver in the way they needed to with only a low total on their side. Yasir Shah was disappointing and expensive, and when Aizaz Cheema bowled a no-ball that went for four, Imad Wasim thumped the ensuing free hit for another boundary. That was it for the Lahore fightback, and impressive as it had been, the flawlessness necessary to defend 133 wasn’t quite there.

Turning point

• Iftikhar’s first over was the stuff of dreams for Imad’s side. He bowled wide to the left-hander, frustrating Fakhar, who skied his second ball straight to Babar Azam at point. Two balls later, he had de Villiers sweeping straight to Babar, who dropped a simple catch. Off the last ball, there was a run-out chance, de Villiers surviving by inches. Iftikhar’s day had just begun, and Lahore would never get on the front foot again.
• Fakhar opened the bowling in defense of a low total. There was little margin for error in the Powerplay, and the gamble did not work. Karachi carted him around for 14, and they were already off and running.

Star of the day

He won’t get the plaudits today because there was just so much happening, but just when Karachi seemed like they might lose their way, Liam Livingstone’s calm head set them back on course. Coming in during a time when Karachi had scored just ten runs in four overs, he began by taking six singles in Lamichhane’s third over along with Colin Ingram. In the next two overs, he found a four and a six off Wiese and Yasir to keep the asking rate in check. That fifty-run partnership with Ingram may not have been the most explosive, but it was precisely what Karachi required in a moment when Lahore threatened to undo all their good work. Livingstone ensured that wouldn’t happen, scoring 38 off 34 to become the tournament’s leading run-scorer, and more importantly, keep his side in real contention.

The big miss

It might have been conjectured that bowling with Yasir would give Lamichhane an invaluable learning experience, but on the evidence of their performances, much of the advice may be heading the other way. While Lamichhane has thrived after a rough start, Yasir’s game looks like it has fallen away. He never looked in control of the spinning deliveries, and whenever he tried the googly, he invariably ended up dragging it short. The batsmen appeared to pick him out of the hand far better than they did the Nepal teenager.The 11th over saw Livingstone mete out the toughest punishment, smashing him for two fours and a six. That brought the asking rate from 7.5 to almost a run a ball, with Yasir conceding 21 off 3.1 overs. The contrast with Lamichhane gives the more experienced Yasir plenty to ponder with regards to adapting his game for the shortest format.

Where the teams stand

Karachi and Lahore now both have three wins in seven games, occupying the fourth and fifth positions respectively. They are ahead of Multan Sultans, who have just two wins in seven.

The four-day leg of the Australia A tour of England will be a final play-off for places in the Ashes squad

Alex Malcolm15-Apr-20190:46

We have got high hopes from Pattinson – Hohns

James Pattinson’s Ashes chances have been given a huge boost after he was named in the two Australia A squads to tour England in June and July, while Josh Hazlewood will have the chance to prove his fitness after missing out on the World Cup.Matthew Wade has also been rewarded for his remarkable Australian domestic summer, where he piled up 1800 runs across the three formats, with a berth in both the 50-over and four-day squads that will play five one-day matches and three four-day games in England during the World Cup and in the lead-up to the Ashes. Talented 21-year-old Victorian batsman Will Pucovski has also been included in both squads.Matthew Wade punches the ball back•Getty Images

But two of the top three wicket-takers in this season’s Sheffield Shield, Trent Copeland and Scott Boland, have not been included in either squad. Boland was named Sheffield Shield Player of the Year after claiming 48 wickets in ten matches, while Copeland took 52 scalps in nine games including eight wickets in the final.The 14-man one-day squad will be led by Test vice-captain Travis Head and has been specifically selected to give the World Cup squad appropriate cover in case of injury. Peter Handscomb, Ashton Turner and Kane Richardson have all been included after being left out of the World Cup 15 despite being part of Australia’s last two ODI tours of India and the UAE.ALSO READ: Smith and Warner make World Cup return; Handscomb and Hazlewood out
Pattinson’s inclusion in both squads proves he is close to returning for Australia in all formats. Pattinson last played a Test match in February 2016 and hasn’t played an ODI since 2015. But his stunning return to fitness and form following spine surgery has given Australia’s selectors the opportunity to recall him into the Australia A squads and he has also been included in Australia’s central contract list for the next 12 months. His inclusion in both squads means he will be pulled out of his Nottinghamshire deal earlier than expected.Pattinson has been named alongside Hazlewood after he was left out of the World Cup squad having been sidelined since January with a stress fracture of his back. Mitchell Marsh has been included in both squads after being dropped from all three formats during the Australian summer.Four players from Australia’s last Test match against Sri Lanka – Tim Paine, Marcus Harris, Kurtis Patterson and Head – have been named in the Australia A four-day squad. Australia’s Test skipper Paine will captain the team in preparation for the Ashes.ALSO READ: ‘Sometimes thought I might never get back’ – James Pattinson puts injuries behind him, targets AshesJoe Burns and Marnus Labuschagne, both currently in the Test side, have been left out, but Australia’s chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns stressed that players playing county cricket, including the duo, have been left to play for their counties and would still be considered for Ashes selection. A name check for Cameron Bancroft suggests his hopes of a return to the Test fold are very much alive if he finds form for Durham.”We have Joe Burns, Cameron Bancroft, Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Renshaw, Peter Siddle and Daniel Worrall in our sights but they have not been included in the squad and will continue to play through this period with their county teams,” Hohns said. “However, we have made it clear that strong form with their county teams will be taken into account for selection in the Ashes squad or the Australia v Australia A tour match.”At least 24 players will be required for the Australia versus Australia A four-day match in Hampshire on July 23 and the final Ashes squad will be named at the conclusion of that match, less than a week out from the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston.Australia A one-day squad Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Will Pucovski, Peter Handscomb, Ashton Turner, Mitch Marsh, D’Arcy Short, Kurtis Patterson, Ashton Agar, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Josh Hazlewood, Kane Richardson, Sean AbbottAustralia A four-day squad Tim Paine, Marcus Harris, Kurtis Patterson, Will Pucovski, Travis Head, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Mitch Marsh, Michael Neser, Jon Holland, James Pattinson, Jackson Bird, Josh Hazlewood, Chris Tremain.