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Australia’s players sense fragility in India’s mental approach when playing matches away from home, and have discussed taking advantage of it during the Boxing Day Test.Among the many topics covered in preparation for the first Test at the MCG was the disparity in Indian attitudes to matches at home and away. The opening batsman David Warner said Australia had discussed how the sense of invincibility India enjoyed on the subcontinent can slip away rapidly on the other side of the world.”You look at their line-up and you can think ‘oh how are we going to get these guys out’,” Warner told ESPNcricinfo. “But we know when they’re in Australia, the wickets are different, and we think their mental approach is a bit different to what it is when they’re in India.”We think they automatically know they’re going to win series in India because the wickets turn and it is all in their favour. And it is probably similar to when they come out here, we think the bouncy wickets, they might not be able to adapt to it.”They’re one of the best line-ups in the world, and capable of scoring big runs on the wickets we’re producing here. We’ve got to be spot on with our lines and lengths with our quicks, and when we’re batting we need to put on as many runs as we can … I reckon we’re in for a good series.”While Australia’s batting was a weak spot for the team over recent matches, no worse than during traumatic defeats to South Africa and New Zealand in Cape Town and Hobart, Warner said the top six had set themselves to keep India’s bowling attack in the field for long periods.Fitness doubts surrounding Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan, plus an inexperienced back-up group behind them, mean a couple of long stints in the field in the first Test would go a distance towards stretching Indian resources, much as they were against England earlier this year.”I definitely think the longer we keep them out there [in the field] the harder it’ll be for them, mentally as well,” Warner said. “We know a couple of their players don’t like being out in the field for too long and their fast bowlers are under injury clouds as well. So the more overs we can get out of them, the better for us going into the second innings and also the upcoming Tests. If we can do our damage early in the series it’ll hold us in good stead for the following three.”Warner has come a long way since he made his international debut at the MCG in 2009, in a Twenty20 match against South Africa. He said his mental approach to the game had changed “massively”, allowing him to achieve the rich array of scores in 2011 that propelled him into Test cricket.”My mental side of the game has changed massively, sometimes in the past I might’ve gone out there and just lost my head or just thrown my wicket away,” he said. “Now I respect my wicket 100 times more. Even in the nets it is the same thing, I used to just go in there, have a hit and say ‘I’m satisfied with that’.”But I look at that now and say, ‘what was I thinking, that was a load of crap’. Now I’m in there, focused, switched on, and it is like a game to me now when I’m in there. When I get out I really kick myself because you only get one chance in the middle.”That thinking should preclude Warner from using his eye-catching knack of “switch-hitting” in a Test match. Though if he reaches three figures at the MCG, Warner may just feel the time is right.”It’s like a forward defence, if I’m practising that in the nets and doing it to perfection, you can do it out in the middle,” Warner said. “But then if you play a shot like that and you get out then people will start saying things. You have to pick the right time to do it, if you’re going to do it.”In Test cricket you’ve got to score runs but you’ve got so much time to do it, you don’t need to play those shots, unless you’re at the back-end of your innings and you want to start firing. Eventually it will come in if I’m settled in, but definitely not early in my innings.”

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Ed Cowan motored from his overnight 60 to 145•Getty Images

Ed Cowan and Matthew Wade fashioned innings of substance to help Australia A reach 395, within 28 runs of the New Zealand tourists’ first innings in the tour match in Brisbane.Batting a second time, the visitors reached 2 for 75 and a lead of 103 by the close, Martin Guptill unbeaten on 37 while Ben Cutting and Mitchell Starc marked their Test call-ups by collecting a wicket apiece in the final session.Resuming on a fighting 60, Cowan showed a wide array of shots to motor to 145, adding precisely 150 with the wicketkeeper Wade, who played a patient supporting hand.In his last four innings for Tasmania and Australia A, Cowan’s scores have been 91*, 4, 134* and 145.For the New Zealanders, Doug Bracewell claimed the most conspicuous figures with 4-87, while Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Chris Martin nabbed two wickets each.

ScorecardTom Cooper’s three matches against NSW this summer have included scores of 100*, 98 and 203*•Getty Images

Tom Cooper zipped to the top of the Sheffield Shield batting aggregates with a chanceless, unbeaten 203 to help South Australia fight out a draw against New South Wales in the match at Bankstown Oval in Sydney.Resuming at 1 for 59, SA quickly slipped to 4 for 79 and the precipice of defeat, but Cooper and the allrounder Dan Christian added a determined 260 for the fifth wicket to take SA to 5 for 373 and so frustrate the Blues in their pursuit of a first outright win of the season.Christian was denied his century, edging behind for an obdurate 96, but by then the Redbacks were safe. Cooper reached a deserved double with a six over long on followed by a deft late cut in the same Steve Smith over. The match was called off an over later.Smith, who made 106 in the first innings, had a difficult time with the ball, returning match figures of 1-146 from 27 overs.More heartening was the bowling of Josh Hazlewood, gleaning 4-65 from 33 overs for the match as he continued his return to top rhythm after a lengthy absence through injury.

Patrick Cummins, Australia’s 18-year-old fast bowler, was credited with putting his team in a winning position after their victory in the opening T20 against South Africa at Newlands. His captain, Cameron White, said Cummins’ three wickets on debut in the 19th over swung the advantage Australia’s way.”It was the difference between chasing 160 and what we did chase [147],” White said. “It doesn’t seem like much but when the game is getting close those few runs make a difference.” White added that Cummins, who was Australia’s second youngest debutant, bowled like “a seasoned pro” and his performance in his first match gave further evidence of a bright future.The Man of the Match, Shane Watson, who is also Cummins’ team-mate at New South Wales, was another full of praise. After talking Cummins up earlier in the week, Watson believed that he had lived up to his billing and that he will be careful to nurture his skills and not let any ego get it the way.”There’s no way he will let it get to his head,” Watson said. “Deep down he knows that it’s a really special gift that he’s got, to bowl that fast at such a young age.”While Cummins grabbed the biggest haul, Australia’s bowling was an all-round effort and White said the conditions had something to do with it. “They probably really appreciated the conditions. It was nice to see the ball swinging and bouncing.”One of the other debutants, Doug Bollinger, who was, somewhat surprisingly, playing in his first international T20 despite his success at the IPL, also impressed as he swung the new ball and was economical. “Doug has been doing well in Twenty20s for the last couple of years,” Watson said. “He has been consistent and bowled with good pace, bounce and swing. When he is bowling well, it’s hard to line him up more than anything,”He claimed the scalp of Graeme Smith, lending weight to the theory that Smith has not dealt with his technical issues against left-armers although Watson wasn’t reading too much into Smith’s duck. “I think it’s just luck. Whether you’re right-handed or left-handed batsmen, you don’t come across too many left handed bowlers,” he said. “Left-armers have given batsmen a lot of trouble, not just Graeme, but having two left-armers does give us an advantage.”Watson also played his part with the ball but it was his swashbuckling 52 that took the game away from South Africa. After a lean run in the Champions League, Watson felt he was due some runs. “I had been feeling good in the nets so I knew I was not far away,” he said. He was dropped on 2, by Smith in at first slip, and admitted that he needed a bit of luck but was pleased to capitalise on it.South Africa didn’t help themselves by the lapses in the field and had been put on the back foot early when Smith fell in the first over and Amla was run out coming back for a third. Colin Ingram and JP Duminy put them back on track with a third-wicket partnership of 58 and although it didn’t prove to be matchwinning stand, Amla said it was one of the biggest positives of their defeat.”That’s what the selectors were hoping for, that the young batsmen would perform,” he said. “JP’s innings was a serious highlight for us. Some of his shots were unbelievable.”With the pair at the crease, South Africa looked on track to reach an above-par total but White said he never felt as though the score was getting beyond his control. “I didn’t think it was drifting away from us,” he said. “They always had to push on towards the back end and then we got a breakthrough and were really able to restrict them. The run rate was always around six.”While White said winning was a good start he added “it will be better to win the next one.” Amla, meanwhile, was looking for aspects he can build on as South Africa attempt to level the series in Johannesburg. “In the batting department, we should look to score a bit more so that it gives the guys at the bottom a little more leeway,” he said. “And, in the field we did show signs of not being at 100%.”

Lalit Modi, the former IPL commissioner, has said there was nothing much the BCCI could do about staging the Twenty20 tournament immediately after the 2011 World Cup and that the problem could recur every time there is a World Cup.The Indian board came under scrutiny for their scheduling of the IPL, with some pointing to an overload of cricket as the reason for India’s poor performance and the numerous injuries on the tour of England. Modi said the volume of cricket being played was the reason for India’s poor results, but said the board couldn’t help hosting the IPL in April-May, since that was usually the end of India’s season.”The IPL is a long tournament without doubt,” Modi told ESPNcricinfo at The Oval, where he was watching the third ODI between England and India. “It is scheduled in the Indian summer during April and May. Usually the IPL takes place at the end of the season so the boys should be able to go out there and play and have a good time. That was the original idea. But this year had a World Cup and having a competitive tour like England became an issue. It could be a problem every World Cup year.”There is too much cricket in the calendar. The boys had put a lot into the World Cup to win it. They were tired. I have always said players need to rest when they think they need it. Everybody can’t play every game. You need to be able to choose what you need to play. That seems to be a big problem.”Some analysts reckon that India slipping down the ICC rankings in Tests and ODIs could have a negative impact on the IPL, causing the sponsors and marketing men to re-evaluate the tournament’s value. Modi did not agree. “I don’t think there is an impact. The IPL brand is well established.”He also pointed out the advantages Indian cricket has reaped because of the tournament. “The IPL has brought in a lot of good cricketers. If you look at India’s standing in the ICC rankings before the IPL and three years later, you can see the IPL has been a positive influence. Look at the number of players that have gained national recognition because of the IPL.”Modi is currently living in England, and has had his passport revoked by the Mumbai Regional Passport Office. He is currently facing legal proceedings against him from the BCCI and the Chennai Police over alleged misappropriations of IPL funds, and India’s Enforcement Directorate over potential foreign exchange violations related to the second season of the IPL in South Africa.

ScorecardSurrey gave their promotion hopes a large boost as they bowled Essex out for 239 to claim victory by 109 runs in their Division Two clash at Chelmsford. Essex resumed overnight at 142 for 5 chasing 349, and the visitors completed their third successive win before lunch to move within one point of second-placed Northants, each county having only one match remaining.But it was not all plain sailing for Surrey, with Graham Napier causing a few palpitations as he smashed 80 from 64 balls. However, any realistic hopes that Essex may have entertained of reaching their victory target of 349 disappeared in the second over of the day. Ryan tenDoeschate despatched the first ball he received from paceman Tim Linley to the square leg boundary but the third trapped him lbw.That paved the way for Napier and initially he adopted a cautious approach in company with captain James Foster. The pair added 34 in nine overs but once Foster’s obdurate innings of 29 from 87 deliveries was ended by Chris Jordan, Napier really cut loose.He took a particular liking to seamer Stuart Meaker as he plundered 41 runs in a spell of 16 deliveries he sent down. These included two successive sixes with deliberately executed shots over third man and a mighty blow over long-on. Napier, who struck a career-best 196 when the counties met earlier in the season, also cleared the ropes against Jordan before the paceman gained his revenge.Attempting another big hit, he skied to extra cover where Mark Ramprakash took a fine running catch. Napier also gathered 11 fours and deservedly walked off to a standing ovation. Jordan, who had earlier got rid of David Masters, was to bring the Essex innings to an end with his next delivery.Again Ramprakash provided a helping hand with another fine catch, this time in the gully to get rid of Tom Craddock, who did not contribute a run to a stand of 53 with Napier. Jordan will certainly remember this match, from which Surrey claimed 22 points. After posting a career-best 71 in the first innings and bettering it with an undefeated 79 in the second, he emerged with 4 for 57 – again a personal best.Essex were left to settle for three points, after having two deducted for a slow over rate.

Graham Thorpe, the England Lions batting coach, believes James Taylor would be ready for the challenges of Test cricket should a chance arise in the middle order, which will add to the pressure on Ravi Bopara to perform against India at The Oval.England have moved on from the days of a player’s future being decided by a performance in the final Test of the season, yet despite a selection process now based on continuity and loyalty Bopara faces a crucial five days. Jonathan Trott’s shoulder injury has given him another chance to show he should be the spare batsman on the winter tours but he will know there are other players breathing down his neck.Top of that list of contenders is Taylor, the Leicestershire batsman, who captained the Lions to their 2-1 one-day series win against Sri Lanka A and scored two hundreds. His County Championship form has been less convincing with 502 runs at 31.37 but Thorpe is in no doubt about his potential.”He has been in the system for a few years and he’s very mature,” Thorpe told ESPNcricinfo. “You forget sometimes that’s he’s 21 years old because he knows his game very well. That’s the most important thing and you get a feeling that he would be ready. Now it’s just a question of an opportunity to open up for him.”Bopara had very little to gain when he walked in at 596 for 4 at Edgbaston and was subsequently lbw to Amit Mishra for 7. However, the skittish nature of his brief stay highlighted a player who is feeling the pressure and while the selectors won’t make snap judgements they also won’t be shy of ruthless decisions. Precedents have been set with Steven Finn’s omission during the Ashes and the way Andy Flower decided, on the evidence of one match in Abu Dhabi, that Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb should open in Twenty20.Following his omission from the Test team during the 2009 Ashes, Bopara has tried to revive his career with domestic stints in New Zealand and South Africa followed by a return to the England Lions set-up where he has worked with Thorpe.”Ravi himself will know it’s an important Test match for him to do well. What comes next is hard to say, Ravi would be right to just focus on this game,” Thorpe said. “I’d say to players whoever they are representing – whether it’s the full side or the Lions – not to look too far ahead. That’s one of the reasons are England are doing well right now because they just look after the here and now.”Thorpe also doesn’t believe that England’s Test line-up should be altered just for the sake of finding a spot for a talented young player and at the moment the priority should be maintaining the form that has propelled them to No. 1.”I feel you should never pre-empt selection by resting guys,” he said. “England are a long way from matching someone like Australia who dominated for years so aren’t in a position to be shuffling things around. It might naturally happen that space opens up and with the volume of cricket being played there might be chances to get players in.”In his role with the Lions, Thorpe is gaining first-hand knowledge of the players coming through the system to challenge for top honours. Much is made of England’s depth in fast bowlers – highlighted this week by the recall of Graham Onions after doubts emerged over James Anderson’s fitness – but Thorpe is equally confident over the batting talent emerging.”I’m excited by what’s underneath,” he said. “The age profile is younger as well. If you look at Taylor, Jonny Bairstow, Alex Hales and Joe Root they are all in their early 20s. There is some good, young talent to work with and, while that doesn’t mean they will make it for certain in the long term, when you have a pack of competitive batsmen to work with it can only be a good thing.”Andrew Strauss, meanwhile, believes the competition from the Lions is important in keeping standards high. “We’ve tried to make sure the Lions squad mirrors what we do so that people understand what is expected of then,” he said. “A lot of that drive and determination comes from the individuals as well, and the point of our set-up is to nudge people in the right direction so that they don’t become too comfortable.”They are views echoed by Thorpe, who is confident that the set-up underneath the full team is preparing the players who can help England stay top. “The guys are very hungry and know what is expected to play at the highest level,” he said. “So hopefully No. 1 won’t be a short-term thing and you’d like to think over the next four to five years they can keep building and stay there.”

The Australian fast bowler Damien Wright is expected to become New Zealand’s new bowling coach. Wright, 35, will be one of the final pieces of New Zealand’s management jigsaw when he is confirmed as the replacement for Allan Donald, who was set to continue in the job until he was offered a position working with Gary Kirsten on South Africa’s coaching staff.Wright retired from Australian first-class cricket at the end of last summer and was to continue as bowling coach with Victoria, a job he had begun while still playing last year. He continued to play county cricket for Worcestershire this year but will have to step down from his playing commitments to take on his new job, which has not yet been officially announced by New Zealand Cricket.However, Wright told the he was “thrilled to bits” at being offered the role, and on Wednesday he tweeted: “I’ve had a wonderful time with the Vics & look forward now to working with NZ Cricket.”The ultimate cricket journeyman, Wright was born in New South Wales and made his name at Tasmania, where he played for a decade and was part of the history-making side that won the state’s first Pura Cup title in 2006-07. After that season, he moved to Victoria and won a further two first-class titles with the Bushrangers.Wright also had stints with five counties, played for Scotland in the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy, and turned out for Wellington in the HRV Cup last summer. Injuries often kept him off the field, but Wright was good enough to play nine matches for Australia A, and he will leave the game with 406 first-class wickets at 28.62.

Matt Prior has received an ICC reprimand after accidently smashing a window in the Lord’s changing room on the final day of the second Test against Sri Lanka.The incident occurred after Prior was run out for 4 in England’s search for quick runs before a declaration. When he returned to the dressing room a piece of equipment, first thought to be a glove but then discovered to be a bat, bounced up and smashed a pane of glass with the shards falling onto MCC members below and cutting the ankle of a lady in the pavilion.Prior, accompanied by England captain Andrew Strauss, went and apologised to the members before England took the field and the ECB considered the mattered closed with no further action set to be taken. However, the incident was reported to Javagal Srinath, the ICC match referee, by the on-field umpires Billy Doctrove and Rod Tucker as well as third umpire Aleem Dar and fourth official Richard Illingworth.Prior was charged with a Level 1 offence having breached clause 2.1.2 of the code of conduct which relates to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an international match”. Unsurprisingly, Prior didn’t contest the charge.”Matt knows that his action was in breach of the code and he should be more careful in future,” Srinath said. “That said, it was clear that the damage he caused was purely accidental and without malice. It’s also noted that he apologised to the ground authority for the incident.”Prior could have been hit with fine of up to 50% of his match fee but the incident won’t leave him out of pocket. It’s the same punishment that Ricky Ponting received after damaging a TV in the dressing during the World Cup match against Zimbabwe, in Ahmedabad, after he too had been run out.

ScorecardLuke Wright had a good all-round day with an unbeaten innings to follow two wickets•Getty Images

Matt Prior scored just four on his return to county duty but Sussex Sharks secured an easy nine-wicket win against Middlesex Panthers in Group A of the CB40 League at Hove.Prior’s only scoring shot was a delightful straight drive up the Hove slope for four off Tim Murtagh but in the second over he looked surprised when umpire Andrew Hicks upheld Ashes team-mate Steve Finn’s half-hearted lbw appeal.It was the only success Middlesex’s bowlers were to enjoy as Ed Joyce and Luke Wright put on an unbeaten second-wicket stand of 118 to ease their side to victory in the 23rd over. A fast outfield and easy-paced pitch meant they needed to take few risks and it was only when the target was in sight that either batsman began to open their shoulders.Wright hit a flat six off Neil Dexter over extra cover and 11 boundaries on his way to only his second domestic one-day half-century since 2009. The England all-rounder finished undefeated on 71 from 68 balls while Joyce contributed 47 from 63 with three fours and a six over long on off slow left-armer Tom Smith.Earlier, Middlesex never recovered after losing three wickets in six balls, two of them to Naved Arif. In the seventh over Scott Newman was yorked and four balls later Paul Stirling caught behind off a flat-footed jab outside off stump.It got worse for the visitors in the next over when another left-armer, Chris Liddle, had Dawid Malan caught at short-extra cover to leave Middlesex 29 for 3. Liddle picked up his second wicket when Neil Dexter was well caught by Murray Goodwin diving forward on the deep square-leg boundary and Middlesex lost their fifth wicket in the 18th over when Chris Rogers was totally foxed by Rana Naved-ul-Hasan’s slower ball.Gareth Berg led a recovery of sorts with only the second one-day half-century of his career. The South African struck four boundaries in his 52 off 79 balls and added 51 for the sixth wicket with Ben Scott to give his side hope.But Middlesex collapsed again when Berg holed out to long on, losing their last five wickets for 16 runs. Wright picked up his second wicket later in the over when Smith played on and Rana finished with three for 26 after he bowled Murtagh with one which nipped back to hit off stump before trapping Finn next ball with a delivery that kept low.A poor batting display by the Panthers ended when Anthony Ireland was taken at long on with 19 balls of their innings unused.