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Cricket South Africa president Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka has been asked to quit after a written notice was sent to him, on Wednesday, of a motion of no confidence against him

Firdose Moonda19-Jan-2011Cricket South Africa president Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka has been asked to quit after a written notice was sent to him, on Wednesday, of a motion of no confidence against him. “He has been asked to step down, that’s all I am willing to say,” a source close to CSA told ESPNcricinfo.The letter given to Nyoka serves as notice of a special general meeting that will take place in 21 days. “The only order of business on the agenda is a motion of no confidence in the President,” Gerald Majola, CSA chief executive said.Nyoka was verbally informed of the motion of no confidence on Monday but said he wanted to see it in writing before making any decisions.He is expected to accept his fate and may not even wait for the general meeting to do so. He told the that if he received written notice of a vote of no confidence, he would step down in a “dignified manner” so as not to tarnish CSA’s reputation so close to the World Cup.The notice sent to Nyoka, which is signed by the presidents of all CSA’s 11 affiliates, ends weeks of speculation that Nyoka would be given his marching orders following the bonus scandal, which Majola was at the centre of.Nyoka was in favour of an external inquiry into the bonuses received by Majola and 39 other CSA staff members after the Champions Trophy and IPL, but CSA opted to have an internal inquiry in order to exhaust all its own procedures first. Majola was cleared of all charges of wrongdoing by the commission and Nyoka said he accepted the findings.That spat was believed to have caused a “general breakdown” in the relationship between Nyoka and Majola, according to another insider, who also said that it became apparent that there was “only room for one of them” in CSA.The two have appeared to be at loggerheads since Nyoka was chairman of the Gauteng Cricket Board (GCB) at the turn of the millennium. In 2002, Nyoka resigned from his post at the GCB after unsuccessfully challenging then United Cricket Board (UCB) president Percy Sonn for his position.Nyoka returned to cricket in 2005, as chair of a 22-man steering committee that was set up to run the GCB and assist in mediating between warring clubs who were up in arms over the lack of transformation in the province.If Nyoka vacates his post, vice-president AK Khan will step in as acting president until the next election. That vote is scheduled for CSA’s Annual General Body Meeting in July next year but may be brought forward.Nyoka, who has been in office since 2008, will be the second successive president to leave office in this fashion. Norman Arendse, his predecessor, also had a motion of no confidence tabled against him before he resigned.

A round-up of the action from the third day of the semi-finals of the Duleep Trophy 2010-11

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jan-2011Ravindra Jadeja’s valiant unbeaten 170 was not enough to get West Zone past North Zone’s first-innings score at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara, and it is North that are favourites to go through to the final after the third day. West ended up 68 runs short, and North added another 191 to that before stumps, ending the day 259 runs ahead with seven wickets in hand.West began the day at 176 for 5, and Jadeja, initially, couldn’t find a partner who was willing to stick around long enough at the other end. West were soon 261 for 8, still way off North’s 460. Jadeja finally found able company in No. 10 Murtuja Vahora, and the two put together 131 for the ninth wicket. Sumit Narwal, who had scored a half-century and taken three wickets on the third day, was the man to dismiss Vahora for 43, with West still 68 behind. No. 11 Samad Fallah was out for a first-ball duck, giving Narwal his fifth wicket and leaving Jadeja stranded. Jadeja’s 170 came off 242 balls, and included 21 fours and five sixes.Any chance West had of pushing for an outright win was blunted by North’s openers – Sarul Kanwar and Shikhar Dhawan – who both reached 53. Mithun Manhas was unbeaten on 48 at the end of the day, and with North under no pressure to push for a win, they could use the last day for some batting practice.

A merciless South Zone piled on the misery against Central Zone on a dull third day at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Central ended the day 697 runs behind with eight wickets remaining. South had already secured the first-innings lead and showed little initiative to go for an outright win, batting on well beyond the point where Central had given up all hope and were just going through the motions, making for a boring day of cricket.The day’s play was possibly best defined by a moment where Devendra Bundela was heard through the stump mike begging his captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar to take him out of the attack. It wasn’t surprising considering he was bowling 80 kph lollipops against batsmen who were under no pressure and with a spread-out field. Bundela ended up bowling 18 overs in the day, as Central made no effort to bowl South out and just waited for them to declare. Abhinav Mukund and Amit Verma capitalised, helping themselves to centuries. Mukund’s 164 was his second century of the match – he scored 105 in the first innings. South reached 504 for 7 in their second innings before finally declaring, 769 runs ahead.Central’s seamers – Umesh Yadav, Pankaj Singh and RP Singh – bowled only 38 of the 100 overs bowled in South Zone’s second innings; a clear indication that the team had lost interest in the match. South captain Subramaniam Badrinath and first-innings double-centurion Manish Pandey didn’t even bother going out to bat, sending in the middle-order players and tail instead.South gave themselves a chance to win by taking two wickets at the end of the day, leaving Central 73 for 2.

Shaun Tait, who had a verbal altercation with Tillakaratne Dilshan in Australia’s last match. says he will keep being aggressive and prefers bowling in short bursts

Brydon Coverdale 07-Mar-2011Shaun Tait is enjoying his role as Australia’s enforcer at the World Cup, and if his performance against Sri Lanka on Saturday is any indication, he’s not about to take a backward step. The match in Colombo was abandoned after 32.5 overs, but already Tait had exerted his impact in a fiery opening spell that included a confrontation with the opener Tillakaratne Dilshan.Tait bowled an impressive first over that featured some good outswingers and Dilshan edged the first ball wide of second slip for a boundary. Words were exchanged and when Dilshan pulled out of the next delivery with Tait nearly in his delivery stride, the bowler was visibly angry. But he had his revenge when Dilshan edged another outswinger to slip later in the over.”Aggression helps,” Tait said. “You can’t get too carried away with things, obviously, but short, sharp bursts are perfect to try and bowl with decent pace and get a bit of swing and then cool my jets again.”It was a big game, a [highly] anticipated game. Things kicked off there for a bit. I thought I’d try and get under his skin. He’s a dangerous player so I thought I’d attack his mind and try and get under his skin a bit; and vice-versa, he got under mine. If you start off like that and there’s a few words exchanged it’s nice to get a wicket. It worked out well for me in the end.”Heavy rain meant Tait was restricted to five overs on Saturday but the fact that he found outswing in addition to his usual movement in to the right-handers was a good sign. Tait’s opening spells are often sprinkled with wides but he didn’t bowl a single one on Saturday, the first time he had bowled in an ODI without offering a wide since his second match, back in February 2007.The return of Tait to Australia’s one-day team last year after he had appeared to have become a Twenty20 specialist has added some bite to the attack. Already in this tournament he has six wickets at 15.33 and after his successful 2007 World Cup, he now has 29 victims in World Cup cricket, more than men like Kapil Dev and Curtly Ambrose.With matches against Kenya and Canada coming up, he could fly up the list in the next week and a half. Six more wickets would push Tait into seventh place on the all-time World Cup wicket tally, ahead of Ian Botham, Shane Warne, Shaun Pollock and Imran Khan.”I don’t really think about stats that much, I’m not really a cricket geek,” Tait said. “But it’s a nice thing I suppose. This is probably going to be my last World Cup so I’m just going to enjoy it while I can. I’d be surprised [if I play in 2015], but you never know.”Australia have a long break before their next game, against Kenya on March 13 in Bangalore.

Trinidad & Tobago batsman Runako Morton and Leeward Islands allrounder Tonito Willett have pleaded not guilty after they were arrested for possession of Marijuana on March 11

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Mar-2011Trinidad & Tobago batsman Runako Morton and Leeward Islands allrounder Tonito Willett have pleaded not guilty at the Port-of-Spain 10th Court after they were arrested for possession of marijuana on March 11. The matter has been adjourned until June 17.They reappeared before Magistrate Debby-Ann Bassaw, following their release on March 16 after posting cash bail of close to US $3400. They had their passports returned to them, following an application from their lawyer Rajiv Persad.Morton and Willett were arrested after the first day of T&T’s Regional Four-Day Competition match against Leeward Islands in Port-of-Spain for carrying 407 grams of marijuana with an estimated street value of close to US $680. They were picked-up by police following a routine traffic stop and played no further part in the match.

It will be a poignant moment when Devendra Bishoo steps out onto the turf at the Guyana National Stadium on Thursday

ESPNcricinfo staff05-May-2011It will be a poignant moment when Devendra Bishoo steps out onto the turf at the Guyana National Stadium on Thursday for the fifth one-dayer against Pakistan. The legspinner Bishoo, 25, has been the find of the series for West Indies, and fittingly he’ll finish the one-day portion of his breakthrough series on his home ground, for the first time in a West Indies shirt.”I am really excited about playing for West Indies in my own country for the first time,” Bishoo said. “For me personally, it will be a good way to end the ODI series. There’s no place like home, and my mother will be there. This will be her first time seeing me play for West Indies.”I don’t have any brothers or sisters, and my dad passed away when I was only eight years old so it is just me and her. I know she is so proud of me and it will be really special for her to see me play at home.”The leading wicket-taker during the series, Bishoo has 10 victims at 16.30, and has shown composure under pressure and mastery of flight. He picked up three important wickets in the victory in Barbados, West Indies’ only win of the series, and most impressively, deceived the centurion Mohammad Hafeez in the process.”I have heard that the commentators are saying that I show no fear and that I am not afraid to bowl to anyone,” Bishoo said. “That’s true. I’m not. I believe in myself 100%. I stick to the basics, and go out there and do what I do best. I’ve been playing cricket since I was 11 and the secret is simple: never stop training. The way I look at it, there are no holidays in cricket. I never stop training … rain or shine, I’m playing cricket.”Bishoo debuted during the World Cup and was one of the few positives to come out of the tournament for West Indies. He is keen to help his team to a respectable 3-2 series result before the Test portion of Pakistan’s visit begins next week.The hosts have named an unchanged 13-man squad for the final one-dayer in Guyana. The captain, Darren Sammy, hopes that his men can take some momentum from the victory in Bridgetown.”We did well in Barbados to win a close match, after we fell 3-0 down in the series,” Sammy said. “What we are looking for is a win tomorrow [Thursday] to finish off and carry the momentum into the two Test matches to follow.”We did some really good things in the last match. The bowlers have been excellent for us – they did really well in the World Cup and also in the T20 International and the first four matches of this series. Devendra Bishoo has been amazing since he came into the team and Ravi Rampaul has taken his chance with both hands.”The batsmen did the job in the last match and that was very good to see. We were set a challenging target and we chased it down. We had some really good batting at the top and we always had the belief we would pull it off. We held our nerve to pull one back in the series. Now we will look to put in another good showing and get another win on the board.”West Indies squad: Lendl Simmons, Kirk Edwards, Darren Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Sammy (capt), Carlton Baugh (wk), Anthony Martin, Andre Rusell, Kemar Roach, Devendra Bishoo, Ravi Rampaul.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL eliminator between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai

The Preview by Sriram Veera24-May-2011

Match facts

Wednesday, May 25, Mumbai
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Gautam Gambhir has led Kolkata to great results. Can he take them to that final?•AFP

Big Picture

They might have lost the thriller in Eden Gardens to Mumbai Indians but it was Kolkata Knight Riders who were the better team until those dramatic few seconds. “Nothing has happened for which we have to keep our heads down,” Gautam Gambhir said at the end of that game. “I have a lot of faith in Bala, that’s why I gave him the final over. Nine times out of 10, in such a situation when 21 are needed in the last over, he would do the job for us.” Indeed, it was just one of those days and it would be a mistake to conclude that Kolkata have lost momentum or that Mumbai have gained it from that match. If anything, it’s Kolkata who will start with a slight edge in the knock-out game tomorrow for they are a better all-round side.Mumbai are a puzzling team. They seem to be filled with batsmen all the way down to the order but yet, they rarely dominate an attack. Andrew Symonds seemed too rusty when he was playing, Kieron Pollard has rarely converted his starts and they keep going back to Sachin Tendulkar, Ambati Rayudu and Rohit Sharma with an odd contribution from the rest. Perhaps, Tendulkar’s batting style best captures the situation: In five of the last six games, he has rarely gone over run-a-ball. Is it a worry that the middle and lower order won’t survive his dismissal?The best thing that has happened to Kolkata is the batting form of Manoj Tiwary and the bowling form of Iqbal Abdulla. The batting line-up looks so much assured because of it. Jacques Kallis, Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan come at 1, 3, and 5 and Tiwary’s form at 4 has made it a really solid outfit. Shakib Al Hasan, Ryan ten Doeschate, Rajat Bhatia and Abdulla are very good lower order batsmen and add more solidity to Kolkata. The bowling too has a nice mix of pace, seam and spin.And there is a further incentive that awaits the two teams: The winner qualifies to play in the Champions League.

Form guide (most recent first)

Kolkata Knight Riders: LWLWL
Mumbai Indians WLLLW

Team talk

Will Mumbai replace Ray Price with Andrew Symonds? Kolkata are unlikely to change their set up. Whenever they have played Shakib, he has always delivered.Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team Selector.

In the spotlight

Jacques Kallis has been a solid contributor at the top. He is the rock around which Kolkata build their innings. Unlike many others, his arsenal has more big shots on the off side and he uses it to perfection. He didn’t bowl in the last game but Gambhir might use him fo a over or two in the crunch game.Harbhajan Singh played a neat cameo with the bat and is likely to be used again in a similar situation. His main job is as spinner and it will be interesting to see how he goes in the pressure game. He has the goods; will he deliver?

Prime numbers

• Ambati Rayudu has four fifties, just one behind the leader of the table S Badrinath who has five. Kallis too has four half-centuries
• Iqbal Abdulla has an economy rate of 6 in this IPL. Overall, across all editions, he has the third best economy rate (6.23)
  

  The chatter

  “The playoffs will be a different ball-game, there will be pressure on both sides as defeat will send them out. Today on the other hand, they (Mumbai) had nothing to lose, while we had to win to clinch a top-two slot. We have to do things the hard way. But we know they are beatable, if we play good cricket.” .”

Cricket Australia will consider a proposal to allow some Sheffield Shield games to end at twilight next summer

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jun-2011Some Sheffield Shield matches may stretch into twilight next summer as Cricket Australia considers a proposal for a potential step towards discovering the viability of day-night Tests.If the proposal is adopted, play would continue until about 8 p.m. for certain designated matches. However, in what CA called a “half-measure”, the traditional red ball will be used rather than the pink version that has not been fully tested yet.The Australian board’s move comes in the wake of the ICC cricket committee’s recent request for countries to test the feasibility of playing day-night games in the longer versions of the sport at the first-class level.According to the , the topic has already been discussed by CA’s playing conditions committee, and the next step is to identify suitable grounds and dates, depending on the amount of dew and when the sun sets.”We are very conscious of the ICC Cricket Committee suggestion that they would like to see some trials at first-class level in different parts of the world and we have always been very keen on trying to play cricket at times when people want to watch it,” a CA spokesman said.CA have also handed over a bag of pink and orange balls to the ICC for further testing. While Channel Nine has argued for orange, saying it would be better for television viewers, the ICC’s cricket committee thinks the pink ball has more promise.

Shahid Afridi has withdrawn his petition filed in the Sindh High Court against the PCB, signalling another step towards the resolution of the ongoing dispute

Osman Samiuddin15-Jun-2011The dispute between Shahid Afridi and the PCB took the first official step towards a resolution, with Afridi withdrawing his petition against the board in the Sindh High Court. He will now appear before a PCB disciplinary committee on Thursday; Afridi had filed the petition on June 7 against the same disciplinary proceedings the board had initiated against him in the wake of his ‘retirement’ and subsequent criticism of the board.But following a meeting between Afridi and PCB chairman Ijaz Butt in Islamabad, the outlines of a compromise emerged on Tuesday; Afridi would withdraw the petition, face up to a disciplinary committee that the court had initially put a stay order on, be punished, but have his No-Objection Certifcate (NOC) reinstated, allowing him to play for Hampshire.A hearing last week had adjourned the case to June 16, after the board didn’t file a detailed reply, but following the compromise deal, Afridi’s lawyers appeared in court today to officially withdraw the petition. “The petition has been withdrawn as a part of the reconciliation between both sides,” Syed Ali Zafar, Afridi’s lawyer, told ESPNcricinfo. “If the petition has borne fruit then there is no objection or obstacle in withdrawing a petition.”Afridi has now been asked to appear before the committee on June 16 at the PCB headquarters in Lahore. In a statement released several hours after the petition was withdrawn, the board said they had been informed of the withdrawal by Afridi. “Therefore, in continuation of the proceduere that had been postponed as per court orders, PCB has directed Shahid Afrdito appear in person before the Diciplinary Committee of PCB on 16 June, 2011 at 3:00 PM at PCB Headquarters, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.”The reinstatement of the NOCs will likely happen once that hearing has taken place; in his first communication to the PCB after being served a notice, Afridi had accepted violating the code of conduct but asked for his NOC to be reinstated. His central contract also remains suspended for now.”We hope that the NOC will now be granted,” Zafar said. “The disciplinary committee hearing will be a kind of formality now.”Incidentally, there has been no indication from Afridi so far about the status of his conditional retirement and neither, it is said, was it discussed in the meeting with Butt. After being stripped of the ODI captaincy, Afridi said several times that he would not play internationally under this administration, though he insisted he would continue playing domestically at home and abroad.Earlier this week, before the Afridi-Butt meeting, the Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) announced Afridi as captain of the Karachi Dolphins side in the domestic T20 tournament to be played in July in Faisalabad. They also asked the PCB whether he would be allowed to play. That issue will also now be resolved, but Afridi’s Hampshire commitment will take precedence in any case over the local tournament.

When Ravi Bopara was overlooked for the England team ahead of the first Test of the summer, it precipitated a sharp decline in his contributions for Essex

George Dobell at Southend-on-Sea28-Jul-2011
ScorecardWhen Ravi Bopara was overlooked for the England team ahead of the first Test of the summer, it precipitated a sharp decline in his contributions for Essex. Some said it was disappointment; others said that he lacked the stomach for the fight at this level. Either way, with younger men – the likes of Taylor and Stokes – vying for England selection, it seems quite possible that Bopara will never add to those ten Test caps.On the evidence of this performance, that would be a shame. And a waste. Garon Park may be many miles – both geographically and figuratively – from the glamour and intensity of the international arena but, with his team under pressure and on a pitch that remains helpful to bowlers of all types, Bopara responded with a deeply impressive innings.True, the Leicestershire attack – worthy though it is – could not claim to be Test class. But this isn’t a Test pitch, either, and Bopara, for the second time in the match, has demonstrated a strong temperament and technique to withstand everything that has been thrown at him on a surface where no-one has flourished. He’s also shown discipline, patience and and, most importantly, earned his side a chance to win a game that had seemed to be sliding inexorably the way of their opponents.Beginning their second innings with a deficit of 58 runs, Essex had lost two men even before achieving parity. A third-wicket stand of 104 – easily the highest of the match – has given them hope, however, and suggests that Bopara, captaining Essex for the first time in the
Championship, may be the sort of character who thrives on responsibility. It was, tellingly, his highest score in his last ten first-class innings.There were few opportunities to demonstrate that easy timing that tends to enlighten any Bopara innings. Instead, he showed the virtues of placement, watchfulness and excellent judgement of which balls to play and which to leave. It was, in short, a mature performance.It wasn’t all about Bopara, though. Billy Godleman also impressed in compiling a patient 77. Watchful initially, Godleman developed from a period of quiet accumulation and finally unveiled a couple of pleasing drives and, when Henderson dropped short, pulled him over mid wicket
for six. To put his contribution in perspective, his was the highest score on this ground in the last nine first-class innings stretching back to 2009.Not all the Essex players showed such dedication to the cause. No-one in the English game can claim to have more talent than Owais Shah. Not Bell, not Pietersen and not Bopara. But talent is just one of the ingredients required for success and Shah doesn’t always show he has
the requisite application.Here, after unveiling an outrageously good paddle for four off Henderson, he skipped down the wicket, attempted to play against the spin and was stumped. It would, I suppose, have
looked good had he connected but, in the circumstances, it was simply reckless. Indeed, at such moments, it’s not hard to see why Middlesex and the England selectors lost patience with him.Earlier 22-year-old legspinner Tom Craddock delivered a spell of 4 for 14 to wrap-up the Leicestershire first innings. Craddock is a talented cricketer who may well have a bright future in the game but, in truth, he was a bit flattered by those figures. Nathan Buck was caught at silly point after he hit a full toss onto his boot, while Henderson dragged a long hop to mid wicket.A better test of Craddock’s will surely come in the fourth innings of this game. As Essex’s only specialist spinner, he’ll be expected to play a significant role in winning his side the game. It’s a large responsibility for a fellow playing just his fourth first-class game.Leicestershire may come to rue not making more of their opportunity to establish a first innings lead. While batting was never easy, it was as if they couldn’t decide which method would serve them best: all out attack or dogged defence. In the end, they did a bit of both and a lot
of neither.Crucially, James Taylor fell early. Unable to build on his reprieves the previous night, Taylor was caught at short leg as he squeezed one into the air off bat and pad. Though Wayne White and Josh Cobb made starts, they were both undone by a bit of seam movement from Essex’s
band of medium-pacers, before Tom New, playing-on and Jigar Naik, playing down the wrong line, were dismissed by good Craddock deliveries.Leicestershire are not out of this game, however. The wicket of Godleman, chipping to mid on and Jaik Mickleburgh, bowled by the last delivery of the day from the deserving Nadeem Malik, has offered them hope and, if they can dismiss Bopara early on day three, they may yet
face a chase of little more than 150.

Shaun Marsh’s innings of 70 in the fourth ODI, during which he saw off Ajantha Mendis, could have earned him a spot in the Test side

Daniel Brettig in Colombo21-Aug-2011Where two weeks ago there was panic in Shaun Marsh’s eyes, last night there was calm. Facing up to Ajantha Mendis, who had made him look highly foolish in the second Twenty20 international on the way to startling figures of 6 for16 in Pallekele, Marsh demonstrated the fruits of time in the nets, and the value of sharp concentration against a bowler ready to pounce on the merest lapse.Upon wandering down the wicket to be stumped in that T20 match, Marsh completed a two-match sequence of 10 balls and four runs for two dismissals. He looked about as likely to flourish against spin as Andrew Hilditch had been to survive the release of the Argus review. While most observers had Marsh batting at No. 6 in the Test series that follows the limited-over matches, now there had to be some doubt.He was subsequently left out of the team for the first three ODIs, and spent that time with the assistant coach Justin Langer, working on his technique and mental approach. Returning to the international crease in Colombo, with Australia chasing a meagre target, Marsh faced Mendis again, this time armed with the new ball. An innings of 70 played a large part in getting Australia home, and helped Marsh keep himself notionally ahead of Usman Khawaja in the queue for the Australian Test batting order.As the Australia players enjoyed some rest ahead of the final ODI, on August 22, Marsh said he was far calmer in Colombo than he had ever managed to be in Pallekele.”I knew if I could just get through those first few overs I’d feel comfortable,” Marsh said. “I’ve faced all the spinners over on the subcontinent before and done well. I knew if I could just get a bit of confidence in the first few overs I’d play my normal game and back my ability, and it was great to get out there and build some confidence.”It was disappointing in the T20s, [and not selecting me] was the way they went in the first one-day game, but it gave me an opportunity to work really hard against the spinners, and I’ve enjoyed working with Justin Langer. Going into the game last night I felt confident with the work I’ve done over the last couple of weeks.”Mendis was not entirely unfamiliar to Marsh, given a few previous jousts in the Indian Premier League, but it clearly took some time for him to summon the application required. It is a common problem among batsmen fed a diet of flat pitches and orthodox bowlers that the skill of watching the hand and the ball can be mislaid.”That was the main thing, especially after the T20 game where I got stumped. I knew I had to focus on the hand. It is sometimes quite tough, especially early on, but you have to make sure you focus hard and it was good to get through that last night.”He’s a fantastic bowler and he’s quite hard to pick, especially with the new ball when you can’t really pick the seam, but it was good to get out there and face him and gain a little bit of confidence. They’re very challenging bowlers over here on their home soil, so I’ll be looking forward to that challenge again tomorrow.”The innings’ restorative effect on Marsh has been mirrored on a wider level by Australia’s 3-1 series win over the hosts. Led with some panache by the new captain Michael Clarke, Australia have given reason for hope ahead of the Tests, even if the release of the Argus review in Melbourne on Friday reminded all that there are a surfeit of shortcomings to be addressed.”It’s great for the group, it gives us a lot of confidence,” Marsh said of the series win. “We knew it was tough coming over here, leading into this series and the T20 stuff up in Brisbane.”After the two T20 games we really emphasised we wanted to play good, attacking cricket. We’ve come out and done that; we’ve been fantastically led by the bowlers and the batters have done their job as well. We’ve got one one-day game left and we want to win the series 4-1, but we know it’s going to be a really tough Test series and we’re looking forward to that challenge.”The team’s visage on tour was changed by events in Melbourne, not least because of the direct effect the Argus report had on the roles and futures of the coach Tim Nielsen, the selector on duty Greg Chappell and the captain Clarke, who alongside Nielsen now has formal selection responsibilities. Marsh though re-affirmed that the team’s sights were set firmly on results and success.”That’s what it’s all about. We’re just focusing on each game we play and we want to win that for Australia and win that for ourselves. We’re just looking forward to that now and looking forward to playing some good cricket.”After besting Sri Lanka in the ODI series, Marsh and his team-mates can appreciate what that feels like.