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Batsman hopes injury will prove a ‘good thing’ in the long run and hopes to be fit for County Championship opener

George Dobell27-Feb-2020Rory Burns believes the injury that curtailed his winter with the Test team may prove “a good thing” for English cricket in the long term.Burns sustained serious ligament damage when playing football in warm-up the day before the second Test against South Africa. He subsequently underwent surgery and was ruled out of the remaining three Tests in that series and the two upcoming Tests in Sri Lanka. Having just established himself in the team – he had made two Test centuries since August and at least one half-century in four of his previous five Tests – it was a cruel blow both for Burns and for England.ALSO READ: Burns sidelined for four months after ankle surgeryBut the injury had further repercussions. As the latest in a saga of football-related injuries – Jonny Bairstow and Joe Denly were among the other members of the England squad to have sustained injuries in a similar manner – it led to the England management banning football in warm-ups. Several of the first-class counties are understood to have taken similar decisions ahead of the 2020 season.Now, as Burns contemplates his comeback, he admits he will not be playing football again. And he reflects that Ashley Giles, a long-term critic of the idea of playing football as a warm-up activity, was probably right all along. Giles is the director of England’s men’s teams.”Have I ruined it [playing football] for everyone?” Burns says with a smile. “I think I have ruined it for the county circuit. The majority of it, anyway, and certainly the England boys. But I don’t think there’s too many arguments from too many places.”While I am still a professional cricketer I probably won’t play football again. It’s taken four months out of a career and the stage I had got myself to where I was playing quite nicely.”It was an avoidable setback and when you get something that’s avoidable like that you probably re-evaluate whether you want to waste your time doing four months in a gym rehabbing or being on a plane to Sri Lanka.”Was Giles right all along? Potentially. It’s probably taken something like this to re-evaluate it; something like this to put it into perspective. It shows what the downsides of football are, I suppose. There are obviously a lot of plus points to football but I don’t think I will be playing it any time again soon.”It was a bit freakish. Most people roll their ankle on the outside; I did going over to the inside. I think my studs got caught in the floor. But if that’s the catalyst to put things right and maybe say you don’t need it and keep the boys on the park it’s probably a good thing in a weird way.”If none of those guys get injured moving forward because football has been moved out of it then I think that’s a positive thing for English cricket.”Rory Burns speaks at the PCA’s rookie camp•Barrington Coombs/Getty Images for PCA

The good news for Burns is that he looks on course to be fit for the start of the county season. While he hasn’t picked up a bat as yet, he will go on Surrey’s pre-season tour to the UAE from March 17 and is expected to return to their team for their opening Championship fixture against Somerset at The Oval starting on April 19. Barring a significant dip in form, it would be a surprise if he did not return to the Test team when England host West Indies from the start of June.As a player who has had his fair share of ups and downs in the game, Burns was a natural choice to address the 50 or so young players attending the PCA’s rookie camp earlier this week. Among other things, he spoke of the need for persistence – it took him five successive seasons of scoring 1,000 first-class runs to convince the selectors to pick him – and the dangers of social media.ALSO READ: Never a better time to be a professional cricket, but rookies learn perils are huge tooIn particular, he looks back to the aftermath of the Ireland Test – when he scored 6 in each innings – and the savaging he took from some sections of the media. Mark Waugh memorably said Burns “looked like a nightwatchman” and suggested: “don’t think he’ll be playing the Ashes.” Burns responded with a maiden Test century in the first Ashes Test a few days later.”The thing that annoyed me about the Ireland game was that people judge you very quickly – be it fans or whatever – on a snapshot of your career,” he says. “I’d had seven years of batting in first-class cricket that was overwritten in seven Tests.”In the County Championship you don’t get that level of speculation. I don’t avoid social media, but you have to taper it to the voices you want to listen to. I still had it open when I started my Test career and I didn’t read all of it but you can’t help it when it’s at the top of your mentions… Tom Noddy down the road has given his twopence.”The key is: you’re never as good as you think you are when you’re doing well, and you’re never as bad as you think you are when you’re not. You’re always somewhere in the middle and you just bounce along. It’s remembering that. Sticking to the fundamentals of what works for you.”

England’s limited-overs captain and the explosive South Africa batsman are among five additions to the auction list

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Dec-2018Eoin Morgan, England’s limited-overs captain, has been added to the player list for Tuesday’s IPL auction, alongside four other late inclusions: South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen, uncapped Australian Riley Meredith, and Indians Mayank Dagar and Pranav Gupta.

Zaheer Khan links up with Mumbai Indians

Former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan has been named Mumbai Indians’ mentor. Zaheer, who retired from international cricket in 2015, had played for and captained Delhi Daredevils in the IPL till 2017.
Mahela Jayawardene and Shane Bond will stay on at Mumbai Indians as head coach and bowling coach respectively this season.

Morgan will be entered at the highest base price of INR 2 crore (USD 280,000), putting him in the same bracket as IPL veterans such as Brendon McCullum, Lasith Malinga and Shaun Marsh. Van der Dussen is priced at INR 50 lakh (USD 70,000), Meredith INR 40 lakh (USD 55,600), with Dagar and Gupta listed at the lowest reserve price of INR 20 lakhs (USD 27,800).The late additions, bringing the overall number of players involved in the auction to 351, came after franchises expressed an interest in their involvement to the BCCI.ALSO READ: All you need to know abou the IPL auctionVan der Dussen, who was on the original long list, put his name back into the auction pool after making his third consecutive Mzansi Super League fifty on Sunday, a knock that sealed the inaugural title for his team, Jozi Stars. He was the highest run-getter in the tournament.He won the inaugural Global T20 Canada with Vancouver Knights, whose head coach Donovan Miller then called him up for his CPL team St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. Van der Dussen is highly rated for his batting in the middle overs, particularly for his ability to hit big at the end, skills that he honed through crossfit and kickboxing, among other things. His rising fame in the format and recent form could well make him the subject of a bidding war.Of the two Indian players to enter the fray, batsman Gupta is one of six Jammu & Kashmir players in the pool, while allrounder Dagar is a former India Under-19 player and Virender Sehwag’s nephew. He was picked up by Kings XI Punjab last year.Meredith, a rookie seamer, has only played in two T20 games, both for Hobart Hurricanes in February this year.Morgan went unsold in the auction for the 2018 IPL but has previously played for four franchises, most recently in 2017 with Kings XI Punjab. He takes the number of England players interested in the proceedings in Jaipur to 19.Several, including Jonny Bairstow, Alex Hales and Sam Curran, will hope to attract bids, although the question of limited availability could deter franchises. Centrally contracted England players such as Morgan and Bairstow will be expected to return on April 25, ahead of preparations for the World Cup – meaning they would miss the last three weeks of the IPL.

Punjab’s Shubman Gill, who was the top scorer in the Youth ODI series in England earlier this year, has been named as Shaw’s deputy

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-20171:20

Archive – Who is Prithvi Shaw?

Mumbai batsman Prithvi Shaw will lead India at the Under-19 World Cup to be held in New Zealand from January 13. Punjab’s Shubman Gill, who was the top scorer in the Youth ODI series in England earlier this year at an average of 92.66, has been named as Shaw’s deputy. The 15-member squad also includes Haryana’s Himanshu Rana and Assam’s Riyan Parag along with five stand-by players, all of whom are set to participate in a preparatory camp in Bengaluru from December 8 to 22.Seven of the 15 players in the squad have experience of playing Ranji Trophy. Shaw, who is Mumbai’s second-highest scorer this season with 521 runs at 57.88, and Bengal’s Ishan Porel, who has bagged 10 wickets in two matches have been permitted to play for their respective sides in the quarter-finals starting December 7, and will join the camp on December 12.India have won the Under-19 title thrice, a record they hold together with Australia. They made the final of the previous edition in Bangladesh but lost to West Indies by five wickets.Squad: Prithvi Shaw (capt), Shubman Gill (vice-capt), Manjot Kalra, Himanshu Rana, Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Aryan Juyal, Harvik Desai, Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ishan Porel, Arshdeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Shiva Singh, Pankaj YadavStandby players: Om Bhosle, Rahul Chahar, Ninad Rathva, Urvil Patel, Aditya Thakare

John Gleeson, the former Australia spinner, has died at the age of 78 in Tamworth, New South Wales

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2016John Gleeson, the former Australia spinner, has died at the age of 78 in Tamworth, New South Wales.Gleeson was Australia’s 242nd Test cricketer and played 29 matches between 1967 and 1972. He took 93 wickets at an average of 36 with three five-wicket hauls. Gleeson also claimed 430 first-class wickets in a 116-match career between 1966 and 1975, predominantly for New South Wales.”He’s sadly passed away in the Tamworth hospital, aged 78,” the former Australia captain Ian Chappell relayed to viewers during Channel Nine’s coverage of a Matador Cup game.Gleeson was one of the early unorthodox spinners, delivering with an unusual action like Australia’s Jack Iverson before him and Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis decades later. “The folded finger-spinner they called him,” Chappell said. “He came from Tamworth, started out his cricket life as a wicketkeeper and he fiddled around flicking these balls … I think he started with a table tennis ball, and developed into a very fine finger spinner.”I spoke to him the other day, he’d come to grips with his situation and his last words were to me, ‘Don’t fret, mate, I’m in good shape’.”A late starter to first-class cricket at 27, Gleeson had honed his method for years prior, experimenting with various grips in backyard cricket ater being partly inspired by fellow “mystery” spinner Iverson. “The first time I saw it was a photograph in a 1951 Sporting Life magazine,” he said of Iverson’s grip in a 2008 interview. “I would bowl with the same grip with a tennis ball in backyard cricket, with a jacaranda tree as the wicket. It was quite natural for me to bowl a legspinner even if it looked like an offspinner – it was basically a reverse wrong’un: looks like an offspinner but is a legspinner.”Gleeson worked his way into the New South Wales state side and ultimately the Australian Test team after impressing Richie Benaud in a net session in the summer of 1966-67. He always remained somewhat miffed by the hype that surrounded his bowling style, which was a forerunner to other more lateral methods of spinning the ball that would follow in later years around the cricket world. His path to the Test side was to be smoothed by another net session, in Adelaide where he bowled to the then selection chairman Sir Donald Bradman.”He stood there, in his suit, at the batting crease, without a bat. I ran up and bowled. To get the ball to turn a fair bit I had to bowl a lot slower than I normally did,” Gleeson said. “I bowled him that ball [an off break] and he tried to let it hit the net, but it went the other way, flew up, and hit him on the hip. His eyes lit up and he just picked the ball up and threw it back to me. Next ball, I bowled him the wrong’un and then he wasn’t quite sure which way to go as he wasn’t reading from the hand.”James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said: “John captured the imagination of cricket fans everywhere as he bamboozled batsmen with his odd bowling grip, borrowed from another mystery Australian spinner, Jack Iverson.””We were deeply saddened to hear of John’s passing and are truly appreciative of his contribution to the game, which, beyond his distinguished playing career, included time as an administrator with World Series Cricket. As a cricketer, he will be remembered as someone who played for his country at the highest level and, with his unique skills, had the ability to regularly dumbfound the best batsmen in any team.”

James Anderson could be ruled out of the remainder of the Investec Ashes after being forced off the field at Edgbaston with an apparent side strain

George Dobell30-Jul-2015James Anderson could be ruled out of the remainder of the Investec Ashes after being forced off the field at Edgbaston with an apparent side strain.Anderson, England’s record wicket taker, was two balls into his ninth over when he clutched his side after delivery. While he bowled one more ball, he then pulled up in his run-up and left the field. His over was completed by Joe Root.The ECB released a statement on Twitter confirming that Anderson had a “tight side” and would be “assessed overnight”. That means he will be sent for a scan with any firm decision about his future involvement delayed until the results are known. The fourth Test begins at Trent Bridge next Thursday.”I’ve heard nothing yet,” said Steven Finn, who was England’s best bowler on the day with five wickets. “Obviously pulling up halfway through an over for someone like Jimmy, he wouldn’t go off if it wasn’t hurting.”He’s a huge player for us. He is the leader of our attack. He sets the tone with everything he does. Jimmy loves bowling at Trent Bridge, everyone knows that. If he was to miss it, it would be a big loss, but we don’t know yet.”The injury took the gloss off an otherwise wonderful day for England. While they are strong favourites to take a 2-1 lead, the loss of Anderson would be a major blow. Anderson has a superb record at Trent Bridge: he has taken 53 wickets in eight Tests on the ground at an average of 19.24. He claimed a 10-wicket haul in the last Ashes Test there in 2013 – one of two 10-wicket hauls he has at the venue – and has taken six five-wicket hauls there.If Anderson is unavailable, as looks likely, England will probably look to Mark Wood to take his place, though Mark Footitt and Chris Woakes may also be considered.England, meanwhile, only have eyes for tomorrow’s third day, when Australia will resume with a lead of 23 and three wickets in hand.”The game is most definitely still not won yet,” said Finn. “They’ve got guys to come in who can bat, there will still be pressure on tomorrow and we have to do a professional job.”

A round-up of the last round of National Cricket League matches

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-2012Khulna Division became National Cricket League champions by beating Rajshahi Division by 33 runs in a low-scoring game in Bogra. The win put them on 40 points, ten ahead of Dhaka Division, who can’t catch up even though they are poised to thrash Barisal Division in Rajshahi. It is Khulna’s third NCL triumph after winning the tournament in 2002-03 and 2007-08.Rajshahi had a shot at victory after they bowled out Khulna for 180 in the second innings; they needed to chase only 187. However the pace and spin combination of Robiul Islam and Nizamuddin took eight wickets and Rajshahi were bowled out for 153.In the first innings, Khulna had made 228 after being put into bat. Imrul Kayes’ 60 was the only major contribution as the Rajshahi bowlers Farhad Reza and Saqlain Sajib took control, picking up three wickets each.Rajshahi, however, batted poorly in their first innings and conceded a six-run lead. Maisuqur Rahman made 64 but the rest failed to support him. Robiul and left-arm spinner Murad Khan took three wickets each for Khulna.Dhaka Division finished as runners-up in this season’s National Cricket League after crushing Barisal Division by an innings and 105 runs in Rajshahi. The win gave them eight points taking them to 38, two short of Khulna Division’s 40 points at the top of the table.Batting first, Barisal scored 256 runs with only Iftekhar Nayem and Zakaria Masud making half-centuries. Mohammad Sharif and Shuvagata Hom took three wickets each for Dhaka.They replied with 474 runs at a run rate of 3.48, with Raqibul Hasan finally getting some runs with a solid 160. Rony Talukder, Hom and Sharif also got half-centuries as they took a 218-run lead.Barisal surrendered meekly on the final day, getting bowled out for 113 runs. Left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain took five wickets while pace bowler Shahadat Hossain took three.Dhaka Metropolis finished third in the competition with a nine-wicket win over Sylhet Division in Rangpur. They banked on centuries from Marshall Ayub and Mehrab Hossain jnr to make 345 runs after the top-order fell cheaply. Marshall made 116 while the left-handed Mehrab struck 110.Mohammad Ashraful’s five-wicket haul helped Dhaka Metro bowl out Sylhet for just 155 runs in the first innings, and following on, they made 265 runs. Offspinner Sharifullah took five wickets for Dhaka Metro in the second innings.Set 76 to win, Dhaka Metro completed the chase in the fourth morning, taking only 11 overs to complete the win.Rangpur Division and Chittagong Division drew their last match of this season in Sylhet. Heavy fog disrupted the game on all four days.Batting first, Chittagong made 350 runs with Aftab Ahmed narrowly missing out on a first-class hundred. He was dismissed for 97 runs while Yasir Ali and Sadid Hossain also scored half centuries. Hundreds from Litton Das and Tanveer Haider led Rangpur’s reply as they made 487 runs.Chittagong batted out 52 overs to make 187 for 6 before stumps were drawn.

Opening batsman Ed Cowan then strengthened his case for a call-up to Australia’s Test squad by scoring his fourth consecutive long-format hundred

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-2011
ScorecardEd Cowan celebrates his century against the Indians•Getty Images

Two batsmen and two spinners performed impressively for either side on the second day in Canberra, leaving the tour match between the Indians and the Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI evenly poised.Virat Kohli, who is likely to be India’s No. 6 on Boxing Day, converted his half-century into a hundred, before the left-arm spinner Jon Holland triggered a lower-order collapse and limited the visitors to 269. Holland finished with figures of 6 for 70.Opening batsman Ed Cowan then strengthened his case for a call-up to Australia’s Test squad by scoring his fourth consecutive long-format hundred. The 109 off 154 balls he made at the Manuka Oval came after two centuries in the Sheffield Shield and one for Australia A against the touring New Zealanders. Cowan steered CA Chairman’s XI to a position from where they were well placed to take a first-innings lead, but the offspinner R Ashwin struck three quick blows to help reduce them to 7 for 214 at stumps, still trailing by 55 runs. Ashwin had figures of 4 for 52.Another focal point of the day’s play was the performance of Zaheer Khan, who did not play the first tour game. Zaheer is working his way to an international comeback after ankle surgery and his first outing in Australia wasn’t impressive – he went for 41 in 10 overs and took no wickets.The day began with the Indians on 4 for 162, with Kohli batting on 55. Rohit Sharma was dismissed early, ending a partnership of 101 for the fifth wicket. Kohli continued to bat briskly, hitting 18 fours and two sixes on his way to 132 off 171 balls, but the Indians lost MS Dhoni and Ashwin to Holland. Kohli was eventually caught by the wicketkeeper Tim Ludeman off Holland, who then polished off the tail in a jiffy.The CA Chairman’s innings began poorly, with the captain and Test opener David Warner getting bowled by Abhimanyu Mithun for 2. The rest of the innings was all about Cowan, as none of his team-mates got stuck into the Indian attack. Cowan, however, was fortunate to reach his century. On 95, he was caught short of his crease by a direct hit from Rohit, but Cowan had run behind the umpire John Ward, who was unable to see that the batsman was run out.The two other Australia batsmen in the CA Chairman’s XI line-up had ordinary outings. Usman Khawaja made 25 off 49 balls and Phillip Hughes, who batted at No. 4, managed 20 off 29 before he was caught off a sweep.The CA Chairman’s XI had reached 184 for 3 before Ashwin began to work his way through the middle order. Four wickets fell for 30 runs, with left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha dismissing Cameron Boyce in the day’s final over.

Three of Karnataka’s greatest ever cricketers – Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad – will contest the elections to the KSCA

George Binoy in Bangalore03-Nov-2010Anil Kumble, the former India captain, has stressed on the importance of retired players getting involved in the administration of the game and has pledged his time and commitment to improving cricket in Karnataka. Kumble was speaking at the Karnataka State Cricket Association’s office in Bangalore, where he formally announced his decision to stand for the post of association president in the elections on November 21.Former India fast bowler Javagal Srinath, who was also present, will contest the secretary’s post held for the past 12 years by former Indian batsman Brijesh Patel. The third member of that bowling attack from the 1990s, Venkatesh Prasad, will stand for a vice-president’s post. Their effort is being backed by Patel, who said cricketers were “the right people to take any association forward.”One of the first decisions of Patel’s administration in 1998 was to give cricketers membership in the association, and Kumble said Karnataka had led the way in this regard. “I retired two years ago and was keen to get involved in the association,” he said. “I thought this was the best time for the cricketers of our generation to get involved.”We’d like to put our vision in place and ensure Karnataka cricket really grows. We hope that Karnataka, as a team, goes on to be No. 1 in India, and that many more Karnataka players go on to represent the country.”There’s a lot to be done at the grassroots – from structuring schools cricket, club cricket and reaching out to all parts of Karnataka. That will be the challenge. We’d like to ensure that the paying public, who come and watch the game, have a wonderful time watching any form of cricket. We thought this was the right time to get into the KSCA.”When asked whether they would have enough time to take on these significant responsibilities, given that Kumble is also chairman of the National Cricket Academy and Srinath an ICC match referee, Kumble said he wouldn’t have contemplated standing for elections if he wasn’t committed.”If I didn’t have the time, I wouldn’t be sitting here,” he said. “The priority is cricket, whether it is the NCA, the KSCA – they are on the same campus. It’s been a big decision but I’ve taken that decision for the good of cricket.”Rahul Dravid, who is still playing Tests for India, will not stand in the elections but Kumble said he would be part of the administration committee because of his association with Bangalore United Cricket Club (BUCC). “To get into mainstream cricket administration, you have to retire. Rahul is still playing for the Indian team. I’m hopeful he will come in and play an important role in being part of the committee, from the BUCC.”Kumble’s electoral opponent is likely to be the incumbent president, Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, if he chooses to stand for re-election. Kumble, though, refused to label the polls a contest between cricketers and others. “This is not a political system,” he said. “The 24 members are there to support and improve Karnataka cricket. It’s not that cricketers are on one side and the others are on the other side. There are no groups. It’s about ensuring Karnataka cricket grows. If that is focus of everyone, then I don’t think there’s a problem in working together.”

Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam has predicted a “great future” in international cricket for debutant Umar Akmal

Cricinfo staff26-Nov-2009Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam has predicted a “great future” in international cricket for debutant Umar Akmal, who rescued his team with a brazen century after the top order had collapsed on the third day in Dunedin. Umar began his innings after Shane Bond and Chris Martin had reduced Pakistan to 85 for 5, trailing by 344 runs in the first innings. He dominated a 176-run partnership with his older brother Kamran and helped Pakistan avoid the follow-on.Umar has acquired a reputation of being a dasher with a cool head in the limited-overs formats and he began his Test career by cutting Bond for four off his first ball. He raced to his century with three consecutive boundaries off Iain O’Brien, eroding New Zealand’s advantage with aggression: Umar hit 21 fours and two sixes in his innings of 129.”He is something very special and a very exciting player,” Intikhab said after Pakistan’s recovery. “He is a very hard working, dedicated young person [and] a very exciting cricketer. We are lucky to have him in the side and I think he’s got a great future for Pakistan.”The good thing is that he never gets under pressure. He played his own natural game [today]. His mother said she would be praying for him and she hoped he would score some runs. She told him to just relax and take it easy but he didn’t listen to her.”While 19-year-old Umar was making his first splash in Test cricket, 34-year old Shane Bond was making his comeback after two years of ICL exile and just how much his team missed him was immediately evident. Bowling with the wind, Bond gradually cranked up his pace from 140 kmh to close to 150 and accounted for three top-order batsmen. He ended the day with figures of 4 for 93 and was “pretty happy to come through” after bowling 24 overs in a day.”My body felt pretty good the whole day and it’s always nice to get wickets. I really enjoyed it,” Bond said after his performance. “I was pretty keen to try and get that tonight. I’ll want the ball first up tomorrow morning to try and finish that off.”Despite his success, Bond was surprised at how flat the University Oval wicket was. “We just had to make a conscious effort to run in hard and bowl aggressively on that wicket. Sometimes you leak a few runs doing that but I think you give yourself the best chance of taking wickets.”New Zealand are ahead by 122 runs with two days to go and Pakistan have only a couple of wickets in hand, a position Bond was happy with. “I think it’s important we clean up those wickets tomorrow morning then we’ve got a good lead hopefully. Then the game is ours to set up. We could still lose the game if we bat poorly but if we play well then we can set the game up and hopefully be the only team that can win it.”

The home side built a lead of 190 on a surface where run-scoring has been hard work

Andrew McGlashan19-Feb-2025Sam Konstas put away the scoops, ramps and sweeps on the second day at the SCG but could only make 17 before falling to Scott Boland for the second time in the match.The day after Konstas’ first-innings dismissal – missing a sweep against Boland from the 13th ball of the game – had ignited debate about his batting approach he was much more measured during New South Wales’ second innings in a clear response to what happened on Tuesday.Related

• Australia emerge from Test season with flying colours and new options

• Konstas under the microscope as Boland, Davies shine

Overall batting was tricky and NSW closed in a healthy position with a lead of 190 and six wickets in hand as both teams pushed for a victory that will be vital to their hopes of a place in the Sheffield Shield final.NSW head coach Greg Shipperd and batting coach Nick Larkin watched intently from the boundary edge for the duration of Konstas’ stay which ended shortly before tea when he square drove a short delivery from Boland to point.Until then, Konstas had shaped up solidly against some demanding new-ball bowling from Boland and Fergus O’Neill. He had taken until his 13th delivery to get off the mark, showing a clear intent to leave deliveries outside off, and defended largely with a straight bat although was troubled by Boland.Will Sutherland trapped Kurtis Patterson lbw•Getty Images

It wasn’t until the 11th over that he found the boundary, collecting back-to-back fours off Will Sutherland, before carving another just over point against Boland. It was an attempted repeat of that stroke which brought his downfall.”I’m all for entertainment and good batting, but that wasn’t good batting on day one. It was good fun for five minutes,” Phil Jaques, the former NSW coach, said on commentary. “It was better application from Konstas today, he was really patient and gave himself a chance to get in. It was a better innings, but unfortunately not much to show for it.”Nic Maddinson, who hit 20 off the second of the game yesterday, had fallen early to a pearler from O’Neill while Kurtis Patterson was pinned lbw by Sutherland having worked hard for 28.Matthew Gilkes and Josh Philippe, the latter who was struck a nasty blow on the helmet, added 55 to turn the game more firmly NSW’s way until Philippe fell late in the day to Boland. His innings had included a bizarre moment shortly before his dismissal when it appeared umpire Simon Lightbody was giving him lbw to Mitch Perry only to stop raising his finger part way through leaving Victoria perplexed.Victoria had resumed on 92 for 4 and were quickly in deep trouble when Jackson Bird had Marcus Harris caught at point second ball of the day then trapped Sam Harper lbw before the opening over was done. It left Bird on 399 Sheffield Shield wickets, one short of becoming the fifth bowler to reach 400.When Sutherland fell to Hanno Jacobs, Victoria were still more than 100 adrift but nightwatchman Perry, who was given a life at cover by Gilkes, and No. 9 O’Neill eked out 34 in 16 overs until O’Neill was well held at long leg by Jacobs when he top-edged what became the last ball before lunch.NSW were frustrated for nine overs by the last-wicket pair with Boland making a handy contribution before Perry was last out, driving to mid-off, have faced 122 balls for 29.