50 SPORT SATURDAY DECEMBER 6 2014 Heavy hearts: Team 408 faces toughest Test of all Tail wags

FROM BACK PAGE robbed of his chance to add to ber from our plenty over the past few days.” didn’t bowl a single bouncer as duo set But this is the fitting salute his 26-match career. community and now it’s a case Australian players were in a during centre- practice. to Hughes that players will However, Australian play- of rallying around his family jovial mood yesterday when Fellow quicks Josh Hazle- up NT win wear on their hearts – right ers have vowed to play on for and the whole CA cricket fam- they returned to training. wood and Peter Siddle only below the famous crest that their fallen comrade and the ily and get on with what we do Lehmann simply eased sent down a couple in the after- Hughes cherished so much. message from coach Darren and that’s play some cricket. players back into the nets, and math of the fatal bouncer that By JORDAN McARDLE Hughes, the 408th player to Lehmann was simple. “Hughesy would want us to there was nothing too strenu- sparked a national outpouring. represent his country at Test “Stick together,” said Leh- do that as well. ous in the session. Batsmen mostly faced A GRITTY lower-order bat- level, has been tragically mann. “We lost a family mem- “We’ve spoken about it Firebrand Mitchell Johnson throw-downs from net bowlers. ting performance has guided Northern Territory to their first win of the Cricket Austra- lia National Under-17s carnival in . Chasing 115 for first-innings points against hosts , NT were in trouble at 7-85 Hit the after losing 6-15 early on day two. But a gutsy 43-run eighth- wicket stand between Central- ian left-hander Jacob Dick (58) and Southern Districts keeper- batsman Jack Atkinson (27) steadied the ship. ground Dick was particularly im- pressive, digging in against a firing Tasmanian at- tack led by Fletcher Seymour (4-19) and Rhys Ward (3-41). The West Cricket Club product batted for nearly three running hours and combined for two solid partnerships as NT was bowled out for 196. Declan By GREG BUCKLE where he scored his maiden Curran also provided plenty of hundred in January 2012 in his support, finishing unbeaten on IF INDIA have any hope of eighth Test. 21 in the 59-run combination improving on their disastrous “Adelaide’s the perfect start for the final wicket. Test-series performance in for them. It’s not going to be as Assistant coach Kim Dick Australia three summers ago, quick and as bouncy as the was delighted to see the Terri- it may come in next week’s other pitches,” Fleming said. tory get the points after show- opening clash in Adelaide. “It was the swinging and ing plenty of promise earlier in Because India, as we’ve seen seaming conditions that did the week against powerhouses in England earlier this year them more than the bounce, so Victoria and New South Wales and also in Australia last time it might be a way their batsmen Metropolitan. around, have a habit of going can get big runs and set them- “It was a lively wicket here to pieces once things start selves up for a series. in Tasmania, it was probably going pear-shaped. “They haven’t had a lot of the most difficult batting wick- Consider India’s form in cricket out here, besides Kohli, et I’ve seen in years,” Dick said. England earlier this year. After in that top six.” “There was a lot of rain leading one-nil following two VVS Laxman, Rahul Drav- overnight which resulted in a Tests, the tourists went down id, Virender Sehwag, Gautam lot of movement in the air.” 3-1 and lost the last two Tests Gambhir and the little master Dick admitted his son had by an innings each. himself Sachin Tendulkar are produced some more spec- And in Australia in 2011-12, absent this time from India’s tacular innings, but did the job India lost the fourth and final top-six who batted in that Ad- Kyle Scrimegour Test in Adelaide by 298 runs elaide Test of January 2012. also looked good for his 33 off after innings defeats in the pre- Australia hit six centuries in 25 balls, while opening bats- vious two Tests. the 2011-12 series that the man Jacob Dickman (24) con- Former Australian Test home side won 4-0, while tinued his impressive form. seamer Damien Fleming said Kohli’s was India’s only ton. Spin twins Dylan Mullen the home side’s pace attack Fleming said India needed (4-12) and Brandon King (3-54) would use the swing and seam to take on Australia’s Mitchell were sensational on the open- on offer at the Gabba in the Johnson-led pace attack with a ing day, as was paceman Mi- second Test to trouble India’s similar outlook. chael Ninneman (3-18). top-order, but conditions for “Ishant Sharma is a big, Tasmania finished the Tuesday’s first Test in Adel- pacy and bouncy bowler who’s match on 4-114 in their second aide should be more to India’s had a pretty good 12 months,” innings, with Curran (2-20) the liking. Fleming said. “I’d like them to pick of the bowlers. And the touring team’s go with their quickest bowlers, NT, sitting on six points middle-order dasher Virat Umesh Yadav and Varun after three matches, have a rest Kohli, who endured such a Aaron. They’re the guys who today before taking on ACT/ lean series in England, has re- can bowl about 90 miles Indian captain Virat Kholi takes evasive action to avoid a testing short-pitched from Cricket NSW Country in a two-dayer turned to the City of Churches (145km) an hour.” Australia XI pace bowler Sam Rainbird at Glideral Stadium in Glenelg yesterday Picture: SAM LAFFER starting tomorrow. SINK YOUR TEETH INTO WHAT A CROC!

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