26 Established 1961 Sports Thursday, August 22, 2019 Getting batting order right key for England in Smith absence ‘England’s Roy’s best position in Test cricket is in the middle order’ LEEDS: The absence through injury of leading third test in West Yorkshire, but it does appear they are Australia batsman Steve Smith gives England a golden considering moving Roy down the order. chance to level the Ashes series in the third Test at “We think we’ve got the best seven batters available Headingley, but the hosts must resolve their own bat- to us,” England coach Trevor Bayliss said. “Whether we ting problems first. can change it round and make that (order) any better, I’m Smith, who averages 126 in the series which Australia not sure, but we’ll certainly have a discussion about it. lead 1-0, was struck by a bouncer from fast bowler “Personally, I think he (Roy) probably is suited to the Jofra Archer in the first innings of the second test at middle order.” Roy produced his most convincing Lord’s and was replaced by “concussion sub” Marnus innings of his fledgling international test career when Labuschagne for the second innings. scoring 72 batting at number three against Ireland, as Initially, Smith passed a concussion test and was opposed to 45 runs from five innings when opening. allowed to return to the field and complete his innings, but his condition worsened and Cricket Australia (CA) CHANGING ORDER confirmed he is not fit to play in the third test, which Moving Roy will likely see Joe Denly open, with the starts today. pressure mounting on the 33-year-old given his highest The absence of a man who has proven almost score of the series is 30 so far. Captain Joe Root is immovable so far this series will give England a boost, another who has not reached his usual high level, aver- given Matthew Wade is the only other Australian aging less than 25. Moving him further down the order batsman with a century and only two others have to number four, his usual position, is also a possibility. passed 50. “We are going to lose arguably our best batter,” However, England have their own issues to address. Australia coach Justin Langer said. “It is not unlike Questions remain over their top order, with Jason Roy, England losing James Anderson, he’s arguably their best a specialist opening batsman in one-day cricket, con- bowler. You take your best players out it always has an tinuing to struggle. “Opening the batting in a Test in impact.” England should be a specialist position yet someone With England able to replace Anderson with the like Jason Roy will probably only come off once in ferocious Archer in the last test, both teams remained about 20 innings playing the way he does at the top of evenly matched, with England almost able to sneak vic- the order,” former England captain Nasser Hussain tory on the final day. wrote in the Daily Mail newspaper. Taking Smith’s runs out of the equation should, in “He is obviously a special talent in white-ball cricket theory, give England the edge, but there is hope for but at this level against the moving ball I maintain Roy’s Australia in Smith’s likely replacement Labuschagne, LEEDS: Australia’s captain Tim Paine (R) watches teammates during a practice session at Headingley best position in Test cricket is in the middle order.” who scored a gritty 59 as Australia saw out the draw at Stadium in Leeds, northern England, yesterday on the eve of the start of the third Ashes cricket Test England have named the same 12-man squad for the Lord’s. —Reuters match between England and Australia. —AFP and Pakistan,” ECB chief executive officer Tom Harrison Third test: June 25-29, Lord’s England to play said in a statement. “Where every Test matters, there will be lots of points to play for as England continue Australia: their efforts to reach the World Test Championship First T20: July 3, Chester-le-Street Windies, Pakistan final.” Second T20: July 5, Old Trafford India look to England begin their 2020 programme with three Third T20: July 7, Headingley. as part of Test Tests against the West Indies, with the first match start- First ODI: July 11, Lord’s dominate Indies ing at The Oval on June 4, followed by matches at Second ODI: July 14, Rose Bowl Edgbaston and Lord’s. Third ODI: July 16, Bristol Championship They then face Australia in three Twenty20 interna- in first Test tionals starting July 3 with both teams looking ahead to Pakistan: LONDON: England will host the West Indies and the T20 World Cup Down Under. The 50-overs world First test: July 30-August 3, Lord’s ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA: India look set to Pakistan in a total of six test matches from June-August champions then play Australia in three One-Day inter- Second test: August 7-11, Old Trafford extend their decade-long dominance over West 2020 as part of the inaugural ICC World Test nationals. Third test: August 20-24, Trent Bridge Indies when the first match of a two-Test series Championship, the England and Wales Cricket Board A three-test series with Pakistan starting July 30 at First T20: August 29, Headingley starts at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium here today. (ECB) said yesterday. Lord’s will be followed by three T20s against the same Second T20: August 31, Sophia Gardens Having swept the T20 series 3-0 and taken the ODI The competition involves the nine top-ranked test opponents and three ODIs against Ireland. Third T20: September 2, Rose Bowl contest 2-0, Virat Kohli’s India are bursting with nations competing in a league between July 2019 and England schedule 2020: confidence going into their first Test match since the April 2021, with the top two sides progressing to the Ireland: historic series triumph in Australia at the start of the final which will be held in England in June 2021. West Indies: First ODI: September 10, Trent Bridge year. In contrast, the West Indies have gone off the “The ICC World Test Championship will add signifi- First test: June 4-8, The Oval Second ODI: September 12, Edgbaston boil since dominating England in the home series in cance and context to the test series against West Indies Second test: June 12-16, Edgbaston Third ODI: September 15, The Oval. —Reuters the Caribbean six months ago and then going toe- to-toe with the same opponents in the subsequent ODI series. (BCCI) said yesterday it will earn semi-final defeat to New Zealand in match compared to 24 million rupees A whitewash in the tour-ending T20 skirmish, Indian board 58% more per match for the next four the recent 50-over World Cup has not that Paytm paid in 2015 to win the followed by the removal of controversial head coach years as Paytm retained the title dented the sport’s popularity. rights then. “We are excited to con- Richard Pybus and a disappointing World Cup cam- grows richer sponsorship rights for international Digital payments company Paytm, tinue our long-term association with paign has left Jason Holder’s men with much lost and domestic matches, underlining the owned by One 97 Communications, BCCI and the Indian Cricket Team,” ground to reclaim. game’s undiminished popularity in the will pay 3.27 billion rupees ($45.78 Paytm Chief Executive Vijay Shekhar And on the evidence of the limited-over leg of with new country. million) for the 2019-23 period to the Sharma said in a statement. India’s visit, and especially Kohli’s irresistible form Cricketers are the highest profile BCCI, which is the richest national “Our commitment to Indian Cricket with the bat, it will be asking a lot of the West Indies Paytm deal athletes and enjoy rockstar status in cricket board in the world. gets stronger with every season. India to get the better of the tourists and claim a first Test the world’s second most populous The winning bid was 38 million loves cricket and we at Paytm are the match victory over India for more than 17 years. MUMBAI: India’s cricket board country and Paytm’s bid showed the rupees (about $532,000) for every biggest fans of it.” —Reuters However, if the home team can recapture the Holder-inspired dominance of England achieved earlier this year, there is hope that they will be able to match up to an Indian team well prepared for the N Zealand look to longer version of the game. For India Chesteshwar Pujara, who reeled off three centuries in the four Tests in Australia, has exploit S Lanka’s already picked up from where he left off Down Under in notching up three figures in the lone Oval weakness warm-up fixture against a regional representative team last weekend. COLOMBO: New Zealand will be hoping to add to Sri It remains to be seen whether selectors will Lanka’s poor record at their own Oval ground and level include Rohit Sharma — a fixture at the top of the the series in the second and final Test starting today. order in limited-over matches — in the middle- Unlike the spinner’s paradise at Galle and the batting order and whether the exciting young talent of haven that is the SSC, the Oval — the only ground in Asia Rishabh Pant will keep experienced wicketkeeper- where Don Bradman played — favours seam bowlers.