Cricket

A summer heavy on white-ball cricket that began in September comes to the main course - a Test series in India, with Australian players using the Big Bash ...

What remains a mystery is the timing of the BBL finals and the Australian team’s departure for India. The late release of Australia’s Test players for the Big Bash has been a fillip. Shelley Nitschke’s coaching remit is straightforward in the skills department: her charges are exceptionally talented; harnessing their competitive fervour throughout the tournament is the challenge, especially at the sharp end when England, India and New Zealand will have mountains of motivation to throw at the Australians. Neither can players regain the ability to concentrate for long spells and stroke-playing discipline when all that is served up for remediation is 120 deliveries per team. As ever, picking players for Test matches on white-ball performances is far from straightforward, but increasingly in the modern schedule - when elite players don’t seem to have time for Sheffield Shield games - there isn’t an alternative. Maybe it’s time for Peter Handscomb to get back in at No.1 or No.2, as statistics prove the wisdom of a left/right opening combo.