James Hildreth hit a season’s best 142 – his fourth County Championship
century of the season – to put Somerset in a strong position on the opening day
against Nottinghamshire at Taunton

29-Jul-2010

ScorecardJames Hildreth hit a season’s best 142 – his fourth County Championship
century of the season – to put Somerset in a strong position on the opening day
against Nottinghamshire at Taunton.Hildreth shared a fifth-wicket stand of 210 with Jos Buttler (88), which led
their side to 423 for 6 after winning the toss. Darren Pattinson took 4 for
76 from 14 overs.Notts suffered a blow before the start when Ryan Sidebottom suffered a knee
injury in the warm-up game of football and had to pull out. But Pattinson bowled Marcus Trescothick leg stump with the very first ball and at one point Somerset were struggling on 77 for 3.With the ball swinging and moving off the seam, the early batsmen had problems
and it was 44 for 2 when Nick Compton, on 17, edged Pattinson to second slip
where David Hussey took the catch.Arul Suppiah battled his way to 30 before he edged a defensive shot and gave a
catch to Alex Hales at first slip off Andre Adams. Zander de Bruyn and Hildreth took the score to 126 for 3 at lunch, but the first ball after the interval saw de Bruyn play down the wrong line and fall lbw
to Pattinson for 44.From then on Hildreth and 19-year-old Buttler took control, batting with
increasing assurance in the afternoon sunshine. Hildreth made liberal use of the sweep against spinners Samit Patel and Hussey, reaching a chanceless hundred just before tea with a boundary to third-man off
Charlie Shreck.The 25-year-old former England Lions player had faced 128 balls and hit 13 fours in a typically attractive knock. He has now scored 846 Championship runs this summer at an average of over 60.Talented youngster Buttler lost nothing by comparison and was unbeaten on 71
when tea was taken at 280 for 4. The total had been extended to 336 when Buttler danced down the wicket to Patel and was bowled. The youngster had played beautifully, but left with head bowed,
aghast at his mistake with the new ball so close.It accounted for Hildreth as he carelessly pulled the first delivery with it
from Pattinson straight to Mark Wagh at deep square. That meant Pattinson had struck with his first ball of the day, his first after lunch and his first with the new ball.But it was still Somerset’s day as Peter Trego (36 not out) and Craig
Kieswetter (43 not out) guided them to maximum batting points, Kieswetter
confirming the return to form he suggested in the Friends Provident t20
quarter-final win over Northamptonshire on Tuesday.

Hampshire have confirmed that Kevin Pietersen won’t be selected for the Friends Provident t20 semi-final against Essex on Saturday despite being made available for county duty by the England coach Andy Flower

Andrew McGlashan09-Aug-2010Kevin Pietersen has wished his Hampshire colleagues the best of luck for their Friends Provident t20 semi-final against Essex on Saturday, after the county confirmed he won’t be selected for the showpiece finals day at the Rose Bowl, despite being one of four England players made available for county duty by the England coach Andy Flower.In a statement, Hampshire confirmed that the club’s policy regarding Pietersen remains the same as when they declined to select him for a CB40 match against Kent last month, a move that stemmed from his comments earlier in the season, in which he confirmed he’d be leaving Hampshire when his contract expires at the end of the summer. He said the commute from his home in Chelsea made it impractical for him to continue at The Rose Bowl and Middlesex are currently the favourites to gain his signature.”The decision remains consistent with the club’s policy to stand by the players who have performed well for them in limited-overs cricket so far this season,” read a statement from the county.”Hampshire would like to re-iterate that this is, by no means, a reflection on Kevin Pietersen as a player or as an individual. However, since Kevin has already made it clear that he intends to play cricket elsewhere next season, the club believes the teams’ best interests are best served by selecting those who have performed so well so far this season, many of whom are aspiring England players, themselves.”Pietersen responded in a post on his Twitter page, in which he played down any perceived falling-out. “I fully understand Hampshire’s position in not selecting me for finals day,” he wrote. “I wish them all the best on the day. I will be watching the lads!”Although Pietersen made a significant contribution to England’s nine-wicket victory against Pakistan at Edgbaston his 80 was a horribly scratchy innings which included three clear-cut dropped chances. Another innings before the third Test at The Oval, and in a format that would allow Pietersen to express himself, may have been welcome but Hampshire are sticking to the batting line-up that has impressed in the tournament to date, with the likes of Michael Lumb, Michael Carberry, Neil McKenzie and James Vince all making contributions.”We are very pleased to be involved in Finals Day, particularly at The Rose Bowl,” said Hampshire’s chairman, Rod Bransgrove. “The players who have got the Royals to this point have made their county and everyone associated with the club very proud. We would, therefore, like to stand by them.”We wish Kevin and England all the very best for the future and all their forthcoming internationals. We look forward to welcoming them back to The Rose Bowl for the England v Pakistan NatWest One-Day International at The Rose Bowl on September 22.”Hampshire’s opponents in the semi-final, Essex, will have Alastair Cook available after he was also made available but that also poses some interesting selection questions. Cook would open the batting, but the combination of Mark Pettini and Ravi Bopara have proved successful in his absence and Cook’s current form is woeful after a tough time against Pakistan.However, Nottinghamshire are unlikely to have any issues including Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann in their starting line-up against Somerset for the other semi-final. Swann was named Man-of-the-Match in the second Test against Pakistan after a career-best 6 for 65 in the second innings and Broad also bagged six wickets in the game, although lost half his match fee after hurling the ball at Zulqarnain Haider on the third day.”We will select the best players available to us and Stuart and Graeme will add significant strength to our team,” said director of cricket Mick Newell. “We’ve used a lot of players to get to finals day and everyone has made a good contribution.”I’ll talk to the players who will have to make way for Stuart and Graeme but everyone understands that we will pick the team that will give us the best possible chance of winning the match and progressing to the final.”

Peter Siddle returns from injury in style and Aaron Finch revels in his move up the order

Firdose Moonda at Centurion15-Sep-2010This time the South African crowds had no reason to indulge in their crude taunt, “Siddle is a w****r”, when Peter Siddle stood ready to bowl the first delivery of the match. Admittedly, it wasn’t the Centurion lot who coined that wonderfully ingenious line, but their cousins down the road at Wanderers when Siddle was peppering Dale Steyn in a test match two summers ago.They forgot about him after that, as he had virtually vanished off the radar for them as rudely as he had arrived on it, missing the one-day international series to recover in time for the 2009 Ashes. Siddle made a brief reappearance in South Africa for the Champions Trophy but they have only really got another good look at him during the match between the Victoria Bushrangers and the Central District Stags, and they may have been surprised to see how much less of a man he was.”He is about 10 kilograms lighter than he was before” said Aaron Finch, Victoria’s opening batsman. “He has been battling to recover from stress fractures and has worked really hard. I haven’t seen anyone work as hard as him and his two wickets got us off to a really good start. He was hitting the keeper’s gloves hard today and gave us a real advantage upfront. He was very impressive.”Perhaps the real reason Finch identifies so well with Siddle is because there was a bit of bad-boy streak in both. Finch’s match-winning 93 not out is the culmination of a period of maturity for the 23-year old. “If I compare myself to last year this time there’s a big difference. I have worked very hard on my technique and my temperament.” It’s mostly the latter that Finch thinks has got him to where he is now. “I couldn’t handle playing at the top level but this Victoria side is one everyone wants to be part of and I am really enjoying it.”One of his great sources of pleasure has come from being moved from the number three spot to the opening berth, a role he is more comfortable in. “I’m pleased to have played a decent innings at the top. Batting at number three is tough and I feel I have more freedom at the top.” The best way to exploit that freedom is to “take every bit of luck you can get,” Finch said, adding that that was his strategy after he was caught off a no-ball in the second over.”The catch of the no-ball proved to be very important. We let ourselves down in the field,” said Stags skipper Jamie How. “165 was a defendable score. The wicket was a bit tired and hitting through the line became difficult. We bowled a few too many boundary balls but there were also some nicks that went for four. That’s just the game.”Although the Central Districts will face an uphill battle to advance further in the tournament, How was pleased with the improvement his team made after their loss to the Chennai Super Kings last Saturday. “After that match, a few people would probably have written us off and they would have had a right to. Today we proved we can compete with the best sides in the world. We almost had a complete game. Our start wasn’t ideal but we did well to get ourselves back into the game. We will concentrate on getting over the line in the next two matches.”The Stags scored 117 runs in the second half of their innings, 67 of them came in the last five overs, a strategy that seems to be dominating in this year’s tournament. “We weren’t surprised that they ended on 165 because we’ve seen in this tournament that teams that get to 60 in the first ten overs with two or three wickets down can pull out 10 or 15 runs an over for the rest of their innings,” said FinchDid Victoria aim to do a similar thing, leaving themselves 57 runs to get off the last five overs? “I was little more nervous when we needed 12 off one over, than when we needed 57 off five. I think if you have to chase more than 10 in the last over, things could get tricky,” Finch confessed.Those watching would have backed him to chase down more than 12 if needed. Finch won the match for the Bushrangers with two balls to spare with a towering six over long-on. “I was a bit worried about the angle but I was hopeful that it would get over. I have very good bats now, so I was pretty confident.” There was a sneaky smile in Finch’s eye when he said that, one that was suspiciously similar to the one Siddle used to wear during his South African sojourn. Maybe soon that will result in a naughty song being scripted about Finch too.

The Kochi franchise has been served a termination notice by the BCCI but has been given a 30-day deadline to respond to the Indian board, explaining why it should not be scrapped

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2010The IPL’s Kochi franchise has been served a termination notice by the BCCI but has been given a 30-day deadline to respond and explain why it should not be scrapped. The decision was taken unanimously by the IPL’s governing council, meeting in Nagpur on Wednesday morning.”The governing council received replies from two parties, the Rendezvous group and the other co-owners, and they both felt that the dispute still exists,” Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, said. “If they don’t remedy these disputes in the 30 days, the franchise would stand cancelled on the 31st day.”Satyajit Gaekwad, of the Rendezvous Group, however, welcomed the extension and was confident that the factions within the consortium would make peace. “They have given us enough time to tie up our differences and come in a unified way and rise up to the expectations of the BCCI,” he told NDTV. “I’m sure we should be able to do that at the earliest. If we don’t tie up within 30 days we don’t deserve to be in the IPL. We had asked for a period of 10 days, the board has given us 30 days.”It brings to a head a long-running dispute both between Kochi and the IPL, and within the franchise, over its ownership pattern. Details of that ownership pattern were first revealed by Lalit Modi, the former IPL chairman, in April, triggering a series of events that eventually led to his ouster from the league.The emergency meeting was convened by Manohar due to the lingering dispute over who would run the affairs of the franchise, bought from the Cricket Board for USD 333 million, once the joint venture was formed.The investors in the Kochi consortium include corporate firms Anchor Earth, Parinee Developers, Rosy Blue and Film Wave – which hold 74 per cent of the equity. The remaining 26% has been given to the family of Gaikwads – Shailendra, his brother Ravi and their parents plus a few others, all part of Rendezvous Sports World – as free equity for services rendered in successfully bidding for the franchise.The IPL has already terminated the agreements of the Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab franchises, which leaves the league with seven teams as of now.Asked why Kochi had been given more time when Rajasthan and Punjab had been summarily ejected from the league, Manohar said those two cases were different from Kochi. “This not an intermediary breach that has been committed, as in the case of Rajasthan and Punjab, that is why they have been given 30 days to remedy this,” he said. “There was transfer of ownership as far as Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab were concerned but not as far as Kochi is concerned.”The news puts into jeopardy the IPL player auction, scheduled to be held sometime in November. This auction is likely to be similar to the first, with teams starting from scratch; however, the rules have yet to be formalised.

Cricket Australia will decide on Friday whether to allow private ownership of domestic Twenty20 teams in a shake-up it thinks could be as big as the World Series Cricket breakaway

Brydon Coverdale27-Oct-2010Cricket Australia will decide on Friday whether to allow private ownership of domestic Twenty20 teams in a shake-up it thinks could be as big as the World Series Cricket breakaway. Investors from India are believed to have shown significant interest in buying a stake in Australian sides for the revamped T20 league, which will start in 2011-12.The new tournament is expected to feature eight city-based teams instead of the existing six state sides and how the ownership structure for those new teams is up for discussion. A four-hour presentation at Cricket Australia’s annual general meeting on Thursday will be followed on Friday by a board meeting, at which a decision on private ownership will be made.”There has been interest from private investors in being involved,” a Cricket Australia spokesman told ESPNcricinfo. “All of that is a matter for board determination, but it will be a big discussion.”The has reported that Victoria and New South Wales have both been approached by Indian investors offering multi-million dollar deals to take minority holdings in the new Melbourne and Sydney teams. All six state capitals are expected to field a side, with two new teams to be based in growth areas.Cricket Australia has been keen to significantly expand the Big Bash after seeing the success of the Indian Premier League, although IPL-style franchising of sides was not a priority in the initial stages. Cricket Australia’s general manager of marketing, Mike McKenna, said earlier this year “sport in Australia is not full of great successes in private investment”.But the early interest from investors has given the board plenty to think about, barely a year from the expected start of the competition. The locations for the two new sides are likely to be decided early next year.

A round-up of the second day’s action from the Stanbic Bank 20 tournament in Zimbabwe

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2010A powerful, unbeaten 47 from 26 balls from Riki Wessels, son of former South Africa captain Kepler, set up Mid West Rhinos’ 11-run defeat of Southern Rocks in the Stanbic Bank 20 series game at the Harare Sports Club.His innings proved crucial after Chris Harris, the 40-year-old former New Zealand allrounder, followed his early run-out with two wickets during an impressive spell of 2 for 11 from his four overs. Brendan Taylor and another New Zealand import Lou Vincent launched the Rhino’s innings with a 46-run stand before Harris intervened.First he had Vincent run-out and then had Taylor caught next ball. Four overs later he removed the stuttering Vusi Sibanda and Southern Rocks had control. Gary Ballance steadied proceedings with a 29-ball 30, giving time for Wessels to find his range.When Ballance fell, stumped off the Kenyan veteran Steve Tikolo, Wessels took control, smiting five fours and a six to carry the score to 149. It proved too much for the Rhinos despite Brian Lara following up his 65 against Mashonaland Eagles with 23.Lara was one of six Southern Rocks players to reach double figures, but none went past 25 and it proved to be the difference between the sides. After a careful opening stand of 24, Paul Franks, who played a one-dayer for England 10 years ago, had Sikandar Raza stumped by Wessels and Chamu Chibhabha was run-out by Vincent soon after.Malcom Waller sliced through the middle order with his offspin, taking the prize wicket of Lara, along with Tatenda Taibu and Tikolo to leave the Rocks reeling at 91 for 5 after 15 overs. Craig Ervine did his best to revive the game with an unbeaten 25 from 11 balls but it wasn’t enough.In the second match of the day, a strong all-round showing from Warwickshire’s Neil Carter helped Matabeleland Tuskers to a 12-run win against Mashonaland Eagles.First Carter made a boundary-studded 49 from 25 balls at the top of the order for Matabeleland before taking a wicket with the second ball of Mashonaland’s innings. It meant that a savage, unbeaten 39 from 17 balls by Ryan Butterworth was not enough as Matabeleland edged home.The win was set up by a careful middle-order showing from Charles Coventry (23) and Sean Williams (38*) who ensured Carter’s initial burst didn’t go to waste. Williams finished unbeaten and struck three fours in his 33 ball stay, receiving good support from captain Gavin Ewing and Keegan Meth to help push the score up to 167.Carter’s early wicket, followed by two more by Chris Mpofu made Mashonaland’s task even harder as they wobbled on 18 for 3 midway through the fourth over. Ryan ten Doeschate was the crucial blow, as he fiddled making 1 off five balls before giving a catch to Meth.Grant Flower teamed up with Nick Compton to try and rescue the innings with a careful 54-run stand, before Compton fell to Ewing for 30. Having worked their way to 82 for 4, Mashonaland slipped due to two stumpings in two balls before some late-order swiping restored some pride. Butterworth slapped three sixes and a four in his innings and received able support from Regis Chakabva, who made 26 from 12 balls before being run-out in the final over.

Usman Khawaja, the New South Wales batsman, has been named as the standby player for the fourth Ashes Test at the MCG as Ricky Ponting continues his recovery from a fractured finger

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Dec-2010Ricky Ponting is expected to recover from his broken finger in time to lead Australia at the MCG on Boxing Day, but the selectors have included New South Wales batsman Usman Khawaja in the squad as a precautionary measure. Khawaja, who just turned 24, is uncapped and will join the team in Melbourne on Wednesday.”While the NSP (national selection panel) are confident Ricky Ponting will be available for the Boxing Day Test, through an abundance of caution we have named Usman Khawaja as the standby player,” Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of the panel, said. “Usman richly deserves this opportunity following his excellent form at domestic level last season and continuing on this season.”Khawaja had also been included as cover for Michael Clarke, when the vice-captain was struggling with a back problem in the lead-up to the first Test in Brisbane. He is presently in Sydney, where he scored a 78 for New South Wales in the second innings of their Sheffield Shield game against Queensland.However, Australia’s batting coach Justin Langer was extremely confident of Ponting recovering. ”I would be amazed if Ricky doesn’t play in this Test, he is that tough physically and mentally. At one-all, Boxing Day Test, a chance to win the Ashes, he will definitely be there,” Langer told the . ”His injury might work in his favour. He has been trying so hard and this might help him relax and get ready for the Test match. Rather than working too much and doing batting beforehand, this might be the breather he wanted.”Ponting sustained the injury when he dropped Jonathan Trott at second slip on the third afternoon at the WACA, with the rebound popping up to Brad Haddin. X-rays showed a small crack and he spent the morning of his 36th birthday in the dressing room to protect the injury. He walked out after the victory had been secured to level the series at 1-1 and congratulated his team-mates. Ponting hasn’t been in form with the bat either, scoring 83 runs in six innings in this series, and averaging 38.95 in 24 Tests since the start of last year.Squad: Shane Watson, Phillip Hughes, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Steven Smith, Brad Haddin (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, Michael Beer, Ben Hilfenhaus, Usman Khawaja.

Davy Jacobs is looking forward to opening the batting for Mumbai Indians with Sachin Tendulkar, while Johan Botha admits being surprised at his high price

Firdose Moonda08-Jan-2011Just over three-quarters of a million dollars wound up separating Warriors team-mates Johan Botha and Davy Jacobs after the first day of the 2011 IPL player auction. Botha was snapped up for the massive amount of US$950,000 by the Rajasthan Royals, while Jacobs was a bargain for the Mumbai Indians at $190,000.The difference in money doesn’t bother Jacobs at all. “My base price was $20, 000 so I took a massive leap. To be honest, I would have gone for free,” he told ESPNCricinfo. Jacobs made a name for himself in the Champions League Twenty20 last year, where he scored 286 runs in six matches at an average of 47.66, and led the Warriors to the final. “I got the opportunity to play in the IPL because of my performance in the Champions League, I wouldn’t have got anywhere without it.”Jacobs hoped his CLT20 performances would help him earn a national call up, but he has so far been ignored. Now, he thinks if he performs well in the IPL, it might earn him a chance to wear the green and gold. “I want to play for South Africa, but I know I couldn’t have played better than I did in the CLT20. I am going to put the Warriors and the Mumbai Indians first and hope I can get there. There’s no point planning it anymore.”As an opening batsman, there is the real possibility that Jacobs will get to partner Sachin Tendulkar. “I’ve had people tweeting me saying I may be opening the batting with Sachin Tendulkar. I’ve never met him but it will be awesome. The whole world looks at this guy. When I was a boy, he was playing Test cricket and he is still going.” Jacobs did not keep in the CLT20 because Mark Boucher was in the side, but he is an able wicketkeeper and would do the job if called on.”I’ll bat anywhere or do anything. I just want to make the most of my chance.”He is known for his lively personality on the South African domestic circuit, and said he will try to bring some of that to Mumbai. “I just want to add what I can add. I will bring the same passion and desire that I have at the Warriors.”Botha received his news in a more measured fashion. He admitted to being surprised about his high price tag. “It’s a massive surprise and these types of things are life-changing but with that comes responsibility.” He has had a season in the IPL before, also at the Royals and he is pleased to be back at the same franchise. “I enjoyed my time with them before. I got along well with Warnie [Shane Warne] and the coaching staff. It’s a nice to go back to a team where you were before.”The South African T20 captain is concentrating on the current one-day international series against India and the World Cup before turning his attention to the IPL. “There is a lot of cricket before IPL4. I’m sure once we get there we will give 100% for our teams.”

In a game that was severely affected by rain, Jamaica thrashed Somerset by a whopping 61 runs at the Kensington Oval in Barbados to join Windward Islands and Jamaica at the top of the table in Group A

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jan-2011In a game that was severely affected by rain, Jamaica thrashed Somerset by a whopping 61 runs at the Kensington Oval in Barbados to join Windward Islands and Guyana at the top of the table in Group B.The match was reduced to six overs per innings after the start of play was delayed by three hours due to rain. Somerset won the toss and decided to bowl. Jamaica promoted Marlon Samuels to open and it was a decision that paid rich dividends as Samuels thrashed the Somerset bowlers all over the park. Samuels and Danza Hyatt blasted 47 runs in three overs, including 14 runs off the first over bowled by Somerset captain Alfonso Thomas. Though Hyatt fell for a breezy nine-ball 21 in the fourth over to Max Waller, Samuels didn’t let the momentum shift. He hit four fours and three sixes in his unbeaten 21-ball 45 and was particularly severe on fast bowler Steve Kirby, whose only over went for 21 runs. Shawn Findlay chipped in with a handy 13 off seven balls as Jamaica reached an imposing 85 for 1 off their 6 overs.Faced with a daunting chase, Somerset’s batsmen capitulated right from the first over when Jerome Taylor dismissed Jos Buttler. They lost two wickets in the second over, Nikita Miller picked up two wickets in the fourth over and at that stage Somerset were reeling at 17 for 6. They finally ended up at 24 for 8off their 6 overs; an abject surrender as none of their batsmen managed to reach double figures.The second game between Windward Islands and Guyana was a more evenly-contested game that Windward won by two runs. Guyana won the toss and chose to field, but it was Windward who got off to a strong start with their openers Johnson Charles and Andre Fletcher slamming 27 runs in three overs before Charles was dismissed. Fletcher top scored with 40 and Keddy Lesporis and captain Darren Sammy chipped in with 26 piece as Windward reached 138 for 8 off their 20 overs.In reply defending champions Guyana started poorly as left-arm spinner Gary Mathurin who was brought into the attack in the second over, dismissed openers Travis Dowlin and Richard Ramdeen cheaply. Esuan Crandon and captain Ramnaresh Sarwan soon followed and at 36 for 4 in the eight over, Guyana looked in trouble. A 42-run fifth-wicket partnership between Royston Crandon and Steven Jacobs steadied the innings before they feel in quick succession. Christopher Barnwell and Derwin Christian who blasted a 13-ball 40 in Guyana’s thrilling two-wicket win over Combined Campuses and Colleges on Jan 14, hit some big shots but some tight bowling from Windward kept them in check as Guyana fell three runs short of their target. Nelon Pascal was the pick of the Windward bowlers with figures of 3 for 23 which included the crucial wickets of Jacobs and Barnwell.

The floodwaters had receded but the devastation was still easy to see around Goodna, west of Brisbane, where the Australian cricketers did their bit to give the community something to smile about during time at a local school

Andrew McGlashan in Brisbane28-Jan-2011The floodwaters had receded but the devastation was still easy to see around Goodna, west of Brisbane, where the Australian cricketers did their bit to give the community something to smile about during time at a local school. They now hope to give Queenslanders some joy by securing the one-day series against England with victory at the Gabba on Sunday.This was the first time the squad had returned to Brisbane since the flooding – although Shane Watson went to his hometown, Ipswich, two weeks ago just as the recovery work began – and they visited schools and shopping malls around some of the worst-affected areas west of the city. The swollen, murky brown Brisbane River which snakes through the city is a reminder of how recently the disaster unfolded.Australia are now aiming to make this the city where they seal the series after giving England a lifeline at Adelaide and Watson believes the local support will make a huge difference. “It’s going to be a very emotional day and hopefully that can help pull us over the line and win the series,” he said.England have made their own donations to the flood appeal during this series and are aware of the motivating factors involved in this match for Australia. “Our hearts have gone out to the people. Seeing those things on TV is pretty shocking,” Chris Tremlett said. “The England team have been fully behind it. I imagine it will be a very emotional time for people on Sunday and we are glad to be part of it.”Watson has previously spoken about how his mind has often been on events in Queensland during the one-day series, yet he has been able to maintain his consistent form with a match-winning 161 at Melbourne and 64 at Adelaide. But while his success for Australia gives him great pleasure these past few weeks have given him a sense of perspective.”There’s no doubt that during the period when you didn’t know the extent of devastation, around Ipswich especially, it was something that took my mind off the cricket,” he said. “After the disappointment of the Ashes series it put my life into perspective for sure. It’s just great I was able to score runs during that period but life is bigger and greater than cricket, even though I love playing it.”Although the Suncorp Stadium, which is used for rugby and soccer, was flooded, the Gabba was largely unaffected and recently staged back-to-back Big Bash games. Kevin Mitchell Jr, the Gabba curator, has no concerns about the pitch for Sunday’s game despite the horrific weather of a few weeks ago.”It’s looking pretty good with nice even cover of grass so should play uniformly,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “With all the rain, we’re not too bad. The only way the Gabba gets flooded is if the stormwater and the tide from Norman Creek occur together. Since the redevelopment of the ground it’s happened four times. The wicket block is never affected.”Mitchell Johnson’s occasional state appearances now come for Western Australia, but he was born in Townsville and retains a strong connection to his home state. “Just driving through now and seeing where the levels were, Shane [Watson] showed me some photos of the water. It does blow you away and it’s hard to believe,” he said. “The Queensland spirit is nice and strong and we are sticking behind each other. The day after it all happened you saw the pictures of everyone lending a hand, digging that mud up, and doing everything they can.”Johnson, who struggled during the Ashes apart from his matchwinning performance in Perth, has been a frustrated watcher during the last three matches due to a throat infection. He hopes to return to the side in Brisbane and build form ahead of the World Cup in what he believes will be a memorable occasion.”I’m certainly looking forward to getting back and playing again,” he said. “It was hard sitting back on Australia Day and not being able to play, it’s one of the ones you want to take part in. Coming here on Sunday, back on home turf, hopefully I’ll get a game and be able to raise some more money.”