Mark Waugh hits at BBL batting
January 4
The quality of batting in this year’s BBL has provoked debate. Melbourne Renegades have yet to register an individual half-century in five matches and on Thursday limped to 9 for 126 against Adelaide Strikers. Not for the first time it was spin causing the major problems as Liam O’Connor, Rashid Khan and Colin Ingram proved a handful.
It was enough for Mark Waugh to term the standard of batting against spin as “embarrassing” although he had also noted a couple of days previously that the state of some of the wickets wasn’t helping.
Pretty embarrassing watching the standard of batting against spin in the BBL this season.#dreadful
— Mark Waugh (@juniorwaugh349) January 3, 2019
One thing I’ve noticed this season on the BBL @FoxCricket is that several pitches/grounds have not been suitable for t20 batting. Some useful bowling for sure but batsmen are finding it tough going.
— Mark Waugh (@juniorwaugh349) January 2, 2019
Australia had an awful time against spin in the UAE last year when they played three T20Is then struggled against Kuldeep Yadav in the India series in November. Their next T20Is are set to be in India during the limited-overs tour which starts next month so life is unlikely to get easier.
Maddinson nears comeback
January 4
Nic Maddinson is closing in on a comeback from the broken arm he suffered in the Sheffield Shield last month having surprised himself at the speed of his recovery.
Maddinson needed surgery after being struck by a short ball from Jhye Richardson and was unsure whether he would hit the surgeon’s timescale of a return in around four weeks. But he appears on course for that with a comeback looking likely when Melbourne Stars face Perth Scorchers at the MCG on Wednesday.
“It seems to be pulling up better and better after everything I do,” he told the Herald Sun. So I thought, why not push it a bit harder and try and play.”
Source: ESPN Crickinfo