Pakistan vs Australia, third one-day international, Abu Dhabi – A win in the third ODI against Pakistan will take Australia to its best winning streak in the format since lifting the World Cup in 2015.
Written off as World Cup contenders at the start of the year, Australia turned the corner in India and have now recorded five wins on the trot – three against India and two against Pakistan.
The team recently became the first Australian outfit to win a five-match ODI series after trailing 0-2, having shocked Virat Kohli’s team with bat and ball in India. Now Aaron Finch is making light work of Pakistan’s attack, chasing down two tricky totals with back-to-back centuries in Sharjah.
Game three of the five-match series in Abu Dhabi (10pm EDT) could see Australia notch its sixth win in a row and give it its second piece of silverware for the month.
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MATCH CENTRE: Live scoreboard, video highlights
Aussies blast past Pakistan
2:55
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Australia haven’t strung together six consecutive one-day victories since 2015, when a nine-match winning streak included their MCG mauling of New Zealand in the World Cup final.
“It’s been building, building, building but we can’t get relaxed,” in-form opener Usman Khawaja said.
“If we keep doing the basics well and playing the way we did those last two games and playing the way we did the back end of India, it would be pretty hard to beat us.
“We want to be really clinical and we’ve got to keep doing it over and over again, winning’s a habit so hopefully we can make it a habit.”
Australia haven’t won consecutive ODI series overseas since 2016.
The visitors are set to be boosted by rested spearhead Pat Cummins, who was the leading wicket-taker the India series.
MATCH TWO: The monster partnership that puts Australia’s WC rivals on notice
ULTIMATE GUIDE: The Shield final shake-up that takes away Victoria’s biggest advantage
‘WOULDN’T WANT TO WIN LIKE THAT’: Cummins slams Ashwin ‘Mankad’
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Only cricket can come up with an explanation as ridiculous as this.
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The game’s lawmakers at the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) have on Wednesday morning released a statement to address the furore surrounding Indian star Ravi Ashwin’s Mankad dismissal of English batsman Jos Buttler during their IPL clash.
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Buttler, playing for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, was run out at the non-striker’s end by Kings XI Punjab captain Ashwin during Punjab’s 14-run win.
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The method of dismissal, named after former India player Vinoo Mankad, is legal but is seen by many as going against the spirit of the game, unless the batsman has been persistently backing up and warned first.
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The incident was all the more contentious as Buttler was still in his crease when Ashwin arrived, only for the bowler to pull out of his action and wait for him to step forward before whipping off the bails.
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Ashwin has denied ever deliberately pulling up early to bait Buttler into leaving his crease.
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This has emerged as the major point of contention in the swirling debate, with many cricket legends coming out to publicly call Ashwin a liar.
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The MCC’s statement to clarify its position only further clouded the debate and reinforced the divide separating the cricket world.
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The statement claimed it would have been correct for Buttler to have been given both out and not out, depending on the match officials’ interpretation of the law 41.16: Non-striker leaving his/her ground early.
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“This law is essential. Without it, non-strikers could back up at liberty, several yards down the pitch and a law is needed to prevent such action,” the MCC statement read on Wednesday.
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“The crux of the issue is when the non-striker can safely leave his/her ground, and what the bowler can do to effect this form of dismissal without courting controversy.
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“To clarify, it has never been in the laws that a warning should be given to the non-striker and nor is it against the spirit of cricket to run out a non-striker who is seeking to gain an advantage by leaving his/her ground early.
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“Yesterday’s incident could have been ruled out or not out, depending on how “the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball” is interpreted.
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“Some feel that Ashwin delayed his action to allow Buttler the chance to leave his ground and that Buttler was in his ground when he expected the ball to be released.
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“If it was a deliberate delay, that would be unfair and against the spirit of cricket. Ashwin claims this not to be the case.
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“The TV umpire had to make a decision and, under the law (and indeed the ICC’s interpretation of them, which clarifies the expected moment of release as when the arm reaches its highest point), it was understandable how he opted to give Buttler out.”
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Cricket commentators rallied against the ambiguous, confusing statement — and against the game’s failure to take action against Ashwin.
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English legend Darren Gough called on Ashwin to be sacked as captain of Punjab, while English test great David Lloyd said Ashwin deceived Buttler.
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“I would rather lose than do what Ashwin did, I really would,” Gough told TalkSport Radio.
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“I could not do it. Jos was just half asleep. I’ve seen some ex-cricketers saying, ‘You know the rules, he should be looking at the bowler,’ but it’s absolutely ridiculous.
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“From an experienced cricketer like Ashwin to do this and then talk in the press conference about how it wasn’t premeditated… that was an embarrassment. ‘
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“How can he continue to lead the Kings XI outfit? I do not know. Privately his teammates will be embarrassed by what happened. They couldn’t look their opponents in the eye afterwards.
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“It was premeditated out of desperation.”
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Lloyd said: “I would argue Ashwin didn’t go about things correctly.
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“It’s only my opinion, but I thought that Ashwin was trying to deceive the batsman.”
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Indian test great Erapalli Prasanna said Ashwin “is not telling the truth”.
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“He is feeling guilty and he is trying to cover up,” he said according to Times Now.
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“I don’t think he is clear to himself. He is bluffing. He is not telling the truth.”
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My take: Ashwin delayed.
Not out. https://t.co/MYcjegwOLX
— Andrew Gourdie (@AndrewGourdie) March 26, 2019
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I think a Mankad is 100% legit. As they say, if you don’t have that rule, the batsman can back up halfway down the pitch and there’s no way to stop it. I do think Ashwin tricked Buttler in this instance.
— Guy Heveldt (@GuyHeveldt) March 26, 2019
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Here’s the MCC on the Mankad. So he could’ve been safe or out, depending on interpretation 🤷🏽♂️ pic.twitter.com/mtcLTXQw8e
— Guy Heveldt (@GuyHeveldt) March 26, 2019
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Captains had agreed against ‘#Mankading’ says #IPL chairman 🏏
So when Ashwin did this, why did the captain not withdraw the appeal? They need to stop passing the buck. The players, the captains, the umpires.. It’s the LAWS… change THE LAWS.. https://t.co/F6c8vIre7z
— Jack Mendel (@Mendelpol) March 26, 2019
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It is. I have no fundamental problem with the mankad, Buttler has form, and bowlers are right to keep him in check.
I think Ashwin had a hunch based on what he’d seen, but he picked the wrong ball to execute the action.
— Andrew Gourdie (@AndrewGourdie) March 26, 2019
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It comes as Aussie star Pat Cummins said he would not want to ever win a game from a Mankad.
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“I wouldn’t want to win a game like that,” Australian quick Cummins said in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday evening.
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“It didn’t really sit well with me … it was a pretty bad look. “If a batsman is trying to steal a run you can kind of understand, but I didn’t think Jos was doing anything untoward.
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“You could probably almost argue when he was going to release the ball, he would have been in his crease.”
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The legal style of dismissal is frowned upon by many players and it had been customary for bowlers to offer the non-striker a warning before completing a Mankad.
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Laws dictate that the timing of a Mankad must be when “the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball”, which arguably wasn’t the case in the latest controversy.
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Several players in Australia’s 15-man squad were far from impressed. “I spoke to a couple of the boys and they all sort of said the same, that it didn’t really sit well with them,” Cummins said.
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“The rule is there but I thought in that instance it was a real stretch. “I think the old rule of thumb of warning a batsman is totally fine.”
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Royals ambassador Shane Warne called Ashwin’s conduct “disgraceful” and embarrassing, while Matthew Hayden termed it a “terrible gesture” in commentary. Warne called Ashwin “an embarrassment to the game” during a series of fired-up messages on Twitter.
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“I hope the BCCI doesn’t condone this sort of behaviour in the IPL,” Warne wrote.
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“This win at all costs mentality has got to stop.
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“As captain of your side you set the standard of the way the team wants to play and what the team stands for!
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“Why do such a disgraceful and low act like that tonight? You must live with yourself and FYI — it’s to (sic) late to say sorry Mr Ashwin. You will be remembered for that low act.” Warne argued Ashwin had no intention of actually bowling, so it should have been called dead ball.
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Ashwin insisted his actions were “there within the rules of the game”.
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“Look, it was very instinctive,” he said.
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“On my part, it was very instinctive. It was not planned or anything like that. It’s there within the rules of the game. I don’t understand where the spirit of the game comes, naturally if it’s there in the rules, it’s there.”
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— with AFP, AAP
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Victoria is weighing up a shock selection move ahead of Thursday’s Sheffield Shield Final.
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Foxsports.com.au understands the last spot in the XI is a battle between wicket-keeper Sam Harper and veteran quick Peter Siddle.
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The selection panel of Andrew Lynch, Mark Ridgeway, Ray Bright and Andrew McDonald remains tight-lipped on the final make-up, but it is believed Pattinson’s rich vein of bowling form has Harper marginally in front of Siddle for the last position.
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Harper has not played a Shield game since early December, when he filled in for injured wicket-keeper Seb Gotch, while leaving Siddle out would send shockwaves through the system ahead of tour to England this winter.
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The pace bowler has taken 214 Test wickets from 64 matches and played for Australia as recently as October in the United Arab Emirates.
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A draw is not necessarily enough for Victoria to earn its fifth crown in six seasons. In the event of a draw after five days, the winner will be determined by the team that claims the most first innings bonus points.
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Live stream Pakistan v Australia ODI Series on KAYO SPORTS. Every match live HD on your TV or favourite device. Get your 14 day free trial >
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The adjustment in format for the final this season weighs heavily on Victoria’s selection plans. If all the home team needed was a dour draw, an extra batsman (Harper) would be the logical choice. But on a Junction Oval wicket that is expected to be dry and favour batsmen, there is a possibility the Victorians could play four specialist quicks and Jon Holland.
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In this scenario, Pattinson would bat at number seven, while Gotch – who has a minor hand injury – would take the gloves and bat in the middle order.
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If Harper plays what would be his first game at any level for almost three weeks, he would take the gloves and Gotch would play as a specialist batsman. Cameron White has been recalled after missing selection against South Australia and he will replace injured run machine Nic Maddinson in the middle order.
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The potential demotion of Siddle to 12th man duties for the second time this Shield season is seen as a real possibility largely because the other three fast bowlers have near bullet proof selection cases.
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Pattinson is the form bowler of the competition and claimed a match-winning five-wicket haul against NSW in the penultimate Shield outing of the regular season. Chris Tremain has been Victoria’s best bowler for the past three seasons, while on Wednesday Scott Boland was named the 2018/19 Sheffield Shield player of the season.
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MATCH TWO: The monster partnership that puts Australia’s WC rivals on notice
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ULTIMATE GUIDE: The Shield final shake-up that takes away Victoria’s biggest advantage
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‘WOULDN’T WANT TO WIN LIKE THAT’: Cummins slams Ashwin ‘Mankad’
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He also has more Shield victims (45) than any other bowler playing in the upcoming final.
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This leaves Siddle, who has 20 Shield wickets at 27.80 this summer but no five-wicket hauls. The 34-year-old is widely expected to be on the plane to England this winter as a back-up for the Ashes or an Australia A option, but Victoria has already demonstrated it is willing to leave him out of Shield action this season and will make its own call, rather than one for the betterment of the national team.
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If Siddle is left out, it will be a decision that is likely to further highlights the tense relationship between state associations and Cricket Australia.
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New South Wales will welcome back spinner Steve O’Keefe and captain/keeper Peter Nevill for the final, which will be telecast on Fox Cricket from 10.15am from Thursday.
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Play begins at 10.30am and Darren Lehmann, Andrew Symonds, Ian Healy and Mel Jones headline the commentary team.
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