South Africa penalised by umpires for ball tampering in Test against Pakistan

Pakistan have demanded an explanation from the International Cricket Council after South Africa’s Faf du Plessis escaped with a fine of 50 percent of his match fee for ball tampering in the second Test in Dubai.

Pakistan were on the receiving end following the only previous occasion in Test history when the umpires have changed a tampered ball and imposed a five-run penalty, at the Oval in 2006. They were widely accused of cheating and, when they refused to take the field, the was Test forfeited.

The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Najam Sethi, tweeted: “PCB is writing a letter to the ICC, seeking explanation of inconsistency by match referee in application of tampering rule.”

Du Plessis, who pleaded guilty to the charge, was not given any suspension by the ICC match referee David Boon, he was simply fined half his match fee.

While it is not surprising that former Pakistan players have waded into the debate, they have gained support from a more unexpected source, England’s captain Michael Vaughan, who tweeted: “Anyone caught ball tampering should be banned for at least ten matches.”

Du Plessis was caught in full view of the television cameras when South Africa were fielding during Pakistan’s second innings. He is seen vigorously polishing the ball, which would be tolerated in normal circumstances, only in this case it was on the zip of his trouser pocket, a somewhat more abrasive substance than synthetic fibres.

The television commentator, former South African captain Kepler Wessels, said while the camera was on du Plessis: “The issue there is that zip. That’s the problem.”

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif also thought it was a problem. “The punishment is very lenient. I think Faf should have been banned for six months,” Latif said, “plus the captain of the team should be held responsible and punished.”

Pakistan’s former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who was not only fined but suspended for ball tampering in 2003, told Geo Television in Pakistan: “[The] ICC can’t do justice on merit. It doesn’t have any guts to do so.”

As match referee, Boon offered the extenuating circumstance that du Plessis’s act was “not part of a deliberate and/or prolonged attempt to unfairly manipulate the condition of the ball.” Given the vigour with which du Plessis rubbed the ball on his trouser zip, this was an unusual use of the wording “not deliberate”.

Du Plessis was spotted by the TV umpire, Paul Reiffel of Australia, on Friday evening. The on-field umpires, Ian Gould and Rod Tucker, called over South Africa’s captain Graeme Smith, changed the ball and awarded Pakistan five penalty runs.

Given that the South African pace bowler Vernon Philander was also caught on camera in the act of apparently scratching the ball with his left finger, the statement released by AB de Villiers, South Africa’s vice-captain, rang rather hollow: “Honestly, we’re not the team that scratches the ball. We don’t cheat, it’s as simple as that. I know Faffy very well, he’s the last man to try anything like that.” Except that du Plessis has now pleaded guilty.

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South Africa in control, but hit by ball-tampering penalty

Pakistan 99 and 132 for 4 trail South Africa 517 (Smith 234, de Villiers 164, Ajmal 6-151) by 286 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

South Africa's march towards a result that will draw the series and prolong their seven-year unbeaten record away from home continued unabated, but the gloss on their seemingly impeccable performance was lost when the on-field umpires penalised them for tampering with the ball. Graeme Smith's team ended the third day needing six wickets to complete an emphatic victory - probably by an innings considering Pakistan were still trailing by 286 with two days remaining - but the likelihood of a meeting with the Match Referee loomed large as the sun set in Dubai.

The incident occurred two overs after tea, before the start of the 31st over, following television visuals of one player rubbing the ball allegedly on the zipper of his trouser pocket. The umpires Ian Gould and Rod Tucker called Graeme Smith over for a chat and subsequently changed the ball and awarded a five-run penalty against South Africa, sanctions that are consistent with the penalty for unlawfully changing the condition of the ball. A second television visual showed another player allegedly picking at the side of the ball with his finger.

On either side of that unsavoury episode, however, South Africa made strides towards victory, albeit not at the pace at which they had shut Pakistan out of the Test over the first two days. After South Africa were dismissed for 517 with a lead of 418, 16 minutes before lunch, Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander punched Pakistan in the gut by dismissing their openers in their only overs before the break.

Steyn swung the ball back into Shan Masood's front pad and the left-hand batsman continued Pakistan's lousy use of reviews by wasting one on an lbw that was plumb. Philander then handed Khurram Manzoor his first pair in Test cricket; the right-hand batsman hung his bat outside off stump and watched Jacques Kallis dive to his right at second slip to take the catch at head height. Pakistan were 2 for 2.

After lunch, Younis Khan and Azhar Ali focused on survival. Steyn swung and seamed the new ball away from the right-handers; Philander bowled with unrelenting accuracy; Morne Morkel hit speeds off 149.6 kph - the fastest ball of the Test - in his first over. With four slips and other catches in place, there were gaps to exploit on the huge outfield but only 18 runs were scored in the first 13 overs. One of Tahir's legbreaks spun so viciously from the rough around off stump that it went straight to first slip.

Azhar and Younis, however, survived all that until Smith brought on the part-time offspinner JP Duminy ten minutes before tea. His first ball spun sharply into Azhar and kept low to hit the back pad just in line with off stump. In an instant, a vast amount of hard graft had come undone and Pakistan were 48 for 3. Duminy could have struck in his second over, too, but Kallis failed to catch an outside edge from Younis off the penultimate ball before the break.

Younis' composure, which had served him well through the second session, disappeared soon after the tampering incident, when he charged Tahir and attempted a mow across the line. He missed and the ball bounced off his pad on to his stumps. At 70 for 4, Pakistan were in danger of sliding further towards defeat but Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq put on an unbeaten 62-run stand. Shafiq was fortunate to survive a stumping chance on 18 off Duminy, and Pakistan will need a miraculous performance from him and the rest to prevent an innings defeat.

The third day had begun with promise of more records being broken, with Smith resuming on 227 and de Villiers on 157. However, with the job already done unlike when they had come together early on the second day, their stroke-play wasn't as tight.

De Villiers began to drive at Mohammad Irfan from the start, but a ball after he placed one to the straight boundary, he drove again and edged. This time Adnan Akmal caught it, 164 runs and 273 deliveries after he should have caught de Villiers first ball. Irfan had now worked up a brisk pace and soon drew an edge from Smith. Akmal dropped it again, and Irfan told the wicketkeeper just what he thought of that effort. The mistake did not cost Pakistan, though, because Ajmal had Smith caught at slip a ball later, leaving South Africa 478 for 6.

What followed made Pakistan wonder about the different paths this match might have taken had Akmal not dropped de Villiers before he had scored. Irfan ran in from over the wicket and tormented Duminy with deliveries that pitched on a good length outside off stump and jagged into the left-handed batsman. Three times in a row, Irfan struck Duminy on the pad and bellowed appeals for lbw. He was denied each time because the impact was too high.

In his next over, after hitting Faf du Plessis on the glove, Irfan took the umpire out of the equation by bowling Duminy between bat and pad with a fuller delivery. He celebrated with vigour, but in his next over - the innings' 149th - Irfan ran out of rope the umpires had given him by following through on the danger area once again. He was suspended from bowling further in the innings.

With Irfan lost, and Junaid Khan blunt, Ajmal was the only threat and du Plessis steered South Africa past 500 and the lead past 400. Ajmal gradually worked his way through the tail to pick up a six-wicket haul, but the end of South Africa's innings provided little relief for Pakistan.

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Smith lauds South Africa's 'immense' record

It took a little longer than appear likely at one stage, but South Africa's comfortably victory extends a formidable overseas sequence which vindicates their No. 1 status

Before Graeme Smith went in for ankle surgery in May, the doctor gave him a worrying warning. "If this doesn't work, I don't know what I am going to do," he said to the South African captain.

Smith had suffered an ankle impingement in April last year, which ruled him out of the IPL, and had chronic ankle pain for a period of time before that. He had an operation last year before South Africa's tour of England but this year needed another - one he refers to as "major," - because the problem had not been entirely solved. The recent one, which meant he had cut short his first season with Surrey, involved putting two pins into his heel to correct a stress fracture and would keep him out of the game for six months, much longer than the ten weeks he had on the sidelines 2012.

"I had a lot of time to reflect on my career and I wondered if there would be more," he said. Smith didn't have to explain his fear that he thought there was a chance he may not take the field again because it was obvious from the pride he took in his own performance.

"I worked really hard to get to where I am now. To have come back and scored a double hundred in these conditions - almost sub-continental and with the heat - is something I will never forget. I am proud of it. I will cherish this innings for the rest of my life."

His 234 was the biggest individual difference between South Africa and Pakistan in Dubai and it was as much a personal achievement as it was a team feat. Without Smith's innings, a canvas painted by hard grind rather than attractive strokeplay, South Africa would not have had the platform from which it did not matter that their lower-order collapsed. Without his knock, they could have lost the match and their record run on the road could have ended.

Cricketers often claim numbers don't matter to them until they've called it a day but there are two that mean a great to deal to South Africa right now. The No.1 ranking is the first of them. They would not have lost it had they been defeated 2-0 in this series but their lead would have been substantially cut. Their unbeaten away streak since 2006 is the other because it explains, without needing to use too many words, why they are the top-ranked Test team.

South Africa have not won a series in the subcontinent, apart from victories in Bangladesh, since beating Pakistan in 2007 but they have drawn in India and now, in the UAE. That speaks about their ability to "find a way," as Smith likes to put it to win in conditions they are unaccustomed to and which are intended to work against them.

I don't think many teams in the current set-up can travel as well as we do and be able to perform in the different environments and under the different pressures. I don't think the team gets enough credit for that. It's an immense record Graeme Smith on South Africa away from home

It illustrates what Smith and AB de Villiers' innings showed: how to construct scores on pitches which take turn, outfields which are slow and bowlers who know how to exploit the conditions with movement and spin. But on the fourth day of this match, it was their bowlers' ability which was highlighted.

Despite being kept in the field for much longer than they expected, the attack barely strayed from their plans. They were disciplined in length, using the short ball as a threat rather than a regulation delivery, and understanding the need to pitch it up. Even when Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq looked as though they would bat out the day, the bowlers did not panic and held their control.

Part-time left-arm spinner Dean Elgar took advantage of a lapse in concentration from Misbah and then South Africa knew it was just a matter of time. They finished Pakistan off before the end of the day to extend their record of adaptability to include the UAE.

"Once they got in and the ball got soft, it became difficult," Smith admitted. "We controlled the run-rate and they were never scoring at more than 2.5 to the over and we knew if we kept doing that, there was going to be one opportunity and Dean got that one opportunity."

They have now gone 12 series without being beaten away from home and Smith thinks that has the makings of the start of a legacy similar to the Australia and West India sides of old. "I don't want to be throwing that label around to the public just yet, I think we still have a long way to go but I don't think many teams in the current set-up can travel as well as we do and be able to perform in the different environments and under the different pressures," he said.

"I don't think the team gets enough credit for that. It's an immense record and we are very proud of it. We want to go on and win more series, dominate, we want to play good cricket set a standard and we are on the right path."

How South Africa have managed to win away from home is, according to Smith, down mostly to experience. "Part of playing away from home is finding a way to morph in those conditions," he said. "We have a great understanding of that and how to work our way into conditions."

That was why, unlike his surgeon, Smith never got to the point where he did not know what would work. At 1-0 down in the series, South Africa were confident of coming back. And despite Pakistan batting fluently with six wickets in hand, Smith had no doubt his bowlers would complete the job.

Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's South Africa correspondent

Feeds: Firdose Moonda © ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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South Africa penalised for ball-tampering

of your page where you want the widget to show up. --> South Africa penalised for ball-tamperingSouth Africa were penalised five runs for ball-tampering on the third day of the second Test against Pakistan in Dubai. Faf du Plessis was the player in the centre of the controversy and the ICC said its ruling on the incident will be announced tomorrow.

The ICC confirmed that the five-run penalty and the change of ball after 30 overs was due to ball-tampering. "As per 42.1 of the ICC playing conditions, the umpires replaced the ball and fined South Africa team five penalty runs for ball-tampering," an ICC spokesperson said.

The incident took place at the start of the 31st over of Pakistan's innings, two overs after tea, when umpires Ian Gould and Rod Tucker called South African captain Graeme Smith for a chat. The fourth umpire, Shozab Raza, brought a box of balls onto the field and a new one was selected for use.

No individual player has been charged yet but television images showed du Plessis rubbing the ball allegedly on the zipper of his trouser pocket.

The playing conditions (see sidebar) dealing with ball-tampering were changed recently, coming into effect only from October 1. Any player found guilty of ball-tampering, which is a Level Two offence, will be fined 50 to 100% of his match fee and/or get a ban of one Test or two ODIs or two Twenty20s, whichever come first.

South Africa were well in control of the Test, having taken a commanding 418-run first-innings lead, when the incident occurred.

The only other time a team was handed a five-run penalty for ball-tampering was in the infamous Oval Test in 2006, in which Pakistan refused to take the field after the umpires deemed that the seam on the ball had been raised.

Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's South Africa correspondent

Feeds: Firdose Moonda © ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Firdose Moonda 1st ODI: Pakistan v South Africa at Sharjah
Oct 30, 2013 (15:00 local | 11:00 GMT | 16:00 PKT) 2nd ODI: Pakistan v South Africa at Dubai (DSC)
Nov 1, 2013 (15:00 local | 11:00 GMT | 16:00 PKT) 3rd ODI: Pakistan v South Africa at Abu Dhabi
Nov 6, 2013 (15:00 local | 11:00 GMT | 16:00 PKT) 4th ODI: Pakistan v South Africa at Abu Dhabi
Nov 8, 2013 (15:00 local | 11:00 GMT | 16:00 PKT) 5th ODI: Pakistan v South Africa at Sharjah
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Another 'C' word for South Africa?

South Africa's reputation of being arguably the most professional and respectable team has taken a hit by the ball-tampering episode

Once the anger has subsided, there may be some time to appreciate the irony. Pakistan, the last and only other team to have penalty runs awarded against them for ball-tampering in a Test match, were on the receiving end of another side's wrongdoing.

Despite AB de Villiers' insistence that South Africa "play in a fair manner", Faf du Plessis pleaded guilty to the Level 2 offense of changing the condition of the ball. His misdemeanour is in cricket circles what not wearing your seatbelt is in real life - it's the wrong thing to do but it's so widely done that it only really matters if you get caught.

All teams look after the ball in ways they think will advantage them. That is allowed. What they are not allowed to do is change the ball so much that it disadvantages the other team disproportionately. That sounds confusing because it is and with so much grey area, there have been some arguments over the years to legalise "preparing" the ball.

That is the term Allan Donald, the current South Africa bowling coach, used to describe what bowlers need to do to ensure they are not shut out of a game that has increasingly grown to advantage batsmen. Four years ago, Donald said bowlers need a defence mechanism to "fall back on" so that they are able to generate reverse swing on flatter pitches. While he said he knew the ICC would "shoot me for saying it", Donald advocated getting the ball "in the dirt" to accelerate the scuffing up of one side while protecting the other.

Televisions pictures showed du Plessis was doing exactly that. He was rubbing the dry side of the ball on his trousers, in "vicinity of the zipper on his trouser pocket" as the ICC's release put it. Du Plessis' actions were brazen, they were easily found out by the cameras, immediately picked up by the television umpire, conveyed to his on-field colleagues and quickly acted on. The changes made to the playing conditions at the beginning of this month allowed Ian Gould and Rod Tucker to deal with the issue as soon as it happened.

Perhaps South Africa were not aware that could happen. De Villiers revealed he did "not know all the facts of the matter" when runs were added to Pakistan's total and the ball was changed. He was certain South Africa had not done the wrong thing, even though the ICC immediately called it a case of ball-tampering. That was how the questions began.

Why would a team 351 runs ahead, who had their opposition three down with more than two days left in the match on a surface that was deteriorating, feel they needed to do something extra? Yes, the Dubai surface has not got a drop of moisture the seamers can take advantage of, neither has it cracked open. But South Africa should not have been in that much of a hurry.

All teams look after the ball in ways they think will advantage them. What they are not allowed to do is change the ball so much that it disadvantages the other team disproportionately © Getty Images

What they may have experienced was extreme frustration, particularly since they had dismantled their opposition for 99 in the same match and have become accustomed to ending Tests swiftly. De Villiers jokingly said South Africa would have liked to finish the match "in two days if we can". Even though that may be a reflection of what they really expected to happen, it reveals something about their impatience.

Given the match situation and the nonchalance with which du Plessis conducted his mischief, could also be a sign this is something that they have become accustomed to doing. And that thought could be the most damaging thing to happen to South Africa in the aftermath of this incident.

It means their previous performances will be scrutinised and their many fine achievements in the recent past examined with this incident in mind. Take, for example, just this match and you will find people wondering how it was possible that Dale Steyn managed to find reverse swing from the 20th over of the Pakistan first innings while Pakistan's bowlers barely found any for the 163.1 overs they were in the field.

Having become the world's No.1 team on the back of a reputation for being a group of cricketers who conduct themselves arguably in the most professional and respectable way, to have a blight of this nature on their reputation will hurt South Africa. They are seen as a team who do the right thing, now one of them is seen as a culprit who got away.

Du Plessis was fined 50% of his match fee after David Boon was "satisfied that this was not part of a deliberate and/or prolonged attempt to unfairly manipulate the condition of the ball". Boon called the sanction "appropriate". More severe sanctions attract a higher percentage of money being docked - up to 100% - and a match ban of one Test, two ODIs and two Twenty20s, but none of those were meted out to du Plessis despite the visual evidence suggesting he was aware of what he was doing.

On the same day as Saeed Ajmal was officially reprimanded for excessive celebrations - something few people even noticed - it seemed as though the variance in the punishments for offenses was too great. When considered in the context of previous players who have been suspended for the same, such as Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi who had to sit out two matches each, du Plessis can be considered to have got off lightly.

There may be other consequences and South Africa's clothing manufacturer may be among the parties involved. The zipped pockets could come under scrutiny and the mechanism may be removed. There may be a debate sparked about the various methods used to shine the ball and possibly another wave of lobbying for ball-tampering to be less regulated.

For now, it remains a breach of the code of the conduct and if players are found doing it, they will probably be punished in some way. That is what happened to this South African team. Their defenders will say they just did what everyone else is doing and were not smart enough to hide it. Their critics will call them cheats. Like the other c-word they are called, it's not a label they will wear with pride.

Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's South Africa correspondent

Feeds: Firdose Moonda © ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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Pakistan mulling short tour of South Africa

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South Africa preserve away record in Test series

South Africa 517 (Smith 234, de Villiers 164, Ajmal 6-151) beat Pakistan 99 (Tahir 5-32) & 326 (Shafiq 130, Duminy 3-67) by an innings and 92 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

South Africa's unbeaten run in Test series on the road will extend even further after their victory in Dubai, which allowed them to share the spoils of this two-match rubber with Pakistan. The last time South Africa lost a Test series abroad was in Sri Lanka in 2006. Since then, they have become the No. 1 ranked Test team and they will stay there, but their lead will be cut by four points by virtue of the drawn series.

Pakistan have risen to No. 4, thanks to their victory in Abu Dhabi, but were unable to protect fortress UAE, losing in their adopted home for the first time since moving here in 2010. They went down fighting though, with Asad Shafiq notching up his highest score in Test cricket and sharing in a 197-run fifth wicket stand with Misbah-ul-Haq, which kept South Africa in the field for much longer than they would have anticipated.

On the fourth evening, AB de Villiers said the team felt they were one wicket away from running through Pakistan. That dismissal came 20 minutes before tea as Misbah, who had treated South Africa's attack with the caution of someone handling a shipment of crystal glasses, gifted Dean Elgar, the part-time spinner, his first Test wicket. In Elgar's second over, Misbah attempted to slog him out of the park, but got a thick outside edge which Jacques Kallis collected at first slip.

That ended a vigil in which Misbah had ushered Shafiq to his second century against this opposition, and the fourth of his career, and seen off the second new ball to put Pakistan in a position to frustrate South Africa even further. They had only one wicket-taking opportunity before Misbah's lapse in concentration, when Shafiq was given out lbw in the fifth over to a Vernon Philander delivery that pitched on leg-stump and hit him on the front pad. He was on 36 at the time and reviewed with replays showing the ball would have missed leg stump.

Shafiq survived and went on to play a balanced innings combining defence with attack, particularly against the spinners. His footwork against Imran Tahir and JP Duminy was excellent, typified by the shot of the day - a spank over midwicket off Tahir.

Misbah was more stoic, nudging the ball into spaces and encouraging Shafiq to keep the scoreboard moving, but not too quickly. They both brought up half-centuries off 121 balls before slowing down as the second new ball came. Once comfortable against it, Shafiq pushed past his captain after lunch. He danced into the nineties with a boundary off Duminy and brought up his century with a square drive off a full and wide ball from the same bowler. Encouragingly for Pakistan, once the milestone had been reached, Shafiq kept going.

Misbah will be furious that he did not do the same. Although South Africa's attack did not lapse into the lazy short-ball showing they put on in Abu Dhabi, they seemed to be running out of ideas. After trying everything from having two short midwickets in against the spinners - between whom Shafiq threaded the ball through - to having two short covers in for the quicks, Smith turned to Elgar to buy time.

Smith would probably not have imagined getting a wicket off the tactic, Elgar's delivery was innocuous as well, but once Misbah ran out of patience, the result was a foregone conclusion. Pakistan's tail proved pesky to remove even though they were without Zulfiqar Babar, who did not bat because of the torn webbing on his right hand.

With a ball short of 10 overs remaining in the day, Shafiq, after resisting for seven hours, was stumped off JP Duminy, to give him the same number of wickets as Tahir in the innings - three.

On this day in 1952 Pakistan won their first Test, beating India in Lucknow. They did not have reason to celebrate on their anniversary but they did enjoy some positive signs as they dragged the Test late into the fourth afternoon and pushed South Africa as much as they could given their first innings failing.

Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's South Africa correspondent

Feeds: Firdose Moonda © ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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South Africa sense swift finish

New ODI rules and faulty bowling shackle Dhoni

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The issue with Ishant

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AFC South: Can Houston Bully its Way Into NFL Nobility?

The Houston Texans have been trying to shoulder their way into that tight circle of the NFL's elite teams the past couple years, but the big bullies keep pushing them away, mocking them with insults and telling them they don't belong yet.

Could this be the year?

Will the Colt's Andrew Luck run dead up against the sophomore jinx or will he continue to blossom into a star quarterback?

Can Tennessee do anything to get its fans excited again?

And what about Jacksonville? Could the Jaguars be competitive in the Southeastern Conference?

A lot of questions in the AFC South this year. Yo, check it out, I have all the answers - and informed predictions - right here.

Dare to disagree if you have the stomach for it!

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NFC South: Saints Come Marching Back!

The NFC South is one of the newer divisions in the NFL, but one of the most successful, evenly matched and certainly one of the most fun to watch.

Every team in the division has played in a conference championship and every one has played in a Super Bowl.

Since 2002, when the division was formed, every team has won the division at least twice, so it's a very evenly matched division.

In terms of entertainment value, from a fan's perspective, the NFC South has some of the most exciting and wide-open, pass-happy offenses to watch.

By the way, did you see where Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton said Tampa Bay secretly believes starting quarterback Josh Freeman can't play, and that they are grooming rookie Mike Glennon to take over pronto?

"Josh Freeman has proven to me that he can't play," Tarkenton said in a radio interview with WDAE.

What do you think? Is Josh Freeman bogus? I mean, the guy did throw for over 4,000 yards and 27 touchdowns last year.

And can the Saints, with newly returned coach Sean Payton, break Atlanta's stranglehold on the division? Will they at least finish better than last year's 7-9?

Here is what?I think, based on training camp and preseason film, as well as extensive interviews with league sources.

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Ashes 2013: David Warner hits century for Australia A against South Africa A

Warner was sent to Africa for match practice after being suspended for punching Joe Root and in his final match for Australia?A he struck 29 fours and a six against South Africa A in Pretoria.

He is due to return to this country at the weekend and link up with Australia in Hove during their three-day match against Sussex.

England confirmed on Wednesday that James Taylor, the Nottinghamshire batsman, would guest for Sussex as Andy Flower looks at candidates as cover for Kevin Pietersen, who is being treated for a calf injury.

Australia have called up Western Australia spinner Ashton Turner, 20, to the team to fill holes caused by injury. Turner, like Ashton Agar, is a Cricket Australia scholar working with Hampshire and will make his first-class debut.

Nathan Lyon returns to the side with a chance to earn a recall for the third Test next week after losing his place to Agar. “To be left out of the team for an Ashes Test match is not that easy to take but that comes down to the personality of the person,” Lyon said. “I believe my best ball can get the best batters in the world out. The thing is that I have to keep doing that over and over and over.”

Plenty of Australian players are struggling for form but England have room for improvement too with Jonathan Trott, usually such a consistent contributor, averaging 26.50 from four innings having thrown his wicket away on a couple of occasions.

“Anybody can get out quite early in their innings, I suppose,” Trott said. “You haven’t contributed for the team but, if you get fifty, at least you have done something towards the team effort, although on a personal note it is pretty upsetting because you have done all the hard work.

“I get myself out sometimes if I am brutally honest. That’s something I try to pride myself on not doing. It’s frustrating but I feel in the past that I have contributed. Other people like Joe [Root] and Ian [Bell] have stepped in, perhaps it is my turn for the rest of the series.”

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