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Sri Lanka ended the first day of the Colombo Test against Zimbabwe 63 runs adrift, with only three first-innings wickets in hand, and their own lead spinner has sounded out a warning: batting fourth on this track “won’t be easy”.Khettarama is not a venue where Tests are often played – the most recent one was four years ago. As both sides attempt to read an unfamiliar surface, perhaps Rangana Herath’s assessments should be given greater weight than those of anybody else. Not only did he claim five wickets in the first innings, Herath had also taken 12 wickets against Bangladesh in that 2013 Test.So, if Sri Lanka do not come charging back into the game on day three, they may leave themselves with too much to do in the final innings.”If we can get to 350 or 400 – even get a first-innings lead of about 50, that would be good,” Herath said. “But if we can’t manage that, we have to get them out cheaply in the second innings. Batting fourth on this track won’t be easy. We’ve got two spinners in the XI, so I think we’ll be able to get them out for an average score or below. But right now, I think we should have been in a better position than this.”After Herath had wrapped up a 30th five-wicket haul in the morning, Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer took the lead spinners’ baton, and finished the day with figures of 3 for 100 from 30 overs. All three of his victims – Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal and Niroshan Dickwella – fell to big-turning legbreaks.”If you take yesterday and today, the pitch is drier now than it was,” Herath said as he explained the increased purchase for the spinners. “I think that’s the nature of the surface – that will be there tomorrow and the day after. The next three days will be good for the spinners, I think.”We got a good start, but after that Cremer bowled really well. The balls to get Kusal and Chandimal were very good balls. When you get those kinds of deliveries, the chances of getting out are high.”Sri Lanka’s plight was also made more difficult by the hamstring injury picked up by Asela Gunaratne, while fielding in the morning. He came in at No. 8 in the batting order, instead of No. 6 or 7 as he usually might, and was clearly struggling to run between the wickets. Gunaratne had claimed two wickets in the first innings, but Sri Lanka’s attack may be weakened in the second, Herath said.”With the state his hamstring is in, I don’t think Asela will be able to bowl or field tomorrow. We are also trying to keep him fit for the India tour that’s coming up soon. If he is unable to bowl, it’s me, Dilruwan Perera and the two quicks who are left in the attack. Kusal Mendis has also taken a wicket in a Test in Zimbabwe, so he might be an option for the captain as well.”That Sri Lanka even find themselves in such a difficult position may also be testament to particular troubles the team has faced in 2017. They had taken large leads into the second innings in each of the Tests they played in Zimbabwe last year, but have since lost four of their last five matches, not to mention a host of ODIs. Despite those results, Herath believed there was quality in the side.”It’s not like we don’t have the talent. We do. But we haven’t been able to showcase those skills over a long period of time. After the Australia tour last year, we lost the South Africa series. Later, we lost to Bangladesh. It’s that lack of consistent performance. We’ve got a young team with only three or four experienced hands, and we can’t expect the older players to do everything. We have to give the young players experience, and they should also know how to make use of those opportunities.”

Placed at the centre of the PSL spot-fixing scandal, Nasir Jamshed is threatening to take the PCB to court for maligning his name.In a video message posted on his Twitter account – the second he has posted since being implicated in corruption allegations – Jamshed challenged the PCB’s anti-corruption unit to place whatever evidence they had in public domain. He also alleged that the board was pressurising players to testify against him.The PCB believes Jamshed is a central figure in the corruption allegations stemming from the second edition of the PSL. He was arrested by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) on the same day that he was provisionally suspended by the PCB, though he was later released on bail.”PCB is being unfair with me as they are pressurising players and and asking them to testify against me,” Jamshed said. “Rather than maligning my name, I urge PCB to offer the evidence and I challenge them to bring all the evidence in public. There is something called professionalism and with all this my personal life is being affected. I have already consulted my lawyer and we want to challenge this and are willing to take PCB to court over this.”Earlier on Wednesday, the PCB banned left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz for two months after he admitted to the charge of failing to report a suspect approach. Nawaz was the seventh Pakistan player to come under the PCB’s scanner during the ongoing investigation. Six others are either facing charges of corruption, or have been banned, or were questioned by the PCB. Proceedings against Sharjeel Khan, Khalid Latif, Jamshed and Shahzaib Hasan are underway; Mohammad Irfan was suspended for a year; and Zulfiqar Babar was questioned.Days before the day-to-day hearing of the trio – Sharjeel, Khalid and Hasan –  began, audio messages allegedly between Khalid and Jamshed were leaked. The messages, heard by ESPNcricinfo, seem to focus on a bat deal one player is arranging for the other. The PCB believes the conversations are code for corrupt deals.Jamshed, who is based in Birmingham, had previously informed the PCB through his lawyer of his inability to travel to Pakistan because his passport had been confiscated by the NCA. Jamshed said that once the NCA investigation in England was over, he would present himself as and when required by the PCB.

Defending champions Abahani Limited made a winning start to this season’s Dhaka Premier League after they beat the newly-promoted Khelaghar Samaj Kallyan Samity by five wickets at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium. Chasing 294, Abahani rode on Mosaddek Hossain, who struck 110, the league’s first century, that helped them win with 15 balls to spare.Mosaddek struck 12 fours and two sixes in his 85-ball innings. He shared a 127-run fourth wicket partnership with captain Mahmudullah, who chipped in with 59, which lifted the side from 85 for 3. Mosaddek added a further 81 runs with Mohammad Mithun for the fifth wicket. He fell with the scores level, before Mithun hit the winning runs in the 48th over.Earlier, Khelaghar, after electing to bat, put up 293 for 6 in 50 overs, on the back of half-centuries from Robiul Islam (74) and Nafees Iqbal (78). Nafees’ was a quickfire effort, coming off 68 balls and containing five fours and four sixes. Mohammad Saifuddin took three wickets for Abahani.Mushfiqur Rahim’s unbeaten 75 helped Legends of Rupganj beat Brothers Union by four wickets at the BKSP-4 ground. Mushfiqur’s effort ensured that Rupganj steadily marched towards their 207 target despite the loss of frequent wickets. He finished with five fours and a six in his 103-ball innings. Nihaduzzaman and Indian allrounder Abhishek Nayar took two wickets each for Brothers Union.Brothers Union could not get any sort of partnership going after electing to bat. That they posted 206 for 9 was down to a combined 98 runs added for the seventh and eighth wickets, with their captain Myshukur Rahaman scoring 65. Mohammad Sharif took three wickets, while Mashrafe Mortaza and Asif Hasan collected two wickets each.Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club trounced Partex Sporting Club by 78 runs at the BKSP-3 ground, after Arafat Sunny’s five-wicket haul snuffed out Partex’s chase of 288, keeping them to 209 for 9.Partex’s Indian recruit Yashpal Singh was the top-scorer with 74 off 96 balls. He added 91 for the fourth wicket, after Partex had been reduced to 32 for 3, with Sazzadul Haque. But that apart, there were no other significant contributions.Earlier, Abdul Mazid’s 77 at the top and middle-order batsman Marshall Ayub’s 63 lifted Doleshwar to 287 for 9 in 50 overs. Golam Kabir, the right-arm medium pacer, took three wickets for Partex, but leaked 41 runs in his five overs.

ScorecardIn his first Sheffield Shield game for nearly six years, Pat Cummins finished with match figures of 8 for 104•Getty Images

New South Wales cruised to an eight-wicket win on the fourth day of their Sheffield Shield clash against South Australia at the SCG, where they were set a modest target of 100 for victory. The Blues reached their goal with only two wickets down, with Ed Cowan striking a brisk unbeaten 48 to add to his 125 from the first innings, while Kurtis Patterson finished on 33 not out.The chase had started badly for the Blues when Daniel Hughes was bowled by Daniel Worrall from the first ball of the innings, but the Redbacks managed only one further wicket when Nic Maddinson fell for 18 off the bowling of Adam Zampa. South Australia needed more runs on the final morning to set a tougher target, but having resumed on 5 for 228 lost their last five wickets for 82.The key moment was when Tom Cooper, the last of the specialist batsmen, fell in unusual circumstances when he was stumped off the bowling of Trent Copeland. Batting out of his crease, Cooper shouldered arms to a delivery which was pouched by Peter Nevill, standing back; Nevill then threw the ball at the stumps from a distance and Cooper dropped his bat while casually walking back towards his ground.Copeland picked up two wickets on the fourth day, while Pat Cummins also claimed two to finish with innings figures of 4 for 47 and a match analysis of 8 for 104 in his first Sheffield Shield game for nearly six years. English legspinner Mason Crane, playing for New South Wales for the first time, collected 3 for 66 in the second innings to end up with match figures of 5 for 116.

Jake Ball could be forced out of England’s Caribbean tour after suffering an injury to his right knee.Ball, who played all three of the ODIs in the recent series in India, limped off the field after the first delivery of his third over in England’s final warm-up game before the three-match ODI series against Wets Indies. He subsequently broke down when attempting to run in the net area as the England support staff tried to assess the extent of the problem. He will play no further part in the match against a WICB President’s XI.The England management hope to arrange a scan on Ball’s knee in St Kitts today, but may be obliged to wait until the tour party reach Antigua tomorrow. They believe the problem is at the back of the right knee.If Ball is forced home, the tour management may well consider calling up a replacement seamer. Chris Jordan, who has recently been playing in the PSL, would be one obvious option, while one of the Curran brothers might be another. Stuart Broad, who performed well in the BBL and has made no secret of his desire to return to the ODI side, is also a possibility.The England squad is already without Mark Wood, David Willey and Reece Topley due to injury, while Jason Roy was left out of the side for the second warm-up game due to a badly bruised right hand sustained as a result of several recent tough sessions of fielding training.They had better news as regards Alex Hales, though. He will fly out to Antigua on Tuesday and continue his rehab with the rest of the squad following a hand injury. He has not, as yet, been officially added to the squad but that could change in the coming days if the medical team deem his recovery complete.The first ODI takes place in Antigua on Friday.George Dobell is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo. He will be covering England’s tour of the Caribbean in association with Smile Group Travel, specialists in hosted supporters’ packages.

New Zealand’s focus over the next week is trying to win back-to-back ODIs to protect a proud home record, but the Test series against South Africa will approach quickly and they have been boosted by Neil Wagner’s progress after he suffered a fractured finger earlier this month.Mike Hesson said that Wagner was “highly likely” to be available for the first Test in Dunedin, which starts on March 8, having healed well following the injury sustained when fielding off his own bowling for Otago at the start of February.Wagner played club cricket on Saturday and came through “okay” according to Hesson. “He’s done everything possible to ready for the first Test,” Hesson added.He has become a vital figure in New Zealand’s Test attack, following the new-ball pair of Tim Southee and Trent Boult, with an unstinting work ethic and ability to ruffle batsmen with a regular supply of short deliveries.In November he became the second-fastest New Zealand bowler to 100 Test wickets, behind only Richard Hadlee, reaching the milestone in 24 outings. Since the beginning of 2016, Wagner is New Zealand’s leading Test wicket-taker with 51 wickets at 22.33 in 11 Tests.However, New Zealand are covering their bases in case Wagner has any problem between now and the first Test. Matt Henry has been released from the one-day squad to play a Plunket Shield game for Canterbury at the Basin Reserve.Henry has played one Test this home season, against Pakistan in Hamilton, where he claimed a single wicket and overall has an unflattering 17 wickets at 56.11 from seven matches. Due to being regularly with the national squad, Henry has only played one Plunket Shield game this season and in that he was pulled out during the second day for New Zealand duty.”With Neil having had an injury we want to make sure that Matt is ready to go if required,” Hesson said. “We also didn’t think he’d be likely used in Hamilton therefore the opportunity to give him a first-class game.”If a reserve quick is required, New Zealand may also look at Lockie Ferguson who played in the third ODI. While he has proved expensive in ODI cricket, he has taken 18 wickets in four Plunket Shield matches. “I thought he bowled well enough to get two or three last night,” Hesson said. “He’s still developing, but he’s certainly getting better.”BJ Watling, the wicketkeeper-batsman who required rest for a knee problem after the Test series against Bangladesh, has made his return to action for Northern Districts. The Test squad is likely to be named between the fourth and fifth ODIs.

Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin will stand for the president’s post of the Hyderabad Cricket Association. On December 22, a lower court in Hyderabad ordered the HCA elections to take place on January 17.Azharuddin, who filed the nomination papers representing the National Cricket Club on Tuesday morning, said Hyderabad cricket was in the “doldrums” and his aim was to develop a flourishing cricket structure that would produce and retain talent. “I want to serve Hyderabad cricket. It is in doldrums now despite the team making it to the Ranji Trophy semi-finals this year,” Azharuddin told the . “The fact of the matter is that there is no development of the game and there are corruption issues in the HCA. I want to ensure that cricket flourishes in Telangana.”Azharuddin played 99 Tests and scored 6215 runs at an average of 45. He also played 334 ODIs and struck 9378 runs at 36.92 in a career spanning 15 years.Cricket in Hyderabad had taken a backseat with the HCA embroiled in corruption controversies. Deloitte, appointed by the BCCI to carry out an audit of all state associations, presented a diligence report last year and implicated HCA of mismanagement of funds and revealed irregularities and anomalies in the functioning and decision-making.Azharuddin, blamed the current HCA administration, which was headed by his former Hyderabad and India team-mate Arshad Ayub, for the issues with Hyderabad cricket. “I have heard stories of nepotism and corruption in selection. In the under-14, six new players are added to the team after every match. This is shocking.’There is no development of the game and there are corruption issues in the HCA. I want to ensure that cricket flourishes in Telangana’ – Mohammad Azharuddin•Associated Press

“Hyderabad lost two very good players to Andhra [Hanuman Vihari] and one went to Bengal [Pragyan Ojha]. How could the HCA allow them to go and play for other states. Cricket sadly has taken a backseat and that is what I want to change,” Azharuddin said.Ayub, having served for more than nine years as HCA office bearer, had to step down as president after the Supreme Court order on January 2. But Ayub said there was confusion over whether Azharuddin could be eligible to run for the president’s post. “As per HCA constitution, Azhar cannot file directly for the president’s post. Firstly he has to file for the executive committee. Once he serves there he has to become an office bearer. Then only he can put in his nomination for the president’s post,” Ayub told ESPNcricinfo.Ayub also said he was uncertain about how the HCA could conduct elections as the Supreme Court was yet to appoint the panel of administrators that would supervise the BCCI. The Supreme Court is expected to do so on January 19. Ayub said although the HCA had told the Lodha Committee that it would implement all the recommendations, the HCA constitution had not yet been amended. “As per our rules we have to conduct two emergent general body meetings to approve the amended constitution. In the first EGM we had decided to adopt the recommendations.”In the second EGM, which has not yet taken place, the HCA is supposed to insert the various clauses from the Lodha Report into its constitution and then approve it.The HCA was also keen to know from the BCCI whether the life ban imposed on Azharuddin for his involvement in match-fixing had been lifted. It is understood that the HCA secretary John Manoj has raised these points in e-mails to the Lodha Committee, which has not yet been responded to.After the 2000 match-fixing investigation conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation found Azharuddin and three others guilty of fixing matches, the BCCI’s disciplinary committee, led by the then board president AC Muthiah, banned him for life on December 5, 2000. According to the CBI, Azharuddin had admitted to accepting large sums of money from Mukesh Gupta, a bookmaker, to under-perform in two matches.Azharuddin, who subsequently moved to politics, challenged the ban but his initial attempts failed. Then, in 2012, a division bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court ruled the BCCI ban illegal.Azharuddin, though, said the BCCI ban could not rule him out of the HCA elections. “I don’t think the BCCI ban on me can be an issue in my contesting for a post in HCA. It may be recalled here that the Andhra Pradesh High Court has set aside the ban four years ago. So, I don’t foresee any issue in this regard,” Azharuddin said after filing his nomination papers.

Haseeb Hameed has been urged not to rest on his laurels following the impressive start to his Test career. While praising Hameed’s “remarkable” second-innings half-century in Mohali, Joe Root also encouraged his young colleague to respond to his early success by working ever harder.Having received widespread acclaim at the end of the Mohali Test – not least from India’s captain, Virat Kohli – Hameed now returns to England for an operation on his hand following a serious break of his little finger. But any danger that he might let the praise go to his head – and, to be fair, it doesn’t seem as if there was much danger – will have been dispelled by Root’s gentle words of warning and encouragement.”The only advice I gave was, make sure you don’t go back to county cricket at the start of the summer and rest on your laurels,” Root said. “Don’t think: I’m a Test cricketer now.”It’s an opportunity to prove to everyone in county cricket that you are there for a reason. You have opportunities to make some really big scores, to keep learning and to keep improving. He has the opportunity to put the good work he has done in India into his game and continue to develop the way he has done.”Root’s words are both well-intentioned and wise. As he found after an encouraging start to his own career, Test cricket is hugely demanding and the pain of being dropped at the end of the Ashes tour of 2013-14 continues to motivate him.So while Hameed’s start has been exciting, Root wants him to be ready for the challenges ahead and to know there is much, much more to achieve. He also warned that more will be expected of Hameed now and that will bring different challenges.Still, Hameed returns to England having made an excellent impression. It is not so much the runs he scored – two half-centuries in six innings does not look so special, after all – but the composure with which he batted under pressure and in conditions in which his colleagues have struggled. Aged 19, he already looks one of the more composed batsmen in the side.”The way he played with a broken hand the other day was remarkable,” Root said. “For such a young lad to show composure, to manipulate the strike and also hit some of the best spinners in the world for boundaries was very, very impressive.”For a 19-year-old lad to come into this environment and be so composed and mature… You watch him practice, and you would think he had played 60 or 70 games. It’s great to see someone come in with that attitude and hopefully, that stays with him for a long time.”He will have different expectations in the future and that might be a different challenge. But he has got a very good head on his shoulders and he should be proud of what he has done so far. Now it is about managing those expectations and being realistic: it’s going to take time to keep developing and it might not always go how he wants. But sometimes you have to have those little tumbles to get right to the top. I’m sure that if he does have some hard times, he’ll get through it.”It is revealing to study Hameed’s dismissals. Of the five of them, one was a run-out (for which he was largely blameless), one came as he tried to up the pace in a bid to set up a declaration in Rajkot, one came when he was the victim of a shooter in Vizag – a truly unplayable ball – and another came when he received a delivery that reared off a length in Mohali. There were one or two signs of weakness, mainly against the short ball, but his figures do not flatter him. He looked assured, elegant and ready.The ECB undertook some research a few years ago that underlined the impression that players who do well do so at the start of their Test career.There are notable exceptions either way, of course – Graham Gooch suffered a ‘pair’ on debut; David Lloyd had an average of 260 after two Tests – but it might be telling that, of the last England side to reach No. 1 in the Test rankings, four of the batsmen (Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss, Jonathan Trott and Matt Prior) made centuries on debut and two others (Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell) made half-centuries. One of the bowlers (James Anderson) took a five-for on Test debut, too, while another (Graeme Swann) too two wickets in his first over.The confidence of those early experiences may well have laid the path to subsequent success. Whichever way you look at it, Hameed would appear to have a bright future.

Cricket Ireland have unveiled plans for the first dedicated outdoor cricket training complex in Ireland, giving top performers of both sexes and all ages the best facilities to help develop their skills on the Sport Ireland National Sports Campus.The Cricket Ireland Performance Centre will mean that cricket becomes the latest sport to join the Sport Ireland site at Blanchardstown in Dublin. The development will feature 14 grass nets, five artificial pull-out bays, a 90m outfield, plus seating and storage areas.The €600,000 development has been made possible thanks to support from the ICC, the Irish Government and Sport Ireland and a personal benefactor, Denis O’Brien.”The development of Cricket Ireland’s first-ever dedicated outdoor training centre is a huge step forward for Irish cricket,” said Cricket Ireland CEO Warren Deutrom.”For the first time, our performance squads – male and female, senior and junior, national, provincial and academy – will be able to train on a day-to-day basis in a state-of-the-art facility controlled by Cricket Ireland.”We are grateful to the Government and Sport Ireland for providing us with the land, and to the ICC which is clearly increasing its support for Ireland’s aspirations – by granting first-class status to our Hanley Energy Inter-provincial competition; through our elevation to the 12-team ODI structure; and by granting an additional $500k in 2016 and 2017 to help us afford the matches.Deutrom also lauded the individual involvement of Denis O’Brien, an Irish billionaire and media mogul.”I would also like to extend our particular gratitude to Denis O’Brien, who continues to play a vital, yet unheralded role, in the growth of Irish cricket,” he said. “For the last 10 years Denis has always been ready to answer our call – from supporting our team in the Caribbean World Cup in 2007 and then our first cohort of contracted players, to helping us stage our major matches and, now, helping us build our first outdoor performance centre. He has played a central role in helping us punch above our weight on the world stage and, for this, we are enormously grateful.”Sport Ireland Chief Executive, John Treacy welcomed the new development saying: “Earlier this year Cricket Ireland launched an ambitious strategic plan which aims to make cricket mainstream, and the development of these world class training facilities at the Sport Ireland National Sports Campus will assist this objective as the sport continues to grow.”Cricket Ireland performance director, Richard Holdsworth, explained the rationale behind the new development, saying: “There is a pressing requirement for such a facility to be built to service our increasing number of performance teams, as we found existing clubs are already overstretched in terms of hosting Cricket Ireland activity due to the impressive growth in participation figures in recent years.The facility will also provide a training venue for touring overseas teams; New Zealand, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and West Indies will visit Ireland in 2017.”We have found that access to high-quality outdoor facilities has been a consistent theme emerging from the last two post-World Cup reviews,” Holdsworth said. “We have previously announced warm-weather outdoor plans for the La Manga Club Development (which is almost complete) and this home-based facility will augment that perfectly.”We already have four ODI-accredited facilities in Ireland, but no quality outdoor training facilities so this will remedy that.”Work on the new facility is expected to start subject to the necessary planning permissions in early 2017 with the artificial area being completed ahead of the season and the grass nets operational in 2018.

Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin have counselled Australia against excessive sledging in the forthcoming Test series against South Africa, querying whether recent efforts to “puff chests out” detracted more from the team’s performances than having any impact on the opposition.The Australia ODI team engaged in numerous verbal battles with South Africa over the course of a 5-0 series defeat on their recent tour, which followed captain Steven Smith’s assertion that a “quiet” team needed to show more “energy” in the field. While Clarke and Haddin were both known for numerous verbal stoushes over their careers, they agreed that forcing the issue verbally would do more harm than good.”I’m probably contradicting the way I captained, because I loved that aggressive approach and while there was a line, I always liked the team I captained to head-butt that line, not overstep it but head-butt it. That’s how I thought we played our best cricket,” Clarke told ESPNcricinfo. “But the more I experienced got I believed it wasn’t what you said it was what you did, so your performance wasn’t dictated by your mouth.”I’m probably contradicting myself and my captaincy style because there were a couple of occasions where I did open my big mouth. The reason I did that with James Anderson was to stick up for George Bailey and the Dale Steyn one was sticking up for James Pattinson as well. But I shouldn’t have said a word, in both situations there was no need for me to say anything.”Clarke noted that numerous players from past eras were particularly talkative on the field because it is what worked for them, not because they felt compelled to do so out of some idealised image of the Australian cricketer. “I think you need to do what’s comfortable to you,” he said. “The team I grew up playing in that Australian team, they had Steve Waugh, Matthew Hayden, Shane Warne, these guys liked and enjoyed that verbal competition.”That helped them perform. So if that helps you, as long as you don’t overstep that mark, then go for your life. There’s a number of players around the world that enjoy that. I remember Kevin Pietersen loved that challenge against Mitchell Johnson or Shane Warne, whomever it was.”So if it helps your game, do it, but I don’t think you should force it. I think that’d be like me trying to bat like Ricky Ponting. The guys have got to work out what they feel is best for them individually and as a team and go for it. But if it doesn’t suit your personality then I wouldn’t try to be someone I’m not.”Michael Clarke on his altercation with James Anderson during the 2013 Ashes: “I shouldn’t have said a word.”•Getty Images

Haddin expressed the view that teams could make life uncomfortable for opponents without resorting to verbal abuse. Areas like aggressive fielding, running between the wickets and banter among team-mates – sometimes referred to as “talking across” the batsmen – could have the same effect without becoming a distraction from the primary goal – to win the game.”I don’t think it’s about what you say on the field,” Haddin said. “The best Australian teams I’ve been a part of have been able to create an uncomfortable environment for the opposition with your body language, your movements around the game, and creating an atmosphere with each other where the opposition feels like they’re the only two people out there, or he [the batsman] feels like he’s stuck out there by himself.”It’s the environment you’re trying to create with your presence. That can be having the most athletic fielding team so the opposition feels uncomfortable there. It’s about creating the environment to make the opposition feel they can’t play their best. The best way you can do that is to create an environment where the opposition try to do something they don’t normally do.”Sometimes the best form of that is not to say anything – you wouldn’t say anything to a Kevin Pietersen for example because he’d dig his heels in and start taking it personally to hit us all around the park. One of the best things for him was to stay away from him.”Conversely, Haddin felt that talking too much to opponents invariably led to a change in the power dynamic, as the “sledgers” revealed more about their own discomfort than those they were targeting. “Talking too much to the opposition … you’ve got to earn the right to play the way you want to play,” Haddin said.”Sometimes if you’re just focusing on talking and trying to get a reaction it can have a negative effect on your team. The reason you create that uncomfortable environment there is to make the opposition do something they don’t want to do. If it starts detracting from what you’re trying to do then that’s a problem.”Asked to provide an example of a player who struck the right balance, Haddin mentioned Andrew Symonds. “Andrew was one of the best team men I ever played with,” he said. “He didn’t say a lot to the opposition, but his presence in the covers or when he had the ball he was always up for the contest.”You knew if Andrew was there, the way he dived in the field and chased, the tempo he set running between the wickets, the opposition could look at him and says ‘Hang on, the Australians are up for the fight today’ and that then puts doubt in their change room.”