I Dig Sports
Establishing close relations, promoting Parkinson’s
On the first day, Professor Kazuto Yoshida, JTTA SSMC Chair, opened the meeting with a welcome address. There were five speakers in the first session and eight in the second; all presented their research results and shared creative insights.
Five speakers
Following the second session, the meeting was opened and chaired by Professor Hiroyoshi Ogasa, JTTA SSMC Vice Chairman. The title was “Injury Prevention and Medical Support Issues in Racket Sports”.
There were five speakers, including medical support staff members not only from table tennis but also from tennis and soft tennis. They made presentations based on their latest practical activities and study results. A lively discussion ensued.
Second day
On the second day, we started the third session, poster presentations, eight speakers; discussions were positive and went beyond the scheduled time of one hour.
Next, Prof. Miran Kondric, Chair ITTF Sports Science Committee, gave a keynote lecture. The title was “Table Tennis can be best possible therapy for individuals with Parkinson’s Disease; also for patients with other modern diseases”. He spoke about the possibility of table tennis having a preventive effect on Parkinson’s disease from several different viewpoints.
“Table tennis is one of the rare sports activities that individuals with Parkinson’s Disease and their families can do together. We hope that ITTF and other international universities and medical institutions worldwide will find resources to slow down Parkinson’s Disease with table tennis activities”. Professor Miran Kondric.
Later Dr. Shiro Matsuo delivered a special lecture. The title was “six years of progress, we will never stop reaching for more”. After this special lecture, the Japanese Table Tennis Association presented an award of appreciation to Professor Miran Kondric for his invaluable support at JTTA SSMC international meetings.
Fourth session
Following, there was the fourth session with five speakers. Finally, Professor Hiroyoshi Ogasa, JTTA SSMC Vice Chairman, concluded the meeting expressing his gratitude.
Throughout the two day meeting, everyone gave their full attention; the discussions were livelier than ever. We had a most thought-provoking and beneficial time.
Now by holding this meeting annually, we have strengthened and expanded the network of table tennis researchers. We believe the cumulative achievements of JTTA SSMC international meetings will be a legacy, not only for JTTA SSMC members, but also for all participants and will continue long after 2020 Tokyo.
Collaboration
JTTA SSMC and ITTF Sports Science and Medical Committee have agreed to collaborate even more closely in the field of table tennis science and medicine in the future.
Thanks to the International Table Tennis Federation each participant received a pen and key chain with the ITTF logo. We appreciate and thank the ITTF Marketing Department for their contribution to the event.
We look forward to meeting researchers and medical staff at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
Door open but Timo Boll must tread carefully
One player in particular for whom there could be a veritable beam of sunshine is the host nation’s Timo Boll.
Currently on the ITTF World Tour Men’s Singles Standings, he is listed at no.15 (244 points), just above the cut off mark; playing in Bremen he will complete the five minimum appearance criteria. Also he is named on the entry list for the ITTF World Tour Platinum Austrian Open in November, the concluding tournament on this year’s calendar, a quarter-final finish on home soil, as his status predicts, will do his cause no harm whatsoever.
Seeds
He is the no.6 seed. China’s Xu Xin, Fan Zhendong and Lin Gaoyuan occupy the top three positions ahead of Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto and Brazil’s Hugo Calderano; Liang Jingkun also from China and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yun-Ju complete the top eight names.
However, they are not the players who necessarily stand in the way of Timo Boll adding to his points standings total; the likes of China’s Fang Bo, Zhao Zihao, Zhao Qihao and Sun Wen plus a certain Wang Chuqin are potential opening round opponents. All must compete in the qualification tournament, two or three matches under their belt, for anyone they are dangerous first round adversaries, none more so that Wang Chuqin, the recent winner in Stockholm.
Turn back the clock
One goal for Timo Boll is to meet his seeded position, another is to go beyond and turn the clock back ten years. In 2009, appropriately in Bremen, he won the fourth of his men’s singles titles at an ITTF World Tour tournament in Germany. Earlier he had succeeded in 2004 in Leipzig, 2006 in Bayreuth, 2008 in Berlin.
Four titles for Timo Boll, it is three for compatriot Dimitrij Ovtcharov, the no.10 seed behind Japan’s Koki Niwa; a last eight finish at the 2019 ITTF World Tour Platinum German Open and he will cement his place in the Grand Finals. Following his efforts in Sweden, on the standings, he is now listed at no.10 (387 points).
Notably, he won in Magdeburg in both 2014 and 2017, previously in 2012 beating a certain Timo Boll in the final, the city, Bremen!
A good omen; at least it could be this year for one of them!
Four titles, one more needed to equal living legend
Chen Meng is listed ahead of colleagues Wang Manyu and Sun Yingsha, further down the order, Chen Xingtong is the no.10 seed; they are presented with the task of maintaining Chinese supremacy in women’s singles events on this year’s ITTF World Tour.
Commencing in January in Hungary; to date all 10 events completed have been won by Chinese players, in addition to Chen Meng the names in question being Chen Xingtong, Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu and Wang Yidi. However, Chen Meng is the name in question.
Two players achieved the feat
She emerged successful in Hungary, the Korea Republic, China and now in Sweden.
Four ITTF World Tour women’s singles titles in a calendar year, only two players have achieved the feat in what is now 346 tournaments completed since the first was held in Kettering, England 1996.
A compatriot of Chen Meng, in 2007, Guo Yue won in China, Croatia, Kuwait and Slovenia; the other is Zhang Yining, she achieved the feat in 2004 and in 2008 but more significantly in 2003 she won five times. She stands alone, she emerged successful in China, Croatia, Denmark, Germany and Sweden.
Now that is the record in the sights of Chen Meng in Bremen; can she match the player who, in the eyes of many, is the greatest female player of all time?
Testing opponents
Judging by her efforts in Stockholm, the target is within reach and not just because she won the won the women’s singles title, it was the manner in which she succeeded. She beat testing opposition on route; after accounting for Japan’s Sakura Mori (11-2, 11-8, 11-3, 11-4), she accounted for a series of colleagues to reach the final.
She beat Wang Yidi (11-7, 11-5, 13-15, 11-7, 12-10), the winner earlier this year in Hong Kong, before reversing the decision of earlier this year in April at the Liebherr 2019 World Championships, she halted the progress of Liu Shiwen (11-7, 10-12, 4-11, 11-8, 11-5, 18-16). Later she overcame the defensive skills of Liu Fei, a contest that was arguably harder than the straight games score line may suggest (11-5, 11-7, 11-9, 11-7).
A place in the final booked, it was there when she showed the character required to be the player listed at the top of the world, the character to equal the record of the legendary Zhang Yining. She recovered from a three games to one deficit to beat Japan’s Mima Ito (8-11, 11-6, 7-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-9, 11-5).
Incredible record
It was the 13th time that Chen Meng had won an ITTF World Tour women’s singles title, the success stands alongside the very best but even if she wins in Bremen she will not be half way there to matching another record Zhang Yining holds.
Between 1998 and 2009, she won on no less than 29 occasions! Way ahead of the field, next in line is Wang Nan with 16 such successes, followed by Ding Ning with 14 wins.
Hard work ahead for Chen Meng.
Egyptian teenager Rowan Elaraby conquers world No.6 Joelle King
Rowan Elaraby in devastating form against Joelle King
US Open shock as 19-year-old saves two match balls
By SEAN REUTHE – Squash Mad Correspondent
Two-time World Junior Champion Rowan Elaraby claimed the biggest PSA Tour win of her career to date earlier at Philadelphia’s Drexel University as she overturned two match balls to scalp New Zealand’s World No.6 Joelle King at the FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships, earning a spot in her first ever Platinum quarter final.
World No.31 Elaraby had already beaten higher-ranked opposition in England’s Victoria Lust in round two, and she upped her game further to take out the tournament’s No.5 seed, with the 19-year-old battling to an 11-7, 7-11, 2-11, 12-10, 11-8 victory during a scrappy 55-minute encounter.
King held two match balls in the fourth game and the 31-year-old looked set to get the better of her younger opponent.
But a dogged showing from Elaraby saw the Egyptian come back from the brink, and she kept her focus despite a number of refereeing decisions in the decider to book her place in the quarter finals.
“I’m out of words,” said Elaraby afterwards. “I’m really happy with how I played and how I managed to go through the match. I can’t believe it. I feel as though what I was working on in the off season has been paying off now. My coach, Mohamed Effat, has worked with me so hard during the summer, so I’m really happy that I was able to play my best squash.
“My coach just said that I didn’t have anything to lose and just give it my all and that’s what I did.”
Nour El Tayeb powers through to the quarter-finals
Elaraby will take on World No.3 Nour El Tayeb for a place in the semi-finals after El Tayeb put in a composed performance to overcome reigning World Junior Champion Hania El Hammamy, beating her 11-7, 11-7, 11-8 to avenge her Black Ball Open defeat to the teenager earlier this year.
“This court holds a lot of special memories for me,” said 2017 US Open champion El Tayeb.
“It was my first major title and doing it with Ali [husband, Farag] was extremely special and even though I had a bad result here last year, I still feel very happy and emotional coming here.”
Defending champion Raneem El Welily continued her imperious start to the season with a 21-minute dismantling of fellow Egyptian Yathreb Adel, and she will play World No.7 Sarah-Jane Perry in the last eight, with Perry requiring four games to see off the dangerous Malaysian Sivasangari Subramaniam.
Diego Elias plays masterful squash against Joel Makin
In the men’s event, Peru’s Diego Elias navigated a tricky fixture against World No.12 Joel Makin, with an immaculate performance seeing the World No.7 run out an 11-5, 11-9, 11-8 winner.
The Lima-based 22-year-old had beaten World No.12 Makin in their previous two encounters on the PSA Tour, and added a third victory to that tally after a virtuoso display saw him hit his corners with regularity and move Makin around the court superbly to vanquish the Welshman.
“I feel good. I lost a bit of fitness after winning the Pan Ams, but after that I started training again and I have another goal, which is to win one of these big events,” said Elias, who won a gold medal at the Pan American Games during the summer.
“I’m really happy, I knew this was going to be really tough, he’s a really tough player, he’s so physical and fit and I knew it could have been 100 minutes, so I’m really happy I managed to win in three. We [Elias and his father] try to go to all of these events together and all of this wouldn’t be happening if it was not for him. I’m really happy he can come to these tournaments with me, and I really hope I can win one of these big ones.”
Miguel Rodriguez dives across the court against Ryan Cuskelly
Elias will do battle with World No.4 Karim Abdel Gawad, who advanced to the quarter finals courtesy of an 11-5, 16-14, 11-7 win over France’s Gregoire Marche.
Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez also progressed to the quarter finals after beating Australia’s Ryan Cuskelly 13-11, 11-9, 11-7 and his reward will be a last-eight match-up with World No.1 Ali Farag.
Farag, the 2017 US Open champion alongside wife El Tayeb, built on a comfortable first game victory against Englishman Adrian Waller to complete an 11-3, 11-9, 11-8 victory.
“I’m really happy and feeling sharp and looking forward to progressing through to the quarter finals,” Farag said.
Top seed Ali Farag turns on the style against Adrian Waller
“Everyone is playing really well and everyone is really sharp and wants to do well this season. The season is still young but I hope I can achieve as much as last season and give it my all.”
Round three action at the U.S. Open continues today (Tuesday October 8) as United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy and defending men’s champion Mohamed ElShorbagy aim to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Play begins at 13:30 (GMT-4) and live coverage will be shown on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (excluding Europe and Japan).
PSA World Tour Platinum FS Investments US Open 2019, Daskalakis Athletic Center, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA. (Equal prize money: $185,500 for both men and women).
Men’s Third Round (Top Half):
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt Adrian Waller (ENG) 3-0: 11-3, 11-9, 11-8 (34m)
[8] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bt Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) 3-0: 13-11, 11-9, 11-7 (55m)
[7] Diego Elias (PER) bt Joel Makin (WAL) 3-0: 11-5, 11-9, 11-8 (50m)
[4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt Gregoire Marche (FRA) 3-0: 11-5, 16-14, 11-7 (59m)
Men’s Third Round (Bottom Half):
[3] Tarek Momen (EGY) v Raphael Kandra (GER)
Zahed Salem (EGY) v [5] Simon Rosner (GER)
[6] Paul Coll (NZL) v Mazen Hesham (EGY)
Campbell Grayson (NZL) v [2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY)
Men’s Quarter-Finals (Top Half, October 9):
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v [8] Miguel Rodriguez (COL)
[7] Diego Elias (PER) v [4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Women’s Third Round (Top Half):
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt [15] Yathreb Adel (EGY) 3-0: 11-3, 11-5, 11-4 (21m)
[6] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) 3-1: 10-12, 11-9, 11-6, 14-12 (48m)
Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt [5] Joelle King (NZL) 3-2: 11-7, 7-11, 2-11, 12-10, 11-8 (55m)
[4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt [14] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-7, 11-8 (36m)
Women’s Third Round (Bottom Half):
[3] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v [13] Salma Hany (EGY)
[16] Joey Chan (HKG) v [8] Tesni Evans (WAL)
[7] Amanda Sobhy (USA) v [12] Joshna Chinappa (IND)
[9] Annie Au (HKG) v [2] Camille Serme (FRA)
Women’s Quarter-Finals (Top Half, October 9):
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v [6] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
Rowan Elaraby (EGY) v [4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Pictures courtesy of PSA
DENVER, N.C. – Action Express Racing has confirmed the team expects to field only one prototype entry during the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.
The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi.V.R will be co-driven by 2018 IMSA Prototype champion Felipe Nasr and 2016 Rolex 24 At Daytona winner Pipo Derani for the full 2020 season schedule, with the team expecting to finalize the driver roster for the endurance events in the coming weeks.
However the team’s second car, which is currently driven by multi-time IMSA champion Joao Barbosa and Filipe Albuquerque, is not expected to return next season.
“Action Express racing has fielded two cars in every event since 2011,” said team owner Bob Johnson. “Beginning in 2020, it is likely that Action Express will become a single car team. We have worked for many months to find ways to remain a two car team. To be fair to all involved, we must report that the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac will probably be the single entry as managed by Action Express Racing in 2020. We want to thank all of our fans and every one of our great drivers, partners and crew members that have supported our two car team along the way.”
Barbosa has been a part of Action Express Racing since the team’s inception in 2010, when the squad won the Rolex 24 in their debut race. Albuquerque joined the team for the first time in 2016 before going full-time in 2018.
Action Express captured the 2014, ’15, ’16 and ’18 IMSA team and driver championships, as well as five-straight IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup titles from 2014 through 2018.
NEW YORK -- The New York Rangers traded forward Vladislav Namestnikov to the Ottawa Senators on Monday night in exchange for defenseman Nick Ebert and a fourth-round pick in the 2021 NHL draft.
The 26-year-old Namestnikov, acquired from Tampa Bay at the 2018 trade deadline as part of the deal that sent Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller to the Lightning, had 13 goals and 22 assists in 99 games with the Rangers. For his career, he has 66 goals and 92 assists in 362 games.
Ebert has played in one game with the American Hockey League's Belleville Senators this season. He played in 49 games with Orebro of the Swedish Hockey League last season, with 11 goals and 22 assists. The 25-year-old native of Livingston, New Jersey, was a seventh-round pick by Los Angeles in the 2012 NHL draft.
The Rangers now have nine picks in the 2021 draft -- one in each of the first two rounds, two in each of the next two rounds and one each in the the last three rounds.
What does the "Big Six" need to do to catch Liverpool?
Eight games into the 2019-20 Premier League season, Liverpool have made a record start by winning all eight fixtures so far to sit eight points clear of the chasing pack heading into the international break. For Jurgen Klopp's team, the season could not have gone any better, and Liverpool are now overwhelming favourites to win the English title for the first time since 1990.
But what about the rest of the so-called "Big Six?" Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United have all had their problems during the early weeks of this campaign, with Spurs and United seemingly in a downward spiral.
- Premier League review: Man City are fading fast
- Are Man United in a relegation battle?
- Miller: How far can Chelsea's youth movement take them?
With two weeks until the Premier League resumes, what must those clubs do to solve their own issues and close the gap on Liverpool?
MANCHESTER CITY
2019-20: Second place, 16 points, +18 Goal Difference
The reigning champions and last season's domestic Treble winners have made their worst start to a season since Pep Guardiola took charge at the Etihad in 2016. At times, City have looked unstoppable, hitting five past West Ham on the opening day and then recording their biggest-ever top-flight win with an 8-0 rout of Watford, but defensive frailties have led to two defeats, against Norwich and Wolves, that have left them so far adrift of Liverpool in the early going.
City's defensive shortcomings were identified by Guardiola during the summer when, after the departure former captain Vincent Kompany to Anderlecht, he tried and failed to sign a replacement. It left the team short of experienced cover for Aymeric Laporte, John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi, and with Laporte and Stones now on the sidelines, City have big problems at the back.
Solving those will be easier said than done, but Guardiola needs to find a way to make City more robust at the back, especially at set pieces, before they return to action at Crystal Palace on Oct. 19.
ARSENAL
2019-20: Third place, 15 points, +2 GD
With Arsenal sitting in third position after eight games, Unai Emery is arguably overperforming with a squad that remains imbalanced and in need of extra defensive quality. But with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring seven of the team's 13 league goals so far, the Gunners possess a striker who could prove the difference between success and failure in their primary objective of qualifying for the Champions League.
Emery is gradually making Arsenal more durable and organised, with the continued absence of Mesut Ozil and a pointer towards the coach's determination to make his team more competitive, but so much rests on Aubameyang being fit and in form.
Furthermore, Emery must also not allow Arsenal's current position to distract from the reality of their winless run against "Big Six" opponents so far this season. In games against Liverpool, Spurs and United, Arsenal have taken just two points. They need to find a way to beat their biggest rivals to cement their top-four ambitions.
Burley: Lampard's Chelsea flourishing with youth
Craig Burley says Frank Lampard has rejuvenated Chelsea with youth after the Blues' 4-1 win over Southampton.
CHELSEA
2019-20: Fifth place, 14 points, +4 GD
A 4-0 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford on the opening weekend was the worst possible start for manager Frank Lampard, but Chelsea have bounced back from that setback to climb to fifth position going into the international break.
It's true that Chelsea have been inconsistent, but with the club unable to add to their squad during the summer due to a two-window worldwide transfer ban, the inability to sign new players has enabled Lampard to give chances to youngsters such as Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori. All three academy products have now been called into the senior England squad as a reward for their progress, which has been a highlight of Chelsea's season so far. Abraham, in particular, has stood out by scoring eight league goals to stand alongside Sergio Aguero in the race for the Gold Boot.
Lampard's challenge from this stage is to build on the momentum and ensure that experienced players such as N'Golo Kante, Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta are able to influence the youngsters on the pitch to the extent that the team finds some winning consistency.
TOTTENHAM
2019-20: Ninth place, 11 points, +2 GD
Spurs have collected just 22 points from their past 20 Premier League games -- their worst run since 2008-09 -- so it is not just the start of this season that will worry Mauricio Pochettino and chairman Daniel Levy.
The run to last season's Champions League final papered over cracks that had begun to appear all over the pitch for Spurs -- Hugo Lloris and Dele Alli's alarming loss of form, poor performances in defence, inconsistency in results -- and the new campaign has merely seen them exacerbated, with the serious arm injury suffered by Lloris in the weekend defeat at Brighton potentially ending the French goalkeeper's season.
Pochettino has done little to quell speculation over his future, and there are too many question marks over the Spurs futures of players such as Christian Eriksen, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld. The biggest question hanging over Spurs relates to Pochettino's future, but if he remains in charge, the Argentine must restore unity to an unhappy dressing room and get Eriksen on the pitch and performing again, otherwise we may be approaching regime change at the club.
Man United were 'utterly abysmal' vs. Newcastle
Now winless in five matches, Craig Burley says Manchester United look like a team going nowhere.
MANCHESTER UNITED
2019-20: 12th place, nine points, +1 GD
The biggest challenge at Manchester United is not to pinpoint what is going wrong, but rather to identify what is going right under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Sunday's 1-0 defeat against Newcastle at St. James' Park was United's third of the season, and it left them languishing in 12th position, just two points above the relegation zone.
Defensively, United have conceded fewer goals than Manchester City, but the impact of summer signings Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been drowned out by the failings ahead of them in midfield and attack, where Solskjaer's team have scored just nine goals in eight games.
Solskjaer has allowed his squad to be cut too deep with the summer exits of Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Ander Herrera, Chris Smalling, Antonio Valencia and Matteo Darmian, choosing to hand opportunities to youngsters such as Mason Greenwood, Tahith Chong, Angel Gomes, Axel Tuanzebe and Brandon Williams. Too many of the kids are not ready for Premier League action, though, and their experienced teammates are underperforming or simply not good enough.
Solskjaer simply has to steady the ship, rely on his senior players and hope United are not in the bottom half by the time the January transfer window opens.
Sheffield Shield previews: Western Australia and Queensland
Western Australia
Last season Third (League stage: 5 wins, 3 defeats, 2 draws)
Captain Mitchell Marsh
Coach Adam Voges
Overview
Western Australia won five games last season but two defeats at the hands of New South Wales ultimately cost them a place in the final. The second was the most disappointing, suffering two huge collapses on a spinning surface at Bankstown Oval despite Cameron Bancroft facing 621 deliveries for the match and being dismissed only once. Their top order batting was a massive issue prior to the BBL last year with six different opening combinations tried in seven games but this season they will have a settled top three with Bancroft, Sam Whiteman and Shaun Marsh inked in for the majority of the season barring injury or Bancroft getting a Test recall. They have a power-packed middle order with Mitchell Marsh, Ashton Turner (when he recovers from a broken finger), Hilton Cartwright, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Philippe and D'Arcy Short all trying to squeeze into three spots when the full complement is available for three of the first four matches. Josh Inglis was the preferred wicketkeeper last season but Philippe, Whiteman and Bancroft can all do the job if there is a need to get creative with the line-up. Their attack relies heavily on the durability of Jhye Richardson and Matt Kelly. Joel Paris will be managed to maximise his appearances and young allrounder Cameron Green could come into the equation as well. Ashton Agar will be the No.1 spinner but Short has played as a specialist spinner previously.
Player to watch
Mitchell Marsh spoke of his strained relationship with the Australian public after taking his maiden Test five-wicket haul at The Oval recently. Love him or hate him, all eyes are on him. In part, that is not his fault. The national selectors have made him a player to watch whether he deserves to be or not. They are desperate for him to perform at Shield level. Last season he made two centuries, the first time he had managed such a feat in 10 seasons, and doubled his career tally. Yet he still only averaged 35.92 with the bat and 40.46 with the ball. If he can pound out more hundreds and reverse those numbers this season there will be a lot of love coming his way.
Young gun
Josh Philippe has already caught the attention of Australian cricket followers with some dynamic performances. He made his first Shield hundred last season but his performances tailed off after the BBL and he was left out of the team at one stage. He seems best suited to the middle order and the only question is can he develop the consistency needed and learn to work up and down the gears depending on the different scenarios middle-order players face in first-class cricket. His talent is absolutely undeniable.
Queensland
Last season Fourth (League stage: 3 wins, 5 defeats, 2 draws)
Captain Usman Khawaja
Coach Wade Seccombe
Overview
Queensland had a tough 2018-19 season after winning the Shield in 2017-18. While their attack remained essentially the same and delivered consistent performances on a Gabba track that suited their skilled seamers, the batting was not as prolific. Despite having three men on the cusp of the Test side in their top order, Sam Heazlett was the only player to score a century last season and bowling allrounder Michael Neser was the only player to average over 40, after making five half-centuries batting at No. 7 for most of the season. The surfaces played a part but a lot of half-centuries did go uncapitalized. Their top order will be loaded at the start of this season and there will be some decisions to make surrounding who bats where. Notionally, Joe Burns and Matt Renshaw would open to try and push for Test selection with Usman Khawaja batting at No. 3 and Marnus Labuschagne at No. 4. But Labuschagne is the Test No. 3 and Khawaja may see an opportunity to claim an opening spot in the Test side given his record in that position. The retirement of long-time servant Luke Feldman leaves a sizable hole in a well-rounded attack. But Billy Stanlake's re-emergence as a red-ball cricketer was an exciting development last season and Neser's ability to bat at No.7, plus the all-round capabilities of Jack Wildermuth, gives Queensland the chance to use Stanlake wisely for maximum impact.
Player to watch
Joe Burns' start to the season will be monitored closely. Last season he was affected by the post-viral fatigue issues he was eventually diagnosed with in the early part of the winter. He did well to get back and play on the Australia A tour of England and made a century against Sussex. That innings, combined with his 180 against Sri Lanka in the Canberra Test, as well as England decimating Australia's left-handed openers in the Ashes makes his omission from the Ashes squad look even more perplexing in hindsight. Despite four centuries in 16 Tests, Burns curiously continues to need to prove his credentials. He will need runs early in the Shield season to earn a fifth recall to the Test team.
Young gun
It's hard to call a man who has played 11 Tests, and has a Test century, a young gun but Matt Renshaw is the youngest of Queensland's regulars and is a player many are expecting to rise again. At just 23, he still has so much time to forge a path at international level. He slipped out of Test calculations after a poor summer last year but there is a lot of excitement about his form in the pre-season and his potential to elevate his game in limited-overs cricket. There are opposition state coaches who believe he has all the tools to be Australia's Test match opener long-term. Some big scores early in the season will not do his chances any harm.
Behrendorff opts for same lower spine surgery as Pattinson
Australia fast bowler Jason Behrendorff has confirmed he will undergo the same lower spine surgery as James Pattinson in order to solve his ongoing back issues and help prolong his career.
Behrendorff, 29, met with New Zealand-based surgeon Rowan Schouten in Sydney last week for an initial consultation and has been given the green light to undergo the procedure.
He will head to New Zealand with his family to have the surgery in the coming weeks. He will now miss the entire domestic summer and is also in severe doubt to be ready for next year's T20 World Cup in October, but the timing of the surgery has been designed to give him every chance to be fit.
"Unfortunately, I've had the same injury over the last few years and we've tried a number of things and the injury continues to return," Behrendorff said. "After a lot of thought and discussion we've decided that surgery is the best opportunity to find a more permanent fix.
"I'm feeling good about the surgery, I've spoken to a number of Aussie and Kiwi bowlers who've had a similar surgery and they were all very positive about the results.
"This particular procedure has had good success rates in other professional pace bowlers with similar reoccurring issues."
ESPNcricinfo revealed recently that Behrendorff, in conjunction with the Western Australia and Cricket Australia medical staff, was exploring the option of back surgery after scans recently uncovered a return of the stress fractures that have plagued him in the past.
Behrendorff had conversations with Pattinson and Shane Bond about the surgery and their experiences recovering from it. He also spoke with Sydney Sixers fast bowler Ben Dwarshuis who underwent the procedure earlier this year and is already back bowling.
The surgery involves fusing screws and a titanium cable into the lower spine to stabilise the stress fracture which is not healing conventionally. Christchurch-based surgeon Grahame Inglis has been the leader in the field and performed the surgery on both Bond and Pattinson. Schouten has worked with Inglis and performed Dwarshuis' surgery this year. The WACA's long-time head physio Nick Jones also did extensive research on the surgery and the recovery process and will be a key figure during Behrendorff's rehab.
The procedure was a huge success for both Pattinson and Bond and has also helped Matt Henry and Corey Anderson. Pattinson returned to Test cricket this year after going under the knife in late 2017, while Bond, who had the surgery when he was 30 years old, played six more years of top-level cricket.
The rough estimated recovery time is between nine and 12 months but it is far from exact. Pattinson took 12 months to return to first-class cricket and it was another 22 months before he played Test cricket, although he had been out of the Australian set-up for 18 months prior to the surgery due to his injury issues.
Dwarshuis played in the BBL semi-final on February 15 earlier this year before having the surgery. He bowled four overs for the first time in a match in Sydney grade cricket on October 5.
ESPNcricinfo understands that this specific type of surgery has been performed on 18 patients over the course of nearly two decades by Inglis and Schouten and has a 100% success rate in terms of returning to full fitness.
The surgery could pave the way for Behrendorff to return to all three forms of the game. He has been a white-ball bowler only in the last two years due to his ongoing issues. He has not played a first-class game since November 2017 but has an excellent first-class record.
Stoinis dropped from T20I squad; McDermott, Stanlake recalled
Marcus Stoinis has been dropped from Australia's T20I squad following his disappointing 50-over World Cup, with Ben McDermott and Billy Stanlake among those recalled to face Sri Lanka and Pakistan as plans are formed ahead of next year's men's T20 World Cup.
Just seven of the squad that faced India in two T20Is in February - and won the series 2-0 - are retained with D'Arcy Short, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Peter Handscomb, who kept wicket against India, part of the group missing the cut. Jason Behrendorff was not available for selection having been ruled out for the season with his back injury that will require surgery.
"It is almost a year to the day until Australia hosts the men's Twenty20 World Cup and we have selected this squad with that in mind," national selector Trevor Hohns said. "We have looked to put a squad together that we think can take us through to that tournament. The squad we have selected is quite role specific and we believe it gives us the flexibility to thrive in all match conditions.
Stoinis made just 87 runs in seven innings at the World Cup and struggled with a side injury which hampered his bowling, but his omission comes after a stellar Big Bash last season where he made 533 runs at 53.30 at a strike rate of 130.63 and claimed 14 wickets. He played six T20Is last season - one against South Africa and five against India - and finished opening the innings, but the return of David Warner and Steven Smith, who hasn't played a T20I since March 2016, has led to a crunch for spots in the top order.
He started the domestic season with a bang for Western Australia in the Marsh Cup with an unbeaten 101 off 58 balls in the opening match against Victoria but has followed that with scores of 16, 19 and 1.
Stoinis' Western Australia team-mate, Ashton Turner, retains his place after there was doubt whether he would be fit following a broken finger in the Marsh Cup but Short, who made 483 runs and took 13 wickets for Durham in the T20 Blast, now also faces a challenge to force his way into the T20 World Cup plans.
McDermott played the most recent of his eight T20Is against India last November before scoring 376 runs in the Big Bash for Hobart Hurricanes.
The spin bowling will be in the hands of Adam Zampa and the recalled Ashton Agar, the latter preferred ahead of Nathan Lyon, with Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Kane Richardson and Andrew Tye the pace-bowling options.
"In terms of batsmen, we have selected top and middle-order specialists," Hohns said. "The likes of Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Ashton Turner and [Alex] Carey provide us excellent options through the middle-order after Finch, Warner and Smith.
"In terms of spinners, we feel like the all-round package Ashton Agar possesses is irresistible at the moment and Adam Zampa has proven to be a very good T20 bowler in all conditions."
The first T20I against Sri Lanka is on October 27 in Adelaide before matches in Brisbane and Melbourne. The Pakistan series starts on November 3 which games in Sydney, Canberra and Perth. Australia have further T20Is at the end of the season when they travel to South Africa and New Zealand.
Squad Aaron Finch (capt), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: 
Email: 
