Cameron Green stakes Ashes claim with strong all-round showing in Sheffield Shield
Cameron Green used his final Sheffield Shield hit-out before the Ashes to prove he is ready for England, although whether he bats at No 3 for Australia or plays as an all-rounder remains unresolved a week out from the first Test,The 26-year-old showed he has overcome the side strain suffered last month by bowling eight overs in the second innings at the Waca Ground, on top of another eight in Queensland’s first innings of 390,He may have been wicketless on Thursday, but Green’s bowling load passed the threshold set by chief selector George Bailey of “15 to 20” overs when announcing the squad last week, clearing the path for Green’s selection as Australia’s all-rounder for the showdown at Optus Stadium against England beginning on 21 November,The towering right-hander also reminded selectors he remains an option at No 3 – where he batted earlier this year for the national team – with an accomplished 94 off 172 deliveries against a strong Queensland attack that meant he spent almost the entire day on the field,He was finally dismissed lbw to Michael Neser.
Western Australian captain Sam Whiteman immediately called the home side’s first innings to a close at 7-322, giving up a 68-run lead but chasing an outright result with still a day and a half to play.Green was first-change bowler, staring down Marnus Labuschagne as well as in-form Matt Renshaw in his initial spell, before finishing with 0-17 from his eight overs.In Queensland’s second innings, Renshaw reminded the Australian selectors of his quality despite being troubled by a knee complaint.He was finally dismissed on Thursday following a mistimed pull to square leg for 51, adding to his century in the first innings.Sign up to The SpinSubscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week’s actionafter newsletter promotionThe final session delivered a Western Australia fightback led by Corey Rocchiccioli.
The off-spinner took four wickets to peg Queensland back, who finished at 8-187 and a lead of 255 with a day to play.Friday provides the final chance to impress selectors before the Australian XI is named for next week’s first Ashes Test.After Josh Hazlewood reported hamstring tightness on Wednesday, there will be a temptation to deploy both Green and Beau Webster, who has done little wrong in the all-rounder role since debuting at the start of the year, to cover for possible bowler injury.That would leave specialists opener Jake Weatherald in competition with Labuschagne at the top of the order.Despite the dilemmas ahead, Thursday will have been a relief for Bailey given the previous day’s drama.
In addition to Hazlewood’s hamstring scare, backup quick Sean Abbott picked up a “moderate grade” hamstring strain and will miss the first Test.Injury fears also marred England’s intra-squad match on Thursday, after Mark Wood was sent for precautionary scans after reporting hamstring stiffness.Ben Stokes took six wickets against the England’s second-string Lions side at Lilac Hill.Fast bowler Brydon Carse missed the day’s play due to illness.
Keir clubs himself with the lead pipe in a Downing Street game of No Cluedo | John Crace
It’s the worst game of Cluedo in town. Four players dealt a hand of cards. Without turning them over, player one makes the first guess. “Just one question. Does the suspect wear glasses?” he asks
Why some in No 10 think Wes Streeting is plotting to become prime minister
A clip from a 2018 comedy show has been circulating in Westminster – and it neatly explains why the spotlight landed on Wes Streeting when No 10 launched its preemptive strikes against potential leadership candidates.It features a number of fresh-faced politicians – from Jess Phillips to Johnny Mercer – who are asked who will be prime minister in 10 years. Several Labour MPs dutifully say the then-leader Jeremy Corbyn. Tim Loughton, a former Tory MP, predicts Kemi Badenoch. The final clip is Wes Streeting, who smiles and says: “I think it will probably be me
London congestion charge to rise to £18 – and electric vehicles will have to pay
London’s congestion charge will rise by 20% in January from £15 to £18 and electric vehicle drivers will be liable to pay to enter the heart of the capital for the first time.EVs will no longer be exempt from the levy, Transport for London said, but will pay a lower rate. Electric car drivers will get a 25% discount, paying £13.50 a day, while electric vans and HGVs will pay £9 – 50% of the full charge.Motoring groups criticised the changes as a backward step
If No 10 briefer is found Keir Starmer will sack them, Miliband says
Ed Miliband has said he is certain Keir Starmer will sack whoever briefed against Wes Streeting, after a chaotic 48 hours in which No 10 launched an operation to shore up the prime minister against an anticipated leadership challenge.The prime minister apologised to the health secretary in a phone call with him late on Wednesday. Starmer is facing mounting calls to sack his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, over the row.The Guardian reported that in private meetings with MPs on Wednesday, the prime minister stood by McSweeney and would not directly commit to any consequences for those who had briefed the newspapers.Starmer spoke to senior Downing Street staff on Thursday morning to stress that “briefings against cabinet ministers are completely unacceptable”, his deputy spokesperson said
Labour faces questions over Starmer aide who holds shares in lobbying firm
No 10 is facing calls for an investigation into whether Keir Starmer’s communications chief should be allowed to hold shares in a lobbying firm and discuss politics with one of its consultants.Tim Allan, who is one of Starmer’s most senior aides, has a minority stake in Strand Partners, which critics claim could give rise to a perception of a conflict of interest.Allan does not gain any financial benefit from Strand while he is in No 10 but he has not sold his shares in the firm, whose clients include the British Horseracing Authority, the energy companies Ovo Energy and Cadent Gas, and Netflix.He is also friends with Tom Baldwin, a journalist, biographer of Starmer and former Labour adviser, who is a senior consultant for Strand Partners.The relationship was first reported by Sky News, which said multiple sources had told the news organisation that Allan and Baldwin have discussed politics since the communications chief joined No 10
Housing secretary tells Labour MPs to vote down planning bill amendment
Housing secretary Steve Reed has told Labour MPs to vote down an amendment to the new planning bill intended to protect British wildlife and its habitats from destruction.The amendment, which was passed with a large majority in the House of Lords, restricts the most controversial part of the draft bill by removing protected animals such as dormice, badgers, hedgehogs, otters and nightingales, and rare habitats such as wetlands and ancient woodlands, from new rules which allow developers to sidestep environmental laws to speed up house building.Under the draft legislation proposed by Labour, developers will be able to pay into a national “nature recovery fund” and go ahead with their project straight away, instead of having to carry out an environmental survey and to first avoid, then mitigate damage, before putting spades into the ground.Experts say this is a regression on decades-old environmental law and it has been criticised as “cash to trash” by ecologists and environmental groups.The Lords’ amendment would mean the nature recovery fund is restricted to impacts from water and air pollution, meaning developers would still have to take the usual measures to mitigate damage to wildlife and habitats
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Cameron Green stakes Ashes claim with strong all-round showing in Sheffield Shield
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