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After the Qalandars suffered their sixth defeat in six matches this season, McCullum suggested that a leadership change might be the best way forward

Umar Farooq09-Mar-2018Brendon McCullum, the Lahore Qalandars captain, has question the execution of his bowlers, and has offered to “offload” his captaincy in a bid to change the fortunes of the side, which has lost all six of its games this season. Effectively, Thursday night’s six-wicket defeat to Islamabad United was Lahore’s eighth straight loss going back to the end of last season. One of the most popular sides in the PSL is set to finish last for the third consecutive season.Lahore have played six different starting XIs this season, with their changes having no effect on their results. The biggest chance they have had was against Islamabad, when they had 163 – their biggest total so far – to defend but ended up losing with 14 balls to spare. With four games remaining Lahore aren’t mathematically out of contention for a spot in the playoffs but their chances are bleak.”Ultimately as captain you’re responsible for the performances. I feel like I’ve done the same things that I do in any team that I’ve led, but unfortunately that hasn’t resonated,” McCullum said. “So that’s the question we’ve got to ask tonight as well – whether it’s better offloading it to someone else and seeing if we can get better results. Doesn’t matter if you’re saying the right things, but if they’re not hitting home or the instructions aren’t being followed, then you’re always going to be pushing it uphill.”Lahore’s batting pattern has been similar throughout, with the openers making solid starts, the middle order collapsing, and the bowlers looking flat. They dropped Umar Akmal, one of their platinum picks, after five successive failures, allowing Anton Devcich to make his PSL debut. He smacked 62 off 42 balls to set up a fighting total. But Islamabad chased it down easily with the help of a 41-ball 77 from Luke Ronchi and Shadab Khan’s 32 off 24. When asked if Lahore’s total was 20 runs short, McCullum shot down the idea, ruing his bowlers’ performance instead.”No, not really. We bowled very poorly,” he said. “I thought it was a very, very good batting performance, set up by Anton Devcich in his first game, and [he] showed how hungry, competitive people are able to prosper. What we did after that, I was really disappointed with, to be honest. It’s not what we’re about and I don’t mind losing, but you expect to be hard to beat. We’ve got some questions to ask tonight and that’s all the way through.”He was particularly unimpressed with the lines they bowled to Ronchi, which he said had deviated from the tactics they had discussed before the match.”You can sit in bowling meetings all you want. You spend an hour today talking about bowling away from Luke Ronchi and then you proceed to run in and bowl at him every single ball, so there’s a disconnect there,” he said. “I don’t know what that is. It’s very hard on the support staff to prepare a team if guys aren’t prepared to listen, but if that’s the case, then we’re going to have to keep making changes, because there are young, enthusiastic guys in our team, which may be an opportunity, especially now since we’re out of the competition.”

On August 2, Shakib had posted on Twitter announcing his partnership with a company called “Betwinner News”

Mohammad Isam04-Aug-2022The BCB will investigate a recent social-media post from Shakib Al Hasan in which he announced his partnership with a company called “Betwinner News”. During a press conference following a board meeting on Thursday, BCB president Nazmul Hassan said that they will serve Shakib a notice for not informing them of the sponsorship deal.The existing laws of Bangladesh place stringent prohibitions on any gatherings or establishments that facilitate gambling. Allowing gambling businesses to function is in contravention to the law, as well as the country’s constitution.Shakib made the announcement on Twitter on Tuesday, shortly after Bangladesh lost the third T20I against Zimbabwe. Shakib initially deleted the tweet, but reposted it shortly afterwards.”Shakib’s latest sponsorship was discussed during Thursday’s meeting,” Hassan said. “We have instructed to serve him a notice, to ask him what’s happening with this. The board will not allow it if it is related to betting. He definitely hasn’t asked us for permission. Bangladesh’s law doesn’t permit it. It is a serious issue. We cannot however just rely on a Facebook post (sic), so we have to investigate to find out about it.”In an interview with the Dhaka-based Bengali newspaper , the BCB’s chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury also said that they will still seek clarification from Shakib.”It is quite clear why these news portals are made,” he said. “We all very well know what these are. Shakib didn’t inform us about his deal. We heard about it today (Wednesday). We are looking at it legally, and want to settle the matter quickly.”It is not a direct contract with a betting site, but it is related to the betting site. It is a news portal. But since betting is related to it, we have to check the legal side of it. The law of the land doesn’t allow betting, so we will do what is legally necessary.”If he (Shakib) understands what it is, then it will be easy. If he doesn’t understand, it will be complicated. There’s a matter of our image being damaged. There are merits and demerits in everything. He probably didn’t think about the demerits.”Shakib was banned from all cricket for a year in 2019 after he accepted three charges of breaching the ICC’s anti-corruption code. He was charged for failure to report two approaches to engage in corrupt conduct during a 2018 tri-series, and for failure to disclose full details of approaches he received to engage in corrupt conduct during an IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab in 2018.

Rory Burns leads Surrey’s response after record-breaking sixth-wicket stand

David Hopps12-Jul-2022They know their history in Yorkshire. When Adam Lyth and Jonny Tattersall broke Yorkshire’s sixth-wicket batting record, prolonged applause burst across North Marine Road the moment that Lyth flicked the ball off his hip. Such momentous achievements have always been met by an outbreak of White Rose pride but these days there is a touch of defiance, too – a statement that the much-chastised County Championship is deep-rooted and forever worthy of protection.Fortunately, by the time Lyth and Tattersall broke the record, the spectator vainly trying to come to terms with his new yellow-plastic rain-protector had decided that the risk of a shower had receded and removed it. He had become so entangled in it, failing to find the arm holes in several futile attempts, pulling it backwards and forwards over his head at various angles, that he would have found it impossible to clap.As far as the main stage was concerned, it was less about contortions than skill and concentration. Lyth and Tattersall had logged 239 runs on the first day and they had extended that to 305 in 77 overs when Lyth pulled Conor McKerr to deep square leg to fall for 183, an innings that spanned nearly eight hours and his highest score in his home county. Tattersall, on his Championship return, was left with an unbeaten, career-best 180 as Tom Lawes took three quick wickets after lunch and Yorkshire were dismissed for 521.Related

• Keith Barker, Mohammad Abbas hasten Warwickshire towards defeat

• Power of 63 keeps Kent afloat

• Mackintosh, Raine combine to keep Durham on dry land

• Harmer spins Gloucs to the brink after Cook century

• Holland, Dawson hit the 90s to build important lead

But they are not yet on solid ground and Surrey, the Championship leaders, 191 for 1 at the close, will imagine that they have the batting prowess to put Yorkshire under pressure on the final day. Dom Bess can anticipate a heavy workload and the offspinner took the only wicket to fall when he drew Ryan Patel down the pitch with one that dipped and turned a shade and Tattersall completed a straightforward stumping.There had still been life in the surface on a cloudy morning, for Dan Worrall in particular as he came down the hill, but Yorkshire’s attack rarely threatened. Rory Burns was calmness personified as he closed the second day on 93 not out. He was assured square of the wicket on both sides and his commitment to the long game was illustrated when he made only 10 runs in the last 12 overs of the day, from which he faced 33 balls. He had one moment of fortune, caught at first slip on 72 only to be reprieved because Shannon Gabriel, the West Indian quick who has joined Yorkshire on a short-term contract, had overstepped.Considering the overpowering nature of Yorkshire’s cricket history, it is instructional to reflect that five of the highest batting partnerships for each wicket have been made this century. Holmes and Sutcliffe are famously there for their 555 for the first wicket at Leyton in 1932 – the world record that wasn’t thanks to a faulty scoreboard – and Geoffrey Boycott makes an appearance for his 10th wicket stand of 149 with Graham Stevenson at Edgbaston in 1982 when he memorably remarked, with a lopsided grin, that was down to “his brawn and my brains”. But there are many names of modern vintage – Jonny Bairstow and Tim Bresnan, Bairstow again with Joe Root. Lyth broke his own sixth-wicket record, too, a stand of 296 in league with Adil Rashid in the Old Trafford Roses match eight years ago. Flatter pitches for sure – markedly so – but Lyth, too, and the rest will enter Yorkshire folklore.Major renovations are in progress at North Marine Road•Matthew Allen

For Scarborough to protect its place in history, however beloved it is, the ground must remain solvent. Crowds here have been a little above 3,000 on the first two days which are reasonable, but well down on pre-Covid days and not entirely in keeping with the esteem in which the ground is held. A recent 10-year staging agreement with Yorkshire helps in an age when outgrounds are permanently under pressure but it is also ambitious to become an established centre for women’s cricket. It would have to address primitive broadcasting facilities to achieve that. But anyway, changes are afoot and that can only be positive.The very thought will have been enough to leave Yorkshire traditionalists on red alert because they routinely insist North Marine Road is perfect and want no messing with their memories. The last time it was suggested the place needed a revamp, a Yorkshire supporter on the wooden-benched banking took umbrage on and countered: “You don’t need a sofa to sit on”.Rest assured there are no unwelcome fripperies in a £500,000 upgrade. The first two phases – improved toilet facilities, better communications and new practice net facilities – are largely completed. The final phase, subject to planning approval, is a refurbishment of the incongruous West Stand, which will have new seating and a new ground-floor frontage which will also house a heritage museum and improved catering facilities – or, as they are known these days “innovative places to linger”.Scarborough is also an unusual place to linger for Clean Slate Filmz, Yorkshire’s main sponsor, which is making a biopic of Jhulan Goswami, the great champion of India women’s cricket, in September.Also attracting interest was Yorkshire’s 2nd XI match against Derbyshire at Chesterfield where Gary Ballance is continuing a low-key return to action after missing the bulk of the season with mental health issues. Ballance has made back-to-back hundreds so it appears from afar that he is feeling his way back successfully. He is one of seven people charged – and the only current player – by the ECB after their investigation into Azeem Rafiq’s racism allegations. There is no regulation that stops Yorkshire selecting him, but there is no suggestion that any 1st XI return is imminent and that seems to be the most sensible approach.Yorkshire’s fast-bowler injuries are also relenting. Ben Coad is also involved the 2nd XI fixture, although he is following a programme of limited workload and has yet to bowl, and Matthew Fisher has not given up hope of a match or two at the back end of the Championship season. He has been undertaking fielding drills during the lunch interval on the last two days as he recovers from a stress fracture.

A Ranji Trophy match will be telecast for the first time this season, a ground will make its Ranji debut, and a team will play the first knockout match in its Ranji history

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2017A Ranji Trophy match will be telecast for the first time this season, a ground will make its Ranji debut, and a team will play its first quarter-final match in history as India’s premier domestic tournament reaches its quarter-final stage on December 7.

Quarter-finals from December 7

• Gujarat (B1) v Bengal (D2) – Jaipur

• Delhi (A2) v Madhya Pradesh (C1) – Vijayawada

• Kerala (B2) v Vidarbha (D1) – Surat

• Karnataka (A1) v Mumbai (C2) – Nagpur

The match between 41-time champions Mumbai and the form team Karnataka, to be played in Nagpur where India beat Sri Lanka earlier this week, will be live on BCCI’s broadcast partners. Although select matches were webcast in the league stages, this will be the first match on TV. Karnataka blitzed through their group with four wins and two draws, and have among their ranks Mayank Agarwal, who has already reached 1064 runs and has sights on VVS Laxman’s record of 1415 runs in a single Ranji season. Mumbai, meanwhile, had to wait until Monday to ensure progress to the next round after having to launch rearguards in the league stages.Vijayawada’s Dr Gokaraju Liala Gangaaraju ACA Cricket Ground will make its Ranji debut as it hosts the match between Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. Delhi will likely be without their full-time captain Ishant Sharma, as the third Test starts on December 2, but could well be available should they make it to the semi-final. The ground has already hosted international cricket when the women’s teams from India and West Indies played each other in 2016, and made its first-class debut during a series between India-New Zealand A in September-OctoberThis will be the first time Kerala will play a quarter-final match since the introduction of the tier system in the Ranji Trophy format in 2011. With 31 points, they finished second to the defending champions and the dominant Gujarat side in Group B. With two centuries and an average of 57.70, a rejuvenated Sanju Samson has led their charge. Kerala will face Vidarbha in Surat. Vidarbha led Group D with 31 points.Gujarat, who won five of their six matches outright, will go up against Bengal in Jaipur.Unlike the league matches, which are four-day matches, quarter-finals will be played over five days. The BCCI did not explain how the match-ups was arrived at nor is there any information on how the semi-final match-ups will be decided.

The former Zimbabwe batsman believes that at the very least more talent will remain in, and start coming back to, the country

Danyal Rasool24-Nov-2017The celebratory scenes in Zimbabwe following president Robert Mugabe’s resignation this week will rank among the most iconic moments in the country’s history. And there is hope that the feel-good factor may spill over into the country’s beleaguered cricketing landscape.”Just from a general perspective, there’s a huge sense of euphoria,” former Zimbabwe batsman Grant Flower told ESPNcricinfo. “Obviously not everything’s going to go back to how it was [prior to 2003], but it’s a great start.”Flower, who landed in Harare on Friday, had booked his trip to Zimbabwe well before recent political events – an army-forced change of the country’s leadership – plunged the nation in uncertainty.”I’d come just to see friends. It had nothing to do with cricket or anything else,” Flower said. “I was actually going to go to the UK. But the West Indies games (Pakistan’s home series against West Indies) got called off so I decided to come to Zimbabwe a bit early before I went to the UK.”Mugabe, who had been Zimbabwe’s leader since independence in 1980 – first as Prime Minister and then as President – was also Zimbabwe
Cricket’s chief patron. Though Mugabe’s involvement in the affairs of the national cricket team was minimal, the cause of Zimbabwe’s cricketing woes, much like the country’s, could be traced to the political and economic turmoil caused by his regime.Mugabe’s government had begun a controversial land reform plan for the forced redistribution of thousands of farms from white farmers, with
consequences that were at times violent. And during the 2003 World Cup, which Zimbabwe co-hosted, Grant’s brother Andy Flower and bowler
Henry Olonga protested the “death of democracy” in the country by wearing black armbands. Neither ever played for Zimbabwe again. A year later another dispute, this time between several white cricketers and the board, over selection policies led to many first-team players – including Flower – going on strike. Zimbabwe has lurched from one crisis to another ever since.What may the post-Mugabe era hold for Zimbabwe’s cricket? Incidentally, the set-up is perhaps the most stable it has been since 2003. The board’s financial situation appears to be improving under the new head of operations Faisal Hasnain, and Brendan Taylor and Kyle Jarvis, both of whom had left to pursue county careers in England, have returned.”I’ve spoken to a few ex-players and they are not sure what’s going to change,” Flower said. “Faisal [Hasnain]’s head of operations in Zimbabwe
Cricket and I’ve heard he’s doing a very good job. I’m not too sure if there are going to be any changes. Apparently things are going a lot better.”One of the things that could happen is some people might come back here. Maybe some families and younger players who have tried to go overseas, to either SA or England and Australia, they might come back. There might be a bit of talent coming back into the country. If that does happen that can only be a good thing.”When the political crisis began last week, with the army holding Mugabe under house arrest, there was speculation over whether the country was fit to host the World Cup Qualifier in March 2018. But Flower saw no reason for the tournament to be moved.”Not at all. I was at the Harare Sports Club yesterday, and it looked really good,” he said. “Obviously the series that was just played in Bulawayo went well, against the West Indies. I don’t see any reason why the tournament should be affected.”Flower was more concerned about the pressure on Taylor and Jarvis, who had to be offered attractive packages to return from the country circuit in England. With a board as hard up for cash as Zimbabwe’s has been over recent years, missing the 2019 World Cup would be a financial disaster.”Hopefully the home ground advantage will count, but there’s a lot of pressure, especially on the few guys that have come back for big cash,” Flower said. “Zimbabwe are under pressure to win the qualifiers to get through to the World Cup, because if they don’t, they lose all that money for competing in the World Cup. That’s be a huge setback for Zimbabwe Cricket.”But with things looking up of late for Zimbabwe for the first time in years, Flower said the benefits of the political developments over the last week will become apparent in the next few years, rather than the next few months.”If people see and hear there’s a future ahead of them, whether they are farmers or business people or sportsmen, I’m sure there will be some people coming back. That can only help the talent. There’s not a huge player base here anymore in Zimbabwe, so that would definitely benefit the country. If the player base is broadened that will reinvigorate some excitement and create that old structure that’s been needed for quite a while.”

Tammy Beaumont responds with half-century in 39-run loss

ECB Reporters Network14-May-2022Northern Diamonds 177 for 5 (Winfield-Hill 96) beat Loughborough Lightning 138 for 7 (Beaumont 59) by 39 runsA fantastic knock of 96 from England’s Lauren Winfield-Hill saw Northern Diamonds shine in a 39-run victory over Loughborough Lightning in the opening round of the Charlotte Edwards Cup.Winfield’s superb innings, which came off just 51 balls and was her highest score in T20, powered the visitors to a formidable total of 177 for five which proved too much for the hosts at a sun-drenched Haslegrave.Winning the toss and opting to bat, Diamonds took full advantage of the conditions with an opening assault on the Lightning bowlers that they struggled to recover from for the remainder of the innings.Each of the opening five overs went for double figures as Diamonds cruised past 50 with some powerful hitting from Winfield-Hill and Abi Glen.Glen fell to a catch from Teresa Graves off Kirstie Gordon for 25 but it barely mattered as Holly Armitage joined Winfield-Hill at the crease and the pair put on 99 for the second wicket with the Diamonds skipper offering valuable support to the free-scoring opener.Lightning had their chances and a drop on the boundary from Lucy Higham proved particularly costly as Winfield-Hill took full advantage by smashing three consecutive sixes off the unfortunate Kathryn Bryce in the very next over.The England star looked to be easing her way to a century but fell four shot when she skied a delivery from Bryce to Bethan Ellis who took a fine running catch over her shoulder.From 145 for two when Winfield-Hill departed in the 16th over the Diamonds innings faded somewhat with Leigh Kasperek (7), Phoebe Turner (0) and Beth Langston (1) departing in quick succession as only Armitage stood firm to finish unbeaten on 40 as Diamonds closed on 177 for five.Lightning’s reply got off to an excellent start with Marie Kelly and Tammy Beaumont full of running and deft stroke play if not the power hitting of Winfield-Hill.The opening pair had reached 79 in the 11th over when Kelly advanced down the wicket and was bowled by Beth Langston for 46.The run-chase became even tougher when Kathryn Bryce was bowled by Emma Marlow for four with Beaumont continuing to do her best with the odd boundary and some excellent scampering between the wickets.Beaumont brought up her half-century with a boundary off Kasperek in the 16th over and while she remained at the crease Lightning had a glimmer of a chance with the experienced England international looking in great form.But it was not to be as Lightning’s chances were extinguished when Beaumont was bowled by Marlow for 59 in the next over leaving the run rate increasingly insurmountable as the hosts’ innings closing on 138 for seven with Smith picking up a couple of wickets in the final over.

It’s been a 41st birthday to remember for Durham captain Paul Collingwood, as he struck 127 off 174 balls to aid his team’s recovery on the first day of their County Championship Division Two clash against Glamorgan

ECB Reporters Network26-May-2017
ScorecardPaul Collingwood’s century underpinned Durham’s recovery•Getty Images

It’s been a 41st birthday to remember for Durham captain Paul Collingwood, as he struck 127 off 174 balls to aid his team’s recovery on the first day of their County Championship Division Two clash against Glamorgan at St. Helen’s in Swansea.However, it was also a day to remember for new Glamorgan captain Michael Hogan, whose three wickets in a four-ball spell saw him end his first day as skipper with a five-wicket haul. His figures of 5 for 49 helped to bowl Durham out for 342 by the close of play.The visitors wobbled early on, losing two wickets in the first eight overs of the match, including that of key opening batsman Keaton Jennings, clean bowled by Marchant de Lange for four in the fifth over. Subsequently, Stephen Cook was trapped lbw by Australian-born Dutchman Timm van der Gugten, leaving them 17 for 2.Hogan will have felt disappointed at losing the toss. But a poor start left the visitors up against it at 92 for 2 at lunch, having failed to capitalise on an ideal batting wicket, although Graham Clark and Cameron Steel built an 86-run partnership for the third wicket as the visitors began to rebuild.And Glamorgan certainly built on their own morning success with a quick wicket after lunch, Clark falling to a superb low slip catch by Nick Selman off Hogan, the visitors having reached 103 for 3.Steel brought up his fifty off 134 balls, hitting seven fours, but all eyes were on birthday boy Collingwood who had raced to 30, with six fours on all sides of the wicket, by the time his partner had reached the milestone.A useful 60 partnership came to an end when Nick Selman claimed his second slip catch of the innings off Hogan, as Steel departed for 59 to leave the visitors 163 for 4 in the 57th over. Just three overs later, Durham lost their fifth wicket as Ryan Pringle was caught by wicketkeeper Chris Cooke off de Lange for 5, and the visitors were struggling once again at 169 for 5.At tea, Durham were 183 for 5 and the skipper reached the half-century mark just after the break off 100 balls. A sixth wicket partnership of 91 with Paul Coughlin put the visitors back in the game as they claimed a second batting point. However, the stand came to an end when Coughlin was lbw to van der Gugten for 31 and the visitors were 260 for 6.Collingwood went on to reach his century off 158 balls, and had hit 17 fours on his way to 127 before he was trapped lbw by Andrew Salter. An eighth wicket soon followed, Stuart Poynter caught behind off Hogan for a useful 38 as Durham reached 342 for 8.Hogan claimed his second wicket in the over when he bowled George Harding off his second ball and completed a three-in-four-ball stint – and four in seven balls – when Chris Rushworth was caught behind off the last ball of the day to end Durham’s first innings on 342.

The ACA has questioned the process followed by Cricket Australia in arriving at the sanctions for the players, and whether the severity of the punishments were befitting of the offence

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-2018While acknowledging that Steven Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft had made “serious mistakes” by ball-tampering in South Africa, the Australian Cricketers Association has questioned the process followed by Cricket Australia in arriving at the sanctions for the players, and whether the severity of the punishments was befitting of the offence.Smith and Warner were banned from international cricket for 12 months by Cricket Australia, and Bancroft for nine. Smith and Bancroft were also banned from leadership positions in Australian cricket for a further 12 months after the end of their ban, while Warner was banned from captaincy positions for life.The ACA said in its statement that while it was right for the players’ mistakes to be sanctioned, there were “a number of glaring and clear anomalies in the process to date which causes the ACA to query the severity and proportionality of the proposed sanctions.”They were as follows:

• The grading and sanctions proposed are considerably higher than the ICC’s grading and sanctions.
• The disproportion between the proposed sanctions and those previously handed down in world cricket for ‘changing the condition of the ball’ – including by Captains of international teams applying artificial substances
• The activation of CA’s Board as a deliberative body on the proposed sanctions
• That public statements by CA to date have not referenced consideration of contextual factors including the environment in South Africa during the series and the impacts on individual players
• The rush to place players before the world’s media last Saturday night without the benefit of considered and coherent advice

The ACA said that it would continue to provide welfare and legal support to the players.Smith, Warner and Bancroft will have the right to challenge CA’s verdicts and also the duration of their penalties via a CA code of behaviour hearing with an independent commissioner, who can also choose whether the hearing is public or private. Players at the hearing will be permitted to call as many witnesses as they like, and also to have legal representation.

Nat Sciver, whose 109 off 85 balls went in vain for England against Australia, moved up to No. 6 among batters

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2022Australia captain Meg Lanning has climbed two spots to be ranked No. 2 among ODI batters. She is currently just 15 points behind the leader, team-mate Alyssa Healy. Lanning hit 86 in Australia’s World Cup opener against England on Saturday, as they opened their campaign with a close 12-run win against the defending champions.Rachael Haynes, whose 130 at the top was instrumental in Australia posting 310, has broken into the top ten. She is at No. 7 after gaining six places in the chart. The opener, who was also the Player of the Match, added 196 with Lanning for the second wicket in that match. Haynes’ knock came off just 131 deliveries, and included 14 fours and a six.

Full rankings tables

• Click here for the full team rankings

• Click here for the full player rankings

England’s Nat Sciver, who cracked an unbeaten 109 from just 85 balls in a losing cause, also made strides among batters. Sciver jumped five spots to get to No. 6, as her quick knock kept England is sight of the target for the longest time.Meanwhile, West Indies’ Hayley Matthews moved up in all three rankings tables after her all-round contribution helped her team pip hosts New Zealand in an opening-day thriller in the tournament. Matthews hit 119 in West Indies’ total of 259, with the next highest score being 36, as her innings came off 128 deliveries, and featured 16 fours and a six.And in the New Zealand run chase, she dismissed the in-form Amelia Kerr and Brooke Halliday in an economical spell of 2 for 41 from ten overs.

Kusal Perera and Thisara Perera were recalled to Sri Lanka’s ODI squad for the series against Bangladesh

Andrew Fidel Fernando17-Mar-2017

Sri Lanka squad

Upul Tharanga (capt), Niroshan Dickwella, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis, Asela Gunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Kusal Perera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Vikum Sanjaya, Thisara Perera, Sachith Pathirana, Seekkuge Prassanna, Lakshan Sandakan
In: Kusal Perera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Thisara Perera
Out: Chaturanga de Silva, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lahiru Madushanka, Jeffrey Vandersay, Sandun Weerakkody

Kusal Perera and Thisara Perera were recalled to Sri Lanka’s ODI squad against Bangladesh, but captain Angelo Mathews continued to remain unavailable due to injury. Other additions in the ODI squad included opening batsman Danushka Gunathilaka – fresh from an excellent run for Sri Lanka A – but there was no place for either seam bowler Nuwan Kulasekara or legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay.Upul Tharanga, who was stand-in captain during their 0-5 ODI whitewash in South Africa, will continue to lead the side in Mathews’ absence. While the management had hoped that Mathews would regain fitness in time for this series, the hamstring tear he sustained during the T20I series in South Africa continued to ail him.Both Pereras have returned to the ODI outfit after showing decent form in the ODI leg of the England Lions’ recent tour of Sri Lanka. Thisara had hit a match-winning 56 not out off 35 in the first unofficial ODI, and taken 2 for 17 in the second. Kusal, meanwhile, had struck two fifties in the three games he played.It was Gunathilaka, however, who headlined that series, with scores of 64, 121 not out, 44 and 51. He returned to the ODI squad after missing the South Africa series with a back complaint and his presence will create additional competition for the opening position. In addition to Gunathilaka, Kusal Perera, Tharanga and Niroshan Dickwella have all recently opened the batting in limited-overs cricket.Sri Lanka’s selectors have unusually selected just one specialist spinner in the 15-man squad, giving Lakshan Sandakan that place, but omitting the likes of Amila Aponso and Vandersay. Allrounders Sachith Pathirana, Asela Gunaratne, and Dhananjaya de Silva are capable slow bowlers however. Left-arm spinning allrounder Chaturanga de Silva, who was picked for that series in South Africa, has been omitted.On the seam-bowling front, Suranga Lakmal appears likely to lead the attack, with Lahiru Kumara and Vikum Sanjaya were also picked. Lasith Malinga has made his comeback from injury in the T20 format, but is yet to reappear in ODIs.The first of three ODIs is scheduled to be played in Dambulla, on March 25.