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Wilfried Nancy’s implementation of a 3-4-2-1 system at Celtic has provided some players with a fresh chance to emerge as regular starters for the club.

Hyun-jun Yang, who scored against Livingston last time out, has established himself as the first-choice option as the right-sided wing-back, for example, since the Frenchman came in.

Anthony Ralston is another player who has benefitted from the change in formation, starting the last four matches as a right-sided centre-back, but his performances have left a lot to be desired.

67HailHail described his performance against Livingston as a ‘nightmare’, handing him a 4/10 player rating, and claimed that some fans ‘have had enough’ of the experienced defender, because of his errors.

Celtic eyeing move for Premier League defender

The Hoops are now reportedly looking at adding a player to their squad next month who could be the end of Ralston’s career with the Scottish giants.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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According to The Scottish Sun, Nancy is lining up a move to sign Bournemouth right-back Julian Araujo on loan from the Premier League side in the January transfer window.

The report claims that the defender is due to move on from the Vitality ahead of the second half of the campaign, and that the Hoops could swoop to bring him to Parkhead.

It adds that the full-back, who played in the MLS whilst Nancy was managing over there, is viewed as an ideal player for the manager’s 3-4-2-1 system.

The Scottish Sun reports that Celtic are ‘strong contenders’ to secure his services on loan until the end of the season, as they want to add more quality to their backline.

Why Celtic should sign Julian Araujo

Nancy should push for the club to get this deal over the line because he could end Ralston’s Celtic career by coming through the door to take the starting spot on the right of the back three.

Araujo has yet to play a single minute of football in the Premier League for Bournemouth this season, after starting seven matches last season, but his form in the MLS in the past suggests that he could be a good option.

The Mexico international caught the eye with his performances for LA Galaxy in the MLS and with Las Palmas in LaLiga during the 2023/24 campaign.

Araujo, as explained in the post above, excelled in possession during his time in the MLS, which is backed up by a return of 11 assists in his last two seasons with the Galaxy, per Sofascore.

Ralston, meanwhile, has provided six assists in all competitions since the start of the 2022/23 campaign, per Sofascore, and is yet to create a ‘big chance’ or assist a goal in 14 appearances in the Scottish Premiership so far this season.

Julian Araujo (MLS)

2021

2022

Appearances

32

35

Goals

0

1

Key passes per game

1.1

1.2

Big chances created

8

6

Assists

6

5

Tackles + interceptions per game

4.7

3.4

Duel success rate

51%

50%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Araujo provided quality as both an offensive force and as an out-and-out defender in his last two seasons in the MLS, which may be where he caught Nancy’s eye.

Subscribe for deeper Celtic transfer and tactics insight Curious about how a signing like Julian Araujo could reshape Celtic’s back line? Subscribe to our newsletter for expert breakdowns of transfer prospects, tactical fits, and the squad implications that matter to fans.

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Upon signing for Bournemouth in 2024, Chief Executive Neill Blake claimed that the full-back has “high potential”, but he has not had many opportunities to fulfill that potential, starting just seven league matches to date.

Celtic could provide him with an opportunity to start week-in-week-out in Glasgow as a loan signing for the second half of the season, which would offer him a chance to finally fulfill his potential by playing regular minutes.

His mixture of creativity and defensive quality with LA Galaxy suggests that he could offer more than Ralston, who has created nothing this season, as the right-sided centre-back in Nancy’s system, leaving the Scottish dud on the bench.

Related Dream 1st Nancy signing: Celtic could ditch Yang for SPFL "machine"

Celtic are reportedly interested in a deal to sign a star who could be an upgrade on Hyun-jun Yang in January.

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Then, Ralston could find himself struggling to make the bench once Alistair Johnston is back fit and ready to compete for Araujo for a position in the side, which is why this signing could facilitate the end of the right-back’s career at Celtic, as he may have to consider his future at Parkhead.

Brett Lee accounts for 59 of the Australian pace attack’s combined tally of 68 Tests © Getty Images

Australia will rely on the sheer pace of Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson to cover the huge gaps left by Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. Justin Langer has also departed but filling the holes of two men who captured 1271 wickets is the main concern as the hosts attempt to retain their all-conquering ways.Sri Lanka will face a fast-bowling attack at the Gabba on Thursday that has a combined tally of 68 Tests and contains the debutant Mitchell Johnson. Brett Lee is the main man, having appeared in 59 matches, while Stuart Clark will probably begin his fourth series at first-change. The collective inexperience does not bother Ricky Ponting and he is confident the trio can kick-start the new era.”You have to look to somebody else to do the job that they [Warne and McGrath] were doing,” Ponting said. “They were great at building pressure. Now we might have to come back to sheer pace to get our breakthroughs with Brett and Mitchell.”Extra responsibility will also fall on Stuart MacGill as he tries to fit back into the team after an 18-month absence. One of the reasons Australia preferred MacGill to the swing of Ben Hilfenhaus was due to Warne’s strong performances in Brisbane, which he rated as a perfect venue for legspin because of the extra bounce.”We know Stuart MacGill’s wicket-taking ability is second to none in the history of the game,” Ponting said. “And we know we’ve got the options.”Sri Lanka’s recruiting of Trevor Bayliss, who was the New South Wales coach in June, has come with the bonus of intimate knowledge of almost half the Australian team. Mahela Jayawardene, the captain, said Bayliss had been passing on tips to his new team about what to expect from Clark, MacGill, Lee, Michael Clarke and Phil Jaques.”Trevor has been giving us a lot of information and we’ve been discussing a lot of plans,” he said. “It’s always good to have a lot of plans, but you also need to concentrate on what’s going on out there and go with your instincts.”Australia would like to bat first even though the pitch contains significant moisture and they may get their wish if Sri Lanka push for a four-man pace attack. Ponting, who has discussed the threats of the opposition bowlers with his team, felt playing so many would be risky.”If you look historically at things at the Gabba, sides that bat first win more often than not,” he said. “If they did want to play four they’d be going against that. And if the keeper [Prasanna Jayawardene] bats six it leaves them a little thin.”

Shane Warne and John Buchanan have only two more Tests together © Getty Images

John Buchanan believes Shane Warne’s Test retirement will leave a huge void in his side, but he insists plans are in place to cope with a changing of the guard. Glenn McGrath is also tipped to be the next Australian to retire, and Buchanan said it was only a matter of time before Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer and Adam Gilchrist stepped down.Buchanan said Australia had the infrastructure in place to handle the strain of a mass exodus, unlike the 1980s when Dennis Lillee, Greg Chappell and Rod Marsh’s departure crippled the national side. “One of the significant differences that has occurred is that there are things like the Centre of Excellence program, Australia A, and we have seen the emergence of young talent,” he said. “The transition from moving the older, great players out [for] newer, younger players should be a bit easier than in the past.Damien Martyn and Warne have started the team change by deciding to walk away. “[Retirements] will occur, whether that be within two, three, six or 12 months, but it heralds an exciting time in Australian cricket,” Buchanan said.Buchanan, who will depart in April after the World Cup, hinted that Warne’s departure may force Australia to rethink the positive, attacking game plans that have allowed it to dominate world cricket in recent decades. “Certainly from a selection point of view and looking into the future that will now be a huge void that will take maybe generations to fill,” he said. “When you lose one of your great players it does mean you have to re-think and re-look at your team, its balance and the way you want to play your game.”

In a rejoinder to the ICC, Ricky Ponting has boldly maintained that verbal banter was just fine by Australia © Getty Images

Despite stern cautioning from the ICC regarding sledging, Ricky Ponting, Australia’s captain, has openly supported Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath continuing their verbal tirade against South Africa as the first Test gets underway at Perth on Friday.Ehsan Mani, the ICC president, had earlier this week stated that the ICC was determined to keep the game’s image clean and not let it fall to the level of a “hooligan’s sport”. “We don’t want cricket being reduced to a level where it turns into a hooligans’ sport and the spirit of the game is eroded,” Mani had said. “We can’t have a situation like we see in football (soccer).” The ICC is concerned by the fact that since November, eight players and officials have been found guilty of code of conduct breaches – twice the number when compared to this same period last year. So far this year 38 players and officials have been charged with offences, and Mani’s comments come a day after a blunt warning issued by Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, about the growing number of code of conduct violations.Responding to Mani’s claims, Ponting has defended his ace bowlers, maintaining that verbal banter was a part of Australia’s motivation leading into a series of this magnitude. “The main culprits this time have been the ones who do it every series, Warney and McGrath,” Ponting told . “That’s why I don’t think it’s too much different than normal. Those guys actually like the challenge of making some statements and then getting out there and backing them up. That’s the way they’ve played their best cricket over the last 10 years. “While accepting that the ICC was tolerable of verbal exchanges between players in tense and competitive matches, Mani was adamant that it would not tolerate any degrading comments that fell outside the boundary of sport. Ponting, however, maintained that this would not be the case in the series against South Africa. “As long as we’re being sensible about what we’re doing and staying on our side of the line in the sand I’m happy with that,” he said. “Glenn and Shane like to challenge themselves as much as they can and they seem to lift when those bigger occasions and one-on-one battles come around.”He does remain fairly surprised by the ICC singling out this series as a potentially volatile scenario. “There’s no reason at the moment for me to have to address the players and let them know to take it easy. It’s just a bit of banter between the players…there’s nothing untoward as far as I’m concerned at the moment,” Ponting said. “I’m sure the cricket’s going to be played in a hard and fair manner. It usually is when Australia and South Africa get out on the field of play. All the players are very aware of the spirit of cricket on the field and off the field.”He did, though, take the opportunity to mention the role that Warne will play in the tense encounters that will pepper the three-Test series. “Warney’s record against South Africa (101 wickets at 22) would be outstanding so that’s probably why he’s come out and said what he has,” he said. “It’s just another thing they (South Africa) are going to have in the back of their minds now and Warney will just go out there and play cricket.”

Michael Vaughan: ‘The best thing is that we haven’t played to the standards we’ve set ourselves, but we’re still 1-0 up’© Getty Images

Michael Vaughan was content – but far from satisfied – as he reflected onEngland’s seven-wicket victory at Port Elizabeth in the opening Test oftheir South African tour. A hard taskmaster at the best of times, Vaughanwarned that his side’s performance had been “shoddy” in places, but sethis sights on taking a 2-0 lead in the series by the time the Durban Testis over and done with next week.”We’re an honest team,” Vaughan told reporters after the match, “and weaccept that we didn’t play to our potential in this match. South Africashould have been there for the taking after Day Two, but we didn’t nail them aswe should have. We’ve been unbeaten all year, so it would be nice to go toDurban and perform to the standard that we’ve set throughout the year.”Vaughan continued: “It’s been a common theme with England teams for years,that when we get on top in a match – and at 20 runs ahead with fourwickets down, we were definitely in command – we’ve often allowed theopposition back into the game. In the end, an 88-run lead was pretty good,thanks to the tail, but we should have been looking at 150 to 200 runsahead. Then it would have been game, set and match.”But it isn’t just hair shirts that hang in Vaughan’s wardrobe, and he wasquick to single out the performances of Andrew Strauss and Simon Jones forspecial praise. “Strauss is a level-headed kind of guy and his attitude isspot on,” said Vaughan of England’s Man of the Match, who sealed therun-chase with an unbeaten 94 this morning. “He never gets too high abouthis successes, nor too low about his failures. Technically he’s prettygood, but more importantly, the mental side of his game is excellent. He’sgoing to be a good player for us for many years if he keeps working as heis.”For the first three days of the match England were in front, but far fromdominant, and it took an inspirational catch by Jones at fine leg toremove South Africa’s captain, Graeme Smith, and spur the side to greaterdeeds. “All credit to Simon for his catch and his spell of bowling,” saidVaughan. “When Smith and [Jacques] Kallis got in there was a period whenSouth Africa might have got on top, but his outstanding efforts changedthe game.”Simon’s a huge threat with old ball,” he explained. “He getsreverse-swing into the right-handers, and the ball that dismissed Kalliswas a beauty. He’s shown an outstanding attitude since arriving inZimbabwe, where he worked with Troy Cooley [the bowling coach], and hefully deserved his rewards yesterday.”In the end, there was not a huge amount to choose between the team’sperformances, but the key difference was England’s additional experience.Vaughan was especially satisfied by the manner in which his bowlers hadexploited the frailties of South Africa’s middle order. “Even on the firstday when [Jacques] Rudolph and [Boeta] Dippenaar got in, we never allowedthem to get away. Ashley Giles bowled a crucial spell while our seamersrotated from the top end, and then in the second innings, once Smith had gone,we opened the door to attack their inexperience.”Leading into the game, we were under a lot of pressure,” admittedVaughan, after England’s record of seven straight wins had been punctuatedby the defeat against South Africa A at Potchefstroom. “For us, the firstday was crucial, especially after losing the toss. All we wanted was agood performance to put South Africa on the back foot, and at 270 for 7 wegot that, despite a gusty wind that made bowling very hard.”Ultimately Vaughan could have few complaints about his team’s performance,but he urged his players to push their expectations to the limit. “On anindividual basis, we need to set targets for big, big scores. Even Straussin the first innings, if he’s honest, he’d have wanted a score of 180 to200, and likewise [Mark] Butcher should have been aiming at 150, ratherthan 79. You can’t take the mick in this game, as it has a knack of comingback and giving you some funny answers.”The best thing is that we haven’t played to the standards we’ve setourselves, but we’re still 1-0 up,” concluded Vaughan. “In fact, forperiods here we were quite shoddy. South Africa are a good side and theyare sure to come back strongly, but we’re up for the challenge. They’llwant to hit us hard at Durban, but we’ll keep ourselves honest, and keepup the pressure.”

A resounding 126 run victory for Lords Cricket Club against Vienna Cricket Club enabled them to temporarily dislodge Concordia CC at the top of the Open League, although Concordia do now have a game in hand over Lords. Winning the toss and batting, Lords posted the highest total of the season, 344 for 9, against a weakened Vienna CC attack, for whom only Neil Foster (10-1-43-2) and Andrew Simpson-Parker (6-0-29-3) made any impression, with Arvinde Ghai, playing his first game of the season making 94, Wasif Mohammed 67 and Deepak Sharma 61 – his second fifty in consecutive games.Vienna CC’s reply was stopped in its tracks by the bowling of Ajay Grover and Sukhvir Hira, both of whom were on hat-tricks at various points of the innings, although Andrew Simpson-Parker kept the runs coming from his end before ultimately being 9th out for 144 – the highest score of the season, and only four runs short of his highest ever – made against Greece in 1997. He shared in a sixth wicket partnership worth 134 with Michi Nedoma (11), but any resistance was put pay to by the introduction of Parivesh Padhe who cleaned up the tail to finish with 3-28.The victory by Lords CC puts them ahead of Concordia CC, with the fixture calendar pitting the two teams against each other next Saturday, in a winner-takes-all clash, in which the winner is likely to gain the “easier” semi-final draw, although Lords will be wary of this draw having slipped up to unfancied Pakistan Falken CC teams in 2001 and 2002 in the semi-finals. The same day will see Vienna CC take on Pakistan Falken CC, with a victory likely to confirm their third place, with Five Continents and United Nations CC both chasing the fourth and final qualifying place.

Taylor- time to move on Photo Paul McGregor

Northamptonshire’s former England fast bowler Paul Taylor has confirmed his retirement from first-class cricket.The 37-year-old left-armer, who played twice for England in the 1990s, was released by the County at the end of last season.He said: “There were opportunities with other clubs but I’ve decided it’s time to move on. I’ve really achieved everything I wanted to achieve on the playing side and I want to develop some other interests now.”I still feel pretty fit, and by finishing with the first-class game at this stage I should be able to have a few more years in club and Minor Counties cricket. I was obviously disappointed that my Northants career ended the way it did, but I would like to publicly thank all the club’s supporters for their tremendous backing over the years.”Taylor began his Championship career with Derbyshire in 1984 and moved to Northampton in 1991 after a spell with Staffordshire. He made his Test debut against India in Calcutta on the 1992-93 tour, and was also chosen against New Zealand at Lord’s in 1994.In all first-class cricket he claimed 559 wickets – 531 of them in his 169 matches for Northamptonshire – and his benefit in 2000 raised £92,000.Chief Executive Stephen Coverdale commented: “Paul has made an immense contribution to Northamptonshire over the past eleven seasons. He has been a model professional, and what he has achieved – particularly his international recognition – speaks volumes both for his ability and his character, bouncing back after being rejected at Derby early in his career. I know everyone at the club will want to wish him well for the future.”

Groundsman Mohammad Russell has filed a general diary with Rajpara police station in Rajshahi against Mahmood Jamal, the Rajshahi official who had allegedly assaulted him. According to acting officer-in-charge Raihan, Russell mentioned in the GD that Jamal had threatened him before kicking him out of the stadium on the first day of the Rajshahi-Barisal NCL match.The GD is a recording of a major incident within the jurisdiction of a police station and was filed at around 3:00pm in the afternoon. An investigating officer has been put in charge to file a report on the incident, which sparked outrage within the cricket fraternity in Bangladesh. Jamal, a former BCB director, denied the incident while the board has summoned Russell to Dhaka for his security.Akram Khan, the board’s tournament committee chairman, said that the NCL’s final-round match has been taken away from the Rajshahi venue. He was informed formally by the board’s security head and confirmed of the GD being filed.”The sixth round of the NCL will not be played in Rajshahi,” Akram told TV channel . “We will definitely take a decision after discussing the matter with the board president after he returns to the country. Cricket is not just about a player or an official. It has reached a stage where the wicket is a huge factor so we cannot misbehave with the groundstaff who make a contribution every day. I feel that they are a part of cricket’s progress and saving them is the board’s responsibility. We must give them security.”Our security head sent me an email regarding the incident and we have also registered a general diary against him. We want to decide on this in the next board meeting. This is not a good practice. Bangladesh cricket has reached a stage where such things shouldn’t happen. The match referee is in charge of the game while there are umpires too.”Akram said that since Jamal’s complaint against Russell was about water being sprayed on the pitch, the claim should have been referred to the match referee rather than allegedly assaulting the worker. He said that the board’s past record of stern discipline will serve as a precedent for this incident.”If the wicket wasn’t good enough, the start of the match would have definitely been delayed. The match started on time. One team made a score of 300-plus. One can blame the wicket but he should have talked to the match referee and umpires. But he cannot physically abuse a groundstaff. We have taken disciplinary actions in the past so I am sure we will take another strong decision on this matter.”

Leeds United are ‘expected’ to name Jesse Marsch as Marcelo Bielsa’s replacement as manager on Monday, according to a new update on the situation.

The Lowdown: Bielsa sacked as Leeds manager

On Sunday, it was confirmed that Bielsa had been sacked as Whites boss following a dreadful run of form which has them get dragged into a Premier League relegation battle.

It was a very sad day for anyone of a Leeds persuasion, with the Argentine becoming an iconic figure at Elland Road, both in terms of his footballing brilliance and his down-to-earth character.

The hunt is now on to sort his successor and it looks as though it is all but done.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Marsch set to be appointed by Leeds

According to BBC Radio 5 Live on Monday morning [7:40am], former RB Leipzig manager Marsch will be named as Leeds’ new manager later in the day.

The radio report stated: “Leeds are expected to appoint the American coach Jesse Marsch later.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-35/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Huge job on his hands

Assuming all goes as planned today, Marsch is an exciting appointment in many ways, with many rating him highly during his time at RB Salzburg, who he guided into the Champions League.

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His playing style is also not dissimilar to Bielsa’s, with high intensity and good football the order of the day, so the players shouldn’t find it too much of a change in philosophy.

That being said, Marsch will need to come in and hit the ground running immediately, not only in terms of Leeds’ Premier League survival hopes but also to show that he is worthy of filling the void left by such a beloved figure in Bielsa.

In other news, another figure has been mentioned as a possible Bielsa replacement. Find out who it is here.

As it happened: Afghanistan v Sri LankaTwo teams, both doing a lot of things wrong. In the end, Sri Lanka did just about enough right and got on the points table with a 34-run (DLS method) win, preventing Afghanistan from recording their first World Cup win over a full-member nation. In the process, they also ensured that Lasith Malinga finally figured in an ODI win after July 6, 2017 – he had been part of 21 losses and one no-result in between.For Afghanistan, the day started well with the right call on the coin, but Hamid Hassan missed his lines and lengths completely upfront to concede 31 runs in his first two overs. Dawlat Zadran was better only in comparison and the ground fielding even worse than what Hassan dished out. If Afghanistan were in the contest despite all that, it was only due to one man: Mohammad Nabi. Nabi’s four wickets – including three in a chaotic over – put Sri Lanka in a hole they never quite got out of but rain and a revised target later, a batting effort even poorer than the Sri Lankans’ meant Afghanistan finished second best.WATCH on Hotstar – Kusal Perera’s punchy half-century (India only)Lasith Malinga savours the winning moment•Getty Images

But, chasing 187 in 41 overs after Sri Lanka were bowled out for 201 in 32.4, Afghanistan met with their old frailties: lack of patience, an obsession with big shots, and a failure to bat in phases. Hazratullah Zazai looked good – in his smash-everything way – early on, but despite a let-off when he skied Malinga only for Kusal Mendis to drop a sitter at deep square leg, he only managed 30 off 25 before Nuwan Pradeep had his number. Though it really was Thisara Perera’s wicket, as he followed Zazai’s mistimed hook and threw in the dive to grab the dipping ball at fine leg.That made it 44 for 3 – Mohammad Shahzad and Rahmat Shah had been dismissed earlier – and 57 for 5 was only around the corner, but amid a drizzle that didn’t really go away but never really threatened to push the players off the field either, Gulbadin Naib and Najibullah Zadran scripted a remarkable recovery.The pair, up against a bowling attack with more experience and nous than them, fought hard, played their shots but without much risk, and added 64 runs for the sixth wicket. A straight drive from Naib off Malinga was especially pleasing to the eye, though when they threw their bats, they mostly went aerial.But once Thisara got a gentle cutter to nip in big time to hit Naib’s off stump, the wheels came off the chase. Najibullah tried, farming the strike in the company of the tail-enders, and kept Afghanistan in the fight. who knows what might have been had he a partner he could depend on. As it turned out, he went for a run that wasn’t and could only trot off once Dimuth Karunaratne knocked the stumps down at the non-striker’s end. That, really, was the end of it. Malinga applied the finishing touches with two yorkers that took out the stumps, but Pradeep was the star of the bowling effort, his pace and the steep bounce he generated netting him 4 for 31, his career-best figures, and the Man-of-the-Match award.In the first innings, it was all about Nabi. Four times in five balls he looked like he had a wicket. Three of those times, he actually did. Sri Lanka, who started their 22nd over on 144 for 1, were suddenly 146 for 4 at the end of it. Nabi’s ploy was to go slow, slower, and slowest, and it worked like a charm on a grippy surface.Lahiru Thirimanne was the first of those three, waiting for Nabi’s flighted delivery on off stump to arrive, then pushing at the ball and under-edging on to the stumps. Next ball, Nabi had new man Kusal Mendis edging, but just past Rahmat at slip; the very next ball, it went to hand. A ball later, this time Angelo Mathews, nicked off to Rahmat off Shahzad’s pads. Just like that, Sri Lanka’s projected score on ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster dipped from 333 to 217.Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan and Hamid Hassan celebrate a wicket•Getty Images

It had started beautifully for Sri Lanka after they were put in. In overcast conditions, Hassan conceded 15 and 16 runs in his first two overs, and Sri Lanka were on their way till Nabi and Naib got together to stem the flow of runs.By the end of the tenth over, though, Sri Lanka were cruising, the 136-run rollover against New Zealand forgotten.True, Karunaratne was crawling, after carrying his bat through the collapse the other day, but Kusal Perera, opening instead of Thirimanne, was in fine fettle, chugging along in style. They put on 92 for the first wicket – the highest partnership in the game. Afghanistan’s fielding, average at the best of times, was fraying at the edges at that stage, and it was all Sri Lanka.The tide had to turn, and it did, and it was courtesy Nabi, who struck first ball of the 14th over. Karunaratne stepped out, swung, but never got any sort of connection to a ‘slower’, going only as far as Najibullah at long leg.Then came the three-wicket burst, and the meltdown was on. Hassan, after that awful two-over spell, came back and hit a beautiful length and aimed fourth stump. Dhananjaya de Silva succumbed, hanging his bat out and bringing Shahzad into business.Udana’s straight six off Nabi was really just an aberration as the wickets continued to fall. When Kusal nicked a reverse-sweep off Rashid Khan for 78, Sri Lanka were 180 for 8.That’s when the rain came down, kept everyone out for almost three hours, and when the game restarted, lasted four more overs and, courtesy Suranga Lakmal’s biggies off Dawlat, Sri Lanka got past 200. It was enough in the end.