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De Silva and Chandimal lead Sri Lanka fightback

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Sri Lanka recovered from 26 for 5 on the first day against Australia in Colombo to reach 214 for 5 at stumps. Dhananjaya de Silva was the stand-out with his maiden Test century, compiled in an unbeaten 188-run stand with Dinesh Chandimal

The Report by Brydon Coverdale13-Aug-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDhananjaya de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal rescued Sri Lanka on a gripping first day in Colombo•AFP

Sri Lanka: 214 for 5. Hardly an inspiring score at stumps on the first day of a Test. Runs ground out, just a few wickets here and there, Australia probably on top. Nope. This was not the kind of day that can be judged from the closing score. It was a day on which Sri Lanka’s top order capitulated to be 26 for 5. A day on which Dhananjaya de Silva, in his third Test, led the recovery with a brilliant maiden century. And a day that ended with Sri Lanka in command.The runs came slowly, but at least they came. They came with patience, class, respect for good bowling and, yes, a little bit of luck. But the way de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal rebuilt this innings was, for fans of Test cricket, a thing of beauty. Australia’s batsmen could learn something from their approach. By stumps, de Silva was on 116 from 240 balls, Chandimal on 64 from 204, and their partnership was worth 188. They had undone all Australia’s morning work.The dry pitch turned from the first hour. Nathan Lyon picked up two wickets early, then like Jon Holland, bowled well without fortune as the day wore on. Sri Lanka’s three-man spin attack will pose Australia significant challenges. There was little swing, not as much reverse as in the previous two Tests. Australia picked four pace bowlers but used only three. All of the pace wickets came from Mitchell Starc, comfortably Australia’s best player of the series.If Australia’s batsmen have looked bewildered on this tour, the selectors appeared similarly baffled in Colombo. How else to account for shortening their batting order when runs have been their biggest problem? Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja were dropped, Shaun Marsh and Moises Henriques came in. Henriques, with a first-class batting average of 31, an average of 15 in the last Sheffield Shield season, and no first-class cricket since November, was listed at No.5. He did not bowl.The selectors believe Henriques bats well against spin. It is true that he scored 68 and 81 not out against India on Test debut in Chennai in 2013. But he failed to reach double figures in the rest of that tour, a series that also featured clouded selection policies. It remains to be seen how Henriques will handle Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera and Lakshan Sandakan, but his selection was a clear message to the incumbents: learn how to play spin, or you won’t play in Asia.Sri Lanka’s batting has also faltered often in this series, but always there has been someone to rescue them. In Pallekele it was Kusal Mendis with a remarkable maiden Test century in the second innings. In Galle it was Mendis again, with 86 after the score wobbled to 9 for 2 on the first morning. This time it was de Silva, who entered this series uncapped, and by stumps on day one in Colombo sat second only to Mendis on the series run tally.The precarious situation when de Silva walked to the crease cannot be forgotten: 26 for 5. Yes, the series was already won, but suddenly there appeared the very real prospect of Sri Lanka finishing with a humiliation: overhauling their lowest ever Test total, the 71 they scored against Pakistan in Kandy in 1994, seemed a distant goal. And indeed, when de Silva was given out caught at bat pad off Lyon for 5, disaster seemed likely.But de Silva knew he had not hit the ball – hadn’t even got close to it, really. He reviewed the decision of umpire S Ravi and was rightly reprieved and from then on – this was the 20th over of the morning – not a single wicket fell for the rest of the day. There were some nervy moments – Mitchell Marsh spilled a tough chance at gully when Chandimal was 11, two Australian reviews were struck down, de Silva was dropped by Shaun Marsh at cover on 104 – but the batsmen survived.De Silva attacked when given the chance and struck three fours in one over from Starc. He was strong when pulling and flicking off his pads, though his boundaries came all around the ground, including plenty through cover. His fifty came with a lofted boundary over cover off Mitchell Marsh, his hundred with another boundary cut off the legspin of Steven Smith. It took de Silva 209 deliveries to reach his century. It was a proper Test innings.Chandimal was even more circumspect, nudging singles and rotating the strike, playing the perfect foil to de Silva. His fifty came from 165 deliveries, and by stumps he had struck only four fours. Even more than de Silva he showed Australia’s batsmen how a challenging pitch can be handled: with the utmost patience. Chandimal himself had walked out at 24 for 4, a frenetic first hour bringing plenty of wickets.Sri Lanka’s openers continued their disastrous series, Kaushal Silva flashing at Starc and edging to slip for a 15-ball duck, and Dimuth Karunaratne bowled trying to drive Starc for 7 from 34 deliveries. Neither man has reached double figures even once in this campaign from five innings, Sri Lanka’s series triumph having come in spite of their insipid top order. What might they have achieved if the openers had found form too?Lyon was called on in the sixth over of the Test and immediately found some turn. In the 12th over he struck with a delivery that was fullish, quick and spun appreciably, and Kusal Perera managed only an edge to Smith at slip. Lyon claimed another wicket when Angelo Mathews top-edged a sweep and was caught at fine leg for 1.Then Mendis flashed hard at a Starc delivery that angled across him and Smith snapped up his third catch at slip for the morning. Mendis had been the key batsman in the first two Tests, and Australia thought his wicket was the big one. As it turned out, at least two big ones were still waiting to be taken at stumps.

Finn puts England in touching distance

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On a dramatic second day at Edgbaston, Steven Finn claimed five wickets and ran through Australia so comprehensively that their survival until stumps was an achievement in itself

The Report by Brydon Coverdale30-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTwo years ago Steven Finn was unselectable. Now that statement seems unbelievable. On a dramatic second day at Edgbaston, Finn claimed five wickets and ran through Australia so comprehensively that their survival until stumps was an achievement in itself. They were barely clinging on, though; at 168 for 7 they had a lead of 23, and were relying on Peter Nevill, who was on 36, and Mitchell Starc, who had 7.From the second over of the morning, when Mitchell Johnson unleashed two terrifying wicket-taking bouncers, it seemed as if this day would produce something special. It didn’t feel like being a day of England dominance though. Fourteen wickets fell, seven to each side, but honours were anything but even by the end. Australia could hope that Nevill and the tail might still push their lead up past 100 but England would have to implode not to win from here.In the second half of the day, Finn’s wickets were key, but earlier it was a counter-attacking 87-run partnership between Moeen Ali and Stuart Broad that kept England on top. They ensured a lead of 145 and placed the pressure squarely back on the Australians, who didn’t handle it well. Wickets tumbled, and a two-day finish was not only possible but probable. Australia had not lost a Test inside two days since 1890, but this was 19th-century cricket being played by 21st-century professionals.It threatened to be the ultimate throwback Thursday. A record that has stood since the first Test match in 1877 was in serious danger, as David Warner cruised along at a brisk rate while wickets tumbled around him. The highest percentage of runs in a completed innings remains Charles Bannerman’s 67.34% from Test No. 1 but Warner was on track to break it until he fell for 77.Steven Smith played a shot more of his 2010 self than the invincible 2015 version, an ugly hoicky pull that was top-edged to Jos Buttler and gave Finn the first of his wickets. But the biggest throwback of them all was Finn, who was axed during the 2013 Ashes in England and had not been given a look-in since. Here, it was impossible to imagine dropping him.Steven Finn claimed five second-innings wickets to put England on the brink of victory•Getty Images

Finn’s precise lines, movement and bounce wrecked the Australia middle order after Broad had Chris Rogers lbw for 6 early in the innings. Smith’s dismissal might have been partly self-inflicted, but Finn’s double-strike in the second over after tea was the big moment of the day. First it was Michael Clarke who edged to slip for 3, squared up beautifully by Finn.Then next ball, Adam Voges fell in similar fashion when he pushed away from his body and edged to slip for a golden duck. Edgbaston was becoming Edge-baston. Finn missed the hat-trick but soon had added Mitchell Marsh to his tally, bowled for 6 by a ball that moved in just enough to get through the (admittedly large) gate.Warner was the only member of Australia’s top six who reached double-figures, and it was like he was playing a different game. He crunched boundaries in his usual fashion and raced to a 35-ball fifty as wickets fell around him. But on 77 from 62 balls he fell to James Anderson when he tried to force a ball from outside off through the leg-side gap but top-edged a catch to cover.From there, Australia were going to be lucky to last the day. Their luck turned slightly, as Nevill and Johnson showed some fight and held off England for 18 overs. Most worryingly for England, during that partnership they lost Anderson to a side injury sustained when he was bowling to Johnson. Although the extent of the injury was not yet known, it was a concern for the rest of the series.On 14, Johnson gave Finn his five-for when he miscued a swat to leg and was caught at backward point, but there were no more wickets and the match was destined to trickle into day three. After 13 wickets on day one and 14 on day two, it defied belief that Australia could hold off England for very long when they return on Friday.And yet the day had started so well for them. In the second over Johnson banged in a fearsome bouncer that Jonny Bairstow could only glove through to Nevill for 5. That made Johnson the fifth Australian to reach the 300-wicket milestone in Tests, and it was only two balls before he made it 301. Much like Ronald Reagan, Stokes forgot to duck, or didn’t have time to, and another brutal bumper kissed his gloves through to Nevill.At the other end, Joe Root continued to score with apparent ease, and brought up his half-century from his 49th delivery with a pull off Mitchell Starc. Scoring off Starc wasn’t exactly difficult though. He was about as accurate as a horoscope. Balls were sprayed down leg and wide of off, byes and wides were gifted. But even a horoscope flukes a hit occasionally, and a full, wide ball from Starc was edged to slip by Root for 63.Nathan Lyon struck in the first over of a spell for the third time in the innings when he trapped Buttler lbw for a laboured 9, but he was unable to add to his three-wicket tally despite causing Moeen some headaches before lunch. After the break, Moeen played his natural, carefree style and found boundaries all around the ground on the way to a brisk 59.Josh Hazlewood got rid of Moeen and Broad, and Starc finished the innings by having Anderson caught behind, but England’s 281 was more than double what Australia had managed in the first innings. Finn carried on their good work, and by stumps a 2-1 lead to England seemed inevitable.

New Zealand Women take lead in two-match series

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New Zealand Women beat Australia Women by six wickets with two balls to spare in the first Twenty20 match of the series in Melbourne on Tuesday

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2013
ScorecardEllyse Perry took two crucial wickets, but it couldn’t prevent defeat for Australia•Getty Images

New Zealand Women beat Australia Women by six wickets with two balls to spare in the first Twenty20 match of the series in Melbourne on Tuesday. The two sides will play the second match of the series later in the day.Captain Suzie Bates led the New Zealand team’s chase of 151, with an important knock of 42. Bates and Sophie Devine set the foundation for a New Zealand win, adding 67 runs for the third wicket, before Frances Mackay and Nicola Browne took their side past the target with an unbeaten fifth-wicket stand of 54.Earlier, Australia managed to score a respectable 7 for 151 after they were reduced to 3 for 15. Left-arm spinner Morna Nielsen and medium-pacer Lea Tahuhu struck early to dismiss Jess Cameron and Lisa Sthalekar in quick succession after opener Alyssa Healy was run out in the first over.The Australia innings recovered following a 75-run partnership between Meg Lanning, who top scored with 76, and Alexandra Blackwell for the fourth wicket. However, Australia again lost a flurry of wickets towards the end of their innings that limited them to 151.

A chance to test squad strengths

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ESPNcricinfo previews the fifth ODI between India and West Indies in Chennai

The Preview by Dustin Silgardo10-Dec-2011

Match facts

India v West Indies, December 11, Chennai
Start time 1430 (0900 GMT)Rahul Sharma should enjoy the Chepauk pitch•AFP

Big Picture

Virender Sehwag’s record-breaking double-century in Indore could have one of two effects on Sunday’s match in Chennai. Either fans will still be abuzz with the euphoria that surrounded the feat and turn up hoping for a reprise, or they will believe the zenith of the series has already been reached, and with the result decided as well will struggle to find meaning in the dead rubber.For the India team, though, the match does hold some significance. Injuries to Praveen Kumar and now Varun Aaron, mean Vinay Kumar and Abhimanyu Mithun will both be on the plane to Australia for the Test series. In Indore, the pair bowled just eight overs between them and were taken for 71 runs, hardly the kind of form you’d want two of your seamers going to Australia in. On a Chennai pitch that has been slow and low through the year, and offered nothing for the quicks, it will be a test of both their mettle to see if they can at least get through a full quota of overs and take some confidence into the big tour of Australia.After the thrashing in Indore, one could forgive the West Indies players if their minds were already on the plane back home. But Darren Sammy’s side have repeatedly shown fight on this tour, highlighted by their performance in the third Test in Mumbai. Through the one-day series so far, West Indies have put on more runs for the last five wickets than the first five and they will believe that if the top order can come good, they can get a total that will challenge India.

Form guide

India WLWWW (Most recent first)
West Indies LWLLL

In the spotlight

There had been a bit of mystery surrounding the logic behind having Rahul Sharma in the India squad for two one-day series and a Test series without giving him a game. In Indore, there was some vindication for the selectors, who had picked Rahul Sharma despite the fact that he has only played 10 first-class games. He impressed with his ability to turn the ball even with a flat trajectory and his variations in pace, and struck three times in his first three overs. The pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium has kept low and will be conducive to Rahul Sharma’s skiddy topspinner.Marlon Samuels has got plenty of starts on this tour of India, but is yet to score a century since returning to international cricket after a two-year ban. His only previous ODI in Chennai was in 2007, when he scored 98 and helped West Indies win. As the most experienced batsmen in the ODI team, he will be the one West Indies rely on to turn the form of the top order around.

Pitch and conditions

Rain is always a possibility in Chennai at this time of year. While thundershowers are expected through most of next week, the forecast says Sunday will be sunny.The pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium has played low and slow all year. During the World Cup, it was the most difficult of all the Indian pitches to bat on. West Indies were bowled out for 188 in their group game against India in Chennai, with spinners taking six of the ten wickets. The pitch has also produced low-scoring encounters through the IPL and Champions League Twenty20, and it could be a hard grind for the batsmen against spin on Sunday.

Team news

With the series already in the bag, India could experiment with their line-up on Sunday. Irfan Pathan will expect to be given a game but it will be difficult deciding who to leave out as Vinay and Mithun are both headed to Australia and the selectors may want to give them game time. Rahul Sharma deserves another chance after his impressive debut and R Ashwin is the local lad. Irfan could be slotted in as an allrounder, with Ravindra Jadeja being rested. Ajinkya Rahane and Manoj Tiwary are part of the squad without getting a game so far this series. Perhaps one of them could be given a chance in the dead rubber, with one of the middle-order batsmen rested.India (probable): 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag (capt), 3 Ajinkya Rahane/Manoj Tiwary, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Parthiv Patel (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja/ Irfan Pathan, 8 R Ashwin, 9 R Vinay Kumar, 10 Abhimanyu Mithun, 11 Rahul SharmaDarren Bravo missed the fourth ODI with a hamstring injury and it is not certain whether he will be fit for Sunday’s game. Whether or not he returns, Danza Hyatt must surely make way after scoring just 62 runs in four innings in the series. Adrian Barath could replace Hyatt if Bravo does not play. Given the nature of the pitch, West Indies may opt to play two spinners, and bring Anthony Martin in for Kermar Roach.West Indies (probable): 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Adrian Barath/ Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Andre Russell 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Ravi Rampaul, 10 Kemar Roach/ Anthony Martin, 11 Sunil Narine

Stats and trivia

  • Virender Sehwag has never scored back-to-back centuries in ODIs. Seven of his 15 one-day hundreds have been succeeded by single-digit scores.
  • Out of the four ODIs played at Chepauk this year, three have been won by the side batting first. The average second-innings total in matches that the team chasing lost is 193.

    Quotes

    “I have been interacting with Eric Simmons [the India bowling coach] regarding variations and that has helped me a lot. I am also learning a lot while playing alongside Ashwin. It looks like a turning track. I would definitely like to do well again and ensure a 4-1 series victory for us.”

Poor batting on day one cost us – Vettori

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New Zealand’s poor batting display on the first day of the third and deciding Test cost them the match, according to Daniel Vettori

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2010On New Zealand’s 1999 tour of India, the heat, the noise and the crowds had all started to take their toll on the visitors. In the second Test, Rahul Dravid was further adding to their woes by doing what he does best – batting long. As former New Zealand fast bowler Dion Nash tells it, a butterfly suddenly landed in the middle of the pitch, and Dravid pulled away from the strike. While the rest of the players watched in “collective horror”, Adam Parore stormed down the pitch and stomped on the insect. Dravid turned around and said loudly, “Oh no, he has kicked the butterfly, that’s bad luck for you guys”. It was indeed, for New Zealand went to suffer a big loss. The frustration of a typical Indian tour had had its effect on Parore.This time around, there has been anything but frustration in New Zealand’s camp heading in to the third Test. They even threatened to win the first Test, and comfortably drew the second. But just when everyone had forgotten the whitewash in Bangladesh that preceded this tour, they collapsed in this Test. India were allowed to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, admittedly with a little bit of help from the umpires.New Zealand’s performance today wasn’t all that surprising. The ball turned and bounced, and with two umpiring howlers going against them, they didn’t have much of a chance to save the game. It was their batting debacle on the first day on a true surface that was the real surprise, especially since it followed their creditable batting performances in the first two Tests, albeit on flat tracks.”I can only look at the overall performance and say it was poor in this Test as compared to the first two Tests,” Daniel Vettori said. “We were exceptional then because we grinded it out and put in good performances. In this part of the world, the first-innings runs keep you in the game, and then it’s up to your bowling attack to take wickets but that didn’t happen here. I think after winning the toss, scoring just 193 put us under a lot of pressure.”We might never know whether it was because New Zealand play better when they are the underdogs, which they were in the first two Tests, and stumbled here because they went in with higher expectations, or whether Brendon McCullum’s last-minute injury completely unsettled the team. The second day was the best for batting on this pitch, and their bowlers couldn’t make much headway. Their chance came on the third day morning; the ball was still hard and they removed Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, and Suresh Raina, but Vettori was left to rue their inability to dislodge the pair of Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni.”We bowled so well and took three wickets but couldn’t capitalise on that. Dhoni and Dravid played exceptionally well. There were lots of niggles for us but I think India showed us how to bat, especially in this Test.”Their fight evaporated after the 193-run stand between Dravid and Dhoni. In the first Test at Ahmedabad, after a hard day’s work when New Zealand had fought hard to push India on to the back foot, Sreesanth came to meet the press. After giving credit to the opposition, he couldn’t help himself, saying “Let’s see how they play on a proper turning track. I think they will struggle”.Today, they did exactly that, and collapsed in a heap. “Any time you lose, you surrender too early,” Vettori said. “We knew we had to be positive this morning but couple of dismissals… There was a period where India bowled well but once you get through the new [hard] ball, it’s a wicket where you can bat on for a long time. We are disappointed with our performance.”On the eve of the game, Vettori had said that they would be judged on how they performed in the final Test. India were without their best bowler Zaheer Khan and New Zealand had won the toss, but everything went pear-shaped from then on. “A loss is a loss. It should hurt us as much no matter the situation. To win the toss we were pretty happy with that. If we had gone through that period- just 58 overs were bowled – and come in the next morning, which was the best day to bat as India proved, but we made things difficult the way we batted on the first day.”

Samaraweera, Perera take Sri Lanka to second successive win

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Rarely does a centurion get overshadowed in a match of middling scores. But though Thilan Samaraweera finished with an accomplished unbeaten 105, the headlines were stolen by Thissara Perera, who celebrated his third cap with a power-packed 15-ball 36

The Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran05-Jan-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outThilan Samaraweera smashed 11 fours en route to his second ODI century•Associated Press

Rarely does a centurion get overshadowed in a match of middling scores. But though Thilan Samaraweera finished with an accomplished unbeaten 105, the headlines were stolen by Thissara Perera, who celebrated his third cap with a power-packed 15-ball 36. From needing 54 off 39 balls when he arrived at the crease, Sri Lanka romped home with two overs to spare, as India’s quest for yorkers merely resulted in one too many no-balls and full tosses. Chanaka Welegedara’s five-wicket haul had killed India’s batting momentum at crucial times, and with the dew playing such a factor in the evening, 279 was not quite enough.After taking Zaheer Khan through cover to get off the mark, Perera transformed the game in Ashish Nehra’s seventh over. He had been India’s best bowler, but Perera pierced the off-side cordon, flicked behind square and then nonchalantly hoicked the free hit for six in the same direction.
Samaraweera got to his hundred straight after, but was then more than content to watch the fun from the other end.Zaheer was then carved through the covers twice, as he made light of being struck in the ribs, and a meaty club through wide long-on finished off matters well ahead of time. Sri Lanka had been given a brisk start by the new opening pair of Upul Tharanga and Lahiru Thirimanne, the debutant who replaced Tillakaratne Dilshan, but once India conceded just 16 in the five overs of bowling Powerplay, the onus was very much on the old hands to see it home.Tharanga had set the tone with a casual loft for four off Zaheer, and then two then took 16 from an over that also featured wides down the leg side. With runs leaking, MS Dhoni gave the ball to Sreesanth, only for Thirimanne to reveal glimpses of his potential with three cracking drives through the covers. It was too good to last though. In Sreesanth’s next over, he got into a tangle trying to pull off the front foot and the ball ballooned to midwicket.Soon after, Harbhajan Singh was introduced and Tharanga chipped his fourth ball straight back. But Samaraweera came in and wrested the initiative with deft cuts and a paddle for four. And with Kumar Sangakkara unafraid to come down the pitch and chip over the infield, the innings quickly revived. By then the towels were out, and the Indian focus was as much on keeping the ball dry as it was on taking the wickets needed to win the game.Samaraweera was the primary aggressor, scooping Sreesanth for four in an over that cost 16, and Sri Lanka were cruising when Sangakkara, who had eased to 60, stepped out and lofted Harbhajan Singh straight to cover. Thilina Kandamby then top-edged a wild swipe to midwicket and when Suraj Randiv backed up too far, they were in trouble. Perera, though, ensured that India would get no reprieve.Earlier, Yuvraj Singh had marked his return to the XI with 74 from 84 balls, while Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja all contributed decent cameos after Virender Sehwag had played a typically effervescent hand. He cruised to 47 from 30 balls before playing too early at one bowled with fingers rolled across the seam from round the wicket, and after his exit, India had to build steadily on a surface where the ball didn’t always come on to the bat.Sehwag had announced his intentions from the outset, off-driving Welegedara for four, but there was an early setback for the Indians as he sneaked a yorker underneath Gautam Gambhir’s bat and on to the base of leg stump. With Sehwag taking Suranga Lakmal for three fours in an over, and Virat Kohli playing a lovely straight drive, the 50 of the innings came in just the seventh over. The game changed, though, in the space of two eventful overs from Welegedara.Sehwag had scythed two off-side fours and been caught behind off a no-ball by the time Kohli tried too cute a deflection to a ball pitched outside off stump. Having conceded 18 in that over, Welegedara came back in the next to have Sehwag caught at mid-off by Thirimanne. India had taken 76 from the first Powerplay, but only 13 came from the bowling one as the bowlers kept a leash on the new batsmen. Both Yuvraj and Dhoni clipped boundaries through point, but with Randiv getting pretty sharp turn, and Kandamby filling in with part-time spin, the runs were no longer coming at Sehwag pace.When Muthumudalige Pushpakumara went off injured after a dive in the outfield, Sangakkara had to turn to his occasional bowlers, and Yuvraj quickly cashed in, pulling Samaraweera for four and then heaving Kandamby for two consecutive sixes to reach his half-century. At that point,
Perara, deputising for Chamara Silva, was called on, and Dhoni’s attempt to force the issue only found Sangakkara’s gloves. Soon after, he induced a miscued pull from Yuvraj, and by the time the batting Powerplay was taken after 43 overs, there were only 225 on the board.They took 14 from the first of those overs, bowled by Welegedara, but with Jadeja going four-six-four-four against Thilan Thushara, the innings finally had some energy. But back came Sri Lanka again, with Welegedara castling Raina and Zaheer, and Harbhajan playing a hideous stroke to point. By the time Jadeja holed out in the final over, all hopes of 300
had long since disappeared, leaving Sri Lanka with a chase that they timed to perfection.

Saim Ayub ruled out of Champions Trophy

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He is still recovering from an ankle injury picked up in January and remains a doubt for the white-ball tour of New Zealand after the Champions Trophy

Danyal Rasool07-Feb-2025Pakistan opening batter Saim Ayub has been confirmed out for at least another five weeks owing to injury; he continues his rehabilitation from the ankle injury he sustained in South Africa in January. It further confirms that he will not be available for the Champions Trophy, which runs until March 9, and the extent of his involvement in Pakistan’s white-ball series in New Zealand after that remains uncertain.A PCB statement said Ayub was “progressing well in his right ankle fracture injury”. He remains in England, where he will complete the remainder of his rehabilitation, and has been ruled out for 10 weeks from the time of his injury, which he picked up while fielding in the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town five weeks ago.Ayub had to be stretchered off the pitch in just the seventh over of the match, when Ryan Rickelton edged a delivery through the slips, sending Ayub off on a chase to deep third alongside Aamer Jamal. Jamal pulled it back in as Ayub stood poised to be the relay fielder, but lost his balance and twisted his ankle. He went down immediately and appeared in anguish holding the lower part of his leg as the physio rushed on.Related

  • Pakistan boosted by Rizwan's form but bowling remains a concern

  • Fakhar Zaman, Faheem Ashraf back in Pakistan squad for CT25

  • PCB chief says Gaddafi Stadium will be ready for Feb 7 inauguration

  • CT25 FAQs: Who are playing, what are the venues, where to watch?

Despite prolonged treatment outside the boundary line, Ayub was unable to put any weight on his right ankle, and appeared to be in tears as he was placed on to a stretcher and taken off. He was later seen on crutches in the medical booth.The PCB initially said he would be ruled out for six weeks, which offered some hope of his availability for the Champions Trophy, which Pakistan host. Last week the board announced the squad for the tournament, with Ayub absent from it.A week after the Champions Trophy final, Pakistan embark upon an eight-match white-ball tour of New Zealand, playing five T20Is and three ODIs between 16 March and 5 April. The Pakistan Super League starts on 8 April.

ODI World Cup digest: Marsh goes big, NZ locked into semis, England finish with a bang

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The group stage is almost complete with India looking to make it nine from nine against Netherlands

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-20236:27

Finch: Marsh and Smith’s form are good signs for Australia

—Fixtures | Squads | Points table | Tournament Index

Top Story: Marsh’s 177* powers Australia to seventh straight win

Australia’s aversion to chasing has disappeared ahead of a semi-final with old foes South Africa after a statement innings of 177 not out from Mitchell Marsh at No.3 helped his side cruise to their second-successive record World Cup chase against Bangladesh in Pune, running down 307 with eight wickets and 32 balls to spare.Marsh made his highest ODI score and his first century at first drop, thumping 177 off 132 balls with 17 fours and nine sixes in brutal fashion.Australia had only chased more than 300 once in the last four years, but the rejigged batting line-up finally clicked with Steven Smith making an untroubled, unbeaten 63 at No.4 and sharing in a 175-run stand to guide Australia to their seventh straight win of the tournament.Click here to read the full report

Match analysis: Marsh owns the No. 3 spot with monstrous hitting

Australia head into the semi-finals high on confidence•Getty Images

Australia’s World Cup campaign has resembled a balls-in-a-maze puzzle. From catches going down in the first two matches, to Steven Smith having to adjust to a new role, to his vertigo, to Glenn Maxwell’s concussion on a golf course, Australia just haven’t been able to get all the balls in the innermost circle.One concern must have been how Mitchell Marsh, a big part of their plan to frontload their batting, didn’t quite respond immediately to moving down to No. 3 midway in the tournament. Against Bangladesh, in the final league match of the tournament, Marsh ticked that box with an innings full of power and intent that must sound a warning bugle for their opponents in the coming week.Read the full piece from Sid Monga

Match report: Stokes and Willey fashion a last hurrah for England

Fifty six of Ben Stokes’ 84 runs came in boundaries•ICC/Getty Images

England’s soon-to-be-deposed world champions bade farewell to the 2023 World Cup with a glimpse of their former domineering selves, as they marched to an emphatic 93-run win over Pakistan at Eden Gardens. The result means that Babar Azam’s men are officially out of semi-final contention.David Willey marked the final appearance of his international career with a sparky all-round display that included his 100th and final ODI wicket, and after Ben Stokes had underpinned an imposing total of 337 for 9 with his second forceful outing in quick succession, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid turned the screw on a spin-friendly surface to snuff out any pretence of a contest with four wickets between them.

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News headlines

  • Ben Stokes says he will decide whether to re-enter ODI retirement after undergoing knee surgery, in a post-script to England’s disappointing World Cup campaign.
  • Babar Azam is still learning as captain, and deserves to be backed. This is what Pakistan’s director of cricket Mickey Arthur said, after wrapping up an underwhelming World Cup campaign with a 93-run loss to England.
  • Temba Bavuma has “showed an improvement overnight” from the hamstring strain that hampered him during South Africa’s World Cup match against Afghanistan on Friday.

Match preview

India vs Netherlands, Bengaluru (2pm IST; 8.30am GMT; 7.30pm AEDT)1:29

Dravid: Shreyas’ temperament stands out under pressure

They’ve been occasionally tested, but otherwise, India’s World Cup run has been nothing short of magical. Now on the day of the auspicious Indian festival of Diwali, they have a chance to gift their fans another dose of entertainment, and even though we know that anything can happen in sport, a defeat for the hosts is extremely unlikely.That’s because India have been absolutely dominant during their 8-0 run at this World Cup. Coming into their final league game, they face the least-fancied team of the tournament, Netherlands, even if they have performed better than expected. With a semi-final against New Zealand on Wednesday their next big game, Sunday also offers India a chance to rest key personnel should there be a need for it.Full previewTeam newsIndia (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul, 6 Suryakumar Yadav, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Kuldeep Yadav / R Ashwin, 9 Jasprit Bumrah / Prasidh Krishna, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Mohammed SirajNetherlands (probable) 1 Max O’Dowd / Vikramjit Singh, 2 Wesley Barresi, 3 Colin Ackermann, 4 Sybrand Engelbrecht, 5 Scott Edwards (capt), 6 Bas de Leede, 7 Teja Nidamanuru, 8 Logan van Beek, 9 Roelof van der Merwe, 10 Aryan Dutt, 11 Paul van Meekeren

BCB to investigate sponsorship social-media post from Shakib Al Hasan

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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.

James Vince plunders 168*, Tom Alsop also tons up as Hampshire dominate

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Fourth-wicket pair add 224 as Leicestershire experience chastening start to campaign

ECB Reporters' Network08-Apr-2021Contrasting centuries from James Vince and Tom Alsop saw Hampshire establish a dominant position in their LV= Insurance County Championship match against Leicestershire at the UptonSteel County Ground, Grace Road.Hampshire skipper Vince was all power and timing as he took full advantage of some wayward bowling from Leicestershire’s inexperienced seam attack, hitting 17 fours and two sixes in racing to three figures off just 81 balls.Alsop, who had just reached his half-century when Vince came to the crease on the dismissal of Sam Northeast, was less fluent, but while his century came off 153 deliveries, and included 17 fours, it was no less valuable to his side.Together the pair added 224 for the fourth wicket before Alsop got a leading edge trying to turn a delivery from Alex Evans into the leg side and was caught at point. Vince, however, remained unbeaten, reaching his 150 off 140 deliveries before closing on 168 not out. It is the sixth time he has made a score of 150 or more in his first-class career.Vince started the day as well as he ended it, winning the toss and choosing to bat first on a slightly drier pitch than might normally have been expected for the time of year – Leicestershire have two spinners in their side.Ian Holland was the first man dismissed, edging a Chris Wright outswinger to wicketkeeper Harry Swindells, but Joe Weatherley looked in good order, stroking seven fours in going to 41 before top-edging a pull at a short delivery from Gavin Griffiths and skying a catch to Swindells.Northeast was dismissed shortly after lunch, leg before to Wright to make the score 127 for 3, and Vince edged his first ball from Wright towards Leicestershire skipper Colin Ackermann at second slip. It dropped an inch short, and that was as close as the Foxes came to dismissing the England international: from that moment on he was in complete control.