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The forecast is bad for Sunday but that can change quickly, and both teams are determined not to be distracted by the weather

Alex Malcolm12-Nov-2022In 1992, the same year England and Pakistan last met in a World Cup final, Australian-based New Zealand band Crowded House released one of their most famous songs, Four Seasons in One Day.It was an ode to Melbourne’s unpredictable weather, featuring the line, “it doesn’t pay to make predictions.”It is a lesson the current England and Pakistan teams have heeded 30 years on, ahead of Sunday’s T20 World Cup final in Melbourne, with horrendous weather predicted.Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting 100% chance of rain with 10-20mm expected including “the chance of a thunderstorm, possibly severe with heavy falls.”But nothing is ever guaranteed in Melbourne when it comes to the weather. England risked failing to reach the knockouts, after focusing on Melbourne’s unpredictable weather too much earlier in the tournament in the shock loss to Ireland at the MCG.Related

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“Obviously, the Ireland match is a big disappointment for us as a team throughout this tournament, but certainly feels a long time ago now,” England captain Jos Buttler said on Saturday. “Being able to sit in this position on the eve of the World Cup final, I think we will have learned quite a few lessons throughout that game and actually, the lead-up into the game.”The weather around Melbourne was dominating the whole tournament at that stage and was definitely a distraction at times.”It was a blunt admission from Buttler and perhaps in part explained why England had bowled so poorly at the start of that game against Ireland.The irony is, as much as they were distracted by the weather in the lead-up to that loss, they freely admit too they didn’t pay enough attention to the radar during the game itself, when they fell five runs short of the DLS par score as the rain began to fall.”We know the areas we were short,” Buttler said. “That definitely hurt us. And I think we’ve seen a reaction to that game in the rest of the cricket we’ve played so far.”Pakistan had their own experience with Melbourne’s weather in the lead-up to their epic clash against India, with fears the game would be washed out without a ball being bowled due to another foreboding forecast from the Bureau of Meteorology. But in the end, not a drop of rain fell that night during Melbourne’s wettest October for half a century, and the teams duked it out in one of the best T20 internationals ever played.Pakistan were not distracted by the weather against India, having outplayed their opponents for much of the night before losing the game in the final eight deliveries.Again, ahead of the final, they are unperturbed by the forecast.”We discuss the weather situation of course, but we don’t focus on it,” Pakistan captain Babar Azam said. “We’re focused on getting a full game in. It’s a World Cup final, so getting a part-game in or not getting one at all would be disappointing. We’re aiming to execute regardless of how long it is, but I’m really looking forward to getting a full game in.”Pakistan’s vibes-over-tactics mindset has served them well to this point and gives them great comfort.England too will take comfort from the knowledge that they have played a rain-shortened game in this tournament. They also played another in the lead-up to the event, against Australia in Canberra, giving them added recent experience of both setting and chasing in rain-shortened matches should the game be reduced to a 10-over affair, the minimum length needed for a result in the final.But as Crowded House front man Neil Finn wrote, “finding out wherever there is comfort there is pain, only one step away, like four seasons in one day.”

Onus on visitors’ batting to find an extra gear after flat displays in first two T20Is

Andrew Miller25-Jun-2021

Big picture

Three days on from the World Test Championship final, the Ageas Bowl (as it is once again allowed to be known) plays host to a final of a rather less epochal variety. The final T20I between England and Sri Lanka will be a daylight-hours dead rubber after England’s comprehensive victories in Cardiff earlier this week, and if that prospect fails to set your pulse racing then never fear – at least you’ll be able to flick over to Wales versus Denmark during the second innings if the going gets too stodgy.Perhaps that’s unfair. Thursday night’s rain-interrupted second encounter had its moments, perhaps most notably Sam Curran’s sublime side-foot into the stumps to run out Danushka Gunathilaka. But for all that England’s bowlers have been excellent in both contests, the grim truth is that Sri Lanka have limped along to consecutive totals of 129 and 111 in their 20 overs – a series run-rate of precisely one a ball. And impressive though their initial defence of that second total may have been, the jeopardy was short-lived once England’s middle-order pair of Liam Livingstone and Sam Billings had calibrated the appropriate tempo for their chase.It is, as Sri Lanka’s coach Mickey Arthur acknowledged, a case of No. 1 versus No. 9 in the ICC T20I rankings, and the gulf has been plain for all to see. Even the continued absence of England’s most accomplished white-ball batter is unlikely to close up the gap between the sides. Jos Buttler has been ruled out for the remainder of the Sri Lanka tour with a minor calf tear, but Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy – reunited at the top of the order – aren’t exactly a second-best option among white-ball opening partnerships.It’s hard to see exactly where Sri Lanka can hope to catch a break in this contest. Wanindu Hasaranga has impressed once again with his legspin, while their new-ball pairing of Dushmantha Chameera and Binura Fernando bowled with heart and fire in the Powerplay. But Adil Rashid goes from strength to strength, rising to every new role that Eoin Morgan seeks to audition him for, while Mark Wood’s lavish loosener-free pace is a bruising option to bomb the middle overs. When you’re barely stretching the ability of a player with as much star billing as Sam Curran, you know you’ve got your bases covered.Related

• Sam Billings primed to seize his chance after life on England's fringes

• Mickey Arthur: They're No. 1, we're No. 9, and you can see the difference

• Liam Livingstone makes virtue of versatility in pitch for England World Cup role

• Jos Buttler ruled out of Sri Lanka white-ball series with calf injury

Sri Lanka may be tempted to make changes to their line-up, particularly in the batting, but such is the volatility of their current team, at some stage too they will need simply to opt for continuity and trust their chosen players to come out of their shells. That said, it took until the eighth over on Thursday for Sri Lanka to post their first boundary, and nonsensically only two players all night managed so much as hit a four. Kusal Mendis top-scored with a run-a-ball 39; Isuru Udana ruined Chris Jordan’s figures with some belated intent in the 20th over of their innings. Without that, they might not even have scraped past 100.Who knows what England can learn from these contests, although the state of the wickets in Cardiff suggest that they are focused on used-pitch practice given the likelihood of the T20 World Cup taking place in the UAE, straight after the IPL has swiped what little juice the surfaces may have had. That is, after all, the real end-game. This is just another staging post in the quest for further ICC silverware.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)England WWLLWSri Lanka LLLWL

In the spotlight

Dawid Malan has been drafted into England’s ODI squad as a replacement for Buttler, which may help to reassure him that he is still a hugely valued part of the white-ball set-up. But there’s no question he’ll be feeling the heat as the focus intensifies on his place at No. 3. In six T20s this summer – two for England, four for Yorkshire – he has a highest score of 23, while his consecutive scores of 7 and 4 in Cardiff were, incredibly, only his second and third single-digit returns in 26 T20Is. A truer surface in Southampton may be what he needs to get back to his dominant best, although quite how much of a pointer that would be for the T20 World Cup’s conditions is anyone’s guess.Wanindu Hasaranga has been a flicker of hope in a rough period for Sri Lankan cricket. His three-card trick to bamboozle Sam Billings on Thursday capped another fine display of legspin – 2 for 20 in four overs on this occasion – and he is now ranked in the top ten T20I bowlers in the world, according to the ICC. With his combination of accuracy and variety, including a superb googly, if any one player is likely to put in the sort of performance that can earn Sri Lanka a consolation win, it is him.

Pitch and conditions

This will be the first T20 at the Ageas Bowl this season – Hampshire have played a glut of away games in the Blast while the ground was being used as India’s base ahead of the WTC final. To judge by that contest, there should be plenty of carry for the quicks on offer, but most importantly the weather is set fair after the nonsense of this time last week. A pleasant summer’s afternoon is in prospect, come what may.

Team news

As a rule, England are loath to make too many changes to their XIs, although the continued absence of Buttler has caused a degree of upheaval in their ranks. Bairstow is set to open with Jason Roy once more, and probably retain the gloves too, even though Billings was on standby to make his Test debut as a keeper against New Zealand earlier this month. After two blistering displays, Wood may be due a rest – compared to Chris Woakes, his recent workload has been whip-crackingly brutal. Woakes ought to return – otherwise, what did England hope to learn from his recall after a six-year gap? – but then there’s Moeen Ali, absent for ten T20Is and counting.England: (possible) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Sam Billings, 7 Sam Curran, 8 David Willey, 9 Chris Woakes, 10 Chris Jordan, 11 Adil RashidThere’s a chance that Sri Lanka may choose to blood their latest all-round prospect, the 22-year-old Dhananjaya Lakshan, whose lusty hitting and variety-laden seam bowling shot to prominence at the recent Lanka Premier League, where he claimed at least one wicket in each of his outings, and thumped Galle Gladiators into the final with some timely hitting in their semi-final victory over Colombo Kings.Sri Lanka: (possible) 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Avishka Fernando, 3 Kusal Perera (capt/wk), 4 Kusal Mendis, 5 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Dhananjaya Lakshan, 9 Akila Dananjaya, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Binura Fernando

Stats and trivia

• England have won five of their previous eight T20Is at Southampton, including the very first such contest they ever played – and only the second globally – by 100 runs against Australia in 2005.
• Sri Lanka have placed two T20Is at the ground, winning the first by two runs in 2006, but losing the second, ten years later, by eight wickets
• Sri Lanka are yet to score a boundary off Adil Rashid in the series, who has combined figures of 4 for 41 from his eight overs.

  Quotes

  “It’s something I’ve worked hard on for this sort of opportunity, to push my way into a team as someone that can offer something in all three facets of the game.”
  Allrounder Liam Livingstone believes he’s got the skills to enhance England’s T20I line-up“We’re consistently talking about freedom, about taking the handbrake off as a batting unit. But you can only bat as well as you’re allowed to and I thought England were world-class with the lengths they hit.”
  Sri Lanka coach Mickey Arthur praises the discipline and skill of England’s attack.

The tournament’s chief operating officer on his plans for expansion, including a women’s league

Matt Roller20-Apr-2020A new franchise in the USA, a fully-fledged women’s league and maintaining distinctive local flavour are among the keys to ensuring the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is the second-best T20 league in the world, after the IPL, according to chief operations officer Pete Russell.Seven seasons in, the 2020 CPL is shaping up to be the most difficult yet, with the Covid-19 pandemic and its knock-on effects meaning there is every chance the league will have to be played without overseas players, behind closed doors, or across only a handful of venues as organisers draw up contingency plans.But in an interview with ESPNcricinfo, Russell said he was confident that the CPL was well-placed to meet that challenge, having learnt from the mistakes it has made to date.”Private enterprise is interesting when you bring it into sport. It definitely has value to it, but you do have a lot of hurdles and obstacles you’ve got to overcome,” Russell said. “I think the tournament has now overcome a lot of those hurdles. It’s very well established in the Caribbean – even including carnival, it’s without doubt the number one entertainment product there.

CPL ‘shut down corruption quickly’

Russell says that the CPL dealt with things quickly last year when officials from the St Kitts and Nevis franchise were pulled up by anti-corruption officers, as reported by ESPNcricinfo. “I think there was naivety involved on the part of the owners – we responded incredibly quickly to that situation and shut it down quickly, and actually it did very little damage to us both in terms of making sure that the team could continue to play in the league but also in terms of its integrity,” he said. “We’d beefed up our anti-corruption that year and took on a lot more responsibility ourselves, and actually got to the root of it very quickly.”

“The challenge it has from a commercial perspective is its home audience is only seven million [people]. If you compare that to India and other parts of the world, you’ll see that the economics of getting a large home media deal aren’t there, so you have to be a lot more creative in how you build your revenue profile.”We’ve been able to do that. It broke even – or a little bit better than that – last year. This year will be a challenge, but we’ve put it in a place where we can see how to make money going forward. It’s on a stable footing – we’ve got owners now who are good, we think. It’s always difficult when you’re selling franchises when you don’t know what you’re going to get, but I think now we know our owners very well and vice versa – that relationship is very strong.”St Lucia Zouks finished fifth in the 2019 CPL•Ashley Allen – CPL T20 / Getty

Things have not always been straightforward regarding the franchise owners. Vijay Mallya was removed as Barbados Tridents owner after failing to pay his players and fighting extradition, officials from St Kitts and Nevis Patriots were pulled up by anti-corruption officers last season, and the St Lucia franchise has changed hands three times in as many years – it was most recently purchased by Kings XI Punjab’s parent company, KPH Dream Cricket Private Limited in February.As things stand, two of the teams are owned by the parent companies of IPL franchises – Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel were re-branded as Trinbago Knight Riders after they were bought by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment in 2015. And though Russell admits it would “make sense” for St Lucia’s new owners to change the team’s name from Zouks to Kings XI, he doesn’t think the CPL would lose its local flavour and turn into a mini-IPL. Indeed, in the immediate term, the fact that IPL owners have a stake in the league may help avoid a clash between the two tournaments this year.”I talk to Venky Mysore [Red Chillies CEO] a reasonable amount because he has a huge amount of knowledge: what he’s learned in the IPL is only going to help us, not just in terms of the audience that they bring in terms of the Indian market, but also the learnings and professionalism. It’s no coincidence that they’ve won the number of titles that they have. All ships rise in that scenario: other owners know that the tide mark has gone up.”Similarly with Kings XI, I’m excited to be working with some great people. If you’ve got owners like that, it’s not as if there’s any threat – at the end of the day, CPL still runs and manages the league. We’re very open-minded about the way we operate. We’ve probably got a lot more wrong than we’ve got right over the years, but we learn from our mistakes and the league is in a very strong position.”Expansion is a balancing act, and Russell thinks it unlikely that a new Caribbean-based franchise will be created any time soon. Instead, the target is breaking into the US. That is easier said than done – players were frustrated by small crowds and the loss of home advantage when games were played there in 2018, and having an American CPL franchise would present a clash with USA’s own plans for franchise cricket in the next two years – but setting up an American franchise within the next five years remains an ambition.The Barbados Tridents players celebrate with the CPL trophy•Getty Images

“Would we set up another franchise in the Caribbean? I doubt it. Would I set one up in America or Canada? Probably, because that would make sense in terms of breaking into new markets and making the commercials a little more palatable.”We’ve got the largest professional [cricket] league on that side of the world, and it makes sense to collaborate and to build a powerful base there. Who knows: I could quite easily see how you would have a North and South conference in the future, once the infrastructure is in place.”The downside with any expansion is that the league risks becoming bloated: the last two Big Bash seasons, in which average attendances were down and interest waned due to an increase in the number of group games from 40 to 56 serves as a warning sign.Similarly, the CPL is determined to maintain its distinctiveness as a league. Last year, the number of overseas players per team was reduced from five to four, and there has been more of a collaborative effort with Cricket West Indies to enhance the opportunities afforded to young, local talent. Better pitches have helped the league’s entertainment value, too – scoring rates have climbed from 6.98 runs per over in 2013 to 8.30 last season.”I always look at these leagues and think less is more. I’m not one for playing 56 games, just because of the fatigue element. In my personal view, the Big Bash lost their momentum a little bit when they did that. The IPL is a different beast, but again – that’s a lot of games that they are playing.Chris Gayle celebrates his hundred•CPL T20 via Getty Images

“I think we are second [to the IPL] – I don’t think we necessarily get the credit we deserve sometimes. Everyone goes back to the Big Bash, or the Blast – and the PSL is doing a great job, the tournament they ran there was first-class – but if you just look at the engagement levels we get, we’re up there for sure. When people switch on a CPL game, they know where they are: sometimes with other leagues you switch on and go: where is this? Is this the Blast? Is it Big Bash? It’s not always the case, but they can sometimes be a bit samey.”As for a women’s league, the CPL has lagged behind most other competitions: last season, two T10 games were staged immediately before the second qualifier and the final, but only as exhibition matches.”It could be sooner than you’d think” Russell says, with regards the possibility of a fully-fledged competition. “In those T10 games, we played them in Trinidad, we didn’t move the boundaries in, and they were still clearing the ropes quite comfortably – there’s some really good players there.”If we can be the catalyst and give them the opportunity, not only does it motivate them, but it motivates a whole new generation of potential women’s cricketers to come through. Like all of these things, the economics have to play a part, but I think we can do it. If we can have the same attention to detail, then it can be very successful.”

England’s senior bowler claims 200th overseas wicket as late breakthroughs redress balance

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2019James Anderson admitted he was relieved to return to wicket-taking ways in the first Test in Barbados, but added that the tour of Sri Lanka before Christmas – in which he claimed a solitary wicket in England’s 3-0 series win – made him appreciate it all the more when conditions are even remotely in his favour.Anderson produced a superb sustained performance with new ball and old on the first day against West Indies, conceding just 14 runs in his first 14 wicketless overs, before striking hard in his latter spells to finish with 4 for 33 in 24 overs all told, as West Indies slipped from 240 for 4 to 264 for 8 at the close.In the process, he claimed his 200th wicket in overseas Tests, and also went past the combined tally of 1000 wickets with his long-term new-ball partner, Stuart Broad, who was not selected for this match as England opted for the all-round option of Sam Curran.”I’ve always enjoyed the challenge but it’s often been difficult for me to get to grips with conditions away from home,” Anderson said. “I guess it’s getting to know my game and getting my skills and confidence up. Now I feel I can bowl on most pitches – though you could probably take Sri Lanka out of that.”Tours like that make you appreciate when there’s a bit of something for you. There was a bit of swing even though the wicket was pretty flat. You’re always encouraged with that movement through the air. I say I’ve enjoyed it – I’ve not enjoyed the times I’ve bowled rubbish, but in recent years as I’ve improved overseas, I’ve really enjoyed that challenge.”Of the 1000-wicket feat, Anderson said: “It makes you feel old. [Broad and I have] played for a long time together. I think it’s amazing to think we’ve taken that many wickets together. It’s a shame that he wasn’t out there today but hopefully he’ll get a go at some stage on this tour.”The decision to leave out Broad – and his personal haul of 433 wickets – was one of the main talking points of the day, and Anderson said he completely understood why.”Of course it causes conversation, it’s a massive decision. A guy who has played 124 Tests but then you have a really talented allrounder [in Curran]. In that respect it shows how strong our squad is. There will be difficult decisions as this team improves. I thought it was harsh on Jack Leach to miss out after Sri Lanka.”It’s tough for Joe [Root, the captain] but that’s why he gets paid the big bucks. It’s Joe and Trevor [Bayliss]’s job. As players we just turn up and prepare to perform. We know there will be tough calls.”England looked like ruing Broad’s absence in the early part of the day, as Curran in particular endured a tough time, conceding 54 runs in 12 wicketless overs. But with Ben Stokes chiming in with three wickets of his own, England finished the day with their noses fractionally in front.”We really weren’t sure how [the wicket] was going to play,” he said. “It was scruffy-looking so it was difficult to tell what we were going to get. We thought it might have a little more pace in it. The odd ball kissed through nicely but on the whole it was a slow wicket.”Kraigg Brathwaite left really well early on because we were getting some swing. So we’ve got to take a lift from how they played early on, because that new ball is tricky on there with the movement through the air. When we bat, that’s what we have to negate.””That last session with the second new ball got us right back in the game,” he added. “It was a good wicket to bat on today. There’s wasn’t too much off the wicket and it was a bit slow, but there was a bit of swing for most of the day.”All in all, it was a day where we had to sit in and I thought we did that really well. We didn’t really let them get away from us at any stage and we know in cricket if you stay in the game, the second new ball can bring two or three wickets. We bowled really well with that second new ball and got our rewards.”

But for that to happen, their batting needs serious improvement considering at least one of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will be back after spending three months being “rested” or “rotated”

The Preview by Sidharth Monga15-Nov-20174:34

Chopra: Dhawan to open, Ishant over Bhuvneshwar

Match facts

November 16-20, 2017
Start time 0930 local (0400 GMT)

Big Picture

India v Sri Lanka again? Didn’t they play last week? Or was it last month? Might have been last season. Who could care?Such is the apathy towards the contest that it is almost forgotten that Sri Lanka were last invited to play Test cricket in India, during “prime time”, was a full eight years ago. For purposes of rhythm no doubt, they played the matches on exact same dates – November 16, November 24 and December 2, 2009 – while the country was busy celebrating Sachin Tendulkar’s 20 years in international cricket. Only immigration officers knew Sri Lanka had been in the country for a week when the pre-match press conferences began.If India were stuck in the past in 2009, it would appear they already have their minds in the future – in South Africa. Hardik Pandya, whose only Tests have come against Sri Lanka, has been rested because he is believed to be the one to make the difference overseas. If India seal this Sri Lanka series in the first two Tests, it is possible even captain Virat Kohli might give the rest of the tour a miss. Why, even the green pitch for the first Test at Eden Gardens might suggest South Africa has come in earnest.The last time Sri Lanka came to India, they caught the hosts by surprise and had them 32 for 4 on the first day of the series, the last bit of ascendency they enjoyed. They will now hope not only to catch India on the hop but for a longer period of time.The last time Sri Lanka came to India, the hosts would become the No. 1 side in the world. Now, they are already on top of the rankings, a more ruthless, bowler-oriented version of MS Dhoni’s team. And Sri Lanka? Well, they were the No. 2 side in 2009 but in the lead up to 2017, they lost Sangakkara, Jayawardene, Dilshan, Samaraweera, Muralitharan and their prominence in international cricket. Not only have Sri Lanka lost legends as players but, until as recently as last month, also as possible advisors to take them into the next era.A more pressing concern is the batting, which needs a lot of work to stand up to India’s bowling might, which will be further accentuated on home surfaces. Even though they won the series in Pakistan 2-0, Sri Lanka are keeping their ambitions realistic: they will be happy if they can win a Test, their first, in India.The Eden Gardens was wrapped under covers on the eve of the Test•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
India: WWWWD
Sri Lanka: WWLLL

In the spotlight

It is safe to assume it has been uneasy for R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja to come to terms with life outside India’s national sides. Since they last played Sri Lanka in August, they were “rested” then “rotated” – who needs fake news when there are India selections? – but the fact remains two of India’s big match winners in Tests are not wanted in limited-overs cricket. They will be itching to come back to Tests with a vengeance.Angelo Mathews has spent two years without a Test century. Sri Lanka have beaten Pakistan twice without Mathews. Once the captain, once the man to lead Sri Lanka into the next era, once the chosen one, Mathews is now just another one. What better time to go back to being the special one?

Team news

The Eden Gardens pitch is green and expected to help the quicks. The last time India played a Test here – on a similar pitch last year – they went in with an extra batsman. With the seam-bowling allrounder missing, India might possibly go that way again. If they do so, they might come face to face with a choice they will anyway have to make in South Africa: who out of Ashwin and Jadeja makes way for a third specialist fast bowler? That fast bowler if selected is most certainly going to be Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who took a five-for in his last Kolkata Test.The other choice to be made for India is one that will cause them a dilemma in South Africa too. While it might be harsh to drop either Shikhar Dhawan or KL Rahul after the year they have had, M Vijay might be a valuable asset overseas.India (probable): 1 KL Rahul, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt.), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rohit Sharma, 7 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 8 R Ashwin/ Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Umesh Yadav.Even though Sri Lanka won both their Tests in the UAE, changes are expected. Kusal Mendis is out, Mathews is in, possibly to bat at No. 4; Kaushal Silva is out, Dhanandaya de Silva is back. The tricky permutations will have to be carried in the bowling department with Mathews still not expected to bowl. And Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by playing five bowlers in both Tests. An overcast Kolkata in November is rather different to the UAE, though, and a green pitch might also necessitate playing an extra batsman.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 3 Dhananjaya de Silva, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (capt.), 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 7 Lahiru Thirimanne/ Dasun Shanaka ,8 Dilruwan Perera, 9 Suranga Lakmal, Rangana Herath, 11 Lahiru Gamage/ Vishwa Fernando

Pitch and conditions

The Eden Gardens pitch is green and expected to be two-paced; it seems this Test will be played in similar conditions as the last Kolkata Test when 26 of the 40 wickets fell to pace. Any chances of the pitch drying out might have been laid to rest by persistent rain on the day before the Test. There is more expected on the first three days of the match.

Stats and trivia

• Sri Lanka have never won a Test in 17 attempts in India, but this is not the longest wait for a Test team to register a maiden win in a particular country: New Zealand went 28 Tests before they finally won one in England.
• One of Rohit Sharma’s two Test centuries has come in two Tests in Kolkata. Even when he didn’t score a century, he scored a crucial second-innings 82 to help India beat New Zealand in conditions that were almost home-like for the visitors. In all international cricket at Eden Gardens, Rohit averages more than 90 per dismissal.
• Angelo Mathews and Rangana Herath are the only ones in the Sri Lanka squad to have played Test cricket in India.
• R Ashwin is eight short of 300 wickets. He has played 52 Tests; Dennis Lillee is the fastest to the mark, in 56 Tests.

Quotes

“I feel every match you play is important. Every series is huge. It’s not like we lose this series and you’re going to say nothing to us. Everything is important when you play for the country. We don’t like to differentiate, we simply want to do well as a team.”

Zimbabwe have chosen an A team full of first-choice picks to play against Pakistan A in Bulawayo from Sunday in an effort to help them prepare for the Tests against Sri Lanka, which begin on October 29

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-2016Zimbabwe have chosen an A team full of first-choice picks to play against Pakistan A in Bulawayo from Sunday in an effort to help them prepare for the Tests against Sri Lanka, which begin on October 29.Out of the 24 men picked to play two four-day matches only three have yet to play international cricket – batsman Tarisai Musakanda and seamers Carl Mumba and Victor Nyauchi – and 16 had been involved in Zimbabwe’s most recent Tests, against New Zealand in July and August.The A series also presents opportunity for Brian Vitori, the 26-year old fast bowler, to end a three-month streak without competitive cricket. It has been a lot longer since he played for Zimbabwe; his last match was in January 2016. But he is part of the 12-member squad to play the first four-day game against Pakistan A at Queens Sports Club. He has Donald Tiripano, Chris Mpofu and Michael Chinouya as seam-bowling partners. With a host of part-time spinners available, only one specialist has been picked – Graeme Cremer, the Zimbabwe captain.The second game – scheduled for October 15 – could feature Elton Chigumbura who had been left out of senior team when they played New Zealand in July. Also in the mix is medium-pacer Njabulo Ncube, who had come back from a three-year break from first-class cricket in July 2016. He had also been in the squad for the Tests against New Zealand but did not play.Tendai Chatara and Tinashe Panyangara, who were unable to play in that New Zealand series as a result of ankle and back injuries respectively, were not among the 24 men named to take on Pakistan A.Squad for First unofficial Test: Tino Mawoyo, Hamilton Masakadza, Craig Ervine, Peter Moor, Sikandar Raza, Malcolm Waller, Richmond Mutumbami, Graeme Cremer, Michael Chinouya, Donald Tiripano, Chris Mpofu, Brian VitoriSquad for second unofficial Test: Brian Chari, Chamu Chibhabha, Tarisai Musakanda, Sean Williams, Prince Masvaure, Elton Chigumbura, Regis Chakabva, John Nyumbu, Victor Nyauchi, Carl Mumba, Njabulo Ncube, Taurai Muzarabani

The new points system proposed for the Ranji Trophy will not be implemented this season, as the BCCI’s working committee is yet to discuss it

Amol Karhadkar29-Sep-2015The new points system proposed for the Ranji Trophy by the Anil Kumble-led technical committee in May will not be implemented for the 2015-16 season, as the BCCI’s working committee is yet to discuss the system. The working committee was due to look into the proposal on August 28, but then that meeting was adjourned within minutes due to N Srinivasan’s presence.The technical committee had proposed major changes to the points system, the most prominent amendment being to do away with points for the first-innings lead. That decision had raised a few eyebrows, with some of the BCCI member units expressing apprehension over the possibility of both teams earning no points after a four-day game. As a result, the proposal was to be looked into by the working committee.But the working committee meeting on August 28 was adjourned due to confusion surrounding Srinivasan’s attendance – despite being requested to stay away from the meeting due to his complicated legal status, he attended in his capacity as Tamil Nadu Cricket Association head.As a result, the BCCI now has no option but to stick to last season’s points system.Quick comment – BCCI makes its priorities clearCricketers make a proposal. Four months and ten days later, just two days before the start of a new season, it emerges nobody has even debated that proposal.At times of crisis, when you can’t possibly look after everything, your priorities become clear. The BCCI administrators, who spare no money or effort in calling “emergent” meetings and hiring high-profile lawyers to stay in power to “safeguard the interests of the game,” have made their priorities clear.In the interest of the game a technical committee, comprising men of integrity and cricketing acumen and led by Anil Kumble, suggested this change to the points system to reward positive cricket in India’s premier domestic tournament. The BCCI power struggle, though, has successfully managed to push this into the background. A meeting where the ratification of the new system would have been debated was adjourned because N Srinivasan decided to land up, but no one found it fitting to find a way to discuss the new points system before the start of the Ranji season.You won’t find such a lackadaisical approach towards finding Jagmohan Dalmiya’s successor as BCCI president. A special general meeting has already been called within the deadline. Sticklers to the BCCI constitution will point to the clause that deals with deadlines for calling such meetings, but isn’t the start of a new season a deadline for a matter as crucial as a points system? By Sidharth Monga

BCB medical staff are not happy with the amount of injuries they have had to contend with, through players pushing themselves in the BPL

Mohammad Isam27-Feb-2013The injury management of Bangladesh cricketers has come under sharp focus after two players who were injured during the BPL had to withdraw from the touring party to Sri Lanka.Chief selector Akram Khan has called for better monitoring of injuries, along with greater communication between the clubs and franchises, and the national board. “In the national team, we can think of a replacement as soon as someone is injured,” Akram said. “It is the opposite in the BPL or for Dhaka club cricket, [because] nobody will listen to the player if he says ‘I am injured’. They will always tell him to play. Everyone has to be accountable, but there are gaps in the system which should be plugged.”Akram also held the players responsible for not giving their injuries enough attention. It is perceived that the local players’ desire to play all BPL matches stems from the pay disputes from the tournament’s first season; none of the local players are willing to take a chance, lest the injuries are used as reasons not to pay, although Mushfiqur Rahim said on Wednesday that BPL franchises are liable to play the players regardless of injuries.”I have not been in such a position as a selector in the last five years, where so many players [have] turned up injured from a domestic tournament.” Akram said. “The physical pain will not go away if you continue to play, [it only] gets worse. Those who had minor injuries have now broken down. There is a proper medical structure in Bangladesh cricket, so the players should take advantage of it.”One of the two players who got injured was Naeem Islam, who hurt his quadriceps while playing for Chittagong Kings just two weeks before the Bangladesh team was scheduled to leave for Sri Lanka. He accidentally stepped on the ball while attempting to stop it, and ended up being stretchered off as a result of the mishap. Chittagong physio Bayezid Ahmed said he did not clear Naeem, but Naeem ended up playing in the second semi-final four days later.”The decision to play with injury was Naeem’s,” Bayezid said. “He said he felt better but I never cleared him as fit. I informed the Bangladesh team physio [Vibhav Singh] of his condition, but four days later he decided to play. After February 20, he was no longer in my hands.”Shakib Al Hasan continued to play in the BPL despite minor injuries, and later had to be sent to Australia in order to reduce pressure on his right shin bone, an injury he has had since November last year. Ziaur Rahman also suffered a shoulder injury during the BPL. Only Tamim Iqbal pulled out of Duronto Rajshahi’s BPL campaign towards the end, after injuring his left wrist.Enamul Haque jr was also ruled out of the Test series in Sri Lanka with a hamstring injury he suffered during the BPL final, but neither Enamul nor Naeem informed Vibhav Singh of their injuries after the BPL.During the domestic Twenty20 competition, the national-team physio asked the franchises to give him player fitness updates, but only a few replied. It left him and the rest of the team management in the dark about the pile-up that landed at their feet just a few days before they were to pick the 15-man Test squad.”Had we known of them [the injuries] before, it would have been different,” Vibhav said. “In the next BPL, the franchises and the medical team need to work together with the national medical staff.”I did send the franchises an email requesting feedback from their medical staff, but I did not get anything. So it made it a bit difficult for us to gauge where players were because we had no control over their medical concerns. We can make recommendations but at the end of the day it’s a separate tournament, so we can just advice.”

Pakistan’s top order gave a better display in their second attempt to chase under lights in Abu Dhabi, but stuttered after a good opening partnership to reach 108 for 3 after 25 overs

The Report by Andrew McGlashan15-Feb-2012England 250 for 4 (Cook 102, Bopara 58) beat Pakistan 230 all out (Misbah 47, Finn 4-34) by 20 runs
ScorecardSteven Finn ended with 4 for 34 – the same as his figures in the first ODI – this time cleaning up the Pakistan tail•Getty Images

England’s revival in the one-day format continued as impressive death bowling secured a 20-run victory in Abu Dhabi and a 2-0 series lead to ensure another hundred from Alastair Cook laid the foundations for success. Pakistan made it a much tighter chase than two days ago, but paid the price for not having a batsman convert into something substantial, as Cook had managed for the second innings in a row.The game was England’s when Misbah-ul-Haq was breathtakingly caught by Craig Kieswetter as the wicketkeeper ran back under a spiralling top edge and clung on despite needing to dive full length. The other crucial moment had come two overs earlier – in the 45th – when Shahid Afridi, who was dropped at long-off when Stuart Broad couldn’t hold a tough chance, then took two boundaries off Samit Patel’s last over to threaten a charge. However, he swung and missed at James Anderson who then completed a maiden against the hapless Abdur Rehman.Misbah could only watch on as Rehman was beaten delivery after delivery by England’s quick bowlers to turn the closing stages of the chase from tough to near impossible. He only managed 1 from 12 balls despite being given a free hit by Steven Finn who then responded by hitting the stumps twice in two deliveries; the second ending Rehman’s forlorn stay. Finn cleaned up the final two wickets to replicate his opening-match figures of 4 for 34 in another reputation-enhancing display.Pakistan didn’t help their cause with some gifted wickets. They had played sensibly to see off Finn’s early threat – his first spell was five overs for six – but Mohammed Hafeez chipped Anderson to midwicket from the second ball of the bowling Powerplay. His opening partner, Imran Farhat, was run out when he lost awareness of where the ball had gone following an lbw appeal. Broad swooped from his follow through and hit with an under-arm flick.Patel then underlined how useful he is becoming to England’s one-day team. On a wearing surface he proved difficult to score off (until Afridi’s brief foray) and claimed the key scalp of Younis Khan who missed a paddle sweep. Nine overs later, as Azhar Ali and Misbah were starting to build a partnership, Patel beat Azhar’s attempt to cut with a ball that skidded through.Each time Pakistan threatened England found the breakthrough and Patel’s impact on the match extended to his often-derided fielding when he held a fiercely struck cut from Umar Akmal low down at cover. Akmal wasn’t sure it had carried but, unlike as is often the case, the third umpire was happy the catch was clean.Cook’s role in the field should not be underestimated either. He switched his bowlers around confidently and reacted to situations more swiftly than has previously been seen. The last three days couldn’t really have gone much better for him as he became the first England captain to score back-to-back one-day hundreds.Cook’s timing and placement stood out. Early on he punched Aizaz Cheema off the back foot between mid-off and cover then, when spin was introduced after surprisingly being overlooked for five overs, collected consecutive boundaries off Hafeez with a flick through midwicket and another drive. He survived one chance, on 28, when Akmal dropped an edge off Afridi to highlight the risk of not playing a specialist wicketkeeper. It became very costly.Kevin Pietersen again failed to make a convincing case as an opener before falling to Saeed Ajmal•AFP

A strong slog-sweep took him to 49 and his fifty came from 66 balls. For lengthy periods he was content to keep the scoreboard ticking with nudges and flicks, but would occasionally kick-start the scoring with a small flurry of boundaries as was the case during the batting Powerplay when he dispatched Umar Gul. Having reached his hundred off 118 balls, he couldn’t quite take his innings as deep this time when a leading edge looped back to Afridi.It wasn’t only Cook’s innings that produced similarities to the opening match. Kevin Pietersen was again out-scored in the opening stand which ended on 67 when he was trapped lbw by Saeed Ajmal from around the wicket. He had previously survived a close lbw shout on 23 against Afridi which led to Pakistan using up their one referral. Significantly for England, however, this was the first innings of the tour where they weren’t dominated by Ajmal as he ended with a moderate 1 for 54.Jonathan Trott, who fell first ball to Afridi in the opening match, again didn’t look entirely convincing against the legspinner but settled in alongside Cook in a partnership that always has the potential to spark debate. The stand produced 49 runs in 11 overs until Trott edged a short, wide delivery from Cheema to Akmal.It was then over to Team Essex again. Ravi Bopara took time to play himself in and his innings never became an onslaught even in the closing overs, but the pitch was not conducive to free-flowing scoring. He and Eoin Morgan, who finally spent some time at the crease, ensured no late collapse and the way England batted throughout suggested they had a clear total in mind that they were confident of defending. Their calculations proved astute.

South Africa Under-19 completed a 5-0 spanking of Zimbabwe Under-19 with a 71-run win in the fifth match at Newlands

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2011
Scorecard
South Africa Under-19 completed a 5-0 spanking of Zimbabwe Under-19 with a 71-run win in the fifth match at Newlands. Home captain Keaton Jennings opted to bat first after winning the toss, and half-centuries from Quinton de Kock and Malcolm Nofal boosted South Africa to 276 for 6. The Zimbabweans were never really in the running, but some gritty batting from Brian Chari and Ryan Burl did at least give them the satisfaction of passing 200 against opponents who have proved stronger in every discipline in the course of the series.Jennings, who was named Man of the Series for his 208 runs and three wickets, had a torrid time negotiating Vuyisile Mapala’s outswing early on but settled in and contributed 26 to a 64-run opening stand. His dismissal barely slowed de Kock down as he soon raced to fifty, and after he ran past one of Liberty Nherera’s offspinners to be bowled for 69 Nofal took up the attack.He had made 78 before he was caught at long-on in the final over, and with support from Shaylin Pillay (40) and a brutal 12-ball 31 from Johan du Preez – who hit the last three balls of the innings for a six and two fours – South Africa reached a total that appeared well out of reach of Zimbabwe.Chari and Matthew Bentley put together a bright 44-run partnership for the second wicket to help their team weather the early loss of Kevin Kasuza, but after Bentley got an edge to an attempted dab down to third man South Africa chipped steadily away at the Zimbabwean line-up. Nofal, who was named Man of the Match, did most of the damage with three quick wickets that ripped the heart out of the middle order.Chari’s defensive knock reached fifty in the 34th over, by which time the asking rate had edged close to nine-an-over. But for a couple of lusty hits from Chari and Burl thereafter, Zimbabwe might not have reached 200 at all and once they were dismissed the innings quickly capitulated.The teams now face up in two Twenty20s, with the first being played at Paarl on Saturday.