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Sri Lanka have plenty of questions to answer as they start the post-Sangakkara era with a series decider against a hungry India side

The Preview by Karthik Krishnaswamy27-Aug-2015

Match facts

August 28-September 1, 2015
Start time 1000 local (0430 GMT)4:50

Agarkar: India’s best chance to win a series in Sri Lanka

Big Picture

Hearing this last section of Kumar Sangakkara’s retirement speech, Angelo Mathews may well have wondered to himself: “Really?” Because without Sangakkara, and without Mahela Jayawardene, who played his final Test last year, Sri Lanka are bracing themselves for a long and arduous rebuilding phase, with the “amazing future” a dot on the horizon. In their home season so far, Sri Lanka have lost two out of three Tests to Pakistan and are clearly not the momentum team as they go into a series decider against India.Looking around his dressing room, Mathews will not see too many battle-hardened faces. Apart from himself and Rangana Herath – the only two players in the side with more than 50 Test caps – the most experienced player in the likely Sri Lanka eleven at the Sinhalese Sports Club is Dhammika Prasad, who will be playing his 23rd Test.It is imperative, therefore, that the senior-ish players in their side, such as Prasad, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kaushal Silva and Dinesh Chandimal, add an extra level of consistency to their game and take on leadership roles to ease the pressure off Mathews and Herath.They will have to begin doing this right away. Sri Lanka are likely to be without one of their main wicket-taking weapons at the SSC, with Tharindu Kaushal a doubtful starter after an Umesh Yadav bouncer bruised the thumb of his bowling hand during the second Test. Dilruwan Perera will offer more control but less incision.Without Sangakkara, it is unclear how the batting order will resolve itself. Plenty of questions remain to be answered. Will Upul Tharanga slot in at No. 3, or will it be Thirimanne? Will Kusal Perera come in for Jehan Mubarak, and if so, will he keep wickets? Will the two new left-handers in the line-up be able to cope with R Ashwin’s round-the-wicket threat?India will have to make a couple of forced personnel changes too, but they know to a fair degree what they can expect from most of their players. They are a lot further along the road in terms of experience and know-how, and know what the core of their team for the next four-five years will look like. Their batting, save for a couple of hiccups, is clicking into gear nicely, and their bowling attack, in recent times, has never looked as consistently threatening as it did at the P Sara Oval.Even so, they have had to come back from behind to level this Test series, and will know, in all honesty, that they should have been 2-0 up already. Having let Sri Lanka off the hook in Galle, they will be itching to close out the series with a win, and show that they have become better players for the bruising experiences they have suffered on the road, with greater staying power and match awareness.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)


Sri Lanka: LWLWL
India: WLDDD
M Vijay’s hamstring injury gives Cheteshwar Pujara the opportunity to play his first Test in 2015•Getty Images

In the spotlight

With no Sangakkara in the side, the time has come for Lahiru Thirimanne to step up and become the consistent Test batsman he has always threatened to be. He showed glimpses of his potential in both Tests so far, but Sri Lanka want more from him. As vice-captain, they need him to improve his record – an average of 26.13 and only one century in 21 Tests – substantially.Cheteshwar Pujara didn’t look particularly out of form during India’s tours of England and Australia, but while there were only three single-digit scores in 16 innings, he only made two half-centuries and no hundreds. That long run of unconverted starts brought his Test average down from close to 59 to just over 47, and cost him his place in the side. With M Vijay’s hamstring injury giving him a chance to play his first Test in 2015, Pujara will hope he has shrugged off the losses of concentration that have frustrated him of late, and is able to enter the trance-like zone that brought him bucketloads of runs in the early part of his career.

Team news

Sri Lanka are likely to make a couple of changes to their batting line-up, with Tharanga coming in for the retired Sangakkara and Kusal replacing the struggling Mubarak. If Kusal plays, he could take the wicketkeeping gloves off Dinesh Chandimal. Kaushal is a doubtful starter, with Dilruwan Perera his likely replacement. Nuwan Pradeep has recovered from the hamstring problem that kept him out of the second Test, and will probably take Dushmantha Chameera’s place in the pace attack.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Kaushal Silva, 3 Upul Tharanga, 4 Lahiru Thirimanne, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Dinesh Chandimal, 7 Kusal Perera (wk), 8 Dhammika Prasad, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Tharindu Kaushal/Dilruwan Perera, 11 Nuwan PradeepWith Vijay ruled out, India will field their third different opening combination of the series, with Pujara partnering KL Rahul. With Wriddhiman Saha also enduring hamstring issues, Naman Ojha should make his Test debut.India (probable) 1 Cheteshwar Pujara, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Rohit Sharma, 6 Naman Ojha (wk), 7 Stuart Binny, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Umesh Yadav

Pitch and conditions

Four of the last five Tests at the SSC have ended in draws, but its pitch belied its reputation as one of the flattest tracks in the world last year, when Sri Lanka beat Pakistan on a sporting surface that produced totals of 320, 332, 282 and 165. The pitch for this match might assist the seamers for the first couple of sessions before flattening out; there was grass on the surface on the eve of the match, but it seemed dry underneath. The weather could intervene from time to time, with Colombo experiencing scattered afternoon thunderstorms over the last few days.

Stats and trivia

• R Ashwin is nine wickets from reaching 150 in Tests. If he manages it in this match, his 28th, he will join Clarrie Grimmett as the third quickest to the mark, with only Sydney Barnes and Waqar Younis ahead of them
• If Naman Ojha plays for India, and if Kusal Perera plays and keeps wicket for Sri Lanka, it will be the 14th instance of two wicketkeepers making their debut in the same Test match. The last time it happened was in 2000, when Khaled Mashud and Saba Karim made their debuts in Bangladesh’s inaugural Test in Dhaka

England’s first Twenty20 practice match against New Zealand XI was abandoned due to rain after only 9.1 overs were bowled in Whangarei

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Feb-2013Match abandoned
ScorecardAnton Devcich scoops the ball over Jos Buttler•Getty Images

England’s first Twenty20 practice match against New Zealand XI was abandoned due to rain after only 9.1 overs were bowled in Whangarei. However, the match will be re-played at 1400 local time tomorrow.Stuart Broad, the England Twenty20 captain, won the toss under grey skies and chose to field first. Hamish Rutherford, the New Zealand XI opener, made an aggressive start and scored 21 out of a 23-run opening stand with Anton Devcich, but he was out to Chris Woakes’ first delivery. It was the only wicket to fall as Devcich and Tom Latham put on a 47-run stand before the rains came.The squads featured two players who were making comebacks into their respective sides – Stuart Broad and Ross Taylor. Broad, playing his first competitive match after a heel injury forced him out of India tour after the Mumbai Test in November, bowled just seven balls in the innings.Taylor, who last played for New Zealand during the Sri Lanka tour in November, did not get a chance to bat on Monday and will not be involved any further with the England warm-ups. Andrew Ellis, the New Zealand XI captain, said that Taylor had only been scheduled to play in the first match, before heading back to Hamilton in advance of the T20 series.”Ross is nipping off back home, to pack some stuff up before the tour starts, and then he’ll join the Black Caps,” Ellis said. “Neil Broom is here, so I imagine he’ll be a direct replacement.”Ellis added that he expected Taylor to slot back into the squad without any issues, after he was removed from the New Zealand captaincy and opted out of the South Africa tour. “It’s always good to have ‘Rosco’ around,” Ellis said. “He’s got a big smile on his face, and he’s a happy character. I think everyone has combined now to move forward and attack this series as a combined unit. I definitely get that feeling.”The teams are scheduled to play another practice match on Wednesday in Whangarei before moving over to Auckland for the first of three matches in the Twenty20 series.

Niall O’Brien, the Ireland wicketkeeper batsman, has not been picked in the Ireland squad for the tour of Kenya due to his unavailability for part of the tour

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2012

Squads

Ireland squad for Kenya tour: William Porterfield (capt), Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Nigel Jones, Ed Joyce, John Mooney, Rory McCann, Kevin O’Brien, Andrew Poynter, Boyd Rankin, James Shannon, Max Sorensen, Paul Stirling, Albert van der Merwe, Andrew White, Gary Wilson<br
Ireland provisional squad for World T20 Qualifiers and South Africa camp: William Porterfield (capt), Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Nigel Jones, Ed Joyce, John Mooney, Rory McCann, Kevin O’Brien, Andrew Poynter, Boyd Rankin, James Shannon, Max Sorensen, Paul Stirling, Albert van der Merwe, Andrew White, Gary Wilson

Niall O’Brien, the Ireland wicketkeeper-batsman, has not been picked in the Ireland squad for the tour of Kenya. O’Brien’s participation in the Bangladesh Premier League makes his unavailable for part of the tour. He also hasn’t been picked in the squad for the ICC World T20 qualifier in the UAE in March.The tour of Kenya includes a four-day Intercontinental Cup match, two World Cup qualifying ODIs as part of the ICC’s 50-over league and three Twenty20s. O’Brien said he would be available for the ODIs but the selectors said all players must be available for all parts of the tour, and didn’t pick him.”There were difficult matters for the selectors to discuss regarding Niall O’Brien’s availability,” Phil Simmons, the Ireland coach, said in a release. “They took on board Niall’s offer to play in only the ODIs in Kenya, join the squad for part of the South Africa camp, and then the ICC World T20 Qualifier.”However the selectors remained consistent to their principle, regarding that all players must be available for all parts of the tour. Niall was not able to make himself available for the whole tour and therefore the selectors have decided not to select him for any part of the tour including the ICC World T20 Qualifier.”We are only selecting for this tour and the next selection will be for the RSA Challenge ODI versus Australia in June; at that point they will consider all available players. Niall has communicated that he still wishes to play for Ireland and the selectors will take that into consideration when they next meet.”O’Brien was picked up by Khulna Royal Bengal for US$80,000 at the BPL auctions; the tournament runs from February 9-20. O’Brien, 30, has been a key player for Ireland in their top order and is vastly experienced, having played 49 ODIs and 98 first-class matches.The Ireland squad will be led by William Porterfield. Albert van der Merwe will only play in the Intercontinental Cup match between February 12-15, and Nigel Jones will join the squad from February 15 to take part in the ODIs and the T20s.Ireland also announced a provisional squad of 17 for the ICC World T20 Qualifier in the UAE; a squad of 14 will be selected from this on February 12. The squad will also participate in a warm-up preparation camp in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Big Bash defending champions Victoria have begun their 2011 campaign in perfect style with a clinical display to account for Queensland in game two at the MCG

The Bulletin by Alex Malcolm02-Jan-2011Victoria 4 for 188 (Finch 58, Hussey 42*) beat Queensland 9 for 155 (Hopes 36, McKay 3-26) by 33 runs

Scorecard
Aaron Finch clubbed 58 off 38 deliveries•Getty Images

Big Bash defending champions Victoria have begun their 2011 campaign in perfect style with a clinical display to account for Queensland in game two at the MCG.The home side rewarded the 29,429 locals who turned out with a dominant display on a sluggish drop-in wicket.The Victorian openers set the tone, Aaron Finch and Brad Hodge clubbing 98 from the first 64 balls of the innings after Cameron White won the toss. Anything back of a length or shorter Hodge cut or pulled with typical ease. Anything fuller and straighter Finch clubbed to the sightscreen or into the long-on bleachers, which he did on three separate occasions.Finch’s brutal 58 from 38 balls earned him Man-of-the-Match honours. His dismissal and some tight bowling from Bulls’ captain James Hopes slowed the Bushrangers momentarily, but the classy veteran David Hussey (42 not out) sussed the conditions quickly to produce a gem of an innings to take the total to 4 for 188.It was always going to be a tough ask against a barrage of Victorian quicks. New-ball pairing James Pattinson and Dirk Nannes removed the Queensland openers in consecutive overs to put the Bulls well behind in the game. Hopes, on return from a broken thumb, clubbed five boundaries in 36 but his demise to a slower ball from Clint McKay signalled the beginning of the end as Queensland battled to 9 for 155.McKay claimed three wickets with off-speed bowling, Nannes three with blistering pace. The Victorians are going to be hard to beat again with the likes of Dwayne Bravo, Cameron White and Matthew Wade playing just minor roles in tonight’s first-up win.

Michael Klinger and John Hastings, two players who switched states to gain greater opportunities, have been rewarded for their post-move success at the Allan Border Medal night in Melbourne

Brydon Coverdale15-Feb-2010Michael Klinger and John Hastings, two players who switched states to gain greater opportunities, have been rewarded for their post-move success at the Allan Border Medal night in Melbourne. The South Australia batsman Klinger was named the State Cricketer of the Year for the second consecutive season, while Hastings received the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year award having established himself as a key man in Victoria’s line-up.Klinger scored 36 votes and beat the Victoria pair of Chris Rogers (29) and Brad Hodge (27) for the state title. During the voting period, which ran from December 24, 2008 to February 1, 2010, Klinger scored 1532 runs at 56.74 across all formats. He was the leading Sheffield Shield run scorer last season and is again near the top this summer.The two consecutive prizes for Klinger have justified his decision to leave Victoria during the 2008 off-season, at which time he had made 1569 first-class runs at 27.05. His tally is now 3504 runs at 41.22 and the two strong years must have him firmly in the minds of the Australian selectors.Another state-switching success story was Hastings, the Victoria allrounder, who moved from New South Wales at the end of 2006-07. Hastings, 24, decided that his opportunities were likely to be greater with the Bushrangers than in a Blues line-up where he would compete with Moises Henriques as the preferred young allrounder.Hastings finished with 46 votes, well clear of the New South Wales allrounder Steven Smith on 30 and the Queensland fast bowler Ben Cutting (8). Hastings has played every Sheffield Shield match for the Bushrangers this season and is second on the competition wicket tally with 25 victims at 25.12, and he has been a valuable player in the shorter formats as well.”It seems a long while ago now,” Hastings said of his move south. “Three years ago [Victoria coaches] Greg Shipperd and Simon Helmot gave me a call and said do you want to come down to Victoria and see if you can try your luck down here and it’s been brilliant. I feel like I’m a lot stronger and a lot fitter than I was last year.”Across all formats during the voting period, Hastings scored 324 runs at 29.45 and took 49 wickets at 22.77 in 17 matches. He joins a list of Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year winners featuring elite names such as Brett Lee, who won the inaugural prize in 2000, Nathan Bracken, Shane Watson and Ben Hilfenhaus.The Women’s International Cricketer of the Year was Shelley Nitschke, who claimed her second title having also won last year. Nitschke (71 votes) scored a narrow win from Lisa Sthalkear (64), having made 631 runs at 35.05 in 18 ODIs during the voting period and collecting 17 wickets at 29.47.

Half-century for James Vince keeps Hampshire interested but asking rate proves too steep

ECB Reporters Network19-Jun-2025Lewis Gregory clubbed a brutal half-century as Somerset defeated Hampshire Hawks by 17 runs at the Cooper Associates Ground to return to winning ways and move clear of Surrey at the top of the Vitality Blast South Group table.Will Smeed smashed 68 from 37 balls with nine fours and three sixes and dominated stands of 59 and 46 with Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Tom Abell for the second and third wickets respectively after Somerset had been put in beneath the Taunton floodlights. But the home side lost their way during the middle overs and were indebted to skipper Gregory, who clubbed a much-needed 55 from 27 balls with four fours and four sixes and staged a record-breaking seventh-wicket partnership of 82 with Lewis Goldsworthy to propel the cider county to 209 for 6. Veteran allrounder Benny Howell claimed 2 for 12 and Liam Dawson 1 for 29 as the Hawks struggled to contain the South Group leaders.James Vince raised a 30-ball 54 and South Africa batter Dewald Brevis crashed 36 from 16 deliveries, but Ben Green took 3 for 40 as Somerset took wickets at key moments to restrict Hawks to 192 for 7 and secure a sixth victory in seven outings in the short format this season.Put into bat, Somerset made a subdued start by their own high standards, Tom Banton falling cheaply to a tremendous catch on the run by Joe Weatherley at deep square leg off the bowling of Eddie Jack. Kohler-Cadmore encountered no such problems, taking 14 runs off the third over, bowled by James Fuller, as the home side reasserted themselves.Smeed was equally expansive, plundering three boundaries in one Jack over, while Kohler-Cadmore emulated that feat at the expense of Fuller in the next as the second wicket pair fashioned a half-century partnership from just 23 balls in advancing the score to 68 for 1 at the end of the powerplay.Hampshire’s seamers held their nerve and Fuller provided relief, bowling Kohler-Cadmore for a 15-ball 29 in the seventh with the score 70 for 2. Kohler-Cadmore accrued a quartet of fours and a six, only to depart before he could inflict real damage. In his absence, Smeed picked up the cudgels, hoisting Fuller over midwicket for six and then straight-hitting the next ball for four to post 50 from 27 balls.Dawson’s nagging accuracy notwithstanding, Somerset initially managed to maintain momentum during the crucial middle overs, Abell adopting the role of chief support to Smeed, who continued to trade in boundaries and put bowlers and fielders alike under pressure. He eventually succumbed, hitting Jack straight down the throat of Scott Currie at long-on as Somerset slipped to 116 for 3 in the 11th.When Abell played across the line to Howell’s first delivery and was bowled via an inside edge, the home side were 116 for 4 and Hampshire fancied they were right back in the contest, an impression that was confirmed in the 13th, Sean Dickson playing back to Dawson and watching the ball clatter into his stumps.Green came and went quickly, holing out to long-on to provide the wily Howell with a second wicket as the flow of boundaries temporarily dried up and Somerset further subsided to 127 for 6 in the 14th. Gregory then took matters into his own hands, harvesting 25 off one Wood over as the seventh-wicket alliance realised 50 in just 25 balls. Unleashing a barrage of sixes, Somerset’s captain tucked into the seamers on his way to a high-octane 25-ball half-century. His partnership with Goldsworthy, who finished unbeaten on 29 from 16 balls, was a Somerset record for the seventh wicket in T20 cricket, eclipsing the 67 made by Omari Banks and Ben Phillips at Northampton in 2008.Living up to their formidable reputation, Hampshire openers Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Vince afforded the reply a super-charged start, posting 50 in 5.2 overs to force Somerset’s seamers onto the back foot. Pugilistic in his approach, Pretorius struck four fours and a brace of sixes as the partnership advanced to 74 inside nine overs.Somerset needed a wicket and the ever-dependable Green obliged, luring Pretorius into front-foot indiscretion and having the South African held in the deep for 37. With the asking rate rising above 12 for the first time, Vince and new batter Toby Albert looked to attack Goldsworthy. But the spinner defied their best attempts as the home side worked hard to restrict the supply of boundaries during the middle overs.Goldsworthy struck a telling blow in the 12th, inducing Albert to hit high to long-off with the score 95 for 2 as the rate continued to climb. While Vince remained at large, Hampshire were in with a chance, and the England batter hoisted Green high over midwicket for six to raise 50 from 29 balls. He was out next ball, caught on the long-on boundary as Green further reduced the visitors to 107 for 3.South African dangerman Brevis and Weatherley opened their shoulders in a bid to put the chase back on track, but Somerset’s bowlers remained disciplined in their lengths and the latter was run out by Riley Meredith for 15 with 75 still needed from five overs.Fuller attempted to match Brevis blow-for-blow, only to be undone by a Meredith yorker and fall for 11. Having struck four sixes and a four, Brevis then attempted to drive Green down the ground and skied a catch to Gregory at mid-off to signal the end of Hampshire’s prospects in the 18th..

Decision taken by the ECB’s disciplinary body, in view of Vincent “demonstrating the very highest levels of contrition and remorse” in the decade after being caught up in corruption

Nagraj Gollapudi08-Dec-2023Former New Zealand batter Lou Vincent can resume being involved in domestic cricket or any level below that with immediate effect, after the ECB revised the life ban imposed on him in 2014 for corruption.In a media statement on Friday, the ECB’s Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) said it was revoking the life ban having received from Vincent “compelling evidence demonstrating the very highest levels of contrition and remorse and the very best efforts to make amends wherever possible”.The CDC’s decision comes in response to a “clemency” appeal by Vincent. In 2014, the ECB had imposed a life ban on Vincent barring him from playing cricket at any level, entering any cricket ground, or coaching the game in a professional capacity after he admitted in an open letter that he was a “cheat”. Vincent had been handed 11 life-bans relating to events that occurred during his time at Sussex in 2008 and seven offences committed at the 2011 Champions League Twenty20.Related

• Nearly 17 years later, Lou Vincent receives special 100th ODI cap

• Vincent deserves clemency for speaking out, says McCullum

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Gerard Elias, representing the CDC, said that it had heard not just Vincent before it’s decision to revise the ban but also the ICC, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and the ECB. Elias said that “cogent and compelling” reasons were needed for the life ban to be downgraded, something Vincent provided. “In particular, this decision was taken in the light of Mr Vincent’s conduct following his sanction,” Elias said, “Namely: full and frank admissions and the fullest disclosures; immediate and total co-operation with cricket and civil authorities in various parts of the world; and, participation in anti-corruption education programmes for NZC and the ECB. I am satisfied that these factors justify an amelioration of the original sanction at this time.”In his first reaction to the relaxation of the life ban, Vincent, who’s now 45, said he was “very fortunate” to be able to return to cricket. “I made a terrible mistake many years ago, which I’ll deeply regret for the rest of my life, and I remain very sorry for the harm I caused,” Vincent said in a statement issued by NZC. “Being able to return to the cricket environment means the world to me and I feel very fortunate to again have that opportunity.”In the years after being banned, Vincent, who last played for New Zealand in 2007, started a new life as a builder in the small town of Raglan, a surfing destination in the Waikato region of New Zealand. Now, one of the things Vincent said he will look forward to is attending cricket matches with his family, something he was barred from during the life ban.Vincent thanked NZC and the New Zealand Players Association (NZPA), as well as his lawyer Chris Morris, for providing support and paving the way for his return. Heath Mills, the NZPA CEO, said Vincent had played a big hand in educating players in all sports about the evils of match-fixing, something the CDC had recognised. “The penalties have been particularly hard on Lou and he’s shown a lot of humility in owning his mistakes and setting about making amends,” Mills said. “I’m pleased the authorities have recognised his contribution to the fight against match-fixing and, also, his ongoing efforts to educate players and administrators around the world on anti-corruption.”NZC CEO Scott Weenink said though Vincent had “made a mistake… he’s given a lot to the game, not least in helping spread the anti-corruption message over the past decade, and it’s good and right that he can be more involved again.”

Anderson, Broad call for common sense to prevail after openers motor towards victory target

Andrew Miller11-Sep-2022James Anderson and Stuart Broad admitted to a mixture of frustration and sympathy for the umpires at the close of another captivating day’s play in the third and final Test against South Africa, after a capacity crowd was denied the prospect of witnessing an England victory march by the onset of bad light.After being set a target of 130 for victory, England’s openers Zak Crawley and Alex Lees had rattled off 97 runs in 17 overs, and needed just 33 more to seal both the match and the series. However, shortly after the scheduled close of 6.30pm, umpires Richard Kettleborough and Nitin Menon led the teams from the field, having deemed that the light had diminished too much to continue.The decision cause immediate uproar on the England balcony, where the captain Ben Stokes was seen gesticulating in disbelief, and the crowd booed loudly as the players left the field. However, having taken a light-meter reading at a similar time at the close of Saturday’s play, the umpires were obliged to take that as the precedent for the match, irrespective of the match situation – a point that England’s senior bowlers both acknowledged at the close.”It’s obviously frustrating from our point of view,” Anderson told Sky Sports. “The rate that we were scoring, it might only have needed another five or six overs. The guys were obviously seeing the ball pretty well, and with a good crowd in here tonight, it would have been nice to finish it.”But we understand what the point of view of the umpires is,” he said. “They’ve taken a reading yesterday. That’s the precedent for the whole game. And I think their message is, if it rains all day tomorrow, it would be unfair on South Africa if they just tried to get the game done tonight. But I’d like to think that common sense could prevail every now and then.”Broad also acknowledged that the umpires could not be faulted for having to follow the letter of the law as it stands.”If you’re a neutral making decisions, it was probably a fair call,” Broad said. “The umpires communicated it very clearly with Zak and Leesy out there. They were saying, look, we’re running out of time here … we don’t have long left. It’s not as if they said, right we’re coming off.”But we’re naturally disappointed and frustrated, particularly as the guys were going so well. Leesy hit the last ball of the day through the covers for four and was seeing it fine. I can see that side of it but as a changing room, we’re frustrated that we didn’t get to finish it in front of the crowd that have been with us all day.”It was a point of view backed up by the former England captain Nasser Hussain on Sky Sports, who called on the authorities to adjust to the prevailing late-season conditions.”You cannot be cross with the umpires, they are doing their job,” Hussain said. “The people who set the rules need to take a look. Do they think that suddenly, in September, it’s going to get bright at 6.45pm? It’s not. If you have to make up half an hour, start half an hour early, rather than adding on at the end of the day. But you’ve got a full house here. Cricket can’t just shoot itself in the foot, by picking up the bails and walking off.”Either way, the decision ran counter to the entertainment-first ethos that Stokes and Brendon McCullum have instilled to such good effect in their side this summer, with England now all but assured of finishing the summer with six victories in seven Tests, all of them achieved in a similar vein after batting second and letting their bowlers focus on taking 20 wickets.”It’s been amazing,” Anderson added. “Baz has been a breath of fresh air, it just feels like a positive atmosphere in that dressing room. The message he sends about going out there and trying to entertain, everyone’s bought into it.”Yes, some days it hasn’t come off, but when it does, it’s spectacular. And I think it’s really changed the way, not just the players think about Test cricket, but a lot of the world will think about Test cricket. It’s been an incredible summer, and hopefully we can get over the line and seal the deal tomorrow.”Marco Jansen, South Africa’s allrounder, was phlegmatic about the light situation, admitting that the game was already as good as up for his team, who are now resigned to a 2-1 series loss, having won so emphatically by an innings in the first Test at Lord’s last month.”I feel it would have not mattered whether we played another 20 minutes or we start again tomorrow,” Jansen said. “If the game was more in the balance, it probably would have affected us a bit more. But the situation that the game was in, I don’t feel it would have mattered. As bowlers we are always happy to play on, but it’s all up to the umpires.”

The two match referees and six umpires managed to get to the BKSP eventually and matches began after a delay

Mohammad Isam13-Jun-2021A group of Dhaka Premier League (DPL) match officials escaped major injuries when the car ferrying them to the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan (BKSP) on Sunday morning was attacked during a violent skirmish between protesting garment workers and the police in the Savar industrial area.Eight officials – match referees Debabrata Paul and Adil Ahmed, and umpires Shafiuddin, Tanvir Ahmed, Abdullah Al Motin, Imran Parvez, Barkatullah Turkey and Sohrab Hossain – were in the car and were on their way to officiate in the two DPL matches scheduled at BKSP on the day. The car was completely smashed. Other vehicles stuck in the tailback were also attacked.Related

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An eyewitness told ESPNcricinfo that thousands of agitated workers attacked the cars that had been held up in traffic in a spree that lasted 15 to 20 minutes. The officials managed to escape with help from local police and BCB security personnel. While there were no serious injuries, broken windows had left glass shards on the officials. Once away from the scene, the officials managed to tidy up and find their way to BKSP, and the games were held after a 30-minute delay.Kazi Inam Ahmed, the chairman of the cricket committee of Dhaka Metropolis, called it an “unfortunate incident”, adding, “The match officials showed great courage in the face of such an incident. They could start the matches at 9.30am. The match officials had a police escort but four of them were facing thousands of people in that protest.”On each match day of this season’s DPL T20 tournament, four matches are held at the BKSP, the country’s biggest sports institute, which has two grounds. The match officials, who are staying in one hotel in Dhaka within a BCB bio-secure bubble, take the 40-kilometre journey to the ground together.

Five members of Bangladesh’s coaching staff will not be going to the first leg of Bangladesh’s tour of Pakistan later this month

Mohammad Isam17-Jan-2020Five members of Bangladesh’s coaching staff will not be going to the first leg of Bangladesh’s tour of Pakistan later this month. According to BCB’s cricket operations chairman Akram Khan, Neil McKenzie, the white-ball batting coach, is among those who have withdrawn alongside fielding coach Ryan Cook.The BCB preferred not to use Daniel Vettori, who is contracted to them as spin consultant, for such a short series. They didn’t consider team analyst Shrinivaas Chandrasekaran either on account of his being an Indian citizen. The BCB didn’t apply for visas for the two women’s team coaches during their tour last year because they were Indian citizens as well, although, during the recently concluded series between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, several Indian nationals were part of the TV production that brought live pictures from the games in Lahore and Karachi.”[Strength and conditioning coach] Mario [Villavarayan] broke his hand recently while team analyst [Chandrasekaran] will be working with the team over Skype. McKenzie and fielding coach [Cook] will also not be going, while we haven’t yet confirmed on our new bowling coach,” Akram said.Russell Domingo will therefore only have physio Julian Calefato among the regular staff while Sohel Islam (fielding coach) and Tushar Kanti Howlader (strength and conditioning coach) will act as support.The BCB is in the middle of discussions with Ottis Gibson but if they cannot get him on board as bowling coach ahead of the Pakistan tour, they are likely to send Champaka Ramanayake who is already working for the BCB’s development programmes.