The former Afghanistan captain said he hoped his decision would set a good precedent for the senior players in the side, to pass the mantle on to the younger cricketers

Peter Della Penna in Dubai21-Jan-20172:56

I am very proud of my career for Afghanistan – Mangal

Former Afghanistan captain Nawroz Mangal spoke of his pride at signing off on his international career with a victory in the final of the inaugural Desert T20 Challenge in Dubai on Friday. Mangal, who captained his country during their astounding rise from Division Five of the World Cricket League in 2008 through to their present place in Division One of Associate cricket, scored 17 not out off eight balls in the final against Ireland before being carried off the field to the cheers of 15,000 fans at the Dubai International Stadium.”It’s a very proud stage for me to [retire] on the winning tournament, and also in the final on the winning side,” Nawroz said through translator and team manager Hamkar Shiraha at the post-final press conference. “I got lots of respect, lots of support while playing for Afghanistan so all my wishes have been completed. Now I don’t have any other wish.”I’m really proud of my country and myself that I played for Afghanistan for quite a long time. It’s a very big, proud moment for me that I’m retiring in a tournament where we are finishing on the winning side.”Nawroz had announced at the start of the month that he was retiring but the Afghanistan board and selectors committed to giving him a “farewell series” at this tournament. He sat out the first two games as Afghanistan secured qualification for the semi-finals before coming into the XI and making 32 against Namibia in their final Group A match.He then made another 34 against Oman on Friday morning to help Afghanistan into the final that same night against Ireland. In the final, Afghanistan recorded their first ever ten-wicket win in T20Is, even more impressive as it came against their old sparring partner at the top of the Associate world.Captain Asghar Stanikzai had said after the semi-final win over Oman that Mangal showed his skills had not eroded; instead injuries that had plagued the 32-year-old had contributed to the retirement decision. Nawroz said after the final that the time was right to step aside and allow a new generation to emerge.”I’m retiring from international cricket so I set a good example for other senior players as well,” he said. “It’s an open door for the new youngsters who are coming and replacing me. They deserve a chance to play for Afghanistan.”The team gave Nawroz Mangal a red-carpet welcome on the field before the final•Peter Della Penna

Mangal is held in such high stature by his team-mates and the administration that he was given the honor of bringing out the team sheets to the toss and flipped the coin for William Porterfield’s call. Upon seeing Mangal approaching for the toss, Porterfield greeted him warmly, showing the respect that exists for the Afghanistan batsman from the opposition, too. It was Mangal who captained Afghanistan against Porterfield’s Ireland in the previous two finals between these sides at the same venue in the 2010 and 2012 World T20 Qualifiers, with each side claiming one win apiece.Just before play, Mangal was given a guard of honour by his team-mates as he walked across a red carpet rolled out for him from the change room to the boundary rope. When the match ended, fast bowler Dawlat Zadran hoisted him up onto his shoulders and carried him for a lap around the entire boundary as Mangal at times wiped his eyes and patted at his heart.”It was an exciting moment when they put me up on the shoulders and [carried] me around the ground,” Mangal said. “I got lots of support and appreciation from the spectators. So it was fabulous for me, a fabulous moment.”At the end of his final victory lap, a host of dignitaries and former team-mates were there to greet him. Foremost among them were fast bowlers Hamid Hassan and Shapoor Zadran, who have been with Mangal for most of Afghanistan’s ride up the world rankings. Both Hamid and Shapoor gave him a big hug and he received special greetings from ACB chairman Atif Mashal and chief executive Shafiqullah Stanikzai before they all backed away to let Mangal walk off alone to the chorus of the cheering crowd.”Definitely it was an exciting moment for me when I saw my team-mates because I had been a captain for them for seven years as well since Division [Five in 2008],” Mangal said. “So I will definitely miss some moments with the team like the dressing room, winning moments, bus travel and lunches. These things definitely I will miss it.”Afghanistan coach Lalchand Rajput is fairly new to the squad, having taken over the job only last year, but recognised the place Mangal holds in Afghanistan’s cricket history. He credited the Afghanistan Cricket Board for giving Mangal a dignified farewell.”They have given him a very good send-off because he is the first cricketer who has captained Afghanistan for a long time, more than seven to eight years,” Rajput said. “I think the ACB has sent a good precedent that a senior player should be given a good send-off.”

Danushka Gunathilaka inflicted a 65-ball hundred upon England Lions as Sri Lanka A strolled into a 2-0 lead in their five-match series

David Hopps in Dambulla04-Mar-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Danushka Gunathilaka sauntered to a hundred as Sri Lanka A went 2-0 up•Getty Images

For Danushka Gunathilaka, there was the grand satisfaction of a dashing hundred to bring delight to a run-of-the-mill Dambulla day. A day that was not particularly humid, nor particularly hot. The sort of day to which he has awoken without a second thought for most of his 25 years. What intensity there was, was felt only in his strokeplay as he inflicted a 65-ball hundred upon an England Lions side that was ill-equipped to resist.As the Sri Lanka A coach took him to the ground, Kandalama lake was at its best, the mountains and clouds reflected so starkly in the water that it would have been an unimaginative man who had not looked into it and wondered what the future would hold. Gunathilaka, who in January left Sri Lanka’s tour of South Africa early with a back complaint, did his future no harm at all.Gunathilaka ensured a rout, Sri Lanka A threatening to hoover up the Lions’ 217 with all their wickets and around 20 overs to spare. As it was, rain and bad light intervened around 4pm and the winning margin was decided by the weather tables which always takes a little gloss off it.But you felt that, if he could have persuaded anybody to bowl to him in the eventual downpour, he could have done it all again. At 2-0 up with three to play, Sri Lanka will have ambitions to take the series in Kurunegala on Monday. England will have to bat brilliantly to stop it because the evidence of the first two matches is that their bowling resources are limited.When Gunathilaka reached his hundred by flaying Craig Overton for successive off-side boundaries, his leaping punch of the air told of unspent energy levels. His first-wicket stand with Kusal Perera was worth 123 in the opening match on Thursday, but ended in unfortunate fashion when he pulled a wide one down the leg side. This time, Gunathilaka and Kusal as good as saw it home, utterly dominant throughout, the most uncertain moment coming when Gunathilaka was 73, Keaton Jennings forcing a top-edged pull but James Fuller spilling the chance.For Liam Livingstone, whose upbringing has toughened him against the sharp sea air of Barrow on the Cumbrian coast, but left him somewhat exposed to a Sri Lankan climate, the heat was more exhausting, the most pressing question being whether his energy levels would be expended before the Lions’ innings was spent. It was a close run-thing – Livingstone was last out for 94, his ambitions of a third hundred on this ground in little more than a week thwarted by a diving catch at deep midwicket by Kithuruwan Vithunage.Liam Livingstone cools off in the changing rooms after making 94•ECB

Livingstone first fell to his haunches soon after passing fifty and as he entered the 80s he needed treatment for cramp in both legs. At least England’s regular loss of wickets allowed him ample opportunities to take on fluid, the ritual duly enacted under a multi-coloured umbrella brought on by the 12th man, Graeme White, to protect him from the sun, which made him look like a member of an old colonial club. At Old Trafford, where Livingstone plays most of his cricket, they only ever put up umbrellas for rain.Livingstone is a violent strokemaker, not naturally given to energy conservation, although those who witnessed his two hundreds in the four-day match on this ground say that the second, where he pushed the ball around quietly, revealed a capacity to adapt. He favours a one-legged whip through the leg side which is vaguely reminiscent of Kevin Pietersen, a sort of flamingo on steroids. The umpires, kind-hearted souls, agreed that it was pretty hot and it is easy to look on from an air-conditioned media box and list many hotter and more humid days. He looks mightily impressive and the odds are that one day he will not cramp in conditions much more onerous and with more at stake.Livingstone’s plucky innings was one of the few redeeming features of a Lions effort in which Ben Duckett also looked more like his old self in making 59 from 45 balls – their counterattacking stand worth 81 in 10 overs – before he was well caught at deep mid-off during a canny spell from Thisara Perera, who took the pace off the ball to return 2 for 17 in six overs. Tom Alsop was his other victim, an aberration as he inexplicably chipped to long-on with only a single to his name.Joe Clarke, without ever looking fluent was the only other Lions batsman to reach double figures, one of four victims for the left-arm spin of Milinda Siriwardena. The Sri Lanka A captain, a veritable A-team veteran at 31, did not allow himself a bowl in the opening match but he finished with 4 for 40 here, with Livingstone the most satisfying of his victims.Livingstone was unable to take the field for the start of Sri Lanka A’s reply, which immediately undermined the Lions’ decision to omit Toby Roland-Jones and field an extra batsman. That realistically demanded a full spell of offspin from Livingstone, who had been the Lions’ most economical bowler in the opening match, with only Jennings’ medium-pace as a fall back.He emerged five overs late with the heavy-legged gait of a man who had spent all day fell running in the Cumbrian mountains. He came on to bowl the 12th over, the first ball revealed his vulnerability, Gunathilaka unsympathetically despatched his next ball over long-on for six and it was an air of resignation that he took refuge again in the pavilion after painfully completing the over. Jennings subbed himself in and a single over went for 21, Fuller’s drop followed by successive sixes.Gunathilaka, who toured England last summer, ended unbeaten on 121 from 88 balls, clearing the boundary on six occasions. This Lions attack has yet to command respect and when bad light descended it would have been sensible to put them out of their misery with only 17 runs needed from more than 21 overs remaining. Instead the players had to sit around for the inevitable defeat and only found out the match was off when they saw the match referee scurrying to his transport in the pouring rain.

Liam Plunkett has emerged as a doubt ahead of the final ODI of the series between West Indies and England

George Dobell in Barbados08-Mar-2017Liam Plunkett has emerged as a doubt ahead of the final ODI of the series between West Indies and England.Plunkett, the top wicket-taker in the series, was unable to train on Wednesday with what was described as “an upset stomach.”While the England camp hope he will recover in time to take his place in the side – he has, after all, taken seven wickets in the two matches to date at a cost of 10.28 apiece – his absence could open the door for a return for Jake Ball or a debut for Tom Curran.Curran, who was called up to join the rest of the squad after Ball sustained a knee injury during the warm-up games in St Kitts, would appear the more like-for-like replacement with some batting skill to complement his seam bowling. But Ball was probably a first choice player going into the series and looked in good rhythm in the nets on Wednesday.It says much for the gentle nature of this Caribbean tour that the most uncomfortable moment to date came in a press conference ahead of the final game when Jason Roy was confronted by the suggestion that England’s decision to take the day-off on Tuesday was a sign of their lack of respect for their opponents.It’s not, of course. It’s a sign of England’s never-ending schedule and the fact that they currently find themselves staying in an island that bears a pretty strong comparison to paradise. If young men are going to be expected to travel and work together for the best part of 300 days a year, they require down time as much as they require training.Training on Wednesday was cut short by showers, though. And while the series is settled, England are keen to sustain the winning habit with only six ODIs to play before their Champions Trophy begins.There is personal pride at stake, too. Jos Buttler has endured a quiet couple of months, while Alex Hales will want to repay the faith shown in him with a confidence-boosting performance. Roy, meanwhile, is keen to convert more of his starts (he has made two half-centuries in three innings on this tour without reaching 80) into the sort of commanding performances that win games.Paul Collingwood, England’s team and fielding coach on this tour and captain of the side that won the World T20 in here in 2010 described Roy’s strength as “ridiculous” and “frightening”.”Personally I want to be known as a guy who is going to win matches and score big hundreds,” Roy, said. “I want to be that solid guy at the top of the order. Yes, you can make quick 50s and 60s every now and then but big hundreds are at the forefront of my mind to be honest.”As far as we’re concerned it is a big game in Barbados. We want to make it 3-0. We don’t aim for medicroity. We want the best.”

Not so long ago, Mark Stoneman said he hated London and could never imagine living there. But, on this evidence, he seems to be settling in rather well

George Dobell at the Kia Oval07-Apr-2017
ScorecardNot so long ago, Mark Stoneman said he hated London and could never imagine living there. But, on this evidence, he seems to be settling in rather well.Stoneman, on his Championship debut for Surrey having made the painful decision to leave Durham, made a chanceless century to punish Ian Bell’s decision to bowl first (the toss was uncontested) and give his side a formidable platform in this game. He looked every inch a prospective England batsman.He may soon fall in love with London, too. Certainly on days like this – with the trees in bloom and a decent-sized crowd enjoying a perfect early-summer day – there is much to admire about the city, though it may be the benevolent nature of the pitch that consummates his relationship with his new club.Afterwards Bell admitted he had erred in his toss decision – “it was definitely a bat-first wicket,” he said, “isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing?” – and Warwickshire might reflect that, in the first session, with the pitch damp, their bowlers failed to utilise any help that might have been available.But to focus on their shortcomings – and they were not awful by any means – would be to deny Stoneman credit for an almost flawless innings. Against one of the best spinners and left-arm swing bowlers in the county game, he demonstrated excellent judgement outside off stump, admirable patience (he had faced 16 balls before he hit a boundary) and a pleasing ability to be able to put away even half a bad ball. His treatment of the short ball, in particular, was merciless – 102 of his runs came from boundaries.”He didn’t give us a sniff,” Bell said. “We’re really impressed by him.”There may be mixed feelings about this innings in Durham, though. While the majority of those involved with the club – players, supporters et al – will celebrate Stoneman’s success, they will rue the fact that their financial plight led to his departure. As he put it: “Because of the financial situation at Durham, my contract was allowed to run into its final year. I decided to move to Surrey to further my career.”Few could blame him. A professional sporting life is not long and some desire for security and, yes, better remuneration is natural.He will have to replicate this innings a few times if he is to become a serious contender for the Test side. His career average – 32.99 before this game – is modest and there are several younger men (notably Keaton Jennings and Haseeb Hameed) ahead of him in the fight for a place. But he has long been respected as one of the best openers in the county game by his fellow pros and can claim mitigation for that average with the demanding quality of the surfaces that he played on in Durham until the start of 2016.He also made a century in his final innings for Durham, meaning that he has scored two Championship centuries in succession. He is the first England-qualified player to make a century on Championship debut for Surrey since Mark Rampakash in 2001. Aaron Finch (2016), Kumar Sangakkara (2015) and Ricky Ponting (2013) are the three most recent men to do so for Surrey.Stoneman was given fine support in a first-wicket stand of 154 by Rory Burns. While Burns will be disappointed not to make a century that appeared to be his for the taking – something of a recurring theme in his career – he will be encouraged by the manner in which he saw off the new ball and took the attack to Warwickshire’s bowlers.”They never let us settle,” Jim Troughton, Warwickshire’s first-team coach said afterwards. “We probably got the toss decision wrong and there were too many boundary balls, but Surrey batted very well. We’ve known Stoneman was quality player for a few years and he showed everyone that today.”Warwickshire could also have regretted dropping Scott Borthwick, another recruit from Durham, on 4 (Barker was unable to cling on to a top-edged pull off Chris Wright) but he soon fell after flirting outside off stump.It might have been worse for them, though. At lunch, with Surrey 133 without loss after 31 overs and Jonathan Trott already employed as a bowler, it looked as if they were in deep trouble. But they dragged the run-rate back through the rest of the day and didn’t let the batsmen capitalise in the final session. However, Sangakkara remains – he played some drives so sweet he must have been tempted to light a cigarette as he watched them scurry to the boundary – and, with no heavy roller available for this game, the pitch may become more difficult for the side batting last.Earlier, Surrey included Jade Dernbach – his first Championship appearance since 2015 – ahead of Stuart Meaker and Gareth Batty, the captain, ahead of Zafar Ansari. Nor could they be blamed for doing so. While Ansari was deemed good enough to represent England only a few months ago, the decision to play T20 cricket in a block and cut the schedule has pushed the Championship ever further into the margins of the season. The counties will have played eight of their 14 Championship games before the end of June. There is no mystery in England’s continuing weakness in producing and playing spin bowling.

The West Indies bowling caoch has urged his bowlers to take more responsibility for bowling with discipline, after the side lost two wicket-taking chances due to no-balls

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-20172:02

We were sloppy between lunch and tea – Estwick

Twice during the second session in Bridgetown on Monday, West Indies were denied the wicket of Ahmed Shehzad on account of a bowler overstepping. In the first instance, Shannon Gabriel struck Shehzad plumb in front of the stumps, only for a review to show it was a no-ball. Shehzad was on 21 at the time and that delivery was Gabriel’s sixth no-ball of the innings. A few overs later, Roston Chase, bowling off spin, would have had Shehzad out stumped for 32 had he not overstepped. Overall, West Indies conceded nine runs in no-balls in Pakistan’s innings on the second day, eight from Gabriel.It was the kind of performance that West Indies’ bowling coach Roddy Estwick said was a sign of “ill-discipline”, and prompted him to suggest some sort of penalty so that bowlers would start taking responsibility for these mistakes on the field.”We have to make sure there is some kind of action starting from the nets, people have to be penalized for it,” Estwick said. “Because you can’t continue at the international level to be bowling no-balls. For me, it’s ill-disciplined because you can go through ODIs and T20Is and not bowl no-balls, and then you come into Test matches and you are bowling a cluster of them. To make it even worse, the spinners are bowling no-balls and that is not acceptable at all.”They could be fines, they could be any punishments – for every no-ball that you bowl, you have to do 10 sprints, whatever. But there must be some way that people will take accountability for what’s happening. You have to accept the responsibility, it’s you bowling no-balls. I can only help you prepare but when you go out in the middle you have to be as disciplined as possible.”Just like, if a person plays a bad shot, there is nothing a batting coach can do about it. If someone drops a catch, they blame the fielding coach but I think it’s all down to discipline, everybody making sure that on the field of play he is as disciplined as possible. I will try and correct it in the nets but it is up to the players to take ownership when they walk out on the field.”The no-ball issue isn’t a new one facing the side. In the first Test in Jamaica, West Indies gave away 12 runs in no-balls in Pakistan’s first innings, six from Gabriel. Although there were no wicket-taking chances squandered because of overstepping in that innings, West Indies still ended up conceding 27 runs in extras in Pakistan’s total of 407.West Indies did fight back in the final session in Bridgetown on Monday, taking three wickets in a space of five overs, but Estwick said the team would have to lift their game considerably given the lack of assistance for seamers on the track and Pakistan’s score of 172 for 3 at the end of the day, 140 runs behind West Indies’ first-innings total of 312. Estwick stressed they couldn’t allow Pakistan to run away with a big first-innings lead.”We were very sloppy between lunch and tea,” he said. “That’s the area that we have got to improve. We dropped one or two catches. We got wickets off no-balls. That’s the focus we have to try and improve on because you can’t afford, on an unresponsive pitch like this for seam bowlers, to make the kind of mistakes we did during lunch and tea. We came back nicely between tea and close of play but before tea it was disheartening to see the performance.”We have to correct it and correct it quickly because we can’t allow Pakistan to get a lead. Because once they get a lead, going into day three or four, that is going to be very, very difficult.”

South Africa women’s captain Dane van Niekerk has been declared fit for the World Cup in June, when she is expected to have fully recovered from a foot injury

Firdose Moonda23-May-2017South Africa women’s captain Dane van Niekerk has been declared fit for the World Cup in June, when she is expected to have fully recovered from a foot injury. Van Niekerk was prescribed six weeks’ rest after sustaining the injury earlier this month. She sat out of the recent quadrangular series, South Africa’s last preparatory event before the World Cup, but should be ready for their opening match on June 25.

South Africa women’s squad

Dane van Niekerk (capt), Lizelle Lee, Trisha Chetty, Marizanne Kapp, Chloe Tryon, Mignon du Preez, Shabnim Ismail, Andrie Steyn, Masabata Klaas, Laura Wolvaardt, Raisibe Ntozakhe, Moseline Daniels, Nadine de Klerk, Sune Luus, Ayabonga Khaka

Van Niekerk will be the only member short of match practice. The rest of the squad consists entirely of players who took part in the four-team tournament, including Nadine de Klerk and Raisibe Ntozakhe, who both debuted in the series. South Africa won five out of six matches in the round-robin stage and reached the final, where they lost to India.Their most notable performance was an eight-run victory over India in the ninth match. They also had a selection of individual moments to savour. Eighteen-year-old Laura Wolvaardt scored one of South Africa’s two centuries in the competition – Andrie Steyn hit the other – as South Africa racked up 337 for 5, their highest ODI total, against Ireland . On the bowling front, Shabnim Ismail topped the tournament charts.South Africa go into the event on the back of a two-and-a-half year period that coach Hilton Moreeng believes stands them in good stead. “I believe that we finally have the winning formula. The balance in the side is just right,” he said.Since October 2014, South Africa have won series in Sri Lanka, India, the UAE against Pakistan, Ireland and Bangladesh. But they have not been able to overcome New Zealand, Australia, England or West Indies – although they won isolated matches against all teams except Australia.Being able to overhaul some of the better teams in the women’s game will be foremost on the agenda in England, but so will adapting to unfamiliar conditions. The last time a South Africa women’s side toured England for ODIs was in 2008, although they played a three-match T20 series in the country in 2014. Some players, including van Niekerk, Marizanne Kapp, Lizelle Lee and Ismail, were part of the Women’s Super League last year, which they believe will help with the adjustments. “With a few of us having a bit of experience of English conditions, we are confident going into the tournament that we are going to give it our very best and leave it all on the field by the time it ends,” van Niekerk said.South Africa’s best finish at a Women’s World Cup was in 2000, when they lost to Australia in the semi-final. They have not finished in the top four since, but their structures have become professional, national contracts have been awarded and they have high-profile sponsorship.CSA CEO Haroon Lorgat praised the team for achieving the goal they set three years ago – of qualifying for the World Cup – but Danie van den Bergh, head of their title backer Momentum, backed them to go all the way. “It has been exciting to see the team grow in world rankings and again earn their spot and in the World Cup,” he said. “This shows what can be achieved when we invest in the sport and developing the player. We wish the team the very best and hope their representation inspires and encourages young women and girls, or any young South Africans, to get involved and to dream those big dreams. Bring it home ladies.”

When Kagiso Rabada got Ben Stokes out for a first time at Lord’s, he also got himself a suspension. When the same thing happened a second time, he made a point to be as good as he could

Firdose Moonda09-Jul-2017After being suspended from the second Test for using an expletive to send off Ben Stokes in the first innings at Lord’s, Kagiso Rabada has learnt his lesson about saying too much.After dismissing Stokes for the second time, Rabada made it apparent he would not be saying anything when he put his finger to his lips as Stokes walked after being pinned lbw. And to make doubly sure silence was maintained, stand-in captain Dean Elgar covered Rabada’s mouth with his own hand.”The first person that gets to him when he takes a wicket needs to throw a hand over his mouth, like I did,” Elgar said after the match. “Hopefully, he learns from this.”Kagiso Rabada walks past Ben Stokes nonchalantly after dismissing him•Getty Images

On the first day of the Test, when Rabada had Stokes caught behind, the stump mic picked up Rabada telling the England allrounder to “f*** off.” That earned Rabada one demerit point, adding to the three he already had equating to a one-match suspension.Several former and current cricketers including Graeme Smith have come out in Rabada’s defense and the man himself is said to be “heartbroken,” by the sanction.”He realises that he is missing a game for South Africa which hurts, he has possibly let the team down,” Elgar added. “Even more so, he has let himself down. I’m not 100 percent sure he has apologised to the team. A lot of things have happened in the past four days but I know he has apologised to senior management.””It’s a big loss for everything – A big loss for the Proteas, a big loss for Test cricket,” Elgar said. “He is a vitally important bowler within our attack. He adds a different dynamic to our bowling attack, he has the aggression factor which is quite important in Test cricket to get those breakthroughs. He has been a phenomenal strength for us in all formats. It’s an opportunity for someone else to come in and maybe start a career, maybe it’s just for one game. The game of cricket is at a loss for him not playing.”South Africa will likely look to Chris Morris to play as a second bowling allrounder in Rabada’s absence, and could also go into the match a batsmen short, leaving out Theunis de Bruyn for Duanne Olivier.

Sri Lanka’s openers put on 229 and hit their maiden ODI hundreds in the same match as they hacked down a 300+ target more than two overs to spare

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Jul-2017
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDanushka Gunathilaka was named Man of the Match for his maiden ODI hundred•AFP

Mathews fined for slow over rate

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has been fined 20% of his match fee, and his team 10%, for being found one over short of their target during the third ODI against Zimbabwe. If Sri Lanka, under Mathews, commit another over-rates breach within the next 12 months, Mathews will face a suspension.
This is Sri Lanka’s second over-rates offence in six matches. Acting captain Upul Tharanga had been suspended for two games after the team was found to be four overs short of their target in a Champions Trophy match last month.
On this occasion, Mathews pleaded guilty to the charge, so no formal hearing was required.

A score of over 300 used to be safe in Sri Lanka. Before Friday, chasing sides had attempted to run down scores of over 300 on 32 occasions, and failed every time. Now, in the space of a week, two such scores have been hunted down with ease – Sri Lanka today overhauling Zimbabwe’s 310 for 8 with eight wickets in hand and 16 balls remaining, without ever really appearing to extend themselves.Leading the pursuit today were Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka – two first-time centurions – who, in a searing opening partnership that yielded 229 runs, left Sri Lanka in such an ascendant state that the remaining 82 runs almost seemed a formality.Dickwella, forever slinking around his crease, scored well over half his runs behind the wicket, playing sweeps, cuts, dabs and scoops aplenty. Gunathilaka, meanwhile, stood tall in his crease, and played an array of regal drives and disdainful pulls. Having trailed Dickwella for much of the innings, he would finish with 116 runs off 111 balls. Dickwella made 102 off 116 deliveries. Upul Tharanga and Kusal Mendis saw the chase home with little drama – Tharanga making 44 not out, to go with his two unbeaten fifties previously in the series.That the hosts were chasing so many was thanks to a rollicking fifth ODI century from Hamilton Masakadza, which was followed by a rapid finish from Sikandar Raza and Peter Moor during a Zimbabwe innings in which even Lasith Malinga found himself besieged. Masakadza’s 127-run second-wicket stand with Tarisai Musakanda – playing this match in place of Ryan Burl, who was admitted to hospital after aggravating a food allergy – formed the spine of Zimbabwe’s innings, with Sean Williams also making a handy contribution.Zimbabwe’s own bowlers would soon themselves falter, thanks to the challenges of playing at this venue. Not only did the pitch offer little for seamers, such turn as it afforded spinners was slow and unthreatening, while Hambantota’s lively crosswind complicated their quarry further. It also did not help that Zimbabwe dropped four catches, the costliest of which was the grassing of Dickwella at point, off the bowling of Williams, when the batsman had been on 64.Neither team’s bowlers emerged with much credit. Malcolm Waller was Zimbabwe’s best – his tidy offspin accounting for the partnership-breaking wicket of Dickwella. Asela Gunaratne had earlier returned 2 for 53 from 10 overs, which turned out to be the best figures in the game. Malinga’s figures were blown out by a 17-run final over, and he ended with 1 for 71 off nine overs. Lakshan Sandakan’s 1 for 73 off ten did not make for pretty reading either.Dickwella and Gunathilaka were immediately belligerent. Dickwella slapped the first ball of the innings – delivered by Carl Mumba – behind point for four, before Gunathilaka cracked two fours apiece off Mumba and Chatara in the second and third overs. It was a track on which very little sideways movement could be gleaned, and the bounce could be completely trusted. After five overs, Sri Lanka were flying, at 36 for none. After 10, with 11 fours between the openers, they were 69 for none. After 15 overs, they were 101… and well… you get the idea – the chase was almost velvet-smooth.The only major hiccups were in Williams’ first over. Dickwella reverse-swept a ball straight to point, who dropped it, before Gunathilaka briefly left his crease only for Peter Moor to fumble the ball and miss a very difficult stumping chance. But neither batsman appeared flustered at any stage. Dickwella got to his hundred in the 33rd over, and Gunathilaka in the 36th. They were out within six balls of each other, but the chase would pass to good hands.Earlier, Masakadza had also been domineering from the outset, establishing a strike rate of better than 100 in the Powerplay, and maintaining it throughout. Both he and Musakanda appeared at ease during their big second-wicket stand. Sri Lanka’s bowlers raised a few lbw appeals, but they largely came against the run of play, rather than as a result of sustained pressure. Musakanda did not advance quite as quickly as Masakadza, but still received enough loose deliveries to stroke into a favoured legside. Masakadza, meanwhile, hit his first fifty off 47 balls, then sped up, needing only 36 further deliveries to move into triple figures.Wanidu Hasaranga and Gunaratne struck through the middle overs to keep Zimbabwe in check, but they batted deep enough to prosper in the slog overs nonetheless. Raza and Moor hit twenties to plunder 47 off the last four overs, but even a Zimbabwe innings as good as this could not prevent Sri Lanka from taking a 2-1 lead in the series.

Cricket South Africa is understood to be mulling filling the Boxing-Day slot with a one-off Test against a different opponent

Nagraj Gollapudi19-Aug-2017Not only will India not feature in the Boxing Day Test against South Africa later this year, but even the New Year’s Test in Newlands is in danger of being pushed back. The Boxing Day Test is usually the highlight of South Africa’s international season while the iconic venue in Cape Town usually hosts the second Test of the South African summer from January 2.However, it is understood that India will only land in South Africa in the last week of 2017 and will want to acclimatise for at least a week before starting the tour comprising four Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals.According to a BCCI official, India cannot reach South Africa for the Boxing Day Test which starts on December 26 only because their home series against Sri Lanka is scheduled to finish on December 24. “We can’t make it make it in time. The Sri Lanka tour ends on December 24. After that we need to give the boys a few days’ rest,” the board official told ESPNcricinfo. “The South Africa tour is a big one, so they need to play two warm-up games, so it will take at least 10 days [before the first Test].The BCCI has already alerted Cricket South Africa on the scheduling difficulties, which both boards expect to sort out by next week. ESPNcricinfo understands CSA has accepted the fact that India will miss the Boxing Day Test, and, hence, have started looking for other options to stage a one-off Test. Pakistan and Afghanistan are reportedly the two possible options, but nothing concrete has emerged yet on that front.Tony Irish, the head of the South African Players Association, said that if the Newlands Test failed to start on January 2 or 3, it would be a “major blow” for CSA only because the match coincides with the holiday season. “I had been aware of the fact that they were unlikely to be there for Boxing Day, but for them not to be here for the New Year’s Day is a major blow to CSA and the fans,” Irish said. “To lose Boxing Day is a big thing, but to lose both of them would be massive hit for the fans.”Irish felt India could play a solitary two- or three-day game ahead of the first Test to facilitate things. But the BCCI official said that the Indian players could not be pushed.There are other repercussions of the India tour starting late. As soon India depart, South Africa are scheduled to host Australia for a four-Test series before the players arrived in India for the IPL. If CSA do manage to find an opponent for the Boxing Day Test, that would mean nine Tests crammed inside a two-month period.Irish felt such an “extremely gruelling” Test schedule combined with the limited-overs matches against India would exacerbate the workload on players. “If the India Test matches start much after January 2 or 3, there will be a lot of concern about the players’ workload,” Irish said. “You really compound the workload issue.” Irish has raised this concern with CSA, which has noted it.

Somerset ground out a slight advantage in a tension-ridden battle of the bottom two at Edgbaston where defeat will as good as signal relegation

Jon Culley at Edgbaston05-Sep-20171:37

County Championship Round-up: Somerset nose in front in crunch encounter

To find Warwickshire battling for Division One survival in the first week of September comes as no surprise, but that cannot be said of Somerset, who were denied a maiden County Championship title on the final afternoon of last season after Middlesex’s dramatic win over Yorkshire at Lord’s.Yet their season has been scarcely less awful than Warwickshire’s, prompting director of cricket Matthew Maynard to lament that they looked like a team resigned to relegation as they were beaten by Essex last week.Their outlook need not be quite so bleak. The gap between themselves and the safety of sixth place – 23 points as they enter the final four rounds – is by no means unassailable, particularly if they can nudge their opponents a little closer to the exits by winning here. That would raise the possibility of dragging one of two teams immediately above them into the fight – those two teams ironically being Middlesex and Yorkshire. They meet Middlesex at Taunton in the season’s final round.Warwickshire are a further 12 points adrift, the consequence of a decline that has been set in for some time since the players who won the title in 2012 began to find their powers on the wane. They, too, are not doomed yet but, as captain Jonathan Trott spelled out rather starkly on the eve of this match, they might need to win all four remaining fixtures.”It helps that we know what we have to do,” Trott said, doing his best to find a positive spin. Given that they have won only four of their last 22 Championship matches, however, it does seem to be asking rather a lot.On the subject of spin, it is the slow bowlers who look likely to determine the outcome of this one. Somerset came armed with two in Jack Leach and Dominic Bess and after taking a look at the pitch, which is the same one used for last Saturday’s NatWest Blast final, Warwickshire chose to follow suit, dispensing with the idea of giving England Under-19 seamer Henry Brookes his debut and opting for the slow left arm of Sunny Singh to share the load with Jeetan Patel.It was a wise move. After a start delayed until ten past one, Trott tossed the ball to Patel with the contest just seven overs old and having the New Zealand off-spinner bowling in tandem with Singh after only 18. There was turn for both from the outset. By the close they had bowled 38 of the 56.3 overs possible and taken three of the four wickets.A test for the batsmen, particularly for those at the starting-out end of the experience scale; Eddie Byron, opening with Marcus Trescothick, is just 20, and George Bartlett – Brookes’s England Under-19 colleague – only 19.In the event, Trescothick – a tad more experienced at 41 – was the first to go. The former England opener, another with whom time is catching up now, looked in good order initially on a ground where he has scored five hundreds but, having rapidly scored half a dozen boundaries, fell to the first ball of Patel’s second over. The left back went back to cut, another four in his sights, but made a misjudgement this time to a ball that was perhaps a shade too full and a thin edge had him caught behind.Byrom, in only his fifth first-class match, played very nicely for his 43 – matching his best score so far – but after reverse-sweeping Singh for his sixth boundary attempted – perhaps unwisely – to give the next delivery the same treatment. This time it ended up in the hands of Trott at slip.Singh, a tall 21-year-old born in India but developed in Warwickshire’s academy, looked competent and confidant, tidy until weariness began to creep in towards the end. He claimed his second success when, getting one to turn sharply, he had James Hildreth caught at slip, driving.The Warwickshire seamers were less impressive, although Keith Barker was a little unlucky in his second spell. Ryan Sidebottom – the Australian-born right-handed version – bowled a mix of good and bad balls, graphically illustrated when he bowled Bartlett through the gate with a real jaffa, having offered up a wide long-hop with his previous delivery, duly crashed away for four by the teenager, who had announced himself as audaciously as you might like by getting off the mark with a reverse-sweep for four off Patel.At 131 for 4 with Hildreth’s wicket, it was shaping up as Warwickshire’s day. By the close, though, Steve Davies and Tom Abell had turned things round rather impressively, applying themselves well in a stand that has so far added 72.