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Tom Alsop, James Coles add fifties on shortened second day in Bristol

ECB Reporters Network28-Apr-2023A trademark defensive masterclass from captain Cheteshwar Pujara batted Sussex into a promising position on the second day of the rain-affected LV= County Championship match with Gloucestershire at Bristol.After a delayed start at 1.50pm due to a saturated outfield, the visitors took their first innings total from 47 for 1 to 302 for 4, India Test star Pujara leading the way with 99 not out, one short of his 58th first-class century, while Tom Alsop contributed 67 and James Coles a career-best 74.Zafar Gohar was the most successful Gloucestershire bowler with 2 for 67. But even his efforts on a docile surface could not unsettle the patient Pujara, who by the close had faced 190 balls and hit 13 fours and a six.Warm sunshine and a drying breeze dispelled fears of a second day washout after only 16 overs had been possible on day one before persistent heavy rain left standing water on an already wet outfield.Umpires Billy Taylor and Mark Newell decided play could resume after inspections at 11am, 12.30pm and 1.20pm. Gloucestershire skipper Graeme van Buuren opted to open the bowling with left-arm spinner Gohar and it paid quick dividends.Ali Orr, having added five to his overnight score of 31, went to reverse sweep the first ball of the third over and only succeeded in top-edging a gentle catch to wicketkeeper James Bracey, making the score 58 for 2.Having advanced from 11 to 34, Alsop survived a sharp chance to Miles Hammond at gully off Marchant de Lange, the ball stinging the tips of the fielder’s fingers on the way to the third-man boundary. It was all the good fortune the Sussex left-hander needed to progress to fifty, off 123 balls, with 6 fours, out of a total of 111 for 2.Ominously for Gloucestershire, Pujara looked to be setting his stall out for a long innings from the moment he took strike. The experienced India Test batter exercised great caution, particularly against the accurate de Lange, who had figures of 1 for 17 after 11 overs, four of them maidens.Pujara took 78 balls to reach 19, but then cut loose with a pulled four off de Lange and a square cut boundary off Gohar. By tea, which was taken at 4pm, Sussex had made 138 for 2 from 49 overs, with Alsop on 63 and Pujara on 28. The visitors were clearly intent on only batting once in a match already heavily curtailed by the weather.The final session began with Ajeet Dale going past the inside edge of Alsop’s bat, the ball swinging late and beating Bracey to add four byes to the total. Dale troubled both batsmen from the Ashley Down Road End, working up decent pace on the slow pitch, and got his reward when Alsop edged a defensive shot to first slip where Chris Dent held the catch into his midriff.At 158 for 3, Sussex needed to rebuild. But by then Pujara had moved on to 40 off 108 deliveries and looked well set. He was joined by a player more than 16 years his junior in England Under-19 international Coles.With the Seat Unique Stadium bathed in sunshine, Pujara moved to his half-century, having batted for almost exactly three hours and hit eight fours. He celebrated with a glorious driven boundary through extra cover off van Buuren, an indication of the fund of attacking shots in his locker when he chooses to unleash them, while Coles looked untroubled in sharing a century stand in 24 overs.The nearest Pujara came to getting out was an inside edge past his leg stump off Gofar. He responded by cutting two boundaries off the left-arm spinner’s next over.Gloucestershire took the second new ball after 80 overs, with the scoreboard reading 258 for 3. But it made no impact as Coles reached a fluent and chanceless fifty off 85 balls, with six fours. The 19-year-old fell in the final over of the day, stumped moving down the pitch to Gohar in an effort to give Pujara the strike.The Indian maestro is unlikely to lose any sleep over being on 99 and will look to add significantly more on day three.

Vince and Billings put up a fight for England but a total of 280 felt very competitive on a surface that was not easy for scoring

Andrew McGlashan19-Nov-2022Steven Smith continued his prolific ODI form, Mitchell Starc gave a reminder of his first-over prowess and Adam Zampa scuttled England’s middle order as Australia wrapped up the series with a convincing 72-run victory in Sydney on Josh Hazlewood’s captaincy debut.Smith’s 94 from 114 balls was the major contribution in Australia’s innings alongside a fluent half-century from Marnus Labuschagne and a more hard-working effort from Mitchell Marsh. England never completely lost control with the ball, largely thanks to Adil Rashid’s three wickets, but a total of 280 felt very competitive on a surface that was not entirely easy for scoring.The target looked much more daunting after just five balls of England’s chase by which time Starc had two wickets to his name. Jason Roy’s struggles did not abate as he gloved down the leg side second ball then Starc produced rapid outswing to firstly beat Dawid Malan twice then take out the off stump with an unplayable delivery.Malan was looking to play to the leg side with an open face but having come off a fine century two days he had the right to feel positive and the ball shaped late and at pace to beat the edge. After Starc’s wicked delivery to remove Roy in Adelaide it was another strong response to his omission late in the T20 World Cup.When Phil Salt was cleaned up by Hazlewood for a counterpunching 23, England were 34 for 3 in the sixth over and in danger of falling away. However, in the latest example of their batting depth James Vince and Sam Billings, who took Ashton Agar for consecutive sixes, constructed excellent fifties in a fourth-wicket stand of 122 in 22 overs which put England back in a position where the target was attainable.But Vince swung across the line at Hazlewood for an umpire’s call lbw then the ever-consistent Zampa made the decisive breakthroughs in the middle order, including Billings for 71, as he claimed 3 for 0 in nine balls and England lost 7 for 52. This time, the batting depth was not enough.Mitchell Starc celebrates taking two in the first over•Getty Images

There had been a surprise before the game when Hazlewood appeared for the toss when Pat Cummins was rested one match into his captaincy tenure. It was a case of change all-round with Moeen Ali also leading England for the first time in ODIs as Jos Buttler took a well-deserved break.Smith and Labuschagne added 101 in 19 overs for the third wicket then Smith and Marsh put on 90 for the fifth after Rashid had knocked Australia back with two wickets in two balls.Smith was not as fluent as two days ago in Adelaide, after which he said it was the best he felt at the crease in six years, but moved into the 90s with a flick for six over backward square leg against Sam Curran. However, attempting to reach his century with another six he picked out long-off against Rashid in the 44th over.Australia’s openers had made a brisk start before Moeen struck with his second ball when David Warner swept to square leg. Travis Head followed three overs later when he fluffed a pull shot to midwicket against Chris Woakes to leave Australia 43 for 2.Labuschagne started positively when he skipped down the pitch to Moeen and lofted him over wide mid-on and generally scored more freely than Smith who struck his first boundary off his 14th ball but did not add another until his 65th when he clubbed David Willey over the leg side.Labuschagne went to a neat 47-ball fifty, which proved the most fluent batting of the innings, and was furious with himself when he toe-ended a sweep against Rashid which looped to mid-off. Rashid struck again next ball when Alex Carey played over the top of a sweep and Billings was very swift to remove the bails with Carey’s foot on the line.The hat-trick delivery was misdirected into Marsh’s pads and alongside Smith the pair rebuilt to give Australia a platform going into the final 10 overs but they were not able to fully capitalise.Marcus Stoinis couldn’t get going in a 14-ball 13 before missing a swing at Woakes and though Marsh, back in the side in place of the rested Cameron Green who had returned to Perth ahead of the Test summer, brought up a 58-ball half-century he couldn’t quite move through the gears. In the end, however, they had more than enough as Australia’s latest ODI captains claimed their first series.

Surrey face Durham in semi-finals on Tuesday, a day after Glamorgan play Essex

David Hopps15-Aug-2021It would be tempting to call Tim David’s match-winning hundred against Gloucestershire contemptuous, such was its mastery, but that would only cast more aspersions on standards in a 50-over tournament which is racing stout-heartedly towards its climax like a diminished Speed Dating event with the nation’s sexiest stars commandeered for the inaugural season of the Hundred.Surrey’s five-wicket win in this play-off against Gloucestershire gives them a semi-final against Durham at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday, 24 hours after Glamorgan face Essex. The final, at Trent Bridge, is a floodlit affair on Thursday and tickets for what was once the pinnacle of the season are only a tenner. Some Hundred players might theoretically be available, but whether they play in place of the young thrusters (some, not all, of them quite exciting prospects) who have kept the tournament alive is a different matter.David’s 102 encompassed 72 balls, with 11 fours and five sixes. He keeps things extremely simple: he sees things and deals with them. Vigorously. Maybe he should be in charge of the fixture list. He also figured in two run-outs, one of them his own, which fleetingly brought back memories of Surrey’s capitulation against Gloucestershire in the 2015 RL final, but in between he smote the ball to all parts to enable Surrey to surpass Gloucestershire’s modest 242 for 7 with five wickets and 44 balls to spare.He might also be the overseas player who the Hundred missed, a bear of a man shrewdly snapped up by Surrey for the Royal London Cup and the latter stages of the Blast. The Hundred deal never came for this Australian by way of Singapore, despite a big season for Hobart Hurricanes. He took a while to come to life, as if coming out of hibernation, but back-to-back hundreds at Kia Oval have left him with an average of 84.25 (outdone only by Durham’s Graham Clark among recognised batsmen) and a strike rate of 152.48 which is second to Dane Vilas among top run-getters. Anyway, it is as good as it gets although doubtless there may be a Batting Impact algorithm somewhere that suggests otherwise.David’s follow-up hundred was not quite as destructive as his remarkable 140 from 70 balls, with 11 sixes, against Warwickshire on Tuesday, but arguably it was no worse for that. His first wild shot probably came on 101 when he tried to put Matt Taylor onto the surface of Mars, but otherwise he just flayed balls that needed hitting. Gloucestershire’s bowlers have carried a weak top order all season, and that should be respected, but they asked him few questions.Jamie Smith was captaining Surrey at 21 in the continued injury absence of Hashim Amla, who fulfilled 12th man duties. Smith also made a controlled unbeaten 69 in a match-winning stand of 102 in 19 overs for the fourth wicket. The stand began after the run out of Ryan Patel, who pushed the ball straight to Chris Dent at short midwicket and was run out at the bowler’s end. It ended when Dent collected David’s push to short extra cover and attempted a lumbering return to his ground. Neither throw hit direct, but neither needed to.Gloucestershire’s total had owed almost everything an unbroken 105-run partnership in 111 balls from the pit of 137 for 7 between George Scott and Tom Smith. Scott, a former Middlesex all-rounder, produced a List A best while Smith’s unbeaten 51 not out was his second List A fifty.Smith swept particularly strongly against the spinners while Scott produced the stroke of the innings, a pick up six off Matt Dunn that sailed far over the mid wicket boundary, before also top-edging a high full toss from the same bowler over the fine leg ropes. With umpire Ian Blackwell rightly signalling for the no ball, that shot earned Gloucestershire eight runs.A slowly turning pitch disguised Surrey’s mediocre seam resources which could cost them dear in the climax to the competition. Dan Moriarty’s left-arm slows curbed the rate and Cameron Steel’s leg spin, although expensive, deserved better than his 1 for 55: he turned his googly substantially and his 33 county wickets in 61 matches smacks of under-utilised potential, even allowing for the standard of the competition.It was hard to find a wicket in Gloucestershire’s first seven that did not fall to batsman error. James Bracey, whose season began with England recognition, chipped back one of two wickets for David’s offspin off a horrible leading edge; Graeme van Buuren, playing as an overseas player while he waits to see if he can stay in England post-Brexit, was the only other batsman to threaten until his checked drive against Moriarty saw him fall at short extra on 37.Surrey’s reply also involved a brief and somewhat sad appearance from Ollie Pope who recovered from a thigh injury while in the England fold but who was released from the Test squad to play for Surrey in a competition that it can safely be assumed did not exactly smack, in its current guise, of career development. One does not have to look hard this summer to find a young England batsman looking glum in anything other than T20 (or its inferior substitutes) and here was another example.Pope made a single from three balls, the third seeing him leg before to a straight one from Taylor, a left-arm quick coming around the wicket. There was a time when it would just be recorded that Pope played across a straight one, but now off stump guard is all the rage so to avoid being drawn into another tiresome generational clash it is safest to observe that he missed it and whatever his mildly disapproving look at the umpire, Ian Blackwell, replays suggested that it would probably have shaved leg stump. Disapproval should best be aimed elsewhere.

An ECB update at tea stated Stokes will not return to the field for NZ’s second innings

Vithushan Ehantharajah16-Dec-20240:48

Trescothick on Stokes injury: We didn’t see it coming

Ben Stokes was forced to leave the field during day three of England’s third Test against New Zealand at Seddon Park after a recurrence of a left hamstring injury. He will undergo a scan this evening to understand the full extent of the injury.England’s captain pulled up after the second ball of the 56th over of New Zealand’s second innings – his 13th, and third of the day – on Monday afternoon, immediately feeling the back of his left thigh after delivering a bouncer that Rachin Ravindra pulled for four. It was the same hamstring he tore in August while batting for Northern Superchargers against Manchester Originals in the men’s Hundred, which kept him out for two months.Bowling from the City End, Stokes put his hand on his face and kept walking in the direction of the team dressing room away at the newly renamed Tim Southee End. New Zealand were leading by 409 at the time, as left-arm spinner Jacob Bethell finished the over.An ECB update at tea stated Stokes will not return to the field for New Zealand’s second innings while he receives treatment, with a further assessment to be made on whether he will bat. England finished the day 18 for 2, chasing a mammoth 658, though they have already secured the series after victories in the first two Tests.”It’s the same hamstring that he’s had before,” confirmed England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick. “He’s been going so well, he’s been bowling and playing the role that he does as an all-rounder and captain.”We didn’t see it coming, you don’t have any signs of these sort of things…generally they just happen.”Stokes’ 36.2 overs in Hamilton were the most he has bowled for in a Test since 40 at Trent Bridge in 2022 (also against New Zealand). On day one, his 23 overs were the most he has managed in a single day, split between spells of eight, eight and seven. It is worth noting England’s first innings capitulation for 143 meant their seamers only had 34.5 overs of rest after 97.1 between them for New Zealand’s opening effort. The hosts went further in their second innings, keeping England in the field for 101.4 overs, eventually finishing on 453.This series has brought Stokes seven dismissals at 36.85 from 66.1 overs – his most as captain – accompanied by a batting average of 52.66 across four innings. After struggling to effectively fulfill the allrounder role, this series had been a welcome return to the Stokes of old.It was only on the previous evening (Sunday) that assistant coach Paul Collingwood lauded Stokes’ return as a talismanic allrounder. Following today’s events, Trescothick stated Stokes might have to tailor his bowling loads going forward.”I still think he’s shown signs over the course of this series that getting back to fitness he is going to have that level. Maybe it’s a case that you manage his bowling loads and he doesn’t bowl the volume that he’s potentially bowled in this game.”Injuries happen, right? they’re always going to be part of the game. he works dramatically well with his fitness. to try and get into the shape he can be. He bowled 24 in the first innings, and he was bowling quite a few in this (second) innings [12.2 overs]. We’ll just have to look at how we manage it.”Stokes looked understandably crestfallen as he walked off, having only just overcome the physical and psychological toil from the initial hamstring tear which derailed his return to full fitness in the summer.Related

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Having arrived into the home summer following successful knee surgery in October 2023, he bowled 49 overs across three Tests against West Indies, with five wickets that took him past 200 career dismissals. The tear subsequently set him back, ruling him out of the three-match series against Sri Lanka at the end of the season, and the first Test of the Pakistan tour.Stokes returned for the final two matches of that series but England lost both, succumbing to a 2-1 defeat having won the first Test. He admitted his drive to regain full fitness led him to “physically drain and ruin himself”. When the squad gathered at Queenstown at the start of the series, Stokes apologised for the negative effect he had on the team environment.Prior to this final Test, Stokes was optimistic he was in a good place, with a better understanding of his body.”I have to work so much harder on the physical side of the job to allow me to go out and do my job but I got a good amount of overs in during the last two games and I am more confident about getting through a lot of spells in a day.”That is where I got to before I pulled my hamstring. I bowled nice in summer, had a setback but now feel out of that and worrying about anything else happening again. As you get older you think about your body a bit more but I work harder because I have to.”Now, the 33-year-old must undergo another period of rehabilitation. England’s next Test match is not until May 22, against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, but a lucrative £800,000 with MI Cape Town in the SA20, which begins on January 9, may have to be forgone. Having signed a two-year central contract in October, the ECB has the power to withdraw him outright from the tournament, even if he is able to regain fitness prior to the end of the group stages, with MI’s final match on February 2.This latest setback also complicates any prospective white-ball return for Stokes. The man himself has remained coy on whether he will make himself available for the upcoming Champions Trophy, with Test head coach Brendon McCullum assuming control of the limited-overs sides. Now, perhaps, the decision has been made for him.

Perry suffered back spasms and was forced off the field during Australia’s win against South Africa

AAP24-Mar-2022Injured allrounder Ellyse Perry has been ruled out of Australia’s last World Cup group game against Bangladesh on Friday, but they expect her to be fit for next week’s semi-finals.Perry suffered back spasms and was forced from the field during Australia’s win against South Africa on Tuesday. Australia’s physiotherapist Kate Beerworth said Perry’s back is settling with treatment.”She won’t play tomorrow but we expect that she will be available for the semi-final,” Beerworth said on Thursday.Perry was hurt when tumbling over a boundary rope in a fielding attempt against South Africa. She didn’t bat as Australia banked their sixth consecutive win of the World Cup.The Australians chased down South Africa’s 271 for 5 to win with 28 balls to spare after earlier in the tournament, reeling in India’s 277 for 7 to triumph with three balls remaining.Those victorious chases, propelled by captain Meg Lanning’s 97 and unbeaten 135, has further enhanced Australia’s belief, spinner Jess Jonassen said.”It’s huge, particularly for our batting group,” she told reporters on Thursday. “It was a really pleasing thing for our batting group to be able to go out and put a marker out there, I guess, make a statement.”The India game got a bit closer than we would have liked…[but] coming into our last-round game and then the finals, hopefully, it gives them even more confidence in higher pressure games.”And Jonassen warned that despite Australia’s perfect record in the tournament – they’re the only undefeated nation – there was some improvement to come.”It’s something that we have identified throughout the whole tournament so far that we are building towards this business end of the tournament,” she said. “I see Ash Gardner made the comments the other day that we’re looking for the perfect game, but ultimately, we are just looking to improve every game in different areas.”And we still have a bit to improve on, particularly with the ball. Against South Africa, we weren’t able to take wickets upfront, but we were able to hold them.”So just needing to tighten up in a few areas, which I think is really exciting considering we have gone undefeated whilst still identifying areas that we can still improve on.”

“Even playing them in the nets, I can see an improvement. I think they’ll do the job”

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Jun-2022They may not be as good as Rangana Herath, but they’re better than what they showed against Bangladesh. This was what Sri Lanka Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne had to say about his young spinners, on the eve of the first Test against Australia.In their most recent Test series, against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka’s spinners claimed a paltry three wickets between them. This was across the 196 overs they had delivered in two Tests.Related

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Despite this, Karunaratne suggested Sri Lanka are likely to field three frontline spinners in their XI, in addition to having the offspin of batter Dhananjaya de Silva on hand, for the first Test. Galle’s pitch is expected to turn more than the tracks in Chattogram and Dhaka. And the likes of left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya, and offspinner Ramesh Mendis did find success on the surface last year, in the series against England and West Indies respectively.”Our spinners didn’t bowl that well in Bangladesh, but we looked ahead and looked at which series were coming up and prepared for them,” Karunaratne said. “Piyal Wijetunge, our spin-bowling coach, has been working hard with the spinners. Even playing them in the nets, I can see an improvement. I think they’ll do the job we’ll need them to do in the match.Sri Lanka’s success on Australia’s previous trip to the island had been driven by the prowess of Herath, who took 28 wickets at an average of 12.75 in a 3-0 whitewash. Australia had at times been woeful against spin in that series, but Karunaratne expects them to be much improved this time. Australia’s most recent taste of subcontinent conditions had been a three-match tour of Pakistan, which they won 1-0, albeit on flatter tracks than those expected in Galle.Sri Lanka’s young spinners will need to find ways to replicate Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera’s success in their absence•AFP/Getty Images

“Australia have improved a lot. They showed that in the series against Pakistan. In 2016 we had Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera. We had experienced spinners. We’ve now got three pretty new spinners in the team. But we know what this pitch will do and how we need to bowl on it. If we do those basics well, we’ll be able to win. There are things we learned in the last series, and a lot of the same players are playing this one as well. I think some of those plans will work out here.”What Rangana did in that series is keep bowling in good areas and make trouble for the batters. If our spinners do that, we’ll be able to ask a lot of questions.”The series won’t be all about spin, however. Reverse-swing frequently plays a role in Galle Tests, and Mitchell Starc had weaponised it to outstanding effect in 2016, when he claimed 11 for 94. With Pat Cummins who is also an excellent reverse-swing operator, Sri Lanka’s batters have a substantial challenge ahead of them, particularly as the Test wears on and the square gets drier.”With the breeze here, reverse is definitely going to be a factor. Mitchell Starc in the previous series took a lot of wickets. We prepared well in the nets. We know we have to play spin well, but then there’s Starc and Pat Cummins as well.”Starc has done really well in these conditions and he knows how to use the crease as well. We have a few plans against him. Most of our players have played against him, so they have the confidence and the experience to play him.”

Ben Stokes’ focus on “picking his moment” to make his own impact with the ball

Vithushan Ehantharajah14-Feb-2023Stuart Broad will return to the England team for Thursday’s first Test against New Zealand after missing the series against Pakistan.Broad, on his fifth tour of New Zealand, sat out the three-match series at the end of 2022 for the birth of his first child, Annabella. With Olly Stone and Matthew Potts also hovering around selection, three seamers were vying for the final bowling spot in the lead-up to the day-night opener on Thursday.Speaking in Mount Maunganui after England’s training session on Tuesday, Ben Stokes confirmed the 36-year-old seamer will pick up his 160th cap.While the nature of the pink ball lent itself to flirting with a horse-for-course approach, with Stone’s extra pace attractive given the lack of sideways movement expected, the captain has gone with what he sees as his best XI.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“The way in which we’ve gone about our selections and stuff like that, especially in England and in similarish conditions here, the team we pick – especially with the ball – has the bases all covered, especially in these type of conditions,” Stokes said.Broad will accompany fellow quicks James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, with Jack Leach offering the spin option. Outwardly, the bowling pack have been less than complimentary about the pink Kookaburra that will be used, which moves a little less and feels a little harder than the one they used in the 2021/22 Ashes series.

Stokes confirms bowling fitness

Short balls will have to be utilised during quieter moments, something which puts the onus on Stokes as the allrounder. The skipper did not take part in last week’s warm-up match in Hamilton, and did not bowl at training on Tuesday. However, he confirmed he will be able to play a full part in the match.”We’ve had really good preparation and build-up for this game and, even with the weather, we’ve still been able to train in the tent,” Stokes said. “Everything is good. Bowling-wise, it’s picking the right moment to bowl. I’ve had the last two days off bowling-wise, then will have a trundle tomorrow [Wednesday]. It’s just making sure I get in everything I need to before we start.”The bowling group have been great together. They have been discussing what they feel is working. People like Jimmy and Broady, who have played quite a few of these pink-ball matches, are still coming to terms with it. Some balls swing, some balls don’t, then they will try to bowl the same ball and it will react differently. They have bowled really well together and discussed how they feel is the best way to bowl with the pink ball. In terms of myself, it will be similar to Pakistan, picking the moment when it will be best to get my overs in.”Related

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This series marks the first time this new era team under Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum have come up against the same team. New Zealand got the first bitter taste of a “New England”, losing 3-0 at the start of the 2022 summer which sparked a run of nine wins out of 10.Though the team are further along in their development, Stokes called back to that series as one which showcased the team’s fighting spirit, beyond their destructive qualities.”That whole series, we were behind the game a lot but we managed to turn each game around completely on its head by the way we went out and did it. We know that we can be dominant but we also know that when we are behind in a game we can turn it around quickly.”New Zealand, meanwhile, were dealt a blow with the news that Kyle Jamieson has been ruled out for the foreseeable future with a suspected back stress-fracture, while Matt Henry will also miss the first Test at Bay Oval as he awaits the birth of his first child. The uncapped duo of Jacob Duffy and Scott Kuggeleijn have been called into the squad as replacements.England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Ben Foakes (wk), 8 Ollie Robinson, 9 Jack Leach, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James Anderson

With the SSC pitch not expected to be as spin-friendly as in the past, both teams could add an extra quick bowler in their XIs

Andrew Fidel Fernando01-Feb-2024

Big picture: A fresh chapter for Sri Lanka

The Afghanistan men’s team has played seven Tests in their history; for Sri Lanka, this is the first of eight (perhaps nine) scheduled for 2024. This is, on the surface, a mismatch.Rashid Khan is not with Afghanistan to provide his menacing legbreaks and general inspiration – he is still recovering from back surgery, and has not played competitive cricket since November. Their most experienced spinner in a nation where spin frequently decides matches is left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan, who has an average of 44.90 from his four Tests. And having arrived in Sri Lanka only on Tuesday night, they have given themselves less than three days to acclimatise. This, increasingly, is the amount of respect Tests are given in some parts of the world.Where Afghanistan will feel they can meet Sri Lanka on more equal terms, however, is with the bat. In the shorter formats, Ibrahim Zadran has had success against Sri Lanka, as has Rahmat Shah, while captain Hashmatullah Shahidi averages 53.57 in Test cricket. In the ODIs Afghanistan have played in Sri Lanka, it is their batting that has most impressed. They will take no little confidence in their recent dominance over Sri Lanka’s bowling in that format.Sri Lanka are at the beginning of a fresh chapter – Dhananjaya de Silva is getting his first Test at the helm. So far, he has not promised anything radical. A greater emphasis on fielding, perhaps, but no wholesale overhauling of strategy or personnel. He has been a dynamic presence in the Sri Lanka Test side, having lately grown into a decent lower-middle-order batter, who contributes substantially with ball and in the field as well. How he marshals an attack without any out-and-out matchwinners and how frequently he bowls himself will make for fascinating viewing.

Form guide

Sri Lanka LLWWL (last five Tests, most recent first)
Afghanistan LWLLWIf there are good batting days at SSC, expect Dimuth Karunaratne to cash in•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight: Dimuth Karunaratne and Ibrahim Zadran

Dimuth Karunaratne had asked to step down from the captaincy after the last World Test Championship cycle. The selectors had asked him to hang on for one more year, but have now finally let him go. Karunaratne is the only Sri Lanka player to have made the ICC’s Test teams of the year since 2017 – he has been there three times, including in 2023 – and, since the start of 2021, has averaged 56.18, outstanding for an opener. If there are good batting days at SSC, which is his home ground in domestic cricket, expect him to cash in.Ibrahim Zadran‘s ODI scores against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka are: 22, 54, 98, 162, 10, 106. It is around him that the top order has tended to rally on the island, and from him they have taken cues on how to play spin. He has not been quite so consistent in Tests, with three fifties in the ten innings he has played so far. But with the SSC surface expected to be decent for batting over the first three days (and particularly after the first morning), Ibrahim is best placed from his side to make a substantial score.

Team news

Sri Lanka have a settled batting order but may toy with the idea of playing a third seamer if they feel Afghanistan are susceptible to good seam bowling.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Nishan Madushka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Dinesh Chandimal, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), 7 Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), 8 Ramesh Mendis/Kasun Rajitha, 9 Prabath Jayasuriya, 10 Asitha Fernando, 11 Vishwa FernandoShahidi spoke on the eve of the match about testing Sri Lanka’s batters with pace, which could mean that Mohammad Saleem is in for a Test debut. Zahir will likely be among the frontline spinners, with left-arm fingerspinner Zia-ur-Rehman another possible option, especially as Zia can add value with the bat.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Ibrahim Zadran, 2 Abdul Malik, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 5 Nasir Jamal, 6 Bahir Shah, 7 Ikram Alikhil (wk), 8 Zia-ur-Rehman, 9 Yamin Ahmadzai, 10 Mohammad Saleem, 11 Zahir KhanMohammad Saleem could get a Test debut if Afghanistan feel Sri Lanka can be troubled by pace•AFP/Getty Images

Pitch and conditions

There was a tinge of green at the SSC on the eve of the game, which suggests there will be some seam movement on the first morning. Expect it to flatten out and get better for spin later, however. At first glance, this did not seem the spinner’s paradise the SSC has often been for Tests over the past six years. The weather has been relatively dry in Colombo over February. Only brief showers are forecast.

Stats and trivia

• Karunaratne has scored more runs and more hundreds as an opener than any other Sri Lanka batter. He has 6538 runs when opening the batting, with 16 hundreds. Sanath Jayasuriya is in second with 5932 runs.
• Afghanistan won three of their first six Tests. By comparison, Sri Lanka took 42 Tests to notch three wins.
• With this match, Sri Lanka become only the second team to have played all 11 men’s Test nations, Bangladesh having been the first.

South Africa have not played a single, full 20 over game in the tournament having been hounded by rain

Raunak Kapoor30-Jan-2025

Australia

The story so far: Australia topped their group with comfortable wins against Scotland and Nepal, and a tense two-wicket win against Bangladesh. An easy win against West Indies in the Super Six combined with other results meant they secured a semi-final spot ahead of their final Super Six clash against Sri Lanka, where they failed to chase 100, becoming the only semi-finalists to suffer a defeat in the Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup.What’s working: The bowling attack. Eleanor Larosa’s left-arm swing is a genuine threat with the new ball. Fifteen-year old WBBL sensation Caoimhe Bray, who idolises Ellyse Perry, is playing Perry’s role for this U-19 team: wicket-taking, decisive counter-attacking batting or making tough catches look easy. Legspinners Teegan Williamson and Hasrat Gill have 15 wickets between them at a combined average of 7.77. Lily Bassingthwaighte’s late entry into the playing XI has added more teeth to the attack, resulting in opposition scores of 48, 91 for 9, 56 for 8, 53 and 99 for 8.What’s not working: The batting. Openers Kate Pelle and Ines McKeon are both power-hitters, but have consistently misfired, leaving Australia with a big decision on whether to leave one of them out in the semi-final. Nepal captain Puja Mahato had them at 14 for 3 before Bray’s brilliant counter-attacking 45, also the highest score for an Australian batter in the tournament, helped them post their highest team total of 139 for 6. Accurate spin bowling has also been a challenge for the Australian batters at the top and in the middle order, a struggle that was apparent in their last game when they failed to chase 100. Captain Lucy Hamilton at No. 3 remains their most reliable bat. Her innings of 30 off 35 on a tough spinning surface in Bangi, Malaysia, against Bangladesh won her the Player of the Match in a chase of 92.What to look out for: They might be entering the semi-final off a loss, but Australia have been tested as a unit far more than their opposition, or for that matter, all the other semi-final sides. Their batters would welcome the change of venue to the Bayumeas Oval in Kuala Lumpur where run-scoring has been much easier than the more challenging UKM Oval, where Hamilton’s side have played all five of their matches in the tournament. If they can get a competitive total, even 100-110, they’ll back the form of their bowlers to defend it.South Africa go into semi-finals undefeated•ICC/Getty Images

South Africa

The story so far: Rain has followed Kayla Reyneke’s South African side throughout the tournament. But it has relented just enough to allow them one reduced game after another to secure the wins needed to top both their Group Stage and the Super Six Group, without having played a full 40 overs once. They won an 11-overs-a-side game against New Zealand, an eight-overs a side shootout against Nigeria and a 10-overs per side contest against Ireland. Their only full match happened to be against Samoa, where they blew their hapless opposition away for a record low of 16 and chased it in 10 balls. Their final Super Six match against USA was washed out.What’s working: While they’ve never had to bowl a full 20 overs, the bowling unit does seem well-equipped and well-rounded. Nthabiseng Nini might be among the quickest in the competition and has been effective moving the ball away from the right-handers, while Monalisa Legodi moves it the other way. Legspinner Seshine Naidu and captain Reyneke’s offspin have made light work of any opposition so far. All four playing in their second U-19 Women’s World Cup. Reyneke has led the side impressively and in spite of lengthy rain breaks and waiting on the sidelines, South Africa have looked sharp when on the field.What’s not working: They might have four wins on the board but South Africa’s batters have batted only 26.5 overs all tournament, less than half of England (55.2) and India (54.2), just over a third of the overs their more battle-hardened semi-final opponents Australia (76.5). It’s hard therefore to conclude what sort of form their batters are in but openers Jemma Botha and Simone Lourens, and keeper Karabo Meso have notched up quickfire 20s and 30s when needed. All three of them are also playing their second edition of the women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup.What to look out for: South Africa’s spinners will be key to testing Australia’s vulnerabilities. Reyneke leads their wicket-taking list with nine wickets at an average of 3.88 and economy of 4.03.

However, the rule will be in effect for the next three season in the IPL

PTI14-Oct-20243:35

Should the Impact Player rule stay or go?

The BCCI has decided to scrap the Impact Player rule for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy (SMAT). The rule was introduced in SMAT couple of years ago and was later extended to the Indian Premier League (IPL).”Kindly note that the BCCI has decided to do away with the provision of the ‘Impact Player’ for the ongoing season,” the BCCI informed the state associations on Monday.The BCCI’s decision to do away with the Impact Player comes shortly after they decided to retain it in the IPL for the next three seasons, up to 2027. Since its introduction in the 2023 season, the rule has stirred debate over whether it is indeed beneficial to Indian cricket, which was the original motive, or whether it could be hurting the development of allrounders. Several high-profile players such as Rohit Sharma had expressed concerns over the rule saying it could be detrimental to the development of allrounders.Related

• IPL mega auction: Six retentions, RTM back, Impact Player to stay

• Shah on Impact Player rule: 'Not permanent, but not saying that it will go'

“I generally feel that it is going to hold back (development of allrounders) because eventually cricket is played by 11 players, not 12 players. I’m not a big fan of impact player. You are taking out so much from the game just to make it little entertainment for the people around,” Rohit had said on the podcast.In May this year, the BCCI secretary Jay Shah had referred the rule as “a test case” in the IPL and that this “is not permanent [but] I am not saying that it will go.”Saurashtra head coach Niraj Odedra welcomed the BCCI’s decision. “It is nice change. Also the ICC doesn’t have this rule in major tournaments So it would be good for cricketers who want to play for India as they graduate from domestic season,” he said.