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Jonathan Trott has insisted England don’t hold any ‘grudges’ against Pakistan despite the home side’s impressive form being overshadowed by the spot-fixing allegations

Andrew McGlashan in Leeds11-Sep-2010Jonathan Trott has insisted England don’t hold any ‘grudges’ against Pakistan despite the home side’s impressive form being overshadowed by the spot-fixing allegations which have dominated the last two weeks and will linger until long after the tour has finished.Since the controversy erupted England have completed a 3-1 Test series victory, won the two Twenty20 internationals and taken a 1-0 lead in the one-day series, but still the talk is dominated by the fall-out after the investigation which led to Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir being questioned by police and suspended by the ICC.The three players arrived back in Pakistan last night – slipping quickly out of the back door of Lahore airport – but that doesn’t mean the issue has left the current series with Wahab Riaz, the left-arm quick, set to be interviewed next week by police in London and Kamran Akmal under the scanner for previous series.As England defended their total at Chester-le-Street, Trott was involved in an ugly exchange with Kamran which required intervention from umpire Billy Doctrove, but Trott said it had nothing to do with the off-field issues and that England never use the controversy as a subject for sledging.”It was just a few things that go on on the field. That’s it really,” he said. “I said a few words, and he was saying a few – and the umpires got in the middle of it, and made a mountain out of a molehill really.”Whatever is going on in the background is none of our business. We don’t talk about it really, on the field. We don’t have any grudges, or anything. We just play cricket. The last thing you want is to be dragged down on the field. It’s important we project a good image and play within the rules, hard but fair.””As far as the England team are concerned, we go about our job – in another four very important games,” he added. “I myself feel as though, whatever happened in the Test series, I’ve moved on and am looking forward to this one-day series.”Whatever has happened is a closed case for us. All our jobs are just to play against 11 guys on the field against us. I don’t think we can take off-the-field stuff on to it.”Shahid Afridi was in the dark over what words were exchanged, but said that he enjoyed playing an aggressive brand of cricket so long as certain lines weren’t crossed by the players. “I’m afraid I don’t know what went on. But I think it’s part of the game playing good, aggressive cricket. I always enjoy cricket like this, it’s good. But in a positive way, not using bad words.”Trott really doesn’t have to resort to verbals on the field because his run-scoring is speaking for itself at the moment, but he could be forgiven for feeling a little bitter as his prolific form remains something of an afterthought. He has had a memorable summer which, in normal circumstances, with an Ashes tour looming, would be the major topic of conversation.His outstanding 184 at Lord’s was completed just a few hours before the initial spot-fixing story erupted and was quickly consigned to footnotes rather than backpage leads and he continued his form with 69 in the opening ODI at Chester-le-Street. Trott began the season with
226 against Bangladesh at Lord’s then, having been recalled for the one-day series against the same team, hit 94 at Bristol and 110 at Edgbaston before his Man-of-the-Series display against Pakistan where he notched 404 runs in a bowler-dominated contest.His one-day chance has come largely through Kevin Pietersen’s absence both from the Bangladesh series and the current one against Pakistan. The No. 3 spot is Pietersen’s home in the one-day game, but Trott is making a strong case to fill that crucial berth. Pietersen’s one-day form had been poor long before he was dropped and although it’s impossible to believe England could have a successful World Cup without him, Trott’s success means he won’t just waltz straight back in without pressure.”There are quality players out of the side,” Trott said, who is also up against Warwickshire team-mate Ian Bell for a long-term place in the one-day unit. “I have the opportunity to bat at three at the moment, and it’s up to me to do the best I can. The last few knocks haven’t been the worst. I’m pretty happy personally with how things have gone in the last few games. But I’m always looking to improve on areas I can work on.”The guys know competition for places is really good, and in a good way. It’s not people looking over their shoulders, but they know to play for this England team you have to be at the top of your game.”

Australia’s top order was under pressure again but Marnus Labuschagne emerged from a lean run of scores

Tristan Lavalette07-Mar-20244:00

Malcolm: Hazlewood’s metronomic accuracy too much for NZ

Mitchell Starc overtook Dennis Lillee’s famous landmark with his 356th Test wicket and Josh Hazlewood produced a standout performance before Matt Henry led a New Zealand fightback late on the opening day of the second Test at Hagley Oval.After New Zealand were dismissed for their lowest total in Christchurch, Henry claimed the wickets of Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green and Travis Head as Australia reached stumps at 124 for 4 and trail by 38 runs.Related

• Henry on NZ's batting – 'It's not a concern'

• Hazlewood's mastery floors NZ at Hadlee's hometown

• Williamson on 100th Test: 'Still learning the art of batting'

• Southee admits 'no hiding' from lack of wickets as form overshadows 100th Test

• Boland could get Shield release as big three make it seven from seven

Marnus Labuschagne, in his 50th Test, shrugged off a form slump to hold firm with 45 not out to ensure Australia had the upper hand as they seek to clinch the series 2-0 following their decisive victory in Wellington. Nathan Lyon survived the last passage of play as the nightwatcher.But the late efforts of Henry kept New Zealand afloat. Having watched Hazlewood star with immaculate line and length bowling in his five-wicket haul, Henry responded with menacing swing and well-executed plans highlighted by a spectacular delivery to get through the defences of first Test centurion Green.Debutant Ben Sears provided New Zealand with the initial spark when he dismissed Steven Smith lbw on his third delivery in Test cricket after coming into the attack in the ninth over as the first change bowler.In a complete misjudgement, Smith was struck on the pads after shouldering arms with his disappointment obvious when he reviewed unsuccessfully with the decision upheld in an umpire’s call.Despite losing Head to a rash stroke just before stumps, Australia still finished the day’s play in control after Hazlewood and Starc combined for eight wickets as New Zealand capitulated for their third straight innings under 200 runs.Thumbs up, indeed, for Josh Hazlewood on the first day in Christchurch•Getty Images

Pat Cummins’ decision to bowl first was rewarded on a green-tinged surface that conjured seam movement although conditions did not appear as treacherous as in Wellington.Six bowlers were used as New Zealand were bowled out for 162 by tea. It was a disastrous batting performance from New Zealand, who at one point lost 8 for 60 in a horrid start to a momentous match amid the 100-Test milestones of Kane Williamson and Tim Southee.New Zealand let slip a solid start after Tom Latham and Will Young thwarted the new ball in a 47-run opening partnershipLatham had scored only 202 runs at 16.83 in his last 12 Test innings, but he looked assured from the get go and played fluently in contrast to Young, who endured a torrid time against Hazlewood and Cummins.Cummins – in the 12th over – reverted to Lyon, fresh off his 10-wicket haul on the spin-friendly Basin Reserve surface. But spin has traditionally not been conducive at Hagley Oval with Lyon’s entry into the attack being the earliest by a spinner ever at the ground.Latham made a statement by sweeping the first ball to the boundary and there was little spin on offer for Lyon, who bowled only two overs in the innings.Australia faced a wicketless first session until Starc returned and in the 19th over ended Young’s scratchy innings after Mitchell Marsh completed a tough low catch at third slip to trigger New Zealand’s collapse.It was the 29th time Australia had chosen to bowl first in Tests since 1998, but only twice had they taken longer to take a wicket.Australia quickly gained the upper hand by lunch when Hazlewood dismissed Latham and Rachin Ravindra who edged to slip after attempting a loose drive. Ravindra threw his head back and trudged off in despair as New Zealand nosedived further after the interval.The build up to Matt Henry getting Cameron Green was as fascinating as the wicket itself•AFP/Getty Images

Given New Zealand’s familair predicament, Daryl Mitchell was again unable to play aggressively before being undone by another gem of a delivery from Hazlewood to be caught behind.Having entered to a standing ovation, Williamson had been determined to make amends for a horror first Test, where he had a rare double-failure. He pounced on rare loose deliveries from Cummins before being trapped lbw on 17 by a Hazlewood ball that angled back as Williamson forlornly reviewed.In comparison to Hazlewood, Starc struggled with his consistency and proved expensive until he had Glenn Phillips caught behind down the leg side in a dismissal that moved him past Lillee’s tally and into fourth on Australia’s all-time wicket-taking list.Starc was on a roll when he had Scott Kuggeleijn lbw first ball after delivering a piercing trademark yorker that struck him on the foot as New Zealand’s long-time woes against Australia continued.New Zealand, having only beaten Australia twice from 36 Test matches since 1993, stuck with a seam-heavy attack with Sears replacing injured quick Will O’Rourke, while left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner was overlooked again.Australia fielded an unchanged side for the fourth Test in a row and the same bowling quartet for the seventh consecutive match.Retiring umpire Marais Erasmus received a guard of honour from the players before play.

An NZC review recommended the coaching and support staff reapply for their positions but Tiffen has decided to stand aside

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Mar-2019Haidee Tiffen has decided not to reapply for the head coach role of the New Zealand women’s team after opting to stand down from the recent tour of Australia following an NZC review into the team’s performance.Tiffen had said she was not in the right frame of mind to coach the team in the one-day series in Australia, after the review concluded that the support staff should reapply for their positions.She was, however, encouraged to seek a renewal of her contract by NZC, but she has decided it’s time to move on and may explore opportunities in other sports.”I believe in collaboration, hard work, respect, and team first, and I have enjoyed developing a learning environment where players are supported and encouraged to take responsibility to be better every day,” Tiffen said.David White, the NZC chief executive, said: “Haidee’s made a decision and we understand and respect that. She is a talented and committed coach who leaves NZC with her head held high, and knowing she has a healthy future in the game.”Women’s international cricket has been making some rapid gains of late and Haidee has worked tirelessly in what has been an increasingly competitive high-performance environment. We wish her well and thank her for the integrity and passion she has brought to the role.”The review into team performance was instigated after New Zealand failed to get out of the group stage of last year’s World T20. They then lost the one-day series against India at home but won the T20I series that followed before getting whitewashed 3-0 by Australia in the Rose Bowl series.The new coach will have the challenge of preparing the team for 2020 T20 World Cup, which will be staged in Australia next February and March.

Treating these Tests almost as tour games for the series in South Africa, India were in no danger of the apparent disrespect to Sri Lanka, biting them on the backside instead

The Report by Sidharth Monga24-Nov-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
3:56

Chopra: Sri Lanka batsmen lacked in skill sets and temperament

Treating these Tests almost as tour games for the series in South Africa, India were in no danger of the apparent disrespect to Sri Lanka, biting them on the backside instead. For the sixth straight Test between these two sides, Sri Lanka failed to reach 300, getting bowled out for 205 after winning the toss on a pretty good batting surface. Ishant Sharma, replacing the injured Mohammed Shami, presented his claim to the first XI in South Africa with disciplined bowling and three wickets while R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja reclaimed their turf with seven wickets after both went wicketless in Kolkata.At the toss, India made it clear that they were thinking as much about South Africa as they were about Sri Lanka. The pitch, as expected, had grass on it in an attempt to prepare the hosts for their next tour. Rohit Sharma replaced a bowler in the XI just because they want him to have some game time before South Africa, where he might well be needed as the sixth batsman.The biggest gain keeping South Africa in mind, though, might have come in the field. Since he dropped Alastair Cook in Kolkata in 2012-13 – Cook went on to score 190 from 17 when he was let off – Cheteshwar Pujara has only rarely stood at slip for India. That alone will not be the reason for his banishment from the slips, but Pujara has continued to field at slip for Saurashtra. Now fielding at first slip in Shikhar Dhawan’s absence, Pujara pulled off an excellent low catch to his left, almost diving forward, to send back opener Sadeera Samarawickrama to make it 20 for 1 in the fifth over.This was a significant catch for two reasons. India usually have about a 50% success rate at slips for quick bowlers, and given this was a tough catch, it was an odds-on favourite to go down. And slip catches for quicks will be crucial in a month’s time in South Africa. Given he stays fit enough, Pujara could be an option India need to seriously think about.In the context of this Test, too, it was an important catch. In attempting to create the hard bouncy surface, Nagpur had rolled out a pretty friendly surface to begin with. There wasn’t disconcerting sideways movement in it, and it began to assist spin only later in the day. Sri Lanka had won the toss, and they had got off to a comfortable start. Samarawickrama, though, played an ill-advised drive on the up to give Ishant an early wicket.That wicket taken, India turned the screws with tight lines and lengths. Circumspect batsmen played into their hands. Hardly any runs came in the first session, even singles involved risking a run-out, and eventually led to a big risk seven minutes before lunch to give an India spinner a wicket for the first time in this series. R Ashwin was the man who struck in the 25th over when Lahiru Thirimanne played a big sweep after scoring just nine runs off 57 balls in the best batting conditions of the match.BCCI

Like buses, one nearly brought two as Ravindra Jadeja had Dimuth Karunanaratne stumped in his first over, but it turned out he had overstepped. That capped off a session sprinkled with good fortune for Karunaratane. He was on 14 when a 26-ball spell of no runs produced a risky single where he just about beat Pujara’s direct hit. Pressure not yet released, Karunaratne looked to go over mid-on a couple of overs later, but this time the overhead chance burst through Pujara’s hands.Kanrunaratne’s fortune continued post lunch as he survived an extremely tight lbw call through umpire’s call. His former skipper Angelo Mathews wasn’t as fortunate. Having shown some intent against Ashwin, Mathews missed a straight ball from Jadeja because his bat clipped the pad on its downswing and got displaced from the line of the ball. This one too returned an umpire’s call but had been given on the field.Karunaratne and current captain Dinesh Chandimal then put together the most assured-looking batting spell of the day in a 62-run partnership. Chandimal had to take a couple of risks in the beginning – including a thick-edged six off Ashwin – but he settled in nicely. The tandem act of spinners was broken, and Umesh Yadav brought easier runs. Ashwin now began to bowl a defensive line to Chandimal, on off and middle, which was half a victory.Just then, though, Karunaratne ran out of luck, and copped what in traditional sense was a rough lbw. From over the wicket, Ishant pitched short of a length and hit him in front. Barring appreciable seam movement, this ball had to either pitch outside leg or miss the stumps if it pitched within. The review, though, showed that the ball pitched within and shaped back in late and just enough to be clipping the off stump. This umpire’s call finally went against Karunaratne.Chandimal and Niroshan Dickwella then saw Sri Lanka through to tea with a purposeful 29-run stand but they had almost exhausted themselves in trying to maintain parity, that too just about. They might have held off wave after wave of India’s charge in the first two sessions but the dam broke in the hour after tea. The batsmen’s patience ran out and loose shots creeped in.Dickwella charged down recklessly to Jadeja, was beaten in the flight, and then saw the ball didn’t turn as expected to make it the worst possible outcome for him. Dasun Shanaka played for a big Ashwin offbreak, against the round-the-wicket angle and on the first day, which was recipe for the off stump to be flattened. Dilruwan Perera then fell to a non-turner from Jadeja; it had seemed only a matter of time.With the last three for company, Chandimal decided it was time for him to dominate the scoring. With India not providing him any free runs, Chandimal went for a big reverse slog, and was trapped lbw by Ashwin. Suranga Lakmal then swung around for a chancy 17 before Ishant came back to nick him off. Ashwin immediately wrapped things up with Rangana Herath’s wicket.There was some consolation for Sri Lanka in the wicket of KL Rahul, but they were now looking at the reunion of the old firm of M Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara, who have ground into dust the best of the lot at home.

Lewis Gregory and Craig Overton shared nine wickets between them to secure MCC a sizeable first-innings lead on the second day of their Champion County fixture against Middlesex in Abu Dhabi.
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ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-2017
ScorecardLewis Gregory claimed five wickets in a hostile display•Getty Images

Lewis Gregory and Craig Overton reprised the form that helped to carry Somerset to the brink of their maiden Championship title last summer, as they shared nine wickets between them to secure MCC a sizeable first-innings lead on the second day of their Champion County fixture against Middlesex in Abu Dhabi.By the close of play, however, Middlesex had themselves fought back with the ball, reducing MCC to 145 for 7 – an overall lead of 298 – with Harry Podmore leading the line with three wickets.Middlesex had resumed their first innings on 9 for 1 in reply to MCC’s 332 all out, but struggled to make headway against a Somerset-dominated attack, for whom the spinner Jack Leach made the first breakthrough, when Tom Helm was bowled for 15.It was Gregory, however, who did the bulk of the early damage to Middlesex’s prospects, adding three quick wickets to his overnight scalp of Sam Robson to reduce the champions to 68 for 5.Middlesex’s fortunes were boosted by Dawid Malan, who top-scored with 56, and John Simpson, who made 49 in a sixth-wicket stand of 98. But Malan was trapped lbw by Overton, who then had James Franklin caught behind two balls later for a duck.Simpson fell in a similar fashion ten runs later, as Gregory completed his five-wicket haul, and the tail came meekly, with Overton accounting for Podmore and Ravi Patel in consecutive deliveries.With a significant lead of 153 in the bank, MCC were able to take the early losses of Alex Lees and Tom Alsop in their stride, as Podmore trapped both men lbw in the same over, but when Ben Duckett and Joe Clarke were removed in quick succession by James Harris, the score was a dicey 49 for 4.Podmore added his third when Ben Cox fell for 13, but Adam Lyth’s 42 carried the lead past 250, before Gregory and Overton reprised their bowling partnership with some enterprising hitting to ensure MCC finished the day back in command.

Runs from Tamim Iqbal, Mominul Haque and Liton Das in the two-day tour game will give Bangladesh some measure of confident before the first Test in Galle

Andrew Fidel Fernando02-Mar-2017
ScorecardFile Photo – Tamim Iqbal struck seven sixes and nine fours in his 136-run knock•Getty Images

Bangladesh batsmen made a roaring start to their tour of Sri Lanka, as Tamim Iqbal reeled off a rapid hundred, with Mominul Haque and Liton Das also contributing with unbeaten half-centuries.The Sri Lanka Board President’s XI does not feature a particularly strong attack, given that the country’s second-string bowlers are currently engaged in the Sri Lanka A team. However, a score of 391 for 7 will, nonetheless, have the visiting batsmen approach the Galle Test with a measure of confidence.Tamim’s 136 off 182 balls (retired out) came after a few modest performances on tours of New Zealand and India, during which he scored only one half-century in six Test innings. Perhaps, it is because of this brief stretch of indifferent form that he was not retired out earlier. In any case, Tamim struck seven sixes and nine fours in his innings, and forged a 143-run second-wicket stand with Mominul, following it up by a 75-run partnership for the third wicket with Mushfiqur Rahim.Mominul’s 73 (retired out) also came at a brisk pace – off 103 balls – and featured 10 fours. Towards the end of the day, Liton struck an unbeaten 64-ball 57 in what was an important knock for the wicketkeeper-batsman, as he would be taking the gloves from Mushfiqur and, as such, will feature in the XI for the first Test.Meanwhile, Mahmudullah, who finds himself in competition with Sabbir Rahman for a lower-order position, may not have done enough with his 73-ball 43 to definitively win over the selectors’ favour.Chamika Karunaratne, the 20-year-old Tamil Union seam bowler, returned the best figures for the hosts, taking 3 for 61. If the Board President’s XI bat tomorrow, Dinesh Chandimal’s innings will be of particular interest in light of him having failed to cross fifty on the recent tour of South Africa.

ESPNcricinfo previews the second Test of the Investec Ashes at Lord’s

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale15-Jul-2015

Match facts

July 16-20, 2015
Start time 11am local (1000GMT)3:06

Ponting: Muted Australia need to be more flamboyant

Big Picture

Australia must wish the first Test had been played in New South Wales instead of old south Wales. Already Cardiff held few fond memories for Australia cricketers, from their one-day loss to Bangladesh there in 2005 to their 2009 failure to finish the job against England in an Ashes Test. After their defeat in the first Investec Ashes Test this year, their win-loss record in Cardiff across all formats reads much like the name of a Welsh village: LWLDLLL.No wonder they didn’t feel like sharing a beer with Alastair Cook and his men after the game. Of course, the post-match snub was merely froth and bubble (or not, apparently) compared with what happened on the field. There, Cook earned praise for his captaincy and was backed by a strong all-round effort from his players. They were calm, confident and patient. And, despite doubts over Moeen Ali’s fitness, they enter the second Test at Lord’s with a largely settled side.The same cannot be said of the Australians. Significant changes are expected, including the withdrawal of Brad Haddin for personal reasons. That will mean a Test debut for Peter Nevill, albeit not in the kind of circumstances anyone would wish for. There is also a likelihood that Shane Watson will be axed for Mitchell Marsh, a move that has been described as potentially career-ending for Watson. However, given Marsh’s history of injuries, it is not out of the question that Watson could find himself back in the side later in the series.England have fitness concerns over Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid•PA Photos

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WLWLW
Australia LWWDD

In the spotlight

Things went pretty well for England on the third day in Cardiff, and not only because they skittled Australia’s lower-order and set up the victory. It was also the day on which Ian Bell emerged from a batting slump. England will hope he gained some confidence from the 60 – his first half-century in ten Test innings – and Australia know how dangerous it can be to allow him to find form. Last time the teams met at Lord’s, Bell scored 109 and 74.Peter Nevill will become the 443rd man to represent Australia in Tests and will be keen to show the selectors he can handle the step up. A fine domestic batsman who scored 764 runs at 76.40 in the most recent Sheffield Shield summer, Nevill has overtaken Matthew Wade as Haddin’s backup and, at 29, he could have many years of Test cricket ahead of him if he eventually becomes the full-time successor.

Team news

England named an unchanged 13-man squad for the Lord’s Test and hope to keep the same XI from Cardiff but Moeen Ali is carrying a side strain that has limited his ability to practise. Adil Rashid has suffered a minor injury to his spinning finger, too, so England look set to bank on Moeen.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Adam Lyth, 3 Gary Ballance, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Joe Root, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Moeen Ali/Adil Rashid, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Mark Wood, 11 James AndersonMarsh and Nevill appear set to replace Watson and Haddin, but a third change looks unlikely. Mitchell Starc battled an ankle injury during the Cardiff Test but has bowled well in the nets in the lead-up to the Lord’s Test and should retain his spot ahead of Peter Siddle.Australia (probable) 1 David Warner, 2 Chris Rogers, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Adam Voges, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Peter Nevill (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Josh Hazlewood

Pitch and conditions

The Lord’s pitch should have more pace and carry than what was offered at Cardiff, where even on day one some deliveries were staying low. Rain has hampered preparations slightly but the forecast for the match is for fine weather and temperatures in the low 20C range.

Stats and trivia

• Nevill will become the first Australian to debut in a Lord’s Ashes Test since 1977, when Richie Robinson, Craig Serjeant and Len Pascoe all debuted together
• Mitchell Johnson needs 16 runs and seven wickets to join Shane Warne as the only Australians with the double of 2000 Test runs and 300 Test wickets
• The last Lord’s Ashes Test was just two years ago but only three Australians and five England players from that game appear likely to take part this time

Quotes

“When we win, the captain gets the plaudits; when we lose, the captain picks up the negative bits as well. That is part and parcel of the job.”
Alastair Cook is not getting complacent after a week of good reviews“Generally here at Lord’s the first session of the first day is a bit tough, it seams around a bit, but once you get in as a batter it can be beautiful to bat on.”

Bangladesh bowling coach Heath Streak said it was unlikely that his team would opt for three seamers for the first Test against India

Mohammad Isam in Fatullah07-Jun-2015The return of Rubel Hossain from injury, and the consistency of Mohammad Shahid have been welcomed by Bangladesh’s bowling coach Heath Streak ahead of the upcoming Test against India in Fatullah. However, Streak said it was unlikely that Bangladesh would opt for three seamers at a venue where pace-bowling has largely been ineffective.”We are unlikely to go with a three-seam attack in this wicket,” Streak told ESPNcricinfo. “We are probably looking at two but it is up to the coach and selectors, once they have a better look at the wicket as we get closer to the game.”Obviously it is nice to have Rubel back in the equation. Normally wickets here are quite tough for the fast bowlers so it requires a lot of patience. I thought Shahid bowled really well in the Pakistan series and showed what he can do. Rubel has been in good form prior to his injury.”Shahid for us is that dependability. He is the guy you rely on to bowl lots of overs like we saw in the Pakistan Test. He comes in, the captain sets a field and he bowls well to it. He asks the questions. He is not an easy guy for batsmen to get on top of. Hopefully he can be that anchor role for us, with the volume of overs with one or two of the spinners and let the other seamer have an attacking option.”Currently, Rubel has a Test bowling average of 75.90 – the worst among bowlers who have bowled a minimum of 3000 deliveries – and takes a wicket roughly every 116 balls. But his form in ODIs, since his four-wicket haul against England in the World Cup, has helped him keep his place in the Test side.Shahid showed that he can be relied on to take the workload in Tests. He bowled 60 overs in his first two Tests, which included 41 in the second Test in Dhaka after Shahadat Hossain got injured in the first over of the match.While Rubel has never played a first-class match in Fatullah, Shahid has taken six wickets in two matches. Bangladesh’s other seam option, Abul Hasan, has played one match at this venue taking three wickets.Whether Bangladesh’s pace bowling is in the shape of a Shahid-Rubel alliance or a single-man unit, they would have to defy conditions, history and current form to be effective against India.

Rangana Herath’s 4 for 37 and an unbeaten 82 for Lahiru Thirimanne took Sri Lanka to a 28-run Duckworth-Lewis victory

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-May-2013
ScorecardLahiru Thirimanne’s unbeaten innings guided Sri Lanka in their chase•Getty Images

Rangana Herath’s 4 for 37 and an unbeaten 82 for Lahiru Thirimanne took Sri Lanka to a 28-run Duckworth-Lewis victory in the opening match of the tri-series in Kandy. The tournament is primarily aimed at preparing the Sri Lanka side for the Champions Trophy in June but only six of the players picked to travel to England can participate, as the remainder are playing in the IPL. Sri Lanka, captained by Dinesh Chandimal, were well ahead of the D/L par score, at 195 for 3 from 35.1 overs, when bad light stopped play.Sri Lanka Combined began strongly, having been sent into bat, as Mahela Udawatte and captain Dimuth Karunaratne combined for a 111-run opening stand, which came at 5.5 an over. Udawatte made 63 from 76, while Karunaratne hit 49, but both men were undone by Herath, who trapped them lbw in his first spell. Herath also quickly dismissed wicketkeeper-batsman Kaushal Silva, who had been in supreme form during the first-class competition that finished in April.A 91-ball 79 for Jehan Mubarak helped restore calm to SL Combined’s innings, as he built a partnership with Sachithra Serasinghe, before stepping up the tempo alongside Chaturanga de Silva. At Mubarak’s demise in the 49th over, SL Combined were on 260, and a burst from de Silva before his dismissal for 42 from 31, helped elevate the score to 277. Nuwan Kulasekara took two wickets for Sri Lanka but went at more than six an over, and Chanaka Welegedara took the other scalp.Sri Lanka began poorly in response, losing both openers inside the first five overs, but Chandimal joined Thirimanne at the crease to contribute 52 from 63 to a 124-run stand. Notable in Chandimal’s innings was that he only made 12 runs in boundaries, which may be evidence of technical improvements, owing to the work he had foregone the IPL to do. He has in the past relied on boundaries for a large percentage of runs – often to his detriment in limited-overs cricket.At his fall in the 26th over, Sri Lanka were at 135, and would not lose another wicket. Thilina Kandamby was unbeaten on a run-a-ball 34 alongside Thirimanne, who had hit seven fours and a six in his innings. The teams play again on Monday, at 9.45am, before Sri Lanka play Sri Lanka A on Tuesday and Thursday.

John Wright, the New Zealand coach, has slammed his side’s batting performance at the Gabba, but said there would not be any changes to the top order for the second Test in Hobart

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2011John Wright, the New Zealand coach, has slammed his side’s batting performance at the Gabba, but said there would not be any changes to the top order for the second Test in Hobart. None of New Zealand’s top five managed a half-century in the Brisbane defeat, and in both innings the first five wickets had fallen with less than 100 on the board.It was only through some later fight from Dean Brownlie and Daniel Vettori that a respectable total was posted in the first innings, while the second effort of 150 was especially disappointing. The backup batsman in the squad is BJ Watling but he is unlikely to come in to the mix for the Bellerive Test, which starts on Friday.”The batting line-up that we chose in the last Test deserves that opportunity [to redeem themselves] but we’re all on notice,” Wright said at the Allan Border Field. New Zealand trained at the venue on what should have been the fifth day of the Test on Monday, following their nine-wicket loss to Michael Clarke’s Australians.It was not only the lack of runs that was disappointing for New Zealand but also the way key batsmen departed. Jesse Ryder’s dismissal in the second innings, when he lifted Nathan Lyon limply to mid-off, was woeful, and he was one of several culprits who succumbed to poor judgment in the first innings as well.”What I’m looking for is substance in out batters, the ability to bat for a long time and sell your wicket dearly. All these players are talented, they can play shots, but we need to value spending time at the wicket,” Wright said. “One of the main problems in the last match was that we didn’t look like we knew where the off-stump was.”The young debutant [James Pattinson] bowled well – he had five wickets by the third or fourth over [he bowled on the last day], so it happened rather quickly – but he’s the same bowler we played in the lead-up match and played [him] quite well, so it can be fixed. That’s what we’re trying to do in the next three days.”There are signs that if we can put runs on the board and catch accurately we can put Australia under a lot of pressure.”It is a worrying theme for Wright, who took over as coach at the end of last year. In his first Test in charge, New Zealand collapsed for 110 against Pakistan and last month they were 36 for 3 against Zimbabwe. There might not be any changes for the next match, but Wright and his fellow selector Kim Littlejohn cannot tolerate such poor starts for long.”This is only my fourth Test with the group,” Wright said. “We haven’t played a lot of Test cricket. You need to look at the way we play Test cricket and the kind of player we need particularly in the batting department, and the approach you need to take to Test cricket to be successful.”It is the third top-order collapse in the four matches we’ve played, and to be honest Zimbabwe were a far weaker opposition. In the two Tests against Pakistan and here in Australia our top order haven’t delivered. We need to sort that out with players of substance, players who have the technique and the determination. In Test cricket unless you can bat four sessions consistently, every time you go to the wicket you’re going to be punished.”It was that inability to stay with the Australians that cost New Zealand in Brisbane, where they spent the first two days on a reasonably level footing. Wright said the bowlers had played their part, but had been let down by poor catching and a lack of runs to work with.”We need to go to Bellerive, we need to bat and catch, we need to see vast improvement in those areas particularly,” he said. “I think we have the bowling attack, if we catch accurately, to put Australia under pressure provided we have enough runs.”