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The most striking aspect of the Investec summer launch came in the contrast between Ian Bell’s understandably guarded responses, and the utter relaxation of Grant Elliot, nevertheless taken aback by the headlines around English cricket in the past 48 hour

Andrew Miller14-May-20151:23

KP can feel aggrieved – Bell

As the man who struck the six that sealed New Zealand’s epic World Cup semi-final win over South Africa in March, Grant Elliott is no stranger to stressful situations. But even he was taken aback by the blizzard of headlines that have enveloped English cricket in the past 48 hours.”You guys are pretty intense over here,” he said at the launch of the Investec Test summer. “I asked Belly, ‘is it always like this?’ He said, ‘yeah, pretty much’.” Ian Bell, separated from Elliot by compere Nasser Hussain, was visibly braced for impact.The most striking aspect of the morning came in the contrast between Bell’s understandably guarded responses, and the utter relaxation of a New Zealand cricketer who, though he will not be featuring on this tour until the ODIs in June, is self-evidently qualified to speak for the mindset of his Test-playing team-mates. The afterglow of New Zealand’s extraordinary and captivating World Cup has yet to wear off and Elliott spoke with an openness and enthusiasm that must surely be the envy of any England player who longs for a chance to be truly judged on the field.”The cohesion and team environment we had could be seen through the television screen,” Elliot said. “But possibly the best accolade was having mums and dads come up to us, saying my son or daughter wants to play cricket next summer. It was great.”Respect for your team-mates would have played its part too, which is presumably the underlying, and still unspoken reason, for Kevin Pietersen’s blackballing from the England set-up. And yet Bell, who is part of the same management company, could shed no light on the dressing-room politics.”I played ten years with Kevin, we both went through highs and lows, we won a lot of cricket together,” Bell said. “I enjoyed my time with him but it’s very difficult to say anything. Kevin is a quality player, probably the best player I’ve ever played with so he does make any team stronger. But I haven’t sat in on any of these meetings, I don’t know what’s been said between Colin Graves and Kevin, and Tom Harrison and Kevin, and Andrew Strauss and Kevin.”It’s no good us as players talking about that and there have been no conversations in the dressing room about any of this stuff.”There’s no use blaming the players for the situation that their management has created for them, but whatever way you try to spin it, it’s not a good look for a sport that has rarely felt more distant from its public. As Elliott summed up, not without a degree of relish: “It’s complicated, isn’t it?”New Zealand shrugged off their internal politics long ago and throughout the World Cup, the connection between the New Zealand team and their fans was real and heartfelt, and stories abound to illustrate the warmth and the depth of that feeling – a primary school teacher in the Bay of Plenty won a bet (50 press-ups) with an incredulous Year Five student that, yes, she was in fact Trent Boult’s girlfriend, and, yes, if the class behaved for the rest of the term she would ask him to visit.There’s a significant difference in scale between England and New Zealand, of course – Elliott himself likened his home town, Wellington, to a “fishing village” – but the ECB can but dream of creating such a seamless connection between its team and its public.5:37

Elliott backs New Zealand IPL stars to fire in Tests

To that end, Matt Dwyer, formerly of Cricket Australia, has been appointed the ECB’s new director of participation and growth. It is a vital role, in spite of the lumpiness of the title, but nothing compared to the impact that a liberated, exciting, free-spirited national team could create.More’s the pity that, ten years ago, that’s exactly what England had. Though only a rookie at the time, Bell was a member of the 2005 Ashes team that won over the country with every bit as much élan as Brendon McCullum’s New Zealand have shown throughout their recent triumphs.”I remember Michael Vaughan saying he’d rather lose to Australia by taking them on than sit there and lose by playing passive cricket,” Bell said. “I see this summer as similar, we are going to have to be brave, take the odd gamble here and there, and if we play good cricket, we can start changing people’s opinions on the team and start getting people talking about cricket again, which is what we all play for.”But we’re certainly not in the place ideally that we’d like right now.”Indeed. If England are embarking on a long-term project – and Andrew Strauss appeared to imply that a five-year rebuilding mission is on the cards – then the first Test at Lord’s, now only seven days’ away, is probably too soon to hope that England can exorcise the negativity and find a new thrilling brand of KP-free aggression. But they ought to expect some handy pointers on the merits, and otherwise, of all-out attack, as Elliott fully expects Brendon McCullum to stick to the gameplan that has served him well in all formats and all conditions.”He’s a bit of a maverick, he’s risky, but it’s great to be a part of that and you have to buy into it,” he said. “I know that the bowlers turn around and think ‘where the hell are my fielders?’, and they’ll all be in the slips. But you can’t help but be endeared to him and want to play for him. He’s been an integral part of New Zealand’s success.”So too has the underlying recognition that cricket is only a game – as Elliott himself personified after booking New Zealand’s place in the World Cup final. Again, with echoes England’s endeavours in 2005, Elliott’s first instinct was to offer a hand to his beaten opponent. “I’ve got a perspective on the game now,” Elliott said. “That game could have gone any way, my middle pole could still be tumbling out of Eden Park. It’s a game of sport, and it’s about having that respect for your opponents.”

SL’s batting line-up could be bolstered after new squad members were added

Hemant Brar25-Feb-20220:53

Jaffer: We might see Samson or Hooda at No. 3

Big picture

With both India and Sri Lanka missing many of their first-choice players, it was going to be a battle of bench strengths. Few countries enjoy the depth India have and that was evident during the first T20I in Lucknow. The 62-run win margin, huge in itself, looks even more crushing when you glance at India’s bowling card. Their four frontline bowlers – Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshal Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal – didn’t complete their quotas as India tried Venkatesh Iyer and Deepak Hooda for three overs each.After their early exit at the last T20 World Cup, India have taken a few steps in the right direction, especially with their top three batters showing more intent. With Venkatesh stepping up with both bat and ball and Ravindra Jadeja making a comeback, they seem to have a sixth bowling option covered as well.However, their fielding, especially catching, is one area that still needs work. The three catches dropped on Thursday could have proved costly on another day. If their goal is to be the best fielding side at the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia, as Rohit Sharma said after the match, they will look to improve on those metrics.After their first T20I loss, Sri Lanka were dealt another blow on Friday: Mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana and batter Kusal Mendis have been ruled out of the T20I series with their hamstring injuries.In the absence of Theekshana (and Wanindu Hasaranga), it will once again be down to Jeffrey Vandersay and Praveen Jayawickrama to shoulder the responsibility in the spin department. The pace attack looks relatively experienced and settled but for Sri Lanka to beat India at home, not only their bowlers but also their batters need to come good. Sri Lanka know that, and therefore have added Niroshan Dickwella and Dhananjaya de Silva to the T20I squad with the two injuries.

Form guide

India WWWWW (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Sri Lanka LWLLLRelated

• Rohit admits managing workload will be key

• Kishan, Shreyas fifties muscle India to win

• Theekshana, Mendis ruled out of T20s

In the spotlight

In the last few years, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has struggled with his form and fitness, but every now and then he shows what peak Bhuvneshwar brings to the table, with his ability to swing the new ball and deliver yorkers and slower ones at the death. Last year, when England posted 188 for 8 in their unsuccessful chase of 225, Bhuvneshwar had figures of 4-0-15-2. Last week, his four-run 19th over against West Indies all but sealed the game for India. On Thursday, he dented Sri Lanka’s chase with 2 for 9 from two overs. India would like to see more of that from him before the World Cup comes around.Bhuvnewshwar Kumar rocked Sri Lanka with two early blows•BCCI

Charith Asalanka was among the top five run scorers at the 2021 T20 World Cup. He had a difficult time in Australia earlier this month, where he managed just 64 runs in five innings (average 12.80, strike rate 114.28), but showed encouraging signs during his unbeaten 53 off 47 balls on Thursday. In fact, he was the only Sri Lanka batter to show any fight.

Team news

Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of the first T20I after he complained of pain in his right wrist, which is affecting his batting. If he remains unavailable, India could go in with an unchanged XI.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Sanju Samson, 5 Deepak Hooda, 6 Venkatesh Iyer, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harshal Patel, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalTo infuse some experience into the batting line-up, Sri Lanka could replace Kamil Mishara with Danushka Gunathilaka, while Dinesh Chandimal could make way for Dickwella.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Charith Asalanka, 4 Janith Liyanage, 5 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 7 Chamika Karunaratne, 8 Dushmantha Chameera, 9 Jeffrey Vandersay, 10 Praveen Jayawickrama, 11 Lahiru Kumara

Pitch and conditions

The last time India were to play an international match in scenic Dharamsala, rain didn’t allow even a coin toss. The same thing had happened during their last scheduled T20I here. And rain could play spoilsport on Saturday as well. Given the last T20I in Dharamsala was played back in 2016, it’s difficult to say how the pitch will behave.

Stats and trivia

• Since losing to New Zealand at the T20 World Cup, India have won ten T20Is on the trot. The record for the most successive T20I wins is held jointly by Afghanistan and Romania with 12 wins.
• Sri Lanka have won three and lost 12 of the 16 T20Is they have played in India. Their win-loss ratio of 0.250 is their joint-worst in any country.
• Chahal’s 67 T20I wickets are now the most for India. He overtook Bumrah, who has 66 scalps.

Quotes

“We have been very predictable in the games against big teams, thinking much about keeping our wickets in hand and slogging in the second half of the innings. But right now it’s very simple. All of us are so talented, we have got shots in our pockets and the captain and the coach believe in us. So we have to just go there and play our game. If the ball is there then we need to go for it rather than just taking a single.”

Mark Stoneman struck a century as Durham racked up a big total to take the lead on the third day at Taunon

08-Jun-2013
ScorecardMark Stoneman went past a hundred in 160 balls•Getty Images

With a day remaining the Championship match between Somerset and Durham at
Taunton looks to be heading for a draw after the hosts ended the day 28 runs
behind with all second-innings wickets remaining.Replying to Somerset’s first-innings total of 458, the visitors were all out
for 493 which included a century for Mark Stoneman, 70 from both Paul
Collingwood and Michael Richardson and half-centuries from Ben Stokes and Scott
Borthwick.At the start of the day, resuming on 163 for three off 44.3 overs, still 295
runs in arrears, opener Stoneman who was 78 not out overnight went to his second
century of the season when he took a single to backward point off the final ball
of the 51st over. His century arrived off 160 deliveries and included 16 fours.New batsman Stokes looked untroubled by the Somerset bowlers and pulled Hussain
to long-on to bring up the Durham 200.Stoneman had moved onto 122 when Peter Trego bowled a slower delivery which he
hit to short cover where Craig Meschede claimed the catch. The fourth-wicket
partnership added 73 runs in just over 20 overs.Stokes went to his half-century in style with a straight six off George
Dockrell but seven runs later he was caught at mid-off by Arul Suppiah as he
looked to drive left arm spinner Dean Elgar. Phil Mustard hit Elgar for consecutive boundaries to bring up the Durham 300
but after taking his score onto 30 at just less than a run a ball he was caught
at deep square leg by Suppiah off Hussain.Richardson joined Collingwood and both found batting easy in the sunshine at
Taunton. The new batsman went to his half-century with a boundary off Dockrell
to third man.But on 70 he pushed a ball from Dockrell to backward point, set off for a
single before realising that Overton had picked the ball up and returned it to
keeper Alex Barrow who removed the bails, before he could regain his ground.Collingwood and Richardson shared a partnership of 101 for the seventh wicket
in 39 overs. Collingwood remained at the wicket until he was the last man out for 70,
by which time the total had moved onto 493.Batting for a second time 35 runs behind Somerset had moved on to seven without
loss from the remaining four overs, Marcus Trescothick unbeaten on four and Nick
Compton two not out.

West Indies ride on Bishop, Wickham hundreds to beat Zimbabwe; bowlers help UAE pip Ireland

Sreshth Shah01-Feb-2022Three wickets apiece for Mehran Mumtaz and Awais Ali helped Pakistan get the better of Bangladesh and seal a place in the fifth-place playoff match against Sri Lanka at the 2022 Under-19 World Cup. Left-arm spinner Mumtaz took 3 for 16 while seam bowler Awais finished with 3 for 52 to bowl Bangladesh out for 175. After that, a 76-run opening stand between Haseebullah Khan and Muhammad Shehzad set the base for an eventual six-wicket win.A run out and two Awais scalps reduced Bangladesh to 23 for 3 early, and if it wasn’t for No. 5 Ariful Islam’s 100 in 119 balls, Pakistan’s target could have been smaller. He hit five fours and four sixes but found little support with the second-highest score being 25 and eight of Bangladesh’s batters getting dismissed in single digits. Ariful was the majority contributor in two half-century stands, first with opener Iftakher Hossain and then with No. 10 Ripon Mondol, before Mumtaz ran through the tail with his three wickets.Haseebullah crunched four fours and four sixes in his 79 to secure a comfortable win for Pakistan. Together with Shehzad, he gave Pakistan a positive start, and when the first wicket fell, the No. 3 Irfan Khan (24) and No. 4 Abdul Faseeh (22*) made useful contributions too. Faseeh had No. 6 Abbas Ali for company when Pakistan sealed the win in the 47th over.Two days after defeating hosts West Indies, United Arab Emirates team pulled off another big win, this time defeating Full Member nation Ireland to win the Plate competition and finish ninth in the 16-team event.UAE’s bowlers were the main reason behind their eight-wicket demolition of Ireland. Left-arm spinner Jash Giyanani (2 for 12) gave the early breakthrough, legspinner Adhitya Shetty (2 for 33) troubled Ireland through the middle overs and Dhruv Parashar took 2 for 15. Parashar also picked up the wicket of opener Josh Dickson, who made 40 out of Ireland’s total of 122.UAE’s batters then showed no concerns in tackling the same Port-of-Spain pitch, with opener Kai Smith (49) and No. 3 Punya Mehra (48*) hitting 12 fours and a six between them. The game ended with Mehra hitting a six and UAE chased their target down with 24 overs to spare.It was a day out for the batters in the match to decide 11th place, with centuries from two West Indies batters sealing victory in Diego Martin over Zimbabwe.In a chase of 257, opener Teddy Bishop crunched an unbeaten 121-ball 112 and No. 3 Kevin Wickham made 104 in 116 balls for West Indies. Their 194-run second-wicket stand would have helped calm the team down after they lost opener Matthew Nandu in the second over of the chase. West Indies eventually won with four balls to spare, with No. 4 Rivaldo Clarke hitting the winning six.Zimbabwe rode on half-centuries from brothers David Bennett and Brian Bennett to post 256 for 4. David hit an unbeaten 77 from No. 5 and Brian made 62 from No. 4, and they put on 102 for the fourth wicket. Their stand helped Zimbabwe recover after Johann Layne’s new-ball burst had reduced the side to 25 for 2. Zimbabwe were only 168 for 3 at the 40-over mark, but late hitting from Conor Mitchell, who scored an unbeaten 42 in 26 balls, helped Zimbabwe finish with a 250-plus score.

Back-up keeper-batter arrives in Sydney after making mercy dash from Brisbane by car

Andrew Miller08-Jan-2022Sam Billings was “90 minutes” away from catching a flight back to the UK prior to his call-up to England’s Ashes squad, according to the team management, as he undertook a nine-hour drive from Brisbane to Sydney to provide wicketkeeping cover ahead of next week’s fifth Test in Hobart.Billings, who has just completed a Big Bash spell with Sydney Thunder, had been set to return home to prepare for England’s T20I tour of the Caribbean later this month. But, with Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow both being sent for X-rays after sustaining hand injuries during the fourth Test, Billings has now joined the touring party in Sydney, where he will undergo a period of isolation in the team hotel, subject to returning a negative Covid test result.”Just an observation… Australia is a reallyyyyy big place!” Billings wrote in a post on Twitter, while taking a break from his journey at a resting place near Newcastle in New South Wales. Billings is yet to make his Test debut, but he has spoken previously of his ambitions to break into the red-ball side. He has played 58 limited-overs matches for England and averages 34.29 in first-class cricket with six centuries.He now looks set to become England’s 700th Test cricketer at Hobart next week, despite an impressive stand-in display from Ollie Pope on day four, who equalled the dismissals record for a substitute player with four catches behind the stumps.”It’s a bit like the goalkeeper, if you don’t really notice them, that means that they’ve done very well,” Graham Thorpe, England’s assistant coach, said. “After a while I realised that it was Ollie Pope back out there again, keeping wicket, so I thought he did fantastically well.”Given the extent of England’s injuries, however, Pope may well be required as a specialist batter at Hobart, but Thorpe said that Billings’ call-up would give the squad options going into the fifth Test.Buttler’s battle for form with the bat was compounded on the third day when he was dismissed for an eight-ball duck to take his tally for the series to 96 runs at 16.00 from seven innings. He reportedly struggled to grip the bat properly during his stay after sustaining a hand injury while keeping on the second day.Bairstow meanwhile compiled a gutsy century in England’s first innings – eventually falling for 113 on the fourth morning – despite being left in agony by a savage blow to the right thumb from Pat Cummins”I was hurting,” Bairstow said. “But, look, you’re playing in a New Year’s Test match in Sydney on the pink day, it is going to take a heck of a lot to get you off the field. In some ways, it frees you up, in some ways it doesn’t. But at the end of the day, you’ve still got a job to do. Yes, it will be sore, but at the end of the day you’re playing cricket for England and I’m very, very proud to do that.”Related

• Jos Buttler to return home with broken finger

• Stats – Khawaja's long wait, and landmark twin SCG centuries

• Graham Thorpe calls on England's batters to save Sydney Test

• Cameron Green hits the right note playing second fiddle

• How can Australian selectors leave Usman Khawaja out of fifth Test?

Asked about potentially taking the wicketkeeping gloves in Hobart, Bairstow said: “I don’t know as yet, to be really honest with you. I’ll know some more information tomorrow. I’m not sure about the keeping side of things anyway. But from a batting point of view, I’ll be out there in the morning.”England’s issues deepened with the side strain that Ben Stokes sustained while bowling on the second afternoon. He too was sent for a scan on Saturday, and though he returned to the field he has not bowled since. The ECB subsequently stated that they would “evaluate the extent of the injury and update at the end of the Test match”.Thorpe, however, hinted that Stokes might yet play at Hobart as a specialist batter, having compiled a vital 66 in his first-innings partnership with Bairstow.”It’s possible,” Thorpe said. “Obviously Stokes’ injury is not a great one, being an allrounder. So we’ll have to see generally what we can do with that situation once the game is finished.”Sometimes the adrenaline running through the body, when you’re out there, can actually assist you. And then there are times when you have to assess the whole injury going into a fresh game as well.”Obviously, Sam Billings has been called into the group, as you’re aware, so that’s a good indicator of some of the concerns with the injuries.”

A round-up of matches of the Campus Cricket World Final 2012-13 played on April 3

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2013DAV College Chandigarh defeated University of Karachi by eight wickets, recording their second win in as many matches in the tournament. Karachi’s loss was in spite of a valiant lone-hand from opening batsman and wicketkeeper Ammar Hasan, who hit 85 of his side’s 138 runs, in 60 balls. Only one of his teammates made it to double figures, as Chandigarh’s Gurinder Singh took 4 for 27 from four overs.In response, Chandigarh made short work of Karachi’s total, as their own wicketkeeper batsman, Jaskaran Singh, hit 75 not out from 44 balls to launch them towards the target, which they achieved in the 16th over.The Great Britain Combined University Team also extended their unbeaten streak early on day two, as they brushed Bangladesh’s University of Liberal Arts aside by nine wickets. Having opted to bat first, Liberal Arts managed a paltry 105, with none of their players breaching 30. James Lomas took 4 wickets for 18 for Great Britain Combined, before their batsmen made short work of the modest total. Chris Wakefield fell with the score on 0, but Syed Fuad, who made 44 not out, and Luke Blackaby, who was unbeaten on 55, ensured their side completed a simple win in the 15th over.In the evening matches, DAV College Chandigarh inflicted a third-straight defeat on University of New South Wales, and established themselves as one of the tournament favourites, with a gargantuan 147-run victory. Chandigarh were put into bat, and an 89-run opening partnership in 8.1 overs set them hurtling towards the 225 they achieved. Jaskaran Singh added 63 from 30 balls, his innings contributing seven fours and four sixes to the team tally of 20 fours and 16 sixes. A 30 from opening partner Deepak Sharma, a 45 off 15 from captain Kunal Mahajan, and a 36 off 16 from Simran Singh were the other notable contributions. Gordon Atalla took 4 for 38 from his four overs, and was the only New South Wales bowler to go for less than ten an over.In response, New South Wales stumbled to 12 for 4 in the second over, and never really recovered from that start. They were bundled out for 78, with Gurinder Singh starring with four wickets for 27.Home side University of Moratuwa turned the tables on the Great Britain Combined University Team in the other evening match, after Great Britain Combined had beaten Moratuwa by 63 runs on day one. This time however, Moratuwa snuck home in a low-scorer, hauling in the opposition’s 106 for 8, in the 19th over, with three wickets to spare. Great Britain Combined were reduced to 29 for 4 in the seventh over, thanks largely to Rumesh Madushanka, who took two of those wickets and bowled his four overs for only 12 runs. Great Britain Combined continued to lose wickets through their innings, but launched something of a recovery through Harry Bush’s 34 from 27, before the lower order chipped in runs as well.Moratuwa had a shaky start themselves, when they lost both openers in the first five overs, but handy innings from Sahan Perera and Randika Perera, who remained unbeaten on 29, helped steady the chase. James Lomas was again among the wickets with 3 for 20, but Moratuwa had enough batting to complete the win, despite losing regular wickets.

New Zealand, at no stage, showed any semblance of a fight. Not even when Guptill shellacked a breezy half-century.

Shashank Kishore21-Nov-20212:12

How important is this series win for Rohit and Dravid?

India won the toss, opted to bat to challenge themselves against dewy conditions later, and ended up defending quite comfortably. They also ticked a fair few boxes along the way.Their back-up opener Ishan Kishan came good. Their lower order contributed vital runs that gave them at least 20 extra to defend. Venkatesh Iyer delivered three frugal overs as a sixth-bowling option. Axar Patel showed why he’s an aggressive left-arm spin option. Comeback man Yuzvendra Chahal overcame a forgettable start by finishing strongly with the big wicket of Martin Guptill. Harshal Patel continued to take giant strides with his bag of slower variations in T20 cricket. Rishabh Pant displayed terrific agility and athleticism behind the stumps.

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India swept the series 3-0, New Zealand at no stage showing any semblance of a fight. Not even when Guptill shellacked a breezy half-century.The Mumbai Indians showPlayers who generally plot and plan together were up against each other. Rohit Sharma and Kishan, coming in for the rested KL Rahul, as openers. Trent Boult and Adam Milne as new-ball bowlers. And it was India who set the tone for dominance early on as the top two got them off the blocks briskly, with a pair of fours each in the first few overs.Rohit’s trademark pull and Kishan’s Jayasuriya-esque whip off his pads made an appearance. It was clear that India were mindful of heavy dew and wanted to set the tempo and sustain it through the innings. Lockie Ferguson, coming in for stand-in captain Tim Southee, struggled for rhythm – landing full tosses and short balls aplenty to concede 30 off his first 12 balls as India raced to 69 for 0 in six overs.Santner puts the brakes onMitchell Santner brought himself on before dew took effect and trapped Kishan two balls later when he beat the batter with the skid off the pitch to have him caught for 29. In walked Suryakumar Yadav, another true-blue Mumbai Indian, but he didn’t last long either, driving one uppishly to cover to give Santner a second wicket in the over. One quiet Ish Sodhi set later, Santner had a third when he made Pant miscue a slog sweep to mid-on. New Zealand had landed a counter-punch. India went without any boundaries between overs 6 and 10. The slowdown was well and truly on.Rohit Sharma goes aerial•Getty Images

The Iyers get going, before Harshal-Chahar finish stronglyRohit fell for a 28-ball 55, after toe-ending a drive back to Sodhi, but Venkatesh and Shreyas set about the rebuild by milking the singles. From overs 11.3 to 13.4 when Venkatesh broke the shackles by muscling a slog sweep over deep midwicket, the pair played out a lone dot ball.Venkatesh showed excellent footwork in getting to the pitch of the ball and hitting towards the short straight boundaries, while Shreyas picked off a bulk of his runs through cuts and dabs behind square. The pair had added 36 before they fell in the space of three deliveries.Venkatesh went first for 20 when he dragged a Trent Boult knuckleball to deep midwicket. Shreyas fell trying to clear long-on with Daryl Mitchell covering good ground and sliding to complete the catch. At that point, ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster pegged India to get 172.That they got much 12 more was courtesy their batting depth. Harshal, who opens for his state side Haryana in T20s, and Deepak Chahar contributed 39 between them to force a strong finish. It included India getting 19 off the final over bowled by Ferguson, who went for 45 off his four overs.Axar’s triple rocks New ZealandA huge machine-mop took off as much dew as it could in the break, but it was only going to be a matter of time before it’d set in again to make it difficult for the spinners to grip the ball.Perhaps mindful of this, Rohit introduced Axar in the third over, and the move worked as he struck twice to stun the visitors upfront. Mitchell picked out extra cover and Mark Chapman ran down the pitch, only to be beaten by sharp turn on the inside edge to see Pant pull off a terrific stumping.Chahal came on from the other end and came in for some tap from the marauding Guptill, who batted with ferocity. Tossing the ball into his hitting arc, Chahal kept getting pinged between long-on and deep midwicket, but Axar at the other end wasn’t quite so obliging. Glenn Phillips became the left-armer’s third victim when he was bowled attempting a reverse sweep off a full delivery. At that stage, New Zealand were tottering at 30 for 3 in five overs.Iyer, Harshal carry forward momentumWith the top order blown away, and only Guptill standing in their way, Rohit took the opportunity to get a few overs out of Venkatesh and the medium pacer used his height and clever variation of lengths to keep batters honest. Harshal was equally hard to hit with his bouquet of slower balls tying New Zealand down.Chahal then returned after two expensive overs with a change in plan. After he went middle and leg only to be swung away, he corrected his line and tried to get batters hit against the turn, and it immediately worked as Guptill holed out to long-on after a quick fire half-century. At 70 for 4 in the 11th over, it was one-way traffic. Batter after batter came out swinging and missing and slipping and sliding as a hungry Indian bowling unit closed out the game clinically.

Bowler suffering from “impingement” of joint but England hope for return against India

George Dobell20-May-2021Jofra Archer is set to miss a significant portion of the English season after a decision to operate on his troublesome right elbow.Having seen a specialist on Wednesday, the decision was taken for Archer to undergo surgery on Friday. Although the ECB is reluctant to put any timeframe on his return – or go into any detail about the exact nature of the operation – it is understood England have not given up hope of him playing some part in the Test series against India, which is scheduled to be played in August and September.Related

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• Stokes to make comeback from injury for Durham in Vitality Blast

The England management hope that by dealing with the issue now, Archer will be free to play a full part in the T20 World Cup and the Ashes, both of which are scheduled to be played at the end of the year.”At the moment, he has a bit of an impingement in his elbow,” England’s bowling coach, Jon Lewis, told the . “A lot of fast bowlers get it in their ankle, so it’s comparable but a different part of the body. Put a lot of pressure and flexion through any joint, it will take a bashing. But bowlers come through ankle impingements. I don’t foresee it being a long term major issue.”From what I understand, either short-term or long term, his elbow will recover. I would expect him to play a lot more international cricket for England. This is just a small blip on his journey.”The issue with Archer’s elbow first came to prominence when he was forced to pull out of the New Year Test in Cape Town at the start of 2020 and was subsequently diagnosed with a stress fracture. Since then, he has managed six Tests in which he has claimed 12 wickets at a cost of 40.16 apiece. He was also obliged to withdraw from the recent IPL season.Jofra Archer experienced discomfort in his elbow while playing for Sussex•Getty Images

Archer was heavily bowled in the first few months of his international career. He played a huge part in England’s World Cup win – he was their highest wicket-taker in the campaign, bowled the most overs and required a pain-killing injection before delivering the Super Over in the final – and, only weeks before the stress fracture was diagnosed, had bowled 42 overs in an innings in a Test in Mount Maunganui. Little more than a week later, he bowled 40 more in the Hamilton Test.This will be the second bout of surgery Archer has undergone within a few weeks. He had a fragment of glass removed from a tendon in his hand in March sustained in an accident while attempting to clean a fish tank.England had hoped that rest and cortisone injections would avoid the need for surgery on his elbow, but when he experienced a recurrence of pain during his first game back for Sussex, it became apparent a different approach was required.

SLC technical committee chairman Aravinda de Silva shares details of future plans

Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Apr-2021Sri Lanka is looking to revive inter-provincial cricket in the latest attempt to create a more competitive first-class structure. Although exact details of the new competition have not been announced, chairman of SLC’s technical committee Aravinda de Silva has hinted that the provincial system will become the premier multi-day competition in the country. The present club system will continue to exist with only minor alterations as well.Provincial cricket has been sporadically attempted in Sri Lanka, but such competitions have largely been short in duration, and have done little to connect with a fan base from the provinces each team is supposed to represent. De Silva suggested the existing first-class clubs (of which there are now 26), may be required to band together in clusters to administer each of these provincial teams. This is an idea that had first been floated in 2015, by Mahela Jayawardene, before a change of leadership at SLC did away with the plan for a cluster system.”We are trying to create another tier in domestic cricket through a provincial tournament,” de Silva said. “What we want to do is make that a stronger four-day competition. In that provincial competition, we will have an “A” tier as well, which will give players opportunities to qualify for development squads. But the main provincial competition will be the feeder for the national team.”We’re trying to create a pathway from the bottom to the top by clustering clubs so that we develop players leaving the school system right to the highest level.”De Silva was adamant that although the existing club system may be trimmed down to three-day matches (at present, clubs play a mixture of three and four-day encounters), and although the number of club matches may be reduced to make way for the provincial tournament, the club system would continue to be an integral part of Sri Lanka’s domestic structure. The club tournament also would not lose its first-class status.”The clubs provide the infrastructure for players who are just out of school, because they get facilities, support and opportunities, to give these players a foundation. Without that foundation – if we get rid of the clubs – it’s like we’re shooting ourselves in the foot. The club system has been the foundation for us to develop our cricketers thus far. If we get rid of that system, it will be very difficult for us to bridge that gap. You need somewhere for the 3000-odd cricketers leaving the school system to continue playing.”SLC has made no official announcements on the exact nature of the new domestic structure yet. De Silva’s technical committee working closely with Tom Moody – Sri Lanka’s new director of cricket – to finalise tournament details.The clubs, however, may need to be won over by these new proposals. They have typically been resistant to accept additional first-class competitions that threaten the club structure’s status as the top domestic competition in the country.

Thilan Samaraweera has retired from international cricket after being left out of the Sri Lanka squad for the first Test against Bangladesh in Galle

Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Mar-2013
Thilan Samaraweera has retired from international cricket after being left out of the Sri Lanka squad for the first Test against Bangladesh in Galle, which starts on March 8. Samaraweera had sent a letter to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Tuesday informing it of his intention and the board has now accepted his decision.”I was shocked with my omission from the squad against Bangladesh,” Samaraweera said, adding he had been told by the selectors that they may need him to play Pakistan later this year.”There was no point in waiting for nine months. I respect the decision of the selectors to go with young players and decided it was the right time for me to retire.”SLC wanted him to play against Bangladesh – perhaps a farewell Test – but Samaraweera declined because he felt the time was right to retire.”I never wanted a farewell match because if you’re not good enough to be in the 15-man squad, there’s nowhere in the world you can play in the first XI,” the 36-year-old Samaraweera said. “I didn’t want to be selfish and deprive a youngster of his place by requesting to play in a farewell Test.”Samaraweera’s decision to retire was brought on as much by a lack of Test matches for Sri Lanka in 2013, as his non-selection for the first Test against Bangladesh. Apart from the two home Tests in March, Sri Lanka only have one away tour to Zimbabwe during the year, which Samaraweera was unlikely to attend in any case, before the year-end tour to Pakistan. A proposed series against South Africa was postponed to 2015.”I may not have retired so early if the Test series against West Indies and South Africa had not been postponed because as a cricketer you’d always want to play against the number one team which is South Africa at the moment.”Samaraweera will leave for England next week to represent county side Worcestershire during the 2013 season. “I will take a decision at the end of the English season whether to retire from first-class cricket,” he said.His international career comes to a close after a woeful tour of Australia, where he made 79 runs in six innings. He reclaimed form in Sri Lanka’s first-class competition since then, hitting 464 runs at 92.8 in four matches. Samaraweera was originally left out of Sri Lanka’s preliminary Test squad for the Bangladesh series, but was later called into that squad when Mahela Jayawardene’s finger injury ruled him out of the series. He could not find a place in the final 16, however.In a letter to media, Samaraweera thanked the coaches, clubs, team-mates and family who had supported him through his career, and laid out the reason for his retirement. “Although I have not lost the power of my passion to make a comeback, my ethics of reasoning does not interest me to do so at this hour where the obvious focus should be to find a balance in the prospects we have for the future,” he said.Samaraweera has played 81 Tests, and scored 5462 runs at 48.76, with 14 hundreds. He was primarily an offspinner at the beginning of his domestic career, but transformed himself into a secure, if dour, middle-order batsman, in order to break into the Sri Lanka side in the time of Muttiah Muralitharan. He also played 53 ODIs, but his conservative style of play never made him a natural fit for the shorter formats, even after he began improving his stroke range later on in his career.Samaraweera’s Test career has had several starts, most notably when he came back from being shot during the 2009 Lahore attack on Sri Lanka’s team bus, after he had made double-hundreds in back-to-back Tests in Pakistan. Samaraweera had surgery to remove the bullet which had travelled 12 inches into his thigh, and underwent months of physical and psychological therapy, before returning to the Test side four months later.He was dropped for more than a year in 2006, and again for one series in 2011, but he returned triumphantly from his second layoff to play his most memorable Test innings – a first innings 102 which enabled Sri Lanka to win their first Test in South Africa, in Durban.Though he had received a central contract from SLC, Sri Lanka’s selectors had expressed a desire to build a youthful Test side in 2013, and was unlikely to play a major role in what little Test cricket Sri Lanka had scheduled.