Akram Khan will leave his position as chairman of Bangladesh’s selection committee on the day the BCB election dates are announced

Mohammad Isam04-Jul-2013Akram Khan will leave his position as chairman of Bangladesh’s selection committee on the day the BCB election dates are announced. He confirmed this on Thursday after being asked to continue in the role till September, along with the other selectors Habibul Bashar and Minhazul Abedin.In the meantime, the BCB will formally ask the National Sports Council, Bangladesh’s sports regulatory body, to announce the board election dates. According to BCB president Nazmul Hassan, that could very well be this month.Akram has apparently been assured by the NSC that he will be elected unopposed as one of their designated directors on the board. In the 2008 elections, the number of NSC directors on the board was one, but it has not been made certain which constitution will be followed in the forthcoming election.”I will leave this position the day the election dates are announced,” Akram said. “If it happens to be before my term ends in September, I will let the board know. I am not interested in contesting elections in the present situation. I have been given an assurance. I may become a director through NSC’s quota.”I have already told the board regarding my desire to become a director, and I have done that before my tenured ended on June 30. I plan to make cricket better in the country, at all levels. I have a lot of plans about school cricket and age-group cricket. I have been a selector for six years, and I have worked with honesty and hard work.”

Even as he fell for 248 with 32 deliveries left in the India A innings, Shikhar Dhawan could not help but realise he could have become the first man in the world to make a triple-century in a one-dayer

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Aug-2013As he ravaged South Africa A for 248 off 150 balls, Shikhar Dhawan knew he had achieved what only Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag had before – a double-century in limited-overs cricket by an Indian. But even as he finally fell with 32 deliveries still left in the India A innings, Dhawan could not help but realise he could have become the first man in the world to make a triple in the format.”I was aware of the record and it felt really special to score these runs,” Dhawan told . “When I got out in the 44th over it occurred to me that if I had batted till the end I had a chance to score a triple hundred. I am happy with what I scored though.”The way Dhawan went on and on, the India A coach Lalchand Rajput thought the triple was within sight. “Shikhar batted exceptionally well,” Rajput told ESPNcricinfo. “I haven’t seen a better innings in one-day cricket than this one. The way he batted today, I thought he would get 300. They were clean hits, all proper cricketing shots. He pulled, he cut, he drove. He played all shots today and it was a real treat to watch.”While Dhawan was pleased to be mentioned alongside Tendulkar and Sehwag, he was quick to dismiss comparisons between the knocks. “It did cross my mind that I joined Sachin and Viru in scoring a double-century in a one-day game,” Dhawan said. “However, those were two of the greatest innings in cricket history and they came at the international level. So, they are much bigger than my innings.”I’ve always loved watching them bat. But I love my batting as well. So, it’s difficult for me to pick one favourite knock of the three. This will remain one of my favourite matches because I scored 200 for the first time in a 50-over game. Unfortunately it didn’t come live on television but that’s fine because I loved batting.”It was a must-win game for India A if they had to meet Australia A in the final of the tri-series. Their batsmen had come up short on both occasions in tall chases against Australia A but had taken South Africa A for 309 in 38 overs in a rain-hit victory three days ago. Dhawan had made 85 in that game and said he wanted to make a larger score today.”I had scored 85 in the previous match and I wanted to score a big hundred for the team because our batsmen were all getting out in the 80s and 90s,” Dhawan said. “A big century was necessary for giving a good total to the team. Once I crossed 100, I was in a different flow. I thought I made a smart choice of shots and things went my way.”I especially enjoyed it as it came against a South African side in their own backyard. They are very tough to play at home and they play good quality cricket.”

Zimbabwe had their moments where they stretched Pakistan with a confident start in their chase of 162, but tackling the spinners in the middle overs was always going to be the bigger proposition

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran23-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShahid Afridi made an impact with bat and ball, scoring 23 and taking three wickets•AFP

Zimbabwe had their moments where they stretched Pakistan with a confident start in their chase of 162, but tackling the spinners in the middle overs was always going to be the bigger proposition. Pakistan’s spin trio – led by Shahid Afridi – put the stranglehold on the scoring with regular wickets and the hosts found the target rapidly slipping away from them. Once the required rate neared an improbable 12, the final passage of play turned tepid.In both innings, Pakistan found the going tough in the first half of the innings but clawed back in the second. Ahmed Shehzad weathered a sluggish start with a solid half-century that set the base for Shahid Afridi to play his natural game and push Pakistan to a competitive score. The Pakistan seamers struggled to contain the openers, but following a few quiet overs of spin, the momentum shifted. Brendan Taylor was looking to play himself into some form, after a poor series against India, and he didn’t have the time or an attacking partner at the other end to help his side reclaim the edge.After being put in to bat, Pakistan lost their first three wickets inside nine overs, all off questionable shots. Tendai Chatara accounted for the first two, and his second wicket to get rid of Mohammed Hafeez was made possible thanks to a brilliant reflex catch by Taylor. That catch was a good example of Zimbabwe’s fielding in the early part of Pakistan’s innings, but they couldn’t put enough pressure on Pakistan in the second half.Pakistan progressed to a less-than-satisfactory 57 for 3 after ten overs, but the turning point in the innings came in the 12th over. It was Elton Chigumbura’s first and he leaked 17, which included a pulled six by the debutant Sohaib Maqsood and two swept boundaries by Shehzad past short fine leg. Pakistan ensured they maintained that momentum till the end of the innings, picking 75 runs off six beginning from the 12th.Maqsood looked promising in a stand of 55 with Shehzad, pouncing on anything short from the seamers. After pulling Chigumbura over deep square leg, he tried to clear the straight boundary the following ball but was done in by an impressive running catch by Vusi Sibanda.Shehzad’s knock was vital in giving Pakistan a base to build on, which was crucial given the under par scores from the rest of the top order. He managed only one boundary in the first ten overs and began to open up in the company of the confident Maqsood. He was caught on the edge of the long-on boundary for 70, attempting a second six. Afridi, sent in at No.6, made a cameo 23 to give the bowlers a solid score to defend.Sibanda and Hamilton Masakadza helped Zimbabwe race to 35 off five overs – at the same stage Pakistan had already lost two wickets. Taylor said at the toss that Zimbabwe were more comfortable chasing, and the openers certainly gave the impression. Sibanda didn’t look too troubled by Mohammad Irfan’s pace and lift, improvising by arching his back to steer the ball wide of the fielders on the off side.Saeed Ajmal was brought on in the sixth over as damage control. Captain Hafeez reverted to his seamers and Anwar Ali struck in the first over of his second spell when he trapped Hamilton Masakadza lbw attempting to pull a ball that wasn’t short enough. A set Sibanda lost his leg stump to Afridi, staying back to a flat, quicker delivery. Sean Williams was trapped lbw on the sweep, but didn’t appear satisfied with the decision.What Taylor needed was a form partner and the team management probably erred by not promoting Elton Chigumbura. Chigumbura performed better than some of the specialists in the one-dayers against India and when he walked in today Zimbabwe needed in excess of 17 an over. Timycen Maruma, who came in ahead of him, faced 13 balls for ten runs, at a time when Zimbabwe were desperate for a massive surge. The spinners held sway and the margin of victory was a comfortable 25 runs.

Shane Jurgensen, the Bangladesh coach, wants most of his players to get accustomed to conditions in Australia and New Zealand well before the 2015 World Cup

Mohammad Isam10-Sep-2013Shane Jurgensen, the Bangladesh coach, wants most of his players to get accustomed to conditions in Australia and New Zealand well before the 2015 World Cup. He believes that players like Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal will be at their physical peak during the tournament, which would help the team try and make it to the second round.Apart from an A team tour to the region, Jurgensen would like groups of players to take part in training sessions and tournaments in his native country. Bangladesh last visited New Zealand in 2010 for one Test, three ODIs and a Twenty20 while their previous trip to Australia in 2008 had only three ODIs. They have never won in either country in 20 games.Bangladesh will play four matches in Australia and two in New Zealand in the 2015 World Cup. Jurgensen believes the conditions in those places won’t be too hard. “The boys will be more evolved, have more experience in the next 18 months,” Jurgensen told the Bengali newspaper . “Most of them will be 26-27 or 28. They will also be at their physical peak. The venues won’t be a big obstacle too. Wickets are good at the Gabba, in Canberra, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hamilton and Nelson.”We will try to send an A team to Australia, and send players to play different tournaments there. Tamim and Shakib can easily play in the Big Bash, while some can play club or grade cricket. We could send four or five pace bowlers to train in Queensland. We have former Bangladesh coach Stuart Law, who is now at the Centre of Excellence. We also have [trainer] Stuart Karpinnen and [academy head coach] Richard McInnes working here in Bangladesh, so we can work something out.”Jurgensen put particular significance on Bangladesh’s performance in global events like the 50-over World Cup, because it is in these tournaments that the world fully notices the country’s progress in the game. Apart from that, he would like to end his two-year stint with discernible improvement on the field as well as in the numbers.”Their improvement should be visible on the field, and in their rankings. I would like to see them rise in the ODI and Twenty20 rankings. Draw and win Tests and do well in global events. The cricketing world will see our improvement. So it is very important that we cross the group stages of the 2015 World Cup. I think we can.”The 37-year-old Jurgensen said he was a supporter of keeping things calm in the dressing room rather than flying off the handle after the team loses. “There’s already a lot of pressure in international cricket so I don’t want to be an angry headmaster and put more pressure on them. I have always wanted to create an environment or pass on the message to the guys that at least before, during and just after the match, there will be no anger in the dressing-room.”It is important that there is consistency in behaviour, similar to on-field consistency. I like to be tough with them for a reason, so that they realise it is not a personal attack.”Having been the head coach since November 2012, Jurgensen said the Bangladesh players have faith in him. He was handed a two-year deal earlier this year, having held a temporary position after Richard Pybus’ abrupt departure last year.”I think I have gained their trust. It is important to understand them, because sometimes they can have a bad mood, have a bad day. Maybe their morning hasn’t started too well or (they’ve) had some family problems. So the coach has to be a spy, a guru and sometimes a psychologist.”

Australia’s captain Michael Clarke is expected to be ruled out of the forthcoming limited overs tour to India due to his chronic back troubles

Daniel Brettig20-Sep-2013Australia’s captain Michael Clarke is expected to be ruled out of the forthcoming limited-overs tour to India due to his chronic back troubles. Clarke was named subject to fitness in the 14-man squad to play seven ODIs after he complained of soreness and restricted movement during the closing stages of the long England tour.However medical staff and the national selectors are conscious of ensuring Clarke is as fit as possible for the Ashes home series to follow, and ESPNcricinfo understands he is likely to be prescribed a period of rest following his exertions in England. This would be a similar outcome to that which followed the end of the India Test tour in March, when Clarke missed the final match of the series.At the time, Clarke stated he would let the “experts” decide on his fitness for the IPL that followed soon after, and he was duly ruled out of his duties for Pune in the Twenty20 tournament. Clarke spoke in distinctly similar terms when assessing his chances of making the India ODI tour this time around.”For me right now it’s about getting on the phone to Alex Kountouris, the Australian physio, and communicating with him as I have been over the last couple of weeks since he’s been back in Australia and we’ll make a plan from there,” Clarke said. “No doubt it’s quite stiff and sore but I’ll be guided by the experts on what I need to do now to try and get myself as fit as I can be.”Clarke played the final match of the England ODI series as he successfully sought a winning end to a difficult tour for him and his team. Darren Lehmann, the Australia coach, said that Clarke had insisted on playing at Southampton despite his discomfort, but would be placed in the hands of medical staff to judge his ability to make the India trip.In Clarke’s absence, George Bailey would then lead the team through the series in addition to the opening T20 fixture, while possible replacement batsmen include Callum Ferguson and Nic Maddinson. David Warner is not thought to be in contention for an immediate ODI recall.Staying at home would allow Clarke the chance to recover fully from his present ailment while also offering extra time to prepare for the Ashes Tests at home, a series that he will be under significant pressure to win having gathered intelligence and confidence against England in the latter stages of the Tests in the northern hemisphere. He may also have the chance to take part in more Sheffield Shield matches prior to the first Test at the Gabba.The back condition that has affected Clarke at numerous junctures across his career is not entirely linked to fatigue, as shown when it reared soon after his arrival in England earlier this year, ruling him out of the Champions Trophy. However regular rest over time may allow his career to go on further than it might if he maintains a diet of constant cricket.

Deandra Dottin’s unbeaten 113-ball 84 helped West Indies women beat Sri Lanka women by five wickets in the first ODI in Colombo

ESPNcricinfo staff13-May-2015

ScorecardFile photo: Deandra Dottin hit nine fours during her unbeaten 84•WICB Media/Ashley Allen

Deandra Dottin’s unbeaten 113-ball 84 helped West Indies women beat Sri Lanka women by five wickets in the first ODI in Colombo. Chasing 150, West Indies were rocked early as they were 41 for 4 in the 11th over, but a 70-run fifth-wicket partnership between Dottin and Merissa Aguilleira(30) put the game in West Indies’ grasp. It was followed by an unbroken 42-run stand between Dottin and Stacy-Ann King(18) which finished the match off. Eshani Lokusuriyage, who was appointed captain after an injury to Chamari Atapattu, picked up two wickets in one over but bowled only three overs.After choosing to bat, Sri Lanka got off to a solid start as Prasadani Weerakkody (42) and Lasanthi Madushani (23) put up a 70-run opening stand in 122 balls. However, their innings went downhill from there as they were soon reduced to 109 for 7, the next highest contributor being Sripali Weerakkody with 24. Hayley Matthews took three wickets and Anisa Mohammed finished with figures of 10-2-15-2. Sri Lanka’s innings also included four run-outs.

England’s Moeen Ali hit a dominant 90 off 50 balls before Worcestershire elected to field without a wicketkeeper to gain their second NatWest T20 Blast victory by 14 runs over winless Northamptonshire at Wantage Road

ECB/PA05-Jun-2015
ScorecardMoeen Ali’s 90 proved in a winning cause for Worcestershire•Getty Images

England’s Moeen Ali hit a dominant 90 off 50 balls – after being dropped before scoring – and took two catches to give Worcestershire their second NatWest T20 Blast victory by 14 runs over winless Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.But the game will be remembered for one of the strangest field placings seen in English cricket for years.During Worcestershire’s stint in the field, their captain Daryl Mitchell asked wicketkeeper Ben Cox to ditch his gloves and pads and become an extra fielder – leaving no one behind the stumps.The ploy developed as an extension of MS Dhoni’s decision to stand back to the spinners while keeping for India in the Test series in England last summer.The umpires, after consultation, allowed it. “In a game when you’re trying to stop the opposition scoring, it’s a legitimate tactic,” Steve Rhodes, the Worcestershire director of cricket, said.Moeen’s second over – the 16th of the innings – saw Cox remove gloves and pads and go to fly-slip, with no one standing up to the stumps. Umpires Nick Cook and Graham Lloyd conferred at length and allowed play to continue, with Mitchell persisting in the tactic for the spinners from thereon.”One of the things I challenged the coaches in the winter to do, was to try and come up with some ideas that might just knock the opposition off their guard a little bit,” Rhodes said. “It came about when I watched MS Dhoni stand back to the spinners for India and I thought that was a great idea. Afterwards, he said he wanted another catcher around the corner and he felt he could do that himself, standing back. That’s how it started us thinking about it.”Cobb said: “I saw Daryl Mitchell tell Ben Cox to go back and I thought he was going to keep from the edge of the ring. Then I turned around and saw him without pads or gloves on. It’s in the Laws and they’ve obviously looked into it and there’s no Law against it. You’ve just got to question whether it’s in the spirit of the game. But that’s probably because it’s never been done before. When they first come out, these things usually get questioned and left alone.”Earlier, Moeen – who scored just 104 runs in the recent Test series against New Zealand – should have been caught from the first legitimate delivery of the game, after Worcestershire won the toss and batted first. Another England hopeful David Willey produced the edge, but Rory Kleinveldt put down the straightforward chance at slip.

Insights

Northamptonshire are bottom of the North Group having played three and lost three and are the only team without a win in the competition. They haven’t come close to winning in any of the three encounters and, looking at their team just look a little short of star quality that can turn losses into victories.
Afridi was a marquee signing but is a player past his best and ends his stint at the county with just 34 runs to his name and having bowled 12 overs with the reward of 3 for 96 – not terrible, but not enough from a team requiring more from their overseas player.

Mitchell was also dropped in the next Willey over by Kleinveldt, albeit to a more difficult opportunity. And the opening pair exploited Northants’ generosity to put on 52 in the first six overs.Northants – the only county without a T20 win so far – appeared to lose confidence when Moeen stepped up the assault against Shahid Afridi. Using his international class, he lofted over extra-cover and cut through backward point, before viciously pulling over midwicket for six that brought up a speedy 50 off 32 balls.Mitchell was bowled by Afridi for 43 in the thirteenth, with 131 on the board, and Moeen’s momentum was only checked by a brilliant one-handed catch by Northamptonshire captain Alex Wakely at cover as he drove at Steven Crook. His 90 included 5 sixes and 11 fours. The home attack looked lacklustre and conceded eight wides in all. Worcestershire’s total of 211 for 3 was the highest on the ground, beating Northants’ 207 for 4 against Glamorgan in 2008.In the chase of 212, Richard Levi and Josh Cobb’s second wicket partnership resulted in 65 runs in six overs but Northamptonshire’s reply never received the same level of impetus. Cobb’s first white-ball fifty in Steelback colours came off 31 balls.Saeed Ajmal’s opening spell – his first in England since remodelling his action in an ICC clinic – produced three overs going for 44 runs.Northants needed 57 off 23 balls when Shahid Afridi came to the crease and despite two big sixes off Joe Leach, Ajmal returned to have his Pakistani colleague caught by Moeen at long-on with Cobb falling two balls later in the same manner. Ajmal finished with figures of 3 for 53.Cobb’s 80 off 44 balls which included six sixes, was his highest score in T20 cricket and it helped Northants post 197 for 7, which in itself was the third highest T20 score on the ground, but it was the visitors who claimed victory by 14 runs and more to spare than the margin suggested.

Ajay Ratra, the former Indian wicketkeeper, has decided to call time on his 16-year playing career

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2015Ajay Ratra, the former India wicketkeeper, has decided to call time on his 16-year playing career. Ratra last played a first-class game in 2013 for Tripura.Ratra, who made his international debut in 2002, played six Tests and 12 ODIs for India. His maiden Test century against West Indies in Trinidad – an unbeaten 115 – made him the fifth-youngest Indian player and the youngest wicketkeeper to score a Test hundred. He played 99 first-class matches, scoring 4029 runs at an average of 30.29, which included eight hundreds and a double-century. He also played in 89 List A games, scoring 1381 runs at 22.63.Ratra is the second Indian player to retire in the space of two days, following Hrishikesh Kanitkar’s retirement on Wednesday.”Both Hrishikesh and Ajay were hardworking cricketers and thorough professionals,” Anurag Thakur, BCCI secretary, said. “I have no doubt that they will display the same qualities in their chosen vocations.”Ratra was part of the Indian U-19 team that won the Youth World Cup in early 2000, and the following season, he captained them to victory against England.”On behalf of the BCCI, I congratulate both Hrishikesh and Ajay for memorable careers, and wish them all the best for the future,” Jagmohan Dalmiya, president of the board, said.

Worcestershire sealed a place in the quarter-finals of the NatWest T20 Blast when they overcame a sluggish pitch and a determined Derbyshire side by four wickets

ECB/PA17-Jul-2015
ScorecardJoe Leach ensured Worcestershire got over the line and into the quarter-finals•Getty Images

Worcestershire sealed a place in the quarter-finals of the NatWest T20 Blast when they overcame a sluggish pitch and a determined Derbyshire side to win the North Group match at Derby by four wickets.Derbyshire skipper Wes Durston hit 32 and Billy Godleman 33 in a total of 149 for 8 with Saeed Ajmal taking 2 for 21 in four overs. Despite Richard Oliver’s 45 from 38 balls, Worcestershire also found it hard to get the ball away against tight bowling with Alex Hughes taking 2 for 21. But Joe Leach hit an unbeaten 18 from 12 balls to secure victory and condemn Derbyshire to finishing bottom of the group.Derbyshire wanted to end on a high but were soon in trouble against disciplined bowling which was rewarded with three wickets in the Powerplay. Leach found some extra bounce to have Hamish Rutherford caught at slip in the second over and although Chesney Hughes twice dispatched him to the midwicket boundary, he was bowled making room off the last ball.Shiv Thakor carved Ed Barnard low to point in the fifth over and again it was Durston, the Falcons leading run-scorer in the T20, who led the fightback by sweeping Brett D’Oliveira’s first ball over square leg for six and pulling the legspinner wide of long-on for four.

Insights

In matches as tight as these on pitches as sluggish as these, know-how is so important. Worcestershire are flying high, now qualified for the quarter-finals with this win, while Derbyshire are consigned to the bottom of the North Group. This match was well balanced for much of its course and with 45 required from five overs it could easily have gone either way, but Worcestershire know how to win and Derbyshire do not. Leach’s 12-ball 18 again demonstrated the value of intensity in T20 cricket – it was only a 14 minute innings but he earned his money in a tight, pressurised situation.

But when he tried to launch Ajmal into the pavilion, he failed to clear long-on where Barnard took a well-judged catch to end a stand of 47 from 38 balls with Godleman, who swung Daryl Mitchell high over midwicket for two sixes to bring up the 100.But he sliced the next ball to point and when Wayne Madsen skied a drive at Ajmal to deep mid-off in the 15th over, Derbyshire were 102 for 6 before Alex Hughes and Tom Knight added 39 from 27 balls to get the total past 140.With the ball not coming on to the bat, Derbyshire were still in the game if they could take early wickets and Thakor struck in the fifth over when Mitchell pulled him to deep midwicket. Tom Kohler-Cadmore cut Alex Hughes to backward point in the ninth over as a combination of spin and seam denied Worcestershire a boundary for 21 balls and 85 from the last 10 overs was far from straightforward.Richard Oliver pulled Nathan Rimmington for his seventh four but then skied a drive to long-on off the last ball of the 12th over and the pressure was starting to tell when D’Oliveira miscued Alex Hughes to point.Worcestershire needed a big over and Munro delivered by taking 16, including a six over midwicket, from the 14th bowled by Durston but he then chipped Greg Cork to deep square leg in the next over.With 45 needed from the last five overs, Whiteley drove Thakor over long off for six and then swung Rimmington over long-on but was then yorked going for another maximum although four byes off the last ball reduced the target to 22 from 18 balls. Leach drove a Rimmington no-ball for four from an over which cost 10 and Worcestershire got home with three balls to spare.

Angelo Mathews has confirmed Upul Tharanga will take Kumar Sangakkara’s place, but said the team management was ‘giving the batting order a bit more thought’

Andrew Fidel Fernando at SSC27-Aug-20152:46

‘Still haven’t found the best combination’ – Mathews

For the past week, Sri Lanka has reflected on Kumar Sangakkara’s legacy. On the eve of the deciding Test match, the team has found he has also left behind a slew of dilemmas. Sri Lanka know there is no possible substitute for Sangakkara’s experience, but they do hope to scavenge together the runs he used to score. They hope to tickle the top order in just the right way, to collectively squeeze out those few additional runs.The team has confirmed Upul Tharanga will replace Sangakkara in the XI. Though both are left-handers from Nondescripts Cricket Club, that is about where the similarities end. Where Sangakkara was Sri Lanka’s sure thing, Tharanga is a man of glorious uncertainties, transitioning through lean trots and purple patches in a single over, the way most others do over long careers.Tharanga is among the more polarising figures in Sri Lanka cricket, but recently he has made a good Test-match case for himself. He top-scored at the SSC against Pakistan last year, but was then dropped. He then made 46 and 48 on a demanding Pallekele surface upon his return to the team.Sri Lanka’s problem now is where to fit him in the order. Tharanga is an opener by trade, but Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva have those slots sealed up. The team batted Tharanga at No. 3 in the last series against Pakistan, but Lahiru Thirimanne has long been groomed to take over Sangakkara’s spot, and his ODI returns suggest the top three is where Thirimanne is most productive.”At the moment we’ve got so many questions hanging around,” captain Angelo Mathews said of the batting order. “Tharanga has to come in definitely. In the last match he played, he hit a couple of 45s. He went out only because Sangakkara came back for the India series.”We are giving the batting order a bit more thought. We’ve got different characters in the team – some are quite slow, some are very attacking. You’ve got to slot them out in those positions where the team is benefiting at the end. You need to give it a bit more thought and we’ll try and find the best position for those individuals. “Sri Lanka have more decisions to make lower down the order. Jehan Mubarak has played decent supporting hands in three of his six innings since his recall, but for all that is no closer to cementing his position in the side. Sri Lanka will be tempted to replace him with the dynamic Kusal Perera, who was seen practicing his wicket keeping in the approach to this Test. If Kusal does take the gloves, Dinesh Chandimal may be free to move further up the order, though that option is not itself without risk. Chandimal is scoring runs at no. 6 and 7, and has been effective in partnerships with tail-enders.Kusal’s Test debut has been seen as overdue by some, especially as the batsman had had an exceptional series against Pakistan A in May, then made two match-winning ODI contributions against the senior Pakistan side last month.”You can’t really find a perfect time to bring a player into the team,” Mathews said of the decision to keep Kusal out of the XI so far. “There are seniors, there are guys who have played and you can’t just chop and change them in one or two games. Sometimes you may not get the chance when you’re in form. Sometimes you might have to play when you’re rusty. You’ve got to test your character. Whenever he gets the opportunity I’m pretty sure that he’ll come good. He’s a young, exciting player. We’re not afraid to take chances with that kind of player.”Whoever plays, all Sri Lanka’s batsmen will aim to decipher India’s spinners, who have so far left the entire top order groping at the ball, and at excuses. Mathews has said that his team would seek to attack R Ashwin. Amit Mishra, who has 12 wickets at 12.75 in the series, will be approached the same way, he suggested.”No matter who is bowling, our aim to score runs. Even yesterday we had a discussion as a batting group. We always trust that no matter who the bowler is, and however well he’s bowling, if he gives us a chance to get runs, we should do that. We know Ashwin bowled well in the last two matches. Mishra and the seamers were also bowling well. Whoever it is, we’ll play them positively.”Batsmen from both teams have been embarrassed by spin so far in the series, but if they have arrived at the SSC expecting to have an easier time, they may be surprised. The club is the home of Sri Lanka cricket’s bourgeoisie, and for so long the SSC pitch was class warfare – pampered batsmen lording it over the bowling proletariat. Recently though, the bowlers’ union has had a breakthrough. The pitch was relaid in 2013, and the bowlers have since had more luck at the venue.Spotting some live grass on the track a day before the match, Mathews said his team “can’t predict the pitch 100%” so would have to “play it by ear”. Now that all the greats have taken their leave, he may be doing a lot of that while his new team comes together.