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Fernando had begun aggressively, as he often does, but then toned his batting down in the middle overs

Andrew Fidel Fernando24-Jul-20212:12

SL series takeaways – ‘They improved every match’

A minor technical change and a more sophisticated approach through the middle overs helped Avishka Fernando finish as highest run-scorer in the series against India. This is what the Player of the third ODI said, after his 76 off 98 balls helped set up Sri Lanka’s second ODI win of the year, as they achieved a target of 227 with three wickets and eight overs to spare.Fernando had begun aggressively, as he often does, hitting 32 off 30 balls during the powerplay, but then toned his batting down in the middle overs, looking for singles and twos in the outfield instead. Although he batted into the 37th over, only one of his boundaries came after the fielding restrictions had been relaxed.”I can usually get runs in the powerplay so I batted my usual way in those overs, but I needed to figure out how I bat from that point onwards,” Fernando said after the match. “As someone who bats at the top, I needed to be able to play those long innings and I wanted to do that in this series. I was able to do what the team needed.”Fernando was part of a crucial 109-run second-wicket stand with Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who for the most part was the aggressor, hitting 12 fours in his 56-ball 65. With Rajapaksa on the attack, and Sri Lanka scoring at well in excess of the required rate, Fernando moved into accumulation mode.”Bhanuka plays his game his way. At that point we didn’t need me to be scoring quickly as well. So I thought I’d give him the strike, because almost every over he would hit a four or a six. I was able to do that and he was batting well. Because we were able to rotate the strike we put on a good partnership.”This was Fernando’s second half-century of the series, having also hit 50 in the second ODI. His series tally of 159 runs (at an average of 53), was 31 runs more than the next batter – Shikhar Dhawan – scored.”I did change a few little things between the England series and this one,” Fernando said. “I had an issue with my front leg going to the offside too much. So I corrected that in training, and then because of that I was able to get back in the runs.”

252 overseas players will compete for seven spots in next week’s draft

Matt Roller17-Feb-2021252 players will compete for the seven remaining overseas spots in next week’s draft for the men’s Hundred, with Kagiso Rabada, Quinton de Kock, Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, Shakib Al Hasan and David Warner among those to have put their names forward for selection.The Hundred, the ECB’s new 100-ball competition, will finally launch in July 2021 after its inaugural season was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Teams were able to retain as many players as they wished from the squads selected at the initial men’s player draft in October 2019, at a mutually agreed salary band. Wages have been cut by 20% from their original level, with the highest salary now set at £100,000 ($140,000 USD approx.) rather than £125,000.Most teams opted to retain the majority of their squads, with Rashid Khan (Trent Rockets), Andre Russell (Southern Brave), Aaron Finch (Northern Superchargers) and Kane Williamson (Birmingham Phoenix) among the overseas players to re-commit to the competition. 35 players will be selected in next week’s draft – 28 domestic, seven overseas – with Manchester Originals and Welsh Fire making nearly half the picks between them after opting for overhauls.Related

• The Hundred – full 2021 squad lists

• Smith, Starc released as Hundred teams finalise retentions

• Lammonby backed for Hundred draft after breakthrough season

• Hundred teams set to finalise retentions ahead of draft

As revealed by ESPNcricinfo, the draft will be staged virtually and behind closed doors, rather than in a live studio setting, with picks due to be announced on Tuesday, February 23, the day after the draft itself.The availability of overseas players will be a major factor in who is picked up in the draft. New Zealand and South Africa currently have clear schedules for the tournament’s window from late July to late August, though the pandemic has left the Future Tours Programme unclear. West Indies are due to play home series against Australia and Pakistan which overlap with the start and end of the Hundred respectively, but Pooran and Pollard could be picked up for short stints with a view to long-term retention.Steven Smith and Mitchell Starc, who were both contracted to Welsh Fire for the 2020 season, have not put themselves forward for the draft. Trent Boult, Chris Gayle and Lasith Malinga are another notable absentees, after they went unpicked in the first draft, while AB de Villiers has again opted not to enter.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

10 players have entered with a reserve price of £100,000, meaning at most four of them will be picked up. They are: Shakib, Babar Azam, de Kock, Lockie Ferguson, Jason Holder, Tamim Iqbal, Pollard, Pooran, Rabada and Warner. Teams may be wary about selecting Warner due to the overlap with Australia’s series in the Caribbean, and following his withdrawal ahead of the 2020 season after Southern Brave had selected him.Other players who might attract interest include Shahid Afridi, Jhye Richardson, Imran Tahir (all £80,000 reserve price), Shadab Khan, Chris Morris, Dan Christian, Dale Steyn (£60,000), Dwayne Bravo, David Miller and Mitchell Santner (£48,000). Colin Ingram, Heinrich Klaasen, Tabraiz Shamsi and Rahmanullah Gurbaz are among those without reserve prices.Overseas players from 13 different nations have entered, including Ireland, Netherlands, Oman and USA. Sandeep Lamichhane, the only Nepalese player involved, was previously retained by Oval Invincibles. No Indian players have put their names forward, after Harbhajan Singh’s late withdrawal from the 2019 draft.How the squads stack up before the Hundred draft•The Hundred

254 domestic players have registered for the draft. Several players who were not retained including Saqib Mahmood, Tom Abell, Harry Gurney, Ravi Bopara, Danny Briggs, Ben Foakes and Richard Gleeson will feature on teams’ shortlists, while those who went undrafted in 2019 – including Olly Stone, Tom Lammonby, Ian Cockbain, Jamie Overton, Colin Ackermann and Samit Patel – will also attract interest.Only three domestic players have entered with reserve prices: Tim Bresnan, Ryan ten Doeschate (both £48,000) and Richard Levi (£32,000). Agents have been in discussions with teams for several months, and it is understood that a handful of players have been given assurances that they will be picked at certain salary bands in the draft.After the draft, each team will have 14 players in their men’s squad, including three overseas players, as well as either one or two England players with red-ball central contracts who will be available for a handful of games at the start of the season and for Finals Day, depending on the biosecurity requirements in place for international fixtures. They will pick one final player following the group stage of the T20 Blast as a ‘wildcard’ selection.Recruitment in the women’s competition falls under a different system, with players able to negotiate directly with teams and agree deals until the end of June. Further players will be announced next week.Rob Hillman, the Hundred’s head of operations, said: “We are delighted with the level of interest we’ve had from both overseas and domestic players. The calibre of the players involved means that it’s going to be an exciting men’s draft, with a lot of competition for spaces amongst really top-drawer names.”

The former New Zealand coach had taken charge of the IPL franchise in October last year for the 2019 IPL season, where Kings XI finished sixth

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Aug-2019Mike Hesson has parted ways with Kings XI Punjab after a ten-month tenure as coach of the IPL franchise.Hesson announced his decision to step down through a post on Twitter on Thursday.”I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Kings XI franchise,” his tweet said, “and wish to thank them for the season I had in charge. Whilst disappointed not to be able to build on the work we did this year, I’m sure success isn’t too far away for them. I wish them all the best for the future.” Hesson’s departure from the IPL comes at a time of significant coaching changes at the international level in the aftermath of the men’s World Cup.Hesson, who had coached New Zealand between 2012 and 2018, replaced Australian Brad Hodge as Kings XI coach in October last year. He took up the IPL role five months after stepping down as New Zealand coach, and his stint with Kings XI was his first in a T20 franchise league. During his tenure, Kings XI finished sixth in IPL 2019, winning six of their 14 games, with R Ashwin as captain.Hesson had quit as New Zealand coach less than a year before the 2019 World Cup, with a view to taking a “break from the rigours of international cricket”. Under him, New Zealand became a dominant Test team and also made the World Cup final in 2015. In 59 T20Is under Hesson, New Zealand won 30 and lost 24.

Former Worcestershire cricketer had been accused of raping a sleeping woman in 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2019The jury in the trial of Alex Hepburn, the former Worcestershire cricketer who was accused of raping a sleeping woman, has been discharged after failing to reach a verdict.The case at Worcester Crown Court was adjourned on Friday afternoon, the fifth day of the trial, after the 12-person jury failed to reach a majority verdict following more than nine hours of deliberation.Hepburn, 23, now faces the prospect of a retrial after pleading not guilty to two counts of rape, following his initial arrest in April 2017.In the course of the trial it was claimed that the alleged victim, who cannot be named, had awoken during the attack, having initially assumed Hepburn to be Joe Clarke, his Worcestershire team-mate, with whom she had had consensual sex earlier in the night.Hepburn, who was born in Western Australia and moved to England in 2013 to pursue his cricket career, told the court that he had previously arranged to sleep in his friend’s room, and did not see the woman until he was in bed beside her.The case brought to light what was described in court as a “sexual conquest game” on the social media app WhatsApp, involving a number of Worcestershire’s players, including Hepburn and Clarke.Miranda Moore QC, for the prosecution, alleged that Hepburn had been “fired up” by his desire to win the competition, having posted the rules of the game to the WhatsApp group five days before the alleged attack.Hepburn, giving evidence, had claimed the WhatsApp group was “meant to be nothing more than immature chat between a group of friends”, adding that he was embarrassed that his family had had to see the comments that he had made.The Crown Prosecution Service will now discuss the prospect of a retrial with the lawyers and the judge, Jim Tindal, with a decision due in 14 days’ time.It is also understood that the ECB, the PCA and Worcestershire CCC are paying close attention to the case, with the behaviour of the club’s players likely to come under scrutiny from the Cricket Discipline Commission, irrespective of the verdict.

Mitchell Marsh, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Peter Siddle have all been rested in preparation for the Test series against India

Alex Malcolm08-Nov-2018

Australia T20I squad

Aaron Finch (capt), Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa

Australia have opted to leave out Mitchell Marsh, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Peter Siddle from the T20Is against South Africa and India in preparation for the upcoming Test series against India.Allrounder Marcus Stoinis and left-arm quick Jason Behrendorff have been added to a streamlined 13-man squad for the four matches in Gold Coast, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.Marsh and Lyon were both left out of the ODI squad in order to be rested ahead of a “busy summer schedule” and both have been left out again to continue to play Sheffield Shield cricket for their states.”We know coming off the back of the tour to the UAE, a huge summer at home, and the World Cup and Ashes just around the corner that we have to get the balance right between playing our best T20 team and preparing for the upcoming Test series,” Australia coach Justin Langer said.”While I know all four have a desire to be playing cricket for Australia in every format, with a really tough Test series against India coming up, we believe their best preparation is to go back and get some really good cricket under their belts in the Sheffield Shield.”Marsh played two T20Is in the UAE while Lyon played just one. Starc did not play any due to a hamstring niggle and Siddle stayed in the UAE as cover for Starc but also was not called upon.Stoinis returns to the T20I fold. He played in the triangular tournament in Zimbabwe mid-year but was left out of the UAE squad while he recovered from a minor injury.”Marcus missed our recent T20 matches in the UAE because he hadn’t resumed bowling, but now he’s back to full fitness he’ll add great depth to the squad,” Langer said. “Marcus is such a versatile player, he’s a powerful middle-order batsman and he provides us with another solid bowling option.”Behrendorff played two T20Is in India in October 2017 and took 4 for 21 in Guwahati before breaking down with stress fractures in his back in November 2017. The WA and Perth Scorchers quick returned in the JLT Cup and impressed in the Prime Minister’s XI match against South Africa in Canberra, taking 3 for 35.”It was exciting to see him bowl well in the JLT Cup and in the recent Prime Minister’s XI match, and it gave us more evidence of how devastating he can be with the new ball,” Langer said. “Tactically we believe it’s important to have a good left-arm swing bowler at our disposal for the four matches.”Behrendorff, Ben McDermott and Andrew Tye have all been included in the Cricket Australia XI team to play South Africa in a warm-up T20 in Brisbane on November 14 with the rest of the squad currently involved in the ODI series.

After a challenging start to the season which has yielded 88 runs in six innings, Clarke delivered the sort of knock that will have the selectors taking note

Dan Norcross at Kia Oval06-May-20182:04

Yorkshire complete epic comeback

ScorecardWhen Joe Clarke slapped a filthy long hop from Dom Bess into the hands of Sam Curran at the Kensington Oval in the second match of the North v South series in March to be dismissed for a glorious 58-ball 71, Andy Flower on commentary pursed his already thin lips and produced a stare harder than any animated English-speaking Peruvian bear could muster.Disappointment was not the emotion. Barely concealed fury would be closer to the mark. England rate Clarke, you see, and they want him to score big runs. The big runs that have been missing from the Test team pretty much since the middle-order of Trott, Pietersen and Bell broke up.After a challenging start to the season which has yielded a mere 88 runs in six innings, Clarke delivered the sort of knock that will have had Flower purring in appreciation over his tea time marmalade sandwiches.The cynics will point out that The Oval does not provide the most testing of conditions for batsmen. The wiser heads will counter that most Test match surfaces are pretty good to bat on. The problem England have encountered is that their batsmen don’t seem minded to bat on them for any great length of time.On pitches in the winter that produced nine centuries for Australia, England managed just three. Their best batsman, Joe Root failed to convert any of his fifties into a three figure score. What they would have given for the sort of application and hunger that Clarke displayed against Surrey in compiling a near perfect 157 from 280 balls. It took a ball of considerable pace from the promising Conor McKerr, making his first appearance for Surrey this season after recovery from injury, to trap him in front after nearly six hours at the crease.Clarke’s most eye catching strokes tend to be his off side drives, but England fans have grown wary of the eye-catching. A winter listening to James Vince whisper sweet-nothings into sleep-deprived ears before nicking off to second slip has taught a nation to harden its heart to the frivolous blandishments of aesthetic beauty. What impressed most was Clarke’s determination to cash in while he had the chance. After all, he could be back on a green top at Worcester by Friday, facing up to Jamie Porter, Peter Siddle et al.Surrey’s captain Rory Burns, much like Root when confronted with Steve Smith in the winter, tried any number of fancy tricks; leg-slips, multiple mid-wickets, short-bowling with the old ball, but much like Smith, Clarke could not be drawn from his impressive bubble.As a spectacle this game is dying a death. As a potent tonic for Worcestershire’s early season despondency it’s doing just the job. Batsmen who have barely made a run are starting to feel the unfamiliar comfort of bat on ball. Daryl Mitchell, Tom Fell and Travis Head have all got half centuries and Ed Barnard, Worcestershire’s one bright spark in a sepulchral April is unbeaten on 42, eyeing up perhaps a dart at the stiff Surrey bowlers in the morning with a view to applying some pressure in the afternoon.That, though, is the tallest of orders. The pitch offered the bowlers nothing and although the crowd was twice treated to Amar Virdi’s ersatz rendition of Imran Tahir’s wicket celebration, this match will in all likelihood be completed with a shake of the hands in the late afternoon tomorrow.If Surrey are to be genuine title contenders they cannot afford to play matches on pitches like this; least of all matches against the division’s bottom side. There are extenuating circumstances. The weather has made preparation unusually difficult, but this is a repeating theme. High scoring draws may keep you in this division, but it won’t get you the title.As for Clarke and indeed the England selectors, an innings of substance in a high-scoring draw might be just what the doctor ordered.

Last year’s table toppers cannot afford too many mistakes, having played 10 matches for only six points

The Preview by Alagappan Muthu03-May-2017

Match facts

Delhi Daredevils v Gujarat Lions
Delhi, May 4, 2017
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)2:49

Bangar: Gujarat’s chance of making playoffs very slim

Form guide

Delhi Daredevils (sixth): beat Sunrisers by six wickets, lost to Kings XI by 10 wickets, lost to KKR by seven wickets.
Gujarat Lions (seventh): lost to Rising Pune by five wickets, lost to Mumbai in Super Over, beat Royal Challengers by seven wickets

Head-to-head

Overall: Delhi Daredevils and Gujarat Lions will play each other for the first time this season, and their head-to-head record stands at 1-1.

In the news

There are no further updates on Daredevils captain Zaheer Khan’s recovery from a hamstring injury. He is expected to be assessed once more on the day of the game. Daredevils have already lost Sam Billings, who has left to resume England duty. It is understood that their South African players – Chris Morris and Kagiso Rabada – will be available until May 7.With Jason Roy having left on international duty as well, Lions’ roster only has five fit overseas players – Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith, Aaron Finch, James Faulkner and Chirag Suri.

Qualification scenario

Both teams are languishing in the bottom half with six points, but the situation is slightly more dire for Lions, who need to win all their games to get to 14 points and have any chance of qualification. One loss will eliminate them, as four teams already have more than 12 points. Even with 14, Lions will need other results to go their way to qualify, but they will at least have a shot at finishing in the top four. Three of their remaining four games are against the relatively weaker teams, though: Daredevils, home and away, and Kings XI, away. Apart from that they also have a home game, in Kanpur, against Sunrisers.Daredevils are almost in the same situation as Lions, but they have an extra game in hand. They also have four home games to play, against Lions, Mumbai Indians, Pune, and Royal Challengers, plus an away match against Lions. If they win at least four of the five, they might still have a chance.

The likely XIs

Delhi Daredevils 1 Sanju Samson, 2 Karun Nair (capt), 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Jayant Yadav, 9 Kagiso Rabada/Pat Cummins, 10 Amit Mishra/Shahbaz Nadeem, 11 Mohammed ShamiGujarat Lions 1 Brendon McCullum, 2 Ishan Kishan, 3 Suresh Raina (capt), 4 Aaron Finch, 5 Dwayne Smith, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 James Faulkner, 9 Pradeep Sangwan, 10 Basil Thampi, 11 Ankit Soni

Strategy punt

• Sanju Samson has a strike-rate of 153 against fast bowling this season. The gift of timing helps him exploit fielding restrictions, provided there is pace on the ball. Force him to play spin, however, and his strike-rate drops to 107; it dips further to 75 over 20 balls faced in the Powerplay. Those numbers might make Ankit Soni and Ravindra Jadeja tie up their laces quicker so they can demand the new ball.
• Daredevils have a way to stifle Lions’ top-order, too, with Chris Morris. He has dismissed Suresh Raina three times in 17 balls, giving away only 12 runs, and has also knocked over Brendon McCullum twice in 13 deliveries, at the cost of 17 runs.

Stats that matter

• If Daredevils are truly perturbed by Samson’s ups-and-downs, they can try opening with Shreyas Iyer. In 30 T20 innings at the top, he averages 30.78 and strikes at 132. In 17 innings at all other positions, he averages 16.40.
• There is, however, a reason to persist with Iyer in the middle order. In the IPL, he averages 51 against spinners, and hits them at 136 per 100 balls. Against pace, the corresponding figures come down to 22 and 122.
• Daredevils have had four different combinations at the top this season, which puts them on an even footing with Kings XI Punjab and Gujarat Lions, and behind only Royal Challengers Bangalore. Those are the teams that make up the bottom four in the points table. Daredevils’ biggest opening stand amounted to 53 runs – the lowest among all teams this year – and their average scoring rate of 7.81 is the second worst.
• Speaking of openers, Dwayne Smith has had a torrid time in T20s over the last one year. He averages 23, strikes at 122, and has bagged seven ducks, a tally no one has surpassed.
• Moving on to closers, Lions’ Basil Thampi has made an excellent impression in his debut season. Among uncapped players in their debut season, he has bowled more deliveries (78) in the last five overs than anyone else.
• Daredevils have their own back-end specialist. Morris is one of nine men to have bowled at least 10 overs in the death in IPL 2017. His economy rate of 7.76 ranks third in that list after Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Andrew Tye.

A round-up of all the Ranji Trophy Group B matches played on October 1, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Mandeep Singh’s ninth first-class ton featured 14 fours•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Uday Kaul and Mandeep Singh shared an unbroken partnership of 178, helping Punjab seize the initiative on the first day of their Ranji Trophy clash against Railways in Chandigarh. Punjab, opting to bat, were dealt an early blow when their opener Manan Vohra was run out for 5 by Saurabh Wakaskar in the ninth over. Jiwanjot Singh and Kaul offered a brief resistance, but Jiwanjot’s wicket in the 25th over reduced the hosts to 57 for 2.From then on, though, Kaul and Mandeep took center stage, batting out the next 65 overs to lift Punjab to 235 for 2 at stumps. Kaul played the more patient foil, stroking nine fours during his 92 not out, while Mandeep hit 14 fours to reach his ninth first-class ton.
ScorecardNineteen-year-old opener Almas Shaukat struck a century on his first-class debut, lifting Uttar Pradesh to 260 for 2 on day one against Madhya Pradesh in Moradabad. Shaukat received ample support from his opening partner Tanmay Srivastava, as the pair added 125 inside 44 overs.While Srivastava eventually fell for 75, Shaukat remained unbeaten on 110, with 17 fours and one six. MP also picked up the wicket of Himanshu Asnora – trapped lbw by Ankit Sharma – but Shaukat and Mohammad Saif (34 not out) led UP safely to stumps without any further damage.
ScorecardFifties from Mohammad Kaif and Ricky Bhui helped Andhra make slow progress against Mumbai in Vizianagaram. Scoring at just over two an over, the pair shared an unbroken 152-run stand for the third wicket, as Andhra recovered from a jittery start to make 170 for 2 by stumps.Andhra, after being inserted, soon found themselves floundering at 18 for 2, as Srikar Bharat and Prasanth Kumar were both caught behind by the wicketkeeper Aditya Tare. However, Mumbai failed to find any more breakthroughs, as Kaif and Bhui held firm for 65.4 overs. While the captain Kaif remained unbeaten on 66 with nine fours and a six, Bhui was not out on 91, with 12 fours and two sixes. Tamil Nadu v Baroda in Chennai – Bhatt, Yusuf spin TN into trouble

Ajantha Mendis turned tricks beyond the grasp of six Australian batsmen as Sri Lanka completed an eight-run victory for a 2-0 sweep of the Twenty20 internationals against Australia at Pallekele

The Report by Daniel Brettig08-Aug-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThere was no stopping Ajantha Mendis today•Associated Press

Ajantha Mendis turned tricks beyond the grasp of six Australian batsmen as Sri Lanka completed an eight-run victory for a 2-0 sweep of the Twenty20 series at Pallekele.Playing his first, but surely not last, match against the Australians on this tour, Mendis plucked 6 for 16, the best figures in international T20 history, including three of the four wickets to fall for four runs in a frenzied 16-ball phase in the middle overs. All this after Shane Watson’s belligerent 57 from 24 balls seemed to have set the visitors up for a series-levelling victory.The pivotal moment of the evening came thanks to Angelo Mathews’ remarkable feat of athleticism, when he collected a David Warner heave on the edge of the midwicket boundary, and then threw the ball back into play for Mahela Jayawardene to complete the catch.Watson was close to lbw in the first over of the chase, the umpire ruling that Nuwan Kulasekara’s extravagant inswing would have taken the ball past leg stump. After three overs of pace, Australia were rolling nicely at 30-0, but their momentum would increase violently against the spinners.Dilruwan Perera’s first ball was reverse-punched past cover by Warner, before Watson began to target the arc between long-on and midwicket in much the same manner as he had done to record-breaking effect against Bangladesh in Dhaka in April. Five times he cleared the ropes, and by the time Mendis’ introduction brought a skier and a wicket, Australia needed a decidedly manageable 87 from 85 balls. Watson had not, however, done enough to put the result beyond question.The Sri Lankans sensed something when Warner followed, brilliantly pouched on the boundary by Mathews who then threw the ball – in the split-second he had before going over the rope – towards an alert Jayawardene. Shaun Marsh again looked all out of sorts against spin and was stumped for a duck wandering down the wicket to Mendis, who went on to complete a dual-wicket maiden.Next, David Hussey played around Rangana Herath to be bowled, leaving the visitors in dreadful trouble despite a manageable required-rate. Cameron White and Steven Smith tried to keep their heads from spinning, but were initially unable to do more than poke the slow bowlers around in the face of occasionally extravagant turn.A pair of sixes to White seemed to push the innings back into a state of health, but as if on cue Mendis returned to bowl a dancing Smith and a groping Brad Haddin off consecutive balls. Mitchell Johnson eluded the hat-trick, but eventually became Mendis’ sixth victim. White reached the final over needing 15 for victory, only to be bowled off an edge by Thisara Perera, and the task proved beyond Australia’s last pair.Earlier, Sri Lanka were unable to conjure the partnerships they managed in game one, but Jayawardene’s 86 provided a centrepiece to stand with Tillakaratne Dilshan’s effort on Saturday. Hampering the hosts’ batting was an outstanding spell by John Hastings, who returned 3 for 14 from his four overs. Brett Lee also nabbed a trio of victims.After enduring a couple of nervy moments, Jayawardene surged through the gears, driving through the covers and then playing an easy pitching wedge down the ground for boundaries. Two more Jayawardene strokes sent the new ball whistling through square leg and point before Lee won an lbw verdict against Dilshan with a delivery that might have flicked leg stump, but that did not stall Jayawardene’s flurry of shots.White used Steve O’Keefe for a solitary over before replacing him with Johnson, just as he had done in the first game, and the formulaic approach suited the Sri Lankans. Jayawardene punctured a packed offside field three balls in a row before White posted a deep cover.O’Keefe was recalled to the attack as the fielding restrictions ended, and after his over quelled some of the scoring, Smith’s introduction reaped Dinesh Chandimal’s wicket. Thisara Perera, promoted ahead of Kumar Sangakkara, collected one boundary from an O’Keefe misfield, before slicing Johnson to third man, and on 53 Jayawardene appeared rather more lbw than Dilshan had been. However Smith’s appeal was denied, and the next ball was swept for six. At times Jayawardene’s placement seemed so precise, he appeared to be mocking Australia’s fielders, and Sangakkara soon joined the attack.Their stand of 46 was broken by Hastings, who followed up a tidy first over by coaxing a miscalculation from Sangakkara. Jeevan Mendis did not last the over before cuffing on, and at 123 for 5 Australia had wrested the upper hand. In his next over, Hastings splayed the stumps of Angelo Mathews, sapping the innings of further momentum.Dilruwan Perera miscued O’Keefe down the ground, where Smith held an admirable catch diving forward, though Jayawardene remained for the final over. He was caught off a ball declared a no-ball for height, and picked up a boundary through the leg side before perishing off the third delivery.Lee’s finish was, however, spoiled by the concession of five wides from what should have been the final ball of the innings, and his error was made more significant by the closing margin of a rollicking match.

Paul Collingwood’s first Durham century since making six in 2005 put the Championship leaders in command against struggling Yorkshire at Chester-le-Street

20-Jun-2011
Scorecard
Paul Collingwood’s first Durham century since making six in 2005 put the Championship leaders in command against struggling Yorkshire at Chester-le-Street. Collingwood’s 108 helped Durham to 408 for 8 declared, a lead of 223, and in seven overs Yorkshire reached 13 without loss in their second innings.Rapid half-centuries from Gordon Muchall, Phil Mustard and Scott Borthwick helped Durham make up for the loss of a day and a half by scoring at 5.24 an over on a day when Yorkshire dropped six catches. They were not happy about umpire Tim Robinson changing his mind after giving out Mustard, lbw to Adil Rashid on 58, apparently realising that the Durham captain had edged the ball on to his pad.Mustard added 12 more runs, but what had really cost Yorkshire was putting him down first ball and again on one after he came in with the score on 141 for 5. The last three wickets at that point had gone to Steve Patterson, who bowled an excellent spell either side of lunch, forcing Collingwood to treat him with the utmost respect.Patterson was the bowler when Richard Pyrah dropped Mustard first ball at second slip then the same fielder put him down off Ryan Sidebottom. Collingwood’s was a very measured innings as he reached 50 off 75 balls and his century off 145. It was also chanceless and it was a surprise when he pushed forward and edged Joe Root’s offspin to slip.That gave Adam Lyth his third catch, but he was guilty of putting down Borthwick off Rashid on 18 and the young left-hander was one short of his career-best 68 when the declaration came.
He put on 68 in 11 overs with Callum Thorp, who drove Root for three sixes in reaching 29.This was the fourth successive match in which Durham had achieved maximum batting points without a significant contribution from Michael Di Venuto. He has scored 37 runs in four innings since his century at home to Somerset and had already survived a difficult chance to Rashid at third slip when he edged Shahzad to the same fielder.Bowling in attacking style, Shahzad kept feeding Muchall’s cut and cover drive and conceded 36 runs in five overs as Muchall raced to 50 off 40 balls. Yorkshire did enjoy a slice of luck in the day’s penultimate over, when Lyth, on four, survived a chance to Mustard’s left hand off Thorp.