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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.

Rajasthan Royals have a 1-6 win-loss record at Eden Gardens, and might be hampered by their lack of batting depth

The Preview by Karthik Krishnaswamy22-May-20183:52

Agarkar: KKR start as firm favourites

Big picture

Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals. They ended third and fourth on the league table, with not a lot separating them, after seasons that followed similar trajectories, particularly when the playoffs race intensified. As squads, however, the campaigns they went through couldn’t have been more dissimilar.Fast bowlers aside, the KKR XI that will line up in Wednesday’s Qualifier is perhaps exactly the one their team management might have picked as their best XI on auction day, down to the batting order. This is a small but wisely assembled squad, full of trusted names, and who knows where it might have finished had Mitchell Starc been fit to play the tournament?

Form guide (most recent match first)

Kolkata Knight Riders: beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by five wickets, beat Rajasthan Royals by six wickets, beat Kings XI Punjab by 31 runs
Rajasthan Royals: beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 30 runs, lost to Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets, beat Mumbai Indians by seven wickets

Rajasthan Royals was a less tested combination, partly because they were returning from a two-year suspension, but one full of exciting overseas talent. All that talent, however, took time and a fair bit of shuffling to begin firing. And by the time that happened, two of the team’s biggest names, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes, had to be scratched off the roster.The absence of those two names, particularly Buttler, is a handicap Royals will have to overcome in Wednesday’s Eliminator, as are a shortish middle order and a longish tail. There is the small matter of the venue as well. Eden Gardens is KKR’s lair, and Royals have an awful record here: only one win in seven matches.KKR, therefore, have a number of advantages going into this meeting, but the fleetingness of a single T20 contest can minimise all of them. The Eliminator is as accurate a name for this kind of contest, and it’s anyone’s game to lose.

Previous meetings

KKR won both their matches against Royals in the league stage, and comfortably at that. In Jaipur, an all-round display from Nitish Rana set up a seven-wicket win with seven balls remaining. In Kolkata, Royals collapsed to Kuldeep Yadav’s wristspin after a helter-skelter opening stand between Jos Buttler and Rahul Tripathi, and forties from Chris Lynn and Dinesh Karthik led the home team home with two overs to spare.

In the news

• Neither team trained on Tuesday, with rain keeping Eden Gardens under covers. There is a 20% chance of rain on Wednesday as well.
• Apart from Buttler and Stokes, who are away on England duty, Royals have also been without their mentor Shane Warne over the last week or so. He has tweeted saying he will miss the Eliminator and Friday’s second Qualifier as well, but that he would be back for Sunday’s final – if Royals make it, of course.

Likely XIs

Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Chris Lynn, 2 Sunil Narine, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Dinesh Karthik (capt & wk), 6 Andre Russell, 7 Shubman Gill, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Javon Searles, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Prasidh KrishnaRajasthan Royals: 1 Rahul Tripathi, 2 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 3 Sanju Samson, 4 Heinrich Klaase, 5 Stuart Binny, 6 K Gowtham, 7 Jofra Archer, 8 Shreyas Gopal, 9 Ish Sodhi, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Ben Laughlin

Strategy punt

In IPL 2018, Chris Lynn has only managed to score 121 off 131 balls against spin, while being dismissed four times. Sunil Narine has been explosive against spinners, scoring 138 off 66 balls, but he’s also been out to them once every 9.4 balls.Royals will want to start with spin at least from one end, but they have to be smart about their choice of spinner. They usually give the new ball to the offspinner K Gowtham, but one of their two legspinners, Ish Sodhi or Shreyas Gopal, could be a better option against KKR. While Narine has smashed offspin for 76 off 28 balls (including 23 off 9 against K Gowtham) while only being dismissed once this year, he hasn’t done as well against right-arm legspin, scoring only 18 off 16 while being dismissed twice. Lynn hasn’t been dismissed by legspin this season, but his strike rate against them – as is the case with other kinds of spin – is below 100.By opening the bowling with Sodhi or Shreyas, Royals will be able to hold back Gowtham for a contest he might relish, against his former Karnataka team-mate Robin Uthappa, who has only scored 33 off 33 against offspin this season while being dismissed twice. This while achieving strike rates of over 180 against both left-arm orthodox and legspin.

Stats that matter

• Home advantage could be a major factor in this game. Royals have a 9-8 win-loss record overall against KKR, but have only won one of their six meetings at the Eden Gardens. This season, moreover, Royals have won only two of their seven matches away from Jaipur.
• KKR’s players have played 50 IPL playoff matches between them, while Royals’ have only played 23.
• Dinesh Karthik will reach the 5000-run mark in T20s if he makes 36, while Sanju Samson needs 39 to get to 3000.
• Lasith Malinga (at the Wankhede Stadium) is the only bowler to take 50 or more wickets at one venue in the IPL. Sunil Narine needs two wickets to get to 50 at the Eden Gardens.
• Royals’ fortunes could well depend on how soon they can send back Narine – this season, he has the best Powerplay strike rate (198.4) of any batsman to face 75 or more balls in that phase. He has made 252 runs in the first six overs this season off 127 balls, while being dismissed eight times.

Fantasy pick

• Andre Russell has had a decent IPL without making as many match-turning interventions as his fans may have expected. Wednesday night could well be his night.
• Heinrich Klaasen struck form with a 21-ball 32 against Royal Challengers Bangalore, and also sparkled behind the stumps with three stumpings and a low, diving catch. He will still be full of confidence from that performance when he makes his IPL playoff debut, playing a crucial middle-order role in a team that lacks a bit of batting depth.

Royal Challengers Bangalore might have to start IPL 2017 without their captain Virat Kohli, as he battles against time to recover from a shoulder injury

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Mar-20171:00

Quick Facts – Virat Kohli in the IPL

Royal Challengers Bangalore might have to start IPL 2017 without their captain Virat Kohli, as he battles against time to recover from the shoulder injury he picked up during the Australia Tests. The IPL starts on April 5, with Royal Challengers playing defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad in the tournament opener.”It’s still a few weeks to go before I can be 100% on the field,” Kohli said at the end of the Dharamsala Test, when asked about his fitness. “But these things happen in your career. Got to take it in my strike and move forward.”Kohli had hurt his right shoulder during the third Test in Ranchi, when he dived in an attempt to stop a boundary. He sat out the final Test as a result.Royal Challengers were yet to offer an official comment on Kohli’s availability. Kohli has missed only one game for the franchise so far, in the inaugural season in 2008. In 2016, he scored 973 runs for RCB and could have become the first player to score 1000 runs in an IPL season.

ESPNcricinfo previews the Group 1 encounter between England and Sri Lanka

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando25-Mar-2016

Match facts

March 26, 2016
Start time 1930 local (1400 GMT)2:37

Chappell: England mild favourites against SL

Big Picture

A drubbing at the hands of West Indies, a sensational run chase against South Africa, and a nerve-jangling finish against Afghanistan – England have perhaps had the most interesting campaign in Group 1, and they haven’t even had their customary big-tournament meltdown yet. There is a chance they will not have a meltdown at all. Eoin Morgan leads a side that has a little steel to it, which perhaps has not been the case in previous England sides. They have withstood onslaughts, and done enough – even if it is just enough – to win.Despite the middling total against Afghanistan, England’s batting still appears their latest asset. Joe Root is the form batsman from either side, and there is a spark to that top order, which has poise, imagination and power in equal measure.They have also handled spin moderately well, so far in the tournament. They played Samuel Badree out safely for 34 runs in their first match, which is much better than the performance Sri Lanka mustered against the same bowler. Imran Tahir didn’t rattle them either. Sri Lanka will have been encouraged that Afghanistan’s talented Rashid Khan did claim figures of 2 for 17 on a slow Delhi surface however, and will hope their own leggie, Jeffrey Vandersay, can inflict similar damage.If it’s Sri Lanka’s spinners England are worried about, Sri Lanka should be worried about Sri Lanka’s batsmen. It would be a waste of time to unpack the top order’s failure against West Indies, because those same flaws had been evident in Sri Lanka’s previous series, and the one before that, and the one before even that. There have been hard words, from fans and ex-players alike, from across the Palk Strait. “Take responsibility,” is an oft-heard refrain. Encouragingly, the team has at least stopped referring to their current state as a “transition period”.Defending champions Sri Lanka have to win to stay alive (barring a no-result), after West Indies overcame South Africa in Nagpur. With just one game remaining, England will book their berth in the semi-finals with a victory, but a loss – by any margin – will see them eliminated since their net run rate is lower than that of South Africa.Thisara Perera could have a key role to play for Sri Lanka•ICC/Getty Images

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)


England: WWLLL
Sri Lanka: LWLLL

In the spotlight

He’s promised much in the competition to date but, with a top score of 30 in three innings, more is expected of Jos Buttler, England’s T20 vice-captain and superstar-in-waiting. With the sharp end of the tournament now upon England, there’s no time to fit in another dress rehearsal. Against Afghanistan, Buttler was guilty of attempting too much too soon on a wicket that demanded a hint of circumspection. Admittedly, it took a scorching catch to remove him but, given how destructive he can be when he gets going, he’ll know this time around that he can afford a few sighters to find his range.In the midst of an otherwise forlorn performance against West Indies, the batting exploits of Thisara Perera were a lone crumb of comfort. From the depths of 47 for 5, his 40 from 29 balls at least offered his side a token target to defend. As it happens, he then conceded the contest in the space of two legal deliveries, but his introduction in the 19th over – with just seven runs to defend – was an unfair reflection of his status as Sri Lanka’s go-to death bowler. In the absence of Lasith Malinga, recovering back home from a knee injury, he has big shoes to fill.

Teams news

Alex Hales was playing football with the rest of the squad before training on Friday, so he seems to be on the mend after his back injury. James Vince will make way at the top of the order if so. Liam Dawson’s international debut is sure to be put on the back-burner following the success of Liam Plunkett against Afghanistan, plus the fact that Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid bowled just five overs between them in that match.England (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 Jos Buttler (wk), 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 David Willey, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Liam PlunkettSri Lanka have three frontline spinners on tour. There is a chance each of them will feature in this match, which means a seamer may miss out. Nuwan Kulasekara appears likeliest to exit the side.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Lahiru Thirimanne, 4 Chamara Kapugedara, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Milinda Siriwardana, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Sachithra Senanayake, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Jeffrey Vandersay

Pitch and conditions

Both teams expected the pitch to play slow – as it did for England during their match against Afghanistan. That doesn’t necessarily mean it will take much turn, though. The weather is not expected to impede play.

Stats and trivia

• Joe Root is the highest tournament run-scorer of the batsmen who have only played in the Super 10s, hitting 143 runs at a strike rate of 162.50.
• Thisara Perera’s highest T20I score remains the 49 off 25 he hit against England at the Oval in 2014.
• England’s last meeting with Sri Lanka at the World T20 was also their sole highlight of a disappointing campaign. On a memorable evening in Chittagong, Alex Hales toppled the eventual champions with a brilliant 116 not out from 64 balls. His onslaught secured a six-wicket victory and remains England’s only T20I hundred.
• Sri Lanka’s sole WT20 victory in three previous meeting with England came on home soil in 2012, a 19-run win in Pallekele where the absent Malinga took 5 for 31, his best figures in T20Is.

Quotes

“Being from England and facing completely different conditions for the majority of your career, you’ve got to work pitches out pretty quickly and be quite smart. The guys who have experience of playing in India have really got to try and work that out and communicate to the rest of the guys.”
“In T20 formats it’s always better to chase. When you’re batting first you don’t have a target in your mind, but you do when you’re chasing. You realise first six overs how you need to bat. Chasing is an advantage as far as I’m concerned.”

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.”

After 28 consecutive wins in home ODIs when they’ve scored at least 250 batting first, Sri Lanka’s amazing run was ended in a nailbiter at the Premadasa

The Report by S Rajesh28-Jul-2012
ScorecardSuresh Raina marshalled the chase, along with Irfan Pathan, with an unbeaten half-century•AFP

After 28 consecutive wins in home ODIs when they’ve scored at least 250 batting first, Sri Lanka’s amazing run was ended in a nailbiter at the Premadasa. Riding on a superbly paced hundred by Gautam Gambhir, India overcame mid-innings wobbles, including losing two wickets off successive balls, as Suresh Raina – helped along by Irfan Pathan – did the finishing job to perfection. India now lead the five-match series 2-1.In conditions that offered an even contest between bat and ball, and there were several memorable performances, with fortunes swaying either way several times, till the Raina-Irfan partnership decisively swung it India’s way. India held the early ascendancy in the match with three quick wickets, but a top-notch 121-run stand for the fourth wicket between Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene edged it in Sri Lanka’s favour. Angelo Mathews and Jeevan Mendis further hammered home the advantage with a104-run partnership, including 97 off the last ten, as India’s bowling frailties at the death were exposed again. Then, when India’s chase appeared on course, Lasith Malinga, who historically hasn’t had such a happy time against them, struck twice with the first two balls of the batting Powerplay, at a time when India were fairly comfortably placed, needing 107 off 90 with eight wickets in hand, with MS Dhoni and Gambhir well set. And when Gambhir was found short by a direct hit from Isuru Udana – his one redeeming act on another disappointing bowling day – India seemed to have well and truly lost their way.The final twist in the tale, though, was still to come. When Pathan joined Raina, the task was steep – 91 runs in 12 overs, with not much batting to come. At that stage, though, Malinga, who had three overs to spare, was pulled out of the attack with three of his overs still in hand; in retrospect, another over at that stage, with both batsmenrelatively new to the crease, might have been worth the risk.With Malinga not in the attack, both batsmen eked out the runs through intended and unintended methods – flicks, edges, outside edges, inside edges all followed, but crucially for India, they all added to the total and brought down the target. Raina then launched into his trademark meaty hoicks to leg, bringing up his half-century with one such stunning six over long-on off Malinga in the 46th. With both batsmen getting a couple of fours through third man in Malinga’s previous over, the asking rate had suddenly come down to seven. India were back in control, and this time they didn’t let go.

Smart stats

• The target of 287 is the highest successfully chased by a team against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka. The top four run chases have been achieved by India.

• Since the start of 2011, teams have won eight and lost three matches while chasing at the Premadasa stadium. However, between 2000 and 2010, the record of chasing teams was 16 wins and 40 losses.

• Gautam Gambhir’s century is his 11th in ODIs and sixth against Sri Lanka. His top two scores have come against Sri Lanka.

• Gambhir, with six centuries against Sri Lanka, is joint-third on the list of batsmen with the most ODI centuries against Sri Lanka. Only Sachin Tendulkar (8) and Saeed Anwar (7) are above Gambhir.

• The match aggregate of 574 runs is the sixth-highest in an ODI at the Premadasa stadium. The top seven aggregates at the venue have all come in India-Sri Lanka ODIs.

• The 121-run stand between Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene is the highest fourth-wicket stand for Sri Lanka against India. It is the fourth-highest fourth-wicket partnership in ODIs at the Premadasa stadium.

• Angelo Mathews’ strike rate of 124.56 during his 71 is his highest for a fifty-plus score in ODIs. It is his second half-century against India and the 11th overall.

• Suresh Raina’s half-century is his 23rd in ODIs and seventh against Sri Lanka. His strike rate of 144.44 is his highest for a fifty-plus score against Sri Lanka.

• The 92-run stand between Raina and Irfan Pathan is the highest sixth-wicket stand against Sri Lanka in an ODI in Sri Lanka.

Till the 36th over of the chase, it seemed India’s win might be achieved with far lesser drama, with Gambhir and Virat Kohli – their trusted pair in a run-chase, putting together 105 in quick time after the early loss of Virender Sehwag. Gambhir’s was a masterclass, as he took charge of the chase from the start, upper-cutting Malinga in the first over, and then regularly finding the boundaries with square-drives and cuts. Against the spinners, he was always in his comfort zone, chipping into the outfield for twos to stay within touching distance of the asking rate.Sri Lanka’s innings was a story of two high-quality partnerships. Jayawardene’s decision to bat first at a venue where recent results have favoured the team chasing seemed to have backfired when ZaheerKhan and Irfan reduced them to 20 for 3. Both bowlers made excellent use of the bounce and seam movement on offer, regularly beating the bat. The wickets followed soon, as Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga and Dinesh Chandimal all succumbed early.That’s when the class of Sangakkara and Jayawardene shone through. In testing conditions, where strokeplay wasn’t easy against the new ball, both batsmen settled in quickly, though Jayawardene was more circumspect early. Sangakkara unfurled a couple of classy drives – straight and square – and also defended expertly, playing with soft hands, into the gaps, for ones and twos. His one testing moment came in the 15th over, when a short one from Ashok Dinda struck him on his right glove; Sangakkara continued batting, but the injury was later diagnosed as a fracture. Jayawardene, meanwhile, settled in and showed his range and silken touch, playing lofted drives on the off side and deft late-cuts off Rahul Sharma, whose extra pace suited him perfectly.The century partnership duly came up – it was their fifth India, and only one pair has more. They both looked good to post individual hundreds too, but neither did.When Sangakkara fell in the batting Powerplay, it seemed India had wrested the initiative again, but their slog-over bowling weakness, and some clever, enterprising batting from Mathews and Jeevan Mendis, meant Sri Lanka were the happier team at the break. Mathews had some luck when he was caught-behind off an Irfan no-ball when on 33, but there was also plenty of smart cricket from both. Mendis, brought into the team to replace Lahiru Thirimanne, justified that selection with an enterprising knock, reverse-sweeping Ashwin and then smashing Dinda’s friendly short ball over midwicket for the only six of the innings. Mathews was equally enterprising, moving to leg and making room to spank the medium-pacers through the offside.It seemed their heroics towards the end would be enough, but India’s three left-hand batsmen then came to the party.

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.

A thrilling encounter saw North Group leaders Nottinghamshire Outlaws held to a tie as Northamptonshire Steelbacks captain Andrew Hall produced the goods with bat and ball

22-Jun-2010
Scorecard
A thrilling encounter saw North Group leaders Nottinghamshire Outlaws held to a tie as Northamptonshire Steelbacks captain Andrew Hall produced the goods with bat and ball.
After finishing unbeaten on 40 in the Northants innings of 121 for 7, with Alex Wakely top-scoring with 43, Hall showed all of his experience to deny the hosts with a nerveless final over.Needing only five runs from the last six balls, Hall had Notts’ top scorer Steven Mullaney caught on the boundary for 53 before conceding four thanks to Graeme White’s paddle sweep. But with the scores level the former South Africa international allrounder produced two perfect yorkers to finish, with Darren Pattinson and White run out attempting to scramble the winning runs.That ruined a memorable match for fast bowler Pattinson, who began the contest with a wicket maiden on his way to career-best figures of 4 for 19 as Notts restricted the visitors to just 10 boundaries throughout their innings.Only three Northants batsmen reached double figures in the face of disciplined and probing bowling from the Notts attack, with all but overseas quick Dirk Nannes conceding less than a run a ball. The Steelbacks’ total would have been far worse but for the final over, which saw Nannes hit for 15 runs, including three fours.Nevertheless, the total appeared an easy one for Notts, who had won six of their opening seven matches thanks in the main to the powerful strokeplay of Alex Hales, Ali Brown, Samit Patel and David Hussey.But with Chaminda Vaas removing the first three for a combined total of eight and Hall bowling Hussey for two off an inside edge, Notts were in deep trouble at the end of the powerplay overs on 23 for 4.Matt Wood batted with purpose in making 41 from 32 balls with five fours, adding 55 for the fifth wicket with Mullaney before being caught at deep cover off James Middlebrook. That put the pressure on the Notts tail and despite Mullaney’s pulled four off Vaas’ last over leaving the hosts requiring less than a run a ball, Hall had the final say in a gripping finish.

Avishka Fernando’s 96 took Sri Lanka to 248, paving the way for their first bilateral ODI series win against India in 27 years

Madushka Balasuriya07-Aug-20245:39

India’s batting (except Rohit’s) against spin a sign of concern

Avishka Fernando struck 96 – the highest individual score this series – and Dunith Wellalage picked up a five-for as Sri Lanka secured a first ODI bilateral series win against India in 27 years, with a dominant 110-run win in the third and final ODI in Colombo.For India, it was a culmination of their travails against spin over the past week, losing nine wickets to spinners for the third game straight – the 27 in total their most over a three-match series.Related

• Is this for real? Sri Lanka's rare glory leaves India shaken

• Rohit: India 'need to seriously look at' their batting against spin

• Asalanka: Top-order contributions a sign of us maturing

• Stats – SL's spinners end India's 27-year streak

Wellalage was chief destroyer this time out with figures of 5 for 27, but at various times across the series it’s been Wanindu Hasaranga, Jeffrey Vandersay, or even Charith Asalanka. But at no point – aside from during Rohit Sharma’s now expected top-order romps – have India looked like they would be able to consistently contend.But this time, even Rohit’s impact was relegated to a mere cameo – 35 off 20 – as Wellalage had him caught behind trying to sweep before he could make any significant dents into Sri Lanka’s total.Aside from him, only Virat Kohli, Riyan Parag and Washington Sundar – 20, 15, 30 – got into double digits, and of those only Washington’s innings had sought to put any sort of pressure back on the Lankan bowlers.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

India’s struggles placed an even higher premium on Avishka’s 96 off 102 earlier in the day, which had set Sri Lanka up so well that not even a collapse that saw them lose 28 runs for five wickets could derail their innings to any significant end.Over the course of his innings, he was part of Sri Lanka’s most profitable partnerships – 89 and 82 for the first and second wickets respectively – but his innings was not a case of Sri Lanka playing spin considerably better than the opposition, rather finding a way to maximise the opportunities afforded by the seamers.In this case, while Shivam Dube went for just nine runs off his four overs, Mohammed Siraj was struck for his joint worst figures in ODIs – 78 for 1 off nine. And of that 78, Avishka was responsible for 36 of them, at a strike rate of 200.This though was more Siraj erring in his lines and lengths, than anything Avishka himself might have done to put him off. But on tricky surfaces such as those dished up at Khettarama, these are the margins that must be capitalised on.Anything short was invariably put away, while Siraj was also guilty of bowling too straight to him; of the 36 runs he conceded to Avishka, 32 were square or behind square on the onside.Sri Lanka interim coach Sanath Jayasuriya and captain Charith Asalanka had a first bilateral ODI series win against India in 27 years to celebrate•Associated Press

But while Siraj was having a mare, Parag was having a debut to remember. He grabbed the key wicket of Avishka, getting a leg break to slide on into his front pad, before getting another to grip, straighten and skid to trap Charith Asalanka on the crease.His best delivery though was reserved for danger man Wellalage, who was done in by one that dipped and turned, pitching middle and spinning past the outside edge to knock back off stump.His economy rate of six an over meanwhile was impacted by some late strikes, but the rest of the spinners – Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington – proved miserly as ever, picking up a wicket apiece and none going for more than Axar’s 4.10 per over.Parag and his spin cohorts however had to be patient for their rewards, as Sri Lanka strung together two strong stands at the top of the order. Alongside Avishka, Pathum Nissanka (45) and Kusal Mendis (59) made important contributions, but like in the first two games, Sri Lanka’s middle order succumbed swiftly and suddenly.From 171 for 1 they spluttered to 199 for 6. From midway through the 36th over when they lost Avishka, up until midway through the 48th – 72 deliveries to be precise – not a single boundary was scored, scrounging just 49 runs in the period. And from targeting a score in the region of 280, they were now struggling to reach 250.Fortunately for them, Mendis – one of Sri Lanka’s better players of spin – was around at the death, and he was able to strike some powerful blows to help push the total towards 240. A score that seemed competitive but perhaps underwhelming considering the start provided by Avishka and co., but one that proved plenty in the end.

Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings have proved experts wrong, and 2023 season begins with new rules

Deivarayan Muthu30-Mar-20233:17

Is death bowling a concern for CSK?

Match details

Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings, Ahmedabad: 7.30pm IST (2pm GMT)

Big picture

Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans, two teams that have specialised in proving haters – and experts – wrong, kick off the new IPL season in front of what is expected to be a capacity crowd in Ahmedabad. MS Dhoni in the bright yellow corner; Hardik Pandya, who has seemingly taken the Dhoni route to captaincy and his batting, in the navy blue one.You never know with Dhoni, but this could well be his farewell IPL season, while for Hardik, a successful title defence could potentially lead to his coronation as India’s future full-time white-ball captain. An intra-squad practice session that was thrown open to the public just an hour before the start at Chepauk is a portent of things to come at home, but Super Kings will have to deal with playing five of their first eight games away from home. They had the second-worst economy rate at the death last season with 11.29, but they didn’t quite remedy that at the auction.As for Titans, their major issue last season was the absence of a reliable anchor – they had trialled Vijay Shankar and B Sai Sudharsan in that role – but now they have brought in Kane Williamson, whose elbow is in much better shape than it was last year. Williamson’s presence could allow Hardik to float down the order as opposed to float up, something he did often last IPL. Titans’ bowling attack too ticks most boxes, with the arrivals of Shivam Mavi and Josh Little – the first Ireland player to be picked in the IPL – strengthening them even further.Related

• 'Home-and-away is what makes the IPL what it is'

• Will Chepauk return help CSK spin it to win it?

• Gujarat Titans look stronger for their title defence

• Revitalised Williamson returns to scene of his debut heroics

• How much impact will the Impact Player rule have?

Team news

The Sri Lanka pair of Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana will not be available for Super Kings’ first three games since they are currently participating in a six-match white-ball series in New Zealand. NZC, though, has released both Devon Conway and Mitchell Santner, who is likely to start for Super Kings not only in the absence of Theekshana, but also for the rest of the IPL. Left-arm seamer Mukesh Choudhary has been sidelined from the entire season with a back injury and replaced by Akash Singh.There were reports on Thursday that Dhoni could miss the IPL opener with an injury, but their CEO told ESPNcricinfo that Dhoni was fit.4:00

How crucial is Miller’s form for Gujarat Titans?

Fast bowler Sisanda Magala will also be unavailable for the early exchanges as he will be in action for South Africa against Netherlands. Similarly, Titans will miss their finisher David Miller, who will only link up with the franchise after the Netherlands ODIs end on April 2.

Toss and Impact Player strategy

Gujarat Titans
Possible bat-first XI: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Matthew Wade, 5 Hardik Pandya, (capt) 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Shivam Mavi, 9 Jayant Yadav/R Sai Kishore 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Mohammed ShamiA resoruce-maximising option for Titans is to bring in another batter, Abhinav Manohar, for instance, in place of one of the dismissed batters who is not athletic in the field. In this scenario, they can have seven bowling options, including Hardik and Tewatia, for their defence.Possible bowl-first XI: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Matthew Wade, 5 Hardik Pandya (capt), 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Shivam Mavi, 9 Jayant Yadav/R Sai Kishore 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Mohammed ShamiThis XI is no different to the bat-first XI, but in this case, Titans could use the Impact Player rule to bring in either Sai Sudharsan, if they need to stabilise the innings, or Manohar for a finishing kick, in place of Mohammed Shami.Chennai Super Kings
Possible bat-first XI: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Ben Stokes, 4 Moeen Ali, 5 Ambati Rayudu, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Shivam Dube, 8 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 9 Mitchell Santner, 10 Deepak Chahar, 11 Simarjeet Singh/Tushar DeshpandeIf Santner starts for Super Kings, they will have batting depth all the way down to No. 10, as well as six bowling options, discounting Ben Stokes. Ajinkya Rahane could be a failsafe at Chepauk, but it’s hard to see him slot in as an impact player away from Chennai. Plus, the other reserve batters Shaik Rasheed and Subhranshu Senapati are yet to make their IPL debuts. Don’t be surprised if Dhoni uses no Impact Player.Simarjeet Singh is a swing bowler, whereas Rajvardhan Hangargekar can dig the ball into the pitch•BCCI

Possible bowl-first XI: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Ben Stokes, 4 Moeen Ali, 5 Ravindra Jadeja, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Rajvardhan Hangargekar, 8 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 9 Mitchell Santner, 10 Deepak Chahar, 11 Simarjeet Singh/Tushar DeshpandeSuper Kings opted against rushing seam-bowling allrounder Rajvardhan Hangargekar into action last season. But following a good domestic season for Maharashtra, he could break into the starting XI if they need some hit-the-deck hustle. The 20-year-old can dig the ball into the pitch and offer something different to Super Kings’ seam attack, as both Deepak Chahar and Simarjeet Singh are both swing bowlers. When they bat, Super Kings could yank Ambati Rayudu out of the bench and use him in the middle order to counter Rashid Khan. He could potentially come in for Simarjeet as an Impact Player.

Stats that matter

• Rayudu has had the wood over Rashid, scoring 79 runs off 65 balls off him being dismissed in the IPL.
• Despite having missed the entire IPL 2022, Chahar remains the top wicket-taker in the powerplay in the past five seasons, with 42 strikes in 58 innings at an economy rate of 7.61.
• In the past year, Alzarri Joseph has conceded only 7.51 runs an over at the death in T20s. It is the second-best economy rate among right-arm seamers who have bowled at least 100 balls in that phase. Only Anrich Nortje has fared better than Joseph on this front with an economy rate of 7.39, but Nortje’s 16 wickets are two fewer than Joseph’s.

Pitch and conditions

The Motera has six red-soil pitches and five black-soil pitches. The ones used for the last IPL final and the recent T20I against New Zealand aided seamers, with dew not being much of a factor later in the evening. It rained on the eve of the IPL opener, disrupting the practice sessions of both teams, but the weather is expected to be clear for the duration of the game.