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Sri Lanka are still unsure whether their key spinner Ajantha Mendis will be fit to play their first Super Eights match on Sept 27

Sa'adi Thawfeeq26-Sep-2012Sri Lanka are still unsure whether their key spinner Ajantha Mendis will be fit to play their first Super Eights match against New Zealand on September 27. Mendis, who is suffering from a side strain, is scheduled to practice with the team today, and a call on his participation will be taken before the game.Mendis picked up the injury in Sri Lanka’s opening game against Zimbabwe on September 18, but completed his overs after being treated on the field. He has since then been under treatment and was left out of Sri Lanka’s final group match against South Africa on September 22; Sri Lanka lost that rain-curtailed game by 32 runs. Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, had said Mendis’ omission from the South Africa match on Saturday had simply been precautionary but, despite having eight days to recover, Mendis is yet to regain full fitness.”We are monitoring his progress carefully. We took an MRI scan on his left side and it showed a slight tear,” Charith Senanayake, the Sri Lanka manager, said on Tuesday. “These injuries are quite common with fast bowlers, but because Mendis bowls at a fast pace may have strained himself,” he said. “Mendis bowled a few overs at the nets today, but we will monitor him carefully and take a call whether he is fit enough to play against New Zealand.”Mendis marked his return to international cricket after a back injury had kept him out for eight months in Zimbabwe game with the best bowling figures by a bowler in T20 cricket with six wickets for eight runs.

Tim Linley claimed career best figures as Surrey beat Leicestershire by 10 wickets with a day to spare in the Division Two match at Grace Road

25-Aug-2011
ScorecardTim Linley claimed career best figures as Surrey beat Leicestershire by 10 wickets with a day to spare in the Division Two match at Grace Road. With opener Will Jefferson hitting his first century of the season Leicestershire totalled 286 in their second innings, with Linley taking six
wickets for 57 runs.It left Surrey a victory target of 111 and they made light work of the chase knocking off the runs in fewer than 17 overs. Captain Rory Hamilton-Brown hammered an uneaten 75 off 56 balls, with 54 of his runs coming in boundaries against a lacklustre Leicestershire attack. It was Surrey’s fifth win of the season and the 22 points they collected lifted them to third in the table, maintaining their promotion hopes.Although Leicestershire offered sterner resistance in their second innings it was never enough to deny Surrey victory. Jefferson held the innings together and kept the visitors at bay for a time
with a determined 205-ball 121 which included 14 fours and a six.He shared a fifth-wicket partnership of 119 in 24 overs with Ned Eckersley to give the home side hope that they could at least build up a big enough lead to give Surrey a few problems. But when Eckersley, who contributed 24 runs to the stand, edged a catch to slip off India left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha it signalled the end of the home side’s resistance.Jefferson, who had reached his 50 off 180 balls and looked in fine form, followed five runs later with the total at 198 when he was lbw to the same bowler. Then in the next over first innings hero Rob Taylor was also out edging a catch to wicketkeeper Steven Davies to leave Leicestershire 198 for 7.Fast bowler Linley, who had claimed three earlier wickets, then ran through the tailenders after the new ball was taken at 231 for 7. He had Paul Dixey lbw and bowled both Jigar Naik and Claude Henderson to finish with 6 for 57 off 21.2 overs.It left Surrey with 25 overs plus an extra half hour to clinch victory on the third day, and they did it well inside the distance. Some wayward bowling was punished with gusto by Hamilton-Brown, with Nathan Buck conceding 20 runs off his second over and the 50 total arriving in the
sixth over.Hamilton-Brown reached his own 50 off 32 balls with 10 fours and clinched the win with a cover drive to the boundary off Taylor off the third ball of the seventh over.

England’s coach, Andy Flower, has told his underperforming batsmen there is no place to hide after two poor performances in the third Test at The Oval allowed Pakistan to pull the four-match series scoreline back to 2-1

Cricinfo staff23-Aug-2010England’s coach, Andy Flower, has told his underperforming batsmen there is no place to hide after two poor performances in the third Test at The Oval allowed Pakistan to pull the four-match series scoreline back to 2-1 with just the decider at Lord’s to come this week. On a good batting track, England suffered collapses in each innings, including a remarkable subsidence of 7 for 28 second-time around, to muster scores of 231 and 222, as Pakistan held their nerve to win a tense contest by four wickets.Although England have shown faith with their team by naming the same 11 players plus the nominal12th man, Tim Bresnan, Flower knows that his players have to front up if they are to avoid squandering a series victory that seemed preordained when they went 2-0 up after the second Test with a nine-wicket win at Edgbaston. “On the batting side, I thought we underperformed without a doubt,” he said. “On a good Oval pitch, scores of 230 and 220 weren’t good enough to win a Test match, and we need to produce better results, simple as that.”Having bowled Pakistan out for 80 and 72 in the first two games of the series at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston, England’s own batting frailties had been masked to a certain degree. “I think the first two pitches we played on were very tricky surfaces,” said Flower. “So they would undoubtedly have contributed to collapses. But as a batting team we need to produce better results, simple as that. Lord’s should provide us with a very good opportunity to put things right and it is the responsibility of all of us to make sure that happens.”Despite conceding a first-innings deficit of 75, England were inching back into command of the game at 156 for 2, with Alastair Cook ending a season-long batting drought with his 13th Test century. But once he was dismissed, caught down the leg side for 110, the innings lost its momentum and the twin dismissals after tea of Kevin Pietersen and the well-set Jonathan Trott proved decisive in the final analysis.”At The Oval, although we won the toss and batted, they were still quite trying conditions,” said Flower. “But in the second innings there were no excuses whatsoever. We set up a brilliant platform through Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott and we performed poorly after that. Any batting collapse is concerning and there have been too many of them.”Nevertheless, Cook’s return to form, and the steady tempo that Trott displayed in his three-and-a-half-hour 36, were pleasing to Flower, who believes that – while Cook’s innings was a more aggressive affair than he is used to producing – both men have the ability to buck the current trend of fast and aggressive Twenty20-influenced scoring, for the greater benefit of their team. “There is a different style of batting in international cricket these days,” said Flower. “It is without doubt more attacking, and with that has come a heavier percentage of results and shorter games.”We thought that when Trott played an obdurate innings in our second innings and it was looked at as very rare and questioned by certain people. That was good, old-fashioned Test match batting. I thought it was quite a good example of how attitudes to strike rates in Test cricket have changed.”Cook is quiet but he is quietly strong,” he added. “After failing in the first innings and having a rough time of it recently, I think it was a courageous knock filled with really exciting strokeplay. He is a tough young man and that is why he has the record he has. But he has got to back that up now, at Lord’s and into the future.”The man whom Flower was most impressed by, however, was England’s wicketkeeper and No.7, Matt Prior, who followed up his century in the second innings at Trent Bridge with a vital 84 not out that dug England out of a big hole at 94 for 7 on the first day at The Oval. “He’s looking probably the most organised I’ve seen him as a batsman since he started playing international cricket,” said Flower. “Graham Gooch and he have worked hard at the basics of batting and I think we can see the results of some of those hours in training.”Despite the Oval loss, Flower was confident that his players would bounce back with a strong performance. “Lord’s should provide us with a very good opportunity to put things right and it is the responsibility of all of us to make sure that happens,” he said. “Once the boys step over the boundary it is their job to embrace that responsibility and be skilful enough to deal with the pressures of international cricket. I think we’re underperforming. I think our batsmen believe that as well. And they will be doing everything to put that right.”

Quadricep tear could force her to miss eight of Sydney Sixers’ 10 league games

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2024New Zealand allrounder Amelia Kerr has been ruled out of the remaining two ODIs against India after tearing her left quadricep muscle. Kerr picked up the injury during the opening game on Thursday, which India won by 59 runs, and is expected to take approximately three weeks to recover. She will not be replaced in the ODI squad.This also puts her WBBL participation in serious doubt for Sydney Sixers with the tournament set to start on Sunday. Amelia was a big-name pre-signing for Sixers as a platinum-category pick and could miss eight of Sixers’ 10 league games even if she recovers in three weeks.An NZC release stated Amelia was taken for scans on Friday morning, which revealed a grade-one quadricep tear, and that she would return home on Sunday to start her rehabilitation.”We’re really gutted for Melie,” New Zealand head coach Ben Sawyer said. “Injuries are always a challenging time for a player and we know how disappointed she is to not be able to play these games.”Everyone knows how much of an integral part of this team Melie is so we’ll certainly miss her but we’re wishing her a speedy recovery.”Soon after playing a pivotal role in New Zealand’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign as the tournament’s highest wicket-taker with 15 scalps, Amelia was New Zealand’s best bowler in the opening ODI too, taking 4 for 42 before scoring an unbeaten 25 off 23 in the chase. The remaining two ODIs are on October 27 and 29, also in Ahmedabad.Amelia’s absence could hurt New Zealand’s hopes of climbing the Women’s ODI Championship table, where a top-six finish will ensure direct qualification for the ODI World Cup in 2025. New Zealand are currently placed sixth out of 10 teams and will next play Australia in December.

Glamorgan make early running but lower-order turn tables from 110 for 6

ECB Reporters Network03-Sep-2023Club Captain Brett D’Oliveira helped inspire a Worcestershire comeback on his return from injury for the LV=Insurance County Championship top-three encounter with Glamorgan at New Road.D’Oliveira, side-lined for three weeks with a dislocated shoulder, came to the wicket with Worcestershire 103 for 5 after they had been put into bat with Jamie McIlroy picking up three wickets.A mixture of probing and accurate bowling but also some undistinguished shots had put Glamorgan in command until D’Oliveira redressed the balance of the day.He top-scored with 74 not out and was given excellent support by Logan van Beek and on loan Essex all-rounder Ben Allison during stands of 101 and 64.D’Oliveira has a liking for playing against Glamorgan, having scored three Championship hundreds, including a career best 202 not out, and his best bowling figures of 7 for 92.Earlier, Gareth Roderick and Adam Hose had led a partial recovery in challenging conditions during the morning session from 33 for 3.Worcestershire were able to secure two batting bonus points before being dismissed shortly before the close and then Glamorgan openers Ed Byrom and nightwatchman James Harris survived two overs.A see-saw day ended with honours even with McIlroy returning 3 for 41 and Harris 3 for 74.Of concern to Glamorgan will be what appeared to be a hamstring injury suffered by Timm van Gugten during his 17th over which had to be completed by James Harris.Allison was brought in after injuries to Matthew Waite and Adam Finch led to a search for a temporary replacement.Spinner Ben Kellaway made his first-class bow for Glamorgan who went into the game in third place and 14 points adrift of their opponents.Glamorgan skipper Kiran Carlson opted to bowl first and the new-ball pair of van der Gugten and McIlroy quickly made inroads in a pitch offering enough assistance to encourage the seamers.Jake Libby has experienced a prolific summer with more than 900 Championship runs but the opener tried to force van der Gugten off the back foot and was caught behind.Azhar Ali then gave his wicket away when he clipped McIlroy straight to midwicket.Jack Haynes, playing his first senior game for six weeks after injury, was undone by a fine delivery from Harris which nipped away and was caught behind.Roderick passed 600 runs for the summer but survived a low chance to second slip on 23 off former Worcestershire Academy player Zain Ul Hassan.He battled away in typically resolute fashion through to lunch with Hose who had returned to the side after his spell with Northern Superchargers in The Hundred.But there was another clatter of wickets on the resumption.Roderick (43) added only a single before he was lbw after pushing forward to Harris in the third over of the afternoon session.Kashif Ali, the leading six-hitter in the Metro Bank One Day Cup with 21 maximums, replicated Azhar Ali in picking out mid wicket off McIlroy.Hose had batted impressively in mixing defence with aggression but on 43 tried to cut a widish delivery from McIlroy and only found first slip.D’Oliveira and van Beek joined forces and redressed the balance during an aggressive stand.The latter had attracted head-lines in June for smashing 30 for the Netherlands off a Super Over from his close friend Jason Holder in a ICC World Cup qualifier against the West Indies in Zimbabwe.Van Beek, who also played for Worcestershire in the Metro Bank One Day Cup, mixed some powerful hitting with watchful defence while D’Oliveira batted with typical fluency.A cover-drive off Kellaway for his 10th four enabled van Beek to complete a 73-ball half century and also earn Worcestershire their first batting point.The partnership was broken shortly after tea when van Beek (53) attempted to drive ul Hassan and was caught and bowled low down.But D’Oliveira completed his own fifty from 87 deliveries, also at Kellaway’s expense with a late cut for his seventh boundary, and Allison gave him good support.They added 64 in 18 overs before Allison (37) aimed a drive at Harris and was bowled via the inside edge.Ul Hassan then wrapped up the innings by dismissing Joe Leach and Dillon Pennington cheaply to leave D’Oliveira undefeated with his 139-ball innings containing seven boundaries.

Opener’s 69-ball effort, only marginally slower than his more celebrated team-mate, leaves Worcestershire clinging on

David Hopps07-May-2022Two centuries in the match for Sean Dickson, the second of them a rip-roaring affair made at a pace that only Ben Stokes has ever outdone in Durham’s history, and then only on the previous day, have prepared the ground for Durham to secure their first win of the season at the fifth attempt, an overdue reward for a county that was strongly fancied to be contesting the promotion places at the beginning of the season.Durham need eight wickets on the final day to beat Worcestershire, who are still 357 runs adrift, but any regular county cricket observers who have alighted on the competition for the first time this summer need to be brought up to date: that task is no longer as straightforward as it was once.Durham’s task is also compounded by the fact that the workload of Stokes, England’s new captain, their champion allrounder and therefore a tough guy who is regarded as vulnerable as porcelain, must be managed on his first appearance of the season. “Put overs into the legs of the Durham bowlers,” was the understandable policy of the Worcestershire dressing room. It was just that… there’s a tough England summer ahead, can’t you go a little easy?Related

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Stokes has set up their victory push, alongside Dickson, with his breathtaking 161 from 88 balls on the second day, which delighted all who saw it, apart from Kevin Pietersen, who demanded the emergency introduction of franchise cricket, but it is questionable whether he will be able to finish off the job with the ball.England’s official instructions to their pace attack on the rare occasions they play county cricket are apparently not quite as prescriptive as once they were. Either they have happily adopted a less authoritarian approach or they just know that the likes of Stokes, James Anderson and Stuart Broad have the strength of mind to prepare themselves for Test cricket much as they see fit. But everybody knows there must be limits.If there is no likelihood therefore that Stokes’ phone will ping at breakfast on the final day advising him to bowl 12 overs in three four-over bursts, unless the wind is from a northerly direction, in which case the number of overs allowed should be divided by the moisture content of the pitch measured at hourly intervals, they may prefer instead to send an ambitious middle manager, armed with a Bluetooth-enabled microphone, to yell in his direction if he gets carried away.Such a recourse may be necessary because Durham could face an exacting day to force victory at New Road and confirm themselves as worthy promotion challengers. The pitch showed signs of unevenness for the new ball, and Chris Rushworth, who has had a tough season, took advantage by removing both Worcestershire openers, but it could easily go flat. With respect to Liam Trevaskis they do not have a spinner of repute, and the workhorse seamer – Ben Raine – stood down for Stokes in this match.At 169 for 6 when play resumed, the arrears still a monumental 411 runs, Worcestershire’s second innings might have been expected to run aground fairly quickly. But this is 2022, where batters have strutted their stuff and even the tailenders have done a good impression of the same. Joe Leach’s defiant 62 was the main component as Worcestershire batted the same amount of time again and, after a best-ignored but professionally-impressive sequence when the last pair blocked for 40 minutes without a run, their stand worth 29 in 19 overs, they were only one ball short of 100 overs when they were dismissed for 309.Matthew Potts finished with 6 for 62•Getty Images

Matthew Potts tacked on the wicket of Ben Cox to register 6 for 62 in a season where he has been one of the standout quick bowlers on predominately benign pitches. It should be conceded, however, that the number of quality fast bowlers jostling for attention would barely fill a phone box, especially as these days most of the room is already taken up by defibrillators or Ken Follett novels.In the circumstances, Scott Borthwick’s decision to give his bowlers a breather, and bat again, made sense and he could no have been happier with the outcome as Dickson recorded his second hundred of the match, Alex Lees (with less of the strike) added an unbeaten 60 and Durham declared after 21.3 overs at 170 for 1.Worcestershire spent much of the time employing white-ball tactics, to no great effect as Durham scored at a rate that they only manage occasionally in T20 itself. They also got Josh Baker, their 18-year-old left-arm spinner, back into the game as early as the seventh over after his 34-run mauling from Stokes on the previous day. Dickson reverse swept his first ball for four and later deposited a full toss so far that the ball was never found. After a lengthy delay, Baker bounced back with the replacement, beat the outside edge but Cox missed the stumping. Character-forming stuff, which is always a disturbing phrase.Dickson’s century rattled along in only 69 balls, which would have been the fastest hundred in Durham’s history had not Stokes managed one in 64 balls in the first innings. “I did realise when I was on about 60 that I was in with a chance of the fastest century for Durham but they kept bowling really wide down the leg side. I was going for it. It wasn’t to be.”Stokes’ hundred gained widespread media attention, whereas Dickson (and this report is culpable) will do well to get a nod of recognition. Such is the life of the respected but largely unsung county pro. He struck eight sixes on his way to his fourth century of the season and third in successive innings. He is having an outstanding season with this hundred giving him 729 runs at an average of 81 and taking him beyond Derbyshire’s Shan Masood as the leading run-maker in either division of the Championship.He will doubtless feel miffed that runs are so plentiful that his efforts may not receive the notice they deserve. That’s county cricket, but on a golden Spring evening at New Road it was still a wonderful place for any person of imagination to be.

Head coach heaps praise on captain Rahane’s influence

Sidharth Monga29-Dec-2020Bowled out for 36. Missing three, arguably four, first-choice players. Losing another mid-Test. Spending months on the road and in mentally challenging bubbles. Losing the toss. Becoming only the third team to come back from a 0-1 deficit in the last 50 years in Australia. You might have accused India coach Ravi Shastri of hyperbole in the past, but you probably wouldn’t argue against his assessment that India’s win in Melbourne after all that is one of the great comebacks in Test history, not just Indian cricket.”I think this will go down in the annals of Indian cricket – no, world cricket – as one of the great comebacks in the history of the game,” Shastri said. “You know to be rolled over for 36 and then three days later to get up and be ready to punch was outstanding. The boys deserve all the credit for the character they have shown. Real character.”The key to this comeback, Shastri said, was to accept the result in Adelaide and move on. He was asked what the chat was in the dressing room in Adelaide and then in Melbourne when they rocked up.”No chat,” he said of Adelaide. “And when we arrived in Melbourne, it was the things we have got to do to get up and fight.4:10

Ravi Shastri: Great to see maturity, flair and discipline from Shubman Gill and Siraj

“We had a lot of positives in Adelaide but at the end of the day it is the result that counts. We were blown away in the second innings in one hour. So when you are blown away, you are blown away. There is nothing you can do about it than to get up and fight, which we did in this Test match. To beat a team like Australia, especially in Australia, there is no point having one good day or two good days, you have got to have five good days if you have to beat them. As simple as that.”India began the final day of the Test still needing four wickets with scores level, and were held up by a stubborn tail helped by a missing seamer and by now a lifeless track. “We were focusing on accuracy and discipline,” Shastri said. “And be patient. Be prepared to be patient even if they batted a session or a session and a half. Be prepared to chase even 100 or 150 if needed. Think in that fashion. Think as if you have to take 10 wickets not just four wickets.”Shastri was glowing in the praise of the stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane, especially his batting. “The discipline,” said Shastri of Rahane’s century. “On such a big stage, in a massive arena, to come as captain of the team, bat at No. 4. When he went out to bat, we were two down for 60 and then to bat six hours on probably the toughest day to bat. It was overcast; all day the sun never came out. He batted for six hours. Unbelievable concentration. I thought his innings was the turning point.”Shastri acknowledged the calmness of Rahane played a part on the field. “He is a very shrewd leader, he has a good understanding for the game. A good reader of the game. And I thought his calm composure out there in the middle helped the debutants as well, helped the bowlers as well. There was a calming influence out there. In spite of losing Umesh [Yadav], he did a great job out there.”India fans show their support•Getty Images

One of the big positives for India will be that the debutants Mohammed Siraj and Shubman Gill looked ready for the occasion, for Test cricket, playing in a big match. “That’s the brand of cricket we have been playing for the last three or four years,” Shastri said. “When you saw these two debutants show that kind of maturity and discipline there, it was great to see. Today Siraj’s effort was outstanding actually. He might not have the numbers to show for it but the discipline and the ability to bowl long spells, the maturity he showed for someone playing his first Test, doing the job he had to do once we lost Umesh, was outstanding.”Then Shubman going and playing with that kind of flair later on was great to see. Great character. More than anything else, great character. He looked very very mature for someone playing his first Test match. He looked very calm and composed. Wasn’t afraid to play his shots, which was great to see. Even in the second innings, it was very easy to get into a shell but he went out there and played his natural game, which was great from the team point of view.”Related

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Shastri credited the IPL for giving India international-cricket-ready debutants. “A lot has to do with the IPL,” he said. “The fact that they share the dressing room with international players, they rub shoulders with the best, it is that complex factor disappears very quickly. And you see what you see now.”While Shastri gave all the credit to the players, the team management made a bold move of playing a fifth bowler, Ravindra Jadeja, who proved his worth in all three disciplines. “He is a genuine allrounder,” Shastri said of Jadeja. “That is why he bats where he is. He can bat at 6, he can bat at 5 if need be on a given occasion. But he is a genuine genuine allrounder. That’s why he lends a lot of balance to the side. Also when you play overseas there is a chance of one of the bowlers getting injured, like you saw with Umesh. With Jadeja there, it gives better balance and it also gives fast bowlers some respite with Jaddu and Ashwin doing the bowling.”They also replaced Wriddhiman Saha, the more accomplished pure wicketkeeper, with Rishabh Pant, the keeper-batsman. “I thought he was very very good,” Shastri said of Pant. “Anyone can make a mistake. Any batsman can make a mistake. I thought the discipline he showed, the runs he made, his ability to counterattack, and play some shots and move the game forward. It is a huge plus for the team. He showed it in this game. He might have got only 29 but there was a lot more than 29 there.”Shastri confirmed they will continue with five bowlers for the next Test, but will wait to see how fit Rohit Sharma is before deciding on any change in the batting for the third Test. “We will stick to five bowlers,” Shastri said. “Rohit joins the team tomorrow. We will have a chat with him tomorrow to see where he is placed physically because he has been in quarantine for the last couple of weeks. Also got to see how he feels before we take the call.”

Abbott runs through Somerset with 9 for 40 before James Vince’s unbeaten century builds lead for Hants

Matt Roller at the Ageas Bowl17-Sep-2019Hampshire 196 (Dawson 103, Gregory 3-63) and 176 for 8 (Vince 102*) lead Somerset 142 (Abbott 9-40) by 230 runsA relentless Kyle Abbott ran through Somerset’s batting line-up to finish with the best figures in the County Championship since in three years and dent their hopes of winning a maiden title.Abbott’s overnight figures had been impressive – he had two wickets for one run in six overs – and he added a further seven on a bright, sunny day, moving the ball prodigiously off the seam while hammering away at a good length.Despite some resistance in the form of a dogged 67-run stand for the ninth wicket between Dom Bess and Roelof van der Merwe, Somerset folded for 142, leaving them 54 runs in arrears.They struck early with the new ball, leaving Hampshire in trouble at 45 for 6, before James Vince’s sublime, unbeaten 102 wrestled control back, while events at Chelmsford confirmed that next week’s game at Taunton will be a title decider regardless of what happens in this round of games.The reasons players sign Kolpak deals are myriad and complex, and Abbott has no regrets about his decision to do so back in 2017, but it was impossible to watch this display without a tinge of sadness that he has played his last game of international cricket.Many of his best balls did not take wickets, and instead jagged away late off the seam past the outside edge; but the balls to remove Tom Abell (bowled shouldering arms), James Hildreth (feathering behind) and George Bartlett (trapped lbw in front of off stump) all stuck in the memory as deliveries about which little could have been done.The wicket here has been an unusual one. In each of the three innings thus far, it has looked like a snakepit when the seamers are armed with a new, hard ball; once it has softened, the dryness underneath the grassy top has made the surface comparatively placid. Somerset picked two spinners in the expectation that it might turn as the game wore on, but movement off the seam, coupled with good pace and slightly irregular bounce, has been the key factor in keeping the scores down.Vince signalled in the aftermath of the game against Surrey last week that his side were “motivated to turn in a strong performance” to spoil Somerset’s party, and he appeared to have taken that mantra to heart in his innings.He took 23 balls to get off the mark, and was unbeaten on five after 43, before flying through the gears faster than a sixth-former in the outside lane in their first time on the motorway, creaming 14 fours as he reached a sublime hundred from 136. The pick of them were an outrageous one-two off Abell’s medium pace; the first a length ball whipped from outside off stump through midwicket, the second a late cut dabbed through third man for four.Within five overs of being joined by Abbott, batting at No. 10, Vince was faced with a field comprising a wide slip, and eight men on the boundary. It did little to deter him, and he manoeuvred the strike expertly in their unbeaten partnership, which stands at 73 overnight.”Wishing all the luck in the world to Somerset today! This could be our first County Championship in 600 years,” John Cleese had tweeted on Monday morning, and the club’s wait has been so long and agonising for their supporters that it might well feel as though he wasn’t too far out in his exaggerated calculations.In the film Clockwise, Cleese’s character Brian Stimpson cries: “It’s not the despair, Laura. I can take the despair. It’s the hope I can’t stand.” So it must feel in Taunton on days like this.There have been points at which Somerset have seemed in control of this game, but they now find themselves needing to make the highest total of the match in the fourth innings if they are to win.But today’s struggle with the bat effectively confirmed what was already apparent for Somerset: if they do win the title, it will likely be in spite of, rather than because of, their batting. No player averages more than 35 this season, while nobody is near the aggregate of 1000 runs that was once used as a benchmark.There are extenuating circumstances – only one ground, Chelmsford, has seen fewer runs scored per wicket than Taunton’s 23.95 – but the reality is that few teams win pennants without a single batsman having a notable season.Jason Kerr, the head coach, is not waiving the white flag just yet. “”I think the surface is changing,” he said, “and if we can get through with the new ball then I think we are in the game. Hampshire scored 400 in the third innings last week and it is a similar pitch to this. There is a great opportunity for us tomorrow.”It is fighting talk, but with Abbott in this form, getting through the new ball is hardly a simple task. And with the forecast for next week’s game looking decidedly iffy, it is clear that tomorrow’s events will go a long way towards determining the identity of this year’s champions.

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots dismissed Stars for the third-lowest total in the CPL, in a game that barely lasted 20 overs

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu22-Aug-2018
Sheldon Cottrell brings out the dab•CPL T20/ Getty Images

After shellacking 226 – the highest total in the CPL – and snapping their 14-match losing streak on Friday, St Lucia Stars returned to their old ways, folding for 69 in 12.3 overs against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots at the Darren Sammy Stadium. Notably, this was the shortest innings and the third-lowest total in the league.It was seamer Sheldon Cottrell and spinners Mahmudullah and Sandeep Lamichhane who had skittled Stars by collecting seven wickets among them. Wicketkeeper-batsman Devon Thomas, who was promoted to the top in place of captain Chris Gayle, then hastened the victory, with an unbeaten 38 off 21 balls, in a game that barely lasted 20 overs.Stars fade away
In their previous two matches at Gros Islet, Stars had amassed 226 and 212. But Tuesday’s pitch was a bit two-paced and even lent assistance to spin. Andre Fletcher launched the first ball over wide long-on for a big six, but it turned out to be a red herring. Three balls later, he scooped an innocuous low full-toss back to Cottrell, the bowler. Stars’ batsmen lurched from one poor shot to another, while Gayle sat back and kept himself at slip through the innings.Bangladesh’s Mahmudullah, who took the new ball from the other end, had Rakheem Cornwall chipping a catch to mid-off in his first over and then had Lendl Simmons stumped in his second – a wicket-maiden.The onus was on Kieron Pollard and David Warner to rescue the Stars, but they too couldn’t deal with the two-paced surface and Patriots’ relentless accuracy. Pollard laboured to 4 off 10 balls, before being undone by Cottrell’s extra bounce. Later, in the post-match presentation, Cottrell revealed that Patriots’ plan was to hit hard lengths against Pollard and cramp him for room.Warner, who had faced all of eight balls in the Powerplay, himself fell, when he was duped by a wrong’un from Lamichhane in the ninth over. Stars were 49 for 5 at that point.Afghanistan’s Qais Ahmad, who had turned 18 last week, was more confident against Mahmudullah and Lamichhane, taking two sixes and a four off them. All told, he was the only Stars batsman to pass 15. However, he was dismissed in the 12th over, when Lamichhane drew him out of the crease with a loopy legbreak. In the next over, Cottrell had No. 11 Obed McCoy nicking off to provide the coup de grace.Devon Thomas sparkles
After effecting four dismissals behind the stumps – the joint-most in a CPL innings alongside Kumar Sangakkara – Thomas was bumped up to open the batting alongside Evin Lewis, who had managed only four runs in five T20 innings prior to Tuesday’s game. Lewis’ lean patch continued, as he was bounced out by Mitchell McClenaghan for 13, but Thomas reeled off three boundaries off McCoy in the arc between backward point and mid-off. He went onto smear Kesrick Williams for a flat six over extra-cover, and added 30 off 17 balls with Brandon King.King and Tom Cooper were dismissed in successive overs, but Thomas and Anton Devcich eventually sealed Stars’ fate, with seven wickets and 74 balls to spare.

Sri Lanka have had a difficult time in ODIs of late, and go into this tournament as clear underdogs. But, with this liberating sense of freedom, will they surprise the world?

Andrew Fidel Fernando29-May-20170:58

The wristspinning trump card?

Overview

The high-intensity training camp has been attended, a foreign bowling coach hired, blessings have been sought, declarations of confidence made, and the press has been conferenced, but will any of that help Sri Lanka leave an impact on the Champions Trophy?

Squad

Angelo Mathews (capt), Upul Tharanga, Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Nuwan Pradeep, Asela Gunaratne, Chamara Kapugedera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Thisara Perera, Seekkuge Prasanna, Lakshan Sandakan

Their reality is stark. Sri Lanka’s first game of the tournament is against South Africa, who whitewashed them 5-0 earlier in the year. Their second match is against India, who have beaten them 12 times in their last 15 meetings. Even Pakistan – Sri Lanka’s third opponent – whose own ODI form has been modest, defeated Sri Lanka at home in the most-recent bilateral series between them. Never in this century, perhaps, has a Sri Lanka side approached a global tournament with expectations so low.Yet, along with the low expectations, comes a sense of freedom, Sri Lanka say. There is the hope someone in their top order will take the tournament by the collar – perhaps Kusal Mendis, who has already made his mark in the Test format, or Niroshan Dickwella, whose heroics so far, have been in T20s. There is the belief someone like Lakshan Sandakan, the left-arm wristspinner, can make his presence felt during the opposition’s middle overs.Most of all, Sri Lanka are desperate for a roaring return to ODIs for their longtime match-winner, Lasith Malinga. Though he hasn’t played an ODI since 2015, largely due to injury, Malinga’s form did appear to improve through the recent IPL. Earlier in the year, Malinga’s return to T20s also showcased just how much his experience can lift the attack – not only is he an expert end-overs operator, even the other bowlers appear to lift their performance when Malinga takes the tough roles off their hands.But even with Malinga, it is as yet unclear whether he will be fit enough to deliver 10 overs at full intensity. Where other teams have form, runs and wickets behind them, Sri Lanka have only hope.

Champions Trophy history

1998 – Semi-finalists
2000 – Knocked out at first stage
2002 – Joint-champions
2004 – Knocked out at group stage
2006 – Knocked out at group stage
2009 – Knocked out at group stage
2013 – Semi-finalists

Form guide

This does not make for pretty reading. Sri Lanka drew a home series 1-1 against Bangladesh this year, but had been pulverized in South Africa, and have been regularly walloped by New Zealand over the past few years. Sri Lanka have not beaten a Champions Trophy side in a bilateral series since late 2014, when they defeated England in a seven-match series at home.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Strengths

The least of Sri Lanka’s weaknesses appears to be their top order. Their likely top six will feature Upul Tharanga, who provides experience, and has prospered in this tournament before. Also on show are Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews – senior men with a history of consistent output, even if the latter is coming back to the side following a long layoff.But perhaps the most-watched players will be Mendis and Dickwella, both of whom are blinding talents, but for whom the most significant hurdle will be the moving ball. Though Mendis had been the player of the tournament in last year’s ODI tri-series in Zimbabwe, and has more recently hit a maiden ODI ton at home, he had made a string of modest scores during Sri Lanka’s tour of South Africa, where the ball behaved roughly the same way it is expected to in England. Dickwella’s game, meanwhile, remains a little raw, and perhaps he is over-reliant on the areas behind square for his runs. If both these batsmen can find form however, Sri Lanka’s totals are likely to be healthy.

Weaknesses

There is plenty to choose from here, but it is difficult to look past Sri Lanka’s fielding, which in addition to having cost the team plenty of matches, has also been one of the world’s great recent sources of slapstick comedy. Over the past few years Sri Lankan fielders have routinely dived over the ball, kicked it to the boundary, fist-bumped it, chest-bumped it, groin-bumped it and occasionally used it as a blunt object to hurt themselves with. The quality of Sri Lanka’s fielding has also often been inversely proportional to the temperature, so if London or Cardiff sees an especially cold day, spectators could be in for a few laughs.

Key stats

• Over the past three years, Sri Lanka have lost twice as many matches (36) as they have won (18) against Champions Trophy oppositions
• Sri Lanka have also conceded an average of 57.9 runs in the last 10 overs of an opposition innings – the worst for any side participating in this Champions Trophy
• Upul Tharanga has 14 ODI centuries. The remaining batsmen in Sri Lanka’s squad have 10 combined
• Lasith Malinga last played an ODI on November 7, 2015