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Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach, has said his side may have found it hard to motivate themselves for the sixth ODI against New Zealand having already won the series

Andrew Fernando at Eden Park05-Feb-2011Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach, has said his side may have found it hard to motivate themselves for the sixth ODI against New Zealand, having already won the series. Pakistan lost Saturday’s match in Auckland by 57 runs, but the series ended 3-2 in their favour.”We tried our best today [Saturday], but it didn’t really happen,” Waqar said. “When you win the series, it’s hard to be motivated sometimes. Maybe you get a little lazy at times, but overall I’m happy with the way the boys played today.”Pakistan had won the toss and put New Zealand in to bat, hoping the Eden Park surface would offer something for the fast bowlers, but the pitch proved to be an absolute belter, as batsmen on both sides hit through the line without fear and to great effect; and Waqar admitted they had misread the conditions. “I think we were expecting the ball to move a little bit more. But here in Auckland it’s a very deceptive pitch. Even when we used to play here a few years ago, it looks damp but it does nothing.”New Zealand’s batsmen dominated the Pakistan attack on Saturday. Jesse Ryder made 107 from 93 balls, before Scott Styris and Nathan McCullum galloped to half-centuries towards the end of the innings to lift New Zealand’s total to 310. Pakistan lost three wickets inside twelve overs in their run chase and Waqar said it was the regular loss of wickets that left them unable to threaten New Zealand’s total.”We gave it a good run, but every time we got momentum we lost a wicket at the wrong time. They played better than us when we were bowling, so they deserved to win.”Pakistan cricket has had a controversy-ridden last 12 months, but Waqar said the latest news that Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were facing charges from the Crown Prosecution Service in the UK did not have any effect on Pakistan’s performance on the field in the final ODI, as the team were largely unaware of the charges. “I knew it because I read it in the paper, but I don’t think anybody else knew it. I don’t think the boys had any talk about it. It didn’t really bother us.”Pakistan’s loss at Eden Park followed a series-deciding victory in Hamilton, which gave Pakistan their first one-day series win since 2008. They had ended a four-year Test series drought, with a 1-0 win over New Zealand earlier in the tour, and Waqar said the results were encouraging ahead of the World Cup. “It’s been a while since Pakistan won anything. The most satisfying thing is the fitness is pretty good. The guys look good in the field, which has never happened before. They’re all geared up and hopefully the same momentum goes into the World Cup.”With the amount of controversy in the last 8 to 9 months, we needed something like this. We needed to develop our team again, and the only way we could do it is if we started playing well.”Misbah-ul-Haq and Wahab Riaz were rested for the final ODI, giving Sohail Tanvir and Asad Shafiq some valuable match practice before the World Cup. Tanvir was expensive, leaking 78 runs in eight overs, but Shafiq impressed during his stay, rebuilding smartly alongside Kamran Akmal after Pakistan had lost three early wickets. Waqar said Pakistan hadn’t yet finalised their XI for the World Cup. “We’ve given most of our guys a game. Asad Shafiq played really well today. It’s unfortunate he got run out because he was looking really good. We don’t really know the XI at the moment because there are a few warm-up games before the World Cup, but we’ve got a good unit.”

Tamim Iqbal’s brilliant 151 on the second day in Mirpur revealed a lot about his character – his aggressive streak as well as his efforts to temper it with patience

Sriram Veera in Mirpur26-Jan-2010Until very recently, if Tamim Iqbal had to be described by a punctuation mark, you would have picked a nice big bold exclamation mark. You would have also been tempted to colour it red. It wasn’t a difficult stereotype to arrive at. His batting was a scream of adrenalin and his life zoomed on the fast lane given that he races around in a BMW. The crimson ‘!’ was the easiest symbol to settle upon. Things are changing, though. Maturity hasn’t moved in yet but it is a frequent visitor these days.Today, all the typical Tamim strokes – the audacious slog-sweeps, the thrilling hits over mid-on, and the numerous sweep shots – were there, but what symbolised this knock was the uncharacteristic military snap with which he shouldered arms to a series of balls, well outside off stump from Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag. It was aimed at his past reputation, at the Tamim stereotype. One could understand the bowlers’ plan – surely, Tamim will go after them and throw his wicket away? But it didn’t work, as he kept leaving those deliveries. Ball after ball, over after over. It has to be a landmark event in Tamim’s brief batting career.There was a solitary moment of intrusion from the old Tamim which reminded us that no hasty conclusion can be drawn yet, that Tamim’s battle is still on but the journey to self-awareness has started. He lunged across, fetched a ball from outside off and top-edged a slog sweep but it fell clear of a desperate Sachin Tendulkar at mid-on. It wasn’t a brain freeze. It was just a relapse to his older self. The way he looked at that incident at the end of the day said much about him. “I knew Sehwag would try to bowl outside off to trap me and make me play a stupid shot. And I did it once. Just once.”A lovely smile lit up his face. There was no seriousness involved; just the naughty smile of a youngster talking about petty misdemeanours committed in adolescence. It conveyed that batting will essentially remain an activity of fun for Tamim and that he will continue to express himself; just that he is trying hard to add a slice of wisdom to it.Tamim’s new-found resolve could possibly be the influence of his coach and the youngster acknowledged his role. “Jamie Siddons was throwing his cap away in the dressing room! I knew my mistake and after that I played really well.” More smiles all around. “Siddons has been the best coach we have ever had. He has really worked hard with me.”There was another thing that Tamim said, and did, that epitomised his spirit perfectly. During the tea-break, when he was still 21 runs short of hundred, he was involved in an earnest conversation with Siddons, just beyond the boundary. “He said ‘no need to rush, just play your game and play as straight as possible’,” Tamim explained. As it transpired, he moved to his ton in just 14 balls post tea. He looted 14 runs – a charged four, a lashed boundary, and a slog-swept six – from three consecutive Pragyan Ojha deliveries, didn’t connect with couple of pulls and even charged out at a Zaheer Khan delivery. It was the very definition of rush. What was he thinking? “Oh it wasn’t like that. I thought the ball was there to be hit, so I hit it.” It brought laughter all around and confirmed his essential thirst for adventure.Barring Zaheer, nearly all the Indian bowlers bowled at that characteristic attribute of Tamim. However he didn’t oblige today. Only Zaheer, especially with the old ball which he got to reverse, attacked him with a sense of purpose. He got the ball to move in, took it out, and punctuated his spell with bouncers. This is where Tamim really sparkled. He picked the trajectory of nearly every ball; only once was he squared-up, by a beauty that left him. A screeching yorker was muffled out, the front foot was carefully taken out of the way of late inswingers, a purposeful forward stride met ones that left him and importantly, he played the moving ball late. It showed the innings wasn’t just a matter of tempering his attitude but a show of skill as well.There was another piece of evidence that showcased his desire for improvement. He scored 66 runs in the arc from fine-leg to midwicket, a majority of it coming from sweep shots. It is something that he has been working hard on in the recent times with Mohammad Salahuddin, former assistant coach of the national team. “For hours and hours, he bowled at me and helped me practice the sweep shot. I wasn’t that comfortable against spin before. Even during this series, I have been working with him.” Last evening, there was an SMS from Salahuddin: “If the ball turns just a little, sweep.” And Tamim did exactly that.There was a poignant moment when Tamim shared a lovely little story. “I dedicate this hundred to my father (Iqbal Khan); he did everything possible for me to play cricket and it was his dream that I should play for Bangladesh.” Tamim’s elder brother Nafees has also played for Bangladesh and hit a Test hundred, a match-saving effort against Zimbabwe. Iqbal Khan died before his sons made their debuts. This son has not only played for the country, scoring the fastest hundred by a Bangladeshi in the process, but also promises to play for a long time. “So far, this is my best knock but there are many more to come. I am very new to Test cricket but I am beginning to understand myself better now.”The journey towards maturity has started. From reining in his aggression with the bat, to sending his BMW back to Chittagong for fears that it might get damaged on Dhaka’s roads, the 20-year old Tamim is threatening to grow up quickly. And it can’t hurt Bangladesh. In the here and now, it has given Bangladesh a rare hope, which looked unlikely as of last evening, of getting out safe, and perhaps even getting something beyond mere safety, from this Test.

Abbas, Pennington claim three wickets each as Somerset are bowled out for 438

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay30-Jul-2025 Nottinghamshire 189 for 2 trail Somerset 438 (Rew 166, Abell 156, Abbas 3-60) by 249 runs Captain Haseeb Hameed’s third century of the season helped title-chasing Nottinghamshire build a solid foundation in reply to Somerset’s 438 on day two of their Rothesay County Championship clash at Trent Bridge.Hameed, who struck 15 fours and two sixes, also passed 1,000 first-class runs for the season with the same shot that completed his hundred. He had earlier shared a stand of 101 for the second wicket with Freddie McCann (48).At 189 for two, though, Nottinghamshire, who began this round one point behind Division One leaders and defending champions Surrey, still have much work to do, trailing by 249 runs even after third-placed Somerset lost their last seven wickets for 100, Mohammad Abbas (three for 60) and Dillon Pennington (three for 71) sharing the bowling honours for the home side.Somerset’s 438 all out – while a total not to be sniffed at after being asked to bat first – perversely still felt like fewer than Somerset probably should have accumulated on a pitch with little in it for the bowling side, given that they had been 338 for three before Tom Abell’s demise shortly before Tuesday’s close,Abbas excepted, Nottinghamshire had not been at their best with the ball on the opening day. They looked better for a night’s reflection, yet most of the damage suffered by Somerset was to some degree self-inflicted.Of the four wickets to fall in adding 58 before lunch, nightwatchman Jack Leach cut the first ball of the day straight to backward point, after which James Rew fell into a trap set on the leg side as his impressive 166 ended with him athletically caught behind pulling.Tom Banton, chasing a wide one, and Archie Vaughan, nibbling outside off stump, gave Joe Clarke two much easier catches in his latest tour of duty keeping wicket, this time because Kyle Verreynne is back home in South Africa for an awards ceremony. Migael Pretorius popped back a tame return catch for Calvin Harrison soon after lunch.Craig Overton’s 31 not out was the third highest score in an innings dominated by Rew’s 313-run fourth-wicket stand with Abell (156). Jake Ball, the former Nottinghamshire quick, made 24 against his old mates before chipping back a catch to Liam Patterson-White after 41 were added for the last wicketOpening a Nottinghamshire innings for the 100th time together – matching the feats of Chris Broad and Tim Robinson, and Darren Bicknell and Jason Gallian as the only opening pairs to reach that milestone for the county since 1960 – Haseeb and Ben Slater were quickly parted, Slater falling to the eighth ball of the innings, shouldering arms to a ball from Craig Overton that clipped his off stump.Yet it took another 28 overs for the Somerset attack to make a second incision. McCann was looking to match Hameed, who had just completed an 87-ball half-century, when Ball offered him a delivery wide of off stump. It was a boundary for the taking to the short side of the square but he flashed at the ball and it took the edge, Rew having no problem taking the catch.If this represented a potential opening for Somerset, though, it was not one that offered any more than a glimpse of light, as Hameed and Clarke negotiated a safe passage through the 25 overs that remained.Hameed survived a chance on 91, albeit a difficult one, when he drove a ball back hard at Pretorius, who instinctively flung out a hand but could only prevent runs. The Nottinghamshire skipper celebrated his reprieve by lofting Vaughan’s off spin down the ground, not cleanly but with enough power to beat the fielder and the boundary for his second six, then patiently waiting on 99 to drive the same bowler to the long-on boundary for his 15th four and his 18th first-class century.

Fast, furious and relentless through an unbroken spell of 11.5 overs despite a toe injury, Shamar bowled West Indies to a famous win in just his second Test

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jan-202430.5: Shamar Joseph to Green, OUT
Bowled him! Through the gate off the elbow! This leapt from a length, gets through the gate, hit the back elbow and dropped onto the stumps! Extra bounce from nowhere. What a delivery. Wobble seam as well and some nip in. Ball tracking says it bounced 12cm more than the average length in this game Australia 113/330.6: Shamar Joseph to Head, OUT
King pair! 141kph yorker thunders into the base of off! What a yorker! Around the wicket, 141kph, missile at the base of off, Head couldn’t get his bat down and West Indies are alive thanks to the wonderkid! Australia 113/4
34.3: Shamar Joseph to Marsh, OUT
Edged and taken! Shamar Joseph gets Mitch Marsh! That’s a peach of a delivery. Dug in back of length on a fourth-stump line at 144kph, the ball straightens. Marsh has to play at that. He looks to defend and the extra bounce means it comes off high on the bat and straight to Athanaze at second slip who can’t hold on. The ball pops out to third slip where Greaves holds on to complete the catch Australia 132/536.2: Shamar Joseph to Carey, OUT
Knocks him over! He nails the yorker again and Australia go six down! Alright, this wasn’t quite on yorker length, but it was fired in full at 145kph. Goes off the pad and knocks the off stump back. Australia 136/640.5: Shamar Joseph to Starc, OUT
In the air again and this time, Starc is gone! Shamar Joseph has two five-wicket hauls in two Tests! What a spell this is. Coming back after that toe injury yesterday. And he gets his revenge on Starc as well. Starc again swings at a back of length delivery going across him. Comes off the toe end and goes high in the air and Sinclair has to just move a little to his left from backward point to grab it. Shamar Joseph kneels with his head on the ground in celebration. This match is very much alive! Australia 171/742.3: Shamar Joseph to Cummins, OUT
Edged to the keeper and Shamar wheels away in celebration! Length ball outside off at 141.6kph kicks up and takes the outside edge. Goes wide of the keeper and Da Silva throws himself at it for a diving catch. Shamar Joseph is kicking up a storm here! Australia 175/850.5: Shamar Joseph to Hazlewood, OUT
West Indies win! Shamar Joseph flattens off stump! They charge off in celebration. Shamar Joseph takes seven! The West Indies huddle together. Brian Lara is nearly in tears in the commentary box! Perfect length, angled into middle and off, it straightens past the edge and flattens off! That is so good. Australia 207/10

The series may look inconsequential but it kick-starts preparations for the ODI World Cup, which is less than 12 months away

Tristan Lavalette16-Nov-2022

Big picture

Underlining the increasingly congested cricket calendar, newly-minted T20 World Cup champions England have had to snap out of revelry and attempt to somehow focus on a seemingly inconsequential three-match ODI series against Australia.Around 72 hours after partying into the wee hours of Monday, a slew of England’s title-winning heroes will be back on the field for the series opener on Thursday at the Adelaide Oval.Related

• Vince searches for purpose in a series shrouded in futility

• Maxwell out for extended period after breaking leg in 'freak accident'

While it might be difficult for England to be particularly motivated, Australia should be fresh and determined to rebound after their disappointing title defence at the T20 World Cup. Australia have selected an almost full-strength squad to start a new ODI era under the reins of Pat Cummins, who has taken over the captaincy from the retired Aaron Finch.On paper, the series feels rather trivial and lacking context as it is not part of the World Cup Super League. Crowd numbers for the games in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne are expected to reflect the lack of mainstream interest. Only 18,000 fans attended Australia’s must-win T20 World Cup match against Afghanistan in Adelaide earlier in the month – a figure you feel Cricket Australia would gladly take for the first ODI.It might be something of an afterthought – and you could certainly understand if England are feeling sluggish – but the series still holds some importance. It effectively kick-starts preparations for the 50-over World Cup in India, which is less than 12 months away, and provides an opportunity for the last two World Cup champions to experiment and tinker with their line-ups.Australia had ODI series victories against Zimbabwe and New Zealand in Queensland in August-September, while England’s form was patchy during their home summer.

Form guide

Australia WWWLW (Last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WLLWL

In the spotlight

After being contentiously left out of Australia’s aforementioned match against Afghanistan, having struggled at the T20 World Cup where he was sometimes held back from his customary new ball role, Mitchell Starc will be determined for a bounce back in the ODI series. The new ball was taken away from him after he conceded 14 runs in Australia’s opening over of the tournament against New Zealand in a huge defeat, which ultimately proved fatal for their title defence. As evidenced by his omission against Afghanistan, Starc’s future in Australia’s T20I line-up is uncertain but he remains a core in their ODI bowling attack, and a return to opening the bowling might prove the tonic he needs.Jason Roy was left out of England’s T20 World Cup squad because of his poor form•AFP/Getty Images

While many of England’s players might be struggling to get up for the contest, Jason Roy has a point to prove after being overlooked for the T20 World Cup as his replacement Alex Hales enjoyed a stirring comeback. But Roy has been backed in as the preferred 50-over opener and will be looking to repay the faith after a breather. He will have to contend with a fired-up Australia pace attack looking to find form ahead of the upcoming two-Test series against West Indies starting later in the month.

Team news

Australia have selected a near full-strength line-up although batting allrounder Glenn Maxwell will miss the series after breaking his left leg during a freak accident at a friend’s birthday party. Marcus Stoinis and Cameron Green are set to comprise the middle order, while Travis Head gets the first crack to replace Finch as an opener in front of his home faithful.Marnus Labuschagne and wicketkeeper Alex Carey return to the line-up, while Steven Smith will bat at No. 3 – after mostly being on the outer at the T20 World Cup. Cummins has recovered from a bout of gastro in time to lead the ODI team for the first time.Australia (probable): 1 Travis Head, 2 David Warner, 3 Steve Smith, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Adam ZampaWhile they will be without Ben Stokes, who remains retired from ODI cricket, England will rely on several players who weren’t part of the T20 World Cup squad to provide a spark. Roy, James Vince and Sam Billings will be aiming to do just that, while fast bowler Olly Stone is in line to play his first ODI in four years.England (probable): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Phil Salt, 3 James Vince, 4 Sam Billings 5 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 David Willey, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Olly Stone

Pitch and conditions

Sunny conditions are forecast in Adelaide with a maximum temperature of 23 degrees, which is set to aid the normally batting-friendly pitch at a ground marked by short square boundaries. Bowlers generally aim for a fuller length to force batters to hit to the longer straight boundaries, while turn is usually evident.

Stats and trivia

• Australia have won 84 of the 152 ODIs between the countries, but England have claimed 12 of 16 matches since 2016.
  
• Australia’s only victory in their 4-1 ODI series defeat to England in 2017-18 was a three-wicket win in Adelaide.
  
• Roy needs 46 runs to become the 12th England batter to reach 4000 ODI runs.

Quotes

“I don’t think you will see too much change from what Finchy brought to the squad around his captaincy. I hope I can provide an environment where the players can all go out and express themselves.”
“There’s no point hiding away that it will be a challenge for us, having had such a high a few days ago… [but] once you get over the line and you’re playing against Australia, I’m sure those competitive juices will get going”

Each of the men’s sides hands out 16 contracts for the summer

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2021All the domestic squads in New Zealand have now been confirmed with the final contract spots handed out among the six teams who will compete for the Plunket Shield, Ford Trophy and Super Smash.Canterbury dominated the 2020-21 season by winning the Plunket Shield and Ford Trophy while Wellington, with Finn Allen and Devon Conway part of their top order, secured the Super Smash.Here’s how the squads line-up for the 2021-22 summer.NZ = New Zealand central contract

Auckland

Adithya Ashok, Cole Briggs, Mark Chapman, Louis Delport, Lockie Ferguson (NZ), Danru Ferns, Matthew Gibson, Martin Guptill (NZ), Ryan Harrison, Ben Horne, Kyle Jamieson (NZ), Ben Lister, Robert O’Donnell, William O’Donnell, Glenn Phillips (NZ), Ollie Pringle, Sean Solia, Will Somerville, Ross ter Braak, George Worker

Canterbury

Todd Astle, Chad Bowes, Jack Boyle, Leo Carter, Harry Chamberlain, Sean Davey, Cam Fletcher, Andrew Hazeldine, Matt Henry (NZ), Tom Latham (NZ), Ken McClure, Cole McConchie, Daryl Mitchell (NZ), Henry Nicholls (NZ), Ed Nuttall, Will O’Rourke, Fraser Sheat, Henry Shipley, Theo van Woerkom, Will Williams

Central Districts

Doug Bracewell, Tom Bruce, Josh Clarkson, Dane Cleaver, Joey Field, Greg Hay, Jayden Lennox, Christian Leopard, Adam Milne, Ajaz Patel, Seth Rance, Brad Schmulian, Ben Smith, Ross Taylor (NZ), Blair Tickner, Ray Toole, Bayley Wiggins, Will Young (NZ)

Northern Districts

Peter Bocock, Trent Boult (NZ), Joe Carter, Katene Clarke, Kristian Clarke, Henry Cooper, Colin de Grandhomme (NZ), Matthew Fisher, Zak Gibson, Brett Hampton, Scott Kuggeleijn, Bharat Popli, Brett Randell, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner (NZ), Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi (NZ), Tim Southee (NZ), Neil Wagner (NZ), Freddy Walker, Joe Walker, Kane Williamson (NZ), Anurag Verma

Otago

Matt Bacon, Neil Broom, Max Chu, Jacob Duffy, Josh Finnie, Jake Gibson, Nick Kelly, Anaru Kitchen, Angus McKenzie, Jarrod McKay, Travis Muller, Dale Phillips, Michael Rae, Michael Rippon, Mitch Renwick, Hamish Rutherford

Wellington

Finn Allen, Hamish Bennett, Jakob Bhula, Tom Blundell (NZ), Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway (NZ), Luke Georgeson, Jamie Gibson, Troy Johnson, Callum McLachlan, Iain McPeake, Jimmy Neesham (NZ), Ollie Newton, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Michael Snedden, Logan van Beek, Peter Younghusband

England pulled off a 3-0 whitewash on their 2018 tour, but their captain is mindful of keeping his expectations realistic

Madushka Balasuriya12-Mar-2020The last time England rocked up on Sri Lankan shores, in late 2018, they had a settled side that had been together for the better part of four years, and were just months away from winning their first-ever World Cup title. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, couldn’t buy a win, and a number of those who played in that series would find themselves out of the eventual travelling squad for the World Cup.A year and a half on, Sri Lanka finally look to have settled on more or less their favoured starting XI, with a pleasing blend of experience and youth. In Mickey Arthur, they also have one of world cricket’s pre-eminent coaches leading the way. England are still a top-quality unit, as showcased by their recent exploits in South Africa, but they are now once again at the start of a rebuild.With the Test Championship final coming up next year and an Ashes tour of Australia in 2021-22, England captain Joe Root believes they once more have something to build towards.”I think for us building towards that Test Championship final would be a huge achievement,” Root said at the pre-series media briefing in Colombo on Wednesday. “It’s something that we’re aiming for as a team, and obviously, we’re also always judged on how well we do in The Ashes as well, so it’s a long process in making sure that we’re always trying to peak when we’re going up against Australia and travelling over there.”Long-term a big focus for us is trying to get some consistency and how we want to go about playing our cricket. Similarly with the guys that we’re going to be selecting, it’s a real opportunity for them to long-term take this team up the rankings, and hopefully play those big moments and big games that really matter.”In the build-up to their World Cup triumph, England’s tour to Sri Lanka in hindsight proved to be a signpost moment for the type of cricket that would eventually win them the trophy. Not only did they win that series in 2018, they decimated the hosts, winning series in all three formats including a 3-0 Test-series whitewash.What made the wins all the more impressive was their manner they came in, as England beat Sri Lanka at their own game. Their batsmen dominated the home spinners, while their own spinners – Jack Leach, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid – wreaked havoc, combining for 48 wickets.This time around, only Leach remains from that vaunted trio, and while Matt Parkinson’s four-for in England’s first warm-up game would likely have strengthened his case for a starting berth in the first Test in Galle alongside Dom Bess – who picked up three in the game – they’re both relatively untested at the highest level. In terms of the batting too, there are many who haven’t played top-level cricket on subcontinental surfaces. As such, Root isn’t getting too far ahead of himself in expecting a repeat performance from 2018.”It is a different team that we’ve brought this time around,” he said. “We’re expecting the surfaces to be slightly different, and we’re quite open-minded about what to expect. But ultimately it gives an opportunity for some of the other guys to show what they’re capable of.”I think last time we came at a different time of year for starters. It was a lot wetter. And I’m sure Mickey [Arthur] and everyone have put their own stamp on things, and are playing cricket very differently.”There were very extreme conditions [in terms of the pitches] last time around as well, and I felt we found a very good way of exploiting that. It probably suited some of the guys that we had on tour, and the way they played their cricket.”I think it’s important to have an open mind coming in to this series. If we just went in and expected it to be exactly the same then we could find ourselves getting stuck, and I think it’s really important that we play what’s right in front of us, and make sure we respect the surface and the opposition. And I’m sure there are one or two guys that want to put their stamp on this team and take it forward.”Matt Parkinson has a laugh during England’s opening tour match in Sri Lanka•Getty Images

For Sri Lanka, this will be an opportunity at redemption, though with Rangana Herath retired and Akila Dananjaya suspended, their spin contingent comprising Dilruwan Perera, Lasith Embuldeniya and Lakshan Sandakan is not as strong as it once was. Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne, however, chose to draw confidence from his team’s performances against New Zealand and South Africa in recent series, where it’s been the seamers more than spinners that have been the cornerstone of their victories.”We didn’t do well in the last series [against England], and they played really well in these conditions. And compared to other countries [we’ve faced at home] they were really good at taking on our spinners. But I think Dilruwan is there, and there are a few talented young bowlers as well. And we saw against South Africa and New Zealand in recent tours that they have a really good mindset.”Sri Lanka coach Mickey Arthur meanwhile believes that the recent ODI-series win against West Indies and the Test-series win in Zimbabwe have been great learning experiences for his players, albeit in different ways.”[The performances against West Indies in the ODIs] is certainly how we want to play our cricket, and I think our selections are going to reflect that going forward,” Arthur said. “But just to go back to the Zimbabwe series, we played on incredibly flat and slow wickets, which just sort of did nothing for the game really, and the game just didn’t move at all. And it was kind of a war of attrition, you had to just wear the opposition down. But we got a lot out of that tour, because we had to focus and had to be really disciplined through those two Test matches.”We find we got a hell of a lot out of that tour which was great for us. Certainly our brand of cricket – and I think that’s the way all teams play cricket now – is you want to take the game forward. But there are times when the session or game requires that you wear the opposition down, and that was very much our focus in Zimbabwe – primarily because of the conditions.”Nailing down that brand of cricket, Arthur feels, has been helped by the settled nature of Sri Lanka’s squad which he now believes has an ideal blend of youth and experience.”I think we’re really confident. First of all you’ve got to stay up with the trends of world cricket, and then you sort of look at the brand you want to play from there, and then you find the players that fit that brand.”We have some very young players, we have some very exciting players, we’ve got some very skilled players, intermingled with a couple of experienced players – Angelo [Mathews], [Dinesh] Chandimal, Suranga Lakmal. We feel we’ve got the balance right.”The first Test begins in Galle on March 19.

The opener was hit by a short delivery from Pat Cummins and stretched off the ground before going to hospital for tests which came back all clear

Andrew Fidel Fernando and Melinda Farrell02-Feb-2019Dimuth Karunaratne has been cleared to bat again after the fierce blow to the back of his head from a Pat Cummins short delivery which saw him stretchered off the field on the second day in Canberra and taken to hospital. Following assessments he was released on Saturday evening and then came through a concussion test before play resumed on Sunday.*”Dimuth will be at the ground and SLC has cleared him to bat. They have said said there are no concussion issues,” an update on Sunday morning said. The incident happened when, attempting to duck the bouncer in the fourth delivery of the 31st over, Karunaratne turned and tucked in his head. But the ball did not rise as high as he had expected, and struck him seemingly on the top of the shoulder, before hitting the area where his neck meets his skull.Dimuth was wearing a helmet with the rear attachments designed to shield a batsman’s neck, and though it was the equipment that the ball seemed to strike, he immediately collapsed backwards, losing grip of his bat. He lay still on the popping crease, as the Sri Lanka physio and the Australian team doctor rushed on to the field.Although clearly in immense discomfort, Dimuth was conscious throughout the episode, and was seen talking to the medical professionals assisting him. He also moved his hands and fingers.”It was a bit scary at the start, the way he fell back initially but he was okay, throughout he was talking to the umpires and the physio.” Sri Lanka coach Chandika Hathurusingha said after the day’s play.The medical staff put a brace around his neck, transferred him gently on to a stretcher, then drove him off the field, with members of the Australia team showing concern, as well as Dimuth’s own team-mates. Australia captain Tim Paine and Cummins himself watched proceedings closely.”It’s never nice,” Kurtis Patterson said. “You never like seeing that, you want your fast bowlers to be aggressive and try to set them up to get the nick, but you never like it when players go down like that. I haven’t heard but I’m hoping he’s okay, hoping he can come out and bat again tomorrow. All of us were in a little bit of shock but I think everyone is okay, which is good, so hoping he’s okay to bat again tomorrow.”Dimuth is the fifth Sri Lanka player to suffer an injury on this brief tour, with four fast bowlers already having broken down. Dimuth had been batting well, on 46, when he was struck. His opening stand with Lahiru Thirimanne, worth 82, was Sri Lanka’s second-best first-wicket stand in Australia.*9.45amAEDT, Feb 3: Karunaratne’s status was updated after a statement from SLC

Fast bowler takes eight-for as Salman Butt’s side fold inside 11 overs on fifth day as SNGPL clinch third title in four years

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Dec-2017
ScorecardPCB

SNGPL beat WAPDA by 103 runs to clinch their third Quaid-e-Azam trophy title in four years.The hard work had been done on Sunday, where the core of WAPDA’s batting line-up was dismantled. This left Mohammad Hafeez’s side needing only three wickets to regain the trophy. They faced a hint of resistance on Monday, but weren’t to be denied in the end.Samiullah Khan, the left-arm fast bowler, took all three remaining wickets to post career-best figures of 8 for 62, as Salman Butt’s side’s title defence came to an end.Any thoughts of a competitive final day had been killed off late on the fourth evening in a spectacular 19-ball collapse that saw WAPDA reduced from 86 for three to 86 for 7, with all their recognised batsmen dismissed.Khushdil Shah fell off the third ball on the final day before dogged partnership between Wahab Riaz and Khalid Usman took the hosts past 150. However, Samiullah returned to dismiss Wahab before taking the final wicket in the 11th over of the day to complete a 11-for.For a man who played two internationals for Pakistan nearly ten years ago, it was a sweet career-high in his twilight years.