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Pat Cummins has suffered a stress fracture in his back and will be replaced by allrounder James Faulkner in Australia’s squad for the two-Test series in Bangladesh in October

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-20151:28

Quick Facts – An injury-plagued career

Fast bowler Pat Cummins has again succumbed to a serious back injury and will be replaced by allrounder James Faulkner on Australia’s Test tour of Bangladesh next month.The injury is a major setback for Cummins, whose career has been plagued by back and foot problems since he made his Test debut in South Africa in 2011 at the age of 18. Cummins was Man of the Match in that game but at 22 he is yet to add to that one Test cap – in fact he has played only eight first-class matches in his career – and now faces another long period on the sidelines.”Pat Cummins experienced lower back pain during the last ODI match in the UK and this pain continued upon his return to Australia,” Cricket Australia physiotherapist David Beakley said. “He subsequently underwent an MRI scan yesterday which unfortunately has revealed a new early stage lumbar bone stress fracture. Consequently Pat will be unable to participate in the Bangladesh Test series and will now enter into a lengthy rehabilitation program.”Australia will still hope Cummins has a big international career ahead of him, but with each new injury the concerns for his future have grown. He suffered a back stress fracture in the Sheffield Shield final in March 2011 and later that year succumbed to a stress fracture of the foot, soon after his remarkable Test debut in Johannesburg.A further back stress fracture in November 2012 and a recurrence in August 2013 on Australia A’s tour of South Africa meant he missed a third consecutive home season. Although Cummins was able to play last summer and was part of Australia’s World Cup-winning squad early this year, he has mostly only been used in the shorter formats.Cummins has not played a Sheffield Shield match since the final in March 2011 and if the latest injury rules him out of the summer the gap between his Shield appearances may stretch towards six years. National selection panel chairman Rod Marsh said Cummins had been impressive in the recent ODIs in England.”This is really unfortunate for Pat and I know how disappointed he will be,” Marsh said. “He is a young bowler with a bright future for Australia and we were really pleased with how he bowled in the UK. We have opted to replace him with James Faulkner. James comes back into the Australia Test side having only played the one Test, but he is an exciting young bowler who could be very handy in the conditions we are likely to see in Bangladesh.”Like Cummins, Faulkner has played only one Test, having debuted in the dead rubber at The Oval in 2013. Faulkner will join Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc and the uncapped Andrew Fekete as Australia’s frontline pace options for the two-Test tour of Bangladesh.Australia were already without the injured David Warner for the tour of Bangladesh, while Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood have been rested. Also missing from the squad that set out on the Ashes tour this year are Michael Clarke, Ryan Harris, Shane Watson, Chris Rogers and Brad Haddin, all of whom have announced their Test retirements.

The PCB has said BCCI president Shashank Manohar has conveyed “his regret” over the cancellation of his meeting with PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan

Umar Farooq and Amol Karhadkar29-Oct-20152:30

India-Pakistan series status continues to be in limbo

Ten days after the Shiv Sena, a right-wing political party, stormed into the BCCI headquarters before its president’s scheduled meeting with his PCB counterpart, the PCB says BCCI chief Shashank Manohar has conveyed “his regret” over the meeting’s cancellation. The PCB has also said that the BCCI has sought the Indian government’s directive with regard to the scheduled series between the two teams in December.”Chairman PCB, Mr Shaharyar M Khan, has received a letter from President BCCI, Mr Shashank Manohar, regarding the cancellation of their meeting in Mumbai,” a PCB statement said. “Mr Manohar has expressed his sincere regrets for the cancellation of the meeting between officials from the two boards. Under pressure from extremist elements, BCCI cancelled its meeting with PCB officials which was scheduled to take place in Mumbai.”It has also been conveyed that the BCCI has officially approached the Indian government to obtain definitive guidance on the Pakistan-India series.”While the BCCI hasn’t officially confirmed or denied having sent a communication either to the government or the PCB, it is understood, according to a BCCI official, that Manohar has written to Khan.India’s series against Pakistan has been in a state of flux ever since the two boards signed an MoU last year to play six bilateral series in the eight-year cycle from 2015 to 2023. Despite the MoU, the fate of the series hinges on the government’s clearance.Earlier this year, the series hit a roadblock when the BCCI opposed the involvement of Ten Sports, the PCB’s broadcaster for all its home fixtures, for the series. Since it was believed that the Zee network, who own Ten Sports, were exploring the possibility of rebel league against the ICC, the BCCI had objected to playing in a series telecast by Ten.Over the last couple of months, however, due to the political tensions between the two governments, the BCCI has been unable to make any clear statement about the future of the series. In July, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, a member of parliament of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, had said he didn’t see India playing Pakistan until the tension on the border was resolved.There had been murmurs ahead of the scheduled meeting between Khan and Manohar on October 19 of a possibility of India playing either a shorter bilateral series against Pakistan or a tri-series also featuring Bangladesh in the latter half of December. The fate of the series continues to remain in limbo until the Indian government makes its stand clear.

Kumar Sangakkara led the way for Dhaka Dynamites as Sylhet Superstars sunk to their fourth loss in four matches

The Report by Mohammad Isam in Mirpur27-Nov-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKumar Sangakkara led the way for Dhaka•BCB

Sylhet Superstars’ batting misfired again as they were crushed by Dhaka Dynamites by 34 runs. While Sylhet sunk to their fourth loss in a row, Dhaka joined Comilla Victorians and Rangpur Riders with three wins.After days of low-scoring encounters, Mirpur had a full house and was treated to some scrumptious batting from Kumar Sangakkara, who made 75 off 56 balls to lead Dhaka to 166. Sylhet then were rattled by regular strikes and were bundled out for 132 in 19.5 overs.He isn’t your run-of-the-mill T20 hitter but Sangakkara’s mastery of accumulation meant that he was always going to thrive on a pitch where most batsmen have adopted a cautious approach. Coming to bat in the very first over after the fall of Shykat Ali for a duck, Sangakkara began with four fours off Fidel Edwards, piercing the off-side field three times before tonking one over the bowler’s head.Shadman Islam was dismissed in the fifth over as Sylhet pulled ahead. Sangakkara, though, was undeterred and found assistance from Nasir Hossain. He broke the shackles with a couple of sixes before Sangakkara showed his range. Nasir made 33 off 29 balls before he was bowled by Nasum Ahmed in the 14th over with the score reading 99.Lahiru Thirimanne, transferred to Dhaka from Comilla, who had initially picked him in the players’ draft, then quickly dispatched two fours. Sangakkara soon brought up his first BPL fifty, his 25th overall in T20s, and methodically took apart Ravi Bopara in the 18th over, hitting him for fours over cover and fine leg before hammering him over long-off for a six. Sangakkara fell for 75 off 56 balls in the 19th over but by then Dhaka had assembled a competitive score.That was then made to look formidable by their skillful bowling attack. Dilshan Munaweera, though, did not disappoint and hit his usual dose of early boundaries. However, he could not make a big score and fell in the fifth over when he picked out mid-on. Josh Cobb was reprieved by Nasir in the fourth over, but he too failed to cash in, and was dismissed by Mosharraf Hossain for 15.Much like Munaweera, Mominul Haque flashed a couple of fours, but became Mosharraf’s second victim when he played on. Mosharraf then got rid of Ravi Bopara to make it three strikes in three overs. Sylhet captain Mushfiqur Rahim tried to revive the chase by attacking Yasir Shah with reverse-swept and conventionally swept fours in the tenth over. Mushfiqur’s innings ended when he was trapped in front by Abul Hasan.Nurul Hasan batted well, making an unbeaten 35 off 22 balls, with some innovative shots, but the result by then was a foregone conclusion. Yasir Shah took two wickets in the 18th over before Mustafizur got two of his own as the Sylhet innings was wrapped up. Dhaka had dropped three catches but, as it turned out, the lapses did not affect them much.

Umesh Yadav is confident of India prising out the eight wickets they need to seal the series 3-0 despite South Africa batting out 72 overs on Day 4 without much discomfort

Sidharth Monga06-Dec-20152:17

‘The way SA are defending is a surprise’ – Yadav

Umesh Yadav, the India fast bowler, is confident the team should be able to wrap up the Test on the final day after South Africa raised hopes of a draw by batting out 72 overs for the loss of just two wickets. They might have scored just 72 runs in those 72 overs, but already, only one of their innings in this series has been longer than this. India had cause for concern in the fact that the few edges that were produced kept dying in front of the catching men despite their creeping up close.”Today also they gave catches, but they were lucky that those catches fell in the gaps rather than going to the fielders,” Yadav said, when asked if the team was confident of taking eight wickets in a day on this pitch. “So I don’t think they will survive the whole day without giving any catches. You never know, the wicket’s character might change tomorrow. It might start turning more.”Yadav also said the pitch had become really slow. “If you see any pitch, after third or fourth day, it starts getting slower and slower,” he said. “You don’t get the desirable pace or bounce from the wicket. This is happening with this wicket also as the pace of this track is gone. Even if you are bowling a bouncer, you are not able to work up the desired pace or bounce. It’s travelling easy.”India went as far as to sacrifice a few overs by bowling Ishant Sharma and Yadav from round the wicket so as to create some rough. “Yes, we tried to create a few patches so that the spinners get some kind of help,” Yadav said. “With no pace or bounce, and with no reverse, we thought any rough that we could create will be good for our spinners.”The other challenge, Yadav said, was the reduced mistakes when batsmen refuse to play any shots. “It’s a surprise as we did not think that they would play like this,” Yadav said. “The way they are defending is a surprise because they are not even trying to play a shot. Even the deliveries in which they can score are being defended.”It becomes a challenge when the batsman does not play a shot as chances of getting a player out decreases. When a batsman doesn’t take any initiative then even if you bowl a good delivery, he will just block it out.”Ishant Sharma had recently remarked that taking wickets in domestic first-class matches can be more difficult than in Tests because the batsmen don’t always look to score runs. Yadav was asked if his recent experience in domestic cricket helped. “I can tell you this kind of cricket can be very boring, because you just are bowling over after over and nothing is happening,” Yadav said. “It becomes so boring that you start thinking as to whether something will happen or not. But yes, there is pressure on them and that’s the reason they are blocking everything and trying to stretch this game. Our first target tomorrow morning will be to dismiss them as quickly as possible.”The biggest question that nobody has answered so far is the reasoning behind not enforcing the follow-on. India had South Africa on the mat when the first innings finished. They were behind 213 runs. Only once have they managed to cross that mark in this series. At the time the decision was made, India had seven minutes to go to stumps, which would have really tested the openers against R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Then the bowlers would have had a whole night to rest; not as though they would have been desperate for a rest: they had bowled only 49.3 overs in the first innings.Yadav was asked if the team wondered the correct decision had been made in the dying moments of day two, but all he did was defend the timing of the declaration. “Don’t know if we made a mistake, but it is common strategy that we wanted to score runs and set a target which makes the team comfortable,” he reasoned. “Then we thought of attacking. We thought the more we score in the first hour, better it will be for us and we did score runs in that first hour. Normally, I don’t think there will be much of a problem to get them out as we have lot of time at our disposal.”

A round-up of all the Nagico Super50 matches played on January 9, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2016Defending champions Trinidad & Tobago made it two from two to start the 2016 Nagico Super50 with a nine-wicket trouncing of Barbados at Port of Spain on Saturday. Kyle Hope and Kjorn Ottley each finished unbeaten with 70 and 80 respectively in a 162-run second-wicket stand to blow past a Barbados first innings total of 161 with 14.1 overs to spare.Barbados found themselves in trouble inside the power play after choosing to bat when openers Dwayne Smith and Kevin Stoute were dismissed for single figures. Roston Chase top-scored with 50 at No. 5 for Barbados but the next best contribution came from Justin Greaves who made 31 before being the ninth wicket to fall, the second to Rayad Emrit. Jon-Russ Jagessar wrapped up the innings in the final over by claiming Ashley Nurse for 21 and finished with figures of 3 for 24 to set up a brisk chase by Hope and Ottley.Jamaica registered their first win of the competition with a 184-run demolition of ICC Americas in St Augustine. Batting first, Jamaica were 27 for 2 in the eighth over before Andre McCarthy wrested momentum for Jamaica with 118 off 119 balls in their total of 260 for 8.McCarthy dominated a 105-run fourth-wicket stand with Tamar Lambert, who chipped in with 28. Jeremy Gordon took 3 for 32 and Ali Khan claimed 2 for 63 on List A debut but the spin combo of Danial Ahmed and Timil Patel went wicketless.In contrast, legspinner Damion Jacobs ran through the ICC Americas middle order to claim a career-best 5 for 22 as the Associate squad was bowled out for 76 in just 26.4 overs. Opener Steven Taylor made 12 and Nitish Kumar made 42 at No. 3 but no one else reached double digits in the chase.In Group B, Guyana notched a 72-run win over Leeward Islands in Basseterre. Shivnarine Chanderpaul was named Man of the Match for scoring 81 in a total of 219 for 9 after Guyana was sent in at the toss. Wickets fell at regular intervals throughout the innings though a 54-run fifth-wicket stand between Chanderpaul and wicketkeeper Anthony Bramble helped to set a platform before Veerasammy Permaul’s 30 off 14 at No. 10 took Guyana past 200.In reply, Leewards could only muster three double-figure scores from their batsmen with a best of 35 from Orlando Peters. Permaul followed up his damage with the bat by claiming 3 for 32 in nine overs of left-arm spin, including the key wicket of Peters, as Leewards were bowled out for 147.Combined Campuses and Colleges once again received two points after a second consecutive no result, this time against Windward Islands. CCC made 233 for 6 in 40 overs in a rain-affected first innings after electing to bat. Captain Chadwick Walton made an unbeaten 86 off 87 balls to anchor the innings, including a 73-run stand with Ryan Hinds (39) and a 63-run partnership with Rovman Powell (36).Windwards were set a Duckworth-Lewis adjusted target of 239 in 40 overs, but the chase was halted after just 7.4 overs with the score 40 for 3. Christopher Powell claimed both openers in his new-ball spell to finish with 2 for 18.

The second ODI between Hong Kong and Scotland at Mission Road was abandoned without a ball bowled due to persistent rain across the city

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2016The second ODI between Hong Kong and Scotland at Mission Road was abandoned without a ball bowled due to persistent rain across the city. The match had been pushed into a reserve day but that mattered little as wet weather continued from Thursday into Friday and with no chance of the field drying out, play was called off before the scheduled start time on Friday’s reserve day.The result meant each team got a point from the abandonment, which pushed Hong Kong above Netherlands into first place, though Netherlands has a chance to leapfrog Hong Kong when they play UAE on Friday in Abu Dhabi. Scotland is now in third place with seven points, one ahead of Kenya on the table.This was the third time in six scheduled WCL Championship matches during the current competition that Scotland has had to split points due to poor weather following a no result and a total abandonment in the Netherlands last September. Scotland also came close to missing out on maximum points in their opening two encounters at home in July against Nepal but managed to come away with two wins despite wet weather in Ayr.

James Pattinson copped a “rocket” from coach Darren Lehmann for his costly no-ball transgression on the first day in Christchurch, but bounced back to snare three important wickets on day three

Brydon Coverdale in Christchurch22-Feb-20163:05

‘We will be comfortable chasing anything’ – Voges

James Pattinson copped a “rocket” from coach Darren Lehmann for his costly no-ball transgression on the first day in Christchurch, but bounced back to snare three important wickets on day three. Pattinson had Brendon McCullum caught for 39 on day one but replays confirmed he had overstepped and McCullum was reprieved; he went on to blast the fastest century in Test history as New Zealand raced to 370.It was far from the first such mistake from Pattinson this summer, after he twice thought he had the wicket of West Indian Carlos Brathwaite during the Boxing Day Test only to have no-balls retrospectively called. Before this Test, Pattinson said he “done a fair bit of work” on his tendency to overstep, which made it all the more frustrating for the Australians to see him err on what might have been a wicket-taking ball.”The coach didn’t miss him after play on day one, and that’s probably putting it nicely,” Australia batsman Adam Voges said. “Look, he got a rocket and he’s come out and responded the way he did. So he probably didn’t disagree with anything the coach said after play that night but full credit to Patto for the way he’s bounced back and he was excellent today.”It’s fantastic, he ran in really hard today, bowled aggressively and with good pace. He’s taken three wickets, he’s got great reward and he’s put us in a great spot. To come back from the disappointment of the no-ball in the first innings and to be able to produce that today is a terrific effort.”That response consisted of 12 overs, five maidens and 3 for 29 (and no no-balls) on the third day at Hagley Oval, where he found enough pace and movement to trouble the New Zealand top order. New Zealand had started their second innings with a deficit of 135 and by stumps they were four wickets down and still 14 runs behind, meaning a huge partnership or two would be needed for them to fight back into the Test.”We’ve definitely got a few players in the shed left to try and get a total for us,” New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman BJ Watling said. “It’s great that Kane [Williamson] is still out there and Corey [Anderson] is coming off a good first innings. We’re definitely backing what we’ve got to put a total on the board and however many that is, we’re just going to have to come out with the ball and try to win it.”To do so, though, New Zealand will need to find some sort of weapon with the ball, be it conventional swing, reverse swing or seam movement, given they have no specialist spinner in this XI. So far in the Test they have struggled to move the ball as much as the Australians, and it took a remarkable display of sustained short-pitched bowling from Neil Wagner to eventually run through Australia’s batting order on day three.Wagner picked up 6 for 106 and four of those batsmen – Joe Burns, Steven Smith, Mitchell Marsh and Voges himself – were out to pull shots caught from square leg to midwicket. Another short delivery accounted for Peter Nevill, who tried to ramp one over the slips, and Josh Hazlewood rounded out the tally with a more regulation edge to slip.”It was a pretty special bowling performance by him [Wagner],” Watling said. “I think it was about 25 overs of good fast short-pitched bowling. He got us right back into a position where we can hopefully try and get ourselves into a position to win the game.”He almost gets faster the deeper he goes into his spells. He’s done it for us on many occasions. Today he got his rewards. It was just a fantastic effort by him to do that for so long. For a fast bowler to do that for about 25 overs is a pretty special effort.”Voges said it was frustrating to see wicket after wicket fall in such a way – including his own – but that it was a lesson learnt for the Australians.”There’s six blokes there on the pull shot so it’s not smart cricket really for … four of us to play pull shots to those guys,” Voges said. “It wasn’t any secret about what he was trying to do and we need to be better at combating that. We just found fielders. It’s not like we hit the ball badly. We just found the fielders. So we need to be a little bit smarter with the way we do it but I think it’s a good lesson learnt.”Still, the Australians were able to pass 500 for the second time in consecutive innings on this tour – not since they visited the Caribbean in 2003 have Australia made 500-plus totals twice in a Test series away from home. The centuries to Burns and Smith set them on the path to overhauling New Zealand’s 370, and Voges said it was pleasing to gain the upper hand after the hosts were in the stronger position.”It’s probably the first time that we’ve been behind on day one and been able to fight our way back into the contest and then get some ascendancy,” he said. “From that point of view I think it’s really pleasing. Most of that credit needs to go to Joe and Steve. They were outstanding yesterday and the rest of us have been able to build on that.”

A resurgent Bangladesh team set out for the World T20 to prove they belong at the top level, after strong performances against the best teams at home

Mohammad Isam08-Mar-2016

Big picture

Ten hours after finishing an emotionally-charged Asia Cup final, Bangladesh flew off to New Delhi from Dhaka before taking a chartered flight to Dharamsala. Abu Hider even posted a selfie on Facebook with bowling coach Heath Streak to confirm their arrival. It has been their most whirlwind schedule in recent memory, especially between two major tournaments.Captain Mashrafe Mortaza said he hoped such a situation, which would involve looking out for each other, would pull the team closer. Bangladesh has certainly played as a unit since the 2015 World Cup, when they were pushed against the wall. The whole year has gone well for them in ODIs, but now they have to carry that confidence and form into the T20 format.Mortaza and coach Chandika Hathurusingha have solved the batting-order puzzle to an extent, although their thinking has occasionally gone awry. Case in point was the Asia Cup final, where Mahmudullah was left too late in a 15-over dash. However, the promotion of Sabbir Rahman to no. 3 means that their top three batsmen are all natural big-hitters.The pace-bowling unit has also worked so far. Despite Mustafizur Rahman’s fitness still a concern, he is likely to play a role in the qualifying stage in Dharamsala. Taskin Ahmed’s pace and consistency coupled with Al-Amin Hossain’s impressive starts with the ball bodes well for the side.Still, Mortaza will be required to tie up loose ends with Arafat Sunny providing another run-saving option.What Bangladesh must be worried about is the form of Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan, having had an under-par year. Shakib’s bowling, too, will be crucial to the balance of the team combination. Mahmudullah’s form has been heartening, especially as a late hitter, an area where Bangladesh have often struggled in T20s. Nurul Hasan could come in handy at that stage too.Bangladesh will have to use their strengths to beat Netherlands, Ireland and Oman. A slip-up could cost them T20 progress.

Road to the World T20

Bangladesh have won seven and lost seven in 14 completed T20Is since the 2014 World T20. Recently, they drew T20I series’ against Zimbabwe – 1-1 in November and 2-2 in January – and finished as runners-up in the Asia Cup.

At the helm

Bangladesh’s T20 fortunes revolve around the leadership pair of the captain Mortaza and Hathurusingha. While Mortaza had a more hands-on role in ODI planning, Hathurusingha has tinkered around with their T20 make-up to find the ideal combination.

Key stat

Bangladesh’s preparatory period before the 2016 World T20 trumps those before the 2012 and 2014 competitions for one reason: beating Pakistan and Sri Lanka, two higher-ranked sides.Mahmudullah’s finishing abilities with the bat has given Bangladesh another potent weapon for the World T20•Associated Press

Leading men

Mahmudullah has given Bangladesh a great finish with the bat in four consecutive innings in the Asia Cup.Taskin Ahmed has done the same with the ball, especially in the final, where he conceded less than five runs an over during India’s assault.Sabbir Rahman has grabbed his chances after being promoted to No 3 and has been the team’s most consistent run-getter in the nine T20Is this year.

Burning question

After finishing as runners-up in the Asia Cup, can Bangladesh go past the first round to prove their recent progress in T20s isn’t a fluke?

In their Own Words

“We now have to start from scratch, even though we played in the Asia Cup final because we have to qualify for the main stage of the World T20. We have to be mentally strong.”

World T20 history

Bangladesh have only done well in the inaugural tournament in 2007, when they beat West Indies to move into the second round. They qualified for the main competition in 2014, but not before being shocked by a defeat against Hong Kong.

R Ashwin has sought to put in perspective his performance in the World T20 semi-final against West Indies in Mumbai, and even made a thinly-veiled observation that he didn’t get the chance to bowl more despite creating wicket-taking opportunities

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Apr-2016India offspinner R Ashwin has sought to put in perspective his performance in the World T20 semi-final against West Indies in Mumbai, and even made a thinly-veiled observation that he didn’t get the chance to bowl more despite creating wicket-taking opportunities.When a journalist remarked, on the eve of his team Rising Pune Supergiants’ debut at the IPL, that Ashwin had “struggled” with the dew in the World T20 semi-final against West Indies, he was quickly interjected to ask, “You mean with the ball?” After the journalist replied in the affirmative, Ashwin said he wasn’t well placed to answer the question because he hadn’t bowled when the dew had set in.”It’s better you ask someone who actually bowled. To be very honest, I don’t know how it felt,” Ashwin said.”It’s very amusing because for the first 12 balls I bowled I created a wicket-opportunity as well. It’s quite surprising the way you phrase your question.” When it was offered that MS Dhoni, the captain, had said Ashwin had struggled with the dew, he flatly responded: “I don’t know what he said.”India were defending 192 that night at the Wankhede. Ashwin was introduced in the seventh over and he began by only conceding seven runs. However, his figures suffered when opener Johnson Charles mowed him across the line for a four and a six in his next over. Ashwin, however, did not bowl after the ninth over of the innings. He finished with figures of 2-0-20-0, but he could well have picked up a wicket off his fifth delivery. Lendl Simmons, when on 18, sliced a thick edge to short third man, where Jasprit Bumrah took a fine catch, but replays indicated Ashwin had overstepped. Dhoni blamed the two no-balls – Hardik Pandya bowled the other one, which Simmons hit the straight down the throat of mid-off – and the dew for India’s defeat.When asked if he had got over the disappointment, Ashwin gave a convoluted reply to suggest that it was relatively less significant in the larger scheme of things.”The day I went back home my dog had a heat stroke. He had fits. It just showed me what’s more important and what is very, very important in life,” he said. “I didn’t turn a piece of paper for the next three days. So I haven’t really read about what people have said. There have been good enough journalists, and knowledgeable people who called me and said I haven’t’ bowled a no-ball in ages, and to have bowled one no-ball I don’t become the villain. If that’s the perception, I don’t know how to counter that.”On the subject of physical and mental fatigue in the IPL, which begins less than a week after the World T20, Ashwin admitted it was going to be taxing.The thing about IPL is that it’s pretty fast-paced. If you get in and try to beat your own odds, look for improvements during this time, it’s going to help you as a cricketer and hold you in good stead through the year.”As far as I am concerned, IPL is a place and avenue to improve your cricket,” Ashwin said. “You have lots of down time to work on your game, the practice facilities are international standard. These are the things you look forward to. On top of it, it’s one of the best T20 leagues going around. You improve and try and see what you can offer the team.”

Kaushal Silva said a determined effort to put the pressure back on England’s bowlers was the key to Sri Lanka’s batting turnaround in the second Test

Andrew Fidel Fernando31-May-2016Leaving, defending and patience are generally held up as necessary virtues for openers in early-season England.  A little counter intuitively though, Kaushal Silva has said it was the adopting of a more assertive mindset that saw Sri Lanka make improvements to their batting in the second innings at Chester-le-Street.Silva hit 60 in a team total of 475, and though he stressed that leaving and defending remained important on seaming surfaces, he also endorsed a more positive attitude towards run-making.”If you attack any bowler, they will be put on the back foot by that,” he said.  “If you keep leaving the ball, these bowlers are so skilful that there is still a chance of getting out. Rotating the strike is crucial. When we score runs there is a little pressure on them as well.”Here, the difference is that the good ball is what you should expect – that is what is normal, because the skills of their bowlers are great. So to counter that, we have to try and bat positively. Even if the correct decision is to leave, you have to commit wholeheartedly to that.”The second innings at Chester-le-Street saw Sri Lanka batting past the 45th over for the first time in the series, as Silva, Angelo Mathews and Rangana Herath hit half-centuries, while Dinesh Chandimal scored 126. They survived 128.2 overs in total, after Silva and Dimuth Karunaratne had put on their longest opening stand of the tour, seeing out 16.2 overs before the first wicket fell.”An opener’s role is especially important here, because our success has knock-on effects for the team,” Silva said. “If Dimuth and I bat a good number of overs, the ball gets old and the others find it easier. It’s England’s opening bowlers who are the real wicket-taking threats, and the pressure they apply is immense. In the last innings Dimuth and I batted 17 overs, and that made it much easier for the rest of the team.”The other thing is to get their quicks to bowl three or four spells. With any fast bowler, if you have them bowling 15-20 overs, anyone will tire and drop their performances a bit. Between the seven batsmen we have to be able to do that. Whoever is batting well that day should be able to bat through and ensure that happens.”Silva said the second innings had restored confidence to a top order that had been shaken by three collapses before that. With the Test at Lord’s more than a week away, Sri Lanka’s challenge will be to approach the third Test with the positivity they had ended the second with.”We all knew we had it in us to bat like that – it’s just that we weren’t able to in the first three innings. Now a few individuals have scored runs. They’ve got confidence. It’s only after you’ve done it a few times that it becomes easier for you. But we need to replicate that by training with that intensity, then taking it into the next match.Silva’s two previous half-centuries in England had come in the 2014 match at Lord’s. “Personally, I’m disappointed about the way I got out. But I’ve played four Tests in England now, scored three fifties but no hundred yet. I’m hoping to get set and go for the big one – to a hundred.”Sri Lanka had taken four excellent catches on the first day at Chester-le-Street, but marred that performance by dropping Moeen Ali twice on the second day as well as Chris Woakes. They had also reprieved Alex Hales and Jonny Bairstow at Headingley. Moeen and Bairstow went on to make big hundreds, while Hales laid a solid foundation.”I don’t think we are a terrible fielding team,” Silva said. “Some days we field well and others we don’t. That happens with the batting as well. Consistency is what is missing. Maybe lack of anticipation is an issue. But we can’t have those excuses. If a bowler is doing well on a flat wicket and a catch gets dropped, that’s really tough on them. As a policy we don’t blame cricketers for dropping catches, because we all train hard. Anyone can miss a catch, but there is lots of room for improvement.”