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Kemar Roach, who took 3 for 17 on the second day of West Indies’ three-day warm-up match against Essex, shed light on the efforts he has been taking towards a Test return ahead of the three-match series against England

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2017Kemar Roach took further steps towards playing his first Test since January 2016, carrying over his promising domestic form into West Indies’ first warm-up match, against Essex, ahead of the three-Test series against England. Following his 3 for 17 on the second day of the thee-day warm-up fixture, Roach shed light on the efforts he has been taking towards the Test return.”I’m looking to make the ball go both ways. I always had it in me, but I need to perfect it even more and I’ve been working hard on that,” he said after a rain-hit day in Chelmsford. “Today, it was perfect. The line and length was spot on. That’s where I wanted to be. I want to keep working and building on that.”Roach is the most experienced member of the 15-man squad, having played 37 Tests since his debut in 2009. He was dropped owing to poor form at the start of 2016, but has since made strides in the Professional Cricket League, West Indies’ first-class tournament, where he took 23 wickets at 16.17 for Barbados.”It’s pretty tough to go there after almost two years off, to catch up with things. Test cricket is the biggest form of cricket, and I’ve been working hard and I want things to be right back here. So I’m going to go there, help the young guys in the team and put some good performances.”Roach is no stranger to English conditions. He played in West Indies’ previous tour of England, in 2012, and took eight wickets – the most for his team – despite playing only two of the three Tests. That apart, he has also represented Worcestershire in the County Championship.”I’ve been here previously for Test tours. I know certain grounds and how the pitches play and the atmosphere. It’s about adapting quickly. It’s not home, it’s not Barbados. It is colder here. It’s about doing the business right.”Roach also spoke positively of the format for the first of the three Tests; the match will be played under lights at Edgbaston – England’s first day-night Test. “I’ve played a couple of games with the pink ball back home during the domestic season,” he said. “I think it’s good for cricket. It does a bit more for a bowler’s likes, so that’s good for me.”It’s always a different feel, a different switch up. The atmosphere is going to be different; everything is going to be different. We’re going to pull some more crowd. It’s about time we switch things up a little bit.”

The embrace he shared with batting partner Samit Patel after lofting a ball from Jeetan Patel over the infield for his 19th boundary told something of the relief being felt at that moment by Nottinghamshire’s Michael Lumb

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge16-May-2016
ScorecardMichael Lumb sweeps•Getty Images

The embrace he shared with batting partner Samit Patel after lofting a ball from Jeetan Patel over the infield for his 19th boundary told something of the relief being felt at that moment by Nottinghamshire’s Michael Lumb.It completed his 20th first-class hundred, the most pertinent fact attached to which is the time elapsed since the 19th, some two years and eight months, the toughest of times for the former England batsman, who turned 36 in February this year.It encompassed a long lay-off following surgery on a torn forearm tendon, keeping him out of action for the best part of six months until June last year, and then a broken thumb, after which the form that had seen him make almost 2000 runs across all formats in 2013, and then score a century on his ODI debut for England in February 2014, seemed to belong to another player.”It has been a strange couple of years,” he said. “I had problems with the arm for a while, lots of trouble and little niggles, and all the time I was playing through the pain I was doing more damage until it came to the point that the tendon just tore away from the bone.”The surgeons did a great job but it was a long time to be sidelined and when you come back from a long-term injury you find yourself chasing the game, trying to get back into form. It is just a matter of time but there are always little demons in your ahead when things are not going your way.”So there was a lot of relief today. When you do all your rehab and the hard work in the nets, when you do finally get over a line after a long period without scoring runs, and against a good attack who are bowling well, it feels good.”Lumb’s form began to return in Australia, during his fifth Big Bash stint with the Sydney Sixers. There would be no final this time, after finishing runners-up in 2014-15, but Lumb was the pick of their batsmen, scoring 253 runs at an average of 31.62.He found fluency from the outset here, following on from his 78 against Middlesex at Lord’s last week, even if he did have a slice of luck at the start, before he was off the mark, edging a ball from Keith Barker which Tim Ambrose, diving across first slip for a low chance, could not hold.That moment apart, he looked in exceptionally good touch, completing his first half-century from just 48 balls and advancing to 75 from 73, despite the loss of a partner who had also looked in good rhythm when Steven Mullaney was strangled down the leg side by Chris Woakes for 56.Mullaney’s departure changed things somewhat. Warwickshire’s bowling began to find some consistency, with Rikki Clarke delivering an exceptional spell, backed up by Chris Wright and then Jeetan Patel. Brendan Taylor and Riki Wessels, neither of whom has found his best form so far, found the going much harder and the scoring rate slowed almost to a halt.It took Lumb another 81 deliveries to reach 100, with suddenly very few easy runs on offer. It took some discipline to be so circumspect, given how much he wanted to make the most of his form, but ultimately the graft paid off. His last first-class century, against Derbyshire, had been on September 24, 2013.Samit Patel will feel he wasted his chance, making a reasonable start but then misjudging a pull against Clarke and giving first slip Varun Chopra an easy catch, but Chris Read and Brett Hutton added a potentially valuable 49 for the seventh wicket before Read followed a ball from Woakes to be caught behind.Clarke and Barker finished the day with identical figures, Clarke playing a role too in the dismissal of Lumb to Patel, who induced a catch to first slip off bat and pad.

Durham christened their new floodlights with an exciting six-run win over previously unbeaten Yorkshire in the NatWest T20 Blast.

ECB/PA29-May-2015
ScorecardGordon Muchall made a useful contribution with the bat•Getty Images

Durham christened their new floodlights with an exciting six-run win over previously unbeaten Yorkshire in the NatWest T20 Blast.The hosts made 182 for 4 batting first with four of their top six scoring in the 30s, and then limited Yorkshire to 176 for 8 in reply as Keaton Jennings starred with the ball.Jennings finished with figures of 4 for 37 with his occasional medium pace, including the key scalps of Jonny Bairstow and Glenn Maxwell.The victory leaves Durham at the top of the North Group with three wins from four matches, two points ahead of second-placed Yorkshire.

Insights

Durham won the match in the final five overs of their innings in which they scored 76 for 1, taking 17, 13, 11, 14 and 21 off overs from Maxwell, Plunkett, Bresnan and Fisher. For the second consecutive day Gordon Muchall and John Hastings finished not out at the end of Durham’s innings. Having scored 31* (27) and 21* (13) respectively against Leicestershire, the pair managed 34* (24) and 37* (16) against Yorkshire. With this duo batting below Stoneman, Mustard, MacLeod and Collingwood, Durham have a formidable batting order.
Freddie Wilde

The attendance was 5,539 for the first match played under the new permanent floodlights at Chester-le-Street, with hopes of attracting the ground’s record crowd for a county match not helped by the weather and the Headingley Test.Rain delayed the 7pm start by 25 minutes, after which the sun shone throughout Durham’s innings after they were put in.Mark Stoneman and Phil Mustard got the hosts off to a flying start with a stand of 30 in 3.2 overs, and Paul Collingwood, Gordon Muchall and John Hastings made sure that was not wasted.Hastings provided the late momentum as he hit Tim Bresnan’s last four balls for three fours and a six as 21 came off the over.In a quirk of fate, Yorkshire also needed 21 runs off their final – bowled by Hastings – to snatch the victory.Bresnan had his chance of revenge with 12 needed off the last two to tie, but he missed the first before hitting the last high over the mid-wicket boundary. It left him unbeaten on 36, but scarcely atoned for his figures of none for 51 with the ball. While it was left to Hastings to finish things off, it was Jennings who did the damage earlier on.Jennings is Durham’s four-day opening batsman and had bowled only one over in the three previous T20 matches. But with skilful variations of pace he persuaded Bairstow and Maxwell to play across the line of straight balls, while he also sent back Jack Leaning and Rich Pyrah as Durham claimed the points.

Bangladesh scored 291 for the loss of just three wickets, one of them being Naeem Islam, who made an emotional maiden Test century, and one being Shakib Al Hasan, who threw away what would have been his third

The Report by Abhishek Purohit15-Nov-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Naeem Islam made his maiden Test hundred•AFP

To think that five of the six Bangladesh batsmen to fall gave their wickets away, and the home side were still on course to go past their highest Test total of 488. It left you wondering what would have been had they not. It was still Bangladesh’s day in the end. They scored 291 runs for the loss of just three wickets, one of them being Naeem Islam, who made an emotional maiden Test century, and one being Shakib Al Hasan, who threw away what would have been his third. Naeem and Shakib batted through the first session and put on 167, which is the highest for the fourth wicket by a Bangladesh pair.Naeem batted the old-fashioned way – he gave the first hour of the day to the West Indies bowlers and by tea, he had constructed his hundred. Naeem’s effort, and his partnerships with Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim carried Bangladesh comfortably past the follow-on mark of 328, and even raised hopes of taking a lead, which would certainly be a huge achievement for a side playing its first Test in a year. Mahmudullah and Nasir Hossain kept those hopes alive with a sensible unbroken 87-run partnership after West Indies had dismissed Naeem and Mushfiqur in quick succession after tea.Naeem’s knock stood out not only for its resolve but also for what Bangladesh have often missed – a solid foil to the genius of Tamim Iqbal and Shakib. On day two, Shahriar Nafees, instead of ‘doing a Naeem’, had tried to match Tamim stroke for outrageous stroke, and had perished soon. Today, as Shakib went about tackling the West Indies attack in his own way, Naeem ensured the pyrotechnics were limited to one end, as he defended and left with purpose.Naeem faced 50 deliveries for eight runs till the first drinks break, and took 27 off 47 in the next hour, and scored 40 off 71 in the second session. At the other end, Shakib prospered through a mixture of fortune and attack before ultimately perishing to an overdose of the latter eleven runs shy of a hundred.

Smart stats

• Bangladesh’s total of 455 is their second-highest in Tests and their second 400-plus total against West Indies. Their highest total is 488 against Zimbabwe in Chittagong in 2005.

• The 167-run stand between Shakib Al Hasan and Naeem Islam is the highest fourth-wicket partnership for Bangladesh surpassing the previous best of 120 against West Indies in Jamaica in 2004.

• Naeem’s century is his first in Tests and the 24th by a Bangladesh batsman. Five of these centuries have come against West Indies.

• There has been only one previous occasion when Bangladesh have managed more fifty-plus stands (6) in a single innings than the four in this game against West Indies.

• This is the third time that four centuries have been scored in the first two innings in a Test in Bangladesh. The last time this happened was against India in 2007.

• The 982 runs scored so far is the highest ever in the first two innings in a Test in Bangladesh. The previous best was 915 in the Mirpur Test against England in 2010.

Shakib rode his fortune in the morning to keep the runs flowing. He was caught behind off a no-ball and came close to getting dismissed a few times, all against Ravi Rampaul, but survived, and then thrived. Rampaul got consistent bounce from short of a good length, and had Shakib in trouble. He beat Shakib outside off stump, had him edging just short of gully and a half-hearted top-edged pull fell at vacant square leg. In between, Rampaul pushed Shakib back with sharp bouncers. Shakib tried to hit out, and edged a follow-up wide delivery to the wicketkeeper in the 43rd over, but replays showed Rampaul had overstepped. That was to be the closest West Indies came all morning to breaking through.Despite the close shaves, Shakib hardly held back. The accurate debutant Veerasammy Permaul was slog-swept for boundaries. The fast bowlers were driven through cover. Naeem changed character after the first hour. He swept the third ball after drinks from Permaul for four. Darren Sammy was squeezed behind point for consecutive fours. He responded by beating Naeem twice in his next over, but the batsman ended Bangladesh’s session on a high by steering Sammy to the third-man rope. Eighty-eight runs without a wicket in the first session – Bangladesh could have hardly hoped for a better start today.It was to get better indeed after lunch, for a while at least. Shakib calmly drove the first ball after the break, from Sunil Narine, through extra cover for four. Narine wasn’t able to create any impact, and was hit out of the attack next over by Shakib with consecutive boundaries. Rampaul now returned to finally get his due. With the attack at his mercy and a century beckoning, Shakib walked out and mis-hit Rampaul to extra cover to walk off with an angry swish of his bat.Rampaul now tested Naeem and Mushfiqur as he moved the old ball in at sharp pace, and Sammy created further problems by taking it away off the seam. It was the first time seamers were operating from either end today. Mushfiqur escaped with an edged boundary past the slip cordon, but recovered to clip Sammy off his pads through midwicket for four more.The new ball, taken in the 83rd over, did not do as much as the old one had, and Mushfiqur capitalised with a few punchy fours. Naeem, after playing out a maiden to Tino Best on 98, flicked the fast bowler to the fine leg rope and fell into his captain’s embrace. He eventually fell off his 255th delivery, a tired push to a wide Sammy delivery ending in the wicketkeeper’s gloves. Less than five overs later, Mushfiqur, who had batted with the crisp solidity that defines his batting, charged at Permaul to give a return catch on 43.Bangladesh were still 159 runs shy of West Indies’ total, but Mahmudullah and Nasir made the home side’s batting depth count. They targeted the spinners intermittently and battled against the fast bowlers, who tested them with short deliveries and yorkers. By stumps, Bangladesh were within sight of West Indies’ 527, and by now, the visitors must be wondering whether their declaration had come too early on day two, as the pitch remained largely placid on day three.

Mahmudullah, who missed the Twenty20 against West Indies on Tuesday with a viral fever, has not been named in Bangladesh’s 15-man squad for the three-match ODI series against West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2011Mahmudullah, who missed the Twenty20 against West Indies on Tuesday with a viral fever, has not been named in Bangladesh’s 15-man squad for the three-match ODI series that follows. He will join the squad during the course of the series though, a Bangladesh Cricket Board release stated, if he recovers from his illness.Apart from vice-captain Mahmudullah, the only other omission from the Twenty20 squad is Elias Sunny, an allrounder who had impressed with his left-arm spin in the recent Bangladesh Board Cup. Instead, left-arm spinner Suhrawadi Shuvo, batsman Shahriar Nafees and allrounder Shuvagoto Hom have been brought in. The board had earlier said that fast bowler Shahadat Hossain was being considered for the one-day series, but he did not make the cut.The first ODI of the three-match series is on October 13 in Dhaka.Squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Ashraful, Shakib Al Hasan, Alok Kapali, Naeem Islam, Nasir Hossain, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Nazmul Hossain, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Shahriar Nafees, Shuvagoto Hom.

South Australia’s new leadership team of Michael Klinger and Callum Ferguson begin their summer this weekend knowing that the only way is up

Brydon Coverdale08-Oct-2010South Australia’s new leadership team of Michael Klinger and Callum Ferguson begin their summer this weekend knowing that the only way is up. The Redbacks finished on the bottom of the Sheffield Shield and Ford Ranger Cup tables last season and they have been the nation’s underachievers in recent decades, having won no titles since 1995-96.There was one glimmer of hope, when they made the final of the KFC Big Bash, and although they lost to Victoria it was enough to earn them a place at last month’s Champions League. Klinger, who has taken over as captain from Graham Manou, said the team would take heart from their fine efforts at the Champions League, where they reached the semi-finals.”Two games to go in both formats [last season] we were in contention to play the final and just fell away in our last few games,” Klinger told ESPNcricinfo. “We know we can play some really good cricket and we come into the season full of confidence after a good Champions League, so we’re hoping to kick-start our season well. Last year we had to play a bit of catch-up after starting the season quite poorly.”In a considerable shake-up to their playing list, the former internationals Mark Cosgrove and Dan Cullen were axed, Mark Cleary headed to Victoria and several fringe players were cut. Replacements were sought interstate, and the Redbacks have pulled together a squad that they believe can lift the team’s fortunes.The powerful limited-overs batsman Aiden Blizzard was signed up from Victoria, and with him came the fast bowler Rob Cassell. They had lost pace-bowling experience through the departure of Cleary and the retirement of Paul Rofe, so the fast man Ben Edmondson was enticed from Western Australia.It continued South Australia’s trend of acquiring players from other states – Klinger, Daniel Christian, Tom Cooper, Aaron O’Brien and Tim Ludeman have all arrived by that path in recent years. Ferguson, the new vice-captain, is happy with the recruits, while home-grown talents like James Smith and Jake Haberfield will also be watched with interest.”We’re thrilled with the list that we’ve got together at the moment,” Ferguson said. “To be able to bring some quality quicks in like Ben Edmondson and Rob Cassell, they’re fantastic inclusions for us and it gives our bowling some depth. Cossie [Mark Cosgrove] is a loss but we feel like our young players have really taken some good steps forward in the last 12 months. We’re really confident going in to this summer.”South Australia begin their Ryobi Cup campaign against New South Wales at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, before they follow with a Sheffield Shield match two days later. Blizzard and Edmondson are in line to make their first appearances for their new state in the one-day game.Ryobi Cup squad Michael Klinger (capt), Daniel Harris, Tom Cooper, Aiden Blizzard, Callum Ferguson, Cameron Borgas, Graham Manou (wk), Daniel Christian, Aaron O’Brien, Kane Richardson, Chris Duval, Ben Edmondson, Gary Putland.

Pakistan’s return to the IPL remains on hold with the PCB confirming it has not received any letters of invitation from the tournament organisers

Cricinfo staff21-Nov-2009Pakistan’s return to the IPL remains on hold with the national board (PCB) confirming it has not received any letters of invitation from the tournament organisers to its players to initiate the visa process. The deadline set by the IPL for receiving No Objection Certificates (NOCs) and visa paperwork was November 20, but a day after that PCB COO Wasim Bari has said he received no intimation about a step forward.”As far as I am concerned not a single player, who is interested in the IPL gave me an invitation letter of the IPL,” Bari told . “Though the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt has already been in contact with the government to seek guidelines on this issue, whether to allow the players to play in the IPL or not, an invitation from the IPL is nevertheless mandatory.”I only want an invitation letter from the players and the guideline of the government and that is all from my side.”Pakistan’s players were absent from the second IPL, held earlier this year in South Africa, after their government did not allow them to travel to India – where the tournament was originally to be held – for security reasons.The PCB and the league have been in contact to clear the paperwork required for players to return after a one-year gap. Last week Bari told told Cricinfo that the PCB had sent NOCs to the IPL and requested the management to sent invitation letters.The third edition of the IPL will held in March-April next year.

The series now moves to Paarl, where the first of three ODIs between the sides will take place

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2024Abandoned The third T20I between South Africa and Pakistan in Johannesburg was washed out by persistent rain without a toss. The game was initially delayed by lightning strikes in the area, before a steady drizzle set in. The drainage at the Wanderers is exemplary, and the groundstaff remained poised. When the rain briefly relented, an official inspection was announced and the groundstaff sprung into action. But before it could happen, the rain returned once more.Two hours after the game was due to officially start, it was finally called off, with Heinrich Klaasen and Mohammad Rizwan shaking hands by the dugouts. It means South Africa seal the three-match T20I series 2-0, having triumphed in the first game by 11 runs, and the second by seven wickets.The series now moves to Paarl, where the first of three ODIs between the sides will take place. It will be followed by a game in Cape Town and the Pink ODI back in Johannesburg, before two Test matches in Centurion and Cape Town.

Legspinner showed his steely side after tough start to must-win group game, says captain

Andrew Miller25-Aug-2023It was business as usual in the final analysis for Rehan Ahmed on Wednesday, as Southern Brave overcame Manchester Originals in their crucial final group-stage encounter at Emirates Old Trafford, to book themselves a rematch in Saturday’s Men’s Hundred Eliminator.There they were on the score-sheet: game-turning figures of 2 for 26 in 20 balls for Rehan, including the critical scalp of England’s captain Jos Buttler, who was suckered into a launch down long-on’s throat for 45 from 42 balls, just when it seemed he was primed to unleash at the death.But, as Brave’s captain, James Vince, admitted on the eve of the Eliminator, Rehan’s performance on Wednesday night had been one of two distinct halves. He opened his account with consecutive full-tosses from balls 26 and 27, then served up another at the start of his second set that was launched for six by Wayne Madsen.Rehan Ahmed has made key breakthroughs for Southern Brave throughout the Hundred•PA Photos/Getty Images

Only some sharp fielding and poor shot selection prevented what Vince described as “probably 10 of [Rehan’s] worst balls” proving more costly than their eventual 17 runs. However, the fact that he then bounced back with ten of his best at the back-end of the innings was, Vince added, further evidence of his legspinner’s uncanny maturity.”Rehan has bowled brilliantly all competition,” Vince said. “He came back really strongly in the last game after a couple of average sets first-up, so it was great to see the way he bounced back and he’s been really reliable all tournament.”To be honest, you kind of forget his age,” Vince added, with Rehan having turned 19 earlier this month. “That’s down to the way he is around the group, the way he is on the field. He’s certainly above his years, and if you didn’t know his age, you would easily say from the way he carries himself and the way he performs that he’s in his mid-20s. So I think he’s going to grow and grow.”It’s easy to get carried away with Rehan’s self-assurance. His back-story is by now well known – from being a net bowler with England at the age of 11, ahead of the 2016 Lord’s Test against Pakistan, to his Test debut against the same opponents in Karachi last winter, when he overtook Brian Close as the youngest men’s player in England’s history, and celebrated with a matchwinning five-wicket haul.Related

• How Charlotte Edwards steered Southern Brave to a third straight Hundred final

• 'I'm always ready' – Rehan Ahmed is on the move, and has a World Cup trophy in his sights

• Rehan Ahmed, Tymal Mills set up emphatic victory for Southern Brave

• Could Sam Curran be England's next white-ball captain?

• Tymal Mills cracks the code to drive Southern Brave's Hundred title challenge

And, if the sense is growing that this is a player who relishes the big stage, then the closing weekend of the Men’s Hundred – including the prospect of a Lord’s final on Sunday – offers another key staging post in Rehan’s fast-tracked development.”[It’s great] that he can have these experiences and to have played international cricket already,” Vince added. “With the responsibilities as legspinner, there’s no-one else that can really pick up those overs in a game. It’s not like a batter who, if they don’t perform, someone else can come in and pick up their role. His role is specific and there’s only one or two of those in the team, so he’s certainly very mature for his age.”With that in mind, and with Southern Brave’s qualification hopes hinging on victory on Wednesday night, Vince admitted he had no qualms about trusting Rehan to raise his game at the crunch. First he returned for a tidy four-run set between balls 61 and 65, and then produced his decisive final burst from balls 81 to 85, which began with Paul Walter miscuing a googly into the covers before Buttler’s fateful hack off his penultimate delivery.”As a captain, there’s only so much you can say out there to get behind the guys,” Vince said. “He doesn’t need much maintenance. He knows what he’s doing. He’s got a big backing of himself, which is massively important. He didn’t shy away, or fear going for more runs. He still felt like he could have an impact on the game, and he got two crucial wickets in his last set of five, which really halted them at the end.”He wanted the ball – he wanted to bowl 10 in a row at one stage – so massive credit to him to have the confidence in his own ability to be able to turn it around. He realised that he didn’t get it quite right first-up, but that’s the first time in the whole tournament that that’s been the case. So the fact that he was still eager to bowl is great to have as a captain.”Buttler concurred: “He doesn’t lack confidence. He certainly seems to warm to these occasions, and to want the ball all the time, which is great to see in such a young guy. And this is what the Hundred is all about, for someone like Rehan to be exposed to big nights like this at that age, in our own domestic competition. I know he has already travelled the world a bit in T20 and franchise cricket, but everyone in England cricket, with whatever colour ball, is excited for his potential in the future.”

The home side needs one of the top order to convert a start into a substantial score

Andrew McGlashan10-Jun-2022

Big Picture

The tour has moved to the hill country of Kandy for the final T20I and opening games of the ODI series. Australia wrapped up their first trophy of the trip in barely 24 hours with back-to-back wins in Colombo, although the second one came in an untidy chase that was a reminder of previous collapses against spin on the subcontinent.But their bowling, led by Josh Hazlewood, has been very impressive and Jhye Richardson’s return seamlessly covered the absence of Mitchell Starc who will continue to be sidelined by his badly cut finger.Sri Lanka have to find a way to put more runs on the board to give their attack a reasonable total to bowl at. As they showed in the second match, and on the tour of Australia earlier this year, they can cause plenty of uneasy moments but it’s rare that totals of 120 will be enough even when Wanindu Hasaranga can spin a web.Related

• Hasaranga: 'We have to bring our batting and bowling up to the same level'

• Starc to miss third T20I against Sri Lanka with finger injury, in doubt for ODIs

Recent form

(last five matches, most recent first)Sri Lanka LLLLL
Australia WWWLW

In the spotlight

Dasun Shanaka had appeared to make significant strides in his middle-order batting role during the series against India in February where, although Sri Lanka lost, he made 47 off 19 balls and 74 off 38 in the last two matches. But it’s not gone so well against Australia with a second-ball duck then 14 off 17 deliveries in the second outing. He has also stopped using himself with the ball.The last time Australia played a T20I in Pallekele, Glenn Maxwell hit the small matter of 145 off 65 balls – the only two occasions he has opened in T20Is came on that tour and he followed the century with 66 in Colombo. He had the chance to take his side to victory two days ago, but picking out long-off in Hasaranga’s last over heaped pressure on the chase especially when Ashton Agar then fell first ball. Although he was Player of the Series against Sri Lanka in February it has been a little while since he has cut loose with full effect for Australia.

Team news

The home side has been unchanged so far and may give the batting line-up one more chance, but if they wanted to freshen things up the uncapped Nuwanidu Fernando would be an option. Chamika Karunaratne wasn’t used with the ball on Wednesday so they may also consider the balance of the attack. Kasun Rajitha (left hip) and Matheesha Pathirana (right elbow) have both been ruled out with injury but were unlikely to play. Asitha Fernando and Pramod Madushan have been called in as cover.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Charith Asalanka, 4 Kusal Mendis (wk), 5 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Chamika Karunaratne, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Maheesh Theekshana, 11 Nuwan ThusharaAustralia could go with an unchanged team as Starc continues to be sidelined with injuryAustralia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 David Warner, 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Steven Smith, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Ashton Agar, 9 Jhye Richardson, 10 Kane Richardson, 11 Josh Hazlewood

Pitch and conditions

This is the first T20I played in Pallekele since before the pandemic but history would suggest a chance of a reasonably high-scoring affair with the ground among the fastest scoring in the world.

Stats and trivia

• Charith Asalanka needs five runs for 500 in T20Is; Dushmantha Chameera needs two wickets to reach 50
• Hazlewood’s 12 wickets at 10.25 against Sri Lanka make them his most successful opponent in T20Is and he concedes just 5.12 per over.