All posts by n8rngtd.top

ESPNcricinfo’s preview of the second Test between Sri Lanka and Australia in Pallekele

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale07-Sep-2011

Match facts

Sri Lanka need more from their captain, Tillakaratne Dilshan•PA Photos

September 8-12, Pallekele
Start time 10:00 (04:30 GMT, 14:30 EST)

Big Picture

Australia surprised many people by outplaying Sri Lanka in their own conditions in Galle, even if the dusty pitch did mean the toss played a significant role in the outcome. Now, Michael Clarke can rack up his first series victory if the team backs up with another strong performance in Pallekele. It’s nearly 18 months since the Australians have won a Test series, the last time being on their tour of New Zealand in March 2010. Much has changed for Clarke since then; on that trip, he was followed by tabloid reporters and TV cameras after his much-publicised break-up with Lara Bingle. In one sense, those days must seem a lifetime ago for Clarke, but he’s also acutely aware that he hasn’t made a Test century since that New Zealand series. But his second-innings 60 was key to Australia’s victory in Galle, and he certainly outperformed his opposing captain, Tillakaratne Dilshan.Dilshan was the prime culprit in Sri Lanka’s top-order failure in the first Test. In the first innings he was caught slashing wildly in the second over and in the second innings he disregarded the difficult conditions and left an enormous gate between bat and pad, and was not surprisingly bowled by a ball that jagged back off the seam. It was not a sight that would have impressed one of Dilshan’s captaincy predecessors, Arjuna Ranatunga, who dished out a stinging rebuke to the team in the wake of the defeat.”I’m not really sure if [Sri Lanka] are focused enough to play the longer version,” Ranatunga told the Sydney Morning Herald. “I am very disappointed with the commitment of most of the players, in particular I am really worried about a couple of the batsmen and their commitment to the longer version of the game. I think we look much better than Australia on paper, but they are more committed.” Ranatunga went on to describe the non-selection of Ajantha Mendis in Galle as “unbelievable”, although it seems likely Mendis will play in Pallekele.Australia will make one change, with Ricky Ponting having flown home for the birth of his second child. That means a Test debut for Shaun Marsh, 28, who will become Australia’s 422nd Test cricketer. His father, the opening batsman Geoff Marsh, is the owner of baggy green No. 333.Also quite new to Test cricket is the venue itself. The Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, built for the World Cup, is one of the most picturesque of Test venues, set in the rolling hills just outside Kandy. It’s only previous Test was between Sri Lanka and West Indies in December, and it was so badly affected by rain that not even the first innings of the match could be completed.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
Sri Lanka LDDLD
Australia WLLWL

In the spotlight

After his performance in Galle, one man will really be in the spotlight in this second Test: Tillakaratne Dilshan. The captain of Sri Lanka let his side down with his approach to batting, but he is a proven Test match performer. His challenge in Pallekele is not only to lead from the front with the bat, but to marshal his troops in the field in such a way as to keep the pressure on the Australian batsmen in conditions that shouldn’t suit them.Ryan Harris is the kind of bowler any captain would want in his team. He keeps going all day, finds movement in the air and off the pitch and most importantly, he takes bags of wickets. In the second innings in Galle, he picked up his second five-wicket haul in six Tests, in addition to the three five-fors he’s managed in a 17-match ODI career. Harris nearly 32 and has a chronic knee problem, but for now he’s one of the most important men in Australia’s side.

Team news

Although it was Sri Lanka’s batsmen who let them down in the first innings in Galle, it’s in the bowling department that changes are most likely. The decision to leave out Mendis, whose varieties baffled some of the Australians in the one-day series, was a strange one, and he should get his opportunity this time. Suraj Randiv could be the man to make way, after he was comfortably outbowled by Rangana Herath in the first Test. And on the day before the Test, Chanaka Welegedara was struggling with a knee injury, which meant Shaminda Eranga was a chance to debut after his impressive efforts in the ODI series.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), 2 Tharanga Paranavitana, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Suranga Lakmal, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Ajantha Mendis, 11 Chanaka Welegedara / Shaminda Eranga.Australia have already confirmed their starting line-up, with the only change being Marsh to replace Ponting at No.3. That means the minimum possible disruption to the batting line-up, with Usman Khawaja to stay at No.6, although as a top-order player for New South Wales he’d probably have enjoyed being promoted.Australia 1 Shane Watson, 2 Phillip Hughes, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Usman Khawaja, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Ryan Harris, 10 Trent Copeland, 11 Nathan Lyon.

Pitch and conditions

After the pitch in Galle was reported to the ICC by the match referee, a more equitable surface is expected in Kandy. The grass will be shaved off, but more moisture is likely, meaning no clouds of dust on the first day, while the assistance for the spinners may not arrive until later in the game.

Stats and trivia

• Shaun Marsh and his dad Geoff will become only the second father-son combination to play Test cricket for Australia, after Ned Gregory, who was part of the very first Test match in 1877, and his son Syd, who played the last of his Tests in 1912
• Marsh’s inclusion means Australia will have had five debutants in three Tests, stretching back to the Sydney Ashes Test. But it’s not the first time that’s happened recently: five baggy greens were handed out in the space of two Tests against South Africa in early 2009
• Mahela Jayawardene has drawn level with Don Bradman on the list of most centuries in Test cricket, with 29.

Quotes

“To win the first Test at Galle in such difficult conditions was a wonderful achievement, but to win the second Test in Kandy will be a greater challenge. Over the past year or so we have performed well in the first Test of a series only to fall away in the second.”
“In the last two days we’ve had good training sessions, everyone is ready to play their part in this match. I think we have the confidence [to bounce back], everyone is good mentally.”

Darren Sammy, the West Indies captain, has said the two-match Twenty20 series against England next week could help his side in the build-up to the 2012 World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Sep-2011Darren Sammy, the West Indies captain, has said the two-match Twenty20 series against England next week could help his inexperienced side in the build-up to the 2012 World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.”These two matches present us with a chance to look at players as we prepare for the ICC T20 World Championship in Sri Lanka next year,” Sammy said. “Some young players have been given this golden opportunity to show what they can do. The selectors have identified the players they want to look at.”With at least seven first-choice players missing out due to Champions League T20 commitments, West Indies are going into the series with a new-look squad. The absentees include Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Adrian Barath and Ravi Rampaul. While the first three haven’t been included in West Indies’ Twenty20 teams earlier in the year as well since they skipped the domestic Twenty20 tournament, the latter four are representing Trinidad & Tobago in the Champions League.The new faces in the 14-man squad include batsmen Miles Bascombe and Johnson Charles, allrounder Nkruma Bonner and wicketkeeper Derwin Christian, while Dwayne Smith and Marlon Samuels are making comebacks.The England series, Sammy said, could set the tone for West Indies’ upcoming season. “This series signals the start of our overseas campaign for this year and we want to start our travels on a winning note.” Following the Twenty20s, West Indies travel to the subcontinent for series against Bangladesh and India.England have been in prime form this summer, enjoying success against Sri Lanka, before routing India in all formats. However, Sammy said he was confident of his side’s chances. “The players are working very hard as we prepare for the upcoming matches in England. The vibe among the players in the group is great. England have been playing some very good cricket in all three formats of the game and we know we face a major challenge in this series.”But we have some very confident players who are eager to prove themselves and give their utmost for the people of the West Indies. There is a lot to be gained by performing in this short series. We have our plans on how we aim to play against England and what we aim to get out of the series.”The Twenty20s are scheduled for September 23 and 25 at The Oval in London.

ESPNcricinfo previews the third Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Sharjah

The Preview by Nitin Sundar02-Nov-2011

Match Facts

Pakistan v Sri Lanka, November 3-7, Sharjah
Start time 1000 (0600 GMT)Umar Gul and Junaid Khan have made sure there has been no dip in the skill levels of Pakistan’s new-ball operators, despite the loss of the Mohammads Asif and Amir•AFP

Big Picture

Two days after the Southwark Crown Court’s landmark verdict in the spot-fixing investigation, Pakistan’s players will have to forget about their former team-mates and focus on five days of hard Test cricket. They play at a venue favoured by their predecessors but much has changed since those heady days of the 1980s. In 2001 the Indian government banned the national side from playing there but Pakistan’s exile as a cricketing venue has given the Emirates a fresh lease of life in recent years, and Sharjah is set to host its first Test in nine years, and fifth overall.The Pakistan side that takes guard on Thursday will also be unrecognisable from the flashy crowd-pullers that used to grace this venue back in the day. More tellingly, they have little in common with the outfit that sizzled with the ball and floundered with the bat in England last summer. The last time Pakistan lined up for Test cricket in Sharjah, they were handed two ruthless hammerings by Australia, including the ignominy of being bowled out for 59 and 53 in the same match. Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan and Taufeeq Umar were a part of that series in 2002, and each of them would disappear into Pakistan’s fringes before re-emerging, stronger than ever. The trio lends the Pakistan line-up a look of steel that was last seen when Inzamam-ul-Haq was still playing. The bowling line-up has lost the Mohammads Asif and Amir but Junaid Khan has already replicated their ability to hoop the ball each way – that too under an unrelenting sun and on unresponsive tracks.While Pakistan have blended their innate flair with discipline to take a 1-0 lead, their opponents continue to regress inexplicably. Muttiah Muralitharan’s absence has left the bowling hamstrung, but that is only one half of the story. The lack of bowling nous has put Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene under such intense pressure that it has affected their productivity with the bat. The captain, Tillakaratne Dilshan, is going through a horror run of form as well – he has scored 177 runs in his last nine outings, 83 of those coming in one innings against Australia. A turnaround in his personal fortunes will help his team get back on track.There’s plenty riding on this match for Pakistan. A 2-0 series scoreline will take them ahead of Sri Lanka to fifth in the ICC Test table, and within touching distance of Australia. That’s not too bad for a side that plays all its games away from home, in the absence of a bunch of potential first-choice players who are either ignored, banned, or facing jail terms.

Form guide (completed games, most recent first)

Sri Lanka: LDDDL
Pakistan: WDWWL

In the spotlight

Sri Lanka’s batsmen are accomplished players of spin, and most of them have had the fortune of honing their skills against Muttiah Muralitharan in the nets. Saeed Ajmal posed a different style and trajectory to Murali, and worked his way to 11 wickets in the first two Tests. Sri Lanka would have done their homework in the interim, and will have plans for him in Sharjah. Can Ajmal still manage to slip his doosras through their defences?Mahela Jayawardene seldom lets a full series go without a hundred. So far in the series, Ajmal has out-thought him twice, while the seamers have got him nicking into the cordon twice. Jayawardene is too good to repeat such errors, and Pakistan should be on high alert when he walks out to bat in the decider.

Team news

Playing two spinners in a four-man attack worked well for Pakistan in Dubai, and the indications are that they will stick to the same combination.Pakistan (likely): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Taufeeq Umar, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Adnan Akmal (wk), 8 Umar Gul, 9 Abdur Rehman, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Junaid KhanSri Lanka are mulling the possibility of benching Lahiru Thirimanne and promoting Dilshan back to the opener’s slot. Seamer Kosala Kulasekara’s name is also doing the rounds, as Sri Lanka seek to make their attack more incisive.Sri Lanka (likely): 1 Tharanga Paranavitana, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Kaushal Silva (wk), 7 and 8 Two of Dhammika Prasad / Suraj Randiv / Kosala Kulasekara, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Chanaka Welegedera, 11 Suranga Lakmal

Pitch and conditions

Maximum temperatures of about 31 degrees will provide the teams with welcome respite, though the humidity will continue to sap them. The Intercontinental Cup fixture hosted here between Afghanistan and UAE unfolded in classic Test-match style, with batting getting progressively difficult, as the visitors held on grimly for a draw on the final day. The one-dayers that followed were also low-scoring affairs, with spinners dominating the proceedings.Dilshan noted the presence of a grassy cover on the strip, but it remains to be seen if the grass makes it to the match morning. Misbah expected it to be a “normal Sharjah pitch” that will assist the batsmen.

Stats & Trivia

• Mahela Jayawardene is 105 runs away from becoming the ninth batsman and the first ever Sri Lankan to score 10,000 runs
• Kumar Sangakkara is eleventh in the all-time list, and 28 runs away from reaching the 9000-run mark
• Misbah-ul-Haq has led Pakistan in five Test series including the current one, none of which they have lost

Quotes

“We know which areas we have to improve on, and if we play our brand of cricket then it gives us a good chance to level the series. I am not feeling any pressure but I am worried about my batting. I have worked hard and have confidence that I can come out and score big.”

“Sri Lanka are a very good side and they are fighters so we are ready for it but our focus is to do the basics well and play like we have done in the last year and a half.”

Abdul Razzaq, the Pakistan allrounder, is in doubt for Pakistan’s upcoming tour of Bangladesh due to a shoulder injury he sustained during the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Dubai on November 18

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Nov-2011 Abdul Razzaq, the Pakistan allrounder, is in doubt for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh after sustaining a right shoulder injury during the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Dubai on November 18.He will be returning home and will take no further part in the rest of the series, which includes the fifth and final ODI on Wednesday and the Twenty20 on Friday. He has been advised ten days’ rest, followed by rehabilitation. No replacement has been named.”Considering his injury, the doctor has adviced him 10 days’ rest,” Naushad Ali told ESPNcricinfo. “He will be departing for Lahore on Wednesday where he will undergo further treatment. He is not available for the remaining matches to be played here against Sri Lanka. I don’t know about his availability for the Bangladesh series but we aren’t calling up any replacement while we are here.”Razzaq batted at No.3 on Friday but struggled to justify his promotion, making 6 off 16 balls. He bowled four overs for 18 runs and didn’t take a wicket during Pakistan’s win, and was replaced by Shoaib Malik for the next ODI in Sharjah. Razzaq’s injury came to light during that match, which was also won by Pakistan, giving them the series 3-1 with a game to play.Pakistan begin their tour of Bangladesh with a Twenty20 international on November 29, followed by three ODIs and two Tests.

Blazing batting and diligent bowling by South Australia clinched a six-wicket victory and a bonus point over Western Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2011

ScoreboardBlazing batting and diligent bowling by South Australia clinched a six-wicket victory and a bonus point over Western Australia in the domestic limited overs match at the WACA ground.Michael Klinger, Daniel Harris, Daniel Christian, Callum Ferguson and Tom Cooper all made useful contributions, and each struck at least one six as SA rattled to the target at better than six runs an over. The left-armer Ryan Duffield claimed two wickets but his 10 overs cost 83 runs.The Warriors only reached their 8 for 252 due to a shot-speckled century by Luke Ronchi, having earlier slipped as low as 6 for 132. Kane Richardson grabbed three wickets for SA while Jake Haberfield, a CA Chairman’s XI selection to face India, also bowled well.The win lifted SA to equal top of the competition table with Tasmania on 18 points, each team now having played six matches.

Kieron Pollard has been ruled out of the inaugural edition of the Big Bash League due to a hamstring injury

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2011Kieron Pollard, the West Indies allrounder, has been ruled out of the inaugural edition of the Big Bash League due to a hamstring injury. Pollard, who was part of the Adelaide Strikers team, injured his right hamstring while fielding on Thursday and scans revealed a grade two strain. Alfonso Thomas is likely to take his place in the playing XI.”Our plan was always to rotate the international players, and now with our additional signing, it means Alfonso Thomas is able to slot straight into the team,” Darren Berry, the Strikers coach, said. “We are obviously disappointed to lose Polly and his firepower in our middle order, but we won last year’s T20 competition (South Australia) and have proven we can win without him.”Pollard struck form with the bat recently, scoring his maiden international century, an innings that included 10 sixes, against India in Chennai. The South Africa offspinner Johan Botha is also part of the Strikers squad. “The arrival of Johan Botha from South Africa is great news for us, and we regard him as one of the finest T20 players in the world,” Berry said. “The two international players [Botha and Thomas] we have already in the squad, along with the rest of our local stars who formed a large part of the winning team last year, will hold us in good stead.”The Strikers play their first game on December 18 against Melbourne Renegades.

Peter Handscomb scored his first century in first-class cricket and Rob Quiney also reached triple-figures on a good day for Victoria in Adelaide

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2012
ScorecardRob Quiney was one of two centurions for Victoria•Getty Images

Peter Handscomb scored his first century in first-class cricket and Rob Quiney also reached triple-figures on a good day for Victoria in Adelaide. In the first Sheffield Shield match since the hiatus that allowed the Big Bash League to take centre stage, Victoria reached 7 for 344 at stumps on the first day against South Australia.And while there were plenty of runs in the pitch, as Handscomb and Quiney showed in a 225-run partnership, the day didn’t go so well for Victoria’s captain Cameron White. Having recently been stripped of Australia’s Twenty20 captaincy after a lean BBL, White was caught at slip for 3 off the bowling of Jake Haberfield.White had come to the crease after Quiney departed for 114, his sixth first-class hundred. It was a brisk innings from Quiney, who struck 14 fours and three sixes in his 145-ball stay, which ended when he was caught behind off Tom Cooper.In his fourth first-class game, Handscomb survived a couple of dropped chances on 11 and 15 and made the most of the opportunities. He was eventually bowled by Peter George for 113 and South Australia did well to limit the output of the middle order. By stumps, Victoria were relying on Will Sheridan, who was on 31, and Jayde Herrick, who had made 10.