The Sydney Sixers did not appear to have made enough, but they fielded like demons and bowled in miserly fashion to beat the Perth Scorchers by seven runs

Will Macpherson at the WACA28-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn the first WBBL final, the Sydney Sixers posted an underpar total but scrapped for their lives and took the game to the final over before losing to their crosstown rivals. This time, they again batted first – as they prefer to – and did not appear to have made enough, but they fielded like demons and bowled dry to beat the Perth Scorchers by seven runs. For much of the game the Scorchers had been cruising to victory, but the tournament’s top two teams served up a veritable classic.As Elyse Villani and Nicole Bolton got the Scorchers off to another fine start, followed by Suzie Bates joining Bolton to consolidate, the Sixers’ 124 – the result of some superb strangling from the hosts, led by Anya Shrubsole – never looked enough. But an outstanding performance from Sarah Aley, the competition’s leading wicket-taker of the season (and ever), alongside some waspish fielding by Bates and Lauren Ebsary led the Sixers’ fightback.Still, the game made it to the final over as Katherine Brunt walloped a six – the first of the match – down the ground off the final ball of Aley’s spell, leaving the Scorchers needing 16. She was dropped at deep midwicket off the fourth ball of that last over, but the Scorchers could only take eight off Lauren Smith’s offspin. In brutal 38-degree conditions, Brunt fell to her knees in disappointment as the Sixers celebrated.Both teams had a chance to produce the blueprint of their semi-final success, and with the Sixers wanting to bat, and the Scorchers preferring to field, the toss suited everyone.Bates knew that the Scorchers’ best chance was to dismiss her opposite number Alyssa Healy – who was in the form of her life having made 161 runs in her previous two innings – early and, from the first ball of the match, Healy’s flick just evaded the fingers of midwicket. When she drove the next ball brilliantly through the offside for four, Bates must have wondered if the Scorchers’ chance was gone. Healy smacked down the ground, and again through cover, particularity picking on Emma King’s spin, and looked in ominous form.But her partners struggled. Shrubsole had Dane van Niekerk caught behind with her fourth ball, and her opening two overs cost just one each. Ashleigh Gardner, after a brilliant tournament, struggled badly with her timing and was bowled by Bates just before halfway. An over later Healy – feeling under pressure to push the game on – miscued Piepa Cleary into the offside. She left having made 40 of the 70 runs, but only having faced 27 of the 65 legal deliveries.The Scorchers’ stall was on, but no one told that to Marizanne Kapp, who dragged Sixers to 124. Sara McGlashan and Angela Reakes struggled for timing, but Kapp found the fence late in the innings through cover and square leg. Shrubsole returned for the final over and bowled Reakes to cap a performance that should have been enough to win the game.And as Villani drove down the ground and Bolton stroked through cover, it certainly looked that way. But Aley, who remarkably remains uncapped (although perhaps not for long) forced Villani to hit straight to long-on off the last ball of the Powerplay, and the Scorchers slowed after her dismissal. Smith then produced a brilliant run-out, diving at mid-off to dismiss Bates. Soon enough Kim Garth, the excellent Irish rookie who has shone in the second half of the tournament, had Bolton caught at mid-off and then Aley bowled Heather Graham. Next over Ebsary and Brunt found themselves at the same end as Kapp and Smith combined to run them out. Brunt, promoted to No. 4, was the last hope, but Aley’s excellent 19th over – in which she bowled Chloe Piparo and Shrubsole off consecutive balls – was just enough.The Sixers thus proved that they were the strongest and deepest squad in the tournament, given in the absence of Ellyse Perry and Lisa Sthalekar they secured a superb come-from-behind win and a well-deserved title, burying the demons of 2016 in the process.

William Porterfield and the spinners helped Ireland thrash United Arab Emirates by 85 runs in the first ODI in Dubai

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-2017
ScorecardWilliam Porterfield was bowled soon after completing his seventh ODI hundred•Chris Whiteoak

William Porterfield struck his seventh ODI ton to lift Ireland to 270, a total they defended by 85 runs with the help of George Dockrell and Andy McBrine’s spin.Ireland, after being asked to bat, lost two early wickets. Fast bowler Mohammad Naveed had Paul Stirling caught behind for 4, and in his next over, removed Andy Balbirnie. Porterfield then led Ireland’s rebuild with partnerships of 59,124 and 56 with Niall O’Brien, Kevin O’Brien and Gary Wilson respectively. Kevin O’Brien struck a 53-ball 69 that included seven fours and one six.Fast bowler Zahoor Khan took three wickets in three balls, with a wide in between his second and third victims, to stall Ireland’s momentum towards the end. Ireland lost their last six wickets for 17 runs in 24 balls, Zahoor took all of them to finish with 6 for 34, the best figures by a UAE bowler.Rohan Mustafa hammered a 29-ball 43 to lead UAE’s reply, but their chase withered away as they lost regular wickets. Off spinner McBrine and left-arm spinner Dockrell took wickets between them to reduce UAE to 112 for 7. Ahmed Raza struck a 69-ball 45 at No. 8. UAE were bowled out for 185 in the 42nd over.

Sri Lanka will be without two key ODI players – Angelo Mathews and Lasith Malinga – for the three-match series that has sparked widespread interest following Bangladesh’s historic win in their 100th Test

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando24-Mar-2017

Match facts

March 25, 2017
Start time 1430 local (0900 GMT)1:02

Shakib Al Hasan’s reign at the top in the ICC rankings is longer than not only all cricketers but also the best from a few other sporting disciplines

Big picture

Bangladesh have exulted, the Sri Lanka team have been verbally flagellated, and after Sunday’s result, a tour that had been flying under the radar on the island has suddenly sparked widespread interest.While Bangladesh’s second major Test victory in the space of a few months has been interpreted as a another sign of the team’s arrival at the top level, Sri Lanka’s loss has split opinion at home. Some have suggested Sri Lankan cricket has entered a death spiral; others have argued that while there is cause for significant concern, there is hope yet. Whatever the case, the limited-overs series have become doubly important for Sri Lanka now. If they lose here as well, there may not be many rushing to defend this team.What will worry Sri Lanka is that ODIs have recently been Bangladesh’s strongest format. They did lose to England at home last year, but have beaten India, Pakistan and South Africa in bilateral series in 2015.Sri Lanka meanwhile, can probably reflect that ODIs have been their weakest suit. Save for series against West Indies, Ireland and Zimbabwe – all of whom have failed to qualify for this year’s Champions Trophy – Sri Lanka have lost bilateral series against England, Australia, South Africa, Pakistan and New Zealand (twice) since the start of 2015.The hosts are still without their two best limited-overs players – Angelo Mathews remains injured, and Lasith Malinga is also unavailable, thanks to a slow recovery from a major ankle injury.Bangladesh, meanwhile, will not only be buoyed by their Test win, they are also boosted by the arrival of their charismatic limited-overs captain: Mashrafe Mortaza.

Form guide

Sri Lanka LLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh LLLLW

In the spotlight

Upul Tharanga’s captaincy has yielded mixed results – a 0-5 thrashing in ODIs in South Africa, to go with a 2-1 win in the T20 series in Australia – but his own form has been largely encouraging. In addition to having scored heavily in the Galle Test, Tharanga had also struck a 90-ball 119 in an ODI in Cape Town last month. At 32, Tharanga is intent on retaining his place in the team until he retires, but he still needs to score more consistently to convince the many doubters.Mustafizur Rahman‘s fourth day spell at the P Sara may have broken open the match for Bangladesh, but it didn’t feature many trademark cutters. Switching now to the format in which he made his name, Mustafizur has plenty of form behind him – having also taken two wickets in each of his ODI outings in New Zealand, in December. On Asian tracks better suited to his bowling, there is a chance the series is defined by how well Sri Lanka’s batsmen defuse his bowling.

Team news

With Kusal Perera out of the first two ODIs, left-arm spinning allrounder Milinda Siriwardana has been named in the squad for the Dambulla matches. Also returning to the fray are Danushka Gunathilaka – who had missed the South Africa series – and Thisara Perera, who had been dropped. Niroshan Dickwella is unavailable for this match, however, thanks to the suspension he picked up in Australia. Tharanga and Gunathilaka are likely to open together.*Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Upul Tharanga (capt.), 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Dhananjaya de Silva, 6 Asela Gunaratne, 7 Sachith Pathirana, 8. Thisara Perera, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Vikum Sanjaya, 11 Lakshan SandakanBangladesh could make at least two changes to the XI from their last ODI, in New Zealand. Mushfiqur Rahim will return to the line-up as wicketkeeper in place of Nurul Hasan while Tanbir Hayder isn’t in the current squad. Mehedi Hasan’s late call-up suggests he could be handed an ODI debut. Sunzamul Islam may also earn an ODI cap if they decide to play only two seamers.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Sabbir Rahman, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Mosaddek Hossain, 8 Mehedi Hasan, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 10 Taskin Ahmed/Sunzamul Islam, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Pitch and conditions

The Dambulla track has generally been slow, with 300 having been breached only twice there. The weather is expected to be fine.

Stats and trivia

• Bangladesh have won only four ODIs and lost 33 against Sri Lanka. One of those wins and 14 losses have come in Sri Lanka.
• Mustafizur has failed to get two wickets only twice in his 11 ODIs so far. He has 30 wickets at an average of 13.83 in the format.
• Sri Lanka lost their last home series 1-4 to Australia.

Quotes

“We started well in New Zealand but couldn’t finish off those games. So every game becomes important, not just at the start or end of a series.”
“After the Test series, we had four training sessions, and in all those four sessions, we dedicated lot of time for fielding. I think we are doing quite okay in practices when it comes to fielding, but when we go into thee middle, we fail to concentrate.”
*This article originally had Dickwella among Sri Lanka’s possible XI. He is, however, suspended for this match.

Cheteshwar Pujara, the India Test batsman, has signed for a four-match Championship stint with Nottinghamshire

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-2017Cheteshwar Pujara, the India Test batsman, has signed for a four-match Championship stint with Nottinghamshire. He comes in as a replacement for Nottinghamshire’s main overseas signing, James Pattinson, who has been called up by Australia for the Champions Trophy.Pujara, who has previously played county cricket with Derbyshire and Yorkshire, will arrive in the UK later this month for the resumption of Championship cricket following the Royal London Cup group stage. He will be available for Notts’ trip to play Glamorgan starting on May 19, as well as home and away fixtures against Gloucestershire and the visit of Derbyshire to Trent Bridge.Nottinghamshire have made an excellent start to life in Division Two, with three wins from three putting them top. Pattinson has been a particular success, with 20 wickets at 11.15; although, less encouragingly, he was also the second-leading run-scorer, with Riki Wessels the only Notts batsman to reach three figures so far this season.”We have looked around the world to find the right player,” Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, Mick Newell, said. “The most important thing was to sign someone with the quality to make us better, rather than limiting our options by saying it had to be a bowler.”We have depth in our squad with regards bowling and – particularly as we’ll be without Alex Hales during that period – we’re more than happy to welcome a world-class batsman to the club.”Pujara finished India’s domestic season with 1316 runs at 62.66, which included two centuries against England on their November-December tour, but was not picked up for the IPL and spent April either practising in the nets or working on his fitness.One of the few India players to take part in the Championship in recent years, Pujara has averaged more than 50 on both of his previous stints, in 2014 and 2015. He has twice played at Trent Bridge – on India’s 2014 tour and while with Yorkshire.”I’m ready for it. I’m already working on my skills and preparing for competitive cricket,” Pujara said. “I love playing county cricket and Trent Bridge is a great venue. I’m really looking forward to my first experience there as a home player. The aim is to win as many games as possible so the team stays on top of the points table.”

Delhi Daredevils’ top order, the least experienced in the league, will face a formidable Kolkata Knight Riders spin attack in a home match on Monday

The Preview by Rachna Shetty16-Apr-2017

Match facts

Delhi Daredevils v Kolkata Knight Riders
Monday, April 17, 2017
Start time 1600 local3:08

Agarkar: Delhi should bat Pant higher than Nair

Head to head

Last season Daredevils beat Knight Riders at home by 27 runs but were walloped in their away match, collapsing to 98 in a nine-wicket defeat.

Form guide

• Delhi Daredevils (third): beat Kings XI Punjab by 51 runs; beat Rising Pune Supergiant by 97 runs; lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore by 15 runs

• Kolkata Knight Riders (second): beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 17 runs; beat Kings XI Punjab by eight wickets; lost to Mumbai Indians by four wickets

Overall record Knight Riders have won 10 out of the 17 matches between the two sides. At Feroz Shah Kotla, Daredevils’ home ground, Knight Riders have won four out of six matches.

In the news

Given the possibility of facing a pitch similar to Daredevils’ game against Kings XI Punjab on Saturday, which played slow, there could be a case for Knight Riders making a switch, with Shakib Al Hasan coming in for Chris Woakes or Colin de Grandhomme. This could bolster their already formidable spin attack and lengthen their batting a bit against one of the most economical bowling attacks in the end overs. Daredevils, this season, have an economy rate of 6.44 in the last five overs, the lowest for all teams. Woakes has taken wickets for Knight Riders but has had an economy rate of under 10 in only one out of four matches.

Likely XIs

Delhi Daredevils: 1 Sanju Samson, 2 Sam Billings, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Karun Nair, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Zaheer Khan (capt), 11 Shahbaz NadeemKolkata Knight Riders: 1 Sunil Narine, 2 Gautam Gambhir (capt), 3 Robin Uthappa (wk), 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Yusuf Pathan, 6 Suryakumar Yadav, 7 Colin de Grandhomme/Rovman Powell, 8 Chris Woakes/Shakib Al Hasan, 9 Kuldeep Yadav 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Trent Boult

Strategy punt

Expect Zaheer Khan and Chris Morris to bowl at least three overs inside the the Powerplay, especially if Sunil Narine falls early. They have enjoyed success against Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa. Zaheer has bowled 40 balls to Uthappa for just 41 runs and two wickets. Against Morris he has scored just 26 off 27 balls. Morris has troubled Gambhir more: 21 balls, 16 runs, and three dismissals.

Key stats

• Knight Riders batsmen have scored a total of 224 runs in the Powerplay at a run rate of 9.20. Of these, Gambhir has scored 105 runs off 68 balls. His current strike rate of 154 is already his second best in Powerplays in IPL, after the 2012 IPL.
• Amit Mishra has 50 wickets at Feroz Shah Kotla. Harbhajan Singh and Lasith Malinga – at Wankhede Stadium – are the only other bowlers who have taken more than 50 wickets at one venue.
• It isn’t just Morris and Zaheer Khan that Uthappa is vulnerable against. Amit Mishra has dismissed him four times in 10 innings in the IPL.
• Daredevils’ batting top four is the least experienced of the eight teams in the league. The overall collective experience of batsmen in the current Daredevils squad who have played in the top four stands at 377 T20 innings with 8587 runs at an average of 25.55, with one century and 51 fifties. The next least experienced team is Rising Pune Supergiant. Their top four batsmen have 785 innings, with more than 19000 runs

Eoin Morgan is an England captain who senses his time has come. He has reshaped England’s limited-overs cricket, now he wants some tangible reward for it

The Report by David Hopps at Headingley24-May-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMoeen Ali produced an impressive all-round performance on his return to the side•Getty Images

Eoin Morgan is an England captain who senses his time has come. He has reshaped England’s limited-overs cricket, now he wants some tangible reward for it. As the Champions Trophy looms, he is in mint form as his 11th ODI hundred in front of a near-capacity Headingley crowd testified.Morgan’s 107 from 93 balls was a central component of a victory that put England 1-0 up in the three-match series. He fell 14 balls from the end of the innings, advancing to Chris Morris, the most resilient member of South Africa’s attack, and skying to mid-off. Along the way, he became the highest ODI run-getter of any batsman who has played for England, although that statistic is swollen by the 700-plus runs he made in an Ireland shirt. Ian Bell holds the record – as silky-smooth as he can be, already he feels like a batsman from another age.South Africa, No. 1 in the ODI rankings, will provide an ideal pre-tournament workout for England, the hosts, ahead of the Champions Trophy. Morgan’s third ODI hundred in eight hits, following two gained in the winter in Cuttack and North Sound, underlined that his game is in far better order than it was a year ago when his invigoration of England’s one-day approach was not matched by his own form.

South Africa fined for slow over rate

AB de Villiers’ side have been fined for maintaining a slow over rate during their loss to England in the first ODl at Headingley.
South Africa were found to be one over short, after time allowances were taken into consideration by Andy Pycroft, the match referee, based on the charge laid by on-field umpires Tim Robinson and Rod Tucker, third umpire Chris Gaffaney and fourth official Michael Gough.
De Villiers accepted the charge and was fined 20% of his match fee, while the other South Africa players were fined 10%.

Even with Morgan’s intervention, backed up by an inspired late assault by Moeen Ali which was enough to win him the man-of-the-match award on his return to the side, England had not quite put the game beyond South Africa at the interval. It was a record ODI score at Headingley, but it was a bountiful batting surface and, as evening approached, the day remained warm and the skies remained milky blue.Nevertheless, England gradually imposed themselves in the field to secure a 72-run win. The luxury of that margin had seemed highly unlikely when South Africa were 145 for 1 approaching midway.With the Manchester terrorist atrocity still so fresh in the mind, it was a pleasure to find Headingley carrying on regardless. The additional security was unobtrusive and, after a sombre minute’s silence to start the day, and with both sides wearing black armbands, a crowd of more than 14,000 gradually slipped into contented mood. National security levels have been upgraded to Critical – the highest of the five categories, communicating the conclusion that another attack cannot be discounted – but there was no sense of a country under siege.There will be disquiet at the fact that Ben Stokes was off the field for a period with a sore left knee, and only bowled two overs, but Morgan played down the significance of that and suggested that he was just being risk-averse. Anyway, if you worried every time an England player was off the field, you would rarely have time to do anything else.Mark Wood has also had better nights. He touched 90mph at times, which is a good sign after his long-standing ankle problems, but too often he strained for rhythm, conceding 49 in his six overs. Hashim Amla pilfered five fours in two overs, easeful drives and pulls, and AB de Villiers looked equally commanding when Wood returned for a second spell.All that was in the context of South Africa reaching 145 for 1 shortly before midway. Quinton de Kock fell early – a good running catch by the wicketkeeper, Jos Buttler, when he top-edged Chris Woakes – but Amla and Faf du Plessis had countered in inconspicuous fashion in a stand of 112. Then Wood trapped Amla lbw with a straight one – England winning the decision on review – Liam Plunkett straightened one to have du Plessis caught at the wicket in the next over and England rallied with Woakes snapping up the last two wickets to claim 4 for 38.Self-destructive departures by JP Duminy and David Miller also played into England’s hands. Both received long hops, from Adil Rashid and Woakes respectively, which they hauled obligingly to deep forward square. Moeen Ali found some purchase with his offspin and collected de Villiers to add to his earlier thumping 77 off 51 balls.England’s innings had provided the entertainment and, before Morgan’s intervention, things were not quite so rosy. Stokes and Buttler were back from the IPL, their superstar status widely acknowledged, but there was no grand entrance as they returned to the England fold.Stokes, named as the IPL’s Most Valuable Player, as well as being the most expensive at $2.16m, looked in good order in making 25 from 30 balls before a meaty pull at a short ball from Kagiso Rabada picked out Morris at deep forward square. The boundary boards had been brought in at Headingley about five yards on that side of the ground, but that did not entirely prevent the conclusion – satisfying for local consumption – that they had clearly not been brought in as far as in IPL.Buttler did not quite make the same impact in the IPL as Stokes, and he fell for 7 two overs later. Morris was brought back for him and the manner in which he immediately dismissed him at short backward square spoke of a pre-conceived plan.After experiencing India’s febrile crowds, an ODI in England had a gentler feel for Stokes and Buttler. They must have felt as if they were returning to suburbia after the clamour of the city (English cricket always feels like suburbia, especially at Lord’s), the applause appreciative but not particularly noisy until Morgan and Moeen took hold in the closing overs. Politeness pervaded the scene.Jason Roy departed early, driving expansively at Wayne Parnell’s second ball to be caught at the wicket. By the time de Kock took his second catch, England had raised 100 at not far short of a run a ball. Alex Hales, who had worked the ball through the leg side confidently whenever given the opportunity, reached 61 before a lazy end against Andile Phehlukwayo’s first ball. He normally feasts on width outside off stump but made a hash of it.Joe Root lost impetus. The expectations of his home crowd were high in his first innings on this ground since his elevation to the Test captaincy. He got 17 off his first eight balls, but only 20 off his next 43 as Morris, not for the first time, restrained him best of all.But it was Phehlukwayo who claimed his wicket. A seam bowling allrounder whose first sport as a youngster was hockey, he has no great pace, so there was little venom in his wide bouncer, but it was high enough for Root to get in a tangle as he tried to pull it and lobbed it into the leg side.A partnership of 117 in 13 overs between Morgan and Moeen, who finished unbeaten on 77 with five sixes, replotted England’s course. Moeen’s contribution was also invaluable. He recovered from a careworn start by advancing to hit Parnell straight for six, and then clearing the ropes thrice more in an over from the legspinner Imran Tahir that cost 22. After the match, he said that England had dedicated the victory to all those who had suffered in the Manchester attack.

The left-arm spinner warned that batting last at Khettarama ‘won’t be easy’ and suggested Sri Lanka should have done better with the bat

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo15-Jul-2017Sri Lanka ended the first day of the Colombo Test against Zimbabwe 63 runs adrift, with only three first-innings wickets in hand, and their own lead spinner has sounded out a warning: batting fourth on this track “won’t be easy”.Khettarama is not a venue where Tests are often played – the most recent one was four years ago. As both sides attempt to read an unfamiliar surface, perhaps Rangana Herath’s assessments should be given greater weight than those of anybody else. Not only did he claim five wickets in the first innings, Herath had also taken 12 wickets against Bangladesh in that 2013 Test.So, if Sri Lanka do not come charging back into the game on day three, they may leave themselves with too much to do in the final innings.”If we can get to 350 or 400 – even get a first-innings lead of about 50, that would be good,” Herath said. “But if we can’t manage that, we have to get them out cheaply in the second innings. Batting fourth on this track won’t be easy. We’ve got two spinners in the XI, so I think we’ll be able to get them out for an average score or below. But right now, I think we should have been in a better position than this.”After Herath had wrapped up a 30th five-wicket haul in the morning, Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer took the lead spinners’ baton, and finished the day with figures of 3 for 100 from 30 overs. All three of his victims – Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal and Niroshan Dickwella – fell to big-turning legbreaks.”If you take yesterday and today, the pitch is drier now than it was,” Herath said as he explained the increased purchase for the spinners. “I think that’s the nature of the surface – that will be there tomorrow and the day after. The next three days will be good for the spinners, I think.”We got a good start, but after that Cremer bowled really well. The balls to get Kusal and Chandimal were very good balls. When you get those kinds of deliveries, the chances of getting out are high.”Sri Lanka’s plight was also made more difficult by the hamstring injury picked up by Asela Gunaratne, while fielding in the morning. He came in at No. 8 in the batting order, instead of No. 6 or 7 as he usually might, and was clearly struggling to run between the wickets. Gunaratne had claimed two wickets in the first innings, but Sri Lanka’s attack may be weakened in the second, Herath said.”With the state his hamstring is in, I don’t think Asela will be able to bowl or field tomorrow. We are also trying to keep him fit for the India tour that’s coming up soon. If he is unable to bowl, it’s me, Dilruwan Perera and the two quicks who are left in the attack. Kusal Mendis has also taken a wicket in a Test in Zimbabwe, so he might be an option for the captain as well.”That Sri Lanka even find themselves in such a difficult position may also be testament to particular troubles the team has faced in 2017. They had taken large leads into the second innings in each of the Tests they played in Zimbabwe last year, but have since lost four of their last five matches, not to mention a host of ODIs. Despite those results, Herath believed there was quality in the side.”It’s not like we don’t have the talent. We do. But we haven’t been able to showcase those skills over a long period of time. After the Australia tour last year, we lost the South Africa series. Later, we lost to Bangladesh. It’s that lack of consistent performance. We’ve got a young team with only three or four experienced hands, and we can’t expect the older players to do everything. We have to give the young players experience, and they should also know how to make use of those opportunities.”

While measuring up-and-coming Australian spinners against Shane Warne effectively sets them up for failure, Nathan Lyon has shown himself to be an example worth looking up to

Daniel Brettig27-Aug-2017Upon winning the lbw verdict that pulled him into the 250-wicket zone, Nathan Lyon paused briefly on his haunches before arising as Australia’s second most prolific spin bowler after Shane Warne.If he looked only mildly pleased at the milestone, it said more for a day of hard work and perseverance than anything else. A brief, unsuccessful stay as nightwatchman would follow for Lyon, a man who has always stated his willingness to do any job for the team that anointed him custodian of its celebratory chant. Though by no means as freakish as Warne nor an all-round talent in the class of Richie Benaud, the bowler-batsman-captain whose 248-wicket tally he passed on day one in Dhaka, Lyon never gives anything less than his most unsparing effort. In the cooler light of the post-play review, Lyon was rightly proud.”I’ll tell you here right now, I’m never taking over Shane Warne,” Lyon said. “I’ve always said that I’m not about personal success but I woke up to a message from my mum and dad. They said go out and do us proud. You get those types of messages and you reflect on your career and where you stand in the game – it’s pretty special.”Richie Benaud was an unbelievable legend of Australian cricket and cricket in general. To overtake him in the wickets column is something pretty special. I hold it pretty close to my heart. I’ve got some very good mates in this change room that I think are great, and no doubt when I get back home after this series, I’ll sit down with my family and have a drink and celebrate that personal goal but let’s just see how this Test match goes first.”On a used, dry and occasionally spiteful surface, Lyon had been bowling in the seventh over of the match. But any thoughts of a quick run through Bangladesh’s middle order were assuaged when Tamim Iqbal sallied forth to hammer Lyon inside out over the cover boundary – an audacious shot to play at 18 for 3. From there, Lyon was frustrated for much of the afternoon by Tamim’s boldness and Shakib-al-Hasan’s more considered approach to spin.That the captain Steve Smith was required to call upon Glenn Maxwell for the delivery that broke the stand will not have sat well with Lyon. Not because he dislikes Maxwell or his bowling, but because Lyon has long since his 2011 debut regarded himself as a bowler capable of taking the key wicket to change a day’s flow. Having done so numerous times in India earlier this year in what was perhaps the best series of his career to date, Lyon would have expected to break the stand.Shakib Al Hasan walks off after being dismissed by Nathan Lyon•Getty Images

“I think the two guys batted very brave,” Lyon said. “They took the game on, which you have to do in these type of conditions. I think on this wicket if you bat well in partnerships and bat together, you can score runs. I’m not going to sit here and deny them credit. They’re two good players, they played some incredible shots out there and took the game on. Hats off to them. It’s now our opportunity to take the game on
in our first innings and see where we get to.”Your spinners have to bowl well and bowl well in partnerships and be consistent. That’s what myself and Ashton and Glenn Maxwell are trying to do, be as consistent as possible and challenge Bangladesh’s defence, and that’s going to be a big thing. Personally I felt that they were uncomfortably trying to defend me and they took the game on, and hats off to them, they were playing some brave and decent cricket.”Instead Lyon returned to find Tamim already defeated by a Maxwell ball that stopped and bounced, and by the time he reached the sixth ball of his 18th over, he was nursing the unflattering figures of 0 for 59. It was here that Lyon’s day turned, with a prancing delivery that Shakib could only manage to guide airily into Smith’s safe hands at slip. Next an artful change of pace and a little extra bounce had Mehidy Hasan given out caught at short leg, though replays showed the ball had not in fact touched the glove.Lyon, though, was not fussed about this modicum of fortune, much as he has uncomplainingly forged on through spells out of the Test team, a long-time absence from the limited overs set-up and wide variations in the quality of Australian wicketkeeping at the other end of the pitch. Through it all, he has steadily learned and added to his repertoire, most pointedly developing after a poor tour of Sri Lanka in 2016 to excel in India and so set the scene for his Dhaka milestone. The 250th wicket, a skidder that trapped Taijul Islam, demonstrated one of the ways in which Lyon has grown.All those episodes have, in turn, served as lessons for Ashton Agar, playing his third Test match and first alongside Lyon, after briefly deposing him in 2013 as a mussy-haired teenager. With four years of first-class cricket now behind him, Agar has returned at 23, the same age Lyon was when he made his debut, and the older man was happy to talk in terms of guidance.”I think we can learn as a partnership from our first innings going forward,” Lyon said. “To be honest, I’m pretty happy, that’s a personal best for Ashton Agar, taking three wickets. I thought when he bowled – I’m sure he wanted to bowl more overs as well – when he bowled, he bowled with nice rhythm. Sitting with him and having a chat before, he’s pretty happy with where he’s sitting. I’m pretty happy with bowling in a partnership with him.”For a considerable time it seemed difficult to know what to expect of an Australian spin bowler following after Warne, other than the impossible. Now the way ahead is far clearer, for Lyon has shown what can be done.