The Australia coach will skip the limited-overs tour of India to come up with solutions for the team’s batting wobbles ahead of the Ashes

Adam Collins08-Sep-2017Collapses. Why do they happen? It is a question the Australian leadership leaves Bangladesh with, in urgent need of a solution. By taking time out from the India ODI tour preceding the Ashes, much as he did in 2013, the coach Darren Lehmann has given himself the chance to ponder this question in some detail.In Chittagong, it was a 7 for 79 stumble that should have had a greater influence on the final result than it did. In Dhaka, 6 for 41 was fatal in the final innings, while 4 for 33 and 4 for 42 set up the failure in their first.In the aftermath of the squared series, the captain Steven Smith was not shy in airing his frustrations. Stating that they had again let themselves down, citing 15 collapses in their previous 14 Tests according to their internal team metrics. “That’s not good enough for an Australian cricket team,” he added bluntly, adding they would have to sort it out before the Ashes.Lehmann echoed the sentiment. “It’s happening too often for a young group,” he said. “The first part of the batting collapses was with an older group if you like, and then we changed it around and we’re still having them. It’s seriously not their preparation or how they go about it. It’s more the mental side of the game. We’re working through that with a young group and trying to come up with some solutions.”Inevitably, the personnel involved are coming under selection scrutiny. Glenn Maxwell is an interesting example. He earned a start in each innings in Bangladesh, and after a mini-wobble chasing 86 smashed an unbeaten 25 to finish off the job in Chittagong. Yet it is his position that appears most under threat.”With No. 6 in Australia, it is totally different to Asia,” Lehmann said, hinting to Australia’s preference of picking a seam-bowling allrounder in the slot at home. “We’ll certainly be looking at that position and anyone can jump out of the pack in the three Shield games and what we think the best make-up is for that first Test. Glenn is there at the moment, like everyone else, he’ll have to perform.”Technically, Maxwell wasn’t there in the second Test, shuffled to No. 5 after Usman Khawaja was dropped. But Lehmann all but confirmed Khawaja will be back at first drop for the Ashes, averaging 76 in Australasia since his return to international ranks in November 2015.”I would think Usman would play the first Test, although I’m only one of four selectors,” Lehmann said. “Obviously for the make-up of the side we changed it here, but we think he’s a pretty special player and obviously he’s got a really good record in Australia.”If Maxwell has to sing for his supper in the three Sheffield Shield rounds that lead into the first Test, another such case is wicketkeeper Matthew Wade. He had a stellar game with the gloves after coming excruciatingly close losing his position to part-timer Peter Handscomb. But with the bat he had another failure, trapped leg before for 8 in his one hit.”Wade did a great job behind the sticks this game after the criticism he copped,” Lehmann said. “We obviously want runs from our keeper as well so for him and all the other keepers around the country, the Shield games are going to be important.”Of altogether less concern for the coach is how his bowlers accounted for themselves across the two Tests, bowling out Bangladesh four times for an average of 236 runs an innings. The talisman was Nathan Lyon, who took a staggering 22 wickets – one victim short of Rangana Herath’s all-time record for a two-Test series.”Obviously, after Sri Lanka, he had to change a little bit,” Lehmann said, as one who levelled specific criticism at the spinner last August following that misadventure. “He’s done that and he’s bowled in well each series on the subcontinent since, so I’m really pleased for him.”As for sole-fast bowler Pat Cummins, his pace was crucial to opening up the home side at the time they had a chance to get back into the game in Chittagong, after ending Australia’s first innings in a hurry. “Exciting wasn’t he?” Lehmann said. “I don’t think we’ve done it for however long with one quick. He did a great job. For him, holding up, Steve used him really well in short spells. From our point of view, just pleased he got through.”Which begs the question – where does he fit in come Brisbane, with Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and James Pattinson all expected to be fit and ready? In the XI, there is no doubt about that. But do all four get rolled out in an effort to shock and awe the English tourists in a similar fashion to the way Mitchell Johnson did in the corresponding 2013 fixture?It was a topic Lehmann was happy to entertain in March at the end of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, but is less forthright now, with Lyon having locked in his own spot. “Nathan is going to play there’s no doubt about that,” he confirmed, adding they would look at conditions and assess accordingly.In the event of a more solid middle order, maybe it would be the case that five specialist bowlers could be considered. Or another way of taking that: if a brittle spine is just that, then what is lost by playing to their strengths? Some more questions for Lehmann to ponder away from the Indian spotlight, with all roads now leading to the the Gabba.

Axar Patel regained his spot in the ODI squad after recovering from a sprained ankle

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-20171:17

The career path of Axar Patel

Shikhar Dhawan will take no part in the ODI series against Australia after he was not named in India’s squad for the last two ODIs. Dhawan was left out of the squad for the first three ODIs after being granted leave to take care of his wife, who was taken ill. The BCCI has not named a replacement.Axar Patel, who was left out of the squad after he had sprained his left ankle playing football during a training session ahead of the first ODI, regained his spot in India’s 15-member squad. Axar’s like-for-like replacement Ravindra Jadeja was excluded.Axar’s recall is a reaffirmation of the selectors’ inclination to give him a decent run in the spinning allrounder’s slot ahead of Jadeja, who had an underwhelming Champions Trophy and went wicketless in the two games he played in West Indies. Meanwhile, Axar had a good outing in Sri Lanka finishing with six wickets in four games at an economy rate of 3.85.India took an unassailable lead in the series after beating Australia by five wickets in Indore. The next ODI in this series is on September 28 in Bengaluru.India squad: Virat Kohli (capt.), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Axar Patel

All national players will feature in the tournament, which is scheduled to be played from November 10 to December 16

Firdose Moonda23-Oct-2017South Africa’s domestic franchise T20 tournament has been confirmed as the replacement for the postponed T20 Global League.CSA had unveiled the GLT20 as a 57-match event, featuring eight privately-owned teams, to be played from November 3, but it is now under investigation to determine whether the organisational process was above board.Instead, South Africans fans will have to make do with a six-team domestic tournament that will now take place four months ahead of schedule. Originally due to be played from March 14 to April 15, it will now run from November 10 to December 16, with each franchise playing another in the home and away format. The competition features a total of 33 matches. Each franchise will play one another at home and away with two semi-finals and a final.A bonus is that all national players will be available, a rare occurrence for domestic T20 cricket in South Africa, which is usually played when the senior side is occupied. Dale Steyn, Chris Morris, Morne Morkel, Duanne Olivier and Wayne Parnell are all expected to make their returns from injury in this competition, while Vernon Philander and Lungi Ngidi were back in action during this week’s first-class fixtures and will also take part in the T20 tournament.South Africa’s captain Faf du Plessis, who has been ruled out of the T20s against Bangladesh this week with a lower-back strain, could also come back during this period. However, no foreign internationals are expected to participate in the tournament. Most of those who had signed up for the GLT20 are already otherwise engaged and, in any case, CSA’s transformation targets make it tricky to accommodate them.An insider told ESPNcricinfo that there is already unrest in the domestic ranks. “The players are still very angry and disappointed that the T20 Global League is not going ahead and it is going to take time to restore their confidence.”One way of going about that is to ensure speedy compensation for the T20 Global League payouts. CSA have been in talks with the South African Cricketers’ Associations about that and Tony Irish, the SACA chief executive, said after “several hours of negotiation, the ball is in now in CSA’s court.”The possibility of increasing salaries for those playing the domestic T20 tournament has also been raised and it may yet pan out despite the board’s current financial problems. Apart from the millions it has lost in the planning, marketing and launching of the postponed T20 Global League, the domestic T20 tournament is without a sponsor for a second successive season. While CSA are in talks to find a corporate backer, it may prove tough given the competition’s recent history.Two summers ago, it was hit by a match-fixing scandal that has since seen seven players, including four internationals, banned. Ram, the courier company that had the naming rights to the event, chose not to renew their deal in 2016. It claimed the decision was the result of a disagreement with the board, as opposed a reaction to the news of match-fixing.Another company which did not see eye to eye with CSA is broadcaster who have emerged as the biggest beneficiaries of this change in the South African cricket calendar. It is likely to telecast a higher-quality T20 tournament – considering the availability of national players – without having to pay for any extra television rights. A source said they understood would use this event as a test case for negotiating the rights figure for the GLT20.With 24 fewer games than the T20 Global League would have had, and with some matches taking place at the same time, not every game will be televised. But the presence of star players will allow to judge the worth of a high-profile T20 event in South Africa. “They will be able to see what the viewership figures, what kind of ad revenue they can get and that sort of thing so that it when it comes to talking about a T20 League, they will know what to ask for,” the source said.CSA will have to return to the negotiating table with again if they aim to stage a version of the GLT20 next year but the source believes the board needs a completely different business model going forward. “They [CSA] shouldn’t be talking about it [GLT20] as a postponement because they will need to completely scrap it and relaunch it. The financial model fell over and now they need to look at whether privately-owned franchises is the way to go. There’s a lot of work ahead for them.”

Virat Kohli will go to South Africa without having lost a Test series as a captain after India took an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series with their joint-biggest Test win and Sri Lanka’s biggest defeat

The Report by Sidharth Monga27-Nov-20171:11

R Ashwin’s milestone timeline

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Virat Kohli will go to South Africa without having lost a Test series as a captain after India took an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series with their joint-biggest Test win and Sri Lanka’s biggest defeat. As Kohli crept closer to most Test wins for India, his No. 1 matchwinner so far, R Ashwin, became the fastest man to 300 Test wickets.It is not easy to keep turning up after you have wasted all the good fortune in one Test and then lost the second Test on the first day itself. Sri Lanka’s downward slide continued into the first session of the fourth day as they gift-wrapped two wickets to India, who now need two more to take an unassailable lead in the series.Beginning the day 384 behind and needing to bat about five sessions to save the Test, Sri Lanka were expected to go down, but the point of interest was whether they would make India – already resting players and playing on pitches that reduce home advantage in order to prepare for South Africa – work hard for their wickets. Lahiru Thirimanne and Angelo Mathews answered in the negative.Before that, though, Dimuth Karunaratne encountered some tough luck with a freak short leg catch from M Vijay sending him back in the seventh over of the day. Having survived 61 balls, Thirimanne then scooped a wide half-volley straight to point. Mathews soon lobbed Ravindra Jadeja straight to mid-off to end his 32-ball innings. With no hope left, Dasun Shanaka threw his bat at everything, connecting well enough for a four and two sixes, but not well enough when he skied one to end his eight-ball 17. Once given a whiff, R Ashwin was too good for Dilruwan Perera and Rangana Herath, whom he sent back for ducks in the space of three balls.Probably expecting more of the same capitulation, the first session was extended by 15 minutes to see if India could wrap the game up before lunch but Sri Lanka just about hung in to force a second session. Some of the capitulation was down to accurate and skillful bowling on a deteriorating surface, but India will be the first ones to say they have worked harder for wickets. The good bowling was evident in how Niroshan Dickwella was forced by Ishant Sharma to play at a length ball outside off in a spell that he extracted each-way reverse swing, playing with the scrambled minds of the batsmen.Sri Lanka went into the break trailing by 260 runs. There was three-fold uncertainty at the start of the final session with two wickets standing. Would Ashwin get the one wicket he needed to reach 300? Would Sri Lanka score the 22 required to deny India their biggest Test win and the 32 required to avoid their biggest defeat? After having scored 61, and having put together 58 for the ninth wicket, Dinesh Chandimal picked out long leg perfectly when he flicked a leg-stump half-volley from Umesh Yadav. India’s lead now was 240. Only one run was added to the total when an Ashwin carrom ball kissed Lahiru Gamage’s off stump.

There was no victory for England, but Joe Root could at least take consolation from a side that had finally competed with Australia

George Dobell in Melbourne30-Dec-2017Joe Root believes England “outplayed” Australia in Melbourne despite being unable to force victory on the final day.Thwarted by a lifeless pitch and another outstanding display of batting by Steve Smith, in particular, England had to settle for a draw at the MCG. But while that result at least ends talk of another whitewash, Root admitted to some frustration at not being able to clinch a win.And while he accepted that England had been outplayed in the first three Tests, he hoped that the improved showing in Melbourne would provide the injection of confidence which could help them win the final Test in Sydney.”I thought we outplayed them this game,” Root told BT Sport. “I know it’s a draw but it’s something to move forward with and come away from Sydney with a win. We have to go one better there.”It’s been a tough tour and we’ve been outplayed in three games. But to come off three very difficult games and put in a performance like that is very pleasing. It’s a fairer reflection of where we are as a side.”Finally, we’ve proved, more than anything to ourselves, that we are a good enough side to compete over here and it’s such a shame that it’s taken until now. But we’ve always known there wasn’t much between the sides and that’s the really frustrating thing for me. We are a better team than we have shown on this trip”It is frustrating that we have not managed to force a win. We did everything we could on a very flat wicket that was not offering the bowlers very much at all. There was no pace and no spin and if we played for another four days it would be exactly the same. We exhausted every option.”Root was particularly pleased with the character and effort shown by his team. After the disappointment of relinquishing the Ashes at Perth, England saw Australia rush to 122 without loss not long after lunch on the first day in Melbourne. It seemed, at that moment, as if Australia might steamroll England over the last portion of the tour.But instead, England took a first innings lead as Alastair Cook emphatically returned to form. And while the bowlers had little job in the fourth innings, Root could not fault an effort which saw James Anderson deliver 59 overs in the match.Joe Root looks pensive as a draw beckons•Getty Images

“On that wicket to get them 327 all out in the first innings was a great effort from our bowlers,” Root said. “After the start Australia had, to get back into that first day and produce the two sessions we did showed real courage and skill.”I’m very proud of the way we went about it. There was obviously a lot of disappointment leaving Perth. We knew we had underperformed and a lot of guys had points to prove.”But I would never question the character of our squad. The way we apply ourselves, the application and attitude is always there. To put in a performance as good as that is extremely pleasing for me as a captain. You can see the desire is there and knowing we can make big scores and bowl Australia out on an unresponsive wicket will give the guys a lot of confidence.”Root was especially pleased with the return to form of Cook. Cook bounced back from a grim run which had seen him fail to reach 40 in 10 Test innings by becoming the first England player to carry his bat in a Test this century and registering the highest score in history by an overseas batsman at the MCG.”He’s looked as good as I’ve seen him for a long time,” Root said. “He’s renowned for his concentration but the way he struck the ball, especially down the ground, that’s as good as he plays. At no point did he look flustered or out of control. That is as well as I have seen him drive the ball for a long time.”Root also had encouraging words for Moeen Ali who is now averaging 135 with the ball and 19.42 with the bat in the series.”Moeen has struggled this week but he is a fine player,” Root told the BBC. “Like other guys, he has proven before when it is not going his way he is able to wrestle it back in his favour. He will have a big future for England. It is important that everyone knows that.”

The 10-team qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe, for the main event in England in 2019, will begin on March 4

David Hopps15-Jan-2018The ICC has confirmed what is essentially a two-tier qualifying tournament for the 2019 World Cup in England by choosing not to sanction official ODI status for some of the matches.The main victim of the decision is Netherlands, whose matches in Zimbabwe in March will gain no official recognition even though they are already guaranteed a return to official ODI status immediately after the conclusion of the qualifying tournament.The decision on ODI status was discussed by the ICC cricket committee before being made by the ICC executives in Dubai, and follows the precedent set at the 2007 World Cup, whereby there have been a maximum of 16 ODI nations in any given World Cup cycle.The intention to protect elite cricketing standards, as well as respect the sanctity of ODI statistics, will frustrate those who believe that a great opportunity to spread the game has been unnecessarily devalued. For the first time in World Cup history, four Test-playing nations will be pitted against the Associates which gives the tournament arguably its most high-profile appeal ever.Ten teams will contest the qualifiers in Zimbabwe, which begins on March 4, with two going through to join the top eight-ranked nations in a slimmed-down World Cup in England which will run from May 30 to July 15, 2019.

Groups

Group A
West Indies (A1), Ireland (A2), Netherlands (A3), Papua New Guinea (A4), WCL Division 2 winner (A5)
Group B
Afghanistan (B1), Zimbabwe (B2), Scotland (B3), Hong Kong (B4), WCL Division 2 runners-up (B5)

West Indies, twice World Cup winners, face a nervy qualifying tournament after missing out, as did Afghanistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe, on the top-eight ODI rankings at the cut-off date of September 30 last year.Jason Holder, West Indies’ captain, has managed 70 ODIs over five years, while some of his opponents can only dream of such largesse.He knows that non-qualification would shake West Indies cricket to the core. “We all know the magnitude and importance of this event as we look to qualify for the World Cup,” he said. “It will be a challenge and we sat down and have formulated plans as to how best to approach the tournament. It will be short and we will treat every match as a must-win game.”These four Test nations are joined by Hong Kong, Netherlands, Scotland and Papua New Guinea, who finished in the top four of the ICC World Cricket League Championship.The remaining two sides for the Zimbabwe tournament will be decided in Namibia from February 8-15 when Canada, Kenya, Namibia, Nepal, Oman and the United Arab Emirates compete in the ICC World Cricket League Division 2.Remembering which sides will have ODI status will be a complicated business for the average cricket fan. The four Test nations will, as will the top four in the World Cricket League – Netherlands apart. The final two qualifiers will not have ODI status – apart from the United Arab Emirates if they manage to qualify.Getty Images

Ironically, although Netherlands won’t have ODI status during the tournament, they will be lavished with riches the moment it is over. As winners of the WCL Championship, they can expect 24 ODIs against Full Members from 2020-22 as part of the ODI League for qualification for the World Cup in 2023.West Indies face Ireland, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea and the winners of the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 in Group A, while Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Scotland, Hong Kong and the Division Two runners-up form Group B.The teams that progress then play three Super Six matches against the sides they did not meet in the group stage. All points won in the groups against fellow qualifiers will be carried over to the Super Six stage.Zimbabwe are carrying out modest renovations to their grounds and have even postponed their domestic tournament as work is carried out, under ICC supervision, to try to add more pace and bounce to pitches, an attempt to ensure livelier, higher-scoring matches.Queen’s Sports Club and Bulawayo Athletic Club in Bulawayo, Harare Sports Club and Old Hararians Sports Club in Harare and Kwekwe Sports Club, Kwekwe, will share 34 matches between them from March 4 to 25, with Harare Sports Club staging the final.Scotland will defend the title they had won in Lincoln, New Zealand in February 2014 when they defeated the United Arab Emirates by 41 runs, but this time the tournament is of much higher quality and retaining that title will be a formidable task.After the tournament is concluded, Netherlands plus the three highest-finishing Associate sides will be granted ODI status until 2022. This ensures that at least all matches in the 2019 World Cup in England will be fought out with official status attached.

“Moving forward, if I’m in such a situation, I’d withdraw the decision to go upstairs,” the West Indies U-19 captain said after his team’s controversial obstructing-the-field call sparked debate

Shashank Kishore17-Jan-2018″The umpires asked me just one question. ‘Did you ask him to throw the ball to you?’ I said I didn’t.”This was West Indies captain Emmanuel Stewart explaining his side of the story after an appeal from his team for obstructing the field was upheld at the Under-19 World Cup. South Africa opener Jiveshan Pillay had got a thick inside edge onto the pad, and the ball rolled wide of the stumps and came to a standstill. As there was a break in play, substitutes ran in with drinks under the assumption that the batsman had taken a break. Even West Indies’ boundary riders seemed taken aback by the appeal initially.”We had the choice to ask the question, which we did so,” Stewart said. “He was given out within the laws of the game. On reflection, I thought our appeal wasn’t in the spirit of the game. Moving forward, if I’m in such a situation, I’d withdraw the decision to go upstairs. My team-mates share the same sentiments.”After the match, Stewart insisted he was aware of the rules, which states a batsman can be given out obstructing the field if he uses the bat or any part of his body to return the ball to the fielder while the ball is in play. “I appealed, not with the intention of going upstairs. There were a couple of appeals on the field and the umpires heard it, so they decided to have a look at it.South Africa’s coach Lawrence Mahatlane didn’t seem to make much of the issue at the innings break when he said his team will hopefully “learn for a long time from it”, but Raynard van Tonder, the captain, admitted to being angered by the turn of events.”As it happened, the team wasn’t really happy. But if you think about it, that is the rule. We made a mistake and we paid for it,” he said. “I think all of us are aware of the rule. But the way we play back home and what we’re used to is different… Like the ball wasn’t even going to hit the stumps. People talk about gentleman’s game. We want to play hard on the field but we still want to be friends off the field. Also, you don’t want to do silly things that aren’t part of the game.”While van Tonder didn’t even explore the possibility of asking West Indies to reverse their appeal, he made his displeasure clear at the post-match press conference. “That is a rule, but there is also the spirit of cricket. There can be instances where a captain can step in and say ‘well, I don’t think that is a good call’. We’ve seen it before. I think it was a great opportunity for their captain to just step in and say maybe that wasn’t right.”South Africa’s wicketkeeper Wandile Makwetu, also their most capped Under-19 player in the squad, explained his take on the matter when he was asked if it would be easier if players didn’t have dual codes to live by: one being the rules and the other being the spirit of the game.”The spirit of cricket is a bit of an unspoken code. The laws are fixed and you can read them and you can see them. Spirit of cricket is just something that the guys know about, that’s how we play the game,” he said. “Today when we were fielding, there was one catch that didn’t carry all the way to me. I could have easily said to the umpires – knowing that it hasn’t carried – to go upstairs and check. But I knew it didn’t carry. So in an instance like that to put your hand up and just say we’re doing the right thing because it’s fair play, that’s the way we should play the game.”This is the second instance a controversial dismissal has been debated this intensely this month. Last week in Brisbane, Brendon McCullum felt George Bailey “missed an opportunity” to uphold the spirit of cricket following an obstructing the field appeal against Alex Ross at a crucial juncture in a BBL game.

The SA camp and former Australia batsman Simon Katich have called on match officials to play a more proactive role to ensure that tensions between the two sides don’t boil over

Firdose Moonda in Durban05-Mar-2018The South African camp and former Australia batsman Simon Katich have called on the match officials to play a more proactive role in ensuring that tensions between the two sides don’t boil over and lead to incidents such as the one between David Warner and Quinton de Kock on the fourth day in Durban.With the teams pointing fingers at the other, it will be up to the on-field umpires – Kumar Dharmasena and S Ravi – and match referee Jeff Crowe to decide if the altercation merits disciplinary action. They have until 3pm on Tuesday to do so.”The important thing is that match referee has to step in and nip this in the bud,” Katich told ESPNcricinfo. “If it is allowed to keep going on, then things are going to get out of control as we saw in the tunnel. And we don’t need that look for Test cricket.”The South Africa captain Faf du Plessis had suggested earlier that Dhamarsena and Ravi should have stepped in when Warner and de Kock were exchanging words on the field, which could have prevented the argument spilling over into the stairwell as players left the field for tea.”I heard there was a lot of personal stuff on the field already. To and from. Who started it, I don’t know,” du Plessis said. “If it was happening on the field, it probably should have been nipped in the bud on the field already. Umpires play a big role in that, to make sure you don’t let it get to that stage. There have been a lot of games where our bowlers will get penalised, or [pick up] demerit points if you step over the line.”While nothing was broadcast on the stump mic, several sources said they heard Warner and de Kock make comments of a “personal nature” to each other. Australia captain Steven Smith claimed de Kock “got quite personal and provoked an emotional response from Davey”, but insiders close to the South African camp insist it was the other way around. The suggestion from South Africa is that the umpires were aware of what was being said but can sometimes be “too intimidated by Australia,” to act.”This is where the umpires need to step in as soon as they start to hear stuff,” Katich said. “We have all heard about the stump mics being turned up and everything being heard, but initially, the umpires have got to be the ones to hear this stuff and put it to rest straight away; give the warnings to the skippers and get the skippers to control it. That obviously hasn’t happened, and now it is tit for tat with the teams blaming each other for who started it.”Neither side is contesting the line was crossed, something that has become frequent in their bilateral contests. Most recently, on South Africa’s tour to Australia in 2016, du Plessis was the centre of a ball-tampering storm when published footage of him shining the ball with saliva while he had a mint in his mouth. Du Plessis was fined 100% of his match fee but received massive support from team-mates and the opposition, with Smith saying such practices were common.Du Plessis, however, was labelled a “cheat” in the Australian press, which he said he took personally, and there was a physical altercation when he was trailed by a Channel Nine television crew on arrival in Adelaide.While South Africa are not saying so, this is an opportunity to get their own back. The CCTV footage from Kingsmead of Warner’s aggressive confrontation of de Kock was first made public by a South African publication Du Plessis hoped the incident would not detract from the quality of cricket on show in Durban. “It’s generally isolated incidents – it’s one incident now. You expect that playing against Australia,” he said. “It’s competitive cricket. As long as it stays on the field, its okay.”But Smith could not guarantee there wouldn’t be more sparks during the series, but hoped his players would stay within acceptable limits. “There’s going to be times when people can let their emotions get the better of themselves, it’s part of playing the international game and playing at such a high intensity and with everything that comes with playing international sport,” he said. “I’m not going to say nothing will ever happen again, but as far as I’m concerned we’ve just got to try to play within the spirit of the game.”Neither Smith nor du Plessis knew whether Warner and de Kock had put the issue to bed, but the pair shook hands at the end of the match. “Quinny is fine. You don’t get a reaction out of Quinton anyway most of the time,” du Plessis said. “When you look at him now, it’s like nothing happened.”

Sri Lanka would still be hurting after the hiding their bowlers were handed by Bangladesh, but their in-form top-order is capable of testing India’s resolve

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando11-Mar-20182:07

Chopra: Pant needs to develop another gear

Big Picture

Flags have been planted, intents have been declared, early momentum has been divided up, and now, with one win apiece for each competitor, a little tension has built. It has been a more high-scoring first round than many expected, given the Khettarama pitch’s reputation for spin-aligned treachery. As the square wears through the course of the tournament, perhaps the scoring will slow. But for now, bowlers from all three sides are nursing bruised economy rates.The diagnosis for both the Sri Lanka and India attacks is roughly the same: a shortage of international experience. Where the likes of Lasith Malinga (in his pomp) or Jasprit Bumrah are capable of reacting swiftly to a batting onslaught, and moving to an effective Plan B or C, these bowlers have tended to wilt under duress. A boundary early in an over has often drawn mistakes soon after. Powerplays and death overs have proved unusually productive for adventurous batsmen. Only legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal has been both economical and penetrative. He has gone at seven an over, when rates of around 10 have been the norm so far among the frontline bowlers.Such was the beating Sri Lanka’s bowlers received at the hands of Bangladesh that it is their attack that arrives a little more bruised into Monday’s encounter. Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Pradeep and Akila Dananjaya were all attacked at the top of the innings and at the death. Thisara Perera had initially fared better, but his own figures were not much prettier than the frontliners’ by the end. India’s bowlers, meanwhile, have at least one strong performance behind them in the tournament, but that was against a Bangladesh side that was batting some distance below their best (by their own admission). Sri Lanka’s top order, which has been impressive in four successive T20s, may again test India’s resolve.

Form guide

Sri LankaLWWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India WLWLW

In the spotlight

It was against India that Akila Dananjaya had reignited his career. His 6 for 54 in an ODI in Pallekele almost won the match for Sri Lanka, in what was otherwise a dispiriting two months. Though he has not been quite as menacing since, he has had the knack of routinely keeping tidy figures – rarely could he be said to have had a bad day. In the first two matches of this tournament, though, he has gone wicketless, and has conceded 73 runs off seven overs. With the tracks at Khettarama taking less turn that usual, this match will be a test of his fortitude.In ODIs, Rohit Sharma has been excellent in Sri Lanka, but in T20s, his record on the island is a little thin. In eight innings at Khettarama, he has breached 30 only once – and that was against a modest England outfit in the 2012 World T20. Against Sri Lanka, however – and though the hosts will come with a closely-deliberated plan against him – Rohit is rarely down for long.

Team news

With captain Dinesh Chandimal suspended for two games due to a serious over-rate offence, Thisara Perera will lead the side. Dhananjaya de Silva is likely to slot into Chandimal’s position. There is also a chance of Suranga Lakmal replacing either Dushmantha Chameera or Nuwan Pradeep.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Kusal Mendis, 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Kusal Perera (wk), 4 Dananjaya de Silva, 5 Upul Tharanga, 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Thisara Perera (capt), 8 Jeevan Mendis, 9 Akila Dananjaya, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Nuwan PradeepIndia are likely to retain the XI that won them the game against Bangladesh.India (possible): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma (capt), 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Rishabh Pant, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Vijay Shankar, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Jaydev Unadkat

Pitch and conditions

There is a chance that evening showers could interrupt play. A pitch favourable for batting is expected.

Stats and trivia

• Chasing sides have won all three games so far. The two highest successful pursuits at this venue are now Bangladesh’s chase of 215 on Saturday, and Sri Lanka’s chase of 175 against India, in the tournament opener.
• Both sides have a batsman who has made half-centuries in each game so far. Shikhar Dhawan has hit 90 off 49 balls and 55 off 43; Kusal Perera has made 66 off 37 and 74 off 48.

Quotes

“Guys who have come in to the team have got the experience in the IPL. They are not nervous and look settled. We didn’t really execute well in the first game, but we got better in the second game. It is going to get better from here.”India seam bowler Jaydev Unadkat believes IPL experience is valuable, even if the India bowlers have not played many internationals

Paul Collingwood’s insertion looked straightforward enough, but it did not turn out as he planned as Leicestershire put up stiff resistance

ECB Reporters Network04-May-2018
ScorecardLeicestershire have made an imperious start to their Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash against Durham posting 301 for 4 on day one, punishing Paul Collingwood for inserting the visitors at Emirates Riverside.Michael Carberry, Paul Horton and Mark Cosgrove all made fifties as the home side’s bowlers toiled on a flat pitch, leaving them with a huge task ahead of them to get back into the contest.The toss was contested and Collingwood opted to send the visitors into bat, despite the bright sunshine at the Emirates Riverside. Carberry and Horton were watchful at the crease in the early stages of the innings to see off the threat of the new ball. Once Chris Rushworth and Nathan Rimmington were removed from the attack, boundaries flowed off the bowling of Barry McCarthy and James Weighell as Leicestershire coasted into lunch at 80 for 0.Horton remained composed after the break and notched his fifty off 114 deliveries – his second on the bounce in the County Championship. The visitors eased past the 100-run mark before Carberry reached his half-century as he guided a shot down to the boundary, reaching the milestone slightly quicker than his partner in 97 balls.The opening partnership of 146 was broken when Horton played a loose cut off the bowling of Nathan Rimmington, drilling the ball straight to Cameron Steel at point for 75. Carberry followed for 73 when he was adjudged lbw to Barry McCarthy in a tight call. Colin Ackermann found the boundary with regularity, notching five fours and six, and was looking comfortable at the crease as Leicestershire passed 200.However, the South African fell one delivery shy of the tea break when he edged behind a delivery from James Weighell for 36. Mark Cosgrove found his feet and was able to compound his side’s advantage, blunting Durham’s attempts to break back into the contest. McCarthy notched his second breakthrough of the game when he snagged Ned Eckersley lbw for nine.Cosgrove remained composed and reached his fifty with a boundary, nudging a McCarthy delivery through gully. The Australian’s half-century was the quickest of the lot, taking only 80 balls, with nine boundaries in his innings.Durham took the new ball with the hope of making further inroads, but the attempts of Rushworth and Rimmington were in vain as pitch continued to offer little assistance. Cosgrove and Lewis Hill continued to put runs on the board and they took Leicestershire’s total beyond 300 in the final over the day, with the Aussie unbeaten on 66.