All posts by n8rngtd.top

Her 26-ball 51 gives stellar Originals bowling attack something to defend in low-scoring game

ECB Media17-Aug-2025Manchester Originals 117 for 5 (Dottin 51) beat Northern Superchargers 112 for 7 (Litchfield 31, Kerr 2-20, Ecclestone 2-21, Bryce 2-26) by five runsAn inspired performance in the field from Manchester Originals held off the Superchargers in one of the games of the tournament.In front of a bumper crowd of 11,952 – a record for the women’s competition at Emirates Old Trafford – the home side held their nerve and took their catches to clinch a potentially season-defining victory.Defeat here to the high-flying Superchargers would have put the Originals’ campaign in jeopardy; yet they finished the day on level points with their opponents, in joint second, and with the table wide open.The catching was spectacular. The hinge point of the run-chase came from the 61st ball of the innings, when the in-form Australian southpaw Phoebe Litchfield, having just unfurled a stunning switch-hit for six, climbed into a conventional sweep against Kathryn Bryce. She got a lot of it, but Fi Morris, running full tilt not far from the boundary rope, leapt to pluck it out of the skies.Morris then took another good tumbling catch to remove Annabel Sutherland, before Deandra Dottin flung herself full stretch at cover to grab a fingertip-catch and remove Bess Heath with just seven balls remaining. That gave Sophie Ecclestone her second wicket.Left-arm spinner Ecclestone – working in tandem with the brilliant wrist-spinner Amelia Kerr, who also claimed two wickets – applied a further clamp to the Superchargers’ momentum which had began with an excellent new-ball spell from Mahika Gaur, who conceded just 10 runs from her 15 deliveries.After Ecclestone, the final set of five was coolly delivered by Lauren Filer to spark huge celebrations.Beth Mooney, Originals captain, later acknowledged that her team’s depth of bowling was crucial to the outcome.”It’s a huge result,” she said. “We’ve got to win these scrappy games and sometimes it looks a little bit ugly, as it did at times today for us, but it puts you in good stead at the back end of tournaments like this. I’ve got six international bowlers that I’m working with and they’re great at executing their skills. To have Sophie Ecclestone and Amelia Kerr, two of the best spinners in the world, in our team, certainly makes my life easy.”The Meerkat Match Hero award went to Dottin, who registered just the second fifty of the Originals’ tournament. It was her intervention, coming to the crease with just 42 balls left in the innings after the openers Mooney and Bryce had both fallen for single-figure scores, that changed the course of the match and perhaps the Originals’ season.Her unbeaten 51 was vintage Dottin, especially lethal on the pull to anything short, and clumping three sixes in her 26-ball stay. The momentum generated from Dottin’s knock carried over to the second innings, keeping the Originals very much alive in the tournament.”It was a really good game,” said Dottin. “So exciting and we’re just so pleased to get over the line. After the feedback and the info from the players who’d already been in the middle, the main thing for me was to see what it was actually doing and then taking it as deep as possible. It’s a big win but we’re not too overconfident.”

The visiting quicks made outstanding use of the new ball, which had been the most difficult period to bat in this game

Andrew McGlashan06-Jul-2025Australia made swift work of securing a 133-run victory on the fourth day in Grenada, and with it retained the Frank Worrell Trophy which they have held since 1995, as West Indies’ batting crumbled to 143 all out midway through the afternoon session.Australia’s last three wickets were able to add only 22 runs to the overnight total, but despite positive talk the previous evening, a target of 277 was always going to be a tall order for West Indies. In the end, it barely appeared as a dot on the horizon as they lost four wickets in less than 13 overs before lunch, including another Hall of Fame delivery from Pat Cummins to take Brandon King’s off stump.Related

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Mitchell Starc’s 3 for 24 left him on 395 wickets heading into his 100th Test in Jamaica, and Nathan Lyon ended the match with a superb catch over his shoulder from his own bowling to finish within one of Glenn McGrath’s tally of 563 as the second-most for Australia.The visiting quicks made outstanding use of the new ball, which had been the most difficult period to bat in in this game. Deliveries leapt to take the gloves regularly, while there was always the fear in the back of a batters’ mind that one would scuttle low. Roston Chase and Shai Hope briefly counterattacked after lunch, but it would have needed something extraordinary to turn the game around. In all, 13 wickets fell in 41.3 overs on the fourth day.The pattern had been similar to Barbados: West Indies had stayed with Australia across the first two days but couldn’t sustain the challenge. In this instance, it was the runs of Cameron Green and Steven Smith in the second innings which made a key difference.The Grenada pitch played into Josh Hazlewood’s hands•Associated Press

Josh Hazlewood, who has been outstanding in this series on pitches ideally suited to his hammering of the back-of-a-length, set the tone as Australia set about defending their total, pinning John Campbell lbw with his second delivery.Further wickets never felt far away. Keacy Carty was handed a life on 5 when Beau Webster couldn’t haul in a high chance at second slip – given how brilliant he is in the cordon, he would probably have expected to gather it – and Carty was given a painful working over with numerous blows on the hand and body. At one point, Australia had two short legs.Starc ended Carty’s difficult stay with an outside edge from around the wicket, and former captain Kraigg Brathwaite, in his 100th Test, fell for his fourth single-figure score of the series when he nibbled at one in Webster’s first over.Briefly, King defied the conditions, getting off the mark first ball with a blistering cover drive against Starc before repeating the dose to Hazlewood. He added a straight drive off Cummins to suggest a repeat of the first innings could be possible but, having seen Green drop a very tough chance at third slip low to his left, could do nothing to keep out Cummins.The delivery after the ball was changed – a frequent event in this match as it was in Barbados – Cummins angled one in towards off stump which straightened, skimmed past the edge and smashed off stump. It brought back memories of Joe Root at Old Trafford during the 2019 Ashes.Roston Chase made a counter-attacking 34•Associated Press

With nothing much to lose, Chase and Hope played their shots after the interval with numerous deliveries flying in the air but away from fielders. Chase emphatically sent Webster down the ground for six, too. But it was a high-risk strategy that wouldn’t last long, and Hope fell to a top-edged pull when Hazlewood returned in place of Cummins.Chase produced a magnificent flick for six over midwicket against Starc, which left even the bowler impressed, but was given out lbw four deliveries later to bail-trimmer from around the wicket. In his next over, Starc trapped Justin Greaves with one that shot through at ankle height.Alzarri Joseph had launched his first two deliveries for six against Lyon but was well held by Green running around the midwicket rope when he attempted another. As he had done in Barbados, Shamar Joseph also hit out and collected three sixes before finding long-on after Lyon had changed ends. Lyon was taken for six sixes in less than six overs, but had the final say.The final Test in Jamaica, which will be a day-nighter at Sabina Park, begins on July 12.

The Oval, Chelmsford, Bristol and Edgbaston to host fixtures

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-2020Ireland will stage their four-match T20I series against Bangladesh in England, with The Oval, Chelmsford, Bristol and Edgbaston staging one fixture each.Extensive renovations to their ground in Clontarf, combined with an unusually busy international schedule, left Ireland with only 12 ICC-standard pitches available across Malahide, Stormont and Bready.Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland’s chief executive, had hinted at the possibility of staging the series at neutral venues in December, and Richard Holdsworth, the performance director, visited several counties to discuss options earlier in the year.”We greatly appreciate the support of the ECB and each of the venues involved in hosting this series,” Deutrom said in a press release. “This will be a great set of fixtures being played in some of England’s finest and most atmospheric grounds.”2020 is one of Ireland’s biggest home seasons with three major nations touring and 15 matches to host. Consequently, it has been our most complex match allocation process ever, given the multiple challenges we are working through. Chief among these is the loss of access to one of our four international grounds for probably two seasons, with Clontarf undergoing extensive renovations.”Irish fans will have 11 top-class international matches to enjoy at home – including opportunities to watch the world’s number one T20 side and the World Cup runners-up. The two One-Day Internationals we played in England in 2017, and the overwhelming response to the Lord’s Test last year, shows that there is a great interest in Irish cricket in the United Kingdom, so we will be expecting plenty of green in the stands.””Our thanks also to the Bangladesh Cricket Board for their agreement to support this initiative, and we look forward to a great series.”This will be the first time that Ireland have hosted a series at a neutral venue, and the first neutral internationals between full-member nations on English soil since Pakistan played an ODI, two Tests and two T20Is against Australia in 2010.Bangladesh fans have fond memories of two of the grounds being used. Their team secured a first-ever victory over England at Bristol in 2010, and were involved in two close games at The Oval in last summer’s World Cup – a win against South Africa and a narrow defeat to New Zealand.Bangladesh also featured in one of the three ODIs to have been staged at the County Ground in Chelmsford, a six-wicket defeat against New Zealand during the 1999 World Cup. All three of Chelmsford’s ODIs came during World Cups, starting with a one-off fixture between India and Australia in 1983, and most recently Zimbabwe’s win over South Africa in 1999.More than half a million Bangladeshis live in the UK, the majority of whom live in London. There is also a large Bangladeshi population in the Midlands.”We are passionate about helping to protect and grow the game across the world and we are delighted to be able to support Cricket Ireland by hosting this series,” said Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive. “We can’t wait to welcome both Ireland and Bangladesh as part of what promises to be an incredibly exciting summer of cricket.”We saw at first hand the passion and joy both Irish and Bangladeshi fans brought to our venues last year and I’m sure both sets of supporters will enjoy some high quality cricket at all four grounds.”Ireland vs Bangladesh, fixtures:May 14 – 1st ODI, Stormont
May 16 – 2nd ODI, Stormont
May 19 – 3rd ODI, StormontMay 22 – 1st T20I, The Oval
May 24 – 2nd T20I, Chelmsford
May 27 – 3rd T20I, Bristol
May 29 – 4th T20I, EdgbastonMarch 9, 1430 GMT – This story was updated to include quotes from Warren Deutrom and Tom Harrison

One of the world’s most boring records takes Essex closer to shot at title defence

David Hopps29-May-2021As far as the County Championship is concerned, the relevance of Essex’s 189-win victory over Durham is that, with time running out, it has energised the defence of their title. But the ramifications go far wider, especially for cricket statisticians, who can be guaranteed to be in a stage of high excitement after the contest set a new record for the number of lbws in a first-class match in England.As many as 19 lbws were awarded by umpires David Millns and James Middlebrook at Chester-le-Street and it should be said in these days of video replays that, for the neutral observer, the overwhelming majority looked bang to rights.That the England (and Wales) record was beaten on a glorious sun-drenched evening in England’s most northerly first-class cricketing outpost when Jack Burnham, a former England U19 batsman suffering hard times, was struck in front by the former Australian international Peter Siddle. Burnham’s meaningful shrug appeared to be somewhat defeatist after Durham had battled grimly for much of the day against the spectre of near-inevitable defeat.To discover a first-class match with more lbws it was necessary, according to the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians, to turn to Guyana v Jamaica last year, which jointly holds the all-time record along with the West Indies v Pakistan Test in Guyana in 2011, both of them played at Providence Stadium. It is hard to suppress the ignoble thought that Guyana and Chester-le-Street are blood brothers, being the Test venues that many in authority would prefer to ignore.Ultimately this contest had to settle, globally, for joint second spot, alongside two India first-class matches – Patiala’s match against Delhi in 1953-54 and a more recent clash between Uttar Pradesh and Railways in Lucknow four years ago.Related

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Quite whether the Maharajah of Patiala, the last of the nine Maharajas, was so full of statistical anticipation after Delhi’s win (a world record at the time) sadly goes unrecorded, but it is likely it passed him by, on accounts of it being Christmas and the World Wide Web not quite being a thing. Interestingly, he did not bat in the first innings, but claimed a half-century batting at No. 11 second time around.Six years ago, the suggested that Gareth Sanders, a cleaning company manager from Bristol, had broken the world’s most boring world record by ironing for more than 80 hours. If you think that’s boring, imagine how the person felt who had to check that he was doing it properly.Statisticians can cavil all they like, but for two sessions this England (and Wales) record moved closer in an atmosphere of unremitting tedium. Durham needed 385 to win, they had never successfully chased more than 318 when they beat Nottinghamshire 20 years ago, and they had never conceded a chase of 335 here. But they had a new captain, new resolve and a relaid square on which Derbyshire had blocked out for a draw in April by losing only five wickets on the final day.It is possible to have sympathy for the groundstaff, who needed strong April grass growth after their winter’s refurbishments but were instead treated to one of the coldest, driest Aprils on record, and also register the fact that Chester-le-Street is not providing entertaining cricket. A meteorological record has helped to bring about a cricketing record: a square bereft of pace and bounce had to start damp (hence excessive seam) before reverting to its natural state: joyless and unresponsive and occasionally given to grubbers.Durham acquitted themselves professionally to the task which was impressive stuff as far as professionalism goes but, as they crawled to 137 for 3 midway through the 64th over, it did not represent Bank Holiday entertainment.Cameron Bancroft’s foot movement and defensive position to a back-of-a-length delivery was classically Australian, which meant he was bowled by the first low delivery of the day. Scott Borthwick, the skipper, was shin before wicket for 29 and walked off as if life was weighing heavily upon him; a man on such a long contract needs to concentrate on the long game. Alex Lees batted soundly for 48 then fell to the old partnership-breaker trick as Ryan ten Doeschate, four overs bowled all season, banged one in short at about 70mph and Lees found mid-off off a leading edge.Play low, however, and survival was possible. Essex attacked the stumps with unrelenting determination, the tone set by the admirable Jamie Porter who began with nine overs for eight runs. It was a dirty job and someone had to do it. Everybody did.Michael Jones averages 10 in 12 Durham innings but he has learnt a thing or two from batting on Scottish pitches and has a career to save. He resisted with great determination for 35 from 126 balls – his Mum may remember the details – then got the worst lbw decision of the match when Sam Cook nipped one back enough to be missing leg stump.Essex then closed the game out as the last seven wickets fell for 52 in 24 overs, Siddle and Porter, in particular, suddenly finding movement where there was little before. Once the key break is made what appears to be difficult suddenly becomes straightforward. Take note that they won this game without their talisman, the offspinner Simon Harmer, taking a wicket.As well as a statistician’s match, it was a coach’s match. Durham’s coach James Franklin, called the pitch “tricky”. Essex’s coach, Anthony McGrath said: “It was a very interesting game because conditions changed so much from day one” and talked about character and skill.Bully for them. They had good reason to be impressed with those under their command but for spectators in need of entertainment after 20 months without live cricket, this was inadequate. Essex go top of Group One, at least for 24 hours, but they have played a game more. Given better pitches, this group can reach an exciting conclusion.

The allrounder reined himself in during an unbroken 69-run stand with Shakib to help Bangladesh seal the series

Mohammad Isam19-Jul-2021Mohammad Saifuddin has said that he had to rein himself in during the unbroken 69-run partnership for the eighth wicket with Shakib Al Hasan in the second ODI against Zimbabwe on Sunday. Saifuddin contributed 28 not out off 34 balls, helping Bangladesh seal the series with one match to spare.Saifuddin is usually an attacking lower-order batter but with Bangladesh 173 for 7 in a chase of 241, he played conservatively. He scored only one boundary during his innings, via an inside edge to fine leg.”There was a lot of pressure, but I felt I was prepared,” Saifuddin said. “I tried to stick to the process. We needed around 70 runs at that stage. It was a childhood dream to bat with Shakib and win a game for the country. I was happy to get such an opportunity, and tried my best to make it as memorable as possible.”I didn’t play any big shots. I defended loose balls for the sake of the team. Shakib supported me a lot. His presence gave me confidence. We knew that picking up the singles would lessen the gap, and we can ultimately win the game.”Related

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Saifuddin is largely picked as a new-ball bowler but he has always insisted that he wants to prove himself as a batter. He has two half-centuries in ODIs, but his batting isn’t rated as highly yet by the team management.”I don’t always get the chance [to bat], but I wanted to prove my worth as a batsman,” he said. “Obviously, I don’t want anyone to get out, but I tried really hard yesterday. I think I could prove myself. I am happy that I could contribute to the team’s cause.”Bangladesh have now won the first two ODIs thanks to contributions from their lower-middle order. In the first match, after Mahmudullah combined with Liton Das for a 93-run stand, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Afif Hossain and Saifuddin had stepped up in the slog overs.”Small partnerships and little contributions make all the difference, and it was proved in the last two matches,” Saifuddin said.

A target of 203 proved beyond Kings XI’s reach despite aggressive knocks from KL Rahul and Nicholas Pooran

The Report by Danyal Rasool24-Apr-20192:23

AB de Villiers breaks another IPL record

It was the sort of game that exemplified both why Royal Challengers Bangalore can be so dangerous, and exactly why they find themselves struggling the way they are. A knock of ferocity from AB de Villiers – an unbeaten 82 of 44 – led the side to a 17-run victory over Kings XI Punjab, their fourth win in five matchesto keep their playoff hopes alive. Royal Challengers had been behind the eight ball for most of the first innings, after R Ashwin had put them in to bat, but de Villiers and Marcus Stoinis savaged 64 off the last three overs, and out of nowhere they had surged to 202 and taken charge of a game that had till then been controlled by Kings XI.A middle-overs collapse, three wickets falling for the addition of ten runs, had set Royal Challengers back before de Villiers and Stoinis put on 121 for the fifth wicket, aided by Kings XI losing their discipline as the carnage amplified in intensity.Lost control was a major theme for a disappointed R Ashwin at the end, with Kings XI clinical in their approach to the chase in the first nine overs, only for two quick wickets to send the asking rate surging once more. From that point on, getting to the target always seemed a bridge too far. Nicholas Pooran’s five sixes gave Royal Challengers one last fright, but de Villiers’ brilliance had ensured his side had plenty of runs to play with, and plenty of momentum going into the final three games.AB de Villiers heaves one into the stands•BCCI

Devastating de VilliersThe only weakness of de Villiers’ game is that he showcases his ability so often that it doesn’t quite carry the novelty that it would with a player less divinely endowed. Cherish it now, though, or repent at leisure. Even with the hyperinflation in the currency of T20 run-scoring, it’s likely to be a while before such an audacious, improbably gifted cricketer comes along to treat cricket fans the way this South African has been doing for over a decade. He may have hung up his international gloves but with Royal Challengers, de Villiers has been a rare bright spark in a difficult season. He came in today and watched the Royal Challengers dig themselves into a hole – don’t they often? – before launching a counter-offensive so lethal it made Kings XI forget the basic rules of T20 death bowling.They fed him the ball in the slot, they threw in full-tosses both low and high, and they pitched the ball on a good length. It was meat and drink for de Villiers, with Mohammed Shami and Hardus Viljoen bearing the brunt of the bombardment as the Kings XI leaked an eye-watering 64 runs in the final three overs. In comparison, Kings XI managed a paltry 14 runs in their own final three overs, and in the absence of a freak like de Villiers, that 50-run disparity was simply too large to overcome.The extra bowling optionsYesterday, Sunrisers Hyderabad suffered for want of a sixth bowler, and Royal Challengers demonstrated the value of extra options to turn to. Kings XI had amassed 101 in the first nine overs, and with nine wickets still in the bag appeared odds on to gun down 203. But with his frontline bowlers struggling, Kohli had the luxury of turning to Marcus Stoinis and Moeen Ali. Stoinis struck with the first ball of his second over, getting rid of Mayank Agarwal, who along with Chris Gayle and KL Rahul had been responsible for the flying start Kings XI made.The very next over, Moeen dismissed Rahul with his first ball, bringing two new men to the crease. It coincided with a rising asking rate that would never quite go back down to pre-bowling-change levels, and with seven bowlers in their arsenal, Royal Challengers had enough saved for their frontline bowlers at the business end.R Ashwin’s misfortuneThere were several Kings XI players – mostly batsmen – who ill-deserved to be on the losing side today, but none can be as disappointed as the captain R Ashwin. In a game dominated by the big hitting of de Villiers, Stoinis, Gayle and Pooran, Ashwin kept his figures tighter than the taxman’s purse. Sure, three of the overs he bowled came in the middle as Royal Challengers looked to rebuild following a mini-collapse, but he didn’t go for a single boundary in his entire spell, and got rid of Moeen Ali with a magical arm ball that slammed into middle stump.It exposed the home side’s lower middle order, and Ashwin was brave enough to save himself for a final over towards the end just when de Villiers might be warming up. He returned for the 17th over, giving away just five as RCB’s innings looked to peter out. He might have given away just 15 in his four, but the 64 that came off the following three more than undid all his good work.

“We knew even if the asking rate got up to 14-15, we could use that one short boundary with the right-left combination”

Hemant Brar10-Jun-20221:23

Rassie van der Dussen: ‘We knew if we take it to the end, we could win it’

“To be honest, I thought 150 would have been a very good total.”That was Ishan Kishan speaking to host broadcaster Star Sports after he helped India post 211 for 4 against South Africa in the first T20I in Delhi. The reason behind Kishan’s assessment was not only did the new ball move off the seam, but it also didn’t come onto the bat well. Even if Kishan was slightly off the mark, India’s should have been a winning total. And it looked so when South Africa were 86 for 3 after ten overs in their chase.At that stage, Rassie van der Dussen was batting on 15 off 16. David Miller had just joined him and was on 4 off five. South Africa needed another 126 runs – no team had scored that many in the last ten overs of a T20I to win the game. But van der Dussen and Miller didn’t panic.Related

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“When David came in,” van der Dussen revealed after the game, “I said to him, ‘You can play it as you see it but I’m pretty happy to take between 12 and 13 an over in the last ten.’ Because if you were in on this wicket, you could really capitalise. So we didn’t panic at all. We knew even if the asking rate got up to 14-15, we could use that one short boundary with the right-left combination. We knew we could target the bowlers.”That’s exactly what they did. Miller, arguably in the form of his life, hit Harshal Patel for a four and six off successive deliveries in the 12th over. In the next over, he did one better against Axar Patel with 4, 6 and 6.The Indian seamers had watched the first innings closely and hatched their plans accordingly, especially on how to use the slower ball. Bhuvneshwar Kumar had dismissed Temba Bavuma with one at the start of the innings, in a spell where he conceded only seven off two overs.He tried the same tactics again when he returned in the 15th over. But by now the pitch had eased out, and Miller dispatched his back-to-back slower balls for four and six. He raced away to his half-century off just 22 balls, which meant South Africa were still very much in the game despite van der Dussen crawling along with 29 off 30 balls.”I think I had put myself and the team under a bit of pressure by not being able to get boundaries early on in my innings,” van der Dussen said. “But it wasn’t through lack of intent, or lack of planning, or lack of clarity of mind. You know, sometimes it just doesn’t come off.”van der Dussen was finding it difficult to time the ball. When he got the timing right, he hit it straight to the fielders. Then came the slice of luck that enabled him to convert a potentially match-losing innings into a match-winning one. With 63 needed off 29 balls, he hit Avesh Khan towards deep midwicket where Shreyas Iyer put down a regulation catch.Rassie van der Dussen hit a 37-ball half-century in Delhi•Associated Press

“When Shreyas dropped it, I knew I had to make them pay because I took the balls to get myself in,” van der Dussen said.And he did make India pay, by smashing 45 off the next 15 balls.With 56 required off four overs, he targeted the shorter boundary on the leg side against Harshal, who has been the death-overs specialist for Royal Challengers Bangalore for the last two IPL seasons. But it just wasn’t Harshal’s day. Bowling around the wicket, he missed his mark twice and van der Dussen duly dispatched the two full tosses over long-on and deep-backward square leg.”I’ve been watching him a lot in the IPL, he has been brilliant,” van der Dussen said. “He has got such a good slower ball. So after getting those first two sixes away, I knew he has to go to his slower balls. But still you have to execute. It’s a very tough ball to hit as he gets a lot of dip on it. But again, he is only human and you know that at some stage, he is probably going to miss.”After the first two balls, Harshal switched to over the wicket and tried to hide the ball outside off. But van der Dussen shuffled across and found another four and a six to tilt the game in South Africa’s favour.”I suppose the other lesson [during the chase] was if you hit a six or two in an over, don’t let the guy get away. Keep him under pressure, keep looking for those options because an over of 20 – I think that Harshal over went for 22 – goes a long way in getting it right back under control.”The Harshal over brought the equation down to 34 needed off 18 balls. India’s last hope was Bhuvneshwar but now with both van der Dussen and Miller striking it well, he too could do little. Miller started the over with a six and van der Dussen ended it with 6, 4, 4. As a result, what seemed like an unsurmountable target at the end of the first innings was achieved with five balls to spare.

Suranga Lakmal will captain Sri Lanka in Chandimal’s absence, as he did during the two-Test series against South Africa earlier this year

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2018Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal has been ruled out of the second Test against England in Pallekele. Chandimal suffered a groin injury during the defeat in Galle and will be out for two weeks, which could also make him a doubt for the third Test, in Colombo, starting on November 23.Suranga Lakmal, the team’s senior pace bowler, will captain Sri Lanka in Chandimal’s absence, as he did during the two-Test series against South Africa earlier this year, when Chandimal was serving a ban.Uncapped batsman Charith Asalanka has been called up to the squad, which also includes Roshen Silva. Asalanka, who scored an aggressive 68 in the second warm-up match against England, comes in ahead of Lahiru Thirimanne and Kusal Perera, who were the two batsmen on standby.Sri Lanka will also have to make a change to their bowling attack for the second Test, with Malinda Pushpakumara expected to come in for the retired Rangana Herath, while the news that Akila Dananjaya faces his action being tested – although he will still be eligible to play in Pallakele – is another headache.Meanwhile, team manager Charith Senanayake has resigned the position for personal reasons. Jeryl Woutersz, who has previously fulfilled the role, has been named as Senanayake’s replacement with immediate effect.

Lancashire chase derailed in gutsy final over from Scrimshaw despite David’s 42 not out

ECB Reporters Network24-Jun-2022George Scrimshaw bowled a superb final over to give Derbyshire Falcons a five run victory over Lancashire Lightning in the Vitality Blast game at Derby.The fast bowler had gone for 48 from his first three overs but conceded only five off his last as the North Group leaders came up short on 183 for 5, chasing 189.Tim David smashed an unbeaten 42 off 23 balls but could only watch from the other end as Scrimshaw kept the Falcons quarter-final hopes alive.Shan Masood with 75 from 50 balls and Wayne Madsen, 70 off 30, drove the Falcons to 188 for 8 but Steven Croft’s 47 from 29 balls put the Lightning on course until Scrimshaw had the final word.After the Lightning elected to bowl, the Falcons were restricted to 44 from the powerplay for the loss of Luis Reece who sent a return catch to Tom Hartley off the fifth ball of the innings.The ball crossed the ropes only four times during the first six overs, four of those overthrows, and Hayden Kerr’s attempt to break the shackles two overs later ended in the hands of cover.That brought together Madsen and Masood who accelerated with a mixture of orthodoxy and improvisation.Masood lofted Luke Wells down the ground before Madsen scooped Tom Hartley over the wicketkeeper for four and then drove the left-armer to the cover boundary.Masood hammered Danny Lamb back over his head for four on his way to his fifth 50 of the competition, a record for Derbyshire, and Madsen powered to his half-century off only 23 balls.He pulled Wells over midwicket for the first six of the innings as 19 came from the 14th over and Masood tore into Lamb in the 16th, driving and pulling the seamer for two sixes before lifting a full toss to mid off.But Madsen was striking the ball with power and precision, taking 18 off four balls from Richard Gleeson before he was lbw to the next.The pair had plundered 64 from four overs but the Lightning recovered well with Luke Wood and Gleeson conceding only 20 from the last three overs.Even so, it left the Lightning with a tough chase and they lost Phil Salt in the third over when he was superbly caught by Leus du Plooy diving at deep square leg.Wells pulled Mark Watt for two sixes in the next over and Croft dispatched Scrimshaw for another six with 19 coming off the fifth.The powerplay ended with the Lightning 64 for 1 and Scrimshaw came in for more punishment in his second over with Croft pulling him for six before Wells called for a new bat and promptly struck two fours.Croft was dropped on 33 at short fine leg off Alex Hughes but du Plooy took another good catch to remove Wells who pulled the off-spinner to deep midwicket.The Lightning needed 91 off 10 overs but the Falcons were stemming the run flow and Dane Vilas was caught behind cutting Matt McKiernan in the 12th over.Croft launched Hughes over long on for six but was brilliantly caught at backward point off Watt in the 14th over.David responded by pulling and driving McKiernan for two sixes and another six off Scrimshaw left the Lightning needing 33 off 24 balls.Kerr and Watt conceded only 10 off the next two overs and although Rob Jones pulled Kerr for four, the Lightning needed 11 off six balls.Scrimshaw delivered when it mattered, trapping Jones lbw with his fifth ball before Lamb missed a wild swing at the last to end another T20 thriller.

The win against India A gave them a bonus point, but their chance of making the final was wiped out by Australia A’s victory over India B

The Report by Sruthi Ravindranath in Bengaluru27-Aug-2018On a cloudy day and a greenish pitch, South Africa A’s pacers ran through India A, consigning them to a four-wicket defeat and knocking them out of contention for a place in the quadrangular series final. The win gave South Africa a bonus-point, but their own chance of making the final was wiped out by Australia A’s victory over India B.Dane Paterson was the destructor-in-chief as he scythed through the hosts’ line-up, picking up his best bowling figures in a limited-overs game. The South Africa batsmen, in their chase, survived an equally-disciplined India bowling effort on a pitch that never looked easy to bat on.”Funnily enough, that was a South African wicket put out today,” Paterson said after the match, following his figures of 5 for 19. The new-ball duo of Paterson and Robert Frylinck found movement off the pitch, quickly drew parallels with the ones back home, and made no mistake in applying them. While keeping the scoring quiet with probing lines outside off, they accounted for the top-four batsmen within the first ten overs to leave India A reeling at 31 for 4.

Dane Paterson on being called a T20 specialist

• “It’s a dream to play Test cricket, so I’m working on that, aspiring to be there. It’s funny because at the beginning of my career, I used to have a lot of success with the red ball and suddenly now once I’ve got older, my white-ball game has taken off.

• “I feel relieved, it’s been a long time since I took a five-for, it was my first with the white ball, so quite happy about today’s performance.”

At that point, Krunal Pandya joined Nitish Rana at the crease, following which India saw a brief flash of recovery. The two motored on for about six overs, rotating strike and seeing off the new-ball pair, but then Pandya edged one to the keeper, contributing just five to the overall score. While Rana pushed India’s score past 50, his struggle against the short ball was exposed, and soon he lost his wicket to a Malusi Siboto bouncer after making a 45-ball 19.The onus was on Sanju Samson to resurrect India’s innings, but Deepak Chahar did his bit to hold up South A too. He batted freely even as South Africa captain Khaya Zondo set an aggressive field. While Samson at the other end played watchfully, Chahar hit three sixes and as many fours to make a 42-ball 38, ending as India’s top scorer of the day.From 76 for 6, the duo pulled India to 140 before the South Africa pacers struck again. The promising 64-run stand was ended by a sharp catch by Pieter Malan at backward point to send Chahar back, and the fielder duly received a loud appreciation from the 50-odd spectators at the stadium. Following that, Paterson and Sisanda Magala did not take much time to wrap up the innings.For South Africa, Malan opened with Gihahn Cloete and the pair was treated to tidy bowling by Chahar, Shivam Mavi and Khaleel Ahmed. Khaleel provided the breakthrough for India, sending an edgy Cloete back, but Malan stuck around at the other end, making an 86-ball 47 before Khaleel came back to dismiss him. Paterson was sent in at No. 5 with the intention of collecting quick runs, but his brief stay at the crease was terminated by a Khaleel full toss that found its way to deep point to leave South Africa 111 for 5.With spin pressing from both ends, South Africa’s scoring slowed down in the middle. Mayank Markande and Krunal Pandya stifled the flow of runs with tight lengths – and also picked up three wickets between them in all – but India needed more runs on the board. South Africa took the relatively small chase to the 38th over but got home they did, Farhaan Behardien and Frylinck finishing the job. The bonus point they got for doing it in under 40 overs took them over Australia A in the points table, but only till the latter registered a win themselves later in the day in Alur.