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Wicketkeeper-batter, who also holds Australian citizenship, will replace Quinton de Kock for Renegades’ final two BBL games

Alex Malcolm04-Jan-2024Melbourne Renegades have sent an SOS to Netherlands captain Scott Edwards to be available for the last two games of the BBL season as a replacement for the injured Joe Clarke.Edwards is currently in South Africa with the Netherlands team on a training tour that includes five practice matches against SA20 teams before the start of that tournament and a month-long camp.But Edwards, who also holds Australian citizenship, is leaving South Africa early to return to Melbourne, where he grew up, to be available for Renegades’ final two BBL matches, as they will be without a specialist wicketkeeper-batter after Quinton de Kock departs for the SA20 following the match against Hobart Hurricanes on Thursday.Related

• Edwards, Dutchman from Melbourne, is coming home for World Cup

• Mujeeb's BBL season cut short by Afghanistan Cricket Board

Renegades don’t have a local wicketkeeper on their list, having traded Sam Harper to Melbourne Stars for legspinner Adam Zampa. They had recruited de Kock to keep in the six games he was available for, and were relying on Clarke to fill the role for the remaining matches. But Clarke’s season-ending quad injury threw a spanner in the works.Englishman Jordan Cox was recruited as a replacement player for de Kock, and has played two matches for Renegades already as a specialist batter – one before de Kock’s arrival, and the other as Clarke’s replacement in the Melbourne derby on Tuesday. Cox has played as a wicketkeeper in 24 of his 88 T20s at professional level, but has not kept in his last 26 matches dating back to January last year.Edwards, 27, qualifies as an Australian local, and had played in Renegades’ practice matches before the BBL. But the Netherlands ODI and T20I captain, who had a very impressive ODI World Cup in India with both bat and gloves, was not signed by any of the BBL teams despite being fully available for the tournament, even as Stars only carried one specialist wicketkeeper in their 18-man squad.Edwards instead spent December playing club cricket in Melbourne before heading to South Africa with the Netherlands team. But he will return to Melbourne on January 11, and will be available for the second Melbourne derby against Stars at the Marvel Stadium on January 13 and for their final match of the home-and-away season against Sydney Thunder on January 17 if required.Edwards has never played in the BBL or been contracted despite winning the Ryder Medal as the best player in Victoria’s Premier Cricket competition in 2021. He has also never been contracted to play domestically in Australia despite being eligible as a local, although he has played second XI cricket for Victoria in Cricket Australia’s second-tier four-day competition that sits underneath Sheffield Shield cricket.

Renegades replace Mujeeb with Hosein

Renegades have also added West Indies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein for the last two games of the season after Mujeeb Ur Rahman was ruled out of the remainder of the BBL following the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s decision to revoke his No-Objection Certificate.It continues a tumultuous season for Renegades, with their captain Nic Maddinson dropping himself mid-season due to being out of form, while long-time captain and all-time leading run-scorer Aaron Finch was also left out of their most recent match despite being fit, and has announced he will retire at the end of the season despite having a year to run on his contract.

“Playing against teams like this is a good thing to bring a little bit more match awareness in the future”

Andrew McGlashan31-Aug-2022It’s hard to sugarcoat an ODI loss that comes in less time than the length of one innings, but Zimbabwe are determined to keep the bigger picture in mind on their brief tour of Australia.Sean Williams, who top-scored for Zimbabwe with 29 in their 96 all out on his return from injury, echoed the comments of coach Dave Houghton from a day before, about the skill gap between the two teams, but said that it would only be bridged by more experience against top opposition.Mitchell Starc ran through the Zimbabwe top order with three wickets and Josh Hazlewood was a handful with the new ball. Cameron Green backed up his five wickets in the opening game with two more, as he also found considerable bounce from a tricky surface, while Adam Zampa’s legspin wrapped things up inside 28 overs.Related

• Starc's spell crushes Zimbabwe as Australia wrap up series

• Houghton wants to 'take away that freezing' from Zimbabwe

• 'I like the challenge' – Madhevere hopes for a run at No. 3

Williams conceded the extra pace of Australia’s quicks added to the challenge, but it was their relentlessness in finding movement and building pressure that was the biggest difference.”You can call it a bad day, it’s also a good sign of the difference between the two sides,” he said. “Without being too negative about the whole thing there’s definitely a skill gap between the teams, quite a big one as well, but it’s a good opportunity… playing against teams like this is a good thing to bring a little bit more match awareness in the future for the [T20] World Cup, and when we get back down to our kind of level, we’ll be that much better.”It’s obviously a bit different when we face 140 clicks to run down to that, or to run down to 130, it’s a very big difference, so they could push us off our lengths whereas we couldn’t. We do face that pace often, so it’s not really the pace, it’s more the skill level of swinging the ball late, hitting a good area consistently and how to get you off that length. The top level will run at that pace, or sit back and pull it, but when you go down a level that pace is difficult… it’s a different game.”Williams also hoped that Zimbabwe may get a bit of luck at the toss in the final game of the series on Saturday, having twice been inserted by Aaron Finch with early-morning starts. Their openers, Innocent Kaia and Tadiwanashe Marumani, combatted it well in the first match, and were singled out for praise by Houghton, but on Wednesday, they were 14 for 3 in the seventh over against Starc.”The wickets have been tough, losing the toss twice hasn’t been the greatest thing,” Williams said. “I felt that even we gave them a little bit of a run for their money at the top of the order this afternoon [Australia were 16 for 2, but ended up winning by eight wickets]. There’s a lot of work to be done, but don’t want to be negative. It’s a positive thing, a lot of our guys can play at this level.”

Neither side can avoid stalemate on a pitch suffering from winter floods and chilly spring

George Dobell02-May-2021When spectators are finally allowed back into New Road, they will be greeted by something of a sad sight. Two of the horse chestnut trees that have overlooked the ground for many years have gone; felled to prevent the disease they suffered spreading to the fortunate remaining tree.As this match has worn on, however, the suspicion has grown that the two trees were the lucky ones. Indeed, an alternate theory is they hacked themselves down as they could no longer bear to watch the grim cricket being played in front of them.That is not to decry the efforts of the two sides in this match. Both fought hard throughout. There was no shortage of skill or commitment on offer in this game.But 40 wickets have now fallen at this ground in eight days of cricket this season. And, while a total of 2,002 runs in that time might make it sound as if there has been a feast of batting, the run-rate has been 2.75 per over. It is not a wicket that is good for batters, bowlers or spectators. At times in this match, there were six fielders on the boundary and batters were more concerned with shovelling out low-bouncing grubbers than thinking of the stokes they might play. You could almost imagine the poor remaining tree calling out for a lumberjack.Such a track has not been designed. Instead, the club are dealing with the consequences of severe winter flooding followed by a dry but cold March. As a result, there has been little grass growth. The groundstaff cannot be blamed.It does make for pretty grim cricket, though. You wonder whether the use of heat lamps – to promote grass growth – or hybrid surfaces – which are now routinely used in limited-overs cricket – might play a part in finding a solution. But Worcestershire are going to find it desperately tough to win games here if the wickets are like this. The extra points provided for a draw this season do little to discourage such tracks.”It was a low, slow, turgid wicket,” Essex head coach Anthony McGrath said afterwards. “It was tough for bowlers and not free-flowing for batsmen. When Simon Harmer isn’t getting any turn at nearly 5pm on the fourth evening, you know things are tough. It’s been a grind. It’s not made for great watching.”I’d be open-minded about trials of hybrid pitches. In some circumstances, like those we’ve seen here, it might be worth experimenting.”Related

• Lewis Goldsworthy shines on debut as Somerset beat Middlesex

• Keaton Jennings eases Lancashire over the line at Sussex

• Steve Patterson breaks Northamptonshire resistance as Yorkshire win one-run thriller

For a moment, in mid-morning, the game briefly flickered into life. Worcestershire, apparently cruising at 313 for 5, were suddenly 326 for 9, with Sam Cook claiming 3 for 1 in 16 deliveries.But a 10th-wicket stand of 38 between Dillon Pennington and Charlie Morris arrested the slide. It wasn’t so much the runs the pair scored as the fact they kept Essex out in the field for an extra 15 overs. Essex had no choice but to enforce the follow-on – there were three overs of Worcestershire’s second innings before lunch on the fourth day – but by then they had already bowled 138.1 overs.Perhaps it showed. While Cook remained dangerous, the rest of attack looked understandably jaded. Peter Siddle bowled three overs before he was taken off with a few to challenges ahead – Essex start their next game at Trent Bridge on Thursday – and Cook had to be rested at some stage. He may well be rested for that match.The result leaves Essex one from the bottom of Group One with one victory in four matches. But though that is an unflattering position, there is little reason for concern. They have dominated long stretches of the last two games and, even now, are only five points from the top spot.Cook, in particular, emerged with great credit from this game. On a surface on which Siddle, for example, finished wicketless, Cook delivered 40 overs (19 of them maidens) and claimed 6 for 67. It was an immense performance which deserved rather better from the conditions.Nagging away like toothache, Cook invariably hits a good length and can swing the ball away. But it was the one that nipped back that accounted for Ben Cox, beaten through the gate, and then, in the second-innings, Daryl Mitchell, leaving one that took his off stump.He is not especially quick – perhaps 80 mph – but, in another playing age, an age when the likes of Steve Watkin, Richard Ellison or Tim Munton were playing for England, Cook might well be close to a national call-up. Right now, with the likes of Craig Overton and Ollie Robinson ahead of him, he seems some way back in the challenge. But he is a terrific bowler and if the chance did come, he wouldn’t let England down.Much the same could be said of Simon Harmer. He has now bowled nearly 100 more overs than anyone else in the County Championship this season (he has bowled 262.4; the next busiest bowler is Jack Carson with 167.2) and in this game alone bowled 73 overs.Worcestershire were, once again, grateful for the solidity of Jake Libby. His half-century here took his season average above 100 and left him as one of only 10 men to have scored 400 Championship runs this season. He has proved an excellent signing.This result leaves Worcestershire third in the table but just two points off the top spot. They play Warwickshire, who are top, at Edgbaston this week with Josh Tongue and Joe Leach in line to freshen up an attack that has spent a lot of time on its feet of late. Jack Haynes may also come in for Gareth Roderick, who looks short of confidence at present.In the end, though, nothing anyone did on this pitch made any difference.

With Isuru Udana injured, Angelo Mathews is likely to come into Sri Lanka’s XI

The Preview by Sreshth Shah09-Jan-20205:01

Bangar: Sri Lanka need their best batsmen in top three

Big Picture

The only match of the T20I series so far has taught us a few things. The first is that India have their seam-bowling back-ups for the T20 World Cup fairly sorted. With Jasprit Bumrah not picking up a wicket until his penultimate over in Indore, it was Navdeep Saini at the top and Shardul Thakur at the death who provided the breakthroughs that stopped Sri Lanka from changing gears at crucial points. There was also the birth of the idea that Virat Kohli, perhaps, could take the No. 4 spot at the tournament in October, after India promoted Shreyas Iyer to No. 3.At the other end of the spectrum are Sri Lanka’s batting woes, even on friendly surfaces. Barring Kusal Perera, their batsmen have not come through consistently enough. They struggled against 140kph deliveries, they couldn’t get on top of the spin bowlers, and the frustration was visible on captain Lasith Malinga’s face when the cameras panned to the Sri Lanka dugout after Dhananjaya de Silva’s dismissal. The harsh reality for Sri Lanka is that they are not automatic qualifiers for the T20 World Cup, and in order to not trip up at the qualifying rounds, they need to develop a clearer batting plan.The gulf between the sides may appear wide, but there are plenty of subplots to look ahead to in Pune. Who will win round two of the Shikhar Dhawan-KL Rahul audition to be Rohit Sharma’s partner in October? Will Manish Pandey, Yuzvendra Chahal and Sanju Samson continue to warm the bench? Will India bat first if they win the toss? And if none of that excites you, remember, this series is still undecided. India have lost a game in each of their last three home T20I series, and that should keep Sri Lanka motivated for the the final T20I.Kusal Perera whips a short ball through the leg side•BCCI

Form guide

India WWLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka LLLLW

In the spotlight

Angelo Mathews could play his first T20I since August 2018. He was one of the first to bat in the nets during practice on the eve of the match. He bowled as well. With Isuru Udana injured, Mathews is a strong contender to return to the side. In his last four white-ball internationals, he scored 113, 48, 52* and 87. When he does bowl, he offers control with the new ball, allowing Malinga to bowl more at the death. His captain still calls him the team’s “best finisher”.Shikhar Dhawan says he’s a carefree man. But it doesn’t always show in his batting. His strike rate hovered around 110 in Indore while the rest of his team-mates played far more attractive cricket. The pressure to remain one of India’s first-choice T20I openers is building on the left-hander given Rahul’s steady rise as an aggressive batsman in the Powerplay. He has another opportunity to reinstate his worth.

Team news

Oshada Fernando suffered a blow to his hand in the nets but does not seem to be in doubt for tomorrow’s game. Udana, meanwhile, has been ruled out, and will most likely be replaced by Mathews.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Avishka Fernando, 3 Kusal Perera (wk), 4 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 5 Oshada Fernando, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Dhananjaya de Silva, 9 Wanindu Hasaranga, 10 Lasith Malinga (capt), 11 Lahiru KumaraIndia may hand Chahal a game instead of Kuldeep Yadav. It continues to look difficult for Pandey or Samson to get a game with India having no injury concerns in their first XI.India (possible): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav/ Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Pitch and conditions

Expect an even contest between bat and ball. Conditions are expected to be cool with clear skies, although dew may play a factor in the second innings.

Stats and trivia

• India were bowled out for 101 in the last T20I held at Pune. Incidentally, their opponents then were Sri Lanka.
• Mathews averages 78.00 in India with the bat in T20Is.
• Since the start of this home season in September 2019, Virat Kohli averages 147 in T20Is.
• Sri Lanka are looking to avoid a fifth straight T20I loss.

There was no famous farewell at Galle but Rangana Herath was happy it was “the right time” for him to retire from international competition

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2018Rangana Herath finished his final Test sliding on his front in one last effort to make his ground. It was not quite enough – his run-out capping a 211-run defeat for Sri Lanka – but although there was no famous farewell at Galle, his favourite venue, Herath was happy it was “the right time” for him to retire from international competition.”As always, losing is not a good result but this is part of the game,” he said. “We [wanted to] have played much better cricket, as we used to play. Hopefully the guys will come back strongly for the second and third.Herath had taken Test cricket series-by-series for about two years now, but it was the realisation that he had not been fit enough to play a three-Test series right through over the past 18 months that prompted his decision to retire after the first Test. For several years he has been nursing knee injuries, and had also picked up a back complaint more recently.”It’s an emotional situation, but all in all everybody has to take a decision at the right time. I’m thankful for all those years that I have played, all the people behind me, especially team-mates, Sri Lanka Cricket, I must thank every single person who’s behind me.”It’s been a privilege and honour to play for my country, because in Sri Lanka we have 22 million people, so very few get the opportunity to play for Sri Lanka, so that’s a remarkable achievement and honour for any player.”Herath finished with 433 Test wickets, the most by a left-arm bowler, putting him eighth on the all-time list. He was
presented with a plaque from his team-mates, as well as a shirt and a trophy, and a coin to commemorate being the first slow left-armer to 400 Test wickets.Although he has hung up his boots for Sri Lanka, Herath is still planning to turn out for his club in domestic cricket – once he has worked out arrangements with his employer, Sampath Bank, of course.Asked if he would miss it, he said: “Of course, playing cricket, yes. I wish to play some first-class cricket, but we’ll see how it goes in the coming months. Firstly I need to go back to where I work and have a bit of a chat, but I wish to play more cricket, not full time.”I’m so proud for Sri Lanka, especially playing for this team, with the people, we get to know each other. The game has given me a lot so I have a lot of respect for the game.”His captain, Dinesh Chandimal, finished the game nursing a grade 1 groin strain that could make him a doubt for the Pallekele Test, where Sri Lanka will also have to contemplate how to re-balance the side in the absence of Herath.”It’s a very hard day for us, we all know how much Rangana has done for the team and Sri Lanka cricket,” Chandimal said. “It’s a very emotional day today and we wish him a really good future. We’ll have to say sorry to him, we couldn’t give him a good farewell in his last game.”Rangana was a really big part of our test team. He has done so much for the team, especially when it comes to off the field, when we have a problem we go to him. He gives good advice, a tremendous man and one of the greatest human beings I’ve ever seen.”Despite a heavy defeat, one that saw England end a two-year run without a victory in away Tests, Herath was confident that Sri Lanka had the capacity to hit back. “I’m 100% confident in the talent we have,” he said. “If you take the recent past, against South Africa and Australia, we have had a very good winning mindset, so we need to get that back.”

Nazmul Hossain Shanto is one of the six cricketers in the squad with international experience, with the others being Nurul Hasan, Sunzamul Islam, Abu Hider, Kamrul Islam Rabbi and Jubair Hossain

Mohammad Isam04-Oct-2017Nazmul Hossain Shanto will lead Bangladesh A in their only four-day match against Ireland A, which starts from October 11 in Sylhet. This is the side’s first assignment in two years, having last played in South Africa and Zimbabwe in September and October 2015.Shanto is one of the six cricketers in the squad with international experience, with the others being Nurul Hasan, Sunzamul Islam, Abu Hider, Kamrul Islam Rabbi and Jubair Hossain. Shanto has been impressive at every level in the last 12 months, having performed consistently with the bat for the BCB’s high-performance side in Australia and England.Nurul, meanwhile, is seen as Mushfiqur Rahim’s understudy in the senior side while Sunzamul was in Bangladesh’s Champions Trophy squad. Seamer Rabbi has played five Tests for Bangladesh while legspinner Jubair last played international cricket in 2015.

Bangladesh A squad

Nazmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Saif Hassan, Shadman Islam, Al-Amin, Zakir Hasan, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Nurul Hasan, Sunzamul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Ebadot Hossain, Abu Hider, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Jubair Hossain

Batsman Saif Hassan and offspinning allrounder Nayeem Hasan, who are part of Bangladesh’s Under-19 teams, also found places in the 13-member squad.The selectors also included Shadman Islam, Al-Amin, Zakir Hasan and Ebadot Hossain but there was no place for consistent domestic performers like Shahriar Nafees, Anamul Haque, Tushar Imran, Junaid Siddique, Abdur Razzak, Abu Jayed or Monir Hossain Khan.Ireland A will arrive on October 7 and after the four-day match ends in Sylhet on October 14, they will play five one-dayers in Cox’s Bazar from October 17 to 26.Simon Helmot, the high-performance team’s head coach, has now been appointed head coach of the A team. Champaka Ramanayake – who had joined BCB earlier this year as a bowling coach – will be Helmot’s assistant during this series.

Australia stand-in captain David Warner has said his century in the fifth ODI against Sri Lanka came as a “sigh of relief” as it was his first score over 20 in the five-match series

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-2016Australia stand-in captain David Warner has said his century in the fifth ODI against Sri Lanka came as a “sigh of relief” as it was his first score over 20 in the five-match series. Warner scored 106 from 126 balls, his seventh ODI hundred, and became the first Australia batsman to score an ODI ton in Sri Lanka.”When I was out there it was obviously about trying to get the runs and stay there till the end and that’s the way that I had to try and play tonight,” Warner said after the match. “It’s obviously great to get a hundred but for me it was a bit of sigh of relief. I never doubted myself and kept backing and executing my plans. You do need a bit of luck in this game and I’m pretty sure I hit that one to short leg (leg slip) but that’s part and parcel of the game, you get a bit of luck your way and fortunate tonight I got that luck.”When Warner was on 22, he attempted a sweep off left-arm spinner Sachith Pathirana in the 14th over and seemed to top-edge the ball to leg slip. Sri Lanka appealed but chose not to review Aleem Dar’s decision who had adjudged it not out. Warner later admitted that he had edged it.”It was a semi, half appeal,” Warner said. “The bowler came up to me and said ‘Lucky, you hit that one’ and I said ‘Yeah, I think I did’. “I wasn’t 100% [sure]. The keeper thought I didn’t hit it. I think there was a faint edge. That’s the luck. The responsibility is on the players as well, they’ve got to make that decision to either use a referral or not. They still had it up their sleeve.”It was not a typical Warner century because Australia lost two early wickets for 25 runs while chasing 196, and Sri Lanka employed their spinners to strangle the visiting batsmen. Warner, accompanied by George Bailey, had to “grind” on a slow pitch using a lot of sweeps and reverse sweeps.”It was almost going back to the Test matches and trying to grind but still try to rotate the strike,” Warner said. “Me and Bails out there we were actually saying to each other that we feel like we’re trying to play that big shot and we were telling each other to try and rotate the strike because you always want that sense of relief somewhere, because they weren’t giving us any bad balls to put away. So we just had to try and grind away and use the bit of pace they were giving on the ball, and try to sweep and reverse sweep as much as we can. That was the game plan we had to try and manufacture [shots]. It is quite handy sometimes when you don’t have that rhythm or hitting the ball out of the middle and to actually be able to play that kind of role it does help.”When asked to identify reasons why Australia were whitewashed in the Tests but came back so strongly in the ODIs, Warner pointed out that the batsmen did not “adapt fast enough” in the Test series. He also said that a different approach was needed when batting in Asian conditions and Australia adjusted much better in the ODIs with their shot selection.”From my own personal experience, it comes down to runs on the board and the pressure. We all talk about taking the game on and in these conditions you still have to look to score. When we’re at home, we always have that intent to score,” Warner said of the key differences between the Tests and ODIs. “That’s when our boys are playing our best. If you face six balls in these conditions, then one is going to have your name in it.”In these conditions you’re going to have to sweep, you need to use your feet, you’re going to have to watch the ball hard onto the bat where you can’t leave the ball because one is going to skid on. They’re the variables in this game and I think that’s where we lacked a little bit [in the Tests]. We didn’t adapt fast enough. In the one-day game you get some release because you can’t have those catchers around the bat. You can, but [against the] white ball you can play these kinds of shots, there’s no reason why you can’t play in the Test matches. That’s how you’re going to have to score in these conditions.”

Six cricketers with two T20 caps or fewer played in the Sri Lanka team on Saturday, and Malinga believed he had done Sri Lankan cricket a service by showcasing these cricketers at the top level.

Andrew Fidel Fernando02-Aug-2015So often the most polarising cricketer in Sri Lanka, this time Lasith Malinga was himself split on the value of his contribution to the T20 series. On one hand, he appeared almost distraught at the decline of his bowling. He not only suggested again that he lost Sri Lanka the match, but also conceded his career may end if he doesn’t improve soon.On the other hand, Malinga responded tersely to criticism of his influence over team selection. Six cricketers with two T20 caps or fewer played in the Sri Lanka team on Saturday, and Malinga believed he had done Sri Lankan cricket a service by showcasing them at the top level.”The people who watched the match would have been able to see how talented the new players are and how useful they can be,” Malinga said. “Personally, I’m disappointed about my own form, but I happily take criticism as captain. I believe that even if I was criticised by one or two people, I was personally able to unearth two or three future national players. That’s what a captain should do.”Malinga was Sri Lanka’s most expensive bowler for the second T20 running, and his figures of 1 for 40 from four overs played a role in the loss. Malinga’s international form has been indifferent since the middle of 2014, when a long-term ankle injury began to deteriorate further. He had surgery in September and was in recovery for 18 weeks before the World Cup.”I played for a year and a half before the World Cup with an injury,” Malinga said. “I was using injections then. After that I had surgery. I didn’t have time to recover – the World Cup started. I went there and I wasn’t able to get my rhythm back. I’m playing cricket continuously and I think I might have a chance to get back into rhythm. If not, I expect better bowlers than me will develop in Sri Lanka. I came to the national team to fill someone else’s shoes. I think a good player will come and be suitable to take my place, in time.”Malinga led Sri Lanka to the 2014 World T20 victory in Bangladesh and was reappointed T20 captain by the new selection committee this year. However, there have been reservations about his leadership, particularly about his man-management ability. These concerns have been inflamed by his recent dip in form.”I don’t think I should step down as captain,” Malinga said. “What I hope is that I can work on my fitness. The selectors have the opportunity to give the captaincy to someone else. Whether I’m captain or not, I think I’ll have a chance to get back into form. If not, a better captain and a better bowler will replace me, and take Sri Lanka’s cricket forward.”Questions have also been raised about the omission of Lahiru Thirimanne and Dinesh Chandimal, which Malinga is said to have influenced. Malinga, however, said he had done right by Sri Lanka, given the limited number of T20 internationals scheduled before next year’s World T20.”In past World Cups, I’ve heard and seen people say, ‘We should have brought that player’, or, ‘This other cricketer would have been better in these conditions.'” Malinga said. “But whether I’m the captain or someone else is, I thought that I would save the captain that fate. I wanted to choose a young group of players early and present them. There’s no need to guess at how good the players are.”Though Sri Lanka’s senior players have been underwhelming throughout the Pakistan tour, which the hosts have finished without a trophy, Malinga believed results would begin to improve soon.”I don’t think Sri Lankan cricket will stagnate for long,” he said. “The new players we’ve introduced are already showing they are suitable for international cricket, and showing they have ability. Chamara Kapugedera, Milinda Siriwardana, Dhananjaya de Silva have all done that. They’ve all shown they have a long cricket journey.”When seniors retire, it’s not the runs and the wickets we miss. The knowledge and their ability to manipulate matches – a skill they’ve gained over 14 or 15 years – is what is missed. It takes a while to build up that kind of knowledge. But in terms of producing good cricketers, I don’t think Sri Lanka will have much trouble.”

Sylhet Royals bludgeoned their way to a fifth consecutive win, beating Chittagong Kings by three wickets

Mohammad Isam at the MA Aziz Stadium28-Jan-2013
ScorecardSylhet Royals bludgeoned their way to a fifth consecutive win, beating Chittagong Kings by three wickets, to increase their lead at the top of the table.Paul Stirling, Mohammad Nabi and finally Elton Chigumbura, with 31 off 17 balls, batted aggressively to take the Royals to victory with three balls to spare. The win silenced a sell-out crowd at the MA Aziz Stadium, but part from disappointing the home support it is the sort of cricket that the BPL requires to bring in more crowds.Stirling started the chase by going across the line a number of times in his 25-ball 38 before getting run out after a mix-up with Nabi. Stirling had earlier survived a chance off a top edge that was dropped after Ravi Bopara and Naeem Islam collided at mid-on.Nabi made up for his error by hitting consecutive sixes soon after in a vital 43 off 26 balls. But the chase came down to Chigumbura and the Zimbabwean made the difference with his three sixes, shepherding the finish with Suhrawadi Shuvo who crunched a boundary to complete the victory.Earlier, Naeem anchored the Kings innings to make a career-best 72 off 52 balls with nine boundaries showing he could adapt after remodelling his game to suit longer versions. Naeem and Ravi Bopara added 78 for the first wicket before the Kings started to lose regular wickets. Ryan ten Doeschate made 21 off 10 balls towards the end to prop up the total, which seemed to be enough on a slow wicket.But the wickedly fast outfield, with barren patches around the rope, played a role as the Royals used their power to good effect. For the Kings it continued their problems at home and this was their third loss in four matches.

A round-up of the first day of the tenth round of matches in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Division One 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2011Seventeen wickets fell, all to seamers, on a manic first day at the Gohati Cricket Stadium in Swabi that ended with Sialkot on 77 for 7 in response to Abbotabad‘s 97. Seamer Mohammad Imran took 6 for 34 as Abbottabad were bowled out for 97. They were 55 for 7 before a few lower order contributions took them close to three figures. Sialkot would have been satisfied after choosing to field, but their batsmen then suffered a similar plight, as Abbottabad’s new-ball pair of Ahmed Jamal and Ikramullah Khan took seven wickets between them.Left-arm quick Wahab Riaz picked up six wickets as Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited reached 239 for 7 against National Bank of Pakistan at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Riaz struck early blows to reduce ZTBL to 73 for 6 but half-centuries from Yasir Hameed and Haris Sohail helped them make a recovery. Riaz continued to pick up wickets, and three fell in a cluster at the end of the day leaving the match evenly poised.Islamabad ended with the advantage after 18 wickets fell on the first day of their match against Faisalabad at the Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad. The hosts were skittled for 169 but their new-ball pair of Nasrullah Khan and Fakhar Hussain left Faisalabad reeling at 92 for 8 by stumps. Islamabad had been reduced to 119 for 9 before Zohaib Ahmed’s 63 and his 50-run last-wicket stand with Nasrullah Khan got them to 169. The seamers did the damage for Faisalabad with Abdur Rauf and Waqas Maqsood taking three wickets apiece and Naseer Akram picking up four.State Bank of Pakistan shot out Pakistan International Airlines for 137 at the National Ground in Islamabad, and then made a positive start to their response. Kashif Siddiq scored 43 not out to take State Bank to 77 for 2, leaving them 60 runs behind with eight wickets still remaining. PIA slumped to 53 for 4 after being put in, two of those wickets falling by virtue of run-outs. Fahad Iqbal steadied the innings with his 45 but seamer Rizwan Haider and left-arm spinner Hasan Mahmood took three wickets each to get rid of the lower order quickly.A late collapse negated half-centuries from Ahmed Shehzad and Aftab Alam, and Habib Bank Limited reached 241 for 8 after they were put in by Water and Power Development Authority at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Shehzad’s 59 helped Habib Bank get off to a solid start before seamer Imran Khan and left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar began to make inroads. Alam scored 63 but Habib Bank slipped from 184 for 3 to 238 for 8. Babar finished with 4 for 91 from 26 overs.Ahmed Iqbal and Yasir Mushtaq scored half-centuries to help Karachi Blues recover from 68 for 4 to 211 for 5 against Rawalpindi at the National Stadium, Karachi. Iqbal got 54 not out off 179 balls and Mushtaq scored 82 off 141 to take Karachi out of a sticky situation after they had elected to bat.