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Seamers Fisher and Coad take three wickets each before Lyth extends first-innings lead

ECB Reporters Network13-Apr-2024Cameron Bancroft announced his return to Gloucestershire by scoring a much-needed half century on day two of the Vitality County Championship Second Division match against Yorkshire at the Seat Unique Stadium.Returning to the club he last served in 2017, the 31-year-old Australian batsman made a good first impression, top-scoring with a patient 70 and sharing in a stand of 98 with Miles Hammond for the fourth wicket as Gloucestershire recovered from 28 for 3 to post 263 in their first innings.Ben Charlesworth weighed in with an unbeaten 52 to keep the home side afloat, but frontline bowlers Ben Coad and Matt Fisher found reward for their persistence by returning figures of 3-44 and 3-65 respectively as Yorkshire forged a useful first-innings advantage of 63.Openers Adam Lyth (39 not out) and Finlay Bean (15 not out) then further improved the white rose county’s position, safely negotiating 11 overs beneath lowering skies to reach 57 without loss, a lead of 120, on a day when five overs were lost to bad light.Recruited to bolster a batting line-up that has struggled to post substantial first-innings totals in recent seasons, Bancroft brought all his experience to bear to extricate Gloucestershire from a spot of bother after they had been reduced to 28-3 in reply to Yorkshire’s 326. Nightwatchman Josh Shaw fell in the fourth over of the day, held by Harry Brook at third slip off the bowling of Matt Milnes, at which point Bristol County Ground regulars braced themselves for the anticipated collapse.Obdurate and resilient by nature, Bancroft had other ideas and, together with Hammond, set about repairing the damage as Yorkshire’s seamers, buoyed by their early success, sought to press home their advantage. It may not have been an edifying spectacle for the neutral, but Gloucestershire’s fourth wicket pair at least achieved their initial aim of riding out the threat posed by Coed and Milnes.As conditions eased and the Kookaburra ball softened, so Bancroft and Hammond continued their painstaking progress, oozing defiance aplenty as the sanctuary of the lunch interval was attained with the score on 88-3. Leading by example, Bancroft registered his first 50 in his second stint with Gloucestershire, that landmark arriving shortly after lunch via 160 balls and including a solitary four.Hammond then threatened to awake spectators from their slumbers by hoisting a short-pitched delivery from Fisher behind square for the first six of the innings. Yet having been the soul of discretion hitherto in making 43, the 28-year-old left hander succumbed to temptation, lured down the track in pursuit of a ball tossed up outside off stump by slow left armer Dan Moriarty and falling prey to a smart stumping by Jonny Tattersall.A workmanlike stand of 98 in 41 overs might have afforded the home side a degree of reassurance, but there was still a good deal of work to be done and their situation was not helped when Bancroft suffered an uncharacteristic rush of blood to the head, attempting to drive Moriarty and holing out to Root, who took a well-judged running catch at deep mid-off.No doubt disappointed to miss out on a hundred, the Australian nevertheless contributed 70 valuable runs in an innings that spanned 196 balls and just under four and-a-half hours, demonstrating the virtue of patience to his new teammates.Coming together with the score on 157-5, James Bracey and new batsman Charlesworth were charged with the task of reaching the tea interval without further mishap. These two took advantage of a prolonged spell of spin and a flat pitch to raise the scoring rate and advance the score to 202-5, only for Bracey to blot his copybook in the final over before tea.The eighth bowler to be deployed by Yorkshire skipper Shan Masood, occasional spinner Lyth struck a telling blow with his second delivery, Bracey attempting a late cut and nicking off to Root at slip. He departed for a 63-ball 39, his demise shortly before the advent of the new ball offering Yorkshire further encouragement.Gloucestershire still trailed by 96 runs when captain Graeme van Buuren succumbed to the new ball, attempting to hit Coed over mid-on and edging a catch behind. It was an ill-advised shot in the circumstances and the dismissal of Zaman Akhtar two balls later, caught at the wicket off the bowling of the estimable Coed, did nothing to save van Buuren’s blushes.With his team firmly on the back foot, big-hitting Marchant de Lange characteristically offered attack as the best form of defence, smiting 3 fours and a six in a violent nine-ball cameo that ended when he drove Fisher to mid-off for 18.Notwithstanding the chaos at the other end, Charlesworth remained unflappable as he quietly went about the business of digging Gloucestershire out of a deep hole, and having displayed sound judgment throughout, the left-hander went to 50 in the grand manner, smashing Coed over long-on for an imposing six. He was eventually left high and dry on 52 not out, Fisher pinning Ajeet Singh Dale lbw to wrap up the innings in the 91st over.Charlesworth’s contribution certainly served to frustrate the white rose county, Gloucestershire’s last two wickets realising a further 43 runs to restrict Yorkshire’s first-innings lead to 63.There was still time for Lyth to press home Yorkshire’s advantage, the former England batsman exhibiting some fine stroke-play to harvest seven boundaries and set the tone. Without a win in red ball cricket in all of 2023, Gloucestershire have their work cut out over the course of the next two days if they are to avoid defeat.

Adi Birrell to take over in 2025 as Hampshire strengthen ties with local Hundred team

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2025Stephen Fleming has stepped down as Southern Brave’s head coach in the men’s Hundred, citing family reasons. Fleming replaced Mahela Jayawardene in the role ahead of the 2023 season and twice led the Brave to the knockout stages, losing the eliminator in his first year in charge and the final last season.He will be replaced by Adi Birrell, the Hampshire head coach, for the 2025 season, with Hundred franchises growing stronger ties with their host clubs as part of the ongoing privatisation process. Birrell has enjoyed recent success in franchise cricket, leading Sunrisers Eastern Cape to back-to-back SA20 titles.Birrell will become the first county head coach also taking charge of a men’s Hundred team, though several have served as assistant coaches. He will be replaced as Hampshire coach during the Metro Bank Cup, the 50-over competition which runs parallel to the Hundred, but remains in charge for the County Championship and the T20 Blast.Fleming’s resignation avoids a situation in which he would coach a team part-owned by a rival IPL franchise, given his long-running association with Chennai Super Kings. Hampshire were sold to the GMR Group – co-owners of Delhi Capitals – last year and are set to become majority shareholders in the Brave this year.Related

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He has coached Chennai since 2009, and has also taken charge of their affiliated franchises in Major League Cricket (Texas Super Kings) and the SA20 (Joburg Super Kings), where he is currently. Fleming said in a statement that stepping down from his role with the Brave would allow him to spend more time at home.”I absolutely loved my time at Southern Brave, working in the Hundred and working with a great group of people at Utilita Bowl,” Fleming said. “We got close to winning a couple of times so it’s difficult to step down but for family reasons I need to be able to dedicate more time to being at home this season. I wish everyone at Southern Brave the best for 2025.”Giles White, who is director of cricket at the Brave and Hampshire, said: “Stephen created an excellent environment for the players and it has been an enjoyable and successful stint with us… In his place we are delighted to welcome Adi Birrell and look forward to seeing him build on the team’s success in 2025.”White and Birrell have until February 24 to work out the core of their squad for 2025, with each team permitted to retain up to 11 players (including one designated central contract player). These can include one direct overseas signing for 2025, with the ECB hopeful that a new top men’s salary of £200,000 will attract some of the world’s best players to the Hundred.The Brave are the fifth Hundred team to recruit a new coach this winter. Justin Langer has replaced Trevor Bayliss at London Spirit’s men, while Ali Maiden (Birmingham Phoenix), Michael Klinger (Manchester Originals) and Lisa Keightley (Northern Superchargers) have taken over from Ben Sawyer, Stephen Parry and Dani Hazell respectively in the women’s competition.

Wan Julia’s maiden half-century for Malaysia went in vain

S Sudarshanan20-Jul-2024It was not the perfect game but Thailand got their Women’s Asia Cup 2024 campaign off to a winning start, keeping their perfect record over Malaysia in T20Is intact.Thailand missed a couple of key batters due to injuries, and were being led by a new, young captain Thipatcha Putthawong. But thanks to wicketkeeper-batter Nannapat Koncharoenkai’s 35-ball 40, they managed to post a challenging 133 for 6 after opting to bat. And then, despite a 68-run opening partnership by Malaysia, they beat them by 22 runs.Despite the win, it was a day to forget for Thailand in the field as they spilled two catches and were a tad sloppy overall.

Thailand’s attacking ways pay off

Under the previous coach Harshal Pathak, Thailand developed an attacking game, packing their side with strokemakers. In their first Asia Cup game under new head coach Nitish Salekar, they continued in a similar vein even if the personnel were slightly different. In the absence of Natthakan Chantham, out with an ACL injury, the other regular opener Nattaya Boochatham set the tone early. She got going with three fours in the opening over. No. 4 Putthawong also struck one off the second ball she faced. This was when Malaysia’s seamers were getting plenty of swing.Koncharoenkai also found the gaps regularly, hitting two fours in three balls off Suabika Manivannan to keep the momentum going. Even though Thailand lost two wickets in the powerplay, they managed to hit eight fours and score 44 in that phase. In comparison, Malaysia scored 36 for 0 and hit only five fours in their batting powerplay.Koncharoenkai never let her intent dip, even when offspinner Mahirah Izzati Ismail was bowling in excellent rhythm. That confidence rubbed off on Phannita Maya, who also kept the scorecard moving. Koncharoenkai’s 48-run fourth-wicket partnership with Maya set the platform for Thailand’s score that proved enough.

Ismail impacts the middle overs

Ismail was introduced right after the powerplay and she struck immediately by deceiving Putthawong in flight. Putthawong went for the sweep but the ball was too full to do so, and was trapped lbw.Wan Julia’s maiden half-century went in vain•ACC

In her third over, Ismail struck twice in three balls. She got the set Koncharoenkai to mistime a cut to backward point, and then flighted the ball to Chanida Sutthiruang, who chipped it straight to cover. Despite Thailand’s attacking ways, Ismail managed to hold her own. She conceded just one boundary in her four overs and finished with 3 for 16.

Julia, Duraisingam and Malaysia flatter to deceive

Malaysia had never beaten Thailand in four T20Is before Saturday. And without Mas Elysa, one of only two Malaysia batters with 1000-plus runs in the format, in the side, their hopes rested on their experienced openers Wan Julia and captain Winifred Duraisingam. They did their bit, stitching together a steady partnership.Duraisingam used the crease well to pierce the gaps in the powerplay. Julia used her power more, using the cuts and slashes. But with the Thailand bowlers not offering a lot of boundary opportunities, the pair had to rely on the running between the wickets. They took Malaysia to 59 for no loss after ten overs.But Duraisingam fell in the 12th over in a bid to attack offspinner Onnicha Kamchomphu. In the following over, Elsa Hunter also fell trying to attack legspinner Suleeporn Laomi. Even though Julia brought up her maiden T20I fifty – becoming Malaysia’s first half-centurion at the Asia Cup – Malaysia were waging a lost battle. Apart from their openers, no one else entered the double digits and Thailand flexed their bowling muscles aplenty to walk away with a win.

Visitors name three-seamer line-up in anticipation of showery weather in Manchester

Matt Roller20-Aug-2024Dhananjaya de Silva, Sri Lanka’s captain, has revealed that his team wanted to play more than one warm-up match before their Test series against England but were denied the chance to do so.Sri Lanka lost by seven wickets in their four-day, first-class match against an inexperienced England Lions team at New Road last week. They were bowled out for 139 on the opening day but grew into the match, with Nishan Madushka, Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya all scoring second-innings half-centuries.Eight of the side that will face England at Emirates Old Trafford in Wednesday’s first Test were involved, with Kamindu Mendis, Vishwa Fernando and Asitha Fernando due to come into the side. Milan Rathnayake, the 28-year-old seamer, will make his Test debut at the age of 28 after taking a wicket in each innings against the Lions.”The conditions are quite different to Asian countries,” Dhananjaya said. “We wanted to play a few matches, but that’s what we get. We didn’t go with the full-strength [team]. We have tried out a few players as well. The result didn’t go our way, but we had the preparation, I think. It’ll work in this match.”Dhananjaya said he had “no idea” why Sri Lanka’s desire for a second warm-up match had been overlooked, but suggested that the schedule was tight ahead of their first Test series of more than two games since 2018. “I have no idea about it,” he said. “Maybe because we are playing a three-match series after a long time; maybe that’s the reason.”Related

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• Pope at ease with caretaker captaincy brief

Sri Lanka have not played a Test since April but come into this series after beating India 2-0 in an ODI series, and have a 100% record in Dhananjaya’s three matches as captain. “Our mental state is good,” he said. “Yes, we lost the practice match, but that match is there for our training. Within that, we got the preparation we wanted.”He is expecting the weather to play a significant role in the Test match, and hopes that Prabath Jayasuriya – whom he described as a “world-class spinner” – will play a role later in the match. “From the looks of it, it’ll be a rain-affected match,” Dhananjaya said. “I thought because of that, it’s best to go with three quicks, because we will go in and out of the game.”Dhananjaya made his Test debut immediately after Sri Lanka’s most recent Test tour to England in 2016, but will lean on the experience of Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne throughout the series. “It’s been long since we played here the last time,” he said, “but there are a few experienced players… They are sharing the experience with me.”

Northants will be confident of victory in Cardiff but they must achieve it without their England batsman Ben Duckett who has already fallen

ECB Reporters Network14-Sep-2017Northamptonshire need another 176 runs on the final day with nine wickets in hand to claim a potentially valuable victory over Glamorgan in their bid to win promotion to Specsavers County Championship Division One.Rory Kleinveldt and Richard Gleeson took three wickets apiece as the visitors, seeking to make up significant ground on top two Nottinghamshire and
Worcestershire in Division Two, bowled out Glamorgan for 320 in their second innings at Cardiff.That left the visitors needing 218 for victory, and they reached 42 for 1 by the close with Ben Duckett the man out for 23.Rob Newton and nightwatchman Simon Kerrigan will resume on Friday with Northamptonshire knowing only a victory will do.Earlier, Glamorgan had batted with more application and purpose in their second innings than in the first, especially after losing two quick wickets at the start of the day.Resuming on 61 for 1, they saw overnight batsmen Jack Murphy and Jacques Rudolph dismissed by Kleinveldt in his first two overs.Murphy was lbw to Kleinveldt’s fifth ball before Rudolph, having moments before been caught off a no-ball, drove Kleinveldt to cover to depart for 28.That left the hosts on 68 for 3 but Colin Ingram and Kiran Carson rebuilt with a partnership of 68.Teenager Carlson played some handsome strokes through the off side and had progressed to 44 before he gloved a ball from Azharullah on to his stumps.Following his dismissal, a heavy shower stopped play with Glamorgan taking an early lunch on 136 for 4.When play resumed, Ingram became Azharullah’s second victim when he had his off stump knocked back, but careful application from Chris Cooke and Andrew Salter saw them put on 71 for the sixth wicket as Glamorgan increased their lead.The partnership was broken by Rob Keogh, who got his first ball to turn through the gate and bowl Salter for 19.Cooke, who faced 116 balls and struck nine fours in a watchful innings, top-scored with 69 but his stay came to an end when he was caught by
wicketkeeper David Murphy off Kerrigan.At 244 for 7, Northamptonshire would have hoped to wrap up the Glamorgan tail in quick fashion but Marchant de Lange went on the attack to get the home side past the 300 mark.He clubbed three sixes and two fours in his 39 – his highest score for Glamorgan – and shared in a stand of 57 in only 9.2 overs with Craig Meschede.Gleeson ended the fun by dismissing both De Lange and Meschede – either side of Lukas Carey being bowled by Kleinveldt – to leave Northamptonshire needing 218 to win and 12 overs left before the close.The visitors almost lost a wicket to the seventh ball when De Lange just failed to hold on to a return catch from Duckett, but Glamorgan still managed to snare the dangerous opener just before stumps when Michael Hogan had him caught behind.

Australia allrounder requested to be left out against Sunrisers Hyderabad in order to get a “mental and physical break” after a tough start to the IPL

Hemant Brar16-Apr-20242:43

Maxwell: ‘Good time to get a mental and physical break’

Glenn Maxwell has elected to take a break from the IPL to refresh himself physically and mentally after requesting Royal Challengers Bengaluru management pick someone else in his place for the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.Maxwell has been struggling for runs in IPL 2024. Before Monday’s game, he had scored only 32 runs in six innings at an average of 5.33. There were speculations that he might have sat out because of a thumb injury but that was not the case.”For me, personally, it was a pretty easy decision,” Maxwell said after RCB’s sixth defeat in seven matches. “I went to Faf [du Plessis] and the coaches after the last game and said I felt it was probably time we tried someone else. I have been in this situation in the past where you can keep playing and get yourself deeper into a hole. I think now is actually a good time for me to give myself a bit of a mental and physical break, get my body right. If I’m required to get in during the tournament, I can hopefully get back into a really solid mental and physical space where I can still have an impact.Related

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“We have had a pretty big deficiency straight after the powerplay, which has been my area of strength over the last couple of seasons. I felt like I wasn’t contributing in a positive way with the bat, and with the results and the position we find ourselves on the table, I think it’s a good time to give someone else an opportunity to show their wares, and hopefully, someone can make that spot their own.”Coming into IPL 2024, Maxwell was in red-hot form. In 17 T20s since the start of November, he had 552 runs at an average of 42.46 and a strike rate of 185.85. During this period, he scored two hundreds as well.But he started the IPL with a first-ball duck against Chennai Super Kings. Since then, he has had two more ducks and has lasted more than five balls only once – against Kolkata Knight Riders, when he made a 19-ball 28 with the help of two dropped catches.”T20 cricket can be like that sometimes – it’s a pretty fickle game,” he said. “Even if you look at the first game, I ran one off the middle of the bat to the keeper. I picked up the length really well, saw a scoring opportunity, but opened the face a little bit too much. When you are going well, that goes wide of the gloves, you get a boundary, you are 4 off 1, and you are away for the tournament.”I probably just haven’t got away – it’s as simple as that. In the first few games, I feel I made reasonably good decisions, but I was still finding ways to get out. It can happen in T20 cricket and when it snowballs like that, you can go searching and try too hard and forget the basics of the game.”The SRH game, though, turned out to be a high-scoring one. Batting first, SRH posted 287 for 3, the second-highest total in T20 cricket. RCB replied with 262 for 7, making it 549 for the match, the most for a T20.Maxwell was asked if, in hindsight, he wished he had played one more game. “I did notice during the powerplay that the pitch was not as slow and two-paced as it has been in the first few games,” he said with a smile. “And I realised it was probably a bad game to miss; it would have been nice to be out there batting.”But as I said, I wanted to give myself not just the physical break but also the mental break to give myself the right to play professional cricket. I take a lot of pride in my performance, and I put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes to get my body right for every game. And it has been a pretty tough struggle, given my body is on the wrong side of 30. I think that physical and mental toll probably just wore me down a little bit.”Maxwell had a similar IPL season in 2020 as well. Playing for Kings XI Punjab then, he managed only 108 runs in 11 innings, at an average of 15.42 and a strike rate of 101.88. He did not hit a single six that year.”That was probably a different scenario,” Maxwell said. “Back then the thing that was hurting me was I was bowling really well. So I was actually playing more as a spinner who was used at the back end [with the bat]. We had KL [Rahul] and Mayank [Agarwal] who were the two leading run-scorers in the competition at that time, so there wasn’t a lot of balls left in the game. So I wasn’t able to get any match rhythm. And when I was, it was only for a few balls here and there.”So I said the same thing to the Kings XI management back at the time, that we can have an overseas bowler in my place. But we didn’t have an offspinner as well. So I sort of played as an overseas offspinner who could bat a little bit.”The management here has been outstanding. We’ve been working together on taking a fair bit of ownership and the off-field leadership staff is trying to help out as much as they can. Unfortunately, runs just haven’t come the way they should have when you are in really good form. I don’t think I’ve had a better six months in cricket leading into this tournament. So it’s frustrating when it ends up like this. But if I can get my body and my mind right, there’s no reason I can’t finish the tournament well if I do get another opportunity.”

Move to “co-exist” with IPL could come with higher salaries and potential to play games overseas

Osman Samiuddin04-May-2024The PCB has proposed a spate of radical changes to the PSL which, if approved, could include:

• Shifting the league from next season to an April-May window which would mean it clashes directly with the IPL, in a bid, officials say, to “co-exist” with the IPL rather than “compete” with it.
• Extra money for franchises to sign a marquee player outside the salary cap, including the possibility of a USD300,000-plus contract.
• Play-offs to be played at a neutral venue, with the UK as an option.

The plans were proposed at a meeting between the board and six franchises on Saturday, a pre-meeting before the formal PSL governing council meeting due at the end of May. The board is hoping to lock in the proposals at that meeting. ESPNcricinfo understands that a couple of franchises are in favour of the schedule move, and the rest, for the moment, are either undecided or against the idea. Lahore Qalandars, two-time champions, are thought to be one of those opposed to the shift.The PCB said in a press release that the 2025 Champions Trophy, which Pakistan is scheduled to host in February, meant the proposed window for PSL 10 would be April 7 to May 20. That means it runs in the same window as the IPL, a prospect EPSNcricinfo first reported on in 2022.Related

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But ESPNcricinfo understands that the PCB is looking at this as a permanent switch, as the PSL tries to move away from the increasingly cramped December-February window in which it operates currently, where it clashes not only with four other T20 leagues, but also a busy international cricket calendar. By contrast, moving to the April to May window means little to no Full Member international cricket and only the IPL, against which, officials acknowledge, it can’t compete but can try to co-exist with. And if, as expected, the PSL inducts two new teams from 2026, there remains potential to accommodate a longer season in that window.The weather, and heat in particular in May in the country, could count against it, though international cricket has been played in Pakistan in that month (and later). A slot in September also came up during the meeting, though a smaller window and international cricket running alongside it meant it was dismissed quickly.In the medium term, it will also help the PSL avoid being played almost entirely in Ramadan, as would have been the case next year. As part of the lunar calendar, Ramadan starts ten days earlier every year on the Gregorian calendar so it would clash with the PSL’s usual February-March window for the next few years. Ramadan not only affects timings of games and crowd turnout, it is also a big window for advertising; playing the PSL in Ramadan would impact advertising and sponsorship revenues for the league.There were discussions during the meeting about holding the PSL draft after the IPL auction, in order to have greater clarity about the availability of foreign players for the league. The board circulated a list of names at the meeting of players who went unsold at the IPL auction this year, including the likes of Josh Hazlewood, Adil Rashid and Jason Holder, as an indication of the kind of foreign player they could attract in a window where they are the only league other than the IPL. Next year, however, is the IPL mega auction so the available roster will be impacted.This season’s PSL, which began amid worries that it had been hit by the unavailability or limited availability of a number of foreign stars, would likely have played a role in these discussions. Not that it impacted on viewership, at least according to the PCB’s numbers. The board said its live audience this season was “upwards of 350 million”, the highest in its history. That confirms that the league has built its cache over the years as much on the strength of its local players and young emerging talent as on big foreign names. It has also built a good degree of loyalty, which has meant viewership has not been unduly impacted by the presence, or quality, of foreign names.The PCB is also planning on attracting bigger foreign names by allocating a portion of its own media rights revenue to franchises, to allow them to go over and above their current salary caps. The board announced a 45% increase in PSL media rights from the last cycle, including a 113% increase in livestreaming rights and a 41% increase in international media rights. That could see them offer certain players USD300,000-plus, for a relatively light schedule that, until next year, will be a minimum of 10 games. Until now, the highest salary paid to a foreign player in the PSL has been around USD220,000 (including commercial add-ons).Also under consideration is staging the play-offs in a foreign venue, in a bid, say officials, to expand the international footprint of the league. Among the destinations that came up for discussion in the meeting were the UK, the UAE and Australia. Given that the window is April-May, that realistically leaves the UK as the only option: Edgbaston, Old Trafford and The Oval were thrown around as potential venues, where PSL games would attract a healthy audience. The PCB has not reached out to any of the boards at the moment, waiting to see what the franchises say at the end of the month before taking this idea any further.Franchise responses will ultimately dictate the fate of the proposals, triggered by the new PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi seeking greater certainty around the scheduling of the league, as well as the need to avoid a clash with international cricket. That was an aim spelt out clearly at the meeting.The public reaction from Ali Naqvi, owner of the reigning champions and the league’s most successful franchise Islamabad United, was notably guarded. “We need to continue to engage in discussions and find our ways and options so that we can collectively achieve our overarching objectives,” he said.

Kumara comes in for Madushanka, while Samarawickrama has been dropped, with Nuwanidu replacing him

Madushka Balasuriya23-Dec-2024Fast bowler Eshan Malinga’s impressive 2024 has been capped with a maiden call-up to the national side after he was named in Sri Lanka’s 17-man ODI squad for their limited-overs tour of New Zealand.Alongside Malinga, seamer Lahiru Kumara has also earned a recall, with fellow quick Dilshan Madushanka making way. On the batting front, Sadeera Samarawickrama has been dropped for Nuwanidu Fernando. The rest of the squad is unchanged from the one that faced New Zealand at home last month.Malinga, who had made his domestic debut in 2022, has picked up 20 wickets in 12 List A games at an average of 25.15. He had first come on the radar in 2019 after winning a nationwide fast-bowling contest, where he clocked a winning speed of 141kph.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Malinga continues to rise in 2024, adding more consistency and control to his fairly searing pace. It earned him an LPL contract with Jaffna Kings, and while he played just a solitary game in the season, he was also signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad for IPL 2025. Malinga has also been a regular feature in the Sri Lanka A side across formats.Malinga’s inclusion coincides with the waning star of Madushanka, who has struggled since returning from injury earlier in the year. He had finished the 2023 ODI World Cup as the third-highest wicket-taker, but has managed just 14 wickets in 11 ODIs in 2024.The batting unit is relatively settled, with captain Charith Asalanka leading a strong contingent that also includes Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis and Kamindu Mendis. While Nissanka has nailed down one opening spot, the other will go to one of Avishka Fernando or Nishan Madushka.Meanwhile, Samarawickrama’s exclusion comes on the back of a lean stretch of form across formats, while his replacement Nuwanidu offers a more aggressive option. Janith Liyanage, who is also a handy seam-bowling option, is currently the first-choice option for that lower middle-order berth, while Chamindu Wickramasinghe also offers another all-round seam-bowling option.Asitha Fernando heads the pace unit, which also includes Kumara, Malinga and Mohamed Shiraz. Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana and Jeffrey Vandersay make up the spin-bowling department.Sri Lanka’s tour of New Zealand begins with the three-match T20I series from December 28. The tour then moves on to the ODIs, with the first one to be held on January 5 in Wellington. That will be followed by matches in Hamilton and Auckland on January 8 and 11, respectively.

Sri Lanka squad for NZ ODIs

Charith Asalanka (capt), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Nuwanidu Fernando, Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Asitha Fernando, Mohamed Shiraz, Lahiru Kumara, Eshan Malinga

The home side took control but West Indies were back in the contest thanks to one of their debutants

Andrew McGlashan16-Jan-20242:00

Malcolm: Shamar Joseph shook the world on debut

Shamar Joseph enjoyed a memorable opening day in Test cricket as West Indies just about kept themselves in touch with Australia at Adelaide Oval after Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins had all but dismantled their first innings.After hitting 36 from No. 11 in a final-wicket stand of 55 to lift the visitors from 133 for 9, Shamar Joseph became the 23rd player to strike with his first ball in Test cricket when he had new opener Steven Smith caught in the slips. In his first innings as opener, Smith had played a couple of strong pulls before becoming a little part of cricket history.Related

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But Shamar Joseph’s day wasn’t done yet. He added Marnus Labuschagne, top-edging a hook to long leg, to his tally and was a crowd favourite by the end of play. Things might have been even better for West Indies had wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva not dropped Usman Khawaja on 3 in Alzarri Joseph’s first over.Khawaja and Cameron Green, recalled at No. 4, managed to see out the closing half an hour of the day. Australia remained in control having kept West Indies to an under-par total after putting them into bat, but it was not the sort of dominant position that appeared likely midway through the afternoon when Hazlewood sliced through the middle order, including taking his 250th Test wicket.There had been concerns over the nature of the contest given the disparity in experience and skill between the teams: Australia had 700 Test caps in their XI compared to 246 in West Indies’ of which two players, Kraigg Brathwaite and Roach, held 168.Shamar Joseph celebrates after dismissing Steven Smith with his first ball in Test cricket•Associated Press

Left-hander Kirk McKenzie, playing his second Test, had offered some encouragement for the inexperienced visiting team with a well-constructed maiden fifty, but he was among the afternoon-session slide against Hazlewood as West Indies lost 6 for 35 and eyes were quickly turning to Smith in his new opening role.However, there was unexpected resistance from the final-wicket pair who saw out an extended session. Shamar Joseph, a 24-year-old who had just five first-class matches under his belt, was given a tough welcome to Test cricket when cracked on the helmet by Mitchell Starc but took on the quicks including mowing Hazlewood for six over the leg side. It was the second time in consecutive Tests that Australia had conceded a final-wicket stand over 50.For the most part, Australia were excellent with the ball and Hazlewood was to the fore. His first wicket of the day, when Alick Athanaze shouldered arms and lost off stump, was his 250th and meant all four of Australia’s frontline quicks had hit that mark – the first such instance in history of a quartet playing together with that tally.Cummins, meanwhile, added four more wickets to his recent prolific form. He removed both West Indies’ openers, Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul after going against convention by bowling first on a well-grassed surface – just the second captain since 1992 to send a side in at Adelaide Oval, which this year was hosting a day Test rather than a pink-ball encounter.On a cool, overcast morning, Australia applied early pressure against an almost static opening pair, whose early boundaries were an edge over the slips and another past the stumps, and the quicks strung together five maidens in a row.Chanderpaul’s attempts at a rare attacking stroke in Cummins’ opening over gave Australia their first breakthrough when Green leapt high in the gully to add to his list of outstanding takes in that position. A reminder of another skill he brings to the team.Two overs later, Cummins completed a working over of Brathwaite when he straightened one off the seam to take off stump, the delivery after a rare misdirection of an attempting inswinger had produced a wild four byes down the leg side.Kraigg Brathwaite was bowled by a beauty from Pat Cummins•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

Athanaze and McKenzie steadied the innings for a period that included an early spell for Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Marsh being used ahead of Green. Both left-handers played some pleasing drives, but Athanaze was left to rue a significant misjudgment when Hazlewood brought one back from around the wicket.There was encouraging progress made after lunch as McKenzie and debutant Kavem Hodge forged a promising stand for the fourth wicket, led by McKenzie who grew in confidence. Green was in action straight after the break, meaning six bowlers had been used within 30 overs and he nudged the speed gun over 140kph.It was the returning Hazlewood who broke the back of the innings. Hodge was drawn into a drive with Green snaffling another sharp chance at gully, McKenzie edged a rising delivery behind shortly after bringing up his half-century, and another debutant, Justin Greaves, drove carelessly to mid-off.Hometown hero Travis Head took an excellent catch at deep square leg from Da Silva’s top-edged pull as the collapse gathered what appeared unstoppable momentum, only for West Indies to suggest they may yet be able to have a say in how this game plays out.

The success of the other batters has papered over Bavuma’s failures, but he must start scoring some runs with the knockouts approaching

Firdose Moonda04-Nov-2023Temba Bavuma is confident that, with South Africa’s campaign at the World Cup entering a crucial stage, he will rediscover the touch that made him enter this tournament as South Africa’s leading run-scorer in ODI cricket this year.With 111 runs from five matches, Bavuma is the least profitable of South Africa’s top six at the World Cup at the moment, and has also scored fewer runs than their No. 7, Marco Jansen, but the form of his team-mates means he does not have to feel the pressure yet. “You always want to be making contributions,” he said in Kolkata ahead of South Africa’s meeting with India. “The other batters are smashing it at the moment, and I take comfort in the fact that I’ve been involved in some partnerships with Quinton [de Kock] up front.”Bavuma and de Kock shared a 108-run stand against Australia in Lucknow, to which Bavuma contributed 35, but none of their other partnerships has topped 38. That 35 is Bavuma’s top score. He has been dismissed by left-arm seamers twice but there isn’t much more of a pattern to his (mis)fortunes other than the obvious – he has just been finding fielders. So, while the numbers say that Bavuma is struggling, some of the shots he has played – think the twin cover drives against New Zealand just before he edged Trent Boult to slip – and the ways in which he has got out suggest that things are not as bad as they may seem and de Kock agrees.Related

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“Temba has been batting really well,” de Kock told the media on Friday. “He has looked very solid up front. He has somehow found a way to keep getting out. He is still feeling good about his own game and is very confident. Temba always backs himself, which is a good thing and a good trait to have. He is not fazed. At least I hope he is not – it doesn’t look like he is.”And 24 hours later, Bavuma confirmed that he is, indeed, unfazed. “From my side, maybe it’s just one of those patches again where I am kind of scratching, but I think I’ve got to keep that belief that the opportunity will be there for me to make a big play within the team. That’s where my head is,” he said. “I take a lot of comfort in the fact that we’ve been getting starts in that first ten overs and obviously with the guys being in form, they’ve been able to exploit that and play the way that they’ve played.”But that does not mean there is no expectation of Bavuma and de Kock has predicts that one of the next few games – and South Africa have at least three matches left – will see the best of the captain. “I got a feeling one or two of these games – especially an important game – that’s when he is going to come through for us. That’s Temba Bavuma in a package,” de Kock said.Asked whether the backing of his team-mates is a balm during tough times, Bavuma appeared at his brightest in what could have otherwise been an intimidating press engagement. “I take a lot of confidence from that. That’s something that I feel every day within the team,” he said. “And I think it’s probably due to the fact that there’s a group of batters who’ve been with each other for the last three or four years. We’ve seen each other go through the little ups and the downs and we know that all of us mentally have what it takes to get over the little challenges that we face.”Temba Bavuma has found ways to get out despite looking in good touch•Associated Press

One of those challenges would have been the pre-match press conference. There were more journalists than at any of South Africa’s other matches and one of them was direct in asking whether South Africa have faced their demons.”Have you talked about not choking in this important match?” a reporter asked Bavuma, as there was some awkward shuffling in the room.”I don’t know how to answer that,” Bavuma replied. “I think if we come unstuck tomorrow, I don’t think it’ll be a matter of choking. I doubt you would say that about India as well if they come unstuck that they would choke.”And that may have been the mic-drop. Bavuma is not a hostile or confrontational character but a soft-spoken, thoughtful and intellectual cricketer. And as this World Cup reaches the business end, he is proving to be one who has both internalised the challenges that he faces as the captain of a South African team, with all the history that comes with that role, and as an opening batter, albeit one who is due some runs.”Mentally, I’ve obviously got to keep staying there. There’s still got a lot of cricket to go within this tournament. And I believe that I’ll have a part to play somewhere within the tournament.”