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Hosts seek victory at The Oval to square series as end of the Bayliss era approaches

The Preview by Andrew Miller11-Sep-2019

Big Picture

Well, that feelgood factor didn’t last quite as long as intended for England. The miracle of Headingley – Ben Stokes’ glorious snatching of Ashes salvation from the jaws of ignominy – will live on for all who witnessed it, savoured it (and, yes, despaired of it). But now, thanks to the normality-restoring events at Old Trafford, it stands only as a snapshot of one-off Test glory, rather than a launchpad for that extraordinary series turnaround that England briefly envisioned.Posterity will still judge the events of that unforgettable afternoon kindly – by any criteria, it remains one of the greatest Tests ever played – but its overall impact must now be seen along the same lines of England’s three-run win in Melbourne in 1982-83, rather than the two-run triumph of Edgbaston 2005, let alone Ian Botham’s original Headingley heist in 1981.For Australia, however … the narrative is one of redemption, vindication and, over the course of the next five days, a shot at immortality. It has been 18 long years since the Ashes were retained in England, in that steamrolling summer of 2001, when Steve Waugh signed off a 4-1 series win with a one-legged hundred on this very ground at The Oval, and that is an achievement in itself that Tim Paine and his cohorts rightly celebrated long into the night at Old Trafford over the weekend.But, even allowing for the short turnaround between Tests, there will remain intense motivation in Australia’s ranks to finish what they have started, just as Andrew Strauss’ men achieved in very similar circumstances on England’s triumphant tour of Australia in 2010-11. Then, and now, a 3-1 series win would be a scoreline befitting the dominance that the visitors have exerted at the key moments of the series. A 2-2 draw, the first in an Ashes rubber since 1972, would provide England with welcome succour, but one that, if they are honest with themselves, they would scarcely have merited over the course of the five Tests.If that seems a harsh judgement on an England campaign that has featured Stokes at his superhuman best, Stuart Broad at his fullest and fastest for months, and moments of unforgettable fire and theatre from Jofra Archer, then it is hard to look at the rest of the England line-up and find any unequivocal success stories. Rory Burns has had his moments – certainly relative to any of the other opening batsmen on either side – but the middle order, Stokes aside, has been apologetically poor and showing next to no signs of a functional revival.To a large degree, of course, that is down to the relentless brilliance of Australia’s bowling attack – the most talented and tenacious pack of performers to have visited these shores since that 2001 summer of McGrath, Warne, Lee and Gillespie in his pomp. In Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, Australia have a pair of spearheads who have at times seemed, well, possessed, as they have zeroed in on the top of that off stump time and time again and torment the techniques of an increasingly ragged set of England performers.It’s surprising, therefore, that the selectors named an unchanged 13-man squad for this match – although the impending departure of the coach, Trevor Bayliss, does mitigate that decision to a degree. It would arguably have placed the likes of Dom Sibley, Ollie Pope or Zak Crawley on a hiding to nothing to be drafted in at this stage of the series only to have to impress a brand-new regime when next month’s tour of New Zealand gets underway.Besides, it has always been Bayliss’ policy to give his players one chance too many to impress, rather than one too few. So, had it not been for Stokes’s shoulder problem, then Jason Roy (average: 13.75) would surely have been spared the axe. In his absence, the spotlight falls more squarely on Jonny Bairstow (25.42) and Jos Buttler (16.25) – the two other biggest guns who simply haven’t been at the races this series. If they cannot recapture their best in the coming days, there’s a case to be made to purge each of those white-ball heroes from the red-ball set-up, and start afresh with brand new ingredients.For this Oval Test is unlikely to witness any of its traditional farewell performances – certainly nothing to rank alongside Alastair Cook’s bowing-out against India last summer – but the coming five days are sure to resonate as a farewell to a remarkable English summer. The departure of Bayliss confirms the end of a four-year cycle for English cricket, one which delivered untold glory in white-ball cricket, but to the detriment of England’s proud standards in the Test game. No-one in their right minds would argue that the sacrifice wasn’t worth it, but the rebalancing of priorities must begin now. Because the Ashes still matter deeply to all who play and watch it. Perhaps more so than came to be believed in the 18 long years when England victories on home soil were taken for granted.England warm up at The Oval ahead of the fifth Test•Getty Images

Form guide

England LWDLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia WLDWW

In the spotlight

How much more of a spotlight does Steven Smith need? After 671 runs in five innings – including three hundreds (one of them a double) and a lowest score of 82 – Australia’s greatest batsman for a generation has moved on to a higher plane this summer. He could even have been challenging the unchallengeable – Don Bradman’s 1930 tally of 974 runs in a single series – had it not been for the concussion injury that caused his absence at Headingley. As it is, he has a maximum of two more innings to complete a simply extraordinary body of work, and confirm beyond any remaining doubt that this series will be recalled as Smith’s Ashes.It’s a massive five days for England’s under-fire captain, Joe Root. Though Bayliss claimed that Root was under “no pressure” from any of the decision-makers within English cricket, the facts of his tenure are stark. His average since taking over as captain in 2017 has plummeted from 52 to 40, and no England captain since Archie MacLaren at the turn of the 20th century has survived the loss of consecutive Ashes series. The difference between 3-1 and 2-2 will be of huge personal relevance therefore, and Root will know that his own return to form would be the likeliest catalyst for an England win. So far this Ashes, he’s scored three fifties and a highest of 77 – tellingly, the most he’s made in any series since the 2017-18 Ashes – but three ducks too, two of them golden ones. It’s been more “nearly or nothing” than “all or nothing”, but if any England batsman has the pedigree to keep up with Smith, it has to be Root.

Team news

England’s balance has been dictated by Stokes’ inability to bowl his expected number of overs, having pulled up mid-over with a shoulder complaint at Old Trafford. He put in an energetic showing at nets on the eve of the game, batting, bowling and running around the outfield with his habitual vigour, but England have decided not to risk his long-term fitness. He plays as a batsman only, with Roy missing out on his home ground. Sam Curran’s all-round abilities will feature for the first time this series, alongside Chris Woakes, who slots back in at the expense of Craig Overton – the nearly man of England’s Old Trafford rearguard.England: 1 Rory Burns, 2 Joe Denly, 3 Joe Root (capt), 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 6 Jos Buttler, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 Jack Leach.Mitchell Marsh has been drafted into the Australia XII at the expense of Travis Head, who has managed 191 runs at 27.28 in the four Tests. He will provide extra bowling options to a hard-worked four-man attack, albeit that the seamers have been rotated throughout the summer. That could yet continue in this game, with Justin Langer floating the possibility of Cummins being rested after leading the line with 24 wickets in the sharp end of the campaign. James Pattinson misses out, so Peter Siddle comes back into contention.Australia: 1 David Warner, 2 Marcus Harris, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Matthew Wade, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Tim Paine (capt & wk), 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Peter Siddle/Mitchell Starc, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Nathan Lyon.

Pitch and conditions

The pitch that’s been prepared for this fifth Test looks brown and flat in the truest Oval tradition – a fact that doubtless will not please the onlooking James Anderson, in the wake of his comments yesterday about the conditions not favouring the home side. Similarly, the weather is set to be unexpectedly clement for mid-September. Overcast on the first day, then giving way to sunny conditions heading into the weekend.

Stats that matter

• Smith (current series average: 134.20) is returning to a venue where he has played two Tests, in 2013 and 2015, and scored two centuries at 144.00
• David Warner, by contrast, has scored 79 runs at 9.87 in the series to date, including seven single-figure scores in eight innings – the joint-most by any opener in a Test series.
• Warner has also succumbed to Broad in six of those eight innings. Only Moeen Ali, who fell to Nathan Lyon on seven occasions in 2017-18, has a worse head-to-head record in a Test series.
• Smith’s current tally of 671 runs is more than twice as many as any other Australian batsman in this year’s Ashes, with only Stokes (354) passing the halfway mark for England.
• England have not lost a Test series on home soil since Sri Lanka beat them 1-0 in a two-Test rubber in 2014. They did, however, draw 2-2 with Pakistan in 2016, including a ten-wicket defeat in the final Test at The Oval

Quotes

“It’s bitterly disappointing not to have the won the Ashes back, but we haven’t lost anything yet. We’re fully focussed on doing everything we can to finish the series 2-2.”
Joe Root, England’s captain, is focusing on the positives“There’s no such thing as dead rubbers and certainly against England, there’s never a dead rubber. We’re up for it. We’re ready.”
Tim Paine, Australia’s captain, is gunning to finish on a high

Taylor has created herself a portfolio of superb leg-side stumpings including two this season

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2018Adam Gilchrist rates England wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor the best in the world across all formats of the game.Responding to a question in a interview during the ODI in Durham, Gilchrist highlighted Taylor’s work up to the stumps which has regularly been world-class.Taylor has created herself a portfolio of superb leg-side stumpings, alongside other examples of outstanding glovework, including two this season one of which was a breath-taking effort to remove Dane van Niekerk when she gathered a half volley from pace bowler Katherine Brunt.”I tweeted, no longer than a week ago, that she is the best wicketkeeper in the world at the moment – male or female,” Gilchrist said. “She’s done some work over the years in the Big Bash in Australia and with social media now you can see these little snippets.
“It’s a pretty bold statement, because there are a lot of fine wicketkeepers around – Alyssa Healy is another from the women’s game, just so skilful with soft hands effecting these leg-side stumpings.”[They] spend so much time up to the stumps with a little less pace on the ball in the women’s game [and are] so skilful, I’ve seen a lot and a couple in the internationals over the last week or two have been brilliant pieces of work.”

Rahul Tripathi ran up a 52-ball 93 to power Rising Pune Supergiant to their sixth win in seven games and move to third spot in the league

The Report by Akshay Gopalakrishnan03-May-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:21

Tait: Bowlers’ discipline won the game for Pune

Rahul Tripathi ran up a 52-ball 93 to power Rising Pune Supergiant to their sixth win in seven games and move to third spot in the league. Despite wickets falling at the other end, Tripathi produced a full-blooded onslaught – hitting 78 runs in boundaries – and ensured Rising Pune had only a little to do towards the end.The chase of 156 got a bit harder with the loss of Ben Stokes, MS Dhoni, and then Tripathi himself with six needed. But Daniel Christian’s flat six over deep midwicket off Colin de Grandhomme sealed victory with four balls to spare, consigning Kolkata Knight Riders to only their second defeat in six home games this season.The result was set up by Rising Pune’s bowlers, led by Jaydev Unadkat’s 2 for 28, who took pace off the ball on a two-paced surface to keep Knight Riders to 155 for 8. Struggling at 55 for 4 in the tenth over, the hosts needed a counter-attacking partnership from Colin de Grandhomme and Manish Pandey to breathe life into the innings, before Suryakumar Yadav gave them a late lift with an unbeaten 16-ball 30.Variable bounce, a stifled start
Sunil Narine had pinched quick runs at the top of the order in previous games, but he was up against Jaydev Unadkat, who had gone at just 7.8 an over in the Powerplay this season.Unadkat got the ball to nip around both ways and Narine struggled to connect with the first five balls. When he finally made contact, it was to an offcutter that didn’t come on. Narine missed his timing and skewed a return catch; Rising Pune had begun with a maiden for the first time in the IPL.Shortly after, Sheldon Jackson stepped on his stumps after moving too far back against offspinner Washington Sundar. But Gautam Gambhir dealt with the variable pace and lack of room by shifting around his crease to make space for shots. Back-to-back fours off Ben Stokes and a four and six off Sundar gave Gambhir 20 runs off six balls, but he holed out to deep midwicket in the pursuit for more. Knight Riders were 41 for 3 – their second-worst Powerplay score this season.De Grandhomme and Pandey fight back
Colin de Grandhomme had two ducks and a 1 in three out of four innings this IPL. If there ever was a time that KKR needed him to find form, this was it – 59 for 4 after 10 overs. And he did, along with Manish Pandey. Pandey hit three successive fours in the 11th over from Shardul Thakur, and de Grandhomme matched that tally with consecutive sixes in the next from Imran Tahir. Knight Riders scored 44 runs between overs 11 and 14.Dot and out
Pandey’s dismissal to a slower ball from Daniel Christian barely slowed de Grandhomme down. So fluent was he that until Unadkat came on to bowl the 17th over, not one of the 17 balls de Grandhomme had faced had been a dot. Unadkat then sent down an offcutter to beat de Grandhomme, who played too early. The next ball was a slower one as well and de Grandhomme closed the face of his bat to pop a leading edge to backward point.Unadkat’s changes in pace had fetched him figures of 3-1-7-2; only four balls had been scored off. However, a sure-footed Suryakumar Yadav lay in wait during the 19th over. Three successive slower balls were swatted for 14 runs, before Nathan Coulter-Nile completed the assault with a mow over cow corner. The 21-run over gave KKR the late surge they were looking for.Fastest fifty, fastest start
While Rising Pune’s bowlers had taken pace off the ball, KKR’s hit the pitch hard. Umesh Yadav had Ajinkya Rahane caught behind with one that nipped in, and Chris Woakes claimed Steven Smith’s off stump with a similar ball. At the other end though, Tripathi had gathered steam.He benefitted from pace on the ball and also from errors in length, moving forward to drive fuller balls as confidently as he moved back to pull the short ones. Coulter-Nile went for 19 runs in his second over, and Umesh and Woakes also suffered as Rising Pune stormed to their fastest fifty in the IPL, off 26 balls.When Coulter-Nile came back to bowl three overs later, Tripathi took him for 15 more. At the end of the Powerplay, Rising Pune had 74 – 33 more than KKR had managed. Tripathi then scooped Narine fine to raise the fastest fifty by a Rising Pune batsman, off 23 balls; at that point, 50 of his 53 runs had come in boundaries.Woakes got Manoj Tiwary to play on against one that ripped back in off the seam, but Tripathi continued to find the boundary to offset the losses. Kuldeep Yadav was bludgeoned for three successive sixes, each struck with a steady head, in the 13th over. That brought the required rate under four. Tripathi’s seventh six – a slog sweep over square leg – took him into the nineties. He finally perished on 93 – the substitute Rovman Powell flinging himself to his right at midwicket to catch a stunner – but he left Rising Pune with only six to get off eight balls.

MS Dhoni has said it was very important for India to not trip up in the final of the Asia Cup to hold the critics at bay, and to keep the team’s momentum intact leading up to the World T20

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-20161:26

MS Dhoni on the Asia Cup final

MS Dhoni has said it was very important for India to not trip up in the final of the Asia Cup to hold the critics at bay, and to keep the team’s momentum intact leading up to the World T20. The unit is a balanced one ahead of the showpiece event, he said, with the only question mark hanging over seamer Ashish Nehra who might have to make way for Mohammed Shami.”India losing a final is a bigger headline than India winning a final,” Dhoni said after sealing an eight-wicket win over Bangladesh in Mirpur with a six over midwicket. “It’s like putting in a lot at stake: if you win then they say ‘nothing really’; if you lose to Bangladesh, say people ‘oh, you lost to Bangladesh?'”You’re supposed to win. It’s like a game where a lot is at stake but when you win, you actually don’t take anything forward.”However, Dhoni added, Bangladesh’s recent top form at home – including a 2-1 ODI series victory over India in June 2015 – translated into this victory meaning a lot more. “Things have changed. It’s not like the 2004 Bangladesh team. They have a fantastic squad right now. They have improved a lot, and that’s what is showing in their performance on the field. So it was an important one to win.””As far as staying in the present is concerned, it always helps. If you start thinking about what happened when the last time we were here… of course you feel hurt, but what’s important is to forget all of that and concentrate on the present. You can’t do much about the past, you can only take the learnings from the past and that’s what we did today.”Dhoni said the focus now turned to the World T20 for his team, which is already “in the groove” for the tournament. “If you see the kind of performances that the team has given, they will carry a lot of confidence into the World T20. They know what has been really going well for them, what their strengths are.”While he is satisfied with how the XI is looking, Dhoni said, he is also still waiting to see how Shami’s recovery progresses; Nehra has “done very well” for the team but might be replaced by Shami if the latter can get fit in time. Shami was initially part of the Asia Cup squad, but was ruled out of the tournament after it was found he had failed to fully recover from a hamstring injury that had kept him out of the limited-overs series in Australia in January.”Whether Shami is fit or not, we’ll see. He still has a bit of time,” Dhoni said. “The only reason he was picked was because, he is someone who can deliver with the old and new ball, yorkers being his strength.”I think it’s very difficult to replace [Jasprit] Bumrah. He has the strength of bowling yorkers at will, and with the new ball also he has contributed. Nehra has also contributed. Few games ups and downs happen in T20. Hardik Pandya, he’s a fast-bowling allrounder. If Jadeja or him can bat No. 8 and they can give me three or four overs, then it looks like a better balanced side.”For Shami to replace [someone], it would be Ashish. Ashish is the only slot, but to replace Ashish would be very tough. The reason being he has done very well for us, he has moved the ball around. But Shami will have to prove his fitness in the warm-up games. If he does, he will stay ahead with the team.”Nehra was India’s joint second-highest wicket-taker at the Asia Cup, with six wickets at an average of 16.50. He was the most expensive of their specialist bowlers though, conceding 7.07 runs per over, with his poorest returns coming in the final where he took 1 for 33 in his three overs.

With the Lalit Modi episode set to conclude in Chennai on September 25, the BCCI is likely to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Inderjit Singh Bindra, the man who helped Modi make headway into cricket administration

Amol Karhadkar07-Sep-2013With the Lalit Modi episode set to conclude in Chennai on September 25, the BCCI is likely to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Inderjit Singh Bindra, the man who helped Modi make headway into cricket administration.Bindra, a former BCCI president and ICC principal advisor, has emerged as Modi’s only supporter as a special general meeting is set to act upon a disciplinary committee report and ban the latter from cricket administration for life. Bindra has opposed the board’s handling of the spot-fixing scandal in a working committee meeting on June 2 and has been critical of board and its policies in his blogs and on his Twitter page.”BCCI is as usual in fixing game… trying to fix Lalit Modi to cover up exposure of 10,000 crores,” Bindra tweeted on Thursday, attaching a few confidential documents, including minutes of a few BCCI meetings.It wasn’t the first time that Bindra had criticised the board and as a result, the BCCI is contemplating disciplinary action against him. The first step will obviously be to issue a show cause notice to him for having “tarnished the BCCI’s image”. However, a BCCI insider said: “It’s unlikely that the action will be initiated before the AGM.”To add to his criticism – including writing an open letter in June to ICC Board members to “disallow Srinivasan from attending any ICC meeting” until the enquiry against his son-in-law’s alleged involvement in the IPL spot-fixing scandal was complete – Bindra publicly endorsed Haroon Lorgat’s candidature for the post of Cricket South Africa chief executive.While Srinivasan and his top executives had categorically spelled out their “concerns” to CSA officials during a meeting in Chennai in March, Bindra, who doesn’t hold a position in BCCI anymore, went ahead and endorsed Lorgat, allegedly in a capacity that extended beyond his position as Punjab Cricket Association president.”He has supported Lorgat on behalf of BCCI. It’s a serious breach of BCCI rules and the whole episode has irked everyone in the BCCI, especially the president,” an official said.While Bindra has clashed with the current Srinivasan regime, he has been in controversies much before Srinivasan or Modi entered cricket administration. In 2000, during the match-fixing scandal, Bindra claimed, in an interview with CNN, that Manoj Prabhakar told him it was Kapil Dev who had offered to bribe him for throwing a match.The BCCI had issued a show cause notice to Bindra at the time, but he didn’t heed it. Though he wasn’t suspended, the issue was resolved after the Punjab Cricket Association assured the BCCI that he would not attend any board meeting for two years.

Kent’s seven-wicket defeat with four sessions to spare against Essex has virtually put paid to their faltering push for Championship promotion

Mark Pennell at Canterbury10-Aug-2012
ScorecardMaurice Chambers took four wickets as Kent succumbed for 101 in their second innings•Getty Images

The tea-time scones, fresh cream and strawberries were still served to the punters cramming the marquees at Kent’s Canterbury Week clash with Essex on Friday; the only pity was that, by then, the game was long finished and the majority of players had left the ground.Kent’s seven-wicket defeat with four sessions to spare against their previously struggling neighbours not only further savaged the dwindling Kentish coffers, but has virtually put paid to their faltering push for Championship promotion.Resuming on their parlous overnight score of 9 for 3, Kent proceeded to lose their last seven wickets for 92 runs in the space of 29 overs – and this against a three-man Essex attack already without their wily seamer David Masters, who was hampered by a side strain.Harbhajan Singh proved a handful in taking three, as did Graham Napier, who showed all his experience to also bag three and lend support to Essex’s spearhead, Maurice Chambers, who posted his first four-wicket return in two years.Kent captain Rob Key conceded afterwards that his decision to take first use of the pitch in this 161st Canterbury Week game was not a simple one.”There’s always something in the wickets here and, I have to say, I don’t mind losing the toss because it’s never an easy decision to bat,” Key said. “But one thing’s for sure, when we do bat, regardless of whether it’s second or first, we have to do it a fair bit better than we did in this match. The wicket was never bad enough for us to be bowled out for 101.”We need someone to come through the tricky periods and make a big score, but no one’s holding their hands up right now.””Had we set them 150-plus to win, then it might have been a different result, who knows, but setting them only 55 we had no chance. The margins in difference are quite small, but they might have made a big impression on the outcome if only we had batted that little bit more sensibly.”Needing 55 for their second win of the Division Two campaign – their first came against Gloucestershire in the opening round – Essex lost both openers within 15 overs. Azhar Mahmood, on his first Championship appearance of the season, snared Jaik Mickleburgh lbw as he wafted to leg, then removed Tom Westley’s off pole after an errant decision to leave alone.Owais Shah inexplicably holed out to long leg to gift Charlie Shreck a wicket and make it 35 for 3 but Ryan ten Doeschate marched in to finish it in no-nonsense style with a six into the Frank Woolley stand and a manufactured single to square leg.A delighted Essex captain, James Foster, said afterwards: “I thought this was a terrific result for us, and we needed it. We showed a lot of character and it was a big performance because it gives us a sniff of promotion and something to play for in the run in.”

Steven Davies hit his first century of the season to keep Surrey in control on the second day of the Division Two clash against bottom-of-the-table Leicestershire at Grace Road

24-Aug-2011
ScorecardSteve Davies hit his first century of the season to keep Surrey in control on the second day of the Division Two clash against bottom-of-the-table Leicestershire at Grace Road. The 25-year-old wicketkeeper scored 121 out of Surrey’s first-innings total of 343, which gave them a lead of 176 runs.Davies then took two catches as Leicestershire struggled to 66 for 2 by the close to trail by 110.It added up to another tough day for Leicestershire, whose only consolation was the performances of youngsters Shiv Thakor and Rob Taylor who took three wickets each to prevent Surrey building up an unassailable lead. Teenager Thakor took 3 for 57 while 21-year-old Taylor followed up his impressive knock of 70 in Leicestershire’s first innings by claiming 3 for 53 on his Championship debut.But it was the batting of Davies which enabled Surrey to keep a firm grip on the game. They began the day on 122 for 2 but lost an early wicket when Zander De Bruyn chopped the ball back into his stumps to give left-arm seamer Taylor his maiden Championship wicket.It did not take him long to add to that with Tom Maynard driving an easy catch to cover with the total at 182. Taylor’s lively seven-over spell brought him figures of two for 23. Jason Roy quickly showed his attacking intentions with a straight six off left-arm spinner Claude Henderson and gave Davies good support as the left-hander closed in on his century.He had a few nervy moments in the 90s but finally made it, having faced 196 balls and hit 15 boundaries. But he was out soon after lunch, caught at point off Henderson. His departure ended a fifth-wicket stand of 84 and when Roy holed out to long-on off Henderson six overs later for 46, Leicestershire looked to be back in the game.A brisk 40 from Gareth Batty however, ensured Surrey picked up a third batting point but with Thakor trapping Stuart Meaker and Tim Linley lbw with successive deliveries and Batty caught behind off Taylor, the visitors’ total of 343 was less than seemed likely at one stage.But despite two interruptions for bad light, Surrey made early inroads into Leicestershire’s second innings. Matt Boyce gloved a catch to Davies off Linley and Greg Smith provided the wicketkeeper with another catch with a thin edge off Batty shortly before the close. It could have been worse for Leicestershire when Jefferson was caught at second slip off Chris Jordan only for a no-ball to be called.

The reserve day for all matches in this tournament means nothing much has changed due to Thursday’s washout; whoever loses the replay on Friday will still be left staring at a must-win situation in their final league match

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran in Dambulla18-Aug-2010

Match Facts

Friday, August 20, 2010

Start time 14.30 (0900 GMT)

Big Picture

The washout means Suraj Randiv has yet to serve his suspension and will miss the replay on Friday•AFP

Anyone looking to predict how the second half of the tri-series will pan out will have a hard time finding a pattern from the first set of league matches. Consistency has eluded all three teams, each of whom have had one comfortable victory and one big defeat so far. The reserve day for all matches in this tournament means nothing much has changed due to Thursday’s washout; whoever loses the replay on Friday will still be left staring at a must-win situation in their final league match.Missing out on a bonus point has left Sri Lanka at a bit of a disadvantage, but their immediate challenge will be to switch the focus back to cricket after the brouhaha over the Suraj Randiv no-ball incident. There have been accusations of breaching the spirit of cricket, apologies aplenty and an internal probe into the incident by the Sri Lankan board, which resulted in Randiv’s suspension for a game and him and Tillakaratne Dilshan losing their match fees. The controversy overshadowed a comprehensive defeat to India, after which Kumar Sangakkara criticised his team for batting that was “not at all professional and not up to standard at this level of cricket”.New Zealand surprised everyone in the opening match with a strong batting performance, before their batting fragility was exposed by Sri Lanka. One of New Zealand’s main worries in the tournament has been the top-order batting, and that will be amplified if Martin Guptill fails to recover from injury in time for Friday’s game. They have lost three wickets cheaply in both their matches so far, leaving the middle order plenty of rescue-and-recovery work.

Form guide

(most recent first)
Sri Lanka: LWLWW
New Zealand:LWWLL

Watch out for…

Kane Williamson has had a difficult initiation to international cricket, he’s yet to score a run after two innings. Talked up by Ross Taylor ahead of the series and rated as New Zealand’s best backfoot player by the coach of his domestic side, Northern Districts, 20-year-old Williamson will be keen to justify the hype surrounding his call-up.Another player who has had a couple of failures in the tournament is Mahela Jayawardene. A couple of months ago in Dambulla, he effortlessly piled on the runs during the Asia Cup to smoothen Sri Lanka’s path to the final. He will be looking to recapture that form as the tussle for a final’s spot heats up.

Team news

Randiv remains suspended for the game on Friday. Sangakkara had said the presence of many right-hand batsmen in the New Zealand line-up had prompted him to pick Rangana Herath in the opening match. Given how little New Zealand have seen of Ajantha Mendis, the spinner could also get a look-in ahead of Dilhara Fernando, though the quick bowler may be preferred if the incessant rain has made the pitch more suited for fast bowling.Sri Lanka: 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Chamara Silva, 7 Chamara Kapugedera, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Ajantha Mendis/Dilhara Fernando, 11 Lasith MalingaGuptill’s injury could leave New Zealand with three players in the top four with a combined experience of 13 matches.New Zealand: 1 Martin Guptill/Peter Ingram, 2 BJ Watling, 3 Ross Taylor (capt), 4 Kane Williamson, 5 Scott Styris, 6 Jacob Oram, 7 Grant Elliott, 8 Gareth Hopkins (wk), 9 Nathan McCullum, 10 Kyle Mills, 11 Daryl Tuffey

Pitch and conditions

Both captains have talked about how the ball seams more under lights but swings less than it does during the day. Ross Taylor reckoned 230-240 will be a par score but, if there is more rain in the air, his estimates are likely to change.The three captains have had differing views on the importance of the toss: MS Dhoni thinks it crucial, Taylor says it doesn’t have big influence on the game while Sangakkara says it gives a slight advantage. Taylor elected to bat on Thursday and the captain winning the toss in the replay is likely to do the same.

Quotes

“The openers are there and it is a tough job when the ball does swing around. I am sure they are used to it and hopefully we can lose less wickets at the top and give ourselves a better chance through the middle.”

“As professionals, whatever happens before games or after games, it’s immaterial when we go onto the field. There the focus is to win the game and try things out.”

Jeremiah will replace Sherfane Rutherford, who has withdrawn from the tournament for personal reasons

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Sep-2024Seamer Jeremiah Louis will reunite with his younger brother Mikyle at St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in CPL 2024. Jermiah, 28, is set to replace Sherfane Rutherford, who had withdrawn from the tournament for personal reasons.Jeremiah’s inclusion in the Patriots squad means the Louis brothers could play together for the first time in the CPL. While Mikyle made his CPL – and T20 – debut this season, Jeremiah had already played six CPL games between 2016 and 2022, picking up three wickets at an average of 38.66 and an economy rate of 9.66. Jeremiah has also represented Patriots in the 6IXTY competition, where he took four wickets in five games at an economy rate of 10.68 in 2022.Jeremiah is better known for his red-ball skills: he has 151 wickets in 57 first-class games at an average of 25.43. He was recently called into West Indies’ Test squad for their tour of England before he was ruled out with injury.Related

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As for Mikyle, he has emerged as the most promising local batter this CPL, scoring 187 runs in five innings at an average of 37.40 and strike rate of 155.83. Only his Patriots seniors Evin Lewis (191) and Kyle Mayers (204) have scored more runs than Mikyle so far this season.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo last month, Mikyle said Jeremiah is not just a brother but also a mentor and a good friend.”He influenced me in many ways,” Mikyle said of Jeremiah. “While I was in my stagnant phase, he was playing for Leeward Islands or West Indies A or President’s XI games. He would come back and have a conversation, saying, ‘Yo, I bowled to this batsman in the nets. You are not far off, you continue working. Trust me, bro, based on skill you have time to grow.’ Those conversations would give me hope and the self-belief that, okay, I’m good enough.”Jeremiah’s addition bolsters the local pace attack, which has been struggling through this season. Dominic Drakes, Odean, Smith, Ryan John and Johann Layne have all conceded over 12 an over.Patriots are currently rooted to the bottom of the CPL 2024 points table with just a solitary win in seven games. They had also finished last in CPL 2023 and overall have managed just two wins across the past two seasons.

Major blow to competition as marquee player withdraws citing undisclosed injury

Matt Roller31-Jul-2023The Hundred has lost its most high-profile male overseas player on the eve of the tournament, with Rashid Khan pulling out of a planned three-match stint with Trent Rockets.Rashid has been playing for MI New York in Major League Cricket, taking 3 for 9 in the inaugural final against Seattle Orcas in Dallas on Sunday night, but has officially withdrawn due to an unspecified “injury”.He was due to play for Rockets on the Hundred’s opening night against Southern Brave at Trent Bridge, playing three games before being replaced by New Zealand’s Ish Sodhi. Imad Wasim, the Pakistan allrounder, will deputise for the first three games.”I’m really disappointed to have to withdraw from The Hundred through injury,” Rashid said. “It’s been great to play in the competition the first two years, Trent Rockets is a great team, and I hope to be back again next year.”Rashid missed two ODIs for Afghanistan against Sri Lanka earlier this year with a back injury that he conceded was “still to be fully recovered” in a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo. He will instead have a brief opportunity to rest before playing a series against Pakistan heading into the Asia Cup and World Cup.Rashid’s 11th-hour withdrawal compounds the Hundred’s existential crisis, casting further doubt on the competition’s ability to attract the biggest names in world cricket. He was retained by Rockets on a top-bracket £125,000 contract and would have earned a pro-rata salary for his three appearances.The Hundred’s viability has been undermined by the inaugural season of MLC, where overseas players were paid up to $175,000 for a minimum of five matches across two-and-a-half weeks. While the competitions do not clash directly, most of the world’s best T20 players have opted to play in the United States instead of England. Earlier this month, Surrey’s Sunil Narine opted out of a proposed trans-Atlantic dash to take part in the Vitality Blast Finals Day, preferring instead to focus on his MLC contract with LA Knight Riders.Related

• The Hundred 2024 news: Rashid Khan out with hamstring injury

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• Maxwell, Marsh pulled out of the Hundred by Cricket Australia

• Wayne Parnell to lead Northern Superchargers in Hundred

There has been speculation in the media throughout this year that the ECB – under new leadership, with Richard Gould and Richard Thompson joining as chief executive and chairman in the last 12 months – will scrap or significantly alter the Hundred after this season.The ECB insist publicly that the competition will continue as planned, at least until the end of their existing broadcast deal with Sky Sports which runs up to the end of the 2028 season. But the dearth of star names involved this season will lead to further uncomfortable questions over the next month.The tournament is due to run from August 1-27, and will be staged in a standalone window for the first time this summer, not clashing with any England men’s or women’s fixtures.Several England men’s players will rest after the conclusion of the Ashes, while Lauren Bell and Sophia Dunkley will both miss their teams’ first two games as part of their workload management during a busy year.