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The first Test between Sri Lanka and England’s Under-19 teams at Galle ended in a high-scoring draw, with neither side’s bowlers able to wrest the initiative as the batsmen prospered in helpful conditions

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2011
ScorecardThe first Test between Sri Lanka and England’s Under-19 teams at Galle ended in a high-scoring draw, with neither side’s bowlers able to wrest the initiative as the batsmen prospered in helpful conditions. Seven half-centuries and two hundreds scored in the course of the four-day game, Sri Lankan captain Bhanuka Rajapaksa top-scoring with 149 on the first day.Rajapaksa’s decision to bat first appeared to be vindicated when his side racked up a mammoth 376 for 4 by stumps on the first day, with opener Dhananjaya de Silva contributing 84 and Yasoda Lanka striking 12 fours in an aggressive 80. Rajapaksa was in an even more dominant mood during his innings, which included 18 fours and four sixes.England fought back almost immediately on the second day, however, when Duleeka Thissakuttige was dismissed by Tom Milnes three deliveries into the day’s play. His departure sparked a lower-order collapse and the home side were bowled out before lunch for 415.A team effort from England’s batsmen, with wicketkeeper Adam Rossington’s 113 well-supported by half-centuries from captain Lewis Gregory and Adam Ball and contributions from every player, took England to a first-innings lead of 117 as they were bowled out for 532 on the third day.There was still an outside chance of a result to the game at that stage, but Sri Lanka’s batsmen once again cashed in and only offspinner Jack Parsons, with 4 for 93, had any luck as they reached 324 for 6 before the game was called a draw.

Hot Spot will not be part of the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) that will be used during the 2011 ICC World Cup

Sharda Ugra05-Feb-2011Hot Spot will not be part of the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) that will be used during the 2011 ICC World Cup, reducing the system to its basic requirements: a ball-tracker (in this case Hawk-Eye), a super slow-mo camera and a ‘clear’ stump microphone.In October 2010, the ICC had announced that the Hot Spot cameras would be used in the semi-finals and final of the World Cup, to be held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh from Feb 19 to April 2. An ICC spokesman, however, confirmed to ESPNcricinfo on Saturday that, “the supplier of the Hot Spot technology advised that it was not willing to supply its cameras for the tournament so, accordingly, they will not be used at any stage in the tournament. The use of these cameras is not a minimum requirement for the DRS.”While the Hot Spot cameras are not a minimum requirement of the UDRS, they are thought to provide among the most accurate images of the contact between ball and bat, or pad, using infrared thermal imaging. The owners of the Hot Spot technology, Melbourne based BBG Sport, were unwilling to comment on their decision.The Hot Spot infrared cameras form part of military hardware used in jetfighters, tanks and warships, and they fall under the category of restricted equipment which, it is believed, needs a temporary export licence from the Australian Defence Department whenever they are taken out of the country. Part of that licence includes the return of the cameras to Australia within a seven-day period after the end of the event in which they are being used. An ICC spokesperson however said that the ICC was “unaware of the Australian government regulations to this effect.”The cameras were first brought into India during the 2009 Champions League Twenty20 event. It is possible that the logistical hurdle of moving the cameras, which are both expensive and sensitive security equipment, in and out of Sri Lanka and India could have led to the decision. India remains the only country in cricket that has not accepted the UDRS. Ironically, the only part of UDRS technology basket that is considered by the Indians to be the most trustworthy is the Hot Spot camera.

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has held his fast bowlers responsible for making his decision to insert India backfire spectacularly

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2011Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has held his fast bowlers responsible for making his decision to insert India backfire spectacularly.”I thought we could have bowled better” Shakib – downcast but not desolate – said. “We bowled too many boundary balls, and that cost us the game.”The opening ball of the World Cup, short and wide from Shafiul Islam, yielded a boundary as Virender Sehwag crunched it through extra cover. Shafiul went on to concede eight more runs in his first over, including a four off the last ball. By the end of the third over, the Indian openers had hit six boundaries and raced to 32. It led to the introduction of spin in the fifth over.”I thought we had a better chance of winning the game chasing,” Shakib said repeatedly. “It would have been a different game had we got two early wickets. That was our plan. Our fast bowlers didn’t execute the plan, that was the main problem.”I thought our fast bowlers have been bowling really well for the last 12 months. Today wasn’t their day but hopefully they will come back strongly.”He said he was satisfied, however, with the effort with the bat despite his team finishing 87 runs short of the target. “The plan was to bat properly, playing cricketing shots. We knew the wicket was good, and if one of Tamim (Iqbal) and Junaid (Siddique) had kept going, we could have got a very good total.”That was our plan, and I thought we executed our plan very well. We didn’t try to hit too many slogs, we played all cricketing shots, and got close to 300. I thought we batted really well and sensibly.”He refused to be drawn into discussing the non-selection of Mohammad Ashraful, who has spent more time on the bench than in the playing XI under his captaincy, and to a pointed question on whether he had a problem with the senior players, his response was a cryptic and dismissive “no comments.”

Greg Smith hit a brilliant 130 as Derbyshire battled valiantly to stay in the
game on the third day at Bristol

10-Apr-2011
Scorecard
Greg Smith hit a brilliant 130 as Derbyshire battled valiantly to stay in the
game on the third day at Bristol.The 27-year-old South African produced a dazzling array of strokes to hit 21
fours in a 141-ball knock that threatened to turn the match after his side had
been reduced to 161 for 5 in their second innings, still 25 runs behind.Smith dominated a sixth-wicket stand of 128 with Luke Sutton (25), but both
then fell in quick succession and Derbyshire were bowled out for 331, a lead of
just 145, Chesney Hughes contributing 60. By the close Gloucestershire had
reached 19 for one and need 127 more tomorrow for the win.Left-arm seamer David Payne claimed 5 for 76 on his first class debut, while
Will Gidman produced the most economical bowling with one for 29 from 16 overs.Derbyshire began the day on 30 without loss, needing a further 156 to make
Gloucestershire bat again. Only three runs had been added when Garry Park was
caught behind fending at a lifting delivery from Jon Lewis.It was 54 for 2 when Wayne Madsen fell lbw for 34 to a delivery from Liam
Norwell that nipped back and 86 for three when Wes Durston fenced at a delivery
from the accurate Gidman and wicketkeeper Jonathan Batty took the catch.By lunch the visitors had progressed to 113 for 3, with Hughes unbeaten on
43. Five runs were added before Dan Redfern played down the wrong line to Payne
and departed lbw for 8.The powerful Hughes reached a half-century soon after the interval with a
flowing drive off Payne, his 11th boundary in facing 65 balls. But Payne soon
took revenge by having Hughes caught behind off a good length ball with the
total on 161.By then Smith was already counter-attacking with gusto, producing some superb
cover drives. Sutton was happy to just hold up the other end, taking 45 minutes
to get off the mark and contributing only two to the first 50 runs of the
partnership.Smith had one giant slice of good fortune when dropped by Chris Dent at second
slip off Norwell on 99 in the over before tea. He forced the next delivery
through the off-side for two to bring up his ton off 104 balls.Tea was reached with the total at 251 for 5. Smith and Sutton stayed
together until the fifth over with the second new ball, which saw Lewis knock
back Smith’s off-stump. The stand was a Derbyshire record for the sixth wicket
against Gloucestershire.Sutton fell four balls later as Dent redeemed himself with a diving slip catch
off Ian Saxelby and Payne quickly polished off the tail.

Ricky Ponting has said he wants to play on but that his fate is in the hands of the selectors after Australia crashed out of the World Cup in the quarter-finals.

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Mar-2011Ricky Ponting has said he wants to continue playing but that his fate is in the hands of the selectors after Australia’s quarter-final exit from the World Cup.Ponting, 36, scored a measured century in the game against India in Ahmedabad but it was not enough to lead the three-time defending champions to victory, thereby relinquishing the trophy they have held since 1999.”I was asked before the quarter-final and at the media conference immediately after if I was retiring. I am not,” Ponting wrote in his column in the . “It is my intention to keep playing cricket; I might not be the best judge of what my contribution to Australian cricket is.”There are a panel of selectors who have that job and I am happy to accept their judgment.”Ponting’s leadership has also been criticised since Australia lost the Ashes to England at home in January – making him the first Australian captain to concede the urn three times in over a century – and there have been reports that the selectors are contemplating replacing him at the helm. Ponting, however, said he is focused on getting Australia back to the top as quickly as possible.”We need to rally together to review all aspects that have contributed to our performances over the past six months. There will be casualties and change coming out of this [Cricket Australia] review but I am also confident it will highlight a number of programs, structures and people that remain the best or very close to the best in the world.”Building on our strengths while working hard on our weaknesses will ensure that we are in the best possible shape to win back the World Cup in 2015 as well as the Ashes and other major trophies in the years ahead.”The loss to India marked Australia’s earliest exit from a World Cup since 1992, and while Ponting admitted to being “shattered”, he thinks a knee-jerk reaction to the poor results of the last few months will do more harm than good.”A clear-the-decks policy is fraught with danger. Young players need to be nurtured and the best way for that to be done is with senior guys around them.”

India’s players will not feature in the Big Bash, Australia’s domestic Twenty20 competition

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Apr-2011India’s players will not feature in the Big Bash, Australia’s domestic Twenty20 competition scheduled to begin in mid-December this year, due to the BCCI’s policy of not releasing players during the domestic season in India – running from October to March.With the Big Bash now restructured as a city-based league, each team is expected to be allowed to pick four international players in the squad, and some of them were hoping to include some of India’s limited-overs specialists.”In fact last year some teams wanted Indian players and they were not available because of [the] domestic tournament,” Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s chief administrative officer, told the .India play a triangular ODI series in Australia following the Tests later this year, but none of their players would be able to use the Big Bash as a means of preparation for it. Shetty, however, said India’s players could participate in a Twenty20 league in Sri Lanka in July, provided they took permission beforehand.”It’s a policy decision of the board, and when there is a domestic tournament on I don’t think we will release any players,” Shetty said. “Sri Lanka now has some league in the month of July and it doesn’t clash with our domestic tournament so whoever wants to go with prior permission can participate.”Players from the West Indies have previously been prominent inclusions in the Big Bash, with Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo featuring in the league.The Big Bash has undergone a transformation after it was decided in October last year that the league – for 2011-12 – will involve eight city-based franchises with private investors allowed to buy a 33% stake.

Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sri Lanka’s captain and Man of the Match in the second Test at Lord’s, fears he will not be fit to play in the series decider at the Rose Bowl on June 16

Andrew Miller at Lord's07-Jun-2011Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sri Lanka’s captain and Man of the Match in the second Test at Lord’s, fears he will not be fit to play in the series decider at the Rose Bowl on June 16, after being advised to rest for three to four weeks following a hairline fracture to his right thumb.Dilshan’s first-innings 193 was the outstanding performance of a match that petered out into a stalemate on the final day, with England’s declaration target of 343 providing no incentive to take risks on an unresponsive wicket. Although he was padded up and ready to bat if needed, Dilshan stepped down from his opener’s role, and remained unused as Sri Lanka closed on 127 for 3.”At the moment I am out for the third Test,” said Dilshan at the close of play. “The physio and doctors have advised that it will take three to four weeks to heal. I have ten days [before the third Test] so if it’s a quick recovery, it might be that I can play, or else I’ll give a youngster a chance and be ready for the one-dayers.”That youngster is likely to be the 21-year-old left-hander, Lahiru Thirimanne, who played in three ODIs in 2009-10, but has yet to make his Test debut. He is now certain to play in Sri Lanka’s three-day warm-up against Essex later this week, with the prospect of higher honours to follow. “He is batting really well in the nets and ready to play international cricket,” said Dilshan. “I think if I can’t play, I can give him a chance to open the batting.”Despite the injury, Dilshan’s team-mate Mahela Jayawardene backed his captain to play through the pain. “If he’s ruled out, that is something we’ll need to cope with,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “But knowing him I reckon he’ll be okay to play the Test match.”After all, the way he batted on after two really painful blows shows what determination he has got, and though he didn’t field yesterday or bat today, that’s simply because we didn’t want to take any risks with him,” he added. “We wanted to give him three extra days to settle that sore thumb and see how it comes up.”He’ll now have five or six more days to rest and if he’s feeling well enough to hold a bat, I know he’ll want to play that Test match. If he’s not there, it’s going to be a big blow, but fingers crossed for him. Like we’ve always done when things get tough, we’ll back the guys to stand up just like they did in this match.”In Dilshan’s absence, the captaincy would pass to his predecessor, Kumar Sangakkara, who led the side in the field on the final two days of the Lord’s Test. “We have one more chance to level the series so we have to come out strong at the Rose Bowl and try to win and draw the series,” said Dilshan. “All the players have that mindset for playing good cricket at the moment.”Despite the obvious parallels with the situation in Cardiff, when Sri Lanka were left to bat for 51 overs on the final day and were bowled out for 82 in 24.4, Dilshan insisted that no such negative thoughts had crossed the team’s mind when Andrew Strauss’s afternoon declaration left them with 58 overs to negotiate at Lord’s.The draw was set up by another disciplined anchor role from Dilshan’s opening partner, Tharanga Paranavitana, who made 44, while the veteran Mahela Jayawardene also helped soak up the pressure of the situation in a 53-run stand for the second wicket.”We just talked about batting normally, whatever we got, 50 overs or whatever,” said Dilshan. “Just bat those 50 overs and don’t think about the result. They all played really well and I’m happy Mahela spent some time in the middle. The batting group did a great job.”

Kumar Sangakkara entered the Rose Bowl Test as a visibly reluctant captain, but by the close of the fourth day’s play, he had emerged as Sri Lanka’s only realistic hope of escaping the match with a draw

Andrew Miller at the Rose Bowl19-Jun-2011Kumar Sangakkara entered the Rose Bowl Test as a visibly reluctant captain, but by the close of the fourth day’s play, he had tapped back into his leadership qualities to emerge as Sri Lanka’s only realistic hope of escaping the match with a draw. By the close he was 44 not out from 111 balls, already his best score of the series, and as coach Stuart Law cast one optimistic eye to the heavens, he admitted that anything less than a century would probably spell curtains for his team.”There is a forecast that suggests there will be some weather about tomorrow,” said Law. “It’s a shame, as it’s hampered the tour and robbed the viewing public of some quality cricket. But while it’s in the air we’ve still got to bat well and with Sanga at the crease we’re a very good chance of saving this Test. We need some runs from the middle and late order, but Sanga really is the one to watch tomorrow.”Sangakkara’s record in England – which currently stands at 445 runs in nine Tests at 27.81 – is a curious anomaly, a blot on a career record that is already guaranteed to be recalled among the greats. At the age of 33, there is no guarantee he will be back for a fourth tour of England, but by the close he was doing his best to finish this series on a personal high, as he wore the blows of England’s confident attack and responded with some counter-thrusts of his own, not least a whistling cover-drive to draw the sting of Stuart Broad’s most probing spell of the series.His looseness outside off stump had a been a notable frailty in his first five innings of the series, and one stabbed cut in James Anderson’s final spell bounced inches short of gully. Nevertheless, from the moment he got off the mark with a classy first-ball whip off the pads, Sangakkara looked primed for the tussle that awaited him, as he swayed out of the way of a vicious lifter from Chris Tremlett, and took another ball from Broad on the body rather than let his gloves get in the way.”Sanga rarely doesn’t have the bit between his teeth to be honest,” said Law. “If anything he comes out of his comfort zone here and tries too hard to put it right. He scores runs for fun in places like Australia and he’s done well in South Africa too, so it’s not that he can’t play outside the subcontinent. But it’s just taken him a while to realise his game and what he needs to do. I think tonight he batted with extreme purpose and looked every bit the world-class player he is.”Unfortunately for Sri Lanka, they still shipped three prime wickets, including Mahela Jayawardene for another single-figure score. The debutant Larihu Thirimanne knuckled down with great resolve to grind out a doughty 38, while Tharanga Paranavitana once again showcased his durability, even if he was unable to turn his crease occupation into runs in an hour-long stay for 10. When asked if he was happy with the application shown by his team, Law was disarmingly honest. “Not really,” he said. “You’d always like more.Kumar Sangakkara’s unbeaten 44 helped Sri Lanka retain hopes of drawing the third Test•AFP

“But I’m really impressed with Lahiru,” he added. “He’s gutsed it out, and he played well. As a young kid making his debut in circumstances he’s very foreign to, I’m very proud of the way he played today. It’s just unfortunate he got out at the wrong time. Obviously you always want your batsmen to score hundreds every time they go out. That’s never going to happen, but we do need a bit more.”Prior to the game, Sangakkara’s captaincy concerns had hinted at a degree of unrest within the team. The impending return of the player-turned-politician, Sanath Jayasuriya, at the age of 41 is the issue that will confront them as soon as this match is over and attention switches to the one-day leg of the tour. But as Law was at pains to point out, whatever external pressures may currently exist, the players themselves are just pressing on as best they can.”The dressing room is very happy,” he said. “The boys always walk in with a smile on their face. Whatever else happens in the next few weeks, we have no control over it. We have to go out there and play some cricket.”They deal with these kind of issues day in, day out,” he added. “It’s never nice but the boys are happy, they get on with their cricket. They know they’ve got a job, they love playing for their country. They do it for a lot of people back home, they are very proud of that and they want to keep that intact.”It hasn’t gone well for us [so far], but that’s not to do with anything in the dressing-room. It’s because England have been very, very good. We probably haven’t stepped up to the mark a few times, but we have at certain times.”As for Law himself, his own future as coach is still up in the air, with a full-time successor to Trevor Bayliss still to be appointed. “I have spoken to the right people so hopefully it will be resolved very soon,” he said. In the immediate future, Sri Lanka will hope the same can be said of Sangakkara’s record in England.

Former Sri Lanka fast bowler Rumesh Ratnayake has been appointed as the interim coach for the home series against Australia starting next month

Sa'adi Thawfeeq15-Jul-2011Former Sri Lanka fast bowler Rumesh Ratnayake has been appointed as the interim Sri Lanka coach for the home series against Australia that begins next month.”We have appointed Rumesh Ratnayake only for the Australian tour because there is hardly any time to look for another coach,” Upali Dharmadasa, Sri Lanka Cricket’s interim committee chairman, said.Former Australia batsman Stuart Law, who was appointed the interim coach for Sri Lanka’s tour of England, after Trevor Bayliss relinquished the post after the World Cup, stepped down at the conclusion of the England tour.Ratnayake, 47, who has played 23 Tests and 70 ODIs for Sri Lanka is presently a development officer with the Asian Cricket Council. “We had to get permission from the Asian Cricket Council president Ashraful Haq to have Rumesh released for the series,” Dharmadas said.Ratnayake, who picked up nine wickets in Sri Lanka’s maiden Test victory in the second Test against India in Colombo in 1985, had signed a four-year contract to be Sri Lanka’s assistant coach in 2007, but withdrew citing family commitments.Dharmadasa said that the hunt for a new national coach would begin within the next three months. “We will call for fresh applicants for the post by advertising on the ICC and SLC websites and also in the national newspapers,” he said, adding that candidates who had shown interest in the job after Bayliss stepped down would have to make fresh applications if they are to be considered.Australia are scheduled to play three Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20 Internationals in Sri Lanka, with the first T20 game to be played on August 6 in Pallekele. Dinesh Chandimal and Dhammika Prasad, who impressed on the limited-over leg of the tour of England and Scotland, will be part of the mix for the Australia series after they have been withdrawn from the Sri Lanka A squad that is due to tour England in July and August. Kanishka Alvitigala and Kushal Janith are their replacements in the Sri Lanka A squad.

A maiden first-class century from Ross Whiteley helped Derbyshire fight back on their first day of their Championship match against Northamptonshire

20-Jul-2011
ScorecardA maiden first-class century from Ross Whiteley helped Derbyshire fight back on their first day of their Championship match against Northamptonshire and, perhaps, pointed to brighter times ahead for the club.When Derbyshire decided to dispense with the services of their former director of cricket, Jon Morris, mid-way through a game a couple of months ago, it heralded the start of another rebuilding phase at the club.So it should be gratifying to see the likes of Whiteley and Jon Clare excel in such testing conditions. For it is around young men such as these the future hopes of the club rest. Add to that 21-year-old Dan Redfern, who misses this game through injury but is the club’s leading scorer in first-class cricket this season, and there is justifiable reason for hope at Derbyshire. That hasn’t always been the case in recent years.Whiteley and Clare, coming together with the score on 90 for 6, added 182 in 43 overs for Derbyshire’s seventh wicket to turn the day, if not the match, on its head. At one stage Derbyshire had been reeling on 39 for 5 and, with Chaminda Vaas and Jack Brooks gaining steep bounce and sharp movement, it looked as though the visitors would fail to reach three figures.But, just as they did against Glamorgan last week, Derbyshire’s lower-order fought back. Whiteley, grimly determined at the start, first stopped the rot in partnership with Luke Sutton, before gradually wrestling the initiative away from the hosts.Whiteley, a Yorkshire born 22-year-old who has developed through the Derbyshire system, was particularly impressive. Playing just his sixth first-class match, he had never made more than 33 before. Here, however, after a watchful start, he demonstrated a pleasing variety of stokes including some elegant drives through the covers and a lofted straight six off James Middlebrook’s offspin.Clare provided typically uncomplicated support. Though he played and missed frequently, Clare also hit the ball with power and, both in bearing and technique, bears more than a passing resemblance to Andrew Flintoff.Perhaps they had some fortune. Whiteley was dropped once, on 33, when Niall O’Brien was unable to cling on to a tough chance down the leg side off Lee Daggett, while a more agile fielder might have been able to reach Whiteley loose drive just over mid-off when he had 57. Clare was also missed, on 79, by Newton off Middlebrook.Conditions eased, too. The Tiflex ball, used in Division Two at present, seems to provide extravagant assistance to the bowlers for the first 30 overs or so before becoming soft and unhelpful to the bowlers. Steffan Jones, Derbyshire’s bowling coach, memorably described bowling with an old Tiflex ball as akin to bowling with “a rabbit’s head”. The bowlers, and 37-year-old Vaas especially, also appeared to tire.More than anything, however, Derbyshire’s young batsmen simply earned due reward for their hard work. While Chesney Hughes paid the price for following one he could have left, Clare and Whiteley demonstrated greater discipline and judgement in choosing which balls to attack.Batting was desperately difficult for the hour or so. Martin Guptil and Wayne Madsen were caught in the slips as they fenced at balls that climbed sharply on them, before Wes Durston paid the price for trying to force an out-swinger through mid-wicket and the skittish Greg Smith, beaten for the three previous deliveries, finally edged one angled across him. Luke Sutton resisted for a while, but when he was caught behind by a brute of a ball that bounced and left him, it left Derbyshire in deep trouble.This is an important game for both sides. While Northamptonshire are the runaway leaders in Division Two, just seven points separated the teams between second and seventh place in the table at the start of this match. Derbyshire could be playing Division One cricket next year.Northamptonshire should be, too. A superb start to the season saw them reach the T20 stage of the season as the only unbeaten side in the land. But, after losing 11 of their 16 T20 games and also surrendering their unbeaten records in the CB40 (to Scotland) and the Championship (to Essex) it is fair to conclude that their season is now at a crossroads. The next two or three days could well define it.They have matters to resolve off the field, too. Brooks, the pick of the bowlers here, is out of contract and certain to attract interest from other counties. There aren’t too many better seamers out there who have yet to win England recognition.To rub salt in the wound, Tony Palladino thumped five boundaries in the final overs of the day as Derbyshire claimed three batting bonus points that had looked most unlikely a few hours earlier.