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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:20

By the Numbers – Anwar Ali a lethal No. 9

Anwar Ali, Pakistan’s No. 9 batsman, waltzed into the belly of a baying Premadasa with 66 required from 35 balls, and produced a cataclysmic 46 from 17 balls, to help prise stunning victory from the clutches of almost-certain defeat. He brought the chase of 173 to sudden life when he plundered two sixes and a four off debutant Shehan Jayasuriya in the 17th over, before treating Thisara Perera and Lasith Malinga with almost as much disdain to send Pakistan to within eight runs of victory.Malinga had Anwar caught behind in the penultimate over, and another wicket would also fall two balls later, but Imad Wasim was on hand to provide the finish. Binura Fernando had the task of defending six runs in the final over, but Mohammad Irfan pinched a single first ball, then Wasim socked the next delivery over the wide long-on rope to spark celebrations in the Pakistan camp.Long before even Anwar’s innings, Pakistan appeared to be tumbling to a heavy loss at 40 for 5 in the eighth over. It had been Shahid Afridi’s brutal 22-ball 45 that lit the flame that Anwar stoked into the inferno that devoured Sri Lanka. The hosts have now lost all three series in this tour, though in mitigation, they were fielding six players with two T20 international caps or fewer, in this match.Perhaps it was the inexperience that saw Pakistan gain a foothold in the match. Afridi kept making room against the spinners early in his innings, but instead of darting it at his body, Milinda Siriwardana sent two balls at the stumps, which Afridi swung away for a four and a six to get his assault in motion, in the tenth over.More huge strikes would follow from Afridi’s blade soon after. Malinga was tonked over deep square leg in the eleventh over, and Jeffrey Vandersay was blasted over the leg-side rope twice. Sri Lanka may have felt they had quelled the Pakistan surge when they got rid of Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan within five deliveries, and the required rate had crept up to 12, by the end of the 15th over, but Anwar had the measure of the pitch and the bowling almost from the beginnings of his innings.His fifth ball, from Jayasuriya, was swatted over cow corner for six, another slog-sweep carried the ball over deep square leg, before the over was finished with a searing drive to the long-on fence. Next over he walloped two Thisara Perera full-tosses to the fence. Then with 20 runs needed from 12 balls, he carted the first three balls of Malinga in the 19th over for 12. Only towards the end of this barrage did victory even seem possible for Pakistan. They ended up getting there with four balls to spare.All this after the young Sri Lanka bowlers, backed by an enlivened, youthful fielding unit had gutted Pakistan’s top order. Binura dismissed the openers, Mohammad Hafeez and Umar Akmal were run-out thanks to some sublime work in the field, and an advancing Shoaib Malik was beaten comprehensively by Siriwardana, in his first T20 international over.Sri Lanka will feel 172 for 7 was a score they should have defended on a slow surface. Earlier, Chamara Kapugedara eased years of frustration and sent a packed Colombo crowd into raptures as he blasted 48 not out from 25, after Sri Lanka had themselves been in some bother at 90 for 5 in the 13th over.Kapugedara built gradually to the crescendo, missing an attempted glide to third man first ball, before squeezing a few runs into the outfield to get himself to 11 off 13 balls. His charge began in the 17th over when he skipped down the track to send a Sohail Tanvir delivery over the long-on rope first, before repeating the stroke off Anwar Ali next over.He hit Irfan for a four and six successively, but saved his most winning shot for the final over. Anticipating a ball on the stumps from Tanvir, Kapugedara shuffled across to the off side and whipped the full-length delivery high over deep square leg for his fourth six of the innings. Though he didn’t quite manage a fifty, he left the field bat raised, soaking in rousing applause.The rest of the Sri Lanka innings had mostly been built piecemeal by the young batsmen. Jayasuriya’s 40 from from 32 balls was the most substantial top-order contribution. Siriwardana capped a fine first international tour with a useful 23 off 19.Pakistan’s one-wicket victory places them third on the T20 rankings. Sri Lanka, who are still top-placed, have some difficult issues to grapple with. Malinga’s depleted menace after surgery is chief among them.

West Brom have had a disastrous season so far since returning to the Championship after being relegated from the Premier League, and despite sacking Valerien Ismael, very little has changed, with new manager Steve Bruce reportedly set to repeat a mistake of the past.

What’s the word?

Express journalist, Ryan Taylor, has reported that West Brom could make a move for free agent, Mbaye Diagne.

Bruce had reportedly opened to talks with Mohamed Diame, but the transfer became virtually impossible to achieve due to the complications surrounding post-Brexit international transfer policies.

The club has been exploring the free agent market over the last few months, signing Andy Carroll late into the transfer window, and now the new manager intends to continue to look for hidden gems in the free-agent market that he can snap up to bolster his West Brom side, who have gone from challenging for automatic promotion to falling out of the play-off positions in the last few weeks.

Bruce set to repeat mistakes

Diagne is no stranger to the Midlands club, as he was brought in on loan in the second half of last season with Sam Allardyce attempting to improve his squad’s chances of making the great escape from the relegation zone in the Premier League.

However, the signing fell flat and the Senegalese proved ineffective in his six-month stint at the club as they were relegated at the end of the season.

Despite scoring three goals and two assists during his time with the Baggies, after a good start the player was labelled “demotivated” and “poor” by West Brom journalist and podcaster Adrian Goldberg as the season drew closer to a conclusion.

The centre forward was released by Galatasaray earlier this month, following a long term femoral fracture injury, that he has been recovering from since December, just another reason why the ex-Newcastle manager should look elsewhere for solutions to his problems at West Brom.

Following a defeat this weekend, Bruce will need to get his squad ready for a quick turnaround as the side are set to take on Middlesbrough on Tuesday evening, in another must-win game for the Baggies away from home.

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The league table has not been kind to them already as they have now dropped into 11th position in the Championship, so the new manager must find a way to motivate and his inspire his players onto better results if he wants to have any chance of salvaging their season.

In other news: Adam Reach let down the team against Luton

Morne van Wyk, Paul Harris, Justin Kemp, Charl Langeveldt and Gulam Bodi © Cricinfo Ltd

Spinner Paul Harris was named as one of five South African Cricket Annual Cricketers of the Year in Johannesburg on Monday night. Also named were Gulam Bodi, Justin Kemp, Charl Langeveldt and Morne van Wyk.The award was a late birthday present for Harris, who turned 29 on Friday. The tall Titans left-arm bowler made a highly impressive entry into Test cricket when he played in home series against India and Pakistan last season. Both teams contained renowned players of spin bowling but Harris claimed 11 wickets in four matches at an average of 28.54.All five nominees were first-time winners of the award in line with a new policy that players will only be recognised once by the Mutual & Federal Annual. Titans batsman Bodi was recognised for his outstanding achievement in finally earning international one-day colours more than six years after missing out on a tour of the West Indies because of injury.Bodi, 28, was selected as a wrist spinner in 2000-01 but was injured the day before he was due to depart for the Caribbean. In recent seasons he has shone with the bat, making his international debut as a batsman against Zimbabwe in August. He was also included in South Africa’s squad for the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in September.The big-hitting Kemp, who was appointed vice-captain of the one-day team for the recent tournament in Pakistan, confirmed his reputation as one of the most exciting batsmen in the world game during the past year. Among several fine performances was a thrilling, match-winning maiden one-day international century against India in Cape Town.Swing bowler Langeveldt was a consistent performer for the Proteas in one-day internationals and was joint leading wicket-taker for South Africa during the World Cup in the West Indies with 14 wickets at 25.78, including 5 for 39 in the win against Sri Lanka.van Wyk was honoured for his outstanding run-scoring efforts for the Eagles in domestic cricket. He was the leading run-scorer in both the MTN Domestic Championship and the Standard Bank Pro20 and topped the averages in the SuperSport Series. His feats earned him a recall to the national one-day team for the tour of Ireland.

Harbhajan Singh walks into the side… but for his bowling © Getty Images

The sporadic downpours that have made the skies over Johannesburg greyremained the main concern for both teams as they headed into the openinggame of the five-match one-day series on Sunday. With rain lashing thecity in the morning, practice plans had to be altered, with South Africagoing up the road to SuperSport Park in Centurion and India opting for theindoor nets in the basement at the Wanderers.India, who have won only three matches here from 16 encounters againstSouth Africa dating back to 1992-93, go into the game on the back of adefeat against Rest of South Africa, but as Rahul Dravid pointed out atthe pre-match press conference, they aren’t the first team to start anaway tour indifferently.The fact that Virender Sehwag has recovered from his hand injury wellenough to come through a full batting session will no doubt encourage theside. Sehwag’s recent form hasn’t been the best, but he if needs anyinspiration he need only to replay tapes of that breakthrough innings onTest debut at Bloemfontein.Dravid suggested that India needed to be brave, and the team is almostcertain to play three pace bowlers and Irfan Pathan in addition toHarbhajan Singh. With Mahendra Singh Dhoni expected to move into the No.5slot vacated by Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina and Dinesh Mongia will tusslefor the last batting place. Despite a catalogue of woe that dates back tothe West Indies tour, Raina is likely to be given fresh licence to go outand express himself.For Graeme Smith, there are few selection issues to deal with. LootsBosman did little wrong in his one Champions Trophy outing, and theinclement weather conditions should mean that either Charl Langeveldt orAndrew Hall get the nod ahead of Robin Peterson. Smith will be the loneslow-bowling option, though his offspin is hardly likely to terrorise theIndians.The surface to be used for Sunday’s game bears more than a littleresemblance to that on which South Africa and Australia combined for anincredible 872 runs in March, but with thunderstorms forecast for the day,the cloud cover should ensure that no bowler meets with the fate thatbefell Mick Lewis, whose 10 overs that day went for the small matter of113.The last time India played here, Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyneviscerated their World Cup dream with some of the finest batting everseen on the limited-overs stage. For some of the old boys, it was a red-letterday that went horribly wrong. The new ones, many of whom weren’t even inthe selection picture three years ago, have no such trauma to deal with,and it could be their ability to adapt, or not, that decides the fate ofthis series.South Africa (likely): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Loots Bosman, 3Herschelle Gibbs, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 AB de Villiers, 6 Mark Boucher (wk),7 Justin Kemp, 8 Shaun Pollock, 9 Andre Nel, 10 Charl Langeveldt, 11Makhaya Ntini.India (likely): 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 MohammadKaif, 4 Rahul Dravid (capt), 5 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), 6 Suresh Raina, 7 IrfanPathan, 8 Ajit Agarkar, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Munaf Patel.

John Wright : ‘Coaching India was probably my most enriching cricketing experience’ © Getty Images

John Wright, who has experienced the best and the worst of Indian cricket during his five-year tenure as India’s coach, has asked for some time and space for Greg Chappell, his successor, to make a difference to the Indian team.Chappell has had a stormy start to his tenure and the publication of a confidential email in which he had declared Sourav Ganguly “mentally and physically unfit” to lead India, has inflamed passions and polarised opinions. Despite an uneasy truce imposed by the Indian board, observers visualise a difficult period ahead if both Chappell and Ganguly stay in their current positions.Wright, however, was confident that Chappell would be able to work his way through. “There will always be a couple of bumpy issues along the way when you are in a coaching situation,” Wright said, “but I am sure the coach and team will be able to work together.”Wright refused to get into discussions about Chappell’s methods, saying that coaching styles differed from person to person. When asked if he was too soft on some of the players, Wright said: “The bottom line from my perspective as a coach is I work in my way. I know that several people made judgments on how I approached the job and generally it’s from their perspective. I know the way I did the job and I feel we made progress. At the end of the day you do it the way you want to do it. I certainly don’t have qualms about not being hard in the job.”I think you have to ask the players about those sorts of things. I had several years with the team – I enjoyed it, I loved the fans over there. It was probably my most enriching cricketing experience. We took the team to a certain stage and Greg and his team should take it a bit further forward.””My last seven months with the one-day team – the form was poor and Greg’s going about sorting that out. I know that they can play and they’ll get the results,” he said. “I always felt that India could be number one. They’re ranked third in the Test rankings and one-day form can turn around very quickly, as we showed in the World Cup [in 2003] and the ICC Champions Trophy [in 2004].”

Harbhajan Singh: all set to come back into international cricket© Getty Images

Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan have been included in India’s 20-man probables list for next month’s Asia Cup. The list also includes Amit Bhandari and Parthiv Patel.Harbhajan, 23, has not played since the first Test against Australia in December due to an injury to his bowling hand. He has since had surgery to repair the ligament tear, which was on his spinning finger. Zaheer has been troubled by a recurrent hamstring injury for some time. He was first sidelined in Australia, returned for India’s historic tour to Pakistan, but was sent home half-way through that series after breaking down again.Announcing the line-up, SK Nair, the board secretary, stated that the players would participate in a training camp in Chennai from July 3-8. The final squad for the Asia Cup would be announced on July 7.Nair also stated that an India A team would tour Zimbabwe and Kenya over the next two months. The team is scheduled to play three four-day games against Zimbabwe, before participating in a three-nation tournament in Nairobi, also involving Kenya and Pakistan A.The probables list
Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Parthiv Patel, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, Ramesh Powar, Hemang Badani, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar, Irfan Pathan, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Amit Bhandari, Rohan Gavaskar.

“Taj President. Call me anytime”, came the text message, minutes after I asked Hemang Badani if we could have a word before the Ranji Trophy final. With the big game starting only on May 4, Badani could have been at his Chennai home, putting his feet up, playing with his 10-month-old son Hrishit and enjoying a lazy May-day lunch. Instead, he was in Mumbai, impatient for the game to begin.You would expect Badani to be keen. The Wankhede Stadium has done more for him than for most Mumbai cricketers. It was here in 1999 that Badani first exhibited his hunger, and ability, to bat at the highest level. In a tense match that Tamil Nadu eventually lost, Badani drove, threaded and whipped his way to a career-best 162 in the Ranji Trophy semi-final. His captain, Robin Singh, made 183 and Tamil Nadu threatened to walk away with the game. Threats, however, don’t work when Sachin Tendulkar is around. Tendulkar played with passion and verve to carve out 233, and Tamil Nadu were beaten – by one man.This time around, though, there’s no Tendulkar to worry about – he’s away getting medical attention in America.”Even the last time,” says Badani, “we were so close to winning. It was always touch and go, even with Sachin [Tendulkar] batting so well. He stole the game away from us, but we did ourselves no favours with our fielding. He was dropped in the slips – a sitter – when he was just 34 and we also missed a few run-out chances late in the innings.””Even after all that, we were never too far away from winning. You know as well as I do that a few decisions went against us,” adds Badani with a rueful chuckle. Perhaps he is speaking of the time S Mahesh had Santosh Saxena trapped plumb in front, only to be denied by the umpire, when Mumbai still needed a run to take the all-important first-innings lead.But despite Tendulkar’s absence, there’s still plenty for this Tamil Nadu team to mull over. The brisk medium-pace of Ajit Agarkar and Avishkar Salvi, on a wicket that has been relaid recently, will ask a few questions of Badani and his team.”I’ve played with Ajit [Agarkar] since the Under-16 level and I know his game really well,” said Badani. “We first toured England together as teenagers for Star Cricket Club and we go back a long way. Salvi is another one to watch out for, with his height and the bounce he generates.””They’ll prepare a wicket that has something in it for the mediumpacers. Their best spinner is Sairaj [Bahutule] and he’ll be wondering how to bowl to all the left-handers in our side. So you would have to say that Agarkar and Salvi are the biggest threats. But we’re not scared, or worried about them,” a confident Badani says.You have to believe Badani when he says so. Despite being out of the Indian team in recent months, he has been discussed at every selection meeting. “The frustrating part about playing for India and then being dropped is the fact that you know you can perform at that level, and you still have to sit out. Whatever anyone might say, there’s a huge gap between playing domestic cricket and playing at the international level. You can make all the runs you want in domestic games but only when you make them at the highest level do you really know that you have it in you,” says Badani.Tendulkar certainly thought Badani had it in him. It was after that memorable 1999 Ranji semi-final that he marked Badani out for higher honours. “Sachin spoke to me after the game and told me one thing. You have a fantastic downswing and follow-through, he said. Whether you’re going through a bad patch or not, never change that. This will make all the difference at the highest level.”Badani will walk out to the middle on the fourth of May with those words in mind. “It could be a very big match for me. I feel this could be the best thing that happened to me – something that needed to happen. If I can make a hundred, and help Tamil Nadu win … ” he trails off. He doesn’t have to say more. You know what he means: this match could be the one that propels him back into the Indian team.

England’s victory over Australia in the fourth Ashes Test has been a shot in the arm for New Zealand fans eagerly awaiting the arrival of the English team this summer.While most England tours of New Zealand create more interest than all but visits by Australian Test teams, the recent successes by England in Pakistan and Sri Lanka had suggested the once proud nation was in recovery mode.Then came the deflation of being 3-0 down to the Australians with nowhere to go.However, the return of Nasser Hussain to add steel and leadership to the side, the ability to chase a target for victory personified in Mark Butcher’s innings, the recall, at last, of left-arm spinner Phil Tufnell, and the decision by Graham Thorpe to be available for the tours of India and New Zealand, all add up to an even spicier tour.All the characters are falling into place to give the tour a profile that will make it one of the most interesting in recent New Zealand Test history.Added factors of interest will be provided by the possible absence of Mike Atherton, and should he retire at the end of the Ashes series, the hunt for a long-term opening replacement for him. Similarly, the prospects for Alec Stewart. He has said he wants to play at least until the next World Cup, but do the selectors share that feeling, or do they want to develop another wicket-keeper?England also have on their agenda their desire to beef up their one-day game to improve their chances of competing successfully at the World Cup in South Africa in 2003.That also adds flavour to the New Zealand summer as the home side is still casting around for the winning formula to lift it back into a credit position on the win/loss ledger in One-Day Internationals.New Zealand won’t lack preparation on either the Test or one-day front.Both the Test and one-day sides will have been through campaigns in Pakistan and Australia, with a breather against Bangladesh over Christmas. There is every chance that Chris Cairns and Daniel Vettori will be restored to full match fitness, with even the prospect that Dion Nash’s encouraging progress will have been sufficiently tested to make him available for the longer aspect of the game.New Zealand also has the incentive to back-up its 1999 effort where it won the Test series in England 2-1.Injuries have meant that New Zealand hasn’t fielded a fully fit side at home since the 2-0 series win over the West Indies in 1999/2000 but if the side can put the crisis of last summer behind it, then a much-needed highly-competitive summer may be just what the game in New Zealand needs.Several significant initiatives are underway in the advancement of the game in New Zealand, especially at levels below the international and first-class ranks, and if cricket could have a summer of positive play at the showpiece level of the game then it stands to reason that the benefits will be felt across the board.

Former Derbyshire batsman Hamza Siddique is forging a new career as an actor with the help of the Professional Cricketers’ Association.Hamza Siddique says cricket hindered his need to show emotion•Getty Images

The 24-year-old, who had two seasons on Derbyshire’s staff and played three first-class matches for Cardiff MCCU, is currently completing a one-year Masters degree in acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.Siddique’s course has been part-funded by the PCA as part of the Association’s Personal Development and Welfare Programme educational funding.The PCA have also part-funded a short film ‘Glow’ which Siddique and three other students have just written and filmed as part of their final assignment.Siddique stars in the film as Elijah, who is taken to see the Northern Lights by his friends after he has been diagnosed with a brain tumour. The film will be shown at festivals around the country which Siddique hopes will help him land acting jobs when he completes the course later this year.”Ultimately this project is going to be shown at festivals and going to be a massive kick-start to our careers as actors,” Siddique said”The PCA’s willingness to help out with the funding was a massive help to us and we are very appreciative of their support.”We are now in the process of meeting with agents. We had our final showcase a few weeks ago and agents came to watch. That is what it is all about, getting an agent and starting to get paid professional jobs in acting.”Siddique studied philosophy and theology at Cardiff and only decided to switch to acting after he was released by Derbyshire three years ago.”From the age of nine all I had wanted to do was to play cricket. I got contracted to Derbyshire at 19 and it was amazing,” he said.”But I did feel there was a gap in my life and, for one reason and another, I felt that I needed to try something else.”I studied philosophy and theology at Cardiff and played on the MCCU scheme there but I started thinking that I would really like to give this media thing a go.”I decided to give it a really good crack. I stopped playing cricket for a while to give acting a go. The whole thing was pretty alien to me. I locked myself in my room and put my cricket stuff away and learned some Shakespeare monologues and some more contemporary pieces and auditioned to a number of drama schools”I had never done drama at school or acted so I had no idea what it meant to get into one of these drama schools To me it was: ‘wow, this is different to facing 90mph balls coming at my head.'”I thought: ‘great, let’s give it a go and see what happens’. It was only when I realised that people were flying in from South Africa and India for a 40 minute audition that I realised what a big deal it was.”Siddique opted for a place at Central, an acting school that includes Kit Harrington (Game of Thrones), Riz Ahmed (Four Lions) and Andrew Garfield (Spiderman) among its recent alumni.Although he initially struggled with aspects of acting, Siddique has found that his experiences in professional cricket have helped him in his new career.”I am actually writing an essay for my thesis titled In What Way Does Conditioning Inhibit an Actor’s Ability to be Spontaneous?,” Siddique said.”It’s amazing how conditioning , nurture and my sporting environment massively hindered me early on because when you are playing sport at the top level you are taught not to be vulnerable and to have this self-assurance and to absolutely back your skills.”But starting drama school was something bizarre to me because whatever emotions you have been taught to shut off in front of people you have to get rid of. There were times in class when I struggled with that early on.”To have to portray emotions to people in a classroom I found really tough but the dedication, the commitment and the work is absolutely comparable to that of professional sport. If you do not put in the hours you will not get the best out of it.”But I feel like I am a step ahead and I felt a step going into it because of cricket. Because of what I learnt in a team environment and the pressure of going out to bat on my first-class debut for Cardiff MCCU I have no qualms about going out and pretending to be someone else.”The stakes in professional sport are comparable to very little else. The things that go through your head, what it means to each person, the preparation that goes into the competition it’s a really great thing and I am really grateful to the part cricket played in helping me in this industry.”

Bologna playmaker Gaston Ramirez is on the radar of Liverpool, but the Reds may have fallen behind in the race for his signature to Italian giants Juventus reports Talk Sport.

The 21 year old Uruguayan lit up Serie A last season, with a fantastic campaign for Bologna, guiding them to a 9th place finish.

Ramirez also finds himself linked to Premier League champions Manchester City, as well as moves elsewhere in Italy in the form of AC Milan and Napoli.

Liverpool are set to be looking for a playmaker as their move for Brendan Rodger’s Hoffenheim favourite Gylfi Sigurdsson has been hijacked by Spurs.

Bologna have slapped a £16 million price tag on their Uruguayan number 10, and are all but resigned to losing him to a bigger club.

Despite the probable move to a bigger club, Ramirez had stated he wouldn’t mind staying another year with the 9th place finishers; ‘The people love me, I love the club, so I’m very happy being in Bologna.’ – however Bologna are willing to sell Ramirez in order to earn some big money.

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Should Liverpool overtake Juventus in the race for Ramirez, it would be Rodgers’ first signing since taking over at Anfield.