Scott Boland’s 4 for 30 helped Melbourne Stars restrict Adelaide Strikers to 152, a total chased down with the help of Ben Hilfenhaus’ violent 32

The Report by Will Macpherson at the MCG10-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBen Hilfenhaus’ unbeaten 32 off 24 balls helped Melbourne Stars stave off an accurate bowling performance from Adelaide Strikers•Cricket Australia

Six nights ago, Eoin Morgan drove Ben Hilfenhaus down the ground for six to secure an unlikely win for Sydney Thunder over Melbourne Stars.Thus it felt poetic that Hilfenhaus’ fraught, violent innings of 32 saw his team over the line by two wickets and with three balls to spare against Adelaide Strikers at the MCG, moving the Stars to third on the BBL table.On New Year’s Eve, 152 had been enough for Strikers to pull off an unlikely heist against Sydney Sixers. Against the Stars, despite the best efforts of their new signing Ish Sodhi, that same figure – which looked underpar at the innings break – was not quite enough. With four defeats to their name, their hopes of making the knockouts are all but over.Strikers’ fast start … and slow deathDavid Hussey stuck the Strikers in and 41 balls later, he’d have been wondering if he made the right call. Ben Dunk, the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer, had lost his opening partner Jake Weatherald, but raced to 35, and looked in fine touch. He had run twos hard, and picked the gaps; Strikers were 60-1, and cruising.But Hussey’s trump card, 19-year-old Liam Bowe, tossed the last ball of his first over up and Dunk bit – a touch of dip saw him fail to get to the pitch and he picked out mid-off, where the captain took a fine catch. From there, everything slowed up for the Strikers. With Dunk gone, they failed to score a boundary for seven overs. Brad Hodge and Tim Ludeman struggled for fluency and slogged their wickets away in the same Scott Boland over.With all Stars bowlers impressing (all six who bowled finished with an economy rate of 7 or 7.50), a low total was always on the cards. It took until the 18th over for Jono Dean to hit the Strikers’ first six, but he became Boland’s fourth wicket two balls later. In the following over, Ben Hilfenhaus found himself on a hat-trick.A spinner called elbowEven Kevin Pietersen admitted it was the first time he had seen Bowe, the bespectacled lad from Bendigo, bowl. But, with his funky chinaman bowling and subtle variations, he proved a triumph – and, as if to prove a point, immediately became Twitter’s top trend in Australia. His performance would have eased the Stars’ worries about the absence of Adam Zampa for the rest of the tournament.The bespectacled Liam Bowe finished with 1 for 21 on debut•Cricket Australia

Ish’s instant impactThe big difference between this year and the last – when they topped the table – for the Strikers has been the absence of their spin twins, Jon Holland (injured) and Adil Rashid (with England). So when Chris Jordan went down with a hamstring injury to compound their depleted bowling stocks, Jason Gillespie turned to Ish Sodhi.His debut could barely have gone better. He belted the final ball of Strikers’ innings for six that took the score over 150. Then, in his first over had Peter Handscomb bowled with a topspinner, and shed just two singles. His second went for five. David Hussey hit the first ball of his third down the ground for six, but the second was caught brilliantly at midwicket. In his final over, Evan Gulbis smote a six, then nudged into the leg side, with an eye on two. Sodhi sprinted across to midwicket. Pietersen hesitated turning for the second, Sodhi turned and threw to the bowlers end, where Hodge had crept in to remove the bails. It was a spectacular piece of fielding to complete a spectacular debut. It was not quite enough.The vital 18th How often does the 18th over of the chase turn a T20? Wes Agar, debutant and brother of Ashton, had been savaged by Quiney in the first over of the chase, but returned in the 16th, and bowled five dots to Hilfenhaus. Hodge trusted the youngster with another over.He nailed four down the ground, scampered two to long-on, then slogged four more through square leg. He swung and missed, then two more were slashed through the covers. A slower ball ended the over, and Hilfenhaus flat-batted it down the ground for six.There was still time for a twist. Ben Laughlin bowled Gulbis and Boland in the 19th, meaning three were required from the last. Hilfenhaus and Beer traded singles, and the game was done.

WAPDA will need Salman Butt, their captain to come good with support from the middle order if they are to win the tournament, having taken the first-innings honours

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAhmed Shehzad made an impression upon return from a stint with Comilla Victorians in the BPL, striking 104 off 137 balls•AFP

Habib Bank Limited (HBL) were on the verge of a stunning come-from-behind win in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy after conceding a first-innings lead against Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) at the National Stadium in Karachi.HBL, who recovered from 21 for 6 in the first innings to post 236, made WAPDA toil for 122.5 overs in the second innings. Their top three made centuries in the team’s 485 for 1 declared. Imam-ul-Haq, nephew of Inzamam-ul-Haq, top scored with 200 not out, while Fakhar Zaman and Ahmed Shehzad made 170 and 104 not out respectively.Set an improbable target of 444, WAPDA ended the penultimate day on 83 for 2, with Salman Butt (38) and Mohammad Saad (20) at the crease. Usman Khan, the left-arm seamer, picked up both wickets to fall.Having eclipsed Asadullah Butt and Mujahit Jamshed’s 16-year record for the highest opening stand (252) for HBL, Imam and Zaman, who resumed on 264 for 0, added 39 more before Zulfiqar Babar broke through. Ahmed Shehzad, returning to the first-class format after a stint with Comilla Victorians in the Bangladesh Premier League, then made a mark, hitting five fours in his 137-ball 104 before Abdur Rehman declared.WAPDA will need Butt, their captain to come good with support from the middle order if they are to win the tournament, having taken the first-innings honours.

Lancashire have turned to one of their own to try and bring success to the county with the announcement of Glen Chapple as head coach

Andrew McGlashan17-Jan-2017Lancashire have turned to one of their own to try and bring success to the county. Glen Chapple, who has been involved with the club for more than 25 years, has been named as head coach to replace Ashley Giles.Chapple, who worked as a first-team coach under Giles, will be assisted by Mark Chilton, the former Lancashire opening batsman who had a 14-year career, after he was promoted to assistant head coach having worked with the second team over the previous three seasons.Both were named in an interim capacity in December when Giles returned to take the director of sport role at Edgbaston and it came as little surprise that they were confirmed in the positions.There are few who have worn the Red Rose with such distinction as Chapple – who took 985 first-class wickets and 320 in the one-day game during a career that began in 1992 – and though that does not automatically mean a successful coaching career is assured, Lancashire have appointed someone with a intimate knowledge of the club and the demands it brings.”I would have been ready to take this job whenever,” Chapple said. “I’m still reasonably young in coaching terms but I have I feel I have a lot of experience.”Between the pair of us we’ve worked with a lot of international coaches and also have a lot of experience of this club and how it operates, the members and supporters and what they want us to achieve. We are aware of all that.”Chapple called the current Lancashire squad “exciting” but acknowledged that top of his to-do list over the next few weeks, as well as preparing the players for the pre-season tour of Dubai, is recruiting some experience to help competitiveness in all formats. In 2016 they narrowly avoided relegation in the County Championship and failed to get out of the group stages in the T20 Blast and Royal London Cup.In recent times the runs from Ashwell Prince and Alviro Petersen have been lost, while the club are unlikely to see much of Jos Buttler in the first half of the season due to IPL and England commitments. Haseeb Hameed will be available while England are in white-ball mode, but from July will likely be away with the Test side.News of a signing is expected in the coming weeks and that could indicate heading down the Kolpak route, although both Chapple and Chilton stressed the importance of continuing to nurture local talent.”We do need to make additions to the squad, we need to make sure we can compete in all forms,” Chapple said. “This particular squad at the moment is exciting, it has a lot of young players. Some who were blooded last year and took their opportunity well. So it’s certainly exciting times. But we are a young squad and we have to understand that it will develop.”We want to build a team who are aggressive, ambitious – I think the squad needs some experience to go with it, we’ve lost a lot of players in recent years through retirement, injury and players not coming back. We have some areas we need to develop, but to work with the young players we have here is exciting.”Over the coming months we’ll be looking to balance the squad. When you get into the season there are challenges that come, but we want to go into the season with a chance in all three competitions. You are looking to help a team develop, but it’s results driven as well. To say you can win three is a bold statement, but we aren’t focusing on one over the other.”Chapple said he will draw on his experiences with Giles and Peter Moores – he made specific reference to his time as captain under Moores, during which Lancashire won their first County Championship title in 77 years – but said it was important the new coaching structure went about things their own way.”I had a particularly good time with Peter Moores because I was captain and it was six years long. But at the same time you go into a job and do it your way, we’ve been around the game for 25 years now so aren’t just looking at other coaches. We’ll work on things that we think are important, you have to do things your way otherwise it won’t look right.”As a final piece of housekeeping, it was worth noting that Chapple has never officially announced his retirement as a player. He last appeared in 2015 but remained registered. Is that, now, officially it? “Let’s just let that slip into the background and not mention it, possibly,” he said.

Steven Smith’s new tally of 939 rating points puts him at sixth in the all-time list of highest points, behind Don Bradman, Len Hutton, Jack Hobbs, Ricky Ponting and Peter May

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Feb-2017Australia captain Steven Smith reached a career-high 939 points to extend his lead at the top of the ICC Rankings for Test Batsmen after the first Test between India and Australia. His new tally of 939 rating points puts him at sixth in the all-time list, behind Don Bradman (961), Len Hutton (945), Jack Hobbs and Ricky Ponting (both 942) and Peter May (941). Smith surpassed Garry Sobers, Viv Richards and Kumar Sangakkara, who all had career-high ranking points of 938.Smith, who struck crucial knocks of 27 and 109 in the Pune Test, has a 66-point lead over second-placed Virat Kohli and leads third-placed Joe Root by 91.A strong outing for Josh Hazlewood – who went up to 860 points – moved him to joint-second in the rankings for Test bowlers with Ravindra Jadeja. R Ashwin remained at the top with 878 rating points.Matt Renshaw’s gutsy knocks of 68 and 31 saw him move by 18 places to 34, his career-best ranking, while Steve O’Keefe’s career-best performance of 12 for 70 in the Pune Test saw him climb to a career-high ranking of 29.Mitchell Starc, who struck a crucial first-innings half-century and took two wickets in Pune, moved three spots up to fourth in the rankings for Test allrounders, where Ashwin leads the pack as well.

The Australian coach is proud of his young team for forging a new identity and said Steven Smith is at the forefront of this change

Daniel Brettig29-Mar-2017Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann has lauded Steven Smith as “Bradman-like,” while confirming that the way the tourists pushed India to the brink of losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has set a marker for how the team intends to play from here on.The 2017 Australians were not the team of snarlers who wrested the Ashes back from England in 2013-14, but nor were they the uncertain group who stumbled in Sri Lanka and in the early weeks of the home season last year. With the help of Lehmann and his support staff, Smith’s men were well prepared and studious, while for the most part offering the sort of example that Cricket Australia’s game growers can be comfortable with.Lehmann said Smith had been the exemplar of this, from his prolific batting feats to the way he has led the team and conducted himself across the tour. A public apology for letting the emotions of a white-knuckle series get the better of him at times, certainly made for a sharp contrast with his opposite number Virat Kohli.

‘Australia is immensely proud’

David Peever, the Cricket Australia chairman, has said “Australia is immensely proud” of the efforts of Steven Smith’s team in India.
“Some gave them little chance of testing the world’s number one team, but instead showed resilience, adaptability and a determination to overcome the difficulties they have experienced in recent years in such conditions.
“There were many fine individual performances, but none better than those of the captain. Steve showed yet again what an outstanding leader he is becoming, and his honesty and gracious comments at the end demonstrated the qualities that Australians expect from their Test captain.
“It was a tough series, as we expected and indeed welcome from our Indian hosts. Cricket at this level is highly competitive, and it is incumbent on all involved, players and administrators, to honour the protocols and standards of behaviour that underpin the spirit of cricket.”

“He’s been brilliant. He’s been unbelievable. He’s been Bradman-like with the bat but all the stuff behind the scenes has been exceptional,” Lehmann said of Smith. “Really pleased for him and what he’s brought to the team as a leader. The way they’ve gone about it has been impressive.”They’re young, they’ve been up against it, the pitches have been as we would expect. There’s a lot of learning in this group over this tour. They’re all hurting and disappointed for the result but I’m really pleased with the effort and the attitude at trying to change the way we play here. He’s led from the front, the captain. Three hundreds in four Test matches is pretty special.”Looking ahead, Lehmann was adamant that at 27-years-old, Smith was more than capable of surpassing the likes of Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh and Mark Taylor, not only as a batsman but also as a captain. “Yeah I think so. He’s a cricket nuffie; loves the game,” Lehmann said. “He’s passionate about the game, loves the game, loves his players.”He helps support staff out. Behind the scenes, he’s into it every day, making sure everyone is okay. He’s a different leader to Michael [Clarke], to Ricky, to Taylor, to Waugh. And he’s working out his own identity as a captain. Everyone is proud of him. So pleased with where he is going. He’ll just get better and better.”When Australia slumped to a fifth consecutive Test defeat in Hobart last November, the team performance manager Pat Howard indicated that Lehmann had to “reinvent” himself as a coach. It was a suggestion that Lehmann visibly bristled at, but five months on he agreed that he had changed his own methods in concert with Smith, as the pair forged a new identity for a young team that does not feature the old heads Lehmann first inherited.’He helps support staff out. Behind the scenes, he’s into it every day, making sure everyone is okay.’•AFP

“They have been excellent. There have been difficult conditions there is no doubt about it. They haven’t whinged once, they’ve been just getting on with the game,” Lehmann said. “They’ve copped a lot from Indian media and that’s just the way it is over here. I’ve been pleased the way they have handled it.”We have decided we are going a different way about the way we play. Obviously we’re less aggressive than we have been in the past. And I’m pleased with the way they have gone about it. The young group will grow. They will get better.”We weren’t good enough in this series, there is no doubt about that. We missed big opportunities to win the series. But if they keep learning and keep growing and keep getting better, it is a group that can play a long time together. That’s the pleasing thing.”Asked to ponder where this team was in relation to the side led by Clarke into the second bracket of back-to-back Ashes series four years ago, Lehmann said Smith’s men were building as a team, rather than looking to atone for a series of defeats to England. Australia had lost three Ashes series in a row up to that point.”I don’t think the group is at that stage. That group back then was right at that stage. I mean, they copped a lot for a few years so they wanted to give some back. This group is just playing a game of cricket,” Lehmann said. “I have actually changed a bit in my ways as a coach. I’ve really enjoyed watching the way they go about it. So, for them, they have had to work out the way they want to play as a group and I think it has been brilliant.”I think the other style was right for that group at the time but this group wants to play a different way and that’s okay as well. I think you have got to change as a coach, change as a captain, and players.””They know they are going to cop different decisions and different pitches and different conditions wherever they play, and they are just trying to get better. My son loves watching the Australian cricket team and I hope everyone’s son does.”

On a slow pitch, Ajinkya Rahane, Manoj Tiwary and MS Dhoni led Rising Pune Supergiant to 162, a score they defended by 20 runs via Washington Sundar’s 3 for 16, clearing their path to the IPL final

The Report by Nikhil Kalro16-May-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:59

‘Last two overs of Pune’s innings made the difference’

After being asked to bat on a favourable chasing ground, Rising Pune Supergiant lost the majority of the first innings. But it was an atypically slow surface at the Wankhede Stadium and Rising Pune utilised those conditions better than Mumbai Indians did to clear a path to their maiden IPL final.Rising Pune defended 162 comfortably in the end, by 20 runs, for their third win over Mumbai this season. Mumbai, despite having squandered the shootout for the final in front of a packed home crowd, will have a second chance in the second qualifier in Bengaluru on Friday.At the forefront of a sublime bowling performance was teenage offspinner Washington Sundar. His fuller-than-good length and straight lines meant the batsmen were not able to attack either side of the wicket with any conviction. His quick pace didn’t let them get under deliveries either. The 17-year old finished with 3 for 16 from four overs and the Man-of-the-Match award.The harder task on the night, though, was with the bat. Manoj Tiwary and Ajinkya Rahane struck patient fifties, setting a platform for MS Dhoni to use his wiles and hitting prowess at the end to help Rising Pune finish with a decent score and sufficient momentum.A strong start
In Mumbai’s last league game at this venue, Kings XI Punjab defended a total of 230 by just seven runs. Even with the possibility of dew and the short boundaries, Rising Pune may not have been aiming that high after losing the toss, but they knew they needed to get close.Planning, check. Execution, a big red cross. Rahul Tripathi fell over a flick and was bowled. Steven Smith’s leading edge was snaffled up at backward point. Rising Pune were 9 for 2 in two overs. The surface may have been slow, and Mumbai’s variations were effective, but after that start, a score of close to 170 was the best Rising Pune could hope for, which meant Mumbai were never out of the game.Different pitch, same Dhoni finish
Rising Pune had laboured to 121 for 3 after 18 overs. The five overs prior to that yielded just 32 without a wicket as Mumbai’s bowlers found the right length to Dhoni and Tiwary. Dhoni’s strike rate in his first 10 balls in the IPL, before this game, was 88.52. Against Mumbai, he could only muster 14 off his first 17 balls.But then Mitchell McClenaghan, not for the first time this season, missed his yorker. A high full-toss was hit for four and the resulting free-hit went for six over long-on. Dhoni anticipated McClenaghan’s good or short length in the second half of that over, and sat back to hit two sixes.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Jasprit Bumrah hadn’t pitched anything in Dhoni’s half all through the match. But in the final over, he gifted two good length balls that were smashed for sixes as Rising Pune plundered 41 off the last 12 balls. Their score of 162 was below par at this ground, but the momentum and confidence – of having defended a similar score before on this ground earlier this season – was firmly with Rising Pune.Falling behind from the start
Rising Pune had only one way forward – exploiting a two-paced Wankhede surface. Even if they didn’t get early wickets, they had to keep Mumbai in check because batting was going to get harder. Jaydev Unadkat brought out his offcutters in the first over and conceded just one run. Mumbai were already behind the game.Parthiv Patel hit 33 off 16 in the Powerplay, but Mumbai lost three wickets. Lendl Simmons was run-out, backing up too far at the non-striker’s end. Rohit Sharma was undone by umpiring error, given out lbw despite a thick inside edge. Ambati Rayudu found midwicket with a pull; the second wicket in Sundar’s over. Mumbai were 42 for 3 inside the fielding restrictions and behind the asking rate.Undone by conditions
Timing shots and picking slower deliveries was getting tougher. Why? After a bowler releases his delivery, batsmen pick the speed through the air and then adjust accordingly. But with the ball gripping the surface, it came onto them slower than expected. Mumbai, having played seven league matches on an even, true Wankhede pitch, weren’t used to that pace. Unadkat used his slower balls, Shardul Thakur his knuckle balls and Sundar an effective change in pace, to thoroughly flummox Mumbai’s batsmen.

Pakistan, by virtue of a resolute 155-run opening partnership, and some sloppy work from West Indies, assumed control of the Bridgetown Test

The Report by Danyal Rasool01-May-2017
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:02

‘We were very sloppy between lunch and tea’ – Estwick

There was no knockout punch today, more gradual asphyxiation. As genuine moments of excitement and drama came few and far between, Pakistan, quietly and ruthlessly, wrapped the West Indies in a bear-hug and slowly squeezed the life out of them. There was some exceptionally generous bowling – Ahmed Shehzad made 70, having been gifted three lives – but Pakistan were efficient enough to capitalise on those mistakes, and end day two in a commanding position.West Indies eventually perked up halfway into final session, taking three wickets for six runs to send Azhar Ali and Misbah-ul-Haq back into their shell. But with an opening batsman not out on 81, alongside a captain who loves a firefight, there was a lot of work left to do for Jason Holder’s men.For now, though, they can be relieved they were even able to take wickets. Devendra Bishoo extracted an outside edge from Shehzad to have him caught at slip with the score at 155. The Pakistan batsman had enjoyed a charmed life; he had a catch dropped as early as the third over, and was dismissed twice off deliveries that turned out to be no-balls. Shannon Gabriel was the first culprit, Roston Chase was the other. Shehzad made the most of it, but the question of whether he has returned to form is very much up for debate. He went through periods in his innings where run-scoring almost screeched to a halt; at one point, he made three off 59 balls.West Indies were buoyant when they followed up Shehzad’s wicket with those of Babar Azam and Younis Khan, the heir-apparent and the master. You would have to search far and wide to find a Younis dismissal off a poorer delivery than the one that felled him for a duck in Bridgetown. Bishoo bowled a classic long hop, and the batsman gave it the whack it was begging for, only he picked out short midwicket. Azhar and Misbah then went into power down mode, scoring 11 runs off their 58-ball partnership, ensuring there was no further damage.The day had begun with a couple of West Indian wickets that were mirror images of each other. Holder attempted leave when a shot should have been played, and Chase attempted a shot when the ball was better off being left. But the effect of their dismissals was the same; it wrenched all the momentum the home side had built up over a painstaking 132-run partnership, putting them back to the place they are so dreadfully familiar with: square one.Ahmed Shehzad enjoyed three lives. He was dropped on three, lbw to a no-ball on 21 and stumped off another no-ball on 32•AFP

A breezy partnership between Alzarri Joseph and Bishoo ensured the West Indies made it past 300 but the optimism with which they had begun the day had long since evaporated. Mohammad Abbas – the most successful bowler today – got rid of Bishoo soon after. Yasir Shah cleaned up Joseph next over, and West Indies found themselves shot out for 312.The Pakistan openers then consolidated their position of strength, although the cricket they played to get there fell some way short of attractive. Azhar and Shehzad combined for a century partnership, buying themselves precious time after coming in for sharp criticism for their lack of runs in the first Test. Some of their watchfulness was down to disciplined bowling from the West Indian quicks, although it was noteworthy that the sustained pressure never really felt like spilling over into a wicket.The hosts could have done better to exploit a rapidly wearing pitch. There were balls that Azhar and Shehzad had to dig out from ankle-height, while the footmarks outside the off stump gave wings to the offbreaks pitching into them. The abrasiveness of the surface impacted the ball too, scuffing it up so badly that it had to be changed twice. Even so, Pakistan found ways to hang on, and though it wasn’t always pretty, it certainly was pretty effective.

It says much about Bangladesh’s improvement in ODI cricket that, for the first time, they go into a global event trying to play down expectations

George Dobell in Birmingham26-May-2017It says much about Bangladesh’s improvement in ODI cricket that, for the first time, they go into a global event trying to play down expectations.Generally, in the past, the talk has been about the possibility of causing a shock. It has been, after all, 11 years since they last featured in the ICC Champions Trophy.But times have changed.Bangladesh are now ahead of three former world champions – Sri Lanka, Pakistan and West Indies – in the ODI rankings. They’ve won series against India, South Africa and Pakistan since the 2015 World Cup – where they defeated England and reached the knock-out stages for the first time – and they warmed up for the ICC Champion Trophy with a maiden win away from home against New Zealand on Wednesday.They’re no longer plucky outsiders who could cause the odd embarrassment. They’re a dangerous side who will fear no one and have the weapons to go all the way. And they probably go into Saturday’s warm-up game against Pakistan – a side they defeated 3-0 the last time they met in ODI cricket just after the World Cup – as favourites.They present dangerous opposition for England in their opening game, too. England may be the bookies’ favourites for the event, but Bangladesh have won have won four of their most recent seven ODIs against England – including one in Bristol – and know that all the pressure will be on their hosts when the sides meet at The Oval.But Mashrafe Mortaza is no fool. He knows that anything he says now will be rendered largely irrelevant in a few days and, rather than ramping up the pressure and expectation upon his side, he spent the media session ahead of Saturday’s game dampening expectations and reiterating the size of the challenge facing his side, who have little track record in English conditions.”This tournament is going to be hard for us,” Mashrafe said. “The group we’ve got is very hard: Australia, England and New Zealand. It’s not going to be easy. And the conditions as well.”While he may be pleasantly surprised by conditions – there is no indication that the surfaces in the Champions Trophy will offer any great assistance to the sort of seam or swing bowlers that have created difficulties for Bangladesh on previous visits to England – he knows his side’s fielding will have to be better than it was on Wednesday if they are to reach the knock-out stages. Bangladesh failed to take four chances in the field as they defeated New Zealand. The likes of Steve Smith or Joe Root are likely to make them pay for such profligacy.”Yes, we dropped four catches,” Mashrafe admitted. “It can’t happen on that bigger stage. You have to be concerned with everything. I hope that our fielding will be all right.”Pakistan is a very good side that can destroy any team. It has a big chance in the competition. But whenever we have played them, Pakistan has been the bigger side and in this sort of tournament, the bigger side is under pressure.”Beneath the modesty, however, you sense confidence in Mashrafe. He knows that he has, in Mustafizur Rahman, one of the most exciting bowlers in the tournament. He knows that, in Sabbir Rahman, he has a batsman who relishes the big moment and could be on the verge of launching himself as a global star. He knows they can go a long way in this competition; he just doesn’t feel the need to say it right now. Actions speak louder than words and all that.”On our day, we can do anything,” he said. “And we have some quality players who can change the game. And we’ll have to play as a team as we’ve been doing so far and hopefully we’ll do something here.”There are expectations. But we just want to play the way we have played over the past two years and execute our skills well.”We’re ranked no. 6. And that is a pleasure for us. We are very happy with that. But we want to move on from here. We want to go as far as we can.”

A new-look Sri Lanka spin attack hit the ground running to dismiss Zimbabwe for 155 and set up a seven-wicket win in the second ODI in Galle

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando02-Jul-2017Sri Lanka 158 for 3 (Tharanga 75*, Dickwella 35, Chatara 2-33) beat Zimbabwe 155 (Masakadza 41,Waller 38, Sandakan 4-52, Hasaranga 3-15) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsLakshan Sandakan celebrated his return with his first four-wicket haul in ODI cricket•AFP

Two days after Sri Lanka’s slow bowlers were crashed around at Galle, two fresh spinners trussed up Zimbabwe’s middle order, before Sri Lanka’s batsmen completed a largely unflustered chase of 156. The heft of this seven-wicket victory – achieved with 19.5 overs remaining in the innings – will put some confidence back to into the Sri Lanka side, following their shock defeat on Friday.Nineteen-year-old legspinner Wanidu Hasaranga made the most dramatic contribution, becoming the third debutant in ODI history to claim a hat-trick, when he wiped out Zimbabwe’s tail with the 14th, 15th and 16th deliveries of his international career. But by that stage, Sri Lanka were already in command, thanks largely to Lakshan Sandakan, who was sidelined for long periods by the selectors but was deadly upon his return here.Zimbabwe’s batsmen tried to sweep him hard, and often, as they had done to Amila Aponso and Akila Dananjaya in the last match, but Sandakan, wise to this plan, switched up his lines when he saw a premeditated shot coming. And in any case, he enacted so many revolutions on the ball that his dip and bounce prompted fatal mistakes. He had Craig Ervine caught behind, before Sikandar Raza top-edged a reverse sweep, and Ryan Burl was bowled attempting one. Peter Moor then edged the ball back onto his stumps, and Sandakan claimed a final analysis of 4 for 52. To Angelo Mathews’ credit, he allowed Sandakan to bowl out early in the game despite a shaky economy rate. All ten of his overs were delivered between the 10th and 31st of the innings.Hasaranga, meanwhile, was required to deliver only 2.4 overs, but was nerveless in that spell, persisting with an aggressive length even when batsmen had hit boundaries off him. In fact, his hat-trick came immediately after Malcolm Waller crunched him down the ground for four. Waller was bowled off the inside edge by an arm ball, before Donald Tiripano and Tendai Chatara were both dismissed by googlies. Like the men who had come to crowd the bat, the packed banks of his home ground also went into a frenzy at the hat-trick wicket. Hasaranga became the fifth Sri Lanka bowler to claim an ODI hat trick, and the third to do so on debut, after Taijul Islam and Kagiso Rabada.Wanidu Hasaranga became the third bowler, after Taijul Islam and Kagiso Rabada, to claim a hat-trick on ODI debut•AFP

Zimbabwe had their moments in the match, but unlike on Friday, could not mount pressure on Sri Lanka for sustained periods of time. Tendai Chatara claimed two wickets in his second over, but Upul Tharanga soon becalmed the innings, and very quickly, Sri Lanka were steadily sailing towards the target – Tharanga 75 not out, to follow his unbeaten 79 on Friday.Hamilton Masakadza and Craig Ervine had earlier been involved in a promising 56-run second-wicket stand in Zimbabwe’s innings, but when Masakadza was caught and bowled sharply by Asela Gunaratne, a collapse followed. Zimbabwe lost five of their top six for 52 runs, in the space of 10.3 overs. Malcolm Waller offered the only resistance, slapping six boundaries in his 29-ball 38 – all but one of those boundaries coming off the spinners. While he and Peter Moor were at the crease, Zimbabwe would still have hoped for a score of over 200, but Hasaranga would wipe out the tail faster than anyone would have imagined.Gunathilaka played on attempting to pull Chatara in the third over, and Kusal Mendis edged a leg-side ball to the keeper, but though the early overs remained tense, Zimbabwe could not make enough headway in them to push the hosts. Tharanga was poised early in his innings, pushing gentle singles and twos while Niroshan Dickwella ventured more aggressive strokes, but when Sri Lanka passed 100, he began to flow. He hit two leg-side boundaries to go to his fifth fifty-plus score in his last eight innings, and continued to attack as Sri Lanka drew near the total. At the other end was Angelo Mathews, prodding his team towards their target with characteristic care.Zimbabwe will perhaps feel that they deployed the sweep shot a little too eagerly on this occasion, after that stroke brought them Friday’s success. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, may reflect on the benefits of deploying a wicket-taking spin bowler through the middle overs.

Yuvraj Singh and wicketkeepers Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant have been omitted from India’s squad for the limited-overs leg of the Sri Lanka tour

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-20174:20

Dasgupta: Selectors looking ahead to 2019 World Cup

Yuvraj Singh and wicketkeepers Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant have been omitted from India’s squad for the limited-overs leg of the Sri Lanka tour. The selectors also opted to rest the spin duo of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja along with Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami, the team’s frontline seamers during the Test series. Seamer Shardul Thakur and legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal were drafted into the 15-man squad, which also features the fit-again KL Rahul, an in-form Manish Pandey and Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested for the West Indies series. Rohit Sharma also returns to the squad as vice-captain after being rested for the West Indies tour.At 35, Yuvraj’s time may be running out as the selectors probably showed the first definitive signs of identifying a fresh middle-order combination in the lead up to the 2019 World Cup. Ever since his 32-ball 53 against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy, Yuvraj has gone six innings without a half-century, and managed only 57 runs in his three most recent innings in the West Indies.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

While Karthik, who scored an unbeaten 50 in one of the two games he played in the West Indies, finds himself out of the squad, he might not yet be out of contention for a berth in the middle order, given his form in domestic cricket too. The middle order in Sri Lanka will comprise MS Dhoni, Pandey and Kedar Jadhav. Pandey’s selection is a reward for his consistent run in India A’s victorious campaign in the recent tri-nation series involving South Africa and Afghanistan. He emerged as the highest run-scorer in the tournament with 307 runs in five innings, with scores of 32*, 93*, 86*, 41* and 55.With Rahul and Rohit returning to occupy the opening slot, Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane will have their task cut out. While Dhawan has a better strike-rate and scored two centuries in the ongoing Test series against Sri Lanka, Rahane comes into the series on the back of some impressive recent limited-overs form. With 336 runs in five innings, including three fifties and a hundred, Rahane topped the run charts in the West Indies series.The bowling attack is heavy on wristspin with Kuldeep Yadav and Chahal in the ranks. The inclusions of Thakur, Axar and Chahal – each of whom has figured in the selection panel’s long list for some time now – have underscored the importance of good performances in the A tours, with nine, seven and six wickets each. Axar, who was called up as cover for Jadeja in the Pallekelle Test, will have a part to play with the bat as well, in the lower middle order.