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Cricket Scotland’s (CS) race row is threatening to erupt again after the board was accused of being elusive and cherry-picking best outcomes in dealing with the aftermath of investigations into allegations of racism and racist behaviour.Majid Haq, the former cricketer and central figure in the row, his lawyer, and Running Out Racism, an anti-racism advocacy group that has been involved through the process, made the accusations after the emergence of a report which said that Haq had suffered racial discrimination and had been victimised for going public with allegations. Cricket Scotland has responded strongly to claims that it has not adopted an anti-racist stance in the aftermath, or that it failed to address issues raised by those investigations.Last year, Cricket Scotland had seemingly closed the chapter on the investigations sparked by a damning report in 2022 which found the board to be institutionally racist. That report had been set in motion by allegations of victimisation and racism by Haq and another former player, Qasim Sheikh.The report led to over 50 cases being investigated by an independent team comprising two legal firms and a race equality charity. Ultimately none of the cases resulted in sanctions against those accused, although the investigators made clear at the time that findings of guilt or innocence were not within the remit of their work. That no disciplinary action was taken in the cases, they said, illustrated the difficulties involved in such investigations, such as a lack of governance and process, the historic nature of some complaints, or incidents that were outside Cricket Scotland’s jurisdiction.Instead, they made 245 recommendations, or learnings, which Cricket Scotland has committed to – and is in the process of – implementing.Related

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But it has now emerged that the two legal firms had compiled reports based on their joint investigations which, according to Running Out Racism, includes “contradictory views between members of the investigation team”. The reports centre on the period when Haq was sent home from the 2015 World Cup for tweeting “Always tougher when in a minority #race #colour” after being dropped for a game. He never played another game for Scotland, despite being their leading wicket-takerAccording to Haq’s lawyer Aamer Anwar, one report makes it clear that Haq “was discriminated against and victimised for raising complaints of racism, and that victimisation continues today.” The report finds prima facie evidence that the decision to send him home, as well as several outcomes as a result of that decision, had elements of racial bias and discrimination. The other report is believed to hold a different opinion.The reports were meant only for internal consumption within the board and had not been shared in full with Haq, despite requests. Running Out Racism said they had been provided a full copy by an “anonymous source” and said it was clear why Cricket Scotland had been “so elusive in providing further details.””Whilst we accept that the reports themselves were prepared for Cricket Scotland, they were prepared independently, and Cricket Scotland have chosen to summarise the aspects they wish to share, and leave out the conclusions that they don’t like. These conclusions expose their lack of action when faced with clear evidence of issues.”Haq said the board had tried to hide the report’s conclusion from him. “[It] validates what I already knew – that I’ve been racially discriminated against and that I continue to be victimised as a result of speaking out. And yet Cricket Scotland have tried to hide that from me and brush me off with statements like ‘we could have handled your departure from the World Cup better’.”Cricket Scotland have hidden behind jurisdiction time & time again. Whilst I’m relieved to finally read my report and see the truth, I think everything should be disclosed & let the public decide who is culpable in all this. It’s clear that a lot of information has been swept under the carpet.”Cricket Scotland have stressed that the report was an opinion and one of multiple ones. They expressed their disappointment at the breach in confidentiality in it going outside the board.”We understand a small number of individuals continue to feel publicly aggrieved by the outcomes of the process,” the board said in a statement. “To suggest this means Cricket Scotland is not taking an anti-racist stance is simply wrong.”It is deeply disappointing that an investigative process which relied on the trust of individuals involved and a confidential report that followed is being utilised to further personal agendas.”The report is an opinion that was constructed around this matter, and not a declaration of fact. Other opinions as well as detailed legal analysis were provided for the Cricket Scotland Board to consider how it would act.”

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Orange Cap leaderboard

Four batters have now scored runs in excess of 200 but Nicholas Pooran of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) is still going strong at the top. His 288 runs from five innings, including three half-centuries, has ensured he remains No. 1.Moving up rapidly after his best score of this IPL is B Sai Sudharsan. His Player-of-the-Match knock of 82 off 53 balls, his third half-century of the season, propelled GT to 217 for 6, which proved too much for RR. He has been having a dream IPL so far, having accumulated 273 in five innings.Not far behind is Pooran’s team-mate at LSG, Mitchell Marsh. His entertaining 81 off 48 balls played a crucial role in LSG registering their third win of this season, this one against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). With four fifties in five innings, Marsh has 265 runs.GT’s Jos Buttler, who hit 36 on Wednesday to take his tally to 203, is the other 200-plus batter at the moment, with Suryakumar Yadav of Mumbai Indians (MI) in fifth spot with 199 runs.R Sai Kishore has ten wickets from five games•BCCI

Purple Cap leaderboardChennai Super Kings (CSK) left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmad still holds the Purple Cap with 11 wickets from five games. But other bowlers are also putting up strong performances to provide stiff competition.Joining MI captain Hardik Pandya and CSK’s Khaleel Ahmed for joint-second are GT bowlers Mohammed Siraj and R Sai Kishore. While Sai Kishore picked up 2 for 20 in Ahmedabad, Siraj added one wicket on the night. All of them have ten wickets to their names. Out of these bowlers, only Hardik has played four innings, one fewer than the rest, and has retained his position at No. 2 while Sai Kishore with his economy rate of 7.25 goes up to third position. Siraj and Khaleel are fourth and fifth in the list with economy rate of 7.70 and 8.25, respectively.Mitchell Starc, and Shardul Thakur have nine wickets each.

New Zealand have picked a young uncapped trio of Emma McLeod, batter Izzy Sharp, and left-arm seamer Bree Illing for the upcoming home series against Sri Lanka. The squad of 16 also sees the return of Georgia Plimmer after recovering from a bone stress reaction in her hip which had sidelined her since November.Hayley Jensen, meanwhile, makes a comeback since last playing for New Zealand two years ago, after a successful domestic season.The experienced Suzie Bates will lead the side in the absence of full-time ODI captain Sophie Devine, who is on a well-being break and her T20I successor is yet to be named. Amelia Kerr will also miss the series as she is in India representing Mumbai Indians at the WPL.The uncapped trio has come through the New Zealand Under-19 squads, with McLeod, 18, having just played her second Under-19 T20 World Cup, and Sharp, 20, the captain from the first tournament that was played two years ago. McLeod was picked after she tallied 300 runs for Central Districts in the ongoing domestic one-day competition, where she averages nearly 43 with two half-centuries.Illing, also 21, has been a regular wicket-taker for Auckland in the same competition, and is third on the charts with 19 wickets at 21.10 apiece. Illing was among the stars for Auckland in the T20 Super Smash before that, finishing with an impressive economy rate of just 5.44 along with eight wickets. She had also been picked for New Zealand A last year.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“Emma, Bree and Izzy have been identified by Major Association and NZC coaches as players who have the desired competencies and skillsets to be effective in international cricket,” head coach Ben Sawyer said. “Emma’s been in good form in the HBJ Shield and her ability to hit through the off-side and run well between the wickets is really valuable.”Izzy impressed us with how she attacks spin, which is something that will come in handy this series.”The way Bree attacks the stumps and swings the ball back into the right-hander is really important in the international game.”Plimmer returns after last playing the ODI series in India in November, that followed immediately after New Zealand’s T20 World Cup victory in Dubai. Wicketkeeper-batter Polly Inglis receives her second call-up after being picked for the India tour although she’s yet to make her international debut. Otago’s Bella James is also in line to make her T20I debut, having made her ODI debut against Australia in December when Plimmer and Lea Tahuhu had missed out with injuries.Tahuhu (hamstring) and Rosemary Mair (elbow) are still battling injuries and Molly Penfold had been recently sidelined for at least three months because of a knee injury. While Mair is expected to be fit for the Sri Lanka T20Is starting March 14, Tahuhu is expected to make it in time for the Australia T20Is from March 21.Sawyer further said the games will be good to gain experience against spin keeping in mind the ODI World Cup in India in October this year.”Sri Lanka’s a tough opposition with a number of world-class spinners,” he said.”We will try different combinations this series, and I’m looking forward to seeing players adapt to different roles. It’s an opportunity to test batters in different positions, and try different bowlers opening up and at the death.”The ODI squad will get together on March 2 in Napier following the HBJ Shield final on Saturday. The ODI series begins on March 4 in Napier before moving to Nelson for two more games on March 7 and 9. The T20Is will be played on March 14 and 16 in Christchurch and on March 18 in Dunedin.

New Zealand Women ODI and T20I squads for Sri Lanka

Suzie Bates (capt), Eden Carson, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Bree Illing (ODIs only), Polly Inglis (ODIs only), Bella James, Hayley Jensen, Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair (T20Is only), Emma McLeod, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe (ODIs only), Izzy Sharp (T20Is only)

The BCB has put its constitution reform committee on ice in the face of an ongoing boycott by the Dhaka clubs. The city’s second-tier competition, the Dhaka First Division Cricket League, has been suspended since January 14 with the clubs refusing to play.Their protests stem from reports that the BCB’s constitution reform committee submitted a resolution to reduce the number of BCB directors nominated by the Dhaka league from 12 to four. There has been no formal announcement, by the BCB or the committee in question, of such a move. It would require a change in the BCB’s constitution to do this, and it would need to be approved at the board’s annual general meeting.Either way, the BCB announced on Saturday that it is going to take a look at the committee’s scope of work and terms of reference.”The board decided to postpone the constitution review committee’s activities,” BCB director Mahbubul Anam said. “This committee could be changed or expanded at a later time. The rest of the activities will take place only after their scope of work and terms of reference are prepared. The terms of reference will be on how they will make the necessary changes to the constitution, how they will do it by involving stakeholders.”Anam said that the reports of the committee submitting any resolution were unsubstantiated. “They never submitted any proposed changes to the board president or anyone in the board. We have also heard that they didn’t submit anything to the National Sports Council. Many of the changes spoken about isn’t also correct.However, he said, the BCB wants the whole process to be more transparent. “The BCB directors feel that the process has to be clearer. There’s no secrecy about the constitution. It is a public information. We want to suspend their activities to stop such discussions. The board feels that stakeholders must be involved so we need change and expansion.”The BCB also announced the names of the board directors who will lead 21 out of its 23 standing committees.Nazmul Abedin Fahim was announced as the head of the men’s cricket operations committee and the women’s wing. Fahim had threatened to resign from the BCB’s board of directors after a rift with BCB president Faruque Ahmed, centred around Nazmul wanting to head these two committees.Faruque himself has been named chair of the board’s marketing committee. Akram Khan, Mahbubul Anam and Fahim Sinha have also got roles as chair of various committees.The BCB has instructed the various newly appointed chairs to form full committees for each of their posts over the next two weeks.The heads of the BCB’s working committee and security committee will be named later.

There will be no DRS for the one-off Test between South Africa and England in Bloemfontein, the first women’s Test in South Africa in 22 years. The match will be the only one out of the 21 internationals played by both men and women in South Africa this home summer without DRS.This was the first season where DRS – a technology that costs millions of dollars – was used for women’s bilateral internationals in South Africa. CSA said it has opted to prioritise DRS in white-ball women’s internationals for now.”The inclusion of the DRS for the ongoing inbound tour against England was agreed upon at the planning stage of the tour, noting that it will be the first time it was used for women’s bilateral tours in South Africa in recent history,” Enoch Nkwe, South Africa’s director of national teams and high performance, said in response to a query about the absence of DRS for the Test.”The white-ball formats were prioritised with regards to DRS for this tour as it directly impacted the Proteas Women’s rankings in T20I cricket and the Women’s Championship as well as the overall CSA strategy for the senior women’s national team.”While the development of the red-ball format is important, it is worth noting that resources are currently being directed at the white-ball formats due to the significance of ODI and T20I cricket in the current women’s international cricket landscape.”South Africa had already qualified for the ODI World Cup before the series against England but aimed to finish as high on the Women’s Championship points table. In the ICC rankings, they are currently ranked fourth in ODIs and fifth in T20Is. There was one instance during the ongoing England tour when DRS malfunctioned. In the third over of South Africa’s chase in the first ODI in Kimberley, Tazmin Brits was pinged on the pad by Lauren Bell and was given out lbw. She wanted to review the decision but could not because the technology was down.ESPNcricinfo understands that, in a home summer where India men’s T20I series was the only profit-making visit, the expense of using the technology was deemed too much for this match. This, despite CSA announcing a profit of US$45.6 million from the last financial year and benefiting from two successive years of India visits.The Test match will be produced on a budget with only seven manned cameras (some matches are broadcast with as many as 30) and two run-out cameras on one side of the field (as opposed to the usual four, two on each side). That means that if there is a fielder in the way of a run-out decision on one side, the TV umpire may not be able to make a decision.The two on-field umpires for the match – Kerrin Klaaste and Lauren Agenbag – will be officiating a Test for the first time.DRS has become the norm in international cricket but there are still matches played without it. At this year’s men’s ODI World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe, DRS was only in place from the Super Six stage. There was no DRS at this year’s women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers in the UAE, or in the recently completed Ireland Women’s tour of Bangladesh.

Australia white-ball wicketkeeper Josh Inglis should be in the conversation alongside 19-year-old prodigy Sam Konstas to be the Test opener against India, according to one of the country’s most respected mentors and judges in New South Wales coach Greg Shipperd.Shipperd suggested Inglis should be a legitimate candidate to open the batting against India in the first Test at Optus Stadium in Perth, even if it cost his young NSW opening batter Konstas the chance to make a Test debut.Inglis, 29, is Australia’s incumbent ODI and T20I keeper having played 49 internationals for Australia but has not yet featured in a Test match where he has long been the understudy to Alex Carey. Inglis is in a rich vein of form at Sheffield Shield level with scores of 122, 48, 101 and 26 not out in his first four Shield innings this season. But he is no chance to displace Carey as the keeper given Carey has made 90, 111 not out, 42 and 123 not out in his first four Shield innings after making 98 not out in his last Test innings back in March.Related

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But after NSW lost to Victoria in a closely-watched Shield clash at the MCG, where Konstas made scores of 2 and 43 and fellow Test contender Marcus Harris made 26 and 16, Shipperd offered Inglis’ name as a genuine candidate without being prompted.”Let’s not forget Josh Inglis as well, who I think is probably a smokey in terms of the opening batting spot,” Shipperd said. “I’d have Inglis and Konstas in the conversation as one-two, two-one, and let the Australian selectors mull over those two.”His performances for Australia have been first-class, and I think they’re looking for a style of player at the top of the order, and Inglis may fit that brief.”He’s a right-handed version of David Warner, in terms of someone who wants to get on with the play and he’s got strokes all around the wicket. He’s played at the level internationally, and I think he’s a well-respected player.”Shipperd’s opinion is highly valued within Australian cricket and he has been a coaching mentor to current coach and selector Andrew McDonald.However, Inglis has never opened in first-class cricket. He has batted at No. 3 six times and averaged 12.66, at No.4 once and No. 5 six times but has only passed 50 in one of those seven innings. All of his seven first-class centuries, including his two this season, have come at No. 6 or below. He has opened for Australia in six limited-overs internationals for one half-century. His two T20I centuries, including one against India in India, have come at No.3.Sam Konstas worked hard in the second innings at the MCG for his 43•Getty Images

Inglis’ state captain, Sam Whiteman, endorsed him being in the selection mix. “I think if you’re looking to pick guys off form…absolutely [should be considered],” he said. “He’s seeing the ball as [well] anyone in the country. He’s so versatile with his game, the way he transfers from white ball to red ball. He just looks in great nick. I’m all for him playing for Australia in some capacity, absolutely.”Shipperd still believes Konstas deserves to be in the frame after an indifferent match at the MCG where he copped a rough lbw in the first innings and made a patchy 43 in the second that included a life and a loose dismissal trying to launch offspinner Todd Murphy into the Shane Warne stand.”I thought he was a bit stiff in the first innings and in the second innings, I think he started to show everybody again what he’s got,” Shipperd said. “He was really poised and balanced. Anytime you get through the first 25 overs of a Victorian attack with a new ball that shows you’ve got something and, but for a sad error in terms of judgment in that particular ball, I think he showed that he should be in a conversation at least.”Shipperd added Konstas is not letting the intense sudden media and public interest get to him.”He’s really relaxed and just focused on learning and focused on what his game is all about, in terms of what is working, and where the challenges may be,” Shipperd said.”And he had a couple of them in this innings where he did a couple of strange things in terms of his choices, but he’s reflecting on those as he is and we’re really confident that he’s got the game, if picked.”The next couple of matches for the Australian A team I reckon will tell the story in terms of what the Australian selectors will do.”Shipperd is in a unique position to comment on Konstas. He has compared him to a young Ricky Ponting already and Shipperd was Ponting’s coach at Tasmania back in 1993 when he made twin centuries in a Shield game as an 18-year-old. Konstas became the third youngest behind Ponting to achieve the feat against South Australia two weeks ago.Marcus Harris twice made starts against New South Wales•Getty Images

Ponting was made to wait two-and-a-half years between achieving the feat and making his Test debut. Shipperd was asked whether Ponting had benefitted from spending extra time in Shield cricket before being elevated, and whether Konstas should be handled in a similar manner.”I’m not sure. That’s a very good question, though,” Shipperd said. “Yes, he was made to wait. So whether that made him or he was already made anyway, because he was scoring multiple hundreds across the course of that journey between him not being selected and then finally selected, I think at around 21.”But Sam, I do see a lot of that skill level and that poise at the crease, shots on both sides of the wicket, in front of the wicket, behind the wicket. I think he’s got what it takes. And again, Ricky was trying to break into a super Australian side at that moment with probably no gaps. But there is a gap in the Australian team in the position Sam bats in at the moment. So he’s worth being heavily in the conversation.”Meanwhile, Victoria coach Chris Rogers said Harris would be frustrated with his returns against NSW. But the former Test opener believes Harris is still batting well enough to be in the frame.”I think he’d be disappointed he didn’t get the results,” Rogers said. “I think facing Mitch Starc, there’s always a chance you can get out. He’s a world-class bowler obviously. He got caught down the leg side twice. It can happen. He’ll be disappointed. But he still fought hard, he still moved well, he just didn’t have a lot of luck.”

Ben Duckett believes that Pakistan could “crumble” under pressure in their second innings in Multan, after England finished the second day trailing by 127 runs with four wickets left on a worn pitch that has been recycled from the first Test.In each of their four Tests in 2024, Pakistan have batted first and then imploded in the third innings, registering scores of 115 against Australia in Sydney, 146 and 172 against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi, and, most recently, 220 against England in last week’s innings defeat in Multan. On a wearing pitch, Duckett believes they could face similar issues.”We bat all the way down,” Duckett told Sky Sports. “I think it’s going to be really important that we look to score runs. We know on this pitch, it’s not going to be a draw and we’re definitely not going to play for a draw. Runs are going to be so, so vital… That first hour, if we can try and get as close as we can, we know that they can crumble.Duckett backs England to keep fighting in second Test•Getty Images

“The pressure’s kind of over to them. We’re one-nil up in the series. We won the last series three-nil. I know that they’re going to fight the whole way through this game and try and make it as hard as they can for us. But we always believe we’re in the game… If we bowl well and if we can try and keep the chase to anywhere around 200 or less, we’ll believe we’ll be in the game.”Duckett, who made 114 in England’s reply to Pakistan’s total of 366, said that the pitch offered more for the spinners in the evening session after a day of wear. “I think the more the pitch gets used throughout the day, it does crumble and ‘go’ a bit more, so hopefully in the morning, it doesn’t go quite as much,” he said. I can’t see this pitch staying the same or not changing much.”I think it’s going to continue to get worse, and I think the beauty of having a couple of seamers is that bounce – and I think Carsey [Brydon Carse] and Potts [Matthew Potts] really were incredible throughout that first innings. We’re going to use them again in the second innings. If the ball’s down with the odd one bouncing up, we’ve got those options as well.”Sajid Khan, who took 4 for 86, said that Pakistan’s spinners had learned to vary their pace across the second day after initially bowling too quickly. “There’s a patch slightly wider outside the [right-hander’s] off stump that was producing turn, and at a particular pace,” Sajid said. “We were bowling a little too quickly.”If you slow it down to 67-68 kph, that’s when you got purchase. If you bowl at particular spots at 90+ you’ll only get the odd break. But there’s nothing in it for the spinner if you’re bowling within the stumps. If you bowl wider outside the stumps, and slow, that’s where the cracks are, and that’s what we seek to exploit.”

Joe Root has become England’s top run-scorer in Test cricket, overtaking Alastair Cook when he reached 71 with a straight drive for four on the third morning of their first Test against Pakistan.Root acknowledged the landmark with a wave of his hand – and then his bat – to England’s players and coaching staff, who stood to applaud him on the dressing-room balcony at the Multan International Cricket Stadium. He started this tour 70 runs behind Cook’s career aggregate of 12,472, and went clear of him by driving Aamer Jamal down the ground.Last month, Root surpassed Cook’s record for the most Test centuries by an Englishman with twin hundreds against Sri Lanka at Lord’s. He has now drawn clear of Cook for total runs, too, and has moved into fifth on the list of all-time leading run-scorers in Test cricket. He was more than 800 runs behind Rahul Dravid, in fourth, when he overtook Cook.Root went past Cook’s tally of 33 Test centuries with twin tons at Lord’s•AFP/Getty Images

Root is still more than 3,000 runs behind Sachin Tendulkar’s world record, but Cook believes he has every chance of breaking it. “I can see him overhauling Sachin Tendulkar’s record,” Cook told the BBC. “When I retired, I thought there was every chance that my record will be broken. I thought only the effects of captaincy and the hunger that takes out of you would stop him. I think the fact that Ben Stokes has taken over the captaincy has helped Root.”You could say Sachin is still the favourite, but [only] just. He’s been so lucky with injuries. All great players who played for a long time have been lucky with injuries. You just never know what’s around the corner, but it has to be something like it that could stop him. But I don’t see that happening for Root to lose that hunger and ability to keep driving himself forward for the next couple of years.”The only slight hurdle in his way will be the Ashes series – there is always something happening around the series. It’s in 14 months’ time and there’s always a story about the damage that happens or doesn’t happen around every Ashes series. I’d give Sachin 51% and Root 49%. But I would be betting on Root to do it.”Related

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Speaking ahead of the first Test, Root had played down the significance of the record. “The only reason it’s on my mind is because people keep asking me about it, to be honest,” he said. “I see myself playing Test cricket for a lot longer. It’s not like I’m going to get to a certain mark or a number and say, ‘Right, I’m done now.’ I just want to keep enjoying the game, keep playing.”With Ben Duckett unable to open the batting on the second evening in Multan and Ollie Pope deputising for him, Root was batting a spot higher than usual at No. 3. Having walked out to bat in the second over of England’s innings, Root combined with Zak Crawley and Duckett – who recovered overnight and came in at No. 4 – for century partnerships, as England chipped away at the deficit.Root made steady progress on the third morning, reaching 50 for the 99th time in his Test career when inside-edging Naseem Shah through square leg on the stroke of the drinks break. On 65, he survived an lbw shout when struck on the pad by Aamer Jamal, which Pakistan reviewed unsuccessfully; four balls later, he secured the England record.

England 22 for 0 (Duckett 13*, Lawrence 9*) trail Sri Lanka 236 (de Silva 74, Rathnayake 72, Woakes 3-32) by 214 runsDhananjaya de Silva justified his own decision to bat first with a gutsy 74 from 84 balls, while Milan Rathnayake followed his captain’s lead with a startlingly composed knock of 72 from 135 balls, the highest by a debutant at No.9 in Test history. Unfortunately for Sri Lanka, however, even those exceptional efforts couldn’t quite atone for a dreadful top-order collapse that had handed England control of the first Test by stumps on day one at Emirates Old Trafford.By the time Vishwa Fernando was last man out, run out for 13 from 61 balls in an innings that echoed his famous tail-end defiance in partnership with Kusal Perera at Durban in 2019, Sri Lanka had been bowled out for 236 in gloomy half-light that had caused England to rely exclusively on spin bowling for the final hour of their bowling stint – an early challenge for Ollie Pope’s tactical acumen on his first day as Ben Stokes’ captaincy stand-in.And, even though that total was seemingly below-par on a hard and dry surface that Pope anticipated would stay true for the first half of the match at least, it was riches compared to what had been anticipated after the first half-hour of the contest. At that point, Sri Lanka’s innings had been in tatters at 6 for 3 after seven overs, with all three wickets falling in the space of ten deliveries to Gus Atkinson and Chris Woakes.Related

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• Jayasuriya: 'Karunaratne is a strong-minded player. He can do something major on this tour'

The first blow was landed by Atkinson, who had limited Dimuth Karunaratne to a solitary scoring stroke in his first 17 deliveries, only for the batter to fluff his first shot in anger, a swish across the line to a well-directed lifter. Four balls later, Nishan Madushka’s early discipline also deserted him as Woakes served up a juicy outswinger that he could only scuff straight to Joe Root at first slip, who clung on in the heel of his palms.And with the final ball of the same over, Woakes had his second courtesy of a ghastly misjudgement from Angelo Mathews. The hero of the 2014 series win was gone for a five-ball duck, burning a review in the process as he offered no stroke to an inducker that was shown to be hitting the top of middle.Kusal and Chandimal showed some gumption in a limited counterattack, with the first five boundaries of the innings all coming in the space of 12 balls, four of them to Kusal off Matthew Potts, whose wide angle into the stumps offered the chance to free the hands through the off-side, and who would finish as the attack’s weakest link with 48 runs from his nine overs.But, after limping to drinks on 37 for 3, there was another challenge waiting for the second hour. Wood tore into his opening spell with typical gusto, and struck with his seventh ball – a gruesomely quick lifter to Kusal that crashed into his left thumb and looped to Harry Brook at second slip. Much like the snorter that broke Kevin Sinclair’s wrist in the West Indies series, Kusal left the crease wringing his hand, and looking in urgent need of an ice-pack at the very least.Out came de Silva to shore up the listing innings, but with lunch approaching, his measured stand of 32 in seven overs with Chandimal was undone in cruel and unusual fashion. Shoaib Bashir entered the attack for an exploratory pre-lunch spell, and struck in his second over with an unplayable daisycutter, reminiscent of Nasser Hussain’s viral moment against Carl Hooper in Trinidad in 1998. Though Chandimal gambled on the review, hoping against hope that he’d been struck outside the line, Bashir’s sheepish appeal and celebration could have told him everything he needed to know.That would, however, be the nadir of Sri Lanka’s innings. De Silva himself grew into his role either side of the lunch break, farming the strike well in between a diet of eight well-struck boundaries, each of them showcasing his sharp footwork and delicate balance, not to mention his pre-toss faith in the surface’s true nature.Though there would be some more guileless dismissals to come – with both Kamindu Mendis and Prabath Jayasuriya snicking off with uncertain footwork after Woakes and Atkinson had varied their lines and lengths – Rathnayake would not prove quite so gullible in his shot selection.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Despite channelling a bashful schoolboy while being presented with his Test cap by Kumar Sangakkara before the start of play, Sri Lanka’s debutant was more than man enough to withstand England’s eager attempts to dislodge him. His first role was to act as de Silva’s doughty sidekick, which he did to superb effect, picking off the first of his four fours in an eighth-wicket stand of 63.And then, when disaster had seemingly struck just before tea, with de Silva fencing a Bashir offbreak to Lawrence at leg slip to leave his team on 176 for 8, Rathnayake took up the cudgels for his team with impressive results. Despite boasting a previous best of 59 in 52 previous first-class innings, he picked the perfect moments to cut loose, first with a lusty swing over long-on to reach his half-century, and then a sweet drill over long-off to move along to a new career-high.England did at one stage attempt to bring Wood back into the attack to break up his burgeoning 50-run stand with Vishwa, but with his jumper halfway over his shoulders, the umpires stepped in to insist that the light was too poor for the pace bowlers. And though it took a while, Bashir eventually did the needful, tempting Rathnayake into one lofted launch too many, as Woakes back-pedalled at mid-off to end his fun.With half-an-hour to the close, Sri Lanka also turned instantly to slow bowling as the reply got underway, with two spinners sharing the new ball in a men’s Test in England for only the second time since 1970. With Lawrence opening the batting in place of Zak Crawley, he and Ben Duckett showed the probable riches still on offer in the surface, in clattering along to 22 for 0 in four overs.Prior to the start of play, both sides lined up on the outfield for a tribute to the late Graham Thorpe, who died on August 4, aged 55. England will be wearing black armbands throughout the match in memory of an England great who averaged 44.66 in a 100-Test career, and went on to play a key role as a batting mentor to many of the current team, including Pope, Root and Stokes.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore powered his way to a match-winning half-century as Somerset beat Vitality Blast South Group leaders Surrey by six wickets beneath the floodlights at Taunton.Set 183 to win, Somerset chased down their target with six balls to spare thanks to a forthright knock of 51 in 32 balls from Kohler-Cadmore, who hit three sixes and a trio of fours and shared in a crucial stand of 67 for the third wicket with Tom Abell.Academy product George Thomas impressed on his debut, raising an eye-catching 25-ball 40, while Sean Dickson scored a nerveless unbeaten 20 at the death to see Somerset home in front of a sell-out crowd at the Cooper Associates Ground.Surrey’s innings of 182 for 5 was built around a partnership of 107 in 12.2 overs between Sam Curran and Rory Burns. Returning from England duty, Curran raised 59 from 42 balls, Burns top-scored with 62 off 44 deliveries and Jamie Overton smashed a quickfire unbeaten 30 at the death.Somerset made light work of the chase to achieve an inside-the-distance victory that cemented their position in the top four and kept them on track for a place in the quarter-finals. Despite losing for only the second time this season, Surrey remain top of the table and on course to reach the knockout stages.Surrey won the toss, elected to bat and quickly plummeted to 24-3 inside four overs. Making his first T20 appearance at Taunton, Jack Leach saw off Dom Sibley, persuading him to hole out to Dickson on the mid-wicket boundary. Dickson again demonstrated safe hands when Will Jacks hoisted the next ball, sent down by Riley Meredith, to deep third man, while Laurie Evans miss-cued high to cover as Craig Overton made further in-roads.Curran and Burns made a decent fist of repairing the damage, advancing the score to 44 by the end of the powerplay, achieving a 50 partnership in 36 balls and lifting Surrey to 77 for 3 at halfway. Although boundaries were in relatively short supply by Taunton standards, the fourth wicket pair ran hard and Curran suggested a change in tempo when depositing Jake Ball over the long-on boundary for six and hoisting a Ben Green full toss high over square.With the innings still in the balance at 105 for 3 at the end of the thirteenth, Curran attempted to force the issue, going to 50 from 34 balls, guiding Meredith behind square to attain the landmark with his fourth four. Although less expansive in his approach, Burns nevertheless proved mightily effective, the former England man raising his 50 from 38 balls.Somerset badly needed a breakthrough and skipper Lewis Gregory obliged at the start of the seventeenth over, Curran finding Overton at long-on with the score on 131, having dominated a revitalising partnership. Burns departed in the penultimate over, offering a return catch to Ball, but former Somerset all-rounder Jamie Overton ensured there was no respite for the home side, mustering 2 sixes and a brace of fours in a hard-hit innings of 30 not out from 13 balls.Somerset needed to win to be sure of preserving their place in the top four and Tom Banton plundered three boundaries in one Tom Lawes over to set the tone. Encouraged by his partner’s example, debutant Thomas made a mockery of his rookie status by taking Dan Worrall for a six and 3 fours in an opening stand that yielded 42 in 3.2 overs.Surrey responded, Jordan Clark having Banton caught at mid-on for 17, but Thomas continued to take a liking to Worrall, harvesting another six and a further two fours off the Australian as Somerset advanced to 61 for 1 at the end of the powerplay.Chancing his arm once too often, Thomas hit Cameron Steel high to mid-on and departed for a 24-ball 40, having announced himself on the Blast stage in style. Tom Kohler-Cadmore now took up the cudgels, greeting the advent of Chris Jordan by hoisting the England man high over backward square for six as the home side continued to exert pressure. The Yorkshireman smashed a straight six and two fours off Lawes, whose first two overs went for 35, as Somerset moved menacingly to 104 for 2, requiring a further 79 off 10 overs.Kohler-Cadmore went to his half century via 28 deliveries and he and Abel raised a 50 partnership from 31 balls to bring the required rate down below eight an over for the first time. But Surrey refused to lie down, Jordan and Jacks removing Kohler-Cadmore and Abell in quick succession to ask questions of the home side.Casting all doubt aside, Dickson struck an authoritative 20 off 12 balls with two fours in partnership with Gregory, who contributed 12 off seven deliveries in an unbroken partnership of 34.