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The Trinidad quartet of Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Lendl Simmons and Samuel Badree has been picked by the West Indies selectors to play in the T20 segment of the limited-overs series against Pakistan

Colin Benjamin17-Mar-2017The Trinidad quartet of Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Lendl Simmons and Samuel Badree has been picked by the West Indies selectors to play in the T20 segment of the limited-overs series against Pakistan. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the four players are part of a squad picked for the first two contests of the four-match series.The T20 series starts on March 26 in Barbados with the following three matches to be played in Trinidad on March 30, April 1 and 2.It is understood that all the four players were informed on their selection on Wednesday, by WICB selection committee head Courtney Browne. It is not clear whether the four will feature in the final two games of the T20 series, which will end three days before the IPL begins. All the four players are part of various franchises in the IPL.West Indies’ last T20 series was also against Pakistan, in the UAE last September.With the exception of Simmons, the players in question all featured, although West Indies lost the three-match series 3-0. Simmons has not played for West Indies since featuring in the two-match T20 series against India last August in Fort Lauderdale.Based on the WICB policy to pick only players who featured in the Regional Super50, none of the four players are expected be available for selection for the ODI segment of the Pakistan series which follows the T20 series. Although the senior WICB staff comprising team director Jimmy Adams and chief selector Courtney Browne have indicated that the board is likely to review its selection policy, it is fair to assume that none between Pollard, Narine, Simmons and Badree will be picked for the three-match ODI series.Despite his lean recent form, Carlos Brathwaite is expected to lead West Indies in the T20 series against Pakistan. It remains to be seen whether the selectors would bring back former West Indies captain Darren Sammy, whose last assignment was winning the World T20 crown in Kolkata last year. Sammy was instrumental in Peshawar Zalmi winning the PSL earlier this month and says he has not yet given up hope of making a West Indies comeback in limited-overs cricket.”I’m only retired from Test cricket,” Sammy said after participating in the recently concluded Hong Kong T20 Blitz. “I’m not retired from limited-overs cricket. I’m available for selection. We have a series coming up against Pakistan, [I’m] available for that and wherever my services are needed.”

Two in-form teams – Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad – with strong all-round performances will play the second match on Sunday

The Preview by Vishal Dikshit29-Apr-2017

Match facts

Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kolkata Knight Riders
Hyderabad, April 30, 2017
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)3:08

Hogg: No 3 the perfect slot for Uthappa

Head to head

This season: Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 3 for 20, Yuvraj Singh struck two sixes in his innings with a strike rate of 162.50 but Sunrisers Hyderabad only managed 155 in pursuit of their 173-run target.Overall: Kolkata Knight Riders hold a dominant 7-3 lead over Sunrisers

Form guide

• Sunrisers Hyderabad (third): beat Kings XI Punjab by 26 runs, lost to Rising Pune Supergiant by six wickets, beat Delhi Daredevils by 15 runs.

• Kolkata Knight Riders (first): beat Delhi Daredevils by seven wickets, beat Rising Pune Supergiant by seven wickets, beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 82 runs.

The likely XIs

Sunrisers Hyderabad 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Moises Henriques, 6 Naman Ojha (wk), 7 Deepak Hooda, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Ashish Nehra, 11 Siddarth KaulKolkata Knight Riders 1 Gautam Gambhir (capt), 2 Sunil Narine, 3 Robin Uthappa (wk), 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Yusuf Pathan, 6 Suryakumar Yadav, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Umesh Yadav

Strategy punt

Sunil Narine could very well open the batting. No surprises there. Maybe Knight Riders should also consider opening the bowling with him, against two left-handed Sunrisers openers. While David Warner has scored a decent 67 runs off 50 balls against Narine, Shikhar Dhawan has only managed 31 runs off 30 balls. When Narine bowled one over to them in the Powerplay earlier in the season, he conceded seven runs, including three singles and two dots in the over.

Stats that matter

• Sunrisers are the only side yet to lose a home game this season, while Knight Riders are the only team to win three away games so far
• Robin Uthappa is the most prolific batsman in the middle overs (seven to 15) this season. He has amassed 225 runs off 124 balls at a commanding strike rate of 181
• This could also be Uthappa’s best IPL season if he keeps scoring the way he has been. His average this IPL – 41.37 – is his second-best, behind 44 in IPL 2014. His strike rate of 168 in 2017 is second best after 171.55 in IPL 2010 and he has smashed 17 sixes already. In the last two seasons combined, he had struck only 15 sixes in 28 innings.
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sunrisers’ top wicket-taker and most economical bowler (minimum five overs) this season, has never dismissed Gautam Gambhir or Uthappa in the IPL. Gambhir has scored 72 runs off 63 balls against Bhuvneshwar, and Uthappa has collected 63 runs off 51 balls.
• Among the current Knight Riders bowlers, Umesh Yadav has been most successful against Warner. The fast bowler has dismissed him three times while conceding 30 runs off 23 balls. No bowler has dismissed Warner more than three times in the IPL.

Pakistan ensured they remained alive, beating South Africa by 19 runs via the DLS method to complete a turnaround only they seem to be able to manage

The Report by Danyal Rasool07-Jun-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:45

Agarkar: Complete performance from Pakistan

Never mind the damp conclusion; this is Birmingham in June, what did you expect? The weather shouldn’t detract from the fact that Pakistan pulled off an upset in the game of the tournament so far. It is a shame the contest wasn’t able to carry on till its natural conclusion, because it could have been the day the 2017 Champions Trophy finally came to life. Instead, it was the day Pakistan ensured they remained alive, beating South Africa by 19 runs via the DLS method to complete a turnaround only they seem to be able to manage, and with inexplicable regularity.Pakistan put on a vastly improved bowling display as they shackled South Africa’s batsmen to restrict them to 219. It might have been nearer 150 when Pakistan got rid of six South African batsmen inside the first 30 overs for 118, but David Miller, so often required only to provide late firepower, showed his all-round batting credentials. He anchored the innings with an unbeaten 75 off 104 balls. Hasan Ali finished with 3 for 24.It turns out you can open the bowling with two quality fast bowlers in England conditions, after all. Mohammad Amir and Junaid Khan were tight and disciplined, bowling to a plan, meticulous in ensuring South Africa’s openers were not allowed width. Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock had to shuffle around to manipulate the ball past the inner circle, never quite looking as comfortable as they so often do. A superb opportunity to get a wicket was missed as early as the second over, with de Kock setting off for a suicidal single, and only Shoaib Malik’s inability to hit the stumps spared him.The seamers might have started well, but the spinners wounded South Africa. Imad Wasim – brought on inside the first Powerplay – removed Amla with his second delivery, the batsman missing his nudge off a straight ball.De Kock joined him soon after. He had survived an lbw shout off Mohammad Hafeez as Pakistan failed to review an lbw call that would have been overturned, but he hadn’t learned his lesson and missed a sweep off Hafeez. South Africa’s innings went from shaky to all-out panic just an over later, when captain AB de Villiers slashed Imad Wasim first ball straight to backward point. Pakistan suddenly had complete control of the game.Miller tried to take some control of the South African innings, stepping out to hit two sixes, but South Africa simply could not get partnerships going. Duminy and Parnell were victims of contenders for ball of the tournament, each pitching around off stump and tailing away. Duminy got an outside edge that carried to first slip, while Parnell could put no barrier between ball and off stump. South Africa were 118 for 6, and Pakistan were running through them.Chris Morris gave Miller some company as South Africa looked to get as close to 200 as possible, but there were no signs of the ragged death bowling that had been a feature of Pakistan’s performance against India. Mohammad Amir and Junaid Khan were unplayable at times, bowling reverse swinging yorkers almost on demand.Miller was able to hold his side’s innings together though. It was a small win in an innings where Pakistan had the upper hand almost from start to finish. Other than Morne Morkel’s bowling, it was the only positive South Africa could cling to on a day even the most conniving spin doctor could struggle to describe as anything other than a disappointment for the world’s top-ranked side.Set 220, Pakistan approached the run chase the way modern teams have been doing all around the world, but coming from Pakistan, it still felt like a novelty. Fakhar Zaman was clearly given a job to do, but actually doing it against Kagiso Rabada and Wayne Parnell under gloomy skies on debut is altogether different. He was dismissive of any width, slashing the ball through the covers and behind point at every opportunity, and even creating width when there wasn’t any to smash the bowlers square of the wicket either side.But it’s the nature of quick hitting that it is always likely to be ephemeral. Morkel, whose place in the side has been a subject of such debate of late, reigned in a galloping Pakistan. Both openers were dismissed in one over as the tall fast bowler exploited both his variation and the bounce he invariably seems to generate on every surface. That over was followed by 20 straight dot deliveries as South Africa neutralised Pakistan’s flying start and came roaring back into the game. Morkel’s opening spell reading 5-1-7-2.Hafeez and Babar Azam were stuck with negotiating the sustained pressure the bowlers were putting on them by now, the renewed energy in the fielding side palpable. Both were hanging around without ever looking especially comfortable, and South Africa always seemed to be on the cusp of a wicket. That arrived, somewhat inevitably, with the second ball of Morkel’s second spell, as Hafeez tried to pull one that grew too big on him, leaving Imran Tahir to take his second catch of the evening.Rather than add pressure on Pakistan, that somehow relieved it, and what followed was their most free-scoring spell since the first six overs. Rabada and Morkel went for two boundaries each in their subsequent overs, and by the time rain intervened, Pakistan were 19 runs ahead on the DLS equation. That was good enough, on a day an unfancied Pakistan side had generally been exactly that.

It’s a clash between a side fighting demons from within against one that’s under pressure to live up to their pre-tournament favourites tag

the Preview by Shashank Kishore14-Jul-2017The last day of the league phase will determine the fourth semi-finalist of the tournament, with Australia, England and South Africa already through. Much of the focus will be in Derby, with a knockout between India and New Zealand. It’s a clash between a side fighting demons from within against one that is under pressure to live up to their pre-tournament billing of favourites.

What’s at stake in the other Saturday fixtures

• South Africa v Australia (Taunton): South Africa have nine points, and Australia ten. A win for either side could push them to the top of the table (depending on England’s result). The top-ranked team will play the fourth qualifier in the semi-final.

• England v West Indies (Bristol): A chance for England to finish at the top – they are already leading the table on account of a superior run rate over Australia. West Indies will look for their third win.

• Pakistan v Sri Lanka (Leicester): A race to avoid the wooden spoon. Both teams are yet to win a match in this edition.

India’s ride has been like that of an airplane that has shuddered at the first sign of turbulence. After four wins in four, a semi-final spot seemed a mere formality. But a spectacular batting collapse against fiery South Africa brought them crashing down. Australia ground them further by turning a potentially tricky chase into a canter on a turner after their bowlers managed to keep Mithali Raj, the highest run-getter in women’s ODIs, quiet.India’s problem has stemmed from the lack of more robust batting approach. Walking the thin line between being conventional and over-cautious has put immense pressure on a young line-up.Smriti Mandhana’s scores – 90 and 106 not out – in the first two games seemed to suggest a changing trend, but her failures in the remaining four matches left the other batsmen without a base to work from – a weakness Australia and South Africa ruthlessly exposed. Harmanpreet Kaur, who has had a quiet tournament, will be eager to make a mark when it matters. She’s carrying a bruised right shoulder, but there’s no imminent threat of her missing out.India’s spin attack has been their nerve-center, often holding up the bowling even in slightly unsuitable conditions. When it has paid off, like it did in their defence of 281 against England in the tournament opener or the defence of 169 against Pakistan, it has looked spectacular. But, more often than not, the pressure to make up for lack of penetration from the pacers has pushed the spinners to try too many things, giving an opposition like Australia an opening.If there’s one team that knows all too well the feeling of not living up to expectations, it’s New Zealand, and their performance in key matches at world events is something India would do well to take note of. At every ICC event since 2012, they’ve gone in as one of the favourites, but have somehow found ways to capitulate. At the 2013 World Cup, the captain, Suzie Bates, destroyed bowling attacks to finish with the Golden Bat, but was left inconsolable after a loss to West Indies upset their hopes of reaching the final. At the 2014 World T20, they were cruising after wins in their first three games but were edged out of the semi-final race after a loss in their final league match. At the 2016 World T20 too, they were firmly in command in the semi-final but faltered under pressure.New Zealand are also grappling with fitness concerns around Sophie Devine, who can muscle the ball a long way and help the side break the run-rate muddle, like she did in the 41-ball 93 against Pakistan. Her ability to replicate that quality consistently has added an aura around the New Zealand batting that also boasts of some equally fearsome batsmen in Bates, Rachel Priest and Amy Satterthwaite. Against England, Devine was visibly hampered with a side strain and it remains to be seen if New Zealand would risk playing her even if she isn’t fully fit.Like India, New Zealand’s spinners have enjoyed bowling in the tournament. Amelia Kerr, the 16-year old legspinner, and Leigh Kasperek, the offspinner, are two trump cards Bates has often turned to for wickets. For all the batting might of both sides, it could turn out to be a contest of which side’s spinners rise to the occasion.Intermittent showers are predicted in Derby on Saturday. New Zealand would want none of it for a washout would mean an early exit. India, on the other hand, will look for their fourth consecutive win at the ground in this competition, having previously beaten England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

After India’s spin attack overwhelmed the West Indies batsmen with flight and guile, Smriti Mandhana made short work of the 184-run chase with a 108-ball 106

The Report by Annesha Ghosh29-Jun-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSmriti Mandhana hit 13 fours and two sixes in her unbeaten 108-ball 106•Getty Images

After India’s spin attack overwhelmed the West Indies batsmen with flight and guile, Smriti Mandhana made short work of the 184-run chase with an unbeaten 108-ball 106. Her innings negated the stutter caused by the two early wickets lost in response to the pressure West Indies’ bowlers created with their fast, short-pitched bowling.Mandhana carried on from where she left off against England, bettering her 72-ball 90 with a second ODI century and a first in the World Cup. She hit 13 fours and two sixes, punishing anything short. With Mithali Raj, she steered the larger part of the chase, adding 108 runs for the third wicket, before Raj, four short of her eighth consecutive fifty, holed out to mid-off.Raj’s decision to bowl first failed to find much validation from her two frontline medium-pacers, Jhulan Goswami and Shikha Pandey, who shared the new ball between them for the first six overs. Even though Felicia Walters looked unsure while negotiating Goswami’s off-stump line, Hayley Matthews took the attack to both opening bowlers, hitting them for a combined six fours in 27 balls.On a moist pitch with a tinge of green, Raj turned to her spin spearhead, Ekta Bisht, in the seventh over. The left-arm orthodox bowler struck with her first ball, forcing an edge off Walters with generous flight outside off stump. The nick was adroitly pouched by Sushma Verma, the wicketkeeper, who effected three more dismissals in the game – all of them being stumpings.West Indies’ loss of their first wicket occured one ball after Harmanpreet Kaur – who already sported a heavily strapped right palm – went off the field having dislocated the ring finger of her left hand while diving at mid-off. Despite having to make up for Harmanpreet’s absence from the attack by bringing on Mona Meshram, who had last bowled in an ODI in 2013, India kept a tight leash on the scoring. Having taken 12.4 overs to add 40 for the second wicket with Stafanie Taylor, Matthews popped back a return catch to the offspinner Deepti Sharma.Taylor was run out seven balls later, and Deandra Dottin, the scorer of a 38-ball hundred in T20Is, crawled to 7 off 47 balls before holing out to long-on, to complete a wretched batting day for the two stars playing their 100th ODI.India, meanwhile, had Harmanpreet back on the field after being tended to by the physio, and she was introduced into the attack immediately. She snaffled Kyshona Knight in the 35th over to leave West Indies 91 for 6. Against the collective discipline of India’s spinners, led by Bisht and the legspinner Poonam Yadav, West Indies’ second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth-wicket partnerships together added only 62 off 169 balls.The reintroduction of pace, in the form of Goswami, in the 36th over, gave West Indies some respite. A slew of fielding errors further released the pressure the spinners had piled on. Bisht dropped two straightforward chances, letting off Anisa Mohammed on 0 and Afy Fletcher on 12, before the two went on to add 37 unbroken runs for the ninth wicket. Fletcher’s 36 not out and Shanel Daley’s 33 eventually lifted West Indies to 183.Shamilia Connell began West Indies’ defence by peppering Punam Raut with a flurry of short deliveries, and she gloved the fifth ball of the innings – a well-directed bouncer – to keeper Merissa Aguilleira, failing to connect cleanly with a hook. Deepti Sharma then kept to 6 off her first 22 balls, and was bowled trying to slog Taylor’s offspin in the eighth over as she succumbed to the pressure of the mounting dots.Mandhana and Raj, however, ensured there would be no more flutters in India’s chase.Having motored into the nineties, Mandhana suffered a few nerves: an awkward lofted drive on 93 was followed by a poorly executed pull next ball which lobbed in the air and flew straight to deep midwicket, only for Knight to put her down. A few words between overs from her batting partner Meshram appeared to calm Mandhana down, and she duly reached her hundred off her 105th ball, doing so in the same manner that had brought up her fifty against England: making room and lofting the ball over cover for four.Two balls later, an edge wide of short third man completed India’s victory.

Batsman Chris Lynn, who was named in Australia’s Champions Trophy squad earlier this year, has not been offered a Queensland contract for the 2017-18 season

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Aug-2017Batsman Chris Lynn, who was named in Australia’s Champions Trophy squad earlier this year, has not been offered a Queensland contract for the 2017-18 season.Lynn is currently recovering from shoulder surgery and is not expected to be available to play until early next year, and Queensland said in a statement that he would be considered for selection when fully fit. However, in the meantime there is no contract for Lynn, who opted for an operation on his shoulder this year in an effort to prolong his career.Persistent shoulder problems have seriously curtailed Lynn’s output in the past few summers, and this will be the fourth successive season in which he will miss the start of the season – including the entire domestic one-day tournament – due to a shoulder injury.Batsman Nathan Reardon also missed out on a Queensland contract for 2017-18, while the retired wicketkeeper Chris Hartley is also gone from last year’s list.Batsman Sam Truloff, wicketkeeper Lachlan Pfeffer, and fast bowler Brendan Doggett have all been added to the contract list.Queensland squad James Bazley, Joe Burns, Ben Cutting, Brendan Doggett, Luke Feldman, Jason Floros, Peter Forrest, Cameron Gannon, Peter George, Sam Heazlett, Charlie Hemphrey, Usman Khawaja (Cricket Australia contract), Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, James Peirson, Lachlan Pfeffer, Matt Renshaw (CA), Billy Stanlake (CA), Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, Sam Truloff, Jack Wildermuth. Rookies Xavier Bartlett, Max Bryant, Matthew Kuhnemann, Jack Prestwidge, Bryce Street, Harry Wood.

Fifties from Pakistan’s top three ensured Pakistan edged – very slowly but surely – towards Sri Lanka’s imposing first innings total of 419

The Report by Danyal Rasool30-Sep-2017Stumps 1:01

‘A lead of 100-120 would be enough’ – Dickwella

Fifties from Pakistan’s top three ensured Pakistan edged – very slowly but surely – towards Sri Lanka’s imposing first innings total of 419. Neither side gave up much ground on a blazing day in Abu Dhabi on a day that was hardly the best advertisement for how Test cricket is to thrive in the 21st century. Pakistan added 202 runs over the course of the entire day’s play for four wickets to finish on 266 for 4, 153 runs behind Sri Lanka. Azhar Ali was the star performer for Pakistan, unbeaten at the end on 74. He might have hoped to build on a productive partnership with Babar Azam, but the No. 5 fell off the day’s last delivery, chasing one that was drifting down the leg side.Entry to the Zayed Stadium was free, yet the crowd was almost non-existent, and with the lack of excitement the day offered, one couldn’t really complain. Perhaps Pakistan felt cowed by Sri Lanka’s large total, and didn’t fancy the prospect of conceding a large first-innings lead, but they came out with the express intention to put safety first, and inched towards the Sri Lankan total.The day began with Pakistan openers Shan Masood and Sami Aslam – batting together for the first time – putting together 114 runs for the first wicket, both openers scoring half-centuries on a slow surface that showed few signs of springing to life, and Pakistan’s batsmen worked their way through the innings the same way their Sri Lankan counterparts had done over the Test’s first two days.It wasn’t until the tail-end of the morning session, however, that something of note happened. The few dozen spectators in the ground might have dozed off for the lack of action in the morning – besides a Masood dropped catch and the odd elegant drive, the session was lacking in animation. But out of nowhere, Perera got one to keep low as Aslam moved on to the back foot, helpless as it hit him on the pad in line of the stumps. His review wasn’t successful. Two balls later, Azhar looked to have met the same fate as the umpire gave him out, but was saved by an inside edge so faint even he didn’t know he’d hit it.Masood spent the next few overs being worked over by Herath and Perera, suddenly beginning to look uncomfortable every ball. The odd one exploded from a crack as Masood began to play across the line and shuffle in the crease, clearly having lost some of his composure. That was in evidence even in the way he was dismissed, moving across his stumps and attempting an ugly sweep off Herath that crashed into his leg stump.The bowlers continued to toil under the blazing desert heat as Azhar and Asad Shafiq steadied the Pakistan innings after lunch. There was some encouragement for Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers this session, even if none of it translated into wickets. Nuwan Pradeep, in particular, found some reverse swing, and bowled a menacing enough line to ensure Azhar and Shafiq didn’t get too comfortable.However, since the batsmen showed no interest in attacking the bowlers, it was a session that crawled along dutifully, the loudest applause heard when a dabbed single to midwicket from Azhar brought up 5,000 Test runs for the former Pakistan ODI captain. It didn’t help Sri Lanka’s cause that the crease was occupied by the two Pakistan batsmen best equipped for the sort of gritty, laborious work required of them.New life might have been breathed into Sri Lanka when Herath snared Shafiq two overs into the final session, the right-hander poking at one and only succeeding in edging to first slip. The incoming Babar Azam didn’t stray from the game plan either, dutifully ensuring the scoring of runs didn’t register high on his priority list. Long before the day looked to be whimpering to a close, the bowlers long seemed to have given up on summoning any intensity for the final push, and when Babar’s wicket did come, it was a gift from the batsman. On a bracing day of Test cricket, it might have given Sri Lanka a lift, but both sides have significant work to do before they can think about forcing a result.

The captain also said the onus was on the fast-bowlers to make the best use of the slightly more seamer-friendly conditions a day-night Test offers

Osman Samiuddin in Dubai06-Oct-2017Sri Lanka stand on the verge of a rare feat. Since beating Pakistan in Pakistan at the turn of the century, they have won only one away series against opposition excluding Bangladesh or Zimbabwe. That was the 2014 series against England and like the 1999-00 series against Pakistan, it was a humdinger – both triumphs built in equal parts skill, wit, will and grit.That is probably the best way to get a measure of the scale of their achievement in Abu Dhabi last week, inflicting on Pakistan their first defeat at the venue. Look where it leaves them. And Look at the circumstances out of which it was born.The temptation will be to put that win down to Pakistan doing another Pakistan, or to Sri Lanka relying on some late-career Rangana Herath magic. Neither are untrue. But there was more to it.They were in control of their destiny until that fourth afternoon collapse and throughout Pakistan’s chase. From Dimuth Karunaratne’s first-day calm through Dinesh Chandimal’s nine-hour epic via two essential (and responsible) contributions from Niroshan Dickwella right down to Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep outbowling Pakistan’s pace attack, this was much, much more than just Herath.Not the best time then, you might think, to be playing your first day-night Test. Sri Lanka did arrange a pink-ball trial in their last domestic season but, bizarrely, it was a day game. The tourists enter this as good as blind.They continue to put faith in their traditional strengths, and go in with three spinners on a surface Chandimal noted for being “really dry”, as much as the one in Abu Dhabi. The pitch will, he predicted, bring spinners into play over the last couple of days.Last year, in Pakistan’s day-night Test here against West Indies, Pakistan scored nearly 600 in their first innings, for the loss of only three wickets. They crumbled for 123 in their second, Devendra Bishoo’s legspin accounting for eight wickets. But the pitch was still firm enough over the last two days for West Indies to get within 56 runs of chasing 346 on the final day.Plenty of responsibility will still fall on Lakmal and Pradeep. “I think especially with the pink ball, I played one game in domestic cricket, and I feel the first 20 to 25 overs there is a bit seam and swing,” Chandimal said. “I mean more helpful for the fast bowlers and especially when the ball gets old there is a lot of reverse swing. Nothing that much for the spinners so I think it is really helpful for the fast bowlers as far as I am concerned.”They have the benefit of being able to pick nearly the same XI – only Lahiru Thirimanne is a doubt. Some stiffness in his back kept him off the field on the final day in Abu Dhabi and if he doesn’t wake up well tomorrow, it could mean a debut for wicketkeeper batsman Sadeera Samarawickrama.Ultimately, personnel issues and even conditions may not matter as much as the approach they take. Few teams nowadays set out to draw Tests but for a side in the kind of form Sri Lanka is in, unfamiliarity with winning can seep into how they approach sessions or days. Sri Lanka don’t have to look too far or long back – it was in Sharjah in January 2014 where Angelo Mathews’ defensiveness resulted in a series levelled rather than one won.”Actually we are looking to win so we are not going to play for draw,” Chandimal said. “That is our main target that we are going to [go for a] win. We just need to go back to our basics.”In Abu Dhabi the pitch was totally different to the last two series. We saw on the last day there were so many cracks. When we come to Dubai it normally suits the spinners, lot of grip so this will be a really good game for both sides.”The final word then, as it was in Abu Dhabi, as it is so often with Sri Lanka and especially so in this rivalry, for Herath.”As far as I am concerned throughout my career normally the Pakistan batters they really struggle against left-arm spinners. We all know Rangana is a legend and he is an outstanding bowler so I am sure he will be a really good asset for this game as well.”

The dismissal was shrouded in confusion, Knight first being given out, then not out and then out again

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2017Heather Knight should not have been given out in the opening game of the Women’s Ashes T20I series, according to the MCC, the lawmakers of the game. Knight, the England captain, was dismissed off the second ball of the match, ultimately given out caught behind by Alyssa Healy off left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen.But the dismissal was shrouded in confusion, Knight first being given out, then not out and then out again. In a blog on the Lord’s website, the MCC’s Laws of Cricket Advisor Jonny Singer argued that Knight should have been reprieved on account of Healy’s position being in contravention with two subsections of Law 27.Knight clearly feathered a length delivery to Healy, who appeared to clip a bail off as she collected the edge. Even though the umpire at the non-striker’s end, Geoff Joshua, raised his finger straightaway in response to Australia’s appeal, Knight was asked to wait as the TV umpire John Ward was called into play to presumably check the mode of dismissal – whether Knight was stumped, bowled, or caught behind. Replays appeared to show Healy’s gloves level with the stumps when bat made contact with the ball.The electronic screen then flashed not out, with the umpire also declaring the delivery to be a no-ball. Moments later, however, Knight was seen making her way back to the pavilion, having been adjudged caught behind. Australia went on to win the game.The law relevant to the circumstances, Singer pointed out, was 27.3.1, which states: “The wicket-keeper shall remain wholly behind the wicket at the striker’s end from the moment the ball comes into play until a ball delivered by the bowler touches the bat or person of the striker, or passes the wicket at the striker’s end or, the striker attempts a run.”Singer argued that Healy was in contravention, as her gloves were not wholly behind the stumps at the point of impact between Knight’s bat and the ball. That should have triggered Law 27.3.2 which calls for the ball to be called no-ball.”The striker’s end umpire should thus have called a No ball, perhaps with the help of the third umpire, and Knight should have been reprieved,” Singer wrote. It is not clear why, when Knight was given not-out on the electronic screen and a no-ball signaled, the decision was eventually reversed.Singer did, however, acknowledge the relatively rare nature of such a call. “That said, the margins are extremely tight, and this was not an easy decision.”As well as the umpires, on-air commentators, including former Australia batsman Mel Jones, also struggled to make sense of the dismissal. South Africa fast bowler Marizanne Kapp subsequently voiced her concern over the specifics of the rules and took to Twitter calling for “more clarity regarding this law.”

While they are committed to keep playing the longest format, preferably overseas, hosting teams has been leading to troubling financial losses

Firdose Moonda and Osman Samiuddin04-Nov-2017Hosting fewer Tests and scaling down operations may be the way forward for Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) as it navigates a changing cricket structure and tricky financial waters. Zimbabwe will not be part of the new Test league that is set to start in July 2019, and are happy with the development. They do not intend to stop playing Tests altogether, preferring in future to play them away from home. Instead they will shift focus to limited-overs cricket.In one way it is a formalisation of the status quo, in which Zimbabwe are already playing a greatly reduced number of Tests. “What we quickly realised was that hosting Tests is something that costs us a lot of money, and that is a commodity we do not have at the moment – in fact we owe people a lot of money,” ZC’s recently appointed MD Faisal Hasnain told ESPNcricinfo.”As things stand, it costs us money because we get almost negligible amounts from our current TV rights and sponsorships, and these continue till 2019. So if we were in a formal Test league, where we were forced to play Tests at home, we just would not be able to sustain it financially, unless we get substantial help from the ICC or from some other source – and the ICC Test fund no longer exists and other funding sources are few and far between.”Obviously, we will continue to play Test cricket, but in our current circumstances we will try and play them away from home, primarily to save costs. We will concentrate on playing more ODIs and T20s, home and away, under the ODI league and the T20 open format, which will hopefully enable us to cut expenditure and potentially generate greater revenues.”Zimbabwe have just finished hosting a two-Test series with West Indies, which has cost them somewhere in the region of $1 million. For an organisation in as much of a financial battle as ZC, that is an unnecessary strain. There is a possibility that, in discussion with Afghanistan and Ireland, Zimbabwe will formally ask the ICC for certain relaxations from the full requirements of the strict playing conditions – conducting matches without DRS for example. They may also ask for leniency in TV broadcast requirements for international cricket. This could ultimately make it more affordable to host Tests, and ZC has already taken up the matter, informally, with the ICC.Crucial to their quest to better financial health is income from the ICC, in the form of distribution and World Cup participation fees, which makes qualification for the 2019 event even more important. With that in mind, Zimbabwe has embarked on an ambitious project to convince certain players who had left the country to return, but the flipside of that has been the toll it has taken on their finances.Both Brendan Taylor and Kyle Jarvis are being paid more than they were at Nottinghamshire and Lancashire respectively, and were also given a small portion as an advance to secure their return. Solomon Mire, based in Australia, received what one source said was a “good deal, better than that of the other players who have stayed behind”.Unsurprisingly, the treatment of the trio has created issues within the team. “Players who come back automatically get paid more than the guys who are there,” one source said. “It’s bad because there are players who have made sacrifices to stay in Zimbabwe and they are suffering.” ZC denies their return has led to rifts; Hasnain says players have told him the atmosphere in the dressing room remains fine.Brendan Taylor walks out for the national anthem•ICC

In addition to employee and player salaries being part-paid at the end of October, and because of the financial challenges their board faces, Zimbabwe’s players have yet to receive their match fees for the Sri Lanka tour that took place in July. A proposed increase in player allowance for this season’s domestic matches has also not come to pass.At least one board member is understood to have opposed the efforts to lure Taylor, Jarvis and Mire back because of the expense, but the prospect of having them in the team for the World Cup qualifiers motivated ZC to do “everything it could”, according to the source, to convince the players to commit to Zimbabwe.ZC is attempting to stabilise its operations and finances under Hasnain and CFO Feroza Shariff, though given the country’s ongoing economic crisis and the limited opportunities to raise money that will not be easy.ICC money will be an important source of income and rationalisation of costs will have to continue. With no Test ranking points for Zimbabwe to concern themselves with, there would appear to be sense in not hosting home Tests. So even though they will not abandon Tests altogether, this could lead to a fundamental shift in outlook and the way they position themselves as a cricketing nation. The Logan Cup, Zimbabwe’s first-class competition, for example, may be shortened from its current format – in which teams play each other in a double round – to a single round, and there could be an increase in domestic ODI and T20 competitions.In that light, it is not outlandish to wonder whether West Indies might have been the last team that will play a Test in Zimbabwe for a while. According to the current FTP, Zimbabwe are scheduled to host Pakistan for a two-Test series next year in June-July, a tour which also includes three ODIs and two T20Is. Preceding that, Australia visit for a tour that was originally scheduled to include two Tests, but no longer does; instead they will feature in a T20I tri-series alongside Pakistan.For Zimbabwe Test fans, the good news is that their team’s schedule on the road is busier. They will play the inaugural four-day Test in South Africa over Boxing Day, and are in talks to become Afghanistan’s first Test opponents in February next year, most likely in the UAE. That is set to take place after a tri-series in Bangladesh and they are then supposed to return to South Africa for one Test, three ODIs and a T20I in October next year. In March, they are also due to host the ICC qualifiers for the 2019 World Cup, in which two teams from 10 will proceed.Another tour to Bangladesh – for three Tests and three ODIs in early 2019 – and a single Test in India along with three ODIs in March 2019 takes Zimbabwe to the end of the current FTP, with their hopes pinned on participation in the World Cup.