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Says the final four is a realistic goal and a call on who will open in Tamim’s place will be taken on the morning of the Afghanistan match

Mohammad Isam06-Oct-2023These days, a public appearance by a member of Bangladesh’s team management inevitably means a flurry of questions about the Shakib Al Hasan-Tamim Iqbal issue.It was no different for Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusinghe ahead of the team’s first World Cup game, against Afghanistan in Dharamsala. Hathurusinghe, though, deftly deflected most of these questions, saying it was his job to keep the pressure off his team.When asked whether Bangladesh would be better off without Tamim facing up to Fazalhaq Farooqi, Hathurusinghe called it a “weird question”. When asked about Shakib’s scathing attack on Tamim, Hathurusinghe just smiled.Related

• Hathurusinghe: Our batting let us down with 'high expectations'

• Scenic Dharamsala offers Bangladesh, Afghanistan chance to grab early points

• Bangladesh's unlikely heroes step up as race for World Cup spots heat up

• Tamim hits out at BCB; claims he would have been fit in time for World Cup

• Shakib: Tamim 'childish' and 'not a team man'

Hathurusinghe himself had caused a stir last month when he said that people should “wake up” if they were dreaming about Bangladesh winning the World Cup. Speaking to Dhaka-based newspaper , Hathurusinghe had said: “For whatever reason, our captain [Shakib] was appointed five weeks ago. I came six months ago. This is not ideal [so close to a World Cup]. But it doesn’t mean Bangladesh can’t do anything good in the World Cup…”Bangladesh’s biggest achievement is three wins in a campaign. So if someone is dreaming that we will win the World Cup, I will tell them to ‘wake up from their sleep’. It is possible to do something better than before. We are keeping our goal big – to reach the semi-finals.”Later, when these comments were pointed out to Tamim during the New Zealand series, he expressed surprise, saying, “I definitely think we should dream. You won’t achieve it if you don’t dream. Our Under-19 team never went past the quarter-finals but because they dreamt big, they became champions [at the 2020 World Cup]. This is our seventh World Cup, so when are we going to have a dream?”The question popped up again in Dharamsala, and Hathurusinghe responded: “My job is to take the pressure off from the players. People can dream, can aim. They can have goals. We are trying to have a good World Cup, win matches. Our aim is to get into the semi-final. It can be a dream.1:43

Steyn: It will be spin vs spin, and Shakib vs Rashid

“We all want to win the World Cup. Since you asked me our realistic goal, if we can win four or five matches we can get into the semi-finals. This is our first target. We have a good enough team to do this. We have to reach the semi-finals stage.”On the actual cricket front, foremost among the big questions is who will step into Tamim’s shoes at the top of the order? Will it be young Tanzid Hasan or will Mehidy Hasan Miraz remain their preferred opening option, particularly as coach and captain believe Mehidy is effective against offspinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who is likely to take the new ball alongside Farooqi? The surface, too, will need to be taken into account, with talk of the Dharamsala pitch perhaps not aiding the spin trio of Mujeeb, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, who have often dominated Bangladesh across formats.”We have two options [to take Tamim’s spot]. We will be in a better place to make that decision tomorrow morning,” the coach said. “We will see if we bat first or second, and then take a decision. Wicket looks really good for one-day cricket. It has a nice covering of grass. I think it will be a really good sporting wicket. We are expecting high scoring in this ground. We will decide the combination tomorrow morning.”Often, a big win has papered over many cracks for Bangladesh. This World Cup opener, against Afghanistan, is a game which Bangladesh desperately need to win, and for more than just the two points.

England rue missed chances after unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 149

Valkerie Baynes10-Jun-2022Stumps As far attempts to negate a swinging ball go, Daryl Mitchell’s display of long-range beer pong was inventive to say the least.Assisted by the ale or otherwise, he and Tom Blundell managed to see out the latter stages of a tricky middle session for New Zealand then navigate their side to the close of an intriguing first day at Trent Bridge at 318 for 4.The duo, who shared 195-run stand in the second innings of New Zealand’s five-wicket defeat at Lord’s last week had put on 149 by stumps in this second Test, Mitchell unbeaten on 81 and Blundell 67 not out.During a morning session when the ball presented little movement through the air or off the seam but bounced appreciably from a good length, New Zealand openers Will Young and Tom Latham started brightly with an 84-run partnership before Ben Stokes and James Anderson struck with consecutive deliveries to remove both.Those same two bowlers managed to get the ball talking after the lunch break, however, combining again to remove a fluid-looking Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls as all of New Zealand’s top-four made starts but none breached fifty.Related

• Williamson to miss second Test after testing positive for Covid

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• Leach returns to Test team after concussion substitution

England, whose fielding in the first Test had been noticeably sharp, were left to rue missed chances which would have made the equation considerably worse for their visitors. Zak Crawley dived from second slip across Joe Root at first and managed only to parry Nicholls’ thick outside edge off Stuart Broad away from both of them. Nicholls was on 17 at the time.Root then shelled a regulation slips chance off Mitchell, on 3, which wobbled ever so slightly as it came off the bat, and a tougher one off Blundell when he was on 2, Root thrusting his right hand out but failing to hold on.Mitchell and Blundell resumed after tea on 20 and 7 respectively and, with Jack Leach continuing after bowling the penultimate over before the break, Mitchell plundered the England spinner down the ground for six, the ball landing in a spectators’ full pint cup.Matthew Potts, clearly more disappointed than amused, indicated that the ball had been completely submerged as the umpire ran over with a towel and set about trying to dry it off. Sure enough, the ball didn’t do much for the bowlers after that until Potts managed to get it moving a little again on the evening breeze.Blundell, on 39, survived England’s attempt to overturn a not-out lbw decision on umpire’s call off Leach and Mitchell top-edged another six off Broad over the keeper’s head.England took the second new ball with about half an hour left in the day’s play and Broad was left cursing yet another missed opportunity when Blundell moved to 67 by edging him through the cordon where Crawley and Jonny Bairstow remained virtually motionless at second and third slip as the ball shot between them to the boundary rope.Earlier, Stokes allayed concerns over his ability to bowl, raised when he showed some discomfort in his side while training on Wednesday, bringing himself on in the 19th over. He opened with a loose delivery outside off stump which Young punished to the boundary through point and which turned out to be the first of two front-foot no-balls for the over.Leach followed Stokes into the attack, having recovered from the concussion he suffered while fielding on the opening day of the first Test at Lord’s, but it was Stokes who made the breakthrough in his second over.Having conceded two more boundaries to Young on the drive, the second misfielded by Leach in the covers, Stokes bowled a tight off-stump line and got the ball to kick into the splice of Young’s bat with Crawley collecting a good catch low at second slip.James Anderson laughs after his long-hop has Tom Latham caught at midwicket•AFP/Getty Images

Potts took a strong catch at midwicket to get rid of Latham, who slapped a short ball straight to him at pace as soon as Anderson returned to the attack and New Zealand had lost two wickets in as many balls, although cause for concern to England was the fact that they conceded 20 boundaries in the first session.After lunch, Stokes accounted for Nicholls with a ball that nipped away off the seam, drawing a prod to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes and ending a 77-run stand with Conway.Conway had produced some eye-catching drives and pulls en route to his score which included seven fours before he was undone by an excellent Anderson delivery that looked like shaping away before jagging back off the seam and finding a big inside edge through to Foakes.Anderson thought he had Conway out for 41 when the batter picked out Potts at midwicket but a soft signal of not-out was upheld when third umpire Rod Tucker ruled that the ball had gone to ground.After losing the toss, Latham – standing in as captain for Kane Williamson who tested positive for Covid-19 on the eve of the match – said he would have liked to bowl first on a green-tinged pitch which he said looked dry underneath, although he would no doubt have taken New Zealand’s score at the end of the day.Willamson’s absence, and that of Colin de Grandhomme who injured his foot while bowling in the first Test and was ruled out of the series, forced two team changes for New Zealand, who also left out left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel. They brought in Nicholls, back from a calf injury followed by a bout of Covid, and added Matt Henry in a four-pronged seam attack, with Michael Bracewell, the left-handed batter who also provides an offspin option, making his Test debut.

Fast bowler prioritised “good vibes” at the teams and leagues he chose this year

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-2021Dale Steyn said he turned his back on the world’s most lucrative T20 league, the Indian Premier League, because he found the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and the Sri Lankan Premier League (LPL) were “slightly more rewarding”.The South African fast bowler, who is currently in Pakistan with the Quetta Gladiators franchise, said he believed the excessive emphasis on the financial aspect of the IPL meant “the cricket gets forgotten”. Talking to , he also revealed that the length of the IPL was a factor that further informed his decision to opt out this year, saying he wanted “a bit more time off”.”I wanted to take a bit more time off. I found that playing in those other leagues was slightly more rewarding as a player. I think when you go to the IPL there are such big squads and so many big names and so much emphasis on the amount of money that the players earn that somewhere along the line the cricket kind of gets forgotten. When you come to the PSL or the LPL, there’s an importance on the cricket.”I’ve only been here a couple of days and I’ve had people coming to my room asking where I played and how I went about it. In the IPL, that kind of gets forgotten and the main topic is how much money you went for this IPL. And that’s just me being brutally honest. I just wanted to stay away from that this year and put more emphasis on bringing good vibes to teams and tournaments I feel are worth it.”Steyn, whose career trajectory has coincided with the rise of the IPL, has often seen himself become one of the more prized assets for any IPL franchise, and has consistently seen heavy competition for his signature. The highest auction price for the fast bowler came in consecutive seasons in 2014 and 2015, when Sunrisers Hyderabad snapped him up for INR 9.5 crore (approx. USD 1.3 million today). He has taken 97 IPL wickets at 6.91, making him, by some distance, the most economical fast bowler among players with over 50 wickets in the league. His influence has diminished somewhat of late, playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore as a replacement player in 2019, and a full time player last year.Steyn’s words will come as a shot in the arm for a league trying to maximise its burgeoning potential after years of playing away from Pakistan in the UAE. Last year, Steyn was one of the Platinum Category players when he made himself available for the league, though the side finished bottom of the table. While his only game with Quetta was a disappointing outing, where he conceded 20 runs off a decisive penultimate over, Steyn remains confident there is time enough to turn things around.”I’m not too perturbed but it would have been nice to get over the line against Peshawar Zalmi. Hopefully we can make a comeback in the upcoming games. Chris Gayle’s absence will hurt because he’s a T20 God, and a bit of a freak. But when you look at his replacement and the guys we have in the shed, they are incredible players. Faf du Plessis has flown in, Tom Banton has been around the past two years and has done well. I don’t think it comes down to one player to win you cricket games. Everyone has to pull their weight.”He paid rich tribute to the “breeding machine” of fast bowlers Pakistan had, as well as praising Babar Azam as “a wonderful player”. “There is a breeding machine of fast bowlers here in Pakistan, which is great to see because the wickets are not conducive to fast bowlers,” Steyn said. “I had a chat with Shaheen [Afridi] last year – I think he broke his thumb. He was down but he was amazing. At Melbourne Stars, I had Haris Rauf with me, and I was really impressed by him. Not long after that, he played for Pakistan.”Babar is a great player and it would be a great opportunity to get him out or bowl against him. But you never know, I might not get to bowl against him because it’s only four overs or he might get out for a duck. But he’s been fantastic the last couple of years.”

Azhar Ali takes charge of Test team, Babar Azam named captain of T20I side

Osman Samiuddin18-Oct-2019Pakistan’s customary post-World Cup clearout is complete after the PCB sacked Sarfaraz Ahmed as the Test and T20I captain ahead of the November-December tour of Australia. To add to his woes, Sarfaraz has also been dropped from both the teams following a run of poor form in the two formats. In his place, Azhar Ali has been named the Test captain and Babar Azam leader of the T20I side. A decision on the ODI captaincy has been put on hold, as Pakistan’s next 50-over assignment isn’t until July next year – logic would suggest it is highly unlikely Sarfaraz will retain that captaincy either.Sarfaraz’s removal means Pakistan now have a new coach, new chief selector and new captains after the 50-over World Cup, where they narrowly failed to reach the semi-finals; Mickey Arthur and Inzamam-ul-Haq are long gone as head coach and selection head, Misbah-ul-Haq having taken over both positions. Azhar, whom Sarfaraz replaced as the white-ball captain in 2016, has been appointed Test captain for the 2019-20 World Test Championship matches, which begin with a two-Test series in Australia next month. Babar will be in charge of the T20I side till at least the men’s T20 World Cup in Australia late next year.ALSO READ: Should Pakistan worry about Sarfaraz Ahmed’s form?The case for Sarfaraz’s dismissal had been building steadily for a while now, predicated as much on his own form as Pakistan’s results under him. Just last week he had stood down from leading Sindh in the National T20 Cup, though continued playing for the side. But he has overseen a dismal run for the Test side, currently at No. 7 in the rankings. In their most recent Test series, they were swept 3-0 in South Africa in December-January, and, prior to that, had lost a three-Test series in the UAE 2-1 to New Zealand – that was a second loss in three Test series (including one to Sri Lanka the season before) in the UAE, as near a fortress as Pakistan had until Sarfaraz took over the captaincy.It is the decision to remove him from captaincy in the shortest format that will hurt Sarfaraz the most. Although they suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat at home earlier this month in Lahore at the hands of a Sri Lanka side without a number of their top players, Sarfaraz’s captaincy has led Pakistan to be the leading national side in the world in the format.Results this year have been poor, but their run since the disastrous showing at the 2016 World T20 – after which Sarfaraz took over – had been outstanding. And the loss to Sri Lanka had as much the imprint of Misbah on it, with his selections for the series, as any other player – indeed it is believed Sarfaraz was not happy with Misbah’s decision to recall Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal to a side that didn’t need such drastic selections.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

But it hasn’t helped that Sarfaraz’s form has been poor across all formats. He hasn’t made a Test century in five years and in his most recent Test assignments in South Africa, he made three ducks in six innings. Since the day he scored an unbeaten 61 to get Pakistan through to the 2017 Champions Trophy semi-final, Sarfaraz has led Pakistan in 44 ODIs, averaging less than 29 – and that includes 18 games in which he has not batted or finished unbeaten for under 15. In a further 12, he’s managed fewer than 15 runs, and scored just three fifties. His productivity in T20Is has been much the same post-captaincy; if his average was slightly down (26.6 from 28) his strike rate was up (134 from 126 previously).Ehsan Mani, the PCB chairman, acknowledged the decision to sack Sarfaraz from the two formats had been a “difficult” one. ESPNcricinfo understands Sarfaraz was given the option to resign and announce it in a press conference, but he chose not to.”It has been a difficult decision to drop Sarfaraz Ahmed, who has performed well as a player and a leader,” Mani said in a statement. “But, his loss in form and confidence is visible and, in the best interest of the team, it has been decided to leave him out and provide him the opportunity to reflect and regroup himself and try to reclaim his form away from international cricket.”Sarfaraz Ahmed’s contributions are second to none and being the gutsy cricketer and fighter that we all know he is, I have no doubts he will be back in Pakistan colours at some stage.”ALSO READ: Pakistan left with ‘lots of questions to answer’ – Misbah-ul-HaqPakistan did win five of their nine games at the 50-over World Cup in England and Wales this year, and only failed to qualify for the knockouts because of New Zealand’s superior net run-rate, and have since beaten Sri Lanka 2-0 in a three-ODI series in Karachi, results that have helped Sarfaraz hold on to the job in the format.”It has been an honour to lead Pakistan at the highest level. I want to thank all my colleagues, coaches and selectors who have helped me in this journey. My good wishes are with Azhar Ali, Babar Azam and the Pakistan cricket team, and I hope they will continue to grow stronger and stronger,” Sarfaraz said.Azhar is not a surprising choice, given his status as the team’s most reliable Test batsman, although there had been talk about Shan Masood as a potential option. But Azhar is a safe appointment, now 73 Tests old and in good domestic form: he is second on the list of highest run-getters in the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. He also had an immensely successful series in Australia the last time Pakistan toured in 2016-17, his 406 runs in the three Tests including an MCG double hundred.”There is no bigger honour than to captain the Pakistan national cricket team in the pinnacle format of the game,” Azhar said. “I feel humbled, excited and privileged, and with the support of the team, look forward to justifying the faith that has been entrusted upon me for the World Test Championship.”I am not only targeting wins, but also aim to provide opportunities to players to grow in stature and express themselves so that Pakistan cricket can resume its journey to the top.”Babar, meanwhile, also has a tough job in his hands despite being handed the reins of the No. 1 side in T20Is – he is the No. 1 batsman in the world in the format too – but he called the elevation “the biggest thing” to have happened in his career.”To be named captain of the No. 1-ranked side in the world is the biggest thing that has happened to my career to date,” he said. “I am ready for this challenge and also willing to learn more in the process. I feel it has been a natural progression for me and I am delighted that the PCB has put faith in my capabilities.”

International cricket set to debut here at the USD5.2m cricket-specific facility at Church Street Park in the greater Raleigh area in September

Peter Della Penna19-Aug-2018North Carolina will host international cricket for the first time when the 2020 World T20 sub-regional Americas qualifier is held at the new USD5.2 million cricket-specific facility at Church Street Park in the greater Raleigh area from September 19 to 26. The ICC’s decision confirms news reported by ESPNcricinfo last month that the venue was the preferred choice among ICC Americas officials ahead of Woodley Park in Los Angeles, which hosted ICC WCL Division Four in 2016.The four-team tournament featuring USA, Canada, Panama and Belize was originally announced to be held from September 16 to 23 but the start date clashed with the final of the Caribbean Premier League in Trinidad. Seven USA players and one Canada player are currently part of CPL squads; the ICC accommodated a slight shift in dates to allow any of those players to make it to North Carolina in time should their franchise reach the CPL final.However, the Auty Cup series of 50-over matches between USA and Canada, which was tentatively slated to be held immediately after the T20 qualifiers in North Carolina, is currently in danger of being scrapped. According to a USA Cricket official, their attempts to lock in an agreement on match dates have been hampered by a lack of communication from Cricket Canada officials.”We would be honoured to host the oldest international sporting event of all time given the longstanding tradition,” USA Cricket project officer Wade Edwards told ESPNcricinfo. “We feel it is a great opportunity for our athletes to play more competitive cricket. It is unfortunate we have not received official communication from Cricket Canada regarding this year’s event.”A Cricket Canada official did not respond to ESPNcricinfo when contacted last week about their participation for this year’s Auty Cup. The 2016 edition won 2-1 by Canada was played in Los Angeles, while last year’s series was played in Canada where the USA broke a 26-year drought in a 2-1 series win.This year’s Auty Cup can only be squeezed into a small window at the end of September both for cost and logistics reasons. Both teams already have their flights to North Carolina covered by the ICC for their participation in the T20 qualifiers. The extra hotel costs of an extended stay to contest the Auty Cup are typically covered by the host country, in this case the USA. According to sources, both teams have been invited to play in the Cricket West Indies Regional Super50, which is due to start in the first week of October and continue through the end of the month.After the conclusion of the CWI Regional Super50, USA will then have a few days off at home before flying to Oman for the start of ICC WCL Division Three, which is scheduled to take place from November 7 to 21 according to multiple sources. USA will compete against Denmark, Kenya, Singapore, Uganda and the hosts, with the top two teams promoted to Division Two.This year’s Division Three tournament will stretch longer than the customary eight-day schedule for World Cricket League tournaments because Oman only has two turf wickets available for use, meaning only four of the six teams can play on any match day instead of having the three matches being played simultaneously. A source has informed ESPNcricinfo that Oman Cricket agreed to help subsidise the extra hotel costs in order to allow for the lengthened schedule.

Samit Patel produced his second double-century in consecutive matches before James Pattinson ripped through Leicestershire’s batting with an explosive burst of genuinely fast bowling

ECB Reporters Network20-Jun-2017
ScorecardSamit Patel produced his second double-century in consecutive matches before James Pattinson ripped through Leicestershire’s batting with an explosive burst of genuinely fast bowling to put Nottinghamshire into a strong position at the halfway stage of their Specsavers County Championship match at Trent Bridge.The 32-year old Patel, who scored an unbeaten career-best 257 against Gloucestershire at Bristol last week, almost matched that effort before falling for 247 soon after lunch.Patel batted for over seven hours and faced 305 balls, hitting 29 fours and two sixes as he became the first Nottinghamshire player to score 200 in successive matches.Once Patel had been dismissed, Stuart Broad threw the bat to good effect and raced to 50 not out, at which point Chris Read declared the innings closed on 548 for 9. Dieter Klein returned the most successful figures for the Foxes, taking 6 for 142 from 31 overs.Leicestershire had no real answer to the pace of Pattinson, who returned figures of 5 for 33, and were dismissed for 134 in 49.5 overs, a deficit of 414. Read then enforced the follow-on with four overs remaining but bad light prevented the players from returning.The Leicestershire innings was plunged into early disarray with Pattinson removing both Harry Dearden and Mark Cosgrove in a slippery opening burst. Re-introduced after tea, he then had Mark Pettini caught at third slip before demolishing the stumps of Lewis Hill and Gavin Griffiths, each with searing yorkers.Luke Fletcher claimed the scalp of Colin Ackermann and then Jake Ball got in the act by dismissing both Ned Eckersley and the stubborn Paul Horton, who made 31.Steven Mullaney also chipped in with two wickets, including that of Ben Raine, who batted with a runner after incurring a side strain on the opening day.Earlier, Riki Wessels, after a fifth-wicket partnership of 113 with Patel, departed for 30 after nicking the left-arm quick to Paul Horton at first slip and then Read, playing his 300th first-class match, made just 7 before nicking behind. Maximum points already secured, Notts pushed on with Pattinson playing some delightful shots on his way to 33 before being caught sweeping the offspin of Ackermann.Fletcher was caught behind from his first ball, giving Klein his sixth victim. Broad, aware that a declaration was imminent, hit four fours and three sixes to reach his third 50 of the summer and prompt the declaration.

Sri Lanka chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya believes that the side has one of the best bowling attacks

Sa'adi Thawfeeq08-May-20161:28

Hopefully we make strides everyday – Ford

Sri Lanka are in a period of transition, having lost seven of 11 Tests they played in 2015. Sanath Jayasuriya, who returned as chief selector, little more than a year since he stepped down from the role, however, believed that the side had one of the best bowling attacks.”The one department we are really good at is bowling,” Jayasuriya said. “We have the top best bowling side in the world – five fast bowlers and spinners who are all experienced and very good.”The Sri Lanka pace attack for the three-match Test series in England comprises Dhammika Prasad, Shaminda Eranga, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal and Dushmantha Chameera. Prasad, who is returning from a back injury he sustained during a tour match in New Zealand, Eranga, and Pradeep had played key roles in delivering Sri Lanka a 100-run victory at Headingley. Dusmantha Chameera, the newbie, had impressed with his raw pace and bouncers in New Zealand. He finished the series as the second-highest wicket taker with 12 wickets in two matches at 24.

‘Took this job since I like the challenge’ – Jayasuriya

Jayasuriya, who began his second stint as chief selector last month, said his first stint was not as difficult as the one he had taken up now. During his first stint from January 2013 to March 2015, Sri Lanka sealed their maiden World T20 title in addition to winning their first Test series in England. Both landmarks came in 2014, before Sri Lanka made the 2015 World Cup quarter-finals.
“I took this job on because I like the challenge,” Jayasuriya said. “Thilanga (Sumathipala) and the Sports Minister had a lot of confidence in me. They knew what I did during my first two-year stint as chief selector. Thilanga has been in touch with me from the first day he was elected SLC president. He asked me what kind of a role I can play to help Sri Lanka cricket, he knows how hard I work and my commitment.”

Rangana Herath had retired from limited-overs cricket, but continues to be vital cog in the bowling department. He has played 67 Tests and is three short of 300 wickets.Jayasuriya identified batting as the only worry and said that the management had to be “patient” with the young batsmen. He cited the case of Lahiru Thirimanne as an example. The left-handed batsman was dropped for the New Zealand Tests and was originally not picked for the World Twenty20 in India, but top-scored for Sri Lanka in each of the warm-up encounters preceding their tournament – hitting 41 against New Zealand, and 45 against Pakistan.”The only thing which we are lagging behind is our batting that is where you need to give them a little bit of time,” Jayasuriya said. “You can’t find batsmen overnight you have to be a bit more patient with them.”That is why we have given a chance to Thrimanne; we know how he can perform. He is going through a lean patch and he should get out of it very soon.”Jayasuriya stressed on the importance of continuity in selection and believed that the players picked for the England tour were the “future of Sri Lanka cricket”.”We think the players selected for the England tour is the future of Sri Lanka cricket,” Jayasuriya said. “That’s why I sat with the outgoing chairman of selectors Aravinda de Silva and we picked the team because we needed continuity in what he was thinking and in what we had in mind.”They are talented cricketers we have and we want them to deal with the pressures at international level. What we need to give them is the confidence to play at international level. We need to build their confidence by giving them continuous exposure.”It’s a very talented team and they are very good. They have been in the system for a long time in the Sri Lanka ‘A’, Development squads etc. We have to groom this talent. They are good domestic players who have played professional cricket overseas. What they need is international exposure at the highest level. We have given them that chance and we now have to be patient.”Jayasuriya also cautioned not to expect big results from Sri Lanka in England, although they had won the Test series 1-0 in 2014.”You can’t get results overnight, the English tour is very tough,” Jayasuriya said. “We have to look at the players’ performance in England on the long term. We can’t go on the short term just for the sake of winning. It’s not easy playing in England and even though we won in 2014 we had to fight hard. You have to face reality we have to give the boys a chance and provide them with the maximum what the country can give.”

Moeen Ali, the Worcestershire batsman, has been named as Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) Player of the Year for 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2013Moeen Ali, the Worcestershire batsman, has been named the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) Player of the Year for 2013. Moeen, who is in England’s Performance Programme squad to tour Australia this winter, was the leading Championship run-scorer and also became the first player to tally more than 2000 runs and take 40 wickets in all formats since 2005.Durham’s England allrounder Ben Stokes was the PCA Young Player of the Year, to go with the Cricket Writers’ Club award he won earlier in the week. He scored 615 runs and took 42 wickets in Durham’s Championship victory, as well as claiming a maiden five-wicket haul in ODI cricket for England, helping to win him a spot in the Ashes party.Moeen scored 1375 Championship runs in Division Two, although his county, Worcestershire, fell some way short of mounting a promotion challenge. He beat fellow nominees Michael Hogan, Samit Patel and Graham Onions to the award, which was won last year by Nick Compton. Stokes was up against the 2012 Young Player, Joe Root, Reece Topley and James Vince.In the England player categories, James Anderson was named the team’s MVP, while Graeme Swann won Test Player of the Summer after finishing as the leading wicket-taker during the Ashes. Ravi Bopara won the ODI award, after coming back into the side with impressive results during England’s run to the Champions Trophy final.Onions did pick up the prize for Championship Player of the Year, although England’s successful home season, in which they swept New Zealand in their two Tests and won the Ashes 3-0, meant he was squeezed out of the Team of the Year. Hogan joined Anderson, Swann and Stuart Broad in the attack, while wicketkeeper Phil Mustard was the only other Durham player, alongside Stokes, to make the XI. Gloucestershire’s Australian captain, Michael Klinger, joined Root, Moeen and Ian Bell – whose three centuries played a huge part in England retaining the Ashes – in the top order.Reg Hayter Cup for the NatWest PCA Player of the Year Moeen Ali (Worcestershire)
John Arlott Cup for the NatWest PCA Young Player of the Year Ben Stokes (Durham)
ECB Special Award Jim Cumbes
PCA Special Merit Award, sponsored by Brit Insurance Tony Greig
Friends Life t20 Player of the Year David Willey (Northamptonshire)
Yorkshire Bank 40 Player of the Year Peter Trego (Somerset)
LV= County Championship Player of the Year Graham Onions (Durham)
England FTI MVP of the Summer James Anderson
NatWest ODI Player of the Summer Ravi Bopara
Investec Test Player of the Summer Graeme Swann
Sky Sports Sixes League Winner Ryan ten Doeschate (Essex)
FTI Team of the Year Joe Root (Yorkshire & England), Michael Klinger (Gloucestershire), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire & England), Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire), Ben Stokes (Durham & England), Phil Mustard (Durham), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire & England), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire & England), Michael Hogan (Glamorgan), James Anderson (Lancashire & England)

Surrey have offered Graeme Smith, South Africa’s Test captain, a lucrative long-term deal that could potentially require him to give up international cricket

George Dobell and Firdose Moonda27-Sep-2012Surrey have offered Graeme Smith, South Africa’s Test captain, a lucrative long-term deal that could potentially require him to give up international cricket.ESPNcricinfo understands that Smith has been identified by Surrey as the perfect man to lead their rebuilding process after a season that saw the retirement of senior batsman Mark Ramprakash, the death of the talented Tom Maynard and the departure of former captain Rory Hamilton-Brown. Smith would open the batting and lead the side.It is not hard to see the attraction from Surrey’s point of view. Smith, who will be 32 in February, has played more than 100 Tests and, as captain, overseen South Africa’s ascent to No. 1 in the rankings. He averages almost 50 in Test cricket and scored a century in his 100th Test, against England at The Oval earlier this year.After years on the road, a period of relative stability in London might well prove attractive for Smith too. He has recently married – his wife is from Ireland – and had his first child. But, while Smith has achieved almost everything he could have wanted as a Test player and no longer warrants selection in South Africa’s T20I side, the ambition to win a World Cup remains strong.While it is possible that Surrey would consider signing Smith simply as an overseas player and be happy for him to continue his international career, it is understood from a source in South Africa that the club are looking for a long-term option and would be reluctant to accept a situation where a player comes and goes according to the international fixture list. South Africa are scheduled to play in the Champions Trophy in England next June and then tour Sri Lanka in July and August.Surrey declined to comment.

It’s a mark of the high standards that England now set that India’s eventual total of 224 felt a few too many but the openers reached 84 without loss

The Report by Andrew McGlashan10-Aug-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTim Bresnan continued his fine form and produced a superb delivery to remove Rahul Dravid•Getty Images

It’s a mark of the high standards which England now set that India’s eventual total of 224 felt a few too many after the pace attack had made short work of the top order, but the openers reached 84 without loss to ensure England remained firmly in control at Edgbaston. The visitors slumped to 111 for 7 before MS Dhoni rediscovered his form with a counter-attacking 77 as Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan shared eight wickets to do the bulk of the damage.Andrew Strauss won his first toss of the series and was happy to insert – as his opposite number had twice done in the series – but though conditions were helpful the pitch was slow and the Indian batsmen mostly aided in their own demise. The only real exception was Rahul Dravid, removed by a wonderful ball from Bresnan moments before lunch, while Virender Sehwag’s return lasted one ball and Sachin Tendulkar fell for 1 as England surged either side of the interval.If it wasn’t for Dhoni this match could well have been over as a contest already, but India still have a huge task to keep the series alive after Strauss and Alastair Cook made a significant dent in the total during the final 23 overs. Strauss reached his first international fifty of the season as the pace bowlers struggled to make an impression and Amit Mishra didn’t pose many problems.England’s quicks, on the other hand, are a handful in most conditions so a well-grassed pitch and cloudy skies just added to the threat. James Anderson wasn’t quite at his best, but Bresnan continued to demonstrate his development as a Test cricketer – and it’s worth remembering his place was only confirmed when Chris Tremlett was ruled out on Tuesday – while Broad’s resurgence shows no sign of abating.Yet it wasn’t perfect from the home side. While Dhoni and Praveen Kumar were adding 84 in 14 overs there was a strange loss of direction in the field. Strauss was very quick to go on the defensive to Dhoni, at one stage with eight fielders on the boundary, and the bowlers diverted from their successful strategy. As with the Broad-Swann stand at Trent Bridge it showed the impact of a positive approach and India were served well by the captain coming out of his shell.
Dhoni had taken 16 balls to get off the mark, and India were going nowhere as the main batsman had departed in a rush, but he burst into life with a string of boundaries and the strut so often associated with his batting hinted at returning. His fifty came from 62 balls and included three mighty sixes to various corners of the impressively redeveloped ground.Still, Dhoni’s innings only papered over the ever-expanding cracks in India’s batting. It would have seemed inconceivable at the start of the series that such a strong line-up (even allowing for the missing Sehwag and other injuries) would have failed to pass 300 in five innings. Sehwag’s return couldn’t have been briefer when he failed to lower his hands and gloved Broad’s first delivery to the wicketkeeper. The umpire, Steve Davis, initially said not out and Strauss was swift to call for the DRS, which clearly showed the mark on HotSpot. Sehwag was seemingly carrying the hopes of a nation on his dodgy shoulder, but the odds were always stacked against him having an impact even if he’s one player who often goes against convention.

Smart stats

• India were dismissed under 300 in the team first innings for the tenth time in Tests since January 2009. Seven of these occasions have come in the last nine innings.

• Stuart Broad picked up four or more wickets in an innings for the eighth time in Tests and the third time in his last five innings. In 16 previous innings, he had just one four-wicket haul.

• MS Dhoni’s 77 is only his second half-century in 2011. He has now scored 223 runs this year at an average of 20.27.

• Virender Sehwag was dismissed off the first ball he faced. It is the fifth time that he has been dismissed off his very first delivery.

• The 113 runs added for the eighth and ninth wickets is the fourth-highest aggregate partnership runs for the eighth and ninth wickets for India against England.

• Since the Brisbane Test in November 2010, England have bowled out the opposition team in 17 out of 19 innings. The only two times they failed to bowl out the opposition were in rain-affected matches against Sri Lanka.

• The half-century opening stand for England is only their second in Tests this year. The previous fifty-plus opening stand came in the Sydney Test in January.

• Andrew Strauss’ half-century is his first in nine innings after his 60 in the Sydney Test in January 2011. In eight innings prior to this one, he scored 129 runs at an average of 16.12.

Given the form of England’s pace attack, a grassy pitch and cloudy skies, further wickets seemed there for the taking but India responded solidly. Gautam Gambhir, also returning from injury after the blow to his elbow at Lord’s, had already collected two boundaries in Anderson’s first over and moved along at a pace more akin to Sehwag’s. Dravid, who wasn’t given much of a break despite a return to No. 3, showed the judgement and skill that made him India’s stand-out batsman in the series.However, as India were sensing stability England burst through as Bresnan, who had bowled with nagging accuracy and immediately located the right length for the pitch, was rewarded when Gambhir inside-edged a drive onto leg stump. Tendulkar was greeted with the cheers that have followed him throughout the series and Anderson was recalled immediately to target someone he has removed seven times.This time, though, Anderson had to settle for a helping hand in the wicket when Broad found the outside edge and he held the catch at third slip. It was the third time in the series that Broad had removed Tendulkar, whose 100th hundred is proving elusive, and India’s problems didn’t stop as Dravid received an unplayable leg cutter that took off stump in the final over of the session. England have had to work hard to dislodge Dravid in this series and Bresnan won’t have bowled many better deliveries in his career.Suresh Raina was again unconvincing as the quicks toyed with him before he loosely drove over a delivery from round the wicket, then Laxman joined the list of poor shots when he flicked a pull straight to long leg much as he did at Lord’s. Mishra, who replaced the injured Harbhajan Singh, was batting high at No. 8 and soon edged a drive to give Broad his fourth.The innings was at its low point, and England will have expected to be batting by tea, but India responded with some gusto. Praveen more than played his part with an idiosyncratic innings which included crunching drives and haphazard defence. The partnership was ended when Praveen top edged a pull off Bresnan, but it again needed DRS to confirm the edge after Davis said not out for the second time.Given the ultra-defensive fields set by Strauss it was ironic that Dhoni’s resistance was ended when an edge flew to the one close man – Strauss, himself, at first slip. The innings was ended when Cook, at silly point, managed to cling onto a well-timed punch that lodged in his elbow. When a team is playing confident cricket those are the sorts of things that go their way. One more good day can seal the series and No. 1 spot.