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Kusal Mendis’s unbeaten 166 helped Sri Lanka to post a comfortable 321 for 4 on the first day in Galle

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando in Galle07-Mar-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:35

Fernando: No-ball scare gave Mendis focus

How sweet homecomings can be. Having failed to score 300 in any of their six Test innings in South Africa, Sri Lanka rode Kusal Mendis’ suave 166 not out to a score of 321 for 4 on the first day in Galle. Along the way, Mendis signed up Asela Gunaratne for a sidekick, forging with him a dominant 196-run fourth-wicket stand, of which Gunaratne’s share was 85.This Galle pitch deserves a first-innings total of at least 400, so although Sri Lanka’s position is strong for now, it is certainly not an unassailable one. Bangladesh, though, will rue their falling away towards the end of the day. Their first three hours had been disciplined and energetic, the quicks squeezing a little movement from a reluctant surface in the early overs, before the spinners dealt almost exclusively in tight lines and lengths at their initial introduction. Their initial reward for this stretch of good bowling was a scoreline of 92 for 3, but then their pep waivered. The last dismissal came after several hours, not long before the close of play.

Mendis-Gunaratne’s record

• 2 Centuries for Kusal Mendis at home from nine innings. Mendis scored 176 against Australia last year and is currently unbeaten on 166. This is also his third first-class century.

• 166 Runs scored by Sri Lanka from 35 overs in the third session of play. Mendis scored 86 of those runs.

• 196 Runs added by Gunaratne and Mendis – the highest fourth-wicket partnership for Sri Lanka against Bangladesh

That late scalp was well-deserved by Taskin Ahmed, though – he was Bangladesh’s most consistent operator through the day, and it was appropriate that he have at least one scalp to show for his toil.Mendis’ innings was not without its flaws, but the mistakes came in the early going. He was assured through the middle of the day, and by the end: sublime. The worst shot had been his first. Mendis flashed at a short ball outside off stump from Subhashis Roy, to send an under-edge to the keeper. Bangladesh were celebrating and he was trudging off when the umpires sought to run a no-ball check, with replays showing the bowler had overstepped. Though visibly relieved, the experience was enough to scare Mendis into early reticence – only 22 came from his first 60 balls.There had been a little juice in the pitch in the early overs, too – a modicum of sideways movement, and just a hint of zip off the pitch. When this disappeared in the day’s relentless heat, Mendis began to prosper. First he parsed the mild spin of Shakib Al Hasan and the moderate turn of Mehedi Hasan. He then withstood Taskin’s intense second and third spells. Eventually Subashis tried to unsettle him with a short-ball assault, but though the occasional bouncer beat his hook shot, and another ball took the splice of his bat, he retained his wicket, and soon enough, began to score off the rib-high balls as well. As always with a good Mendis innings, there was that flicked on-drive, but on this occasion it was the swat-pull that defined his progress through the middle of the day. His first fifty took 101 deliveries but, in the company of Gunaratne – who was also scoring smoothly – Mendis hit his second off 64 balls.As the day grew long, and Bangladesh began to visibly wilt, Mendis only grew more dominant. He slinked down the crease to hit Shakib over long-on in the 76th over, then slog-swept Mehedi over deep midwicket soon after. He sailed past 150 in the final overs of the day. This innings was not nearly as impressive as his maiden ton – 176 against Australia last year – but he has, nevertheless, already displayed a thirst for big hundreds.Gunaratne, his partner for 43 overs, rarely appeared troubled at the crease, and was quick to punish anything short. Against the spinners he deployed his favoured sweep and reverse sweep. He glided to a half-century in 85 balls, and rarely failed to find gaps to release the pressure when a few dot balls had built up. This was his third fifty-plus score in five Test innings.Before Gunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal had produced a long, fruitless stay at the crease. It was not tortured exactly – the ball rarely beating his bat or causing him strife – but it was unambitious in the extreme. Why he embraced this ultra-conservative approach is unclear, particularly as he had just clattered 190 off 253 against the same attack in the tour match last week. Whatever the case, he only succeeded in taking time out of the game. Midway through the afternoon, a sudden burst of energy overtook him: he attempted to flay Mustafizur Rahman through the covers, then tried to slash him a little squarer next ball. The first shot was mistimed, and yielded no run. The second attempt sent a thick outside edge directly to gully, who gobbled up the catch. Chandimal ended with 5 runs to show for 54 balls and 71 minutes at the crease.The first session had been Bangladesh’s best, as Subhashis, Taskin and Mustafizur delivered impeccable spells to corner Sri Lanka into conservatism. Subhashis had made the first incision, darting a ball back off the seam to rattle Upul Tharanga’s stumps. Mehedi had Dimuth Karunaratne cutting too close to his body to make the second breakthrough. Sri Lanka were 61 for 2 at lunch, and there seemed a chance, at that stage, that their unusual decision to field only six batsmen for this Test would immediately hurt them.Mendis ensured that would not be the case.

The injury in the match against Mumbai Indians on Sunday was the third injury to the same shoulder in less than two years

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2017Chris Lynn’s IPL campaign appears in serious doubt after the Queensland and Kolkata Knight Riders batsman suffered yet another shoulder injury when diving in the field against Mumbai Indians on Sunday night.In what is the third injury to the same shoulder in less than two years, Lynn clutched the joint in obvious pain after attempting to claim an outfield catch to dismiss Jos Buttler. He was attended to by Knight Riders’ physio Andrew Leipus and was later seen with an ice pack strapped to his shoulder. On Monday, the franchise said Lynn had undergone an MRI scan and the results were due in two days’ time.Following the match, Lynn tweeted “Dear Cricket Gods, did I do something wrong?”. He had appeared set for a major impact at the tournament, having opened with a startling innings of 93 not out against Gujarat Lions, followed by a rapid 32 when Knight Riders batted first against Mumbai.Andrew McShea, the Brisbane Heat general manager, said the Big Bash League club were seeking further information about the extent of the injury to Lynn, who turned 27 on Monday. “We’ll stay in close contact through this initial process as we get an idea of what the extent of the injury is and what the options are for him,” McShea said.”It’s unfortunate for Chris to sustain another injury to the shoulder that has troubled him in the past. It’s not the sort of birthday you would wish for, and the best wishes of the club and our fans go out to him.”During the Australian summer, Lynn was a standout player in the BBL and also made his ODI debut for Australia. However it was also a season blighted with injury, with speculation growing that he may soon choose to opt out of playing first-class cricket and purely pursue Twenty20 roles to lengthen his career.

Gloucestershire have announced that their Australian quick Andrew Tye will not be joining them for this season’s NatWest T20 Blast

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2017Gloucestershire have announced that their Australian quick Andrew Tye will not be joining them for this season’s NatWest T20 Blast.Tye signed to return for a second year but injured his left shoulder playing for the Gujarat Lions in the IPL and his recovery takes him beyond the timetable for the tournament, which starts in early July.Head coach Richard Dawson said “Andrew went home to Australia and had surgery and now he’s got to rehab his shoulder so that he can come back to full fitness. It’s disappointing for us because he performed well last year, and for him because he was doing well in the IPL. We obviously wish him a speedy recovery.”The Champions Trophy and the Caribbean Premier League complicate recruiting a replacement but we’ll get our heads together and put a plan in place. If we go for a bowler to replace Andrew it helps to manage our bowlers through a tough period, and if we register a batsman it changes the balance of the team. We’ll look at all the available options and do what is best for the squad.”Dawson also confirmed David Payne would not feature for the immediate future after having an operation to correct a niggle from a hernia.

Yasir Shah’s ninth Test five-for hastened West Indies’ second-innings collapse that gave Pakistan a seven-wicket win in Kingston

The Report by Danyal Rasool25-Apr-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

West Indies fined for slow over rate

Match referee Chris Broad has fined West Indies for their slow over rate during the Jamaica Test against Pakistan. West Indies were ruled to be one over short of their target when time allowances were taken into consideration.
As per the ICC code of conduct, captain Jason Holder has been fined 20% of his match fee, while the rest of the West Indies players have been fined 10%. Holder will face a suspension if West Indies commits another minor over rate breach in a Test match within 12 months of this offence with Holder as captain.
Holder pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the fine, which meant there was no need for a formal hearing. On-field umpires Richard Illingworth and Richard Kettleborough, third umpire Bruce Oxenford and fourth umpire Gregory Brathwaite levelled the charge.

Pakistan took a giant stride towards winning their first-ever Test series in the Caribbean, after an efficient bowling performance helped ease to seven-wicket win in Kingston. After Yasir Shah’s six-for in the second innings left Pakistan chasing 32, Misbah-ul-Haq, who walked in at the fall of Younis Khan’s wicket with the side needing eight, hit two successive sixes to complete the formalities.Pakistan, emboldened by pushing West Indies to a tight corner last evening, spent the morning session closing in. They picked up six wickets for 59 as West Indies, resuming 93 for 4, were bowled out for 152.Misbah was in no mood to experiment, getting his two best bowlers – Mohammad Amir and Yasir Shah – into the attack straight away. At perhaps no stage of the Test did a wicket look as imminent as it did in the first 10 overs. Amir tormented nightwatchman Devendra Bishoo with an unwavering line outside off stump. Or perhaps it was the other way round, as Bishoo kept missing, somehow managing to keep his outside edge from making contact with the ball.Lesser bowlers – or indeed, Amir with lower levels of confidence – may have been frustrated, but Amir kept plugging away, and was duly rewarded. Vishaul Singh had just cut a rare poor Amir delivery away for four, but the bowler’s comeback was destructive. He went slightly wide of the crease to the left-hander, the ball shaping in sharply from the moment it pitched, destination: top of off. Singh, who had seen Amir move the ball the other way all morning, shouldered arms, and was every bit as much a spectator as everyone else when the off stump cartwheeled.Yasir Shah’s ninth five-for hastened West Indies’ collapse•AFP

Yasir was menacing from the other end, getting sharp turn off what was beginning to look like a standard day-five pitch, but it was Mohamamd Abbas who struck the next damaging blows with two wickets off three balls. Bishoo was the first to go, flashing at a short and wide delivery with Younis Khan pouching it in the slips. Two balls later, Shane Dowrich played across a straight ball that struck his pads in front of middle stump.Wahab, who has had a slightly disappointing Test with the ball, then got into the act, removing Jason Holder, West Indies’ highest scorer in the first innings. Yasir came in to clean up the lower order, just like he had the top order, removing Alzarri Joseph and Shannon Gabriel within four balls of each other to take six wickets this Test match, bolstering his ever-burgeoning credentials as a lethal second-innings bowler. This was the fifth time two Pakistan bowlers had taken six wickets in a Test innings of a Test, and the first since 2002.The chase of 32 was one perhaps not even Pakistan could stuff up, but they can’t be accused of not trying to make things interesting. Ahmed Shehzad tentatively pushed at the Gabriel delivery outside off stump for a simple catch to the wicketkeeper in the third over. Three balls later, Azhar Ali was making the walk back, having made a mess of trying to leave a ball from Joseph, only to somehow end up dragging it onto his stumps.After lunch, Younis fell trying to work Bishoo to the leg side with the side two boundaries away. But Misbah needed just three balls to put West Indies out of their misery. Thirty six for three may not look too clinical, but, as is so often the case, their bowlers had left the batsmen ample room for error.

Fast bowler Shannon Gabriel was unavailable as he continues his rehabilitation from an injury that kept him out of the series against Afghanistan; West Indies are unchanged

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-20170:44

A squad with only two centurions

West Indies have named an unchanged 13-man squad for the first two ODIs of a five-match series against India, opting for continuity after the 1-1 result against Afghanistan earlier in June.Fast bowler Shannon Gabriel was unavailable as he continues his rehabilitation from an injury that kept him out of the series against Afghanistan, meaning the hosts will be without their premier fast bowler for their most important series this season. The reasons for its importance are not just pragmatic – India brings the most lucrative TV revenues – but also cricketing. West Indies are ranked ninth in the ICC ODI table, with only the top eight guaranteed qualification for the World Cup in 2019. The drawn series against Afghanistan did not help, and this series could represent their last realistic chance to avoid playing a potentially awkward qualifying tournament, where the top two teams will go through to the tournament in England.India arrive in the Caribbean off the back of a Champions Trophy run to the final, where they finished runners-up to Pakistan. The first ODI is on Friday (June 23) at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad and Tobago.West Indies squad: Jason Holder (capt), Devendra Bishoo, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shai Hope (wk), Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammad, Ashley Nurse, Kieran Powell, Rovman Powell, Kesrick Williams

New Zealand players called up to replace David Miller and Lasith Malinga for CPL 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jul-2017St Lucia Stars have named New Zealand’s Jesse Ryder and Mitchell McClenaghan as replacements for David Miller and Lasith Malinga respectively, for the upcoming edition of the Caribbean Premier League, which begins on August 4. While Miller is likely to join South Africa A for their two four-day matches against India A, Malinga, who has been having injury troubles lately, might feature in the limited-overs series against India.Ryder played his last competitive game in March, scoring an unbeaten 109 in the second innings to take Central Districts to a win against Canterbury. The all-rounder, whose international career has been regularly interrupted by a spate of alcohol-related issues, last appeared for New Zealand in 2014. He has, however, been named in New Zealand’s 12-man squad for the Indoor Cricket World Cup in Dubai, which begins in September this year. He averages 26.13 in 133 T20s and strikes at 147.02.McClenaghan, the left-arm fast bowler, played a key role in Mumbai Indians’ successful IPL campaign this year, taking 19 wickets to finish as the team’s second-highest wicket-taker. McClenaghan has made 28 T20I appearances, taking 30 wickets at an average of 25.26.Speaking about the new signings, Manan Pandya of the St Lucia Stars franchise said: “Both Jesse and Mitchell are world-class players who will bring firepower to the squad in terms of both batting and bowling. We are sure that these new Stars will shine as we work on bringing home our first Hero CPL title.”

Sam Billings showed the sort of form thyat won an IPL contract but Kent fell foul of a Sussex side making a late move up the South Group table

ECB Reporters Network04-Aug-2017Alex Blake is bowled by Jofra Archer•Getty Images

Kent’s hopes of reaching this season’s NatWest T20 Blast quarter finals were dealt a severe blow as Sussex Sharks snaffled a five-wicket South Group win in Canterbury.Sharks’ skipper Chris Nash bossed the show with an unbeaten 73 from 58 balls as Sussex landed their third South Group win, whilst inflicting Kent’s fifth defeat of an inconsistent campaign.Sussex were chasing Kent’s hard-fought total of 163 for 9 – almost half of which came from the bat of Sam Billings.”Billings played exceptionally well and hit the ball really cleanly in areas that we couldn’t defend, so all credit to him for putting a decent score in the board,” Nash said. “But I thought the way our bowlers dictated up top meant they could only post 160 instead of 190.”Sussex made a useful start only to be set back when Stiaan van Zyl edged to the keeper when attempting a back-foot force against Jimmy Neesham, Kent’s Kiwi all-rounder.Nash and Ben Brown added 88 for the second Sussex wicket until Brown, one short of his 50, was bowled by Darren Stevens when aiming an ambitious, leg-side clip.Kent’s veteran all-rounder lifted the spirits of a 5,500 crowd – Spitfires’ biggest of the campaign – by having Ross Taylor caught at point from his very next delivery, but, with the wily Nash at the crease, it proved a false dawn for Spitfires’ fans.With only 16 runs needed Laurie Evans played across the line to go lbw to Mitch Claydon then David Wiese was run out in his follow-through by Jimmy Neesham without scoring, yet still Sussex romped home with an over to spare when Nash smeared the winning boundary over backward point.Fresh from their emphatic eight-wicket win over Surrey on Thursday evening, Sussex named an unchanged side and were on top from the start despite Kent winning their third successive home toss.Only five of the Spitfires top-to-middle order made it into double figures, of those only Billings showed the class that led to his IPL debut for Delhi Daredevils in the domestic close season.The impish right-handed wicketkeeper, to many Kent supporters a re-embodiment of 1970s legend Alan Knott, smashed a sublime 74 from 40 balls while those about him struggle for timing.Billings, 26, but playing in his 118th domestic T20 game, clattered four fours and five sixes to save Kent’s blushes after his side had made a miserable start.Spitfires’ in-form opening bat Joe Denly had his off stump pegged back by the first ball of the night from David Wiese then, in the second over, skipper Sam Northeast skied an attempted leg-side force against spinner Danny Briggs only to hole out to the keeper.Sam Billings played his most commanding Blast innings of the season•Getty Images

Kent’s demise continued when Wiese skittled Daniel Bell-Drummond to make it 22 for 3 only 29 balls into the match.Starved of short-form batting, Darren Stevens took time to get his eye in but, with his score on 18, the veteran all-rounder smeared to long-off after making room against Briggs, who finished with 2 for 33.Neesham’s run of useful contributions ended when he cross-batted one to long-off against Chris Jordan and Kent’s big-hitters continued to fail when Alex Blake dragged on when eyeing a back-foot force against Jofra Archer.Matt Coles heaved across the line to be bowled by the same bowler leaving Jordan to sweep up with figures of three for 38. The former Surrey and England seamer bowled Billings, after he attempted an audacious sweep shot, then skittled Imran Qayyum first ball with a low full-toss as Kent just about batted out their 20 overs.Billings, the night’s top-scorer said: “It was a belting pitch but T20 is a game of fine margins and a couple of overs with the bat and ball really cost us the game tonight.”As soon as we started getting back into the game we seemed to let the pressure off which you can’t afford to do in Twenty20. Credit to ‘Nashy’, who played a top-class knock, but we weren’t quite at it tonight and you can’t afford to do that in the South Group.”

The fourth ODI is unlikely to be the major talking point at The Oval, but West Indies must win to give themselves something to play for at the end of the tour

The Preview by Alan Gardner26-Sep-2017

Big Picture

Much of this series has been played amid mizzle and murk but there is a much bigger cloud hanging over England now. Ben Stokes’ arrest in the small hours after England had thumped West Indies in Bristol means both the fourth ODI and the Ashes squad announcement will be overshadowed by the off-field indiscretion of a star player.There could be far-reaching consequences but, in the very near term, England will have to replace two key members of their first-choice XI (Alex Hales, who was with Stokes, has also been ruled out of the Oval match). Eoin Morgan admitted the disruption had not been ideal – the news breaking while England were training – but will hope his players can remain focused on their attempts to seal the series.In normal circumstances England would feel confident against a West Indies side who they have beaten in 14 out of 15 completed ODIs – as Liam Plunkett suggested in the wake of taking five wickets to help them go 2-0 up in the series. Moeen Ali’s carefree hundred down the order once again demonstrated England’s strength in depth but, without their most-experienced opener and game-breaking allrounder, they look a little less secure in their overdog status.For a while in Bristol, as Chris Gayle marched ominously towards what would have been his first ODI hundred in 30 months, West Indies were in with a shot at chasing 370. Gayle was then run out and they quickly ran out of steam, as Plunkett and Adil Rashid rounded the innings up.This format looks to be West Indies’ weakest suit, with the block-and-bash formula that serves them so well in T20 exposed over longer innings. Stuart Law, West Indies’ coach, has already begun looking towards next year’s World Cup qualifier and will be hoping for a few improved individual performances to help instill confidence. It has been a bumpy old tour for West Indies but they still have a chance to level this series if they can surprise an England team suffering a self-inflicted wound.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WWLWW
West Indies WLLWL

In the spotlight

Moeen Ali waltzed out to take centre stage in Bristol, his 53-ball hundred the second-fastest by an Englishman in ODIs. As a top-order batsman in county cricket, he has sometimes struggled with the brief at No. 7, where can be required either to rebuild or slog from ball one, but this innings suggested he is mastering those demands; it was his first century outside of opening and helped shore England up from a position of 217 for 6, before an incendiary passage of 61 from 14 balls at the death blasted them out of West Indies’ gravitational pull.Key to West Indies’ victory in the T20 at Chester-le-Street was the intimidating opening partnership between Gayle and Evin Lewis. But while Lewis has proved himself adept as a Gayle-a-like force in the shortest format, he has struggled to take that into ODIs. After 19 innings, he currently averages less than 25, with almost a third of his runs coming in one innings (148 versus Sri Lanka) last year. Bristol highlighted his struggle to find the right balance, as he struck two towering sixes off David Willey before holing out in the same over.

Teams news

Jason Roy will come straight in for Hales, having lost his place to Bairstow earlier in the summer. Compensating for Stokes’ absence will be more difficult: Jake Ball and Tom Curran provide bowling options while Sam Billings has also been added to the squad.England (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Jos Buttler (wk), 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Chris Woakes, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 Liam Plunkett, 10 David Willey, 11 Jake BallWest Indies will hope Kesrick Williams is fit again after a back spasm but could otherwise be unchanged.West Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Shai Hope (wk), 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Jason Mohammed, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Ashley Nurse, 9 Devendra Bishoo, 10 Jerome Taylor, 11 Miguel Cummins

Pitch and conditions

A day out, the surface at The Oval appeared firm and true with a touch of grass left on – so likely to be full of runs. The Champions Trophy saw England and Sri Lanka pull off 300-plus chases there earlier in the season. A clear, warm(ish) day in the capital should ensure the game goes off without delays.

Stats and trivia

• West Indies have won two of their four ODIs at The Oval – including victory over England in the 2004 Champions Trophy final.
• Liam Plunkett is now the second-leading ODI wicket-taker in 2017 with 33, three behind Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan.

Quotes

“It has been a little bit of a distraction. As a group we are strong at sticking together and working well as a team. It has the potential to affect the game but not letting that happen is something we will strive to do.”
Eoin Morgan addresses the Stokes situation“We’re not quite playing at the tempo that I think that suits one-day cricket. We are caught between Test cricket and T20 cricket — of course we’re very good at T20 cricket and we’re ever-improving in the Test match arena. This is the arena we need to make sure that we start grabbing hold of and we start understanding.”
Stuart Law on the challenge for his players