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Sri Lanka’s interim coach, Stuart Law, says that the time for talking is over, as Sri Lanka seek to atone for their dreadful final-day display in Cardiff

Andrew Miller at Lord's01-Jun-2011Sri Lanka’s interim coach, Stuart Law, says that the time for talking is over, as Sri Lanka seek to atone for their dreadful final-day display in Cardiff by bouncing back to form in Friday’s second Test at Lord’s. Despite being renowned as one of the best batting line-ups in world cricket, Sri Lanka proved powerless to resist as England rolled them aside for 82 to win the match by an innings and 14 runs, and Law admitted that embarrassment had been the over-riding emotion in the dressing-room after the match.”We didn’t really compete on that last day,” Law told reporters after Sri Lanka’s practice session at Lord’s. “It was obviously very disappointing but embarrassing as well, to get bowled out in 25 overs with some of the world’s best batsmen in our line-up. We sat down for a good 40 minutes after the day’s play and spoke about different aspects and ways of coming back. We didn’t dwell on the negatives. We batted well in first innings, we batted well in second innings in Derby [against England Lions], but in each game we haven’t batted well in both. That’s what we need to do in this Test.”The events of the final afternoon in Cardiff were quite extraordinary. A game that had been meandering to a soggy draw burst into life after a 3pm start, thanks to some outstanding bowling from Chris Tremlett and Graeme Swann, as well as an inhibited Sri Lankan line-up that baulked at the prospect of batting for 51 overs to secure the stalemate. With nothing apparently at stake, the players simply failed to switch on mentally, and were caught napping by an England team that has now secured six innings victory in the past 12 months of action.”It can’t be a skills issue because our boys are highly skilled players,” said Law. “It was a stop-start Test match with weather intervention, and we were not sure when we were going to start and always guessing when we’d be ready to go. We had a mental block coming into bat because we should have been able to bat for 51 overs easily, but suddenly you lose a few wickets and you’re under pressure. It’s amazing what pressure can do to you, it makes the mind think wrong decisions.”Having lost an unloseable Test in Cardiff, Sri Lanka are now back at a venue where, five years ago, they drew an undrawable one. At Lord’s in the first Test of the 2006 tour, England led by 359 runs on first innings with almost two-and-a-half days in which to close out the match. However, with Mahela Jayawardene leading the way with his second Lord’s century, Sri Lanka dug in for 199 overs to save the match with nine wickets down.”It’s a good thing we’ve come straight to Lord’s, it’s a good inspiration,” said Law. “The wicket will as always be even paced and even bounced, and it’s one of my favourite grounds to come and play, so hopefully that will inspire our boys to greater heights. The boys aren’t stupid, they know what’s expected, and there’s no-one more disappointed than the 11 guys who played that game in Cardiff. They are ready to go out and show they can compete at this level, because if things continue like that it won’t be much fun on the rest of this trip.”The bowling attack that awaits them, however, could be one of the most physically daunting line-ups in Test history, with Tremlett, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn – James Anderson’s likely replacement – all measuring between 6’6″ and 6’8″. The uncapped Jade Dernbach could yet be selected to provide variety to the pace attack, but he will not exactly provide respite, having picked up nine wickets in that Lions game in Derby.The challenge of replicating such a towering line of attack is a stiff one for Sri Lanka, none of whose bowlers come close to such heights, but Law appealed to his batsmen to rediscover the fighting qualities that went missing in the closing stages at Cardiff.”Whichever combo they play will be tough work, but we have to come up with better plans on how to attack and defend,” he said. “It’s difficult trying to get into the mindset of getting forward to a half-volley that’s hitting you in the chest, but that’s what we’ve got to face, and our players are skilled and talented enough to work it out.”Talk is cheap,” he added. “You can provide talk and words, but it’s a matter of the players absorbing that and putting it into action. The talking is finished. We can’t just keep talking a good game, we’ve got out to play a good game.”Despite lacking depth with the bat and a cutting edge with the ball during England’s only innings at Cardiff, Law insisted that Sri Lanka had no regrets about the balance of the side they put out for the first Test, and hinted they would persevere with five specialist batsmen in a bid to take the 20 wickets needed to get back into the series.”We’re 1-0 down, but we’re not here to lose,” said Law. “I don’t think the combination we played in Cardiff was wrong, we just didn’t play well for 25 overs. Sri Lankan cricket should never go into its shell. Our players should always think positive, because when they think positive they think clearly, and that’s half the battle won.”Law said that he expected Dilhara Fernando to be available once again after missing the first Test with a knee injury, and hinted that the spinner Ajantha Mendis would be regarded as a horses-for-courses pick after struggling on an unresponsive Cardiff surface. But one player he did not envisage calling upon at this stage is the veteran Chaminda Vaas, who claimed match figures of 10 for 82 in Northants’ innings victory over Glamorgan on Wednesday, and who has signalled a willingness to return to international cricket at the age of 37.”It’s good to see Vaasy going strong, and he looks after himself,” said Law. “But we’ve picked a squad, and settled on it, so to draft someone in to make up numbers wouldn’t be the right way to go about it. We’ve got to put faith in the players we’ve got in the squad now, and try to go forward, although if there’s an injury then we’ll consider.”But now we’ll be better for the knowledge on the England players, and how to bowl in Test match cricket in England. For this Test we’ll be better prepared.”

Sanath Jayasuriya has said that he will retire from international cricket after Sri Lanka’s first ODI against England on June 28 at The Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jun-2011Sanath Jayasuriya has announced he will retire from international cricket after Sri Lanka’s first ODI against England on June 28, at The Oval, and revealed his decision within hours of being recalled to the squad close to his 42nd birthday.”The England tour will be my last tour for my country. I will play the first one-day and the Twenty20 match and retire,” Jayasuriya said on Thursday. “I am thrilled that the selectors had faith in my fitness.””I am still fit enough to play international cricket, though I have not played much one-day matches for the past several months,” he said. “Age is never an issue. I will be 42. So long as fitness and form is maintained, player burn-out is managed properly, there is scope for seniors like myself to represent the country.”There was recent speculation over the possible inclusion of Jayasuriya, who turns 42 on June 30, following the thumb injury sustained by captain and opener Tillakaratne Dilshan against England at Lord’s that has put him in doubt for the third Test – though he has been named in the limited-overs squad – and the absence of Upul Tharanga due to his failed drugs test.Jayasuriya had retired from Tests in 2007 and last played in an ODI for Sri Lanka in 2009. He was left out of the list of 20 players who were offered central contracts by Sri Lanka Cricket in 2010. Though he was named in the provisional squad of 30 for the 2011 World Cup, he did not make the final 15.Jayasuriya is next only to Sachin Tendulkar in terms of ODI runs and appearances, having made 13,428 from 444 matches.

The West Indies coach, Ottis Gibson, has described the ongoing stand between Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels as “a crucial partnership” during the rain-affected Test in Barbados

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jun-2011The West Indies coach, Ottis Gibson, has described the ongoing stand between Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels as “a crucial partnership” during the rain-affected Test in Barbados. Only 25.3 overs were bowled on the second day, but that was enough for the hosts to lost two wickets, and they finished up trailing by 103 runs.Chanderpaul was unbeaten on 20 and Samuels had 21, and the pair had built an encouraging 41-run partnership when play was abandoned. There should still be plenty of time for a result, after India failed to bat out the opening day and reached 20. Gibson said that with West Indies at 98 for 5, there was a lot of work ahead for Samuels and Chanderpaul.”We are looking forward to the third day,” Gibson said. “The second day was badly rain-interrupted and that is history. The pair at the crease has done a good job for us so far and there is plenty ahead of them. We know what Chanderpaul can do and he has showed a lot of application in his innings so far.”Marlon is now coming back into the team and he has looked good so far. He is really looking forward to this opportunity in this Test and hopefully he will continue to show the fighting skills he has demonstrated. He came in at a crucial time and has played well so far. We expect him to continue. This is a crucial partnership as there is still a lot of cricket left in the match.”Although West Indies need more from their batsmen, their bowled did well on the first day to keep India’s total down after Darren Sammy sent the visitors in. Ravi Rampaul, Devendra Bishoo and Fidel Edwards each picked up three wickets, and Gibson said it was pleasing to see the attack working so well.”The bowlers again did their job very well and they deserve the praise. It is good to see them putting in the hard work and getting the rewards.”

South Africa Under-19s came from behind to steal victory over England Under-19s by the narrowest of margins, winning off the last ball with one wicket remaining

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jul-2011
ScorecardJames Price scored 58 off 37 balls in South Africa Under-19s chase•Getty ImagesSouth Africa Under-19s came from behind to steal victory over England Under-19s by the narrowest of margins, winning off the last ball with one wicket remaining. South Africa were almost out of the huge chase at 148 for 6 in the 32nd over but doughty knocks from the lower order ensured they scrambled home to take an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the seven-match series with two games to go. James Price and Calvin Savage added 48 off 35 deliveries for the seventh wicket while Prenelan Subrayen and Savage put on 66 off 50 for the eighth. England continued to chip away though and when Subrayen fell for 48 off 33, South Africa needed 16 from nine balls. Duanne Olivier applied the finishing touch, slamming two sixes in his unbeaten 22 off 12 balls to take South Africa home with almost nothing left in the tank.England had reason to celebrate when Jamie Overton reduced South Africa to 18 for 2 but the visitors recovered through fifties from Shaylin Pillay and Price after which the lower order took over.England’s best batting performance of the series so far had earlier been built on the back of a 133-run opening stand between the impressive Daniel Bell-Drummond (72) and Sam Wood (57). Sam Kelsall and Aneesh Kapil consolidated with half-centuries before some late hitting carried England to 300, a total that almost proved to be enough.

England’s spinner Graeme Swann is confident that his team-mate James Anderson will be passed fit in time to face India in the fourth and final Test

Andrew Miller at The Oval16-Aug-2011James Anderson appears to winning his battle for fitness ahead of the fourth and final Test against India at The Oval on Thursday, after taking a significant part in Wednesday’s practice session. England’s captain, Andrew Strauss, said he was “very optimistic” that Anderson would be available for selection, but said that a final decision on his right quadriceps strain would be taken on the morning of the game.Anderson, who tore through India’s top order with each of the first four wickets to fall in their second innings at Edgbaston, has 18 wickets in the series to date and has risen to No. 2 in the world rankings. However, he complained of stiffness in his thigh after the Edgbaston match, and the Durham paceman, Graham Onions, was called into the squad as cover.Given how valuable Anderson has become as their attack leader, England have already demonstrated a desire to treat him cautiously this summer. He missed the second Test against Sri Lanka earlier in the season as a precaution, having sustained a side strain midway through the opening Test of the summer at Cardiff.This time, however, Strauss seems happier that his star bowler is ready for action. “We are very optimistic he’s fit to play,” he said. “He had a good bowl today, but like all these things we have to check how he comes up tomorrow morning. It just seems nothing more than a little niggle at this stage.”We’ve set a precedent of resting players in the past and I think it’s sensible at times to be able to do that, because of the hectic nature of the international schedule and you don’t want bowlers breaking down for important series,” he added. “But we will only be resting players if we’re absolutely sure they need a rest.”Anderson’s team-mate, Graeme Swann, took a similarly optimistic view when the squad reconvened for practice on Tuesday morning. “I honestly didn’t know he was injured until he told me this morning that he’s not going to play,” said Swann. “I’m sure once he gets running around, he’ll want to play because I know how well he’s bowling at the minute. I know Jimmy. When he’s doing well, he’s hungry for the ball and he just wants to keep going. It’s when he’s not doing so well, he’s more than happy for a week off.”If Anderson is not passed fit, England will have to choose between Onions and Steven Finn, after Chris Tremlett was once again ruled out by the back injury he sustained prior to the second Test at Trent Bridge. It was notable that England’s bowlers were below-par in the one match that Anderson missed, against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, and Strauss admitted that, even with their current fast-bowling resources, he is one player they would rather not do without.”He’s been very much the leader of our attack for the last couple of years and he’s been outstanding in that role,” said Strauss. “But we’ve had to deal with Stuart Broad being injured, Chris Tremlett being injured and people have come in and done well and that’s always the challenge for you as a side – to make sure you’ve got the strength in depth to be able to mitigate against any sort of injury. If and when we have to deal with that, we’ll deal with it.”He’s very important, not just for the tone he sets but for his relationship with the other bowlers,” Strauss added. “But you can’t rely on one person. That’s one of the things that we’ve been good at: we’ve not relied on one or two people to win us a Test match. We’ve had performances from all 11 and when we’re missing a player it’s important the guy coming in can fill that role.””I think [Jimmy] would be a huge loss, like any of the seamers, but we thought that with Tremlett when he couldn’t play at Trent Bridge,” said Swann. “Up stepped Bressie [Tim Bresnan] and he’s been unbelievable in the two games he’s played. We have got vast stocks of fast bowlers at the minute. I’m not sure where they’ve all come from, but it’s nice for us they have all arrived at the same time, because you can never have enough big fast bowlers.”

In another rain-affected match in the Bangladesh Cricket Board Cup, Bangladesh bowled out Bangladesh A cheaply before tamim Iqbal helped them ease past a revised target

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Sep-2011
ScorecardIn another rain-affected match in the Bangladesh Cricket Board Cup, Bangladesh bowled out Bangladesh A cheaply before Tamim Iqbal helped them ease past a revised target. Bangladesh A were bowled out for 167 in 46.3 overs before rain intervened. Bangladesh were given a D/L target of 100 runs from 20 overs and got there with five overs to spare.Seamer Nazmul Hossain outshone Bangladesh’s pace spearhead Shafiul Islam, giving his side two early breakthroughs. Then the spinners took over: Abdur Razzak, who has been named captain of Bangladesh for this tournament, took 3 for 25, and 19-year-old Nasir Hossain bagged four wickets for just 29 runs in his ten overs. Nasir impressed on international debut during the ODIs against Zimbabwe, scoring a half-century, and now showed what he is capable of with his offspin.There were not too many contributions from the Bangladesh A batsmen, with only Saghir Hossain and Mahmudullah getting past 30.Tamim made light work of the total, smashing 10 fours and a six in his unbeaten 66 off 51 balls. He lost the vice-captaincy after the Zimbabwe tour and has responded with consecutive half-centuries in this tournament.Both teams had already qualified for the final of the tournament, which will be played on September 21.

Four members of India’s World Cup-winning squad have been named in the ICC’s ODI team of the year

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Sep-2011Four members of India’s World Cup-winning squad have been named in the ICC’s ODI team of the year. India’s captain MS Dhoni was named captain became the only player to have made it for the fourth successive year. Yuvraj Singh, player of the tournament in the World Cup, Zaheer Khan, its leading wicket-taker, and Virender Sehwag are also in the team.The ICC also picked three Sri Lankans in the XI, including the World Cup’s highest run-scorer Tillakaratne Dilshan, former captain Kumar Sangakkara and fast bowler Lasith Malinga (12th man).The others in the line-up were South Africa’s new ODI captain AB de Villiers, fast bowlers Dale Steyn and Umar Gul, Australia’s allrounder Shane Watson and England spinner Graeme Swann.The notable absentees included South African opener Hashim Amla and Indian opener Gautam Gambhir, both of whom were among the four nominees for ICC’s ODI player of the year.Just one Pakistani?

“Clive, I have only question: why only one person from Pakistan?” asked Ijaz Butt, the Pakistan Cricket Board president, at the brunch at which the ICC ODI team of the year was announced. “Some of the boys really did pretty well and they deserved your consideration.” In his brief response Lloyd said the panel had thought about a few more Pakistan players including the former captain Shahid Afridi. “We had discussions about that,” Lloyd said. “We did discuss Afridi. (But) When you are picking a side you are looking at balance. We did not want to have an overload of spinners or quicks. I agree with you but there were not a lot of great performances (by the Pakistan players). They were consistent but not tremendously great performances.”

“A lot of players were in contention and the cut off date was August 3. It was a tough selection but I am happy with this squad,” Clive Lloyd, the head of the selection panel, said.When Mark Nicholas, the MC for the event, expressed mild surprise at the team not being “jam-packed” by Indians considering they won the World Cup, Lloyd said the job was to find the right people to fit into various positions.”There were a lot of people on the selection panel. Sachin Tendulkar is well and truly what you call a batting god. And it is very difficult to leave him out but when you look at the some of the players (picked ahead of him) they have done reasonably well. They had done better than him.”Lloyd also elaborated on why MS Dhoni was chosen as the captain. “He is a very studious guy, don’t forget that. He doesn’t have a lot to work with, he moves around his side a lot, and is a good thinker.”The team was selected based on performances between August 11, 2010 and August 3, 2011. The jury, headed by Clive Lloyd, also included South Africa’s Paul Adams, England’s Mike Gatting, New Zealand’s Danny Morrison and Pakistan’s Zaheer Abbas. ODI team of the year: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Virender Sehwag, Kumar Sangakkara, AB de Villiers, Shane Watson, Yuvraj Singh, Graeme Swann, Umar Gul, Dale Steyn, Zaheer Khan, 12th Man – Lasith Malinga

Morne Morkel has replaced Graeme Swann as the No. 1 ranked bowler in one-day internationals

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2011Morne Morkel, the South Africa fast bowler, has replaced Graeme Swann as the No. 1 ranked bowler in one-day internationals, giving South Africa the top spot in five categories across Tests and 50-over cricket.Morkel, who took 4 for 22 in the second ODI against Australia in Port Elizabeth, has climbed four places while Swann has slipped two after a disappointing series against India where he took just two wickets in four matches. However, to highlight how frequently the rankings can shift, Morkel could lose his position after the deciding ODI against Australia if he does not perform.For now, Morkel’s elevation puts him alongside team-mate Hashim Amla who occupies the top batting position in ODIs. Jacques Kallis is currently the No.1 Test batsman and allrounder while Dale Steyn is the top Test bowler. South Africa have not played Test cricket since January but will resume five-day action next month with a two-Test series against Australia before facing Sri Lanka either side of Christmas.Elsewhere in the one-day rankings two contrasting players share third place in the batting table with MS Dhoni and Jonathan Trott level on points. Dhoni was named Man of the Series against England having not been dismissed in any of the five matches and he has now set a new India record of runs scored between dismissals.Trott, meanwhile, made England’s top score during their whitewash with an unbeaten 98 in Mohali and he has risen three places in the rankings in his final international outings of 2011 during which he was named ICC Cricketer of the Year. The next best England batsman is Alastair Cook at No. 36, while Kevin Pietersen is at 47.Two India spin bowlers, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, played key roles in the England series and their performances are recognised by substantial improvements in their standings. Ashwin has entered the top 20 while Jadeja has gained 12 places to be two points away from a new career-best mark.Another significant mover is Brendan Taylor, the Zimbabwe captain, whose impressive series against New Zealand where he scored 310 runs including two centuries has boosted him 18 places to No. 17.

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has admitted that his board could have taken “a more strategic decision” in implementing the Test championship and a ten-team World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2011Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has admitted that his board could have taken “a more strategic decision” in implementing the Test championship and a ten-team World Cup. He said the Test Championship is on track for 2017, while the ICC, as a whole, would benefit from fewer weak member boards and independent directorship. He also revealed that there was a threatened elite breakaway of India, Australia, South Africa and England over the Future Tours Programme.”We got the balance incorrect [on the Test championship and ten-team World Cup]. There was a strategic choice that had to be made, it was an investment to be made and the leadership chose not to do it,” Lorgat told the Abu Dhabi-based . “It will happen eventually. I hope it doesn’t happen when it’s too late. It’s a new cycle. There’s absolutely no reason why it would not be in the schedule of events. We missed a golden opportunity in 2013 because Test cricket was starting to go on an upward trend.”While Lorgat conceded that the commercialisation of the cricket played some role in the decisions, he said it was not solely based on broadcast rights and profits. “The broadcaster [ESPN STAR Sports*] is but one party to the discussion,” he said. “It’s a board decision.”He said the ICC have not under-prioritised Test cricket, but that, on occasion, specific member boards are guilty of doing that. “There was a two-Test series in South Africa recently. People were desperate for a third Test. That is an example where it [the boards] has not leaned towards Tests,” he said referring to last month’s series between South Africa and Australia that was drawn 1-1.During that series, players such as Graeme Smith had voiced their disappointment at missing the chance of participating in a Test championship and Lorgat sympathised with them. “We have some seriously good players at the moment, shining in Tests. The chances of them being around in 2017 is zero. That is a particular disappointment.”To avoid such setbacks in future, Lorgat said he hoped the ICC’s leadership would form a strong enough collective to make decisions in the “best interests of the game”. Currently, the BCCI is a dominant presence, but Lorgat’s worry is that other member boards have not shown a strong enough hand. “What concerns me is the weakness of other boards. They need to find ways and means of generating revenue, of sustaining the game. They cannot operate on a dependency mentality.”India’ reluctance and ultimately refusal to use DRS is an example of what Lorgat called weak leadership by other members. “It’s up to others to stand firm, to have the courage of their convictions, to show leadership, to oppose that process. That’s more a reflection of weak leadership on other boards.”If the dissenting voice cannot come from within, Lorgat suggested that it may have to be from outside. He described his ideal vision of an ICC board as one that would have some form of independent directorship so that “there’s at least a balance of debate or a voice spoken without self-interest”.He indicated that an external hand, coupled with stronger member boards would help prevent problems such as the one that occurred during the drafting of the most recent FTP. Lorgat said he led the movement to reach a solution after the threatened elite breakaway. “There was a risk of that [a breakaway]. The initial drafts were leaning in favour of that. It was not agreed to. It was a role I led from the front.”Fortunately, we’ve got a better balance in the FTP. That is a reflection on the leadership of each of the boards. So whether you are Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Pakistan, or Sri Lanka, you’ve got to have the right people leading your cricket, because you require stronger leadership in view of the challenges such countries face.”*ESPN STAR Sports is a 50:50 joint venture between Walt Disney (ESPN, Inc.), the parent company of ESPNcricinfo, and News Corporation Limited (STAR)

Dinesh Chandimal, the Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman, is expected to be fit for the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town

Firdose Moonda in Cape Town01-Jan-2012Dinesh Chandimal, the Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman, is expected to be fit for the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town. Chandimal was struck on the right elbow during training on Sunday, was taken to the hospital for an x-ray and it was established that only had sustained bruising.”It’s not too serious,” Anura Tennekoon, Sri Lanka team manager told ESPNcricinfo “We think we will be alright for the match and he will definitely bat in the nets tomorrow.”Chandimal replaced Kaushal Silva behind the stumps for the second Test and had a bright debut in the Durban. He made 58 in the first innings of the Durban Test, adding 111 with Thilan Samaraweera for the seventh wicket, and followed up with 54 in the second, putting together 104 with Kumar Sangakkara.He was praised by captain Tillakaratne Dilshan, who tipped him to be a future member of 10,000 Test runs club, former captain Sanath Jayasuriya and many of his team-mates. Mahela Jayawardene said Chandimal was a “big factor” in the Durban win, which was Sri Lanka’s first on South African soil.Sri Lanka have suffered numerous injuries in the lead-up to the tour with four fast bowlers being unavailable due to injury before the squad was announced. During the tour match in Benoni, Nuwan Pradeep tore a hamstring and had to return home after bowling just ten balls. Also during that match, Kumar Sangakkara tore the webbing between two of his fingers, but recovered in time for the first Test.