Bell hits second hundred in match as Warwickshire tighten grip

Ian Bell completed a memorable return to form with Jonathan Trott again in support as one of county cricket’s best-known double acts proved too much for Glamorgan

Jon Culley at Edgbaston12-Jun-20181:55

Somerset chase down Notts to top Division One

Warwickshire 250 (Bell 106, Trott 57, van der Gugten 4-65) and 294 for 6 (Bell 115*, Trott 67, Salter 4-80) beat Glamorgan 220 (Poysden 5-29) and 323 (Khawaja 125, Cooke 59) by four wickets
ScorecardThe difficult final day Warwickshire might have anticipated turned out to be relatively comfortable as another handsome partnership between the two old stagers, Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott, set them up for a fourth consecutive victory.Bell, who had gone more than two years without a Championship century until two days ago, completed a second in the match, unbeaten in both. A return to Division One of the Championship at the first attempt already looks highly likely.The season is only a third of the way through but already Warwickshire’s points total, from five matches, is 11 more than they garnered from 14 last year, which says quite a lot about the difference in quality between the divisions. Barring two or three changes, this is the same Warwickshire team that suffered nine defeats in 2017 and finished 60 points behind the rest.There are questions to be answered, clearly, about the structure of the Championship, while Warwickshire will know that they may struggle again at the higher level without more changes. But those are for another day.For the moment, their supporters can at least anticipate a decent summer and hope to enjoy watching Bell and Trott turn back the clock just a few more times. Although Bell has not yet given any hints about retirement – he is contracted for another two seasons after this – Trott is finishing at the end of the current year. There will not be many more days like these.Almost 74 years and 170 Test caps between them is the measure of their experience and they drew on it to good effect here, adding 113 runs in 30 overs for the third wicket to take Warwickshire a good chunk of the way to their target of 294 to win. On a used wicket, Glamorgan felt their spinners might give them a decent chance of winning here for the first time in 30 years but Andrew Salter, the off-spinner who is their senior slow bowler in this game, will not have faced many batsmen more adept than these two against spin, certainly not in tandem.Until Glamorgan turned to David Lloyd’s seam at the pavilion end just after tea and Trott, falling over slightly, was leg before trying to work to leg, it seemed unlikely the partnership would end unless, as in the first innings, one of them ran the other out. Indeed, there were a couple of times it nearly happened.Trott fell for 67 but Bell, for the second time in the match, was going nowhere, completing his second century off 160 balls with 14 boundaries, achieving the feat of two hundreds in the same match for the second time in his career. He did it before against Lancashire at Old Trafford in 2004, which was the last time, in fact, that any Warwickshire batsman has made 100 or more in both innings.In the end, then, Glamorgan missed Michael Hogan and Marchant de Lange, sidelined with hamstring injuries, as much as they thought they might at the start and it will be a relief to have both back to face Derbyshire next week.Wickets in the morning session was always likely to be the determining factor in the outcome and Warwickshire lost only one as Will Rhodes and Dominic Sibley compiled their first hundred stand as an opening partnership. There was a brief hint of a wobble when Sam Hain was bowled by Lloyd second ball and another when Salter, who had dismissed both openers, removed Tim Ambrose and Keith Barker in the space of three balls to claim career-best figures, but Bell remained to hit the winning boundary at around ten past five.

Markram and Davids tons clinch title for Titans

Titans won the Momentum One Day Cup in Centurion after amassing a score of 425 to hand Warriors a 236-run defeat in the final

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Apr-2017Emphatic centuries from Titans‘ openers Aiden Markram and Henry Davids handed Warriors a 236-run drubbing in the final of the Momentum One Day Cup at SuperSport Park in Centurion. A record opening stand of 212 propelled Titans to 425 for 5 – the highest total in the history of South African franchise cricket – before Warriors were bowled out in 31 overs.Having elected to bat, Titans raced to 100 in 16.2 overs, as Markram peppered eight fours and two sixes to bring up his century off 96 balls. In the next 27 deliveries he faced, the 22-year-old cleared the boundary five more times and clobbered three more fours to register his second-highest score in the tournament (161), after his 183 against Lions in Johannesburg. Davids, who finished the competition as the leading run-scorer with 673 runs at 84.12, joined in the run-fest with a fluent 98-ball 114 – studded with 13 fours and four sixes – in what was his third century and sixth 50-plus knock in eight innings.Once Warriors captain JJ Smuts broke the stand with Davids’ dismissal in the 30th over, wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen – a late replacement for AB de Villiers, who pulled out due to a back injury – sustained the onslaught with a 50-ball 60, before Chris Morris plundered six sixes and a four to inflict a final salvo with an unbeaten 47 off only 12 balls. Heino Kuhn and Morris added 52 for the sixth wicket in the final 2.2 overs, helping Titans post a total in excess of 400 for the third time this season.Of the eight bowlers used by Warriors, Smuts was the only one to leak less than seven runs an over. Anrich Nortje took the bulk of the beating, conceding 62 in six overs despite having picked up two wickets.The fate of Warriors’ massive chase depended heavily on strong starts from openers Smuts and Gihahn Clote – the side’s top two scorers in the tournament. But an early strike from Morris (2 for 41) set them back, as he bowled Cloete (3) in the second over of the innings. Lungi Ngidi’s subsequent double-strike off successive overs accounted for Colin Ingram (1) and Smuts (13), reducing the opposition to 22 for 3 in the fifth over. While Warriors failed to recover thereon, only Jerry Nqolo (40) offered any resistance before falling to Markram (1 for 7), who was named the Player of the Match. Junior Dala further dented Warriors’ chances with two wickets, taking his tournament tally to 16 – joint with Robbie Frylinck and Shadley van Schalkwyk at the top – before Tabraiz Shamsi’s treble closed out the game, skittling Warriors for 189.

Travis Head signs for Yorkshire

Yorkshire have signed Travis Head, the South Australia, Adelaide Strikers and Australia batsman, for the second half of the English season

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2016Yorkshire have signed Travis Head, the South Australia, Adelaide Strikers and Australia batsman, for the second half of the English season.Head, 22, who made his debut for Australia in the T20 series against India last month, will replace Kane Williamson from July 18 when he returns to international duty.The move will reunite Head with Jason Gillespie who was the Strikers coach during the 2015-16 Big Bash where Head excelled with 299 runs at a strike-rate of 154.92 runs. His standout innings was an unbeaten 101 against Sydney Sixers when he took 51 runs off the last three overs to win the match for the Strikers.His returns in the current Sheffield Shield season are not as eye-catching with 322 runs in seven matches at an average 24.76, but Gillespie expects him to play a key role in all three formats.”Travis is a great signing for us,” Gillespie said. “He has had a terrific season in Australia and is eager to develop his skills in England.”The fact that he can adapt to all formats is beneficial to us. He will add something different to the squad with his aggressive batting style and his ability with the ball as a genuine spinner.”He has a lot of maturity for a young man and his cricket intelligence is improving with every match. He will fit in nicely to our system.”Head said: “To play across all formats is important to me and playing in English conditions will be a good challenge. I can’t wait to get over and make an impact.”

Dhaka Premier League postponed for fourth time

The start of the 2012-13 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League has been deferred for the fourth time. The player transfers/recruitment programme, which was supposed to be held on Thursday, has also been delayed further, possibly till the end of August

Mohammad Isam24-Jul-2013The start of the 2012-13 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League has been deferred for the fourth time. The player transfers/recruitment programme, which was supposed to be held on Thursday, has also been delayed further, possibly till the end of August.This time the reason for the delay is the Dhaka clubs’ reluctance to take part in the recruitment programme before Eid-ul-Fitr, which is supposed to be held in the second week of August. Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) chairman Jalal Yunus however said that the commencement date of the Premier League will not be delayed by too long.”The clubs have asked us to hold the recruitment programme after Eid,” Yunus said. “They wouldn’t be able to make payments during this time. But the league itself will only be delayed by three to four days because it will now most probably begin on September 2 instead of August 29.”We hope to declare specific dates for the player recruitment programme and the start of the Premier Division Cricket League after the board meeting on July 29.”The players’ representative body has criticised the BCB for this latest delay, though, saying the board hadn’t considered the effect the decision would have on the players. Cricketers’ Welfare Association Bangladesh general secretary Debabrata Paul said: “Many of the players are struggling to make ends meet ahead of the Eid holidays. The BCB and the clubs only considered their own interests, instead of the basic needs of the players. They could have held the players recruiting programme tomorrow (July 25).”The BCB’s ad-hoc committee had announced the new dates at its July 3 meeting, but the clubs continued to push the board to change dates. This has been the case since March this year when the league was originally scheduled to be held. Then, the clubs’ objection was the ongoing Sri Lanka tour, which meant all national cricketers wouldn’t be available to play.Some of the clubs also complained about players asking for too much money, so the players’ transfer system was changed, the new programme resembling the American draft system. The old system, which will return next season, had the players and clubs negotiate rather than go through a lottery.The Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League is Bangladesh’s top domestic one-day tournament, played between twelve Dhaka-based clubs. The board granted it List-A status this year, after the National Cricket League’s one-day tournament fell through for the last three seasons.

Competitive Overton twins put in creditable show

At England Under-19’s match against Australia in Townsville, the Overton twins, allrounder Craig and fast bowler Jamie, performed creditably in defeat

George Binoy in Townsville11-Aug-2012Caught C Overton bowled J Overton. A fielder-bowler combination that is almost certain to appear in many Somerset scorecards of the future. It appeared twice today, in England Under-19’s match against Australia in Townsville, where the twins, allrounder Craig and fast bowler Jamie, both tall and strong, performed creditably in defeat.Craig top scored for England, making 35 in tough conditions, and bowled 8.1 overs for 31 runs without a wicket. Batting at No. 4, he was in as early as the ninth delivery of the morning, after his team had slumped to 8 for 2. Under attack from Australia’s three quick bowlers, Craig watched the situation steadily get worse.”It did a bit early on,” he said. “So we had to battle through it and unfortunately today we didn’t do it. Not ideal losing the toss, but you’re never going to win a game batting like that. A disappointing performance really.”Craig battled 81 deliveries for his runs, playing the quicks with care and attacking when he could. “They bowled really well, made it a struggle for us to score runs. They never let us get away. I just tried to stay there, just to battle through it, bat as long as possible.”His resistance ended in the 27th over, by which time England were 96 for 7. Jamie managed 14 off 15 deliveries and England were eventually bowled out for 143 in the 39th over.Australia had a short period to bat before the lunch break and during that time Jamie did his thing, bowling at speeds approaching 150kph. With the equally impressive Reece Topley troubling the batsmen from his end, Jamie hustled and harried the Australians with his pace.”Even with [about] 140 we felt comfortable, we have a really good bowling attack and we felt we could have bowled them out,” Jamie said. “We probably would have liked to stay out there [at lunch], the way the situation was.”England had Australia at 54 for 4 but the next breakthrough never came. For his part, Jamie may have got carried away because of the pace and bounce in the pitch. In his first over, he had dug in a bouncer that soared over the keeper’s head. Later on, he began to pitch on the shorter side, as England’s desperation for wickets grew. He’ll be wiser for the experience.Jamie did find two edges, though, on either side of lunch, and Craig caught both at slip. “I rely on him quite often,” said Jamie. “He’s been in the slips often and I normally get quite a few edges [while bowling]. He doesn’t drop that many and has a good pair of hands.”After the backyard cricket when they were toddlers, where Jamie would bowl “little medium pacers at Craig”, the broken windows and the shattered vases, the twins started playing together in teams from the age of eight. They played together in Devon’s age-group sides, working their way up towards the Somerset Second XIs. Their progress has not always been simultaneous, but the twin behind never took long to catch up. The competition helped their growth.”Say I’ve gone ahead,” said Jamie. “He [Craig] has always tried to catch up with me. When he’s gone ahead, I’ve always caught up with him. We’ve always been really competitive with each other.””I did,” said Craig, when asked who made their first-class debut for Somerset first. “We were told that one of us wasn’t going to play. So we just knew that if one didn’t play, we’d support him as much as possible. That’s what we do, try and get each other going, try and get our performances going.”Craig made his Somerset debut against Lancashire in April this year. Less than a month later, Jamie was alongside him. “It made me want to get it more,” said Jamie. “Hopefully we’ll get a few more chances together with them [Somerset].”In the years to come, Craig and Jamie Overton may get chances with England’s Emerging Players and Lions. They probably won’t get it together, but the twin behind will strive to get there too, with the twin ahead hoping he does.

Next year's Asia Cup rescheduled

The 2012 Asia Cup has been rescheduled to avoid conflicting with the ODI tri-series in Australia that also includes Sri Lanka and India

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2011The 2012 Asia Cup has been rescheduled to avoid conflicting with the ODI tri-series in Australia that also includes Sri Lanka and India, the Asian Cricket Council has said. The tournament was originally supposed to be played from March 1 to March 11, but with the tri-series ending on March 8, the tournament will now be played from March 12 to March 22. The venue, Dhaka, remains unchanged.The 2012 Asia Cup will be the 11th edition of a tournament that has had something of a rocky existence, being played at irregular intervals and tacked on as an afterthought to the already jam-packed schedules of the big four teams of Asian cricket – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. India are the defending champions, having beaten Sri Lanka in the final of the 2010 edition in Dambulla.

ICC might send a hand-picked side to Pakistan

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat has said the organisation might send a hand-picked side to Pakistan late next year

Cricinfo staff17-Jul-2010ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat has said the organisation might send a hand-picked side to Pakistan late next year to give fans an opportunity to watch international cricket as he is worried the lack of top-level cricket will affect the popularity of the game in the country.”It will always be dependent on the expert advice of the security experts, but we think that perhaps towards the end of next year we must start looking at what the horizon looks like and if it is at all possible [to send a team to Pakistan],” he told .Lorgat said the ICC could not let the status quo continue indefinitely and that he would accompany any team that did go to Pakistan.”We will assess the situation very, very carefully. We know that we can’t leave things as they are if it is at all possible to play in Pakistan,” he said. “I’m not just suggesting a bi-lateral series; it may be an ICC XI. Whether it’s a youth team, an older team, or whatever… I would go with that team as well.”We need to look at it. We shouldn’t just sit back and do nothing. But we certainly would not do something that is not properly calculated.”In another attempt to bolster cricket in Pakistan, the ICC has appointed Mike Brearley and Greg Chappell as ambassadors to support the PCB. The two former Test captains have been tasked with getting the global cricket community to support the PCB and its players at a time when Pakistan is unable to host matches at home.Teams have refused to play in Pakistan since March 2009, when seven Sri Lanka players were injured after gunmen attacked the team bus on its way to Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.

Saini makes a stand for India B, but Rahul helps steer India A ahead

India B were propped up on Musheer Khan’s magnificent 181 in the Duleep Trophy game in Bengaluru

Shashank Kishore06-Sep-2024Until last week, Navdeep Saini hadn’t touched a red ball for over seven months. He was hoping to ease himself into the season with a steady diet of white-ball cricket courtesy of the Delhi Premier League (DPL). But when the Duleep Trophy call-up came, as a late replacement for Mohammed Siraj, he had to hit the ground running.Two days in, Saini has already had a bigger influence on the game than he may have imagined. A mix of stoic defence and the occasional free swing brought him an excellent half-century, his second in first-class cricket. He occupied the crease for 349 minutes, his longest vigil, during the course of a magnificent 205-run stand for the eighth wicket with Musheer Khan as India B recovered from 94 for 7 to post 321.Saini’s contribution was massive in helping Musheer build from an overnight 105 to a majestic 181. But that was one-half of his efforts on the second day’s play in Bengaluru. He later delivered a telling early spell with the new ball to send Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarwal back. India A then recovered to finish on 125 for 2 still trailing India B by 187 runs.KL Rahul and Riyan Parag added an unbroken 68-run stand for the third wicket for India A•PTI

Gill was out shouldering arms to an in-ducker that flattened his off stump for 25, reminiscent of his dismissal to Australia’s Scott Boland in last year’s World Test Championship final. Agarwal’s wicket for 36 was slightly lucky; made possible thanks to Rishabh Pant’s agility as he threw himself to his left to take a catch down the leg side to dismiss the opener who had tantalised the audience with a series of superb cover drives. Riyan Parag and KL Rahul, playing his first red-ball game since the Hyderabad Test against England in January 2024, then put together an unbroken 68-run partnership, allaying the early jitters.Related

  • Akash Deep uses Shami's advice for impressive Duleep Trophy outing

  • Pant and Sarfaraz's thrilling double-act hands India B advantage

  • Suthar, Rana star on another 14-wicket day in Anantapur

Rahul’s was largely an exercise in denial after being lucky twice. Still on zero, he could have been Saini’s third wicket when he nearly dragged a ball back on to the stumps while attempting a loose drive. Then, on 3, he was reprieved by Nitish Kumar Reddy at third slip after poking at an away-going delivery from Mukesh Kumar. Rahul scored his first runs off his 14th delivery and it wasn’t until the fag end of the day, when he unfurled a superb cut behind point off Reddy, that he finally seemed in his element.Rahul’s methods also had something to do with the appreciable movement Saini and left-arm seamer Yash Dayal were able to get. Either way, having been on the field for a better part of the game already, there couldn’t have been a bigger endorsement of the middle-order batter’s match fitness as he eyes a return to the Indian Test squad.Parag was a little more sprightly, even though he was occasionally troubled by the late movement on offer. He survived a close lbw shout early off Reddy when the ball curved away to hit him high on the back leg. Like Rahul, Parag is a stroke-maker but his willingness to show fight and deviate from his natural game was an encouraging sign.Musheer Khan finished with 181 for India B•PTI

There were less encouraging signs as well from India A, like the tactics employed by their captain. Having taken the new ball at the first available opportunity at the start of the 81st over, Gill spread his field out to both Musheer and the No. 9 batter Saini. This not only limited the bowlers’ ability to exert pressure, but it also helped India B push their total ever higher.After Musheer initially denied himself run-scoring opportunities in trying to farm the strike, he was encouraged by Saini’s ability to hold his own. The pair, however, got lucky when they were involved in a comical mix-up didn’t somehow result in a wicket. Both batters were stranded mid-pitch looking at each other in the fourth over of the day, the 83rd of the innings, after Musheer had pushed the ball to point. Khaleel Ahmed, who could’ve thrown at either end, eventually went for the striker’s and missed with Saini having long given up.As Musheer opened himself out to take all the available runs, Gill tried to unsettle him by placing a leg slip. Musheer responded by hooking Avesh Khan for six, and then followed it up with a superb pull in front of square for a boundary in the same over. Along the way, Musheer also made judicious use of DRS to overturn two decisions – one lbw and one caught behind.Musheer brought up his 150 off 326 balls when an overthrow allowed a second run with no one backing up. It summed up the state of play at the time, with India A running short of ideas. Soon after the landmark, Musheer launched Parag for a massive six over deep midwicket to signal a change in intentions.But a double-ton wasn’t to be as he fell in the second over after lunch, a ball after he had slog-swept Kuldeep Yadav onto the roof at deep midwicket. Two of Musheer’s three first-class hundreds are now 150-plus scores. This one, like the others, served to reiterate his maturity and hunger at 19.

Pope 'confident' he is up to Ashes captaincy challenge if required

Stokes urges his deputy to take vice-captaincy “as seriously as I did”

Matt Roller05-Jun-2023Ben Stokes has implored Ollie Pope to take his new role as England’s official vice-captain “as seriously as I did” as concerns around Stokes’ fitness linger ahead of the first Ashes Test on June 16.Stokes reiterated before England’s 10-wicket win over Ireland at Lord’s that he intends to play a full part in all five Tests – “unless I can’t walk, I’ll be on the field” – but he did not bowl a ball in the match and was in clear discomfort on the final day, appearing to jar his troublesome left knee when taking a catch.Stokes has only bowled once since returning from the IPL, a 20-minute spell in the warm-ups ahead of the third and final day of the Test on Saturday, and it appears increasingly possible that Pope will deputise for him at some stage this summer, even if only for a brief period of time.Related

  • Moeen Ali considering Test comeback after England Ashes call

  • Rehan, Jacks… Moeen? Who are the candidates to replace Leach?

  • Leach ruled out of Ashes with back stress fracture

  • Root ready to 'just go and play' against Australia

  • Stokes 'definitely on course' to bowl in first Ashes Test

Pope has only captained one first-class match – an end-of-season County Championship fixture for Surrey – but has been groomed as future leader for more than six months. In Stokes’ absence, he captained England in both of their warm-up games over the winter: against the Lions in Abu Dhabi, and a New Zealand XI in Hamilton.When Rob Key became England’s managing director last year, he said that he was “not concerned with having to appoint a vice-captain” and that it was “low down on my priorities” but has gradually become convinced of the importance of the role – not least when observing Moeen Ali’s influence within England’s white-ball set-up.Stokes and McCullum told him last month that they wanted Pope to be made vice-captain in a formal capacity after deputising in the winter, and his appointment was ratified before the Ireland Test. “It really shows where Ollie Pope is – how far he’s come in a year,” Key said.On Pope’s promotion, Stokes said after the Ireland Test: “[We had] given him more responsibility over the winter, using him more out on the field, running things by him about what I think. Then we just naturally came to a decision together. And he’s excelled as a player and taken responsibility at No. 3.”I just thought it was the right time to finally, officially, name a vice-captain and Popey was the man for it. I think it will do him the world of good, getting a double-hundred on his vice-captaincy debut.”Stokes’ own reinstatement as vice-captain four years ago “meant the world” to him•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Pope said that he saw the role as “a big honour” but that it would not represent a major change from the winter. “From what I was doing before, it doesn’t make a big difference,” he said. “I’m going to give my opinion and challenge Stokesy when he needs challenging. We’re going to be tested in the Ashes along the way, so it’s not always about going on and agreeing with him.”It’s about providing a different opinion to let ponder in his mind as well. Nothing’s really changed. He’s got a pretty clear vision, and he’s got 15 guys in that changing room who know our roles now, so that’s helpful for everybody.”Before his own appointment as captain last year, Stokes had served as Joe Root’s deputy in two separate spells. He cared deeply about the position, which he lost in the aftermath of the street fight outside a Bristol nightclub in 2017 that briefly threatened his career.He was reinstated in the weeks leading up to the 2019 Ashes after texting Tom Harrison, the then-chief executive of the ECB, to ask if he was eligible for the job. “Forty-eight hours later, I had Ashley Giles, the England managing director, in contact to offer me the position once more… it meant the world to me,” he wrote in his book, .”It’s a role that I took very seriously,” Stokes added on Saturday evening, “and I told him, I want him to take it as seriously as I did. That’s why me and Joe worked so well together: I didn’t take it just as a badge, almost, and we rubbed off [on] each other really well so I’m encouraging Popey to do the same role that I did.”Pope won the match award against Ireland at Lord’s•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Pope believes that Stokes will do everything in his power to be on the field at all times this summer, but said that he feels “confident” he would be able to “implement the same ideas” as his captain if the situation arises.”Fingers crossed Stokesy’s body’s all good,” Pope said. “It’s going to take a hell of a lot for him not to be on the pitch even for a day’s play, knowing what he’s like.”But if it did happen, I feel confident. We’ve played a lot together as a team over the last year and a bit, and he knows a lot how he wants the bowlers to operate, the kind of fields he sets, and tries to get players to hit balls in areas that they don’t normally want to hit [them] in.”So I’ve got a pretty good understanding of how he runs things now and, if needs be, can implement the same ideas.”

Hasaranga tests positive for Covid-19 again, likely to miss entire T20I series in India

SLC medical department chief: “It’s not that he has got a new infection, it’s just that he has not cleared the old infection, according to their (Australia’s) level”

Madushka Balasuriya23-Feb-2022Wanindu Hasaranga is almost certain to miss the upcoming three-T20I series against India, starting on Thursday in Lucknow, after he returned another positive Covid-19 test. Hasaranga, currently in Melbourne, will not be able to link up with the travelling party in India as a result.Related

  • Depleted Sri Lanka face uphill task to upset heavyweights India

  • Rohit 'looking forward to playing all games' but admits managing workload will be key

  • Rajapaksa left out of India T20Is for fitness reasons

  • Injured Chahar, Suryakumar ruled out of SL T20Is

Hasaranga, third in the ICC rankings for T20I bowlers, initially tested positive on February 15, ahead of Sri Lanka’s third T20I against Australia. This forced him to miss the remainder of the tour, but the hope at the time was that following a weeklong quarantine, he would be ready to face India.For that, though, he needed to return a negative RT-PCR test. ESPNcricinfo has learnt that Hasaranga, despite having returned a negative Rapid Antigen Test, had a positive RT-PCR test. That will allow him to leave Australia, but he will not be allowed to enter India without a negative report.According to Arjuna de Silva, the head of SLC’s medical department, Hasaranga’s positive result is down to the fact that Australia requires a higher CT value for the result to be deemed negative; lower the CT value, higher the viral load. de Silva, though, expressed hope that Hasaranga would return a negative test soon.”Wanindu has finished his seven-day isolation. His CT value is very high in any case, so we hope that by tomorrow his PCR should be negative,” de Silva told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s not that he has got a new infection, it’s just that he has not cleared the old infection according to their (Australia’s) level. Each country has a different cut-off for a positive result, Australia’s is fairly high and so to reach that value takes some time.”He’ll miss the first match [against India] for sure. Our job is to get him to India. Of course, whether he plays or not is a different matter. That depends on his fitness and other factors.”We’re doing PCRs daily, so as soon he’s negative, he can fly to India – maybe even tomorrow. He will then have to be assessed by the team doctor and the physio to determine if he can play any part in the tour. At the moment, he has no symptoms.”Sri Lanka will play three T20Is in India, on February 24, 26 and 27, with the action moving to Dharamsala after the first game. They will then play two Tests, the first from March 4 to 8 in Mohali and the second from March 12 to 16 in Bengaluru.As such, Hasaranga might have to stay on in India after the Test series, and join the training sessions for Royal Challengers Bangalore, who bought the legspin-bowling allrounder back at the recent IPL auction for INR 10.75 crore (US$ 1.42 million). The 2022 edition of the IPL is expected to start around the end of March.

Game
Register
Service
Bonus