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Contrasting hundreds from Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers pulled South
Africa out of strife and into a position of considerable comfort at the
Sheikh Zayed stadium in Abu Dhabi

The Bulletin by Osman Samiuddin20-Nov-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Jacques Kallis’ counterattack turned the tables after South Africa had been reduced to 33 for 3•AFP

Contrasting hundreds from Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers pulled South
Africa out of strife and into a position of considerable comfort at the
Sheikh Zayed stadium in Abu Dhabi. Debutant seamer Tanvir Ahmed had reduced
South Africa to 33 for 3 but Kallis and de Villiers punched back with
a 179-run stand that left South Africa handily placed on 311 for 5. For
Pakistan, only Tanvir could look back on the day with similar pride.The Kallis-de Villiers stand was the tenth century partnership in 32
innings between the pair and it was done with such aggression it suggested
were in trouble when they came together. Kallis’s fight
began the moment Graeme Smith became the third victim of a hectic morning
and though his mien remained as expressionless as usual, his game was
unusually expressive.He had hooked an uncontrolled six by the time a swish of fortune sashayed
in. Mohammad Sami’s first over captured an entire career: one unplayable
delivery, honest endeavour but batsman ultimately supreme. Having been
beaten by a beauty, Kallis coolly cover drove the next two balls for four
and the day’s mood changed.Sami was plundered repeatedly, everywhere and anywhere and even Umar Gul
wasn’t spared a fine pull and efficient drives. Either side of lunch two
towering sixes off Abdur Rehman brought one message: ‘I am Kallis, you
are nothing’. Not a particularly attacking spinner on his best days,
Rehman immediately retreated, the supremacy in the relationship
established. By then a swift fifty had been notched up as casually as
a snap of the fingers.de Villiers was twitchier, a more impish presence and not just because he
doesn’t have Kallis’ broad-chested appearance. Whereas Kallis imposed
himself on matters, de Villiers took advantage of Pakistan’s growing
flakiness. When they pitched short, he gladly cut; when they got too full
he happily drove; when they drifted to his pads, he politely clipped away.Five overs after lunch a century partnership was registered and by this
time, the surface had lost its early morning friskiness. Boundaries were
mostly controlled, though with Sami around control remained a relative
concept. In any case, runs were so readily available no risk needed to be
taken. One flick brought up a fifty for de Villiers. As an afterthought
Kallis brought up a fifth hundred in four Tests against Pakistan, in which
his lowest score is 59; in his first 11 against them, he had only one. It
was his fastest century as well.When Kallis fell, de Villiers carried on, though with the sadness and
restraint of someone who has lost a partner. He was comatose during the
nineties, only waking up once four freebie overthrows from Gul took him to
99. It would’ve been impolite to not take a single next ball. Essentially
the day ended there for him.Pakistan were fitful, not stringing together any sustained pressure. Tanvir
was responsible for the highs, further proof that whatever hole they find
themselves in, there’s always a fast bowler to get excited about.A month shy of his 32nd birthday, he was an unlikely hero and not just
because he is probably the best bowler ever born in Kuwait. The pitch at
Test cricket’s 103rd venue had enough moisture in it early on to tempt
Misbah-ul-Haq to bowl. It was a second gesture of positivity; the first
had been to revert back to Pakistan’s traditional strengths by selecting a
three-man pace attack.Tanvir has long been a steady hand at the domestic level; sharp enough, always tight
and if conditions are right, eminently capable of exploiting them. So in
he ran as Pakistan’s oldest debutant new-ball bowler, a heavy action and a
grunt at release and did precisely that. Immediately he became the sixth
Pakistani to take a wicket in the first over and a typical scalp too,
full, searching for swing, finding an edge. It was his 400th first-class
wicket. Five balls later he had another and Test cricket was looking an
easy game, though admittedly Asoka de Silva had a greater hand in Hashim
Amla returning to the pavilion.Later, through a long afternoon Tanvir maintained a pleasant discipline and
the wicket of Kallis after tea helped Pakistan slow down the scoring. But
after the first hour the bluff had gone from the rest and the attack
looked precisely what it was: quite weak. Gul looked good in patches, Sami
a man condemned and Rehman the wrong choice.The umpires, who got four decisions clearly wrong, had a worse day.

Jacques Kallis will line up for South Africa in the opening Test against England after the hosts confirmed his presence by releasing three players from their 15-man squad to play franchise cricket

Andrew McGlashan in Centurion14-Dec-2009Jacques Kallis will line up for South Africa in the opening Test against England after the hosts confirmed his presence by releasing three players from their 15-man squad to play franchise cricket. Friedel de Wet, the uncapped pace bowler, has been retained as cover for Dale Steyn following his hamstring problems but Alvrio Petersen, Ryan McLaren and Wayne Parnell have all been allowed to return to domestic action.”We are happy with the state of readiness of all squad members to play in the first Test on Wednesday,” said coach Mickey Arthur. “Both Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn should be fit to take their places.”Nevertheless we are keeping Friedel de Wet on standby as a like-for-like replacement for Dale. There is always the chance with bowlers that Dale could wake up on the morning of the match with a recurrence and we don’t want to have to scramble around for a last-minute replacement.”There has been much speculation over the fitness of Kallis as he recovers from the fractured rib that ruled him out of the Test series. However, he came through South Africa’s three-day training camp in Potchefstroom with no adverse effects although it is highly unlikely that he will resume bowling duties.That will leave South Africa with a four-man attack which is a calculated gamble given Steyn’s recent injury problems. He bowled at decent pace on Sunday but was restricted to indoor training at Centurion Park on Monday after heavy thunderstorms left the nets unusable. De Wet’s was the most surprising inclusion in the original squad but Mike Proctor, the convenor of selectors, has been impressed with what he has seen.”He had a good season last year and I’ve seen him bowl recently on some pretty flat tracks at East London and at Johannesburg so he’s a player worth looking at and we’ll see what comes out of it,” Procter said last week.The decision to release the three players also confirms that Morne Morkel will return to the Test line-up after missing South Africa’s previous match against Australia in March. With concerns over the potency of the attack Morkel is viewed as someone who can add a cutting edge with his height and bounce.Makhaya Ntini, who will play his 100th Test, will be the third quick bowler and he believes South Africa will start favourites. “Of course,” he said, “we are on our home grounds and will have a lot of support.”He also said that Andrew Flintoff’s absence from the England line-up will be a significant blow to the visitors. “They’ve lost one of their major players in Freddie Flintoff. He was the one who made a huge impact. Losing the pillar of the team means we have a better chance – because he was always the guy that intimidated us.”Revised South Africa squad Graeme Smith (capt), Ashwell Prince, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Mark Boucher (wk), Paul Harris, Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini, Friedel de Wet

Capitals are already through to the playoffs, but will look to end the round-robin stage with a win

Srinidhi Ramanujam06-Mar-2025

Who’s playing

Delhi Capitals (DC) vs Gujarat Giants (GG)
Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, 7.30pm IST

Big picture: Capitals in action after six days

It is Meg Lanning vs Ashleigh Gardner again. But all eyes will be on Gujarat Giants, who have redeemed themselves with two successive wins, and are suddenly in contention for the playoffs. Having started with three losses in their first four matches, Giants would be keen to finish the Lucknow leg on a high before flying to Mumbai for their final group game. Delhi Capitals, on the other hand, were the first team to qualify for playoffs, and will be playing their final league game on Friday, after winning five out of seven matches that has kept them at the top of the points table.Giants took some time to find their feet, but they look like a settled unit now. They tried a few different combinations and handed different roles to playersm but towards the business end of the tournament, they seem to play with better clarity than before. Giants are not just dependent on Gardner and Deandra Dottin in the batting anymore, with the likes of Harleen Deol, Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield stepping up.That apart, bowling still remains their biggest strength. In the three games that they won in this WPL, Giants’ bowlers have taken 26 of the 30 possible wickets. Despite limited international experience, Kashvee Gautam, Tanuja Kanwar and Priya Mishra have put their hands up to take 21 wickets between them – they have featured in all six matches so far – while allrounders Gardner and Dottin have supported them ably.Meanwhile, Capitals will be in action after six days, and will be playing their playoffs match only another six days later. Whether that will have an impact on their momentum is something to be seen. They have got many bases covered, and have almost always found a way to bounce back in a contest. Given the highly competitive nature of Lanning, her team will not take this match lightly, although they have advanced to the knockouts.When these sides met earlier in this WPL, Capitals crushed Giants by chasing down 128 with 29 balls remaining. With a playoffs spot on the line, then, will revenge be on Giants’ mind?Shafali Verma has accumulated 167 runs in the last three matches•BCCI

Form guide

Delhi Capitals: WWW (last three matches, most recent first)
Gujarat Giants: WWL

In the spotlight: Shafali Verma and Tanuja Kanwar

After three scores in the 40s, Shafali Verma converted her start and made it huge, scoring an unbeaten 80 in Capitals’ previous, game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. It was an innings where she showed control and composure in a tricky chase. Having accumulated 167 runs in the last three matches and heading into a match with no pressure of qualification, Shafali will be determined to continue her good touch ahead of the playoffs.Tanuja Kanwar started this WPL quietly, taking just a solitary wicket in her first three matches. But the left-arm spinner found her grip soon, and struck six times in the next three games. She has given Giants crucial breakthroughs, and against UP Warriorz, also picked up 3 for 17 in Lucknow. With Capitals loading themselves up with right-handers – Jonassen is the only left-hand batter in their top seven – Kanwar will be expected to have a vital role on Friday.

Team news: Capitals shouldn’t change winning combination

Capitals are unlikely to tinker with the winning combination which beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru comprehensively on March 1.Delhi Capitals (probable): 1 Meg Lanning (capt), 2 Shafali Verma, 3 Jess Jonassen, 4 Jemimah Rodrigues, 5 Annabel Sutherland, 6 Marizanne Kapp, 7 Sarah Bryce (wk), 8 Niki Prasad, 9 Shikha Pandey, 10 Minnu Manni, 11 Shree CharaniIt’s unlikely that Giants will promote Harleen Deol or Pheobe Litchfield to open with Beth Mooney•BCCI

Even though opening batter D Hemalatha has found little success in this tournament, Giants have persisted with her at the top of the order. It’s unlikely that they will promote Deol or Litchfield to open with Mooney.Gujarat Giants (probable): 1 Beth Mooney (wk), 2 D Hemalatha, 3 Harleen Deol, 4 Ashleigh Gardner (capt), 5 Phoebe Litchfield, 6 Deandra Dottin, 7 Kashvee Gautam, 8 Bharti Fulmali, 9 Tanuja Kanwar, 10 Meghna Singh, 11 Priya Mishra

Key stats

• Gardner has hit 15 sixes in this edition, most by a Giants batter. The next best is Dottin’s four.
• With the ball, Capitals have been the second-best team in the death overs (17-20) this time, having conceded 8.72 runs an over in that phase. Only Mumbai Indians (8.31) have been better than them.
• Meanwhile, Giants have aced the powerplay with the ball this season. They have taken 13 wickets, and conceded at only 6.08 runs an over in the first six overs – both numbers being the best among all sides.

This will be their first change of coach since the inauguration of PSL, as Moin Khan, who served for eight years, takes over as team director

Danyal Rasool06-Dec-2023Quetta Gladiators have reached a deal with former Australia allrounder Shane Watson that will see him appointed as head coach of the franchise ahead of the 2024 edition of the PSL. The announcement will see Gladiators’ first change of coach since the inauguration of the tournament, as former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Moin Khan, who served as coach for eight years, will instead be appointed team director of the side.ESPNcricinfo understands that a final agreement between Watson and Gladiators has been achieved, with an announcement expected later on Wednesday. However, it is not yet clear if Watson’s appointment means Gladiators are looking for a wider clearing out of a coaching staff that has seen them miss out on the playoffs for four successive seasons.Related

• PCB sounds out Shane Watson to coach Pakistan

• Quetta Gladiators rope in Shaun Tait as bowling coach

• Naseem Shah moves to Islamabad United from Quetta Gladiators

• Mike Hesson appointed Islamabad United head coach

Gladiators were the most consistent franchise of the PSL during its first four editions, when they reached the final three times, and also won the title in 2019. Watson, who joined the franchise in 2018 after two years with Islamabad United, was a huge part of Gladiators’ success, becoming arguably their greatest overseas player during his three-season stint until 2020. He was the leading run-scorer during their victorious campaign in 2019, hitting 430 runs at a strike rate of 143.81, a performance which earner him the the Player-of-the-Tournament award.However, Gladiators have fallen on harder times since, as the last four years have all seen them finish outside the playoff positions. While they had the same coach all along, they have also stuck with the same captain in Sarfaraz Ahmed, with no suggestion yet that a change will be made on that front.Watson, 42, retired from all cricket in 2020. He joined IPL franchise Delhi Capitals as assistant coach in 2022, serving alongside his former Australia team-mate Ricky Ponting. Earlier this year, he was appointed head coach of Major League Cricket franchise San Francisco Unicorns.While Watson played 59 Tests for Australia, it was in limited-overs cricket where he was at his best. In 190 ODIs, he scored 5757 runs at 40.54 with a strike rate of 90.44, in addition to taking 168 wickets at 31.79. He was part of two World-Cup winning Australia sides – in 2007 and 2015 – and was a powerhouse performer in the Champions Trophy, winning the Player-of-the-Match award in the finals of both the 2006 and the 2009 tournaments.In T20Is, he made 1462 runs at a strike rate of 145.32 and took 48 wickets while maintaining an economy rate of just 7.65. He was the Player of the Series in the 2012 T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka, where he topped the run charts with 249 runs at a strike rate of 150, and finished second on the wickets chart with 11 strikes.

India captain confirms series finale will be veteran fast bowler’s international swansong

Valkerie Baynes21-Sep-2022India targeted victory over England in the second ODI so that they could give Jhulan Goswami a fitting send-off at Lord’s, captain Harmanpreet Kaur has said.Harmanpreet confirmed that Saturday’s third and final fixture of India’s tour will be Goswami’s last before she retires from international cricket after a career spanning two decades.Victory in Canterbury meant India took an unassailable 2-0 lead into the final match having clinched their first series win in the format against England in England since 1999. The margin of victory on Wednesday was emphatic – by 88 runs with 34 balls to spare – and built on Harmanpreet’s unbeaten 143 as she took her side to 333 for 5, their second-highest ODI total.Related

• 'It has hurt feelings and that is one regret' – Goswami on not winning a World Cup

• Jhulan Goswami's career is ending, but her intensity is still at max

• Harmanpreet 143*, Renuka four-for help India to unassailable 2-0 lead

“When you win the first game, the second game is always important and we always try to finish that game as a winning side and today also we were looking at that only because we don’t want to carry any extra pressure on ourselves going to Lord’s,” Harmanpreet said.”The Lord’s game is very special for us because it’s Jhulan’s retirement and we wanted to enjoy that game without any pressure and I’m really happy that we were able to win today and now we can just have fun in that game.”The next game will be the first time either side has played at Lord’s since their thrilling 2017 World Cup final showdown, which England won by nine runs, and Harmanpreet said India were keen to reverse the result for Goswami. But, more importantly, they wanted to enjoy the occasion.”It’s very important [to win] because that will be her last game,” Harmanpreet added. “It will be a very emotional moment for all of us and we definitely want to win that game.”Moreover, after winning the series now we just want to have fun because I know it’s the last game for her.”Goswami, 39, was named in India’s squad for the three ODIs in England after missing the preceding 50-over series in Sri Lanka in July. She had previously played for India during the 50-over World Cup in New Zealand in March, where she missed India’s final group game against South Africa with a side strain.All that set up a farewell tour of England on which she has so far taken one wicket from two games and where her presence, Harmanpreet said, had been invaluable as India look to build the experience of their younger seam bowlers.”She’s someone who has taught us a lot,” said Harmanpreet who made her ODI debut in the 2009 World Cup, when Goswami was captain. “When I debuted she was a leader and I learned a lot from her and now our young bowlers, like Renuka [Singh] and Meghna Singh, they are also learning from her. They are learning how she bowls and getting that rhythm from her. She’s been a great inspiration for all of us and we’ve learned a lot from her.”Goswami will leave the game as the highest wicket-taker in women’s internationals, with 353 wickets so far across formats. She began her international career as a 19-year old in January 2002, and has played 12 Tests, 68 T20Is and 203 ODIs. She holds the record for the most wickets in ODIs with a tally of 253.

The batter has a grade one strain and will look to return to action next week

ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-2021Ross Taylor has been diagnosed with a grade one calf strain after he limped out of New Zealand’s first training session ahead of their departure for England with a calf injury.*He was batting in the marquee that has been built at the high performance centre in Lincoln to enable the squad to train over the next couple of weeks. An update from NZC on Tuesday said he would remain with the squad for his rehab.”Taylor will to return to batting and running next week before linking up with the Test squad ahead of their departure for England next weekend,” a statement said.Taylor said he had felt the tightness last week as he continued the rehab from the hamstring injury which disrupted the end of his home season but was confident he had time to get right before the England Tests.”Pretty happy with where it is, timing has been really good,” he said. “Would like to be injury free, obviously, but timing-wise it’s not too bad.”New Zealand coach Gary Stead admitted any injuries this close to a tour were a concern. “You are always worried when any injuries happen but someone of Ross’s standing and calibre as a Test player you always have a little bit of a concern,” he told reporters on Monday. “Fingers crossed everything is good and we still have time on our side, but we’ll just have to wait and see what the medical team say.”Related

• Neil Wagner: England Tests are not warm-ups for WTC final

• Majority of New Zealand Test contingent arrives in UK

• de Grandhomme 'should be ready' for England tour

• Ross Taylor: 'I've still got ambitions for the T20 World Cup'

• Can New Zealand's perfect summer be a precursor to silverware?

The New Zealand squad are due to depart for England in the middle of May ahead of the two-Test series that begins on June 2 to be followed by the World Test Championship final against India in Southampton.Stead hinted that even if there was some doubt over Taylor’s immediate fitness he would likely make the trip. “Ross has a great Test record behind and we want him in our team,” he said.New Zealand are likely to be without their IPL-based Test players – Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Kyle Jamieson and Mitchell Santner – for at least the first match against England and potentially both given the strict quarantine rules now in place for arrivals from India that require 10 days isolation.They have named an expanded squad of 20 for the two England Tests which will be trimmed to 15 ahead of the WTC final.Devon Conway is in line for a Test debut while the uncapped Rachin Ravindra has also been included. All the players in New Zealand have had their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine and will have their second before leaving.Monday was the start of two training camps they will have prior to departure with conditions created to as closely resemble what they’ll encounter in England as possible.”We’ve got two open wickets, the groundstaff have done an amazing job in getting the facilities up pretty close to what I think English conditions would be like then we have the marquee as well,” Stead said. “We are still a month away from playing England so there’s still four weeks of good, solid preparation so today is the start of that for us.”11.52pm GMT, April 3 – the story was updated with details of Taylor’s injury

Lack of partnerships hurt the Indians as they fall short by 29 runs

The Report by Vishal Dikshit24-Jan-2020George Worker’s 144-ball 135 helped New Zealand A pull level in the three-match one-day series in Christchurch, as India A struggled to put on substantial partnerships in the chase of 296 to go down by 29 runs.Worker didn’t get much company early on as the hosts were in trouble at 109 for 5 before the halfway mark, but support from Jimmy Neesham and Cole McConchie helped them put on a strong total. For India, the main contributions came from the middle order after they were reduced to 88 for 4, but those weren’t enough.Put in to bat, New Zealand lost wickets quickly as Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips edged to wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan and the scoreboard read 45 for 2 after 11 overs. Ishan Porel then struck twice in as many balls by nipping in sharp deliveries to knock over Tom Bruce’s off stump and trap Tom Blundell lbw for a duck. Mark Chapman chopped one on against Krunal Pandya and the hosts were struggling. Their troubles deepened further when Neesham retired hurt in the 31st over.Worker, however, found an ally in McConchie, who struck a quick 56 off 54 balls, and he brought up his 13th List A hundred along the way. Worker struck all his six sixes on the off side in the cover and long-off region but the bulk of his 12 fours came on the leg side. The two of them powered the score past 250 and Worker eventually fell trying to ramp Porel fine but handed a catch to Mohammad Siraj at third man. Neesham returned at that point and stayed unbeaten on 33 off 31. Porel finished with an impressive 3 for 50 with two maidens in his ten overs and Axar Patel ended with miserly figures of 10-0-33-1.Several India batsman got starts but failed to convert them after Prithvi Shaw fell early when he swung hard against Kyle Jamieson to lose his off stump. Ruturaj Gaikwad (17) handed a catch to cover with a leading edge off an innocuous delivery, Mayank Agarwal pulled a short ball to square leg and Suryakumar Yadav edged a short rising delivery to the wicketkeeper, leaving India on 88 for 4 in the 18th over.Kishan (44) and Vijay Shankar (41) stitched a stand of 58 to revive the chase but their partnership was broken when Kishan tapped a delivery to mid-off to steal a single that didn’t exist and fell short. Vijay fell soon too and Pandya struck a fighting 51 off 48 balls, but India needed 56 from the last five overs and with only three wickets in hand, they fell short.

England ended the longest winless streak in overseas Tests in their history with a crushing victory over Sri Lanka

The Report by George Dobell at Galle09-Nov-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEngland ended the longest winless streak in overseas Tests in their history with a crushing victory over Sri Lanka. England’s win was not only their largest in terms of runs over Sri Lanka (though there have been innings victories) but their first in Galle. It was their first win in 14 overseas Tests stretching back to the 22-run victory over Bangladesh in Chittagong in October 2016.For all the talk of “risk taking” and “courage” ahead of this Test, the key difference in this game were two old-school innings played by English batsmen. Ben Foakes, in the first innings, and Keaton Jennings, in the second, made patient, disciplined centuries that put a distance between the sides that Sri Lanka never threatened to close.There were other valuable, if less eye-catching performances for England. Moeen Ali finished with match figures of 8 for 137 – his best in an overseas Test – while Jack Leach took three second-innings wickets. Ben Stokes followed his half-century in England’s second innings, a performance which took some pressure of the more sedate Jennings, with some hostile bowling on the fourth day which deserved rather more than the one wicket it gathered. He also took three smart chances in the slips.But Sri Lanka will surely rue an oddly ill-disciplined second innings that included several soft dismissals. While their openers survived the first hour of the day without undue alarm, the drinks break appeared to disturb that concentration. Kaushal Silva attempted to sweep a ball from Leach that pitched on middle stump and was adjudged leg before. To compound the error, Silva squandered a review in his attempt to have the decision overturned.A few minutes later Dimuth Karunaratne, one of the few men in this side with the temperament to bat for several sessions, skipped down the pitch and drilled a return catch to Moeen. Karunaratne’s intention, no doubt, was to push back the mid-on and mid-off fielders and, perhaps, put Moeen off his length. But with Sri Lanka chasing a notional target of 464 – or, more realistically, batting as long as they could in the hope that rain came to their rescue – it appeared an oddly aggressive stroke.Perhaps Moeen had earned the batsman’s lack of composure. He had almost dismissed Karunaratne with his second delivery of the day – a nicely flighted offbreak that demanded a stroke but then turned away to take the outside edge – only to see Stokes, at slip, put down a chance he would expect to take every time. Stokes was, perhaps, distracted by wicketkeeper Foakes making a move for the ball.But perhaps that indiscipline was best typified in the afternoon session when Kusal Mendis sliced to mid-off. Mendis had got away with a mis-hit drive the previous ball: spotting Moeen about 30 yards off the long-off boundary, he skipped down the pitch and drove Leach just over the fielder’s head. But in attempting a repeat to the next delivery, he gifted Moeen a simple catch.Jack Leach made two big breakthroughs in the afternoon•AFP

It was a nice piece of bowling to lure Mendis into the drive and spin the ball away from his stroke and a nice piece of captaincy to place the fielder in a position where the batsman felt he could clear him. But it really was an oddly obliging stroke for a man who should have been batting to save a Test.But if Mendis and co were, to an extent at least, the architects of their own downfall, Dinesh Chandimal and Niroshan Dickwella were the victims of lovely pieces of bowling. Chandimal, perhaps incapacitated by the groin strain that must render him a doubt for the Kandy Test, was drawn forward by a delivery, bowled around the wicket, that drifted towards middle and leg and gripped off the pitch and clipped the top of off stump. Dickwella was dismissed the ball after tea: drawn forward by an offbreak that turned to kiss the outside edge.The frustration for Sri Lanka was that England were, for much of the day, not at their best. Anderson’s dropping of Angelo Mathews, on 17, at midwicket was scant reward for a terrifically sustained spell of hostile short bowling from Stokes that defied the docility of the surface, while Stokes’ drop of Karunaratne was as simple as it was out of character.Adil Rashid and Leach, initially at least, also struggled with their length with Moeen easily the most penetrative of the bowlers.While Mathews resisted to post his second half-century of the match – the first time he had done so since the Boxing Day Test in Christchurch in 2014 – when he was out, turning one that seemed to stop on him to midwicket, Sri Lanka’s last hopes departed with him. As if to rub in the hopelessness of the situation, the sun came out to banish any thought that the rain may come to Sri Lanka’s assistance.Play had began on time despite a torrential overnight downpour. England arrived slightly late at the ground in the expectation of a delay but, so well was the playing surface covered, that no time was lost. Perhaps Sri Lanka could count themselves unfortunate. Hardly a day on England’s tour has been unaffected by rain ahead of this match but not an over in this game was lost.Rangana Herath survived the indignity of being out first ball in his final match – he reviewed Marais Erasmus’ decision – but was soon run out as his legs failed him in attempting a second. He deserved a better ending, no doubt, but his reputation is assured. He leaves Sri Lanka cricket with great memories but, perhaps, some worrying days ahead.

Pakistan’s new captain in all formats wants his team to “remember the good things” his predecessors did, and apply them to his “very young side”

Osman Samiuddin27-Sep-2017Sarfraz Ahmed will become the 32nd player to captain a Pakistan Test side on Thursday. Few would have been as destined for the captaincy and fewer still would have faced the size of the task he does, in following the winningest Test captain in Pakistan’s history, Misbah-ul-Haq.Sarfraz has liked to point out that he has captained his way through his career, from club sides to age-level to domestic sides to a gradual assumption of the leadership across formats for Pakistan. He is used to this kind of responsibility, with differing levels of scrutiny. But it will not lessen the momentousness of the occasion personally.”Look, obviously its a proud moment,” he said. “I mean to play for your country is big enough, but to then captain in formats and then all three, and be the Test captain, that is a huge honour for me. I am very excited and I’ll try the way I’ve worked with the ODI and T20 team, I can do the same with the Test side. The guys are excited too.”Though it would be easy to be awed by his predecessor’s record, maybe even distracted by all the talk of him not being there, Sarfraz has been around the Misbah side long enough to have a grasp of how it operated.”[The talk has] not been a distraction, but there is one thing to not have your main players who have been playing consistently and for long. We have to move ahead and for us, we have to remember the good things they did, their disciplines, the way they prepared. The things they taught us, we have tried to maintain. I spoke to Misbah recently, had a good meeting with him. I’ve spoken to Younis regularly so whatever we’ve learnt from them, we’ll try to produce here.”Perhaps because it has been some time since they last played a Test, or because of the enduring post-triumph glow of the Champions Trophy, or just because their opponents seem to be in more of a bad place, it is easy to forget that Pakistan slipped as a Test side towards the end of Misbah’s tenure.Pakistan have lost seven of their last nine Tests and coupled with the exits, Pakistan’s relatively calm mood doesn’t match the depth of the task in front of them. And for all the noise about Sri Lanka’s fall, they sit only one place and three points behind Pakistan in the Test rankings.Still, the widespread view is that Pakistan start favourites, with a decent bowling attack and a still settled core. Sarfraz was either playing down expectations, or recognising Pakistan’s form when he said that the greater challenge would be for his side.”For us it’s even more challenging because we’re a very young side,” he said. “After very long we have such a young team playing. I’m hoping we do well and for myself as a captain, it will be very important – the first Test is always important.”

Darren Sammy, who led West Indies to two World T20 titles, has said in a video posted on his Facebook account that he won’t be the West Indies T20 captain anymore

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Aug-2016Darren Sammy, who led West Indies to two World T20 titles, has said in a video posted on his Facebook account that he won’t be the West Indies T20 captain anymore. In the video posted on Friday, Sammy said the chairman of selectors informed him via a phone call that they had “reviewed the captaincy of T20,” and he did not merit a place in the West Indies squad.”I got a call yesterday morning, it was probably 30 seconds, from the chairman of selectors telling me that they’ve reviewed the captaincy of T20 and I won’t be captain anymore of the T20 team, [and] my performances have not merited selection in the squad,” Sammy said in the video.”That’s okay, I’ve always believed West Indies cricket is not about Darren Sammy. They are looking to the future and I wanna wish the new captain – I don’t know if it’s out yet so I won’t call any names – all the best as he looks to lead West Indies cricket and take it forward.”Obviously, throughout my captaincy, winning the two [T20] World Cups has been the highlight. And these memories I will cherish for a long time. This is not me retiring from one-day or T20, it’s just me thanking the fans and my players and the coaches I’ve worked with and WICB for…yeah, letting me lead the side for the last six years. But for now the captaincy has come to an end and thank you people.”I just know I played with my heart and soul whenever I stepped out on the cricket field.”In an emotional six-minute long video, Sammy first spoke about the CPL campaign of his team St Lucia Zouks, that lost the eliminator to Trinbago Knight Riders on Thursday, before talking about losing his West Indies captaincy and his exclusion from the T20 squad. The limited-overs team is scheduled to play two T20Is against India in Florida at the end of the month.”Six years ago I was asked to captain West Indies, a task which I fought [and] would be the biggest challenge in my career, in my life,” Sammy said. “A task which I know would be so difficult but guess what…I took it head on. I embraced the challenge, I embraced the difficulty. I turn up at the office which is my playground, the cricket field, every day and put in the work.”I started off with Ottis Gibson [then West Indies coach]. I want to thank you buddy for believing in me and now it has ended up with Phil [Simmons]. To my players all over the years, who’ve been part of the team and who’ve been under my captaincy, I want to thank you all for all the support. We’ve had our ups and downs but I have never given up hope, I have never stopped believing in myself and in the team. That is what I was about as captain – trying to instill positive, never-say-die attitude into my players. The result we won two World Cups and I want to thank all of you.”Like Sammy, West Indies wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin chose social media to tweet about his exclusion from the Test side that was to play against India at home.Sammy led West Indies to the 2016 World T20 title four months ago, to go with the trophy won in 2012 in Sri Lanka. He did not have much of an impact with bat and ball though: he faced 13 balls in his three innings, scoring eight runs, and bowled three overs, taking one wicket.Sammy led West Indies in 47 T20Is, starting in 2011, with 27 wins. After winning the T20 title in Kolkata in April this year, he gave an emotional speech at the post-match presentation, expressing his disappointment at the lack of support from the WICB.