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A blistering 85-run opening stand between Imran Nazir and Ahmed Shehzad and a cool finish from Angelo Mathews helped Nagenahira Nagas overhaul Kandurata Warriors’ 159 for 7 in the final over

Andrew Fernando at the R Premadasa Stadium13-Aug-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThisara Perera clobbered 72 off 33 balls and yet ended up on the losing side•Ron Gaunt/SPORTZPICS/SLPL

A blistering 85-run opening stand between Imran Nazir and Ahmed Shehzad and a cool finish from Angelo Mathews trumped perhaps the innings of the tournament so far, from Thisara Perera, as Nagenahira Nagas overhauled Kandurata Warriors’ 159 for 7 in the final over. Nazir blasted five sixes and four fours in his half-century, and left his side needing just 75 from 68 at his dismissal – a task Mathews ensured never got out of hand.Fleet of foot was the key to Nazir’s success, as he routinely skipped down the track to change the lengths of both the spinners and the quick men, as well as backing away in his crease on occasion to line up the extra cover fence. Sohail Tanvir’s second over cost 20, as both Nazir and Shehzad took full toll of some hittable lengths, before the next over, from Perera, disappeared for 15 to get Nagenahira well ahead of the required rate.Kaushal Lokuarachchi beat Nazir in the flight in consecutive deliveries when the batsman was on 41, only for the wicketkeeper Kaushal Silva to fluff both straightforward stumping attempts, losing sight of the ball as it passed between bat and pad. Shehzad had been dropped on the boundary earlier too, and the mistakes continued to stack up for Kandurata, who bled at least 15 more runs through misfields alone, leaving aside the runs they might have saved had those chances been taken. When Mathews arrived at 110 for 2 from 12.3 overs, he showed off his improving knack for finishing innings by calmly taking his side over the line to make it two wins from two.In the Kandurata innings, Perera arrived at the crease with his side stagnating at 61 for 4 from 10.5 overs, and though he took seven balls to get going in earnest, when the explosion came, it was dramatic and effective. A towering six over midwicket, followed by a scorching boundary to the same area set the tone for his assault; the Nagenahira bowlers would continue to offer him length throughout the innings, and he rarely missed an opportunity to pepper his favourite midwicket boundary. Amid the heaves to cow corner there were clobbered fours down the ground and to third man as well, but few balls cramped him for space or posed a genuine threat to his technique. When he fell at 149 for 6, he had contributed 72 of the 88 runs scored during his stay. In the end, Kandurata’s total wasn’t enough to challenge their opponents.

Zaheer Khan is likely to sit out the remainder of Lord’s Test and could even be a doubtful starter for second Test starting at Trent Bridge on July 29

Nagraj Gollapudi at Lord's22-Jul-2011Zaheer Khan is likely to sit out the remainder of Lord’s Test and could even be a doubtful starter for second Test starting at Trent Bridge on July 29. Though the Indian team management sent out a brief indicating that Zaheer could still play a part during the second innings of the Lord’s Test, it is understood that the bowler has expressed reservations in private with the team’s think tank.On Friday Zaheer remained positive after an hour-long strengthening session late afternoon on Friday. “I am feeling better. Let’s see how it goes,” Zaheer said as he walked back to the dressing room from the Nursery grounds, a fair distance, without any visible cramping.However, according to a team source, Zaheer does not want to risk and exacerbate the hamstring strain as it could be dodgy and force him to miss out on the entire series. Zaheer pulled out of the play midway into his second over of the third spell on the overcast Thursday afternoon, limping back to the dressing room holding his right hamstring. Till then Zaheer had dominated the England batsmen for the better part of the rain-affected first day, accounting for the English opening pair of Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook.Immediately Zaheer rushed to a nearby hospital to undergo an MRI scan and though no big damage was detected the bowler felt it was only better to play safe rather than rush back to the field. “It is a slight strain at the moment but if he played any further there is a real fear of it becoming a tear,” the source said.

Ramnaresh Sarwan has been named Guyana captain for the Caribbean T20 tournament and will lead a squad that does not include Shivnarine Chanderpaul

Cricinfo staff14-Jul-2010Ramnaresh Sarwan has been named Guyana captain for the Caribbean T20 tournament and will lead a squad that does not include Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Sarwan, who missed the Test series against South Africa due to an injured hamstring, makes a return to competitive cricket in the competition starting July 22. The tournament comprises seven other teams from and the winner qualifies for the Champions League Twenty20 in September.Meanwhile, Darren Sammy, the Windward Islands captain, has said he’ll be banking on the team’s bowling as it prepares to compete in the same tournament.The Windwards team includes several players with international experience. Among them are openers Andre Fletcher and Devon Smith; pacer Nelon Pascal; off-spinner Shane Shillingford and leg-spinning all-rounder Rawl Lewis.”I don’t see why we can’t come out on top. Our strength is in our bowling and overall I would say the selectors have picked a very good all-round team,” Sammy said. Our batting will rely mainly on the experienced players – such as Smith, Fletcher, Lewis, Liam Sebastien, and myself. Most of the players in the team have the ability to bat and bowl so we have players who can contribute in two departments.”We have Shillingford, Sebastien, and Lewis who are very economical bowlers
and I know they will do very well for us. We also have a number of players
who are coming through, and I’m very satisfied with the squad assembled. I
am confident we can go to Barbados, qualify for the final four, and take it
from there.””We have seen over the years that teams are closer together in the Twenty20
format. Whoever plays the better cricket on the day will win. Our chances
are very good,” Sammy said.”The Champions League is a massive incentive. All the teams will fancy their chances and will be gunning to make it to South Africa in September. We saw what Trinidad and Tobago did for the region in India last year and that should be a form of motivation for all teams – to go out and represent on the world stage. In the Windwards camp we are very excited. We will take it one game at a time and enjoy every moment.”Guyana squad: Ramnaresh Sarwan (capt), Narsingh Deonarine, Travis Dowlin, Sewnarine Chattergooon, Lennox Cush, Christopher Barnwell, Davendra Bishoo, Derwin Christian, Esaun Crandon, Royston Crandon, Jonathan Foo, Assad
Fudadin, Steven Jacobs, Paul Wintz.Windward Islands squad: Darren Sammy (capt), Devon Smith, Andre Fletcher, Rawl Lewis, Liam Sebastien, Johnson Charles, Donwell Hector, Craig Emmanuel, Lindon Lawrence, Keddy Lesporis, Gairy Mathurin, Nelon Pascal, Shane Shillingford, Deighton Butler.

Division Two leaders in charge at Hove after Glamorgan dismissed for 186

ECB Reporters Network09-Sep-2024Sussex, aiming to virtually clinch promotion to the first division of the Vitality County Championship with their seventh victory of the season, made a good start when they bowled out Glamorgan for 186 in 57.3 overs, with left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat returning figures of 4 for 52.Glamorgan, looking for just their second win and their first Championship victory at Hove since 1975, were then made to suffer in the field as Tom Haines (48) and Daniel Hughes (57 not out) put on 110 for the first wicket. They missed their rested opening bowler Timm van der Gugten as Sussex ended the first day just 65 runs behind with nine wickets in hand.Sussex, unchanged from their recent victory over Derbyshire, chose to bowl on an overcast, autumnal morning and their decision was soon rewarded.With the third delivery of his opening over, Unadkat had Asa Tribe caught by Hughes at short leg. Tribe, playing only his second first-class game, had faced just five deliveries. Unadkat made another breakthrough in his third over when he knocked back Sam Northeast’s middle stump via the inside edge . This put a dent in Northeast’s away batting average of over hundred runs per innings for the season.Glamorgan, who welcomed back James Harris and Ben Kellaway, lost their third wicket at 70 in the 20th over when Colin Ingram, having survived Ollie Robinson’s impressive opening burst with a combination of skill and good fortune, played forward defensively and lost his middle stump to a sharp delivery from Henry Crocombe. And in his next over Crocombe had Billy Root caught at second slip by Tom Clark. Glamorgan went to lunch on 91 for 4, with the battling Kiran Carlson unbeaten on 48. But Robinson’s heroic nine-over opening spell was wicketless.Both Robinson and Unadkat showed a preference for bowling downhill from the Cromwell Road End. But when they were replaced by part-time bowler Clark the medium-pacer struck twice in three balls after the interval. Kellaway gloved one down the leg side and then Carlson was also caught behind. He had faced 81 deliveries and struck eight fours in his 56.Glamorgan lost their seventh wicket at 135, with Chris Cooke bowled by a Robinson delivery that trimmed his off bail, and looked likely to fold quickly. But then Dan Douthwaite and James Harris featured in an obdurate 16-over stand that yielded 49 runs.When Douthwaite removed his sweater and looked around the field he looked ready to adopt the long handle. But he was immediately caught behind and Unadkat struck again four balls later to dismiss Andy Gorvin, who was also caught behind to give wicketkeeper John Simpson his fourth catch of the innings. Harris was bowled by the offspinner Jack Carson and Glamorgan had lost their last three wickets for two runs.When Sussex batted Haines almost played on early in his innings and Hughes was badly dropped by Root at deep-backward square leg off the bowling of Ned Leonard when he had made just 8. But both batters went on to punish the Glamorgan attack before Haines fell just before the close. At the lunch interval Sussex awarded county caps to James Coles and Hughes.

Sophia Smale, Chloe Skelton share seven wickets to defend 165 for 3 in match reduced to 22 overs per side

ECB Reporters Network24-Jul-2023Fran Wilson scored a blistering 56 to propel Western Storm to a much-needed six-run victory over Sunrisers in a rain-shortened Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy contest at Cheltenham.Alex Griffiths made 46 and Niamh Holland a quickfire 28 as the home side ran up a useful total of 165 for 3 after being put into bat in a match reduced to 22 overs a side.Grace Scrivens and Dane van Niekerk did their best to make a game of it, scoring 39 and 26 respectively to give the chase early impetus. But off spinner Chloe Skelton removed both in the space of two overs to strike a double blow from which Sunrisers were unable to recover.Skelton finished with 3 for 36 and fellow spinner Sophia Smale took 4 for 34 as Sunrisers came up short on 159 for 8, Storm registering their first win in the 50-over format since May to move off the foot of the table.Storm openers Dani Gibson and Griffiths did their best to utilise a reduced four-over powerplay, adding 22 in 3.2 overs before the former was bowled playing across the line for 12 by Eva Gray.Momentum was maintained as new batter Wilson scored at a run-a-ball, driving Gray down the ground for four and then pulling spinner Mady Villiers for another boundary to keep the scoreboard moving.The former England World Cup winner greeted leg spinner Abtaha Maqsood with a swept four and then pulled her through midwicket as Storm passed 50 in the ninth over. Griffiths proved the perfect foil, finding the gaps and rotating the strike as the second-wicket alliance realised 50 from 45 balls.A slow outfield proved problematic for Storm and Amu Surenkumar bowled tidily to restrict scoring from the Chapel End, but Wilson swept Scrivens for four in the fourteenth over to regain the initiative for the hosts.Wilson’s aggressive approach paid dividends when she went to a 45-ball half-century in the grand manner, pulling Surenkumar for six over mid-wicket to register the first maximum of the innings.Surenkumar avenged herself in her next over, Wilson attempting to drive and edging a catch to short fine leg with the score on 113 for 2. Her forthright innings occupied 52 balls, included five fours and a six and served as a crucial mainstay in a progressive stand of 91 in 13.3 overs.In contrast, Griffiths found the boundary only once in compiling 46 from 47 balls before holing out to deep midwicket off the bowling of Surenkumar, who finished with 2 for 37 from five overs. Nevertheless, her innings proved every bit as important as that of Wilson in helping Storm achieve a competitive total.Promoted up the order, England Under-19 international Holland picked up the cudgels at the death, helping herself to four boundaries in a high-octane innings of 28 from 17 balls. Storm captain Sophie Luff weighed in with nine runs, playing her part in a lucrative unbroken stand of 32 for the third wicket.Needing to score at 7.50 an over, Sunrisers’ chase was undermined by the early loss of Cordelia Griffith, the opener smacking a short delivery from Gibson straight to backward point in the third over with the score on 10.Introduced at the Chapel End, slow left armer Smale struck with her first delivery, bowling Jodie Grewcock for one as the visitors slipped to 19-2 in the fifth. van Niekerk immediately demonstrated her attacking intent, hoisting Smale over midwicket for six and then hitting her for four through the same area, but the experienced Phoebe Graham sent down three overs with the new ball for just 10 runs to pile further pressure onto Sunrisers.Lauren Filer proved expensive, conceding 13 runs from the eighth over, to give the visitors encouragement, van Niekerk and Scrivens advancing the score to 66 for 2 at the halfway point of the innings.Chloe Skelton then struck a crucial blow, taking an instinctive return catch to dismiss the dangerous van Niekerk, at which point Sunrisers required a further 96 off 63 balls. Their task became still more difficult when Skelton had Scrivens caught at the wicket by Katie Jones in her next over.Storm missed an opportunity to further tighten the screw, Filer dropping Villers at mid-off on nine off the bowling of Skelton. Encouraged by that mishap, Gray went on the attack, raising 27 from 19 balls before hoisting Smale to deep midwicket. When Smale pinned Amara Carr lbw next ball, Sunrisers were 121 for 6 and needing to score at more than 11 an over.Villers scored 22 off 16 balls, only to hit Skelton to mid-on in the 20th over, after which Storm were able to relax.

An ECG test has “come out clear” and the doctors “suspect muscle spasms”, says SL team manager

Mohammad Isam and Andrew Fidel Fernando23-May-2022Kusal Mendis is still in a Dhaka hospital, after leaving the field holding his chest minutes before lunch on the first day of the second Test, but an ECG test has “come out clear”. The doctors “suspect muscle spasms” as the reason for his discomfort, Sri Lanka team manager Mahinda Halangoda said, adding that Mendis is “still under observation”.It was the 23rd over of the Test, with Bangladesh in their first innings, when Mendis appeared in discomfort and lay down on the field. He was immediately tended to by the Sri Lankan medical staff. He left the playing area holding his chest soon after.In the initial update, BCB doctor Manzur Hossain Chowdhury had said that Mendis had to be taken to the hospital for “proper diagnosis and better management”. According to Chowdhury, Mendis was suffering from dehydration leading into the match, which could be a reason behind his discomfort.It is unclear at this stage how long he will be in the hospital for, and on his participation in the Dhaka Test.Mendis scored a solid half-century in the first innings in the Chattogram Test, followed by a quick 48 in the second stint, helping Sri Lanka draw the game.The conditions in the first Test were extremely trying with the humidity getting to the players. Tamim Iqbal was forced to retire hurt due to severe cramps on day three, while on-field umpire Richard Kettleborough, too, had to leave the field during the fourth day because of the scorching heat. Players were often spotted having drinks breaks under giant umbrellas throughout the course of the Test.Sri Lanka also had to use a concussion substitute for fast bowler Vishwa Fernando after he was struck by a Shoriful Islam bouncer on the second day in Chattogram. Kasun Rajitha was his replacement. This is Sri Lanka’s last match on this Bangladesh tour.

Mullagh was the outstanding member of the Aboriginal team that toured England in 1868

Daniel Brettig28-Dec-2020No-one in the history of Australian cricket has waited longer for induction to the game’s hall of fame than the 152 years since Johnny Mullagh made his name as the outstanding member of the Aboriginal team that toured England in 1868.Mullagh’s belated induction to a hall of fame, that has until now been populated purely by white cricketers, takes Cricket Australia closer to righting the many wrongs of the game’s history in relation to Aboriginal Australia, along similar lines to the efforts being made among the current generation of elite male and female players.But it speaks volumes for how far the game’s custodians need to go to better acknowledge lesser-known pockets of the game’s history that Mullagh, from the Wimmera region of western Victoria, is not only the first Aboriginal cricket to enter the hall of fame, but also the first person of colour.Related

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Prior to Mullagh, whose image will also adorn the medal awarded to the winner of the individual match award for the Boxing Day Test this year, the list of the game’s inducted greats also served as a reminder of how monocultural Australian cricket’s corridors of achievement and power have commonly been. The 54 names previously inducted in order since 1996 are a roll call of not just whiteness but narrow western European origins:Fred Spofforth, John Blackham, Victor Trumper, Clarrie Grimmett, Bill Ponsford, Sir Donald Bradman, Bill O’Reilly, Keith Miller, Ray Lindwall, Dennis Lillee, Warwick Armstrong, Neil Harvey, Allan Border, Bill Woodfull, Arthur Morris, Stan McCabe, Greg Chappell, Lindsay Hassett, Ian Chappell, Hugh Trumble, Alan Davidson, Clem Hill, Rod Marsh, Monty Noble, Bob Simpson, Charles Macartney, Richie Benaud, George Giffen, Ian Healy, Steve Waugh, Bill Lawry, Graham McKenzie, Mark Taylor, Doug Walters, Shane Warne, Charlie Turner, Glenn McGrath, Mark Waugh, Belinda Clark, Adam Gilchrist, Jack Ryder, Jeff Thomson, Wally Grout, David Boon, Matthew Hayden, Betty Wilson, Norm O’Neill, Ricky Ponting, Karen Rolton, Cathryn Fitzpatrick, Dean Jones, Billy Murdoch, Sharon Tredrea and Craig McDermott.Criteria for inclusion has traditionally been based on the strict requirement of playing at least 20 Test matches, scoring at least 1000 runs or taking at least 100 wickets. Mullagh doesn’t fit that, but Ian Chappell had twice put his name forward to be added to the Hall of FameThe hall of fame’s chairman, Peter King, described Mullagh’s omission from this list for the first 24 years of inductees as an “oversight” by its judges. “This was probably a bit of an oversight in retrospect,” he said. “We have chosen Johnny as a representative of that era … The ongoing inductee criteria hasn’t changed beyond that. That record speaks for itself and really should have been acknowledged previously. He was a standout in that era.”In this case we wanted to acknowledge the impact Indigenous players have had on the game. That was a decision we made, which I think is a great decision. His record pretty much speaks for itself and it really should have been acknowledged previously, but he’s a stand out character in that era.”It’s a little bit difficult to get a lot of background on it, we’ve been searching for people related to Johnny but we’ve been unsuccessful in that pursuit at this point. He was born in 1841, he was about 50 when he died and he was about 27 when he went on the tour to England. There’s some patchy information around the rest of his career.”Among other notable Aboriginal figures in Australian cricket, Aunty Faith Thomas stands as the first ever Indigenous woman to represent Australia in sport, playing her one and only Test match against England in February 1958. In more contemporary times, Jason Gillespie played the last of his 71 Tests for Australia in 2006, claiming 259 wickets and also scoring a memorable double century against Bangladesh – he has been eligible for inclusion since 2011, five years after retirement. Both must be in contention to be inducted in coming years.”I think this is really opening the way to the future, and hopefully going to be engaging a lot more with Indigenous talent,” King said. “We’ve seen this in other sports and I think there’s opportunities for cricket to embrace that relationship with Indigenous people a lot more strongly. They were the first touring team to travel outside of Australia, so they did pave the way and hopefully this will open a bit more of an engagement opportunity with the rest of the talent that’s out there.”Australia’s captain Tim Paine and his deputy Pat Cummins, recently discussed their ignorance of the many private battles fought by cricketers of colour. “My learnings are how much it affects some of my teammates and me being unaware of that for probably 15 years as a professional cricketer,” Paine said. “So just the shift in that now.”

The duo added an unbeaten 104 for the fourth wicket to stretch India’s lead to 260 after West Indies were bowled out for 222 in their first innings

The Report by Hemant Brar24-Aug-20192:33

I have to take risks to unsettle spinners – Rahul

Unbeaten half-centuries from Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane helped India take firm control of the first Test against West Indies in North Sound. By the end of the third day, India were 185 for 3, Kohli batting on 51 and Rahane on 53 with the overall lead swelling to 260. The two had joined hands just before tea and continued their association till stumps, adding 104 for the fourth wicket.Earlier in the day, West Indies were bowled out for 222, 75 behind India’s first-innings total of 297. India had to negotiate a tricky seven-over period before lunch but KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal ensured they went into the break without any damage.When the teams returned, West Indies surprisingly resumed with Roston Chase and Miguel Cummins. While Cummins had to walk off the field temporarily – after bowling just two overs – with some discomfort in his thigh, Chase didn’t disappoint his captain and trapped Agarwal lbw for 16 as the batsman tried to paddle-sweep a fuller delivery. It looked plumb in real time and perhaps that was the reason Rahul suggested not to review it. However, replays showed the ball would have gone on to miss the leg stump.Rahul looked tentative at the other end, even top-edging a pull off Jason Holder towards fine leg but luckily for him, the ball fell short of the fielder. Cheteshwar Pujara, though, used his feet against Chase right from the start and didn’t let the spinner dictate the terms. Rahul too grew in confidence and played a near-perfect straight drive against Shannon Gabriel before playing a late cut off Chase for another boundary.The duo had added 43 for the second wicket before Chase struck once more. Having hit him for a four the previous ball, Rahul tried to sweep the next one fine but missed it completely and was bowled for 38.In the next over, Kemar Roach castled Pujara with a delivery that seamed back after pitching on a length and sneaked in through the bat-pad gap to hit the top of the off stump. India 81 for 3.Kohli and Rahane took the side to tea and soon it started to look like the two were batting without any trouble. But then Roach returned for another burst and produced some more magical deliveries albeit without adding any wickets to his tally. He almost had Rahane when the batsman was on 17. While trying to flick a ball, Rahane closed the face of the bat a bit early but John Campbell spilled the chance in covers.ALSO READ: West Indies need better conversion rates from their batsmenIn his next two overs, Roach beat the outside edge of both Kohli and Rahane but didn’t have luck on his side.After Roach’s spell, Rahane smashed Gabriel for back-to-back fours, an on-the-up cover drive followed by a ferocious cut. With India’s lead already in excess of 200, West Indies brought spin from both ends in the form of Kraigg Brathwaite and Chase. But with Kohli and Rahane now set, the move only made run-scoring easier.Holder turned to Roach again before stumps and the bowler almost had Rahane for once more, this time trapping him in front of the stumps but umpire Rod Tucker’s finger didn’t move. West Indies chose not to review the decision but replays showed the ball would have crashed into the middle stump. Rahane, who was on 48 at that time, brought up his second fifty of the match in the next over. Kohli soon followed him and reached the landmark with a pulled four off Cummins, just his second boundary of the innings.The last ball of the day, a fuller one down the leg side by Gabriel, which Shai Hope could only partially stop and conceded two byes, told the story of the Test. India were aware enough to take advantage when West Indies lowered their guard, with the Test having slipped away from the hosts’ hands.In the morning, West Indies resumed from 189 for 8, their overnight batsmen Holder and Cummins frustrating India with a 41-run stand for the ninth wicket in which the latter’s contribution was 0.Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli take a moment•Associated Press

But once Mohammed Shami dismissed Holder for 39, Cummins went for a big heave against Ravindra Jadeja, only to be bowled for a 45-ball duck.West Indies’ hopes of getting close to India’s first-innings total of 297 rested on Holder who farmed the strike as much as possible. With two fours in Jasprit Bumrah’s second over of the day, Holder took West Indies past 200. In the pacer’s next over, Holder chipped him wide of mid-on for another boundary.At the other end, Cummins stuck to his brief of just hanging in there. It wasn’t that India didn’t have a chance to bowl more than a couple of balls at a time at him; Ishant got two successive overs at Cummins. While the seamer kept beating Cummins’ bat, he couldn’t fetch an edge.Kohli turned to Jadeja in search of the breakthrough. Jadeja too beat Cummins three times in five balls in his first over of the day but the batsman just focused on protecting his stumps.Holder and Cummins saw out the first hour of the day with India seemingly growing frustrated. When it finally looked like Cummins had edged one behind the stumps, off Mohammed Shami, the decision was overturned on review as replays showed the bat had hit the turf and not the ball.But Shami wasn’t to be denied for long. On the first ball of his next over, he got Holder to nick one behind and this time there was no doubt about the edge.

Jos Buttler is a “devastating” batsman who ranks in the “top echelon” of players, according to the England coach

George Dobell25-Jun-20182:26

Social story: Buttler’s brilliance seals the whitewash

Jos Buttler is a “devastating” batsman who ranks in the “top echelon” of players, according to England coach, Trevor Bayliss.A day after Tim Paine, the Australia captain, said Buttler may be the best wicketkeeper batsman in the world in limited-overs cricket, Bayliss suggested “there can’t be too many better”. Praising his cool head and game awareness, Bayliss believes Buttler’s qualities can provide an example to other players in the squad.”How well is Jos playing? It’s unbelievable,” Bayliss said. “I can’t really describe how good it is. Red ball, white ball, T20 – there are not too many better in the world at the minute.”He’s right up there in the top echelon. He’s a bit different to some of the guys I’ve worked with before, but he’s devastating. He can play that role he did on Sunday, in smart fashion, but when he needs to, he can pull the power out and put the foot down.”And he’s a smart guy. One of those players who looks at the situation of the game. And he’s a winner. He doesn’t like losing, not even in the football matches before the start. He hates to lose. Hopefully that can rub off on some of the other guys higher up the order, who themselves have played some bloody good cricket this series.”Jos Buttler brought up his hundred as the target neared•Getty Images

Although Sunday’s century was Buttler’s slowest in ODI cricket – it was the first time he had faced more than 100 balls in an innings – it was also one of his best. Showing he was far more than the instinctive player who can improvise and thrash, he marshalled an unlikely run chase from a position of near impossibility at 114 for 8. But while Bayliss accepted England’s top-order had “stuffed up”, he felt Buttler’s contribution could provide them with an example of how to handle such situations in the future.”We obviously stuffed up in the beginning,” he said. “But I think for the first time one of the guys showed the rest how we should be doing it and how we should be approaching it in that situation.”If we are in that situation in the future, where we lose a few quick wickets, then hopefully that approach happens a bit earlier in the order so we are only a few down, not eight.”We still have work to do. If we didn’t have work to do, we wouldn’t have been 114 for 8. To me that’s a bit of a reminder that there are still some things to work on. In one way it’s a good reminder to the guys: don’t get too comfortable with where you are, because there will be other teams out there striving to get better, and it will be difficult to stay in the form we are in.”The good thing is we were able to win eventually from a poor position. Hopefully that sets a standard and an example to the rest of the team.”

Gujarat Lions and Royal Challengers Bangalore, placed seventh and eighth on the table, need a win to improve their chances of making the top four

The Preview by Rachna Shetty17-Apr-2017

Match facts

Gujarat Lions v Royal Challengers Bangalore
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Start time 2000 IST3:33

Agarkar: Would pick Kulkarni over Praveen

Head to head

Overall Royal Challengers have a 2-1 lead against Lions, including a 144-run victory, the largest margin in the IPL. Royal Challengers lost their one meeting in Rajkot, though, where Lions chased down 181.

Recent form

• Gujarat Lions: (seventh) lost to Mumbai Indians by six wickets; beat Rising Pune Supergiant by seven wickets; lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by nine wickets

• Royal Challengers Bangalore (eighth): lost to Rising Pune Supergiant by 27 runs; lost to Mumbai Indians by four wickets; lost to Kings XI Punjab by eight wickets

In the news

Four hours before the game, AB de Villiers said on Twitter that he would not be playing because of injury, which means an overseas spot opens up for either Chris Gayle or Travis Head in the RCB XI. De Villiers had missed RCB’s first two games of the season with an injury and made 89 not out, 19 and 29 in their next three.Aaron Finch will have been reunited with his kit bag by now and can be expected to take Jason Roy’s place in Lions’ XI, unless the franchise opts to persist with the England batsman. Dwayne Bravo had continued his rehabilitation in Rajkot while the team was on the road and he returned to full training with the squad on Monday. According to team sources, he is still a doubtful starter against RCB as he might need another couple of days to achieve full fitness.Five games into the season and at the bottom of the table, Royal Challengers’ problem of fitting in overseas players has led to considerable flux in their batting order. They have tried a different opening combination in each game so far and this, coach Daniel Vettori admitted, has not allowed their younger batsmen lower down the order to settle into roles, increasing the pressure on Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. Chris Gayle and Shane Watson’s form has not helped either.

Likely XIs

Gujarat Lions 1 Brendon McCullum, 2 Dwayne Smith, 3 Suresh Raina (capt), 4 Aaron Finch/Jason Roy, 5 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6 Ishan Kishan, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Praveen Kumar/Dhawal Kulkarni, 9 Basil Thampi, 10 AJ Tye, 11 Munaf Patel/Shadab JakatiRoyal Challengers Bangalore 1 Chris Gayle/Travis Head, 2 Virat Kohli (capt), 3 Shane Watson, 4 Mandeep Singh, 5 Kedar Jadhav (wk), 6 Vishnu Vinod (wk)/ Stuart Binny, 7 Pawan Negi, 8 Adam Milne/Billy Stanlake/Tymal Mills, 9 Samuel Badree, 10 S Aravind, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Key stats

• If Royal Challengers do recall Gayle, the match will pit two of the most prolific opening partnerships against each other. Virat Kohli and Gayle have aggregated 1064 runs, while Brendon McCullum and Smith have a tally of 1352. Only three other opening partnerships – Shikhar Dhawan-David Warner (1752), Gautam Gambhir-Robin Uthappa (1478), and Michael Hussey-M Vijay (1360) have aggregated more.
• Brendon McCullum could find himself facing Samuel Badree early in his innings. The legspinner has dismissed McCullum twice in six T20 innings overall, conceding 26 runs off 34 balls
• Badree is among the most economical spinners in the Powerplay in the IPL. Among spinners playing this season, Badree’s overall IPL economy rate of 5.82 ranks behind only Rashid Khan (4.75), and Sunil Narine (5.47)
• Lions’ weak spin attack has been a headache for them. Their spinners have the worst overall economy rate this season: 9.49. In Powerplays, this rises to 14.00. Overall, of the 15 wickets to have fallen at the SCA Stadium this IPL, nine have fallen to pace bowlers (with Andrew Tye’s five-for making up a large chunk), while spinners have taken six. The economy rates have been near identical: 9.55 for pace and 9.71 for spin.

April 18, 10.30 GMT – The article was updated after AB de Villiers was ruled out of the game