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Malaysia suffered a nine-wicket defeat – their third straight loss in the tournament – after managing only 36 for 8 in 20 overs

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jun-2018Sornnarin Tippoch hits her delivery stride•Getty Images

Thailand romped to their first win of the 2018 Asia Cup by consigning hosts Malaysia to a nine-wicket defeat after restricting them to 36 for 8 in 20 overs. Offpsinner Wongpaka Liengprasert’s 2 for 10 headlined Thailand’s victory, while opener Naruemol Chaiwai’s top score of 20 helped them seal the chase with 11 overs to spare.For the third time in a row, Malaysia scored under 50 runs in all, as none of their batsmen got into a double-digit score. Having elected to bat, Malaysia lost a wicket off the very first ball of the match, and their highest partnership amounted to only 12 runs. Liengprasert’s two strikes and two run-outs propped up an overall disciplined bowling performance by Thailand, where five of the six bowlers snared at least one wicket.The only hitch during Thailand’s chase came via Malaysia’s leading wicket-taker of the tournament, medium-pacer Sasha Azmi, who trapped opener Nattakam Chantam in front for a 12-ball 6 in the fourth over. An undefeated 21-run, second-wicket stand between Chaiwai and Sirintra Saengsakaorat thereafter took Thailand to 37 for 1 in the ninth over.

Zimbabwe have now plugged their gap in the international calendar by scheduling a tour of Scotland for two ODIs in Edinburgh

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Mar-2017After hosting Afghanistan for five ODIs in February, Zimbabwe have now plugged their gap in the international calendar by negotiating a tour of Scotland for two ODIs this summer. Before the Afghanistan ODIs, Zimbabwe were looking at a six-month hiatus.This will be the first bilateral series between Zimbabwe and Scotland. Their only meeting so far was at the World T20 in India in 2016, when Zimbabwe won by 11 runs. The two matches in this series will be played at the Grange in Edinburgh on June 15 and 17.”Securing home international matches against a Full Member nation is something we have all worked tirelessly on over the past 18 months so I am delighted we have managed to make these matches a reality,” Cricket Scotland CEO Malcolm Cannon said. “The squad will relish the opportunity to put in some winning performances in front of a passionate home crowd.”Zimbabwe are also slated to visit Sri Lanka in June. With only the hosts and the top seven sides earning a direct entry to the 2019 World Cup, these matches will give Zimbabwe, currently ranked eleventh, a chance to gain significant game time ahead of the World Cup qualifiers set to be held in March-April next year.

Ireland maintained their flawless run in the current edition of the Intercontinental Cup, once again claiming the maximum 20 points with a 146-run win over Papua New Guinea

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Feb-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Kevin O’Brien set up Ireland’s second innings declaration with 75 off 95 balls•Getty Images

Ireland maintained their flawless run in the current edition of the Intercontinental Cup, once again claiming the maximum 20 points with a 145-run win over Papua New Guinea. Niall and Kevin O’Brien each scored key half-centuries to underpin victory in stifling conditions at Tony Ireland Stadium in Townsville, Australia.Niall’s 63 off 168 balls in a first innings total of 289 came after Ireland was sent in following a delayed start due to morning rain on the opening day of play. Every member of the top eight reached double-figures but with the exception of Niall no one passed 50 as PNG’s bowling unit, led by seamer Norman Vanua’s 5 for 59, held Ireland’s scoring rate in check. It was Vanua’s maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.PNG’s reply showed the value of Niall’s knock as they struggled to combat a revamped Irish pace unit bolstered by the return of Boyd Rankin following his English sojourn. Assad Vala scored almost two-thirds of PNG’s first-innings total of 188, registering his second first-class century with 120 before he was last man out to hand Ireland a 101-run lead and six first innings points. Rankin took 3 for 21 in 18 overs across a series of short spells that were capped at four overs. Tim Murtagh also shined in knocking over the top order before dismissing Vala to end the innings with 4 for 33.Despite a half-century from Ed Joyce, Ireland were in trouble at 129 for 5 when Kevin teamed with Andy McBrine for a crucial 115-run sixth-wicket stand. The speed of the partnership, in particular Kevin’s 75 off 95 balls in a match where the overall scoring rates were slow, enabled Ireland to declare with an hour left on day three and a lead of 346.By the end of the third day, Murtagh had dislodged Lega Siaka to break the opening stand and then returned the final morning to nab the key scalp of Vala in the first half-hour of play to give Ireland a victory springboard. PNG had slim hopes of holding on for a draw midway through the post-lunch session with the score 167 for 5 and two set batsmen in Sese Bau and captain Jack Vare.Wicketless in his first three spells of the fourth innings, Rankin returned three overs after a drinks break to start the 64th and struck with his second ball to bowl Bau for 45. When Rankin had Vare trapped in front for 31 to start the 68th, Ireland could breathe easier and three balls later he put the finishing touches on a match-seizing spell by claiming Vanua for a duck. George Dockrell and Craig Young finished off the rest of the tail to seal the match just before the final tea break.The result puts Ireland back into first place on the Intercontinental Cup table with 60 points, 14 clear of Netherlands. Meanwhile, PNG sits tied for sixth place with Namibia at 20 points. The tour continues on Saturday with the first of three T20Is between the two sides as part of Ireland’s preparation for next month’s ICC World Twenty20 in India.

Ian Bell conceded that England were “disappointed” to lose three late wickets to surrender a strong position towards the end of the first day

George Dobell at Lord's18-Jul-2013Ian Bell conceded that England were “disappointed” to lose three late wickets to surrender a strong position towards the end of the first day of the second Investec Ashes Test at Lord’s.England were progressing smoothly at 271 for 4 when Bell, having made a high-class century, edged a leg-break in the first over from part-time spinner Steve Smith. Bell’s dismissal precipitated a decline that saw England lost three wickets for 12 runs and sees them start the second day with no specialist batsmen remaining.But Bell also suggested that England had recovered well from a poor start – they were 28 for 3 within the first 40 minutes – and that they probably would have settled for a total of 289 for 7 by stumps at that stage.Bell, with the 19th Test century of his career, was the mainstay of the revival and, after centuries in the final Test of the previous series between the sides at Sydney and in the first Test of this series at Trent Bridge, became just the fourth England batsman to register centuries in three successive Ashes Tests. The others are Jack Hobbs, Wally Hammond and Chris Broad.”It was disappointing to lose those wickets but it wasn’t a bad day,” Bell said. “We would have taken that at three down early on.”The important thing is to win the first hour in the morning. We could do with getting to 350 and we do have a bit of batting to come, but it is a bit disappointing to lose those wickets to the late strikes.”It’s very satisfying to play a big innings. It’s what I have wanted to do over the last couple of years and you need as big a first-innings score as we can on a that wicket. I had to leave as well as possible early on and then try to cash in as the day went on.”I’ve only just found out about the record. It’s incredible; a real honour to be with those names. Lord’s is a special place and to go back into the dressing room and see that the lads have put your name in tape on the honours board is really special. The innings came at a time that was important for me and the team.”While Bell was understandably dismayed to lose his wicket to a spinner who, before this game, had only four Test wickets and had all but given up bowling, he could see the silver lining in his dismissal.With Smith getting a leg-break to turn sharply and take the edge of Bell’s bat on the first afternoon, he felt that Graeme Swann may also find some assistance later in the game.”It’s a good sign there’s a bit of spin from straight,” Bell said. “That’s nice. He took one wicket with a full toss and then bowled a couple of good deliveries but it’s a good sign to have a bit of spin from straight. I’m a little bit surprised by the amount of turn. It usually skids on more at Lord’s.”It’s a lot drier than a normal Lord’s pitch and looks much different. It’s difficult to know what a par score is but the longer we get this weather it will be very dry and hopefully there is more pace by the time we get to the fourth or fifth day.”If England fall below 400 in their first innings, they will have failed to reach that total for nine innings in succession, stretching back to Wellington. While Bell could provide no explanation for that run of form, he felt England’s batsmen were “not far away” from a collective return to form.”Sometimes it happens like that,” Bell said. “The work ethic is always there with his group. It’s been my turn to get runs, but in the past our top three have been outstanding at setting a platform. We’re not far away and when it does happen we’ll find ourselves in a good position.”

Mark Boucher has received positive news from his surgeon, Shuaib Manjra, in Cape Town, which suggests he may regain sight in his left eye after Monday’s freak on-field accident in Taunton

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jul-2012Former South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher has received “positive” news from his surgeon, Shuaib Manjra, in Cape Town, which suggests he may regain sight in his left eye after Monday’s freak on-field accident in Taunton that fast-forwarded his decision to retire.Manjra told the that there was “no obvious detachment of the retina which is very positive.” Boucher can recognise hand movements and identify the direction of light in the injured eye but will still have to undergo more exploratory surgery and months of other procedures to determine the exact severity of the damage and make a recovery.In the immediate term, Manjra, and the medical team, are still exploring the exact cause of the injury, which Boucher thinks had something to do with the ball. “He’s still convinced that the ball hit him,” Manjra said. “The amount of damage is not commensurate with simply a bail hitting him, unless there was a freak angle or freak speed and it hit him in a vulnerable spot. In other words, everything just went wrong for him on that day.”Manjra said Boucher remained in good spirits and had continued to “ask a lot of questions because he wants to get a full picture of what happened.” His recovery is being aided by his mother, Heather, and girlfriend, Carmen Lotter, who have both moved into his home in Claremont, Cape Town.It is too early to tell if Boucher will play cricket again, although there have been suggestions that he is interested in representing his franchise, Cape Cobras. Meanwhile, the South African Cricketers’ Association has begun the process of assisting Boucher in claiming disability insurance.

Rahul Dravid gave a resounding reminder of his value to the side with his 32nd Test century that put India on top in Jamaica

The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran22-Jun-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outRahul Dravid relied on slow-and-steady cricket•AFP

On a Sabina Park track with plentiful turn and unpredictable bounce Rahul Dravid gave a resounding reminder of his value to the side with his 32nd Test century that put India on top in Jamaica. After his painstakingly constructed innings left West Indies an exacting target of 326, the home side’s openers began the pursuit with an exhilarating flurry of strokes before a pair of superb catches slowed West Indies’ charge. Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Darren Bravo resisted for the final hour to keep the home side’s hopes alive.Dravid, the oldest active Test cricketer, put together a masterclass reminiscent of his 2006 heroics, silencing any murmurs about his place in the side being in doubt after a barren South African tour and the emergence of a slew of youngsters. Darren Sammy captured four wickets, but he will probably still be regretting the simple slip chance he put down when Dravid had made just 6.In an innings where the next highest scorer was No. 10 Amit Mishra with 28, Dravid prospered with the method that has worked so well for him over the past 150 Tests: playing old-school defensive cricket, shelving the fancy strokes and grinding down the opposition.India got an early sign of the troubles ahead for the batsmen when the second ball of the day shot through, barely rising off the ground. Later in the day, a delivery from legspinner Devendra Bishoo bounced viciously, forcing the wicketkeeper to jump and try to collect it overhead.Dravid was patient as ever in the morning session, making only 23 in two hours, even his defensive shots ending with an exaggerated freeze of the bat. A couple of milestones came up through fours past gully, both controlled glides – the first brought up his half-century, and the next pushed India’s lead past 200.His overnight partner Virat Kohli didn’t last long on the third morning, gloving a short ball down the leg side to the keeper. Suresh Raina, confident after his first-innings 82, hung around longer. He wasn’t at his most assured though, edging one between second slip and gully, as the West Indies bowlers kept probing away.A sore knee delayed the introduction of Bishoo, who made an immediate impact, inducing Raina to swipe at a ball spinning down the leg side. It was unclear whether there was any bat or glove involved but umpire Daryl Harper was convinced there was after the ball ricocheted off the wicketkeeper’s thigh pad to leg slip.That brought in MS Dhoni, who seemed a man in a hurry, clouting Bishoo for a straight six. He had moved to 16 off 15 balls before slashing Bishoo to point moments before lunch. Replays showed that Bishoo had cut the return crease when delivering the ball.Soon after lunch, India lost a third batsman to a dicey decision, when Harbhajan Singh was given lbw with the ball likely to have sailed over the stumps. Expect more UDRS headlines.When Praveen Kumar was bowled by Sammy for a second-ball duck, India were eight down with the lead 256; a quick end to the innings would have raised West Indies hopes. Instead they were flattened by a dogged Dravid, who added 56 vital runs with Mishra for the ninth wicket. Dravid shielded the tailender at times though Mishra was rarely in too much discomfort.

Smart stats

• Rahul Dravid’s 112 is the sixth century by an Indian batsman In Jamaica. The highest remains Dilip Sardesai’s 212 in 1971.

• Dravid surpassed Sunil Gavaskar to become the highest run-getter among visiting batsmen in the West Indies. He now has 1412 runs at 70.60 with three centuries and ten half-centuries.

• The 56-run stand between Dravid and Amit Mishra is the seventh-highest ninth-wicket stand for India against West Indies and their third-highest in the West Indies.

• Devendra Bishoo’s 4 for 65 is his best bowling figures in Tests surpassing his 4 for 68 against Pakistan in Guyana in 2011.

• Darren Sammy’s 4 for 52 is his fifth four-wicket haul and best bowling figures in Jamaica.

• If West Indies manage to chase the target successfully, it will be the sixth time that a 300-plus target has been chased in Tests in the West Indies. While West Indies have done so on three of the five previous occasions, India and Australia have also successfully chased 300-plus targets in Tests in West Indies.

Soon after Dravid reached his century with a single to the off side, Mishra swung a few boundaries before holing out to third man attempting a flamboyant hit. A rare sight then followed, a six from Dravid in Tests – only his 19th in 261 innings. Another Dravid attempt to mow the ball only reached mid-on, closing the innings and giving Bishoo his fourth wicket.India were in command at that stage, but instead of being demoralised by the large target, West Indies’ openers, Adrian Barath and Lendl Simmons, unleashed a counterattack that would have pleased the onlooking Chris Gayle. Barath was the leader, crashing two sixes in an over that ended Ishant Sharma’s spell. Simmons was unbothered by being beaten by a perfect Praveen outswinger, powerfully square cutting the next ball for four.With the boundaries flowing, the pair sprinted past 50 in the 10th over. Soon after, Praveen induced an edge off Barath to the vacant third slip. Dhoni strengthened the cordon and in the same over another nick flew to third slip where Raina plucked a sharp, overhead catch. Three deliveries later, Virat Kohli latched on to an even tougher chance, throwing himself to his left at gully to extend Ramnaresh Sarwan’s miserable run.When Ishant cleaned up Simmons with a terrific delivery that straightened, West Indies had slid from 62 for 0 to 80 for 3. Another familiar collapse seemed to have begun, but Bravo and Chanderpaul scrapped till stumps. Both had some anxious moments – Bravo chancing his luck by cutting deliveries too close to his body and Chanderpaul facing some loud lbw shouts – but the pair persevered, adding 51 runs to set up an intriguing fourth, and likely final, day.

Former Zimbabwe coach Walter Chawaguta will begin his duties as coach of the national Under-17 side as they prepare for a tournament in Benoni, South Africa, from August 6 to 10

Cricinfo staff26-Jun-2010Former Zimbabwe coach Walter Chawaguta will begin his duties as coach of the national Under-17 side as they prepare for a tournament in Benoni, South Africa, from August 6 to 10. The 15-member squad named for the trip is yet to work together as a group, but Chawaguta is not overly concerned.”We have picked a squad to work with specifically for this assignment,” Chawaguta said. “We haven’t met as a team as yet but I am hoping to work with the players on an individual basis because they are not available at the moment. The cricket season is taking a break at the moment and some of the players are engaged in other sports at their schools and this makes it difficult to assemble. So we hope to work with them on individual basis.”After competing well in the late nineties and early 2000s, Zimbabwe cricket slumped in the aftermath of political turmoil in the country and they lost their Test status. Things have started looking up in recent times, with the national side doing well in the recent tri-series against Sri Lanka and India. Chawaguta was aware of the importance of age-group cricket in ensuring a robust cricketing structure in the country.”We will have more trials for the side because we have to come up with the real Zimbabwe Under-17 team by the end of the year. This is a very important age-group because most of the players in this team are the ones who are going to play at the 2012 Under-19 World Cup. So we need to be thorough in our activities,” he said.Squad: Alistair MacLeod, Salman Khan, Malcolm Lake, Michael Torr, Deven Bell, Rhett Wallbridge, Ryan Burl, Andre Odendaal, Charles Kunje, Odicious Mhanje, Luke Jongwe, Joylord Gumbie.Reserves: Matthew Wicks, Bryan Majoka, Shane Musekwa.

Maharaj, Rabada’s heavy workloads could not force a result in a Test where 142 overs were lost across five days

Firdose Moonda11-Aug-2024South Africa ran out of time, ideas and most importantly bowlers, as they fell five wickets short of winning the first Test against West Indies in Trinidad. The hosts weren’t too far from challenging for a win themselves: West Indies were 97 short of their target when the curtains came down.With 142 overs lost to rain over the five days, South Africa made a fist of the final day when they batted quickly, declared early and gave themselves a little over two sessions to bowl West Indies out. But, Alick Athanaze, playing in his eighth Test match, scored a career-best 92 and shared in half-century stands with Kavem Hodge and Jason Holder to deny South Africa and save the match. This was the first drawn Test worldwide in 28 matches, since July last year.Related

• 'Big, strong, strapping' Stubbs to be South Africa's new Test No. 3

• Maharaj's 28-over spell applies squeeze on West Indies on rain-affected day

• Maharaj, Rabada's perfect mini-day puts South Africa in position to push for win

Weather aside, questions will be asked of South Africa’s selection after they chose an extra batter at the expense of a fifth frontline-bowling option and were forced to rely heavily on two players. Keshav Maharaj bowled 66.2 overs and Kagiso Rabada 30 out of the 148.1 West Indies faced across both innings, while Lungi Ngidi and Wiaan Mulder contributed 30.5. In the absence of a second specialist spinner, Aiden Markram delivered 21 overs.There may also be some scrutiny on the Queen’s Park Oval pitch. It lacked pace and bounce and did not facilitate a free-flow of runs, ostensibly because the square has already been used extensively for club cricket this season. Whatever the reason, it made for an attritional style of play, emphasised by the amount of time lost, and both teams did well to turn most of the final day into a cat-and-mouse battle with all four results possible.Maharaj and Rabada bowled 96.2 overs between themselves in the Test•AFP/Getty Images

South Africa came out with clear intent on the fifth morning: to get runs and get them quickly. Tony de Zorzi and Markram scored 48 in the first 10.2 overs and the 13 they took off Jayden Seales’ third over best illustrated their approach. De Zorzi appeared to defend the first ball but somehow timed it well enough to get through mid-off and almost to the boundary and the pair ran three. Then Markram smashed a short ball through midwicket and drove a full one over mid-on for two fours. Timing, power and finesse all went into their 78-run opening stand.When Jomel Warrican was introduced in the 16th over, de Zorzi tried to be innovative and paddle him away fine but gloved a leg-stump delivery to Joshua Da Silva, ending his 60-ball stay. He fell five runs short of scoring successive half-centuries in this Test and has put a peg in the ground as an enterprising opening option.Tristan Stubbs was in at No.3 and edged the fourth ball he faced past the only slip to frustrate Holder, but Stubbs calmed his nerves with a sweep off Warrican in the next over. The sweep shot was profitable for him and Warrican was a clear target. Markram hit Warrican for six over long-on once but when he tried it a second time, he did not get enough behind the shot and was caught on the boundary by Holder.Tristan Stubbs celebrates his maiden Test fifty•Gallo Images/Getty Images

Temba Bavuma stayed in his No. 4 spot and provided a foil to Stubbs, who was given a licence to thrill. He reverse swept and advanced on Warrican to hit him over the leg side and scored 36 runs off the 25 balls he faced from him. In the process, he reached his first Test fifty, off 42 balls – the second-fastest maiden half-century by a South African after Dudley Nourse’s 40-ball fifty on debut. Stubbs also took on the senior seamer, Kemar Roach, and scored 13 runs off three balls from him before Roach took out his leg stump, and South Africa declared half an hour before lunch.They gave their bowlers 20 minutes in the first session but only had 15 before the rain came down. Maharaj opened the bowling and, with his third ball, had the usually sedate Kraigg Braithwaite attempting a big shot from a full ball and caught at sweeper cover. Stubbs judged his run from the boundary well to hold on to the catch.At the other end, Rabada tested Keacy Carty by beating his outside edge, almost having him played on, and thought he had him caught behind but didn’t. He then reviewed an lbw appeal that hit Carty’s front pad in line with off-stump. Ball-tracking showed it was clipping the top on umpire’s call and Carty survived but then rain arrived.Rain affected play in all five days of the Test•AFP/Getty Images

An hour was lost and when play resumed, Rabada returned with a plan. He set up Mikyle Louis with a series of full deliveries including a fabulous yorker that was well kept out and then bowled a short one. Louis got a top edge to midwicket where he found Stubbs, who held on to a second good catch.With Carty and Athanaze at the crease, South Africa would have hoped to exploit their inexperience but the young pair survived and then thrived. Athanaze became comfortable sweeping and Carty took 12 runs off Ngidi’s second over. The third-wicket stand grew to 46 before Carty hit Maharaj towards cover where Mulder dived forward to take a low catch.South Africa could not prise West Indies open in the second session and put down two chances. Hodge offered Markram a return catch when on 9 and survived again on the last ball before tea when, on 24, he gloved a Maharaj delivery in Bavuma’s direction at second slip. Bavuma went to his right but the ball evaded him. Hodge’s dance with danger ended in the first over after tea when Maharaj found turn and bounce and Hodge got the faintest of edges to Kyle Verreynne.But Athanaze was not easily moved and was excellent against the short ball. He scored quickly, reached 50 off 58 balls and took on South Africa’s main bowlers. He scored 18 runs off 19 balls he faced from Rabada and 47 off 62 from Maharaj and had three figures in his sights until he top-edged a sweep from Maharaj to Ryan Rickelton at deep-backward square leg. By then, West Indies were on safe ground and it was too late for South Africa to push for a result. The captains shook hands on a draw in fading light with 6.4 overs of play remaining.

“The six games he played, it was just over 40-odd runs, averaging about 7 or 8. That’s not what we require right now”

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-2023Ricky Ponting has no doubt Prithvi Shaw remains a match-winner, but feels that the Delhi Capitals opener had gone through a long enough run of low scores to merit being left out of Delhi Capitals’ XI. Shaw played the first six games of the season for Capitals, scoring 12, 7, 0, 15, 0 and 13, before being dropped for their most recent game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 24.Ponting, the Capitals coach, noted that Shaw’s run of low scores for Capitals stretched all the way to the second half of the 2022 season. The opener has now failed to pass fifty in his last 12 IPL innings. Shaw was one of four players – Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel and Anrich Nortje were the others – retained by the franchise ahead of the 2022 mega auction.”It just came to the point, where yes, it was six games this season, but I think it was six or seven games at the back end of last season as well,” Ponting said on the eve of Capitals’ return fixture against Sunrisers. “I think it’s 13 [12] games since Prithvi has made a fifty opening the batting for the Delhi Capitals, which, if you look throughout the tournament, there are a lot of other players at the top of the order with other teams that are playing a whole lot better than Prithvi.”Related

• Capital collapse: Delhi's problems start with Warner and Shaw

• Misfiring batters under spotlight as Capitals, Sunrisers seek a lift

In their last match against Sunrisers, Capitals left Shaw out and promoted Phil Salt to open alongside David Warner. The move didn’t come off immediately: Salt was out for a first-ball duck.”We needed to find a bit of a spark at the top of the order, and Phil Salt moved there in the last game – that didn’t quite work as well,” Ponting said. “So yeah, Prithvi, absolutely, at his absolute best we know he is a match-winner. That’s one of the reasons that he is a retained player here at the Delhi Capitals, because we know that if he bats a certain amount of balls, we win about 95% of the games, but so far this season he hasn’t been able to produce.”I think the six games that he played, it was just over 40-odd runs, averaging about 7 or 8, so that’s not what we require right now. So it was a tough decision to leave him out, but hopefully, the team that we put on the park tomorrow can win another game for us.”Ponting was surprised by Shaw’s poor returns in IPL 2023 – he had felt at the start of the season that Shaw was shaping up well, both from a fitness and work-ethic perspective, to score heavily.”It’s not difficult to have the conversation, because that’s what my job is,” Ponting said when asked about communicating the decision to drop Shaw. “When guys are not performing, or even when they are performing, it’s my job to have good, honest, open, adult conversations with all the players, and nothing’s different with Prithvi. I talk the same way to him as I talk to any guys that are scoring runs.”But as it sort of worked out, when he arrived this year, he had been at the NCA [National Cricket Academy] for quite a few weeks, he had been working really hard on his fitness. He turned up in good physical shape, and his work ethic and training and everything he did in the nets suggested to me that this might be just that big year for him.”I actually came out publicly and said it, on record, saying that I thought he would be one of our standout players for the tournament. That hasn’t worked out just yet, but saying that, there’s a long way to go. If things don’t work out with our current top order, there’s no reason why he couldn’t be back in the team, and if he gets back in the team, then hopefully he can finish the tournament really strongly.”We know what sort of talent he is, everyone’s seen him play. It’s up to us, as a team, to find a way to get the best out of him.”

Ben McDermott top-scored for Australia with his maiden international fifty

Andrew Fidel Fernando11-Feb-2022As has often been the case for Sri Lanka in the past year, the bowlers took the game by the collar, and the batters then let the match slip. Having restricted Australia to 149 for 9 on a decent batting deck, Sri Lanka lost two wickets in the first three overs, and never really recovered. They’d been chasing 143, after an over of the chase was lost to rain.Australia’s quicks had made those initial inroads, but Adam Zampa then sealed the match through the middle overs, claiming 3 for 18 from his four overs, to precipitate a collapse that saw Sri Lanka lose 5 wickets for 26 in 5.2 overs. Josh Hazlewood, who had taken the first wicket of the innings, claimed three more late in the innings to finish with figures of 4 for 12.The hosts too had lost wickets rapidly in the second half of their innings, but had two solid performances that carried them to their score – Ben McDermott’s 53 off 41, his maiden international fifty, at the top of the innings, and Marcus Stoinis 30 off 17 in the middle overs.Gunathilaka and Avishka hole outSri Lanka’s top three just couldn’t get the boundaries away in the powerplay. There were plays-and-misses, defensive pushes, good shots that found fielders, and a steady building up of frustration. Mitchell Starc’s first over cost only one run. Hazlewood only conceded one off the bat in the first five balls of the next over. With Sri Lanka on just three runs after 11 deliveries, Danushka Gunathilaka attempted to blast Hazlewood over the leg side, but succeeded only in mis-hitting it to midwicket.Two overs later, Avishka Fernando cracked Pat Cummins over the deep midwicket boundary for six, but sent a high catch behind the wicket attempting to repeat the shot. In the end, Sri Lanka mustered only 30 runs for the loss of those two wickets, by the end of the Powerplay. The required rate had climbed past 8.5 by this stage.Zampa and Hazlewood rip through the middle orderPathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka put on Sri Lanka’s best partnership of the match, even if their 43 together took 41 balls to make. But as was the case right through the World Cup last year, Zampa didn’t take long to sap what little momentum the opposition was building. He dismissed Nissanka first, having him caught by an advancing wide long on, before getting Asalanka to hole out to deep square leg. In the last over of his spell, he got Wanindu Hasaranga to spoon one to cover too.Sri Lanka’s lower-middle and lower order needed to hit out desperately, but Hazlewood is hard to clobber. Dasun Shanaka and Dushmantha Chameera were both caught off top-edges, as the batters tried to clear leg-side boundaries. Chamika Karunaratne, was out caught and bowled when a leading edge popped up down the pitch, and Hazlewood took a good low catch. Between them, Zampa and Hazlewood claimed seven wickets.Australia close poorly after McDermott fiftyAustralia were never explosive at any stage of their innings, but thanks to McDermott’s solidity, they had got to 75 for 1 after 10 overs, and seemed headed for a total in the vicinity of 170, given the firepower to come. Sri Lanka repeatedly dented Australia’s advance through this period, however, with Karunaratne and Hasaranga striking twice apiece, in the space of five overs.There was a brief Australia resurgence while Stoinis was at the crease, but Binura Fernando and Chameera both had double-wicket overs in the death. Sri Lanka conceded only nine runs and took four wickets in the last three overs of Australia’s innings.