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Gary Stead said it was important to manage coaching workload during a long period on the road

ESPNcricinfo staff10-May-2022Luke Wright, the former England allrounder, will be part of New Zealand’s coaching staff during their upcoming limited-overs tours of Ireland, Scotland and Netherlands.Wright is part of an expanded coaching group which means no one will be involved in New Zealand’s full schedule of tours which begins with the Test series against England and runs through to August in West Indies.Dion Ebrahim, Dean Brownlie and Graeme Aldridge will also be part of the set-up alongside lead bowling coach Shane Jurgensen and batting coach Luke Ronchi.Ebrahim, the former Zimbabwe batter who played 29 Tests and is now Otago head coach, will be part of the England Test tour before Wright, who stepped down as Sussex’s T20 captain earlier this year and has previously worked as an assistant coach for Melbourne Stars in the BBL, joins for the white-ball matches.Related

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Head coach Gary Stead will miss the tour of Ireland – which will be led by Jurgensen – before returning for the Scotland and Netherlands series followed by a tour of West Indies in August. Jurgensen and Ronchi will return home after Ireland to be replaced by Aldridge and Brownlie. New Zealand used a similar mix of coaches last year.”A key lesson from last year’s Covid-enforced schedules was the importance of keeping not just our players fresh, but also our staff,” Stead said. “We’ve got 14 weeks of non-stop cricket ahead in all three formats and across four countries – along with a T20 World Cup also looming in Australia in October.”We need to ensure our coaches are at the top of their games throughout that period, and able to create an environment in which the team can continue to improve and thrive.”Aldridge and Brownlie have previously been involved in the national set-up while Stead was looking forward to the ideas that Wright and Ebrahim will bring.”Along with the practicality of having an extra set of hands, it’s also a way of introducing different voices and skills to the group, as well as giving the fourth coaches themselves an opportunity to learn and develop,” he said.”Dion is a promising new head coach on the domestic scene. I’m sure he will get plenty out of touring with the Blackcaps. Luke will offer in-depth knowledge of the conditions in the UK and his vast experiences in T20 cricket all around the world.”

Opening stand makes light work of Sussex to extend 100% record

ECB Reporters Network08-Jun-2022Surrey 147 for 3 (Jacks 57, Roy 50) beat Sussex 146 for 7 (Hudson-Prentice 49*) by seven wickets Will Jacks and Jason Roy both hit sparkling half-centuries as South Group leaders Surrey stretched their unbeaten start to the Vitality Blast campaign to six matches by crushing Sussex Sharks by seven wickets at the Kia Oval.A crowd of 15,000 saw Jacks add a 37-ball 57 to an earlier wicket and astonishing boundary catch as Surrey easily chased down Sussex’s 146 for 7, in which Fynn Hudson-Prentice top-scored for the visitors with a 49 not out from 44 balls that anchored the innings but provided no real forward thrust.There were still 3.3 overs remaining when Surrey reached 147 for 3 in reply, completing their total outclassing of a Sharks side who have now lost four of their opening seven Blast fixtures.Surrey’s mastery was summed up by Chris Jordan, their captain, bowling a double-wicket maiden in Sussex’s 18th over, and with five wins only a no result wash-out against Glamorgan at Cardiff denies them a 100 per cent record.Jacks and Roy reeled off a stream of magnificent and powerful strokes in an opening partnership of 110 in just 12.3 overs as the Sharks attack was taken apart in ruthless fashion.Both hit sixes as Delray Rawlins’s left-arm spin was plundered for 19 in the first over of Surrey’s reply, and Jacks then extra cover drove and swung Tymal Mills for four and six in a third over costing 18.Steven Finn’s second over went for 15 and Roy then merely punched Obed McCoy’s left-arm pace straight for a purely-timed four and Jacks thrashed Mills high over extra cover as the six-over powerplay ended with Surrey 72 without loss.Roy eventually sliced McCoy to cover to go for 50 from 41 balls, with two sixes and four fours, and three wickets in six balls momentarily slowed Surrey’s progress as Sam Curran (1) played McCoy on to his stumps and Jacks skied to deep extra cover after hitting two sixes and six fours.Kieron Pollard, though, sauntered in to launch both Archie Lenham and Mills for sixes in an unbeaten cameo of 23 and Laurie Evans also thrashed a cover four off the suffering Mills in his 10 not out.Sunil Narine, meanwhile, again Surrey’s outstanding bowler, conceded no fours off the bat in his 4-0-21-1 and – remarkably – the former West Indies mystery spinner has been struck for just three in the 20 overs he has so far sent down in this season’s competition.It was Narine, indeed, who ended Harrison Ward’s 23-ball 31 after the young left-hander had at least offered some lusty blows, including a six over long off against Worrall, in a fifth-wicket stand of 51 in seven overs with Hudson-Prentice.But the Sussex innings always struggled to get going, despite Tom Alsop clubbing Reece Topley for successive legside sixes in the fourth over – an over that ended, however, with Topley bowling Tim Seifert for 4 through an ugly slog.That left the Sharks 35 for 2 and they had lost their first wicket when Jacks pulled off a sensational, leaping one-handed catch on the deep square leg ropes to dismiss Ravi Bopara for 6 off Dan Worrall.Rawlins, trying to force off the back foot, then succeeded only in edging a simple catch to Topley at short third man off Jacks’ third ball, in the fifth over.Topley dived full length to his right, in the same position, to cling on brilliantly to a reverse slap from Alsop six overs later as the left-hander, who scored 38 off 28 balls, tried in vain to break the shackles imposed by Narine.Jordan’s double-strike in the 18th over removed both Ward, carving to deep point, and Oli Carter, leg-before for a duck, and McCoy was run out for 2 in the final over when Hudson-Prentice attempted to pinch a bye when the tailender heaved and missed at Jordan.Mills did manage to thump Jordan past mid off for four in that last over and the innings ended with four leg byes to fine leg off Hudson-Prentice’s pads – but there had simply not been enough boundaries for the Sharks against a talented and varied Surrey attack.

“A huge question mark remains on how the dressing room will take him,” Mashrafe Mortaza says

Mohammad Isam02-Feb-2023Chandika Hathurusingha’s appointment as Bangladesh coach has drawn diverse reactions from the country’s cricket fraternity. The new two-year deal will be Hathurusingha’s second stint in this position after he spent three years, from 2014 to 2017, before leaving abruptly for the Sri Lanka role. According to the BCB president Nazmul Hassan, he has now returned as the all-format coach, which all but rules out S Sriram as the T20I coach of the team.The BCB announced Hathurusingha as their new coach on Tuesday, four weeks after Russell Domingo resigned following suggestions from the board that they were looking for a new coach. Hathurusingha was on BCB’s wishlist for a long time even after he had resigned from the post in October 2017.This, despite his successors Steve Rhodes (2018-19) and Domingo (2019-22) having a better win percentage than Hathurusingha. Rhodes had a 51.11 win percentage in 45 matches while Domingo had a 42.34 win percentage in all formats. Both had a much better record in ODIs and T20Is than Hathurusingha, who had a better Test record, having won six out of 21 matches during his reign.Related

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Many felt that the BCB was hasty to dispose off Rhodes after the 2019 World Cup while Domingo resigned after being put in an untenable position due to the board’s criticism of his coaching style. But the timing remained questionable. The criticism followed the team’s 2-1 ODI home series win against India in December.Former captain Mashrafe Mortaza said that the way Hathurusingha left the Bangladesh job in 2017 left a bad taste in the mouth.”Considering our Test-playing nation’s stature, this is certainly not a good example,” Mashrafe told . “Jamie Siddons was also brought back. They are two of the best coaches in terms of technical and tactical aspects that I have seen. Maybe that’s why the board thought it best to bring him back. There’s also a coaching crisis. It is hard to find coaches since there are so many franchise tournaments. BCB took the right decision in that regard.”There wouldn’t have been a problem had he [Hathurusingha] left properly like Siddons, who wanted to stay back as Bangladesh’s batting coach. Hathurusingha left in the middle of his contracted period. He didn’t pick up the phone of our board president, neither did he reply to his SMS. He left suddenly. There’s always the question of respect.”Jalal Yunus, the BCB’s cricket operations chairman, said that Hathurusingha will be familiar with Bangladesh’s team culture and players, and has already committed to the board for two years.”We are happy,” Yunus told ESPNcricinfo. “He has worked here before so he won’t need a lot of time to adjust here. He knows the players and the environment. He is a good coach. He has the quality that’s needed for the players. He has always shown interest in Bangladesh cricket. I hope this time he will stay long and keep the contractual commitment. Judging by what he has told us, we expect him to work dedicatedly for the two years.”Mashrafe Mortaza on Hathurusingha’s return: [Whether it will be good for Bangladesh cricket or not] depends on how much the board can keep him in check•Getty Images

Mashrafe, who captained 69 of the 102 matches during Hathurusingha’s first stint as Bangladesh coach, said that the players’ response to Hathurusingha returning to the dressing room is his main concern. Towards the second half of his time as Bangladesh coach, there were murmurs about how he was treating the players.”A huge question mark remains on how the dressing room will take him,” Mashrafe said. “The most important thing is, how he and the dressing room is comfortable with each other. Apart from two or four new faces, most of the players are the same [from his first stint].”We have to see whether he forgets the past, or he behaves the same as before and how the players react to these things. Hathurusingha is an international coach, so I am sure he will manage everything. The sooner that happens, the better.Yunus said that the criticism was unnecessary as the BCB was looking for a father figure as a coach. “Headmasterly is not a proper term,” he said. “We need a coach who has to act like a guardian. Someone who can explain to the players, and then get the best out of him. He has that quality.”We have an important series coming up against England. It is part of the ICC Super League. Mainly, he is focused on the World Cup later this year. We have eight to nine months in our hands.”Mashrafe said that the two current captains Tamim Iqbal (ODI) and Shakib Al Hasan (Tests and T20Is) know Hathurusingha well enough to work properly with him. But he said that a lot depends on how the BCB handles Hathurusingha. In the past, he has had public run-ins with two BCB cricket operations committee chairpersons and former chief selector Faruque Ahmed.”Shakib and Tamim are going to coordinate well with Hathurusingha,” Mashrafe said. “They generally have good relations with Hathurusingha, although there were one or two incidents with Shakib. At the end of the day, he is the best player of the team. Hathurusingha also knows the Bangladesh culture, so I feel that he will do well from his end.”His influence will depend on the discussion between Papon [Nazmul Hassan] and Hathurusingha. I believe that Hathurusingha will have a more powerful position this time. [Whether it will be good for Bangladesh cricket or not] depends on how much the board can keep him in check.”Two days before Hathurusingha was named the next coach, BCB director Khaled Mahmud said that he felt it was going to be a timely appointment.”It would be good if Hathurusingha comes,” said Mahmud, who had worked as team manager during Hathurusingha’s first stint. “He has worked in Bangladesh before. There were a lot of good performances during his time. He is more mature [now], which is good for the team. I think it is a positive thing that he is coming for a second time. He understands us well, as he is also from the subcontinent.”Ahmed, who was the chief selector before falling out with Hathurusingha and resigning from the post in 2016, was, however, a bit skeptical.”I think the BCB has brought back Chandika Hathurusingha with a lot of great expectations in mind,” Ahmed told on February 1. “But the board probably forgot how he left the job last time. Usually, those who leave in that manner aren’t able to give back anything good. Subconsciously, both parties remember the previous incidents. When the team will not do well, the BCB will feel why did we get him back. The coach will not be able to say anything boldly. He will also have his last exit in the back of his mind. If his exit were a normal one, there wouldn’t be any questions about his return.”I am doubtful how wise a decision this is. The BCB bringing him back after such a departure will make Hathurusingha’s accountability low. He will dictate to us. I think it is important to work together. From what I know of him, Hathurusingha wants to do everything on his own. But still, I hope that he will work together [with everyone].”Hathurusingha is expected to arrive in Dhaka between February 18 and 20, a week before Bangladesh play England in a three-match ODI series from March 1.

A packed crowd at the Gabba was treated to some sensational hitting as McCullum, Burns, Ross, Cutting and Stoinis took centerstage

The Report by Alex Malcolm at the Gabba20-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsNo Chris Lynn, no worries for Brisbane Heat.Last season’s semi-finalists threw down a marker in their opening match against Melbourne Stars with a win that was more comprehensive than the scoreline suggested. They destroyed the Stars’ well-balanced attack and dismembered the Star-studded top order to show that Lynn is a value add to the Heat rather than an irreplaceable member of the Bash Brothers two-man band.But the Stars have so much talent that they never gave in thanks to a remarkable innings from Marcus Stoinis, who made 99 off 51 balls to take the game to the last over.Stars’ captain John Hastings gave the Heat a leg up early, making the curious decision to bowl first on a superb pitch for batting. He would have felt good after two overs when the Heat were 1 for 10 with Jimmy Pierson back in the shed and Lynn absent as he continues to recover from his shoulder injury.But Hastings’ mood soon soured when Brendon McCullum lit up the Gabba. Scott Boland’s first over, the third of the innings, went for 24. McCullum found the rope three times and cleared it once. He raced to 40 off 22 balls before he was deceived by a Stoinis slower ball.Getty Images

But the Heat never lost momentum despite McCullum’s exit. Joe Burns (50 off 28 balls), Alex Ross (51 off 36 balls) and Ben Cutting (35 off 18 balls) climbed into the Stars’ seamers to keep the run-rate above 10 an over through to the end of the innings. Hastings and Boland gave up 96 runs from six combined overs, including 10 fours and six sixes.Strangely, James Faulkner opened the bowling and conceded just seven runs in the opening over but did not bowl again. By contrast, the spin of Michael Beer and Adam Zampa took 2 for 45 from seven overs. Beer did not concede a boundary and McCullum scored just nine runs off 10 balls against Beer in the Powerplay.The Heat’s plans for the Stars’ world-class top order worked a treat. Josh Lalor lured last year’s leading scorer Ben Dunk into a thick outside edge that was caught on the second bite by a perfectly placed Mitch Swepson at deep gully. The plans to remove Kevin Pietersen and Glenn Maxwell cheaply were cold, calculated and perfectly executed.Pietersen played the world’s most feared quicks extremely well in his prime but his lack of match practice against them recently may leave him exposed. He scored just four runs from 11 balls against the genuine pace of Mohammad Amir and Steven Finn in his only two T20 matches during the English summer, with Finn taking his wicket.McCullum instructed Lalor, Mark Steketee and Ben Doggett to bowl as quick and aggressively as possible at Pietersen. He hopped, ducked and weaved through his first seven balls to score just four runs before launching a length ball into the stands. But he holed out to mid-off next ball.The Heat had also scouted Maxwell. In four straight innings during Australia’s limited overs tour of India in October, Maxwell fell to the legspin of Yuzvendra Chahal. He also fell to Hobart Hurricanes legspinner Cameron Boyce in a BBL warm-up game after Boyce was introduced immediately upon Maxwell’s arrival.McCullum called on Pakistan legspinner Shadab Khan in the fifth over when pace had already removed Dunk and Pietersen. Maxwell hit the first long-hop for six but holed out to long-on two balls later. Shadab bowled Wright shortly after to seemingly kill off the game.But Stoinis produced an innings of the highest quality to once again confirm his credentials for further international honours. He struck six sixes and six fours, mixing power with touch and supreme fitness in warm conditions during a 137-run stand with Faulkner to take the Stars to the brink.Stoinis was run out trying to complete his hundred but he was a thoroughly deserving Man of the Match in a losing cause.

The MCC Cricket Committee were “reassured” the new tournament would be a “recognisable form of cricket”

Melinda Farrell07-Aug-20180:56

T20 probably hasn’t reached the level in England as it has elsewhere – Ponting

The ECB has confirmed to the MCC Cricket Committee that they are likely to ditch six-ball overs in The Hundred tournament with bowlers instead sending down 20 deliveries, probably in sets of five balls.The ECB’s chief commercial officer, Sanjay Patel, who is also the managing director of the new competition, made a presentation to the MCC Cricket Committee at Lord’s this week and, while the rules of the proposed tournament remain sketchy, the committee was reassured that the new competition would still be a recognisable form of cricket.”Basically, they’re still developing the concept,” said John Stephenson, the MCC Head of Cricket. “As custodians of the Laws of the game, what we’re concerned about is if you modify the game of cricket too much it ceases to look like cricket.

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“What we heard this morning from Sanjay was quite reassuring … they’re still developing how the final format will be.”The current thinking is 20 five-ball overs, but I think today was part of their consultation. So they wanted to know what we felt about that.”We threw a few questions back about that about whatever modifications there might be.”The idea of a final ten-ball over to possibly be bowled by two bowlers has been one of the more controversial ideas mooted by the ECB. And in recent weeks there have been reports that the ECB is considering having teams of twelve or fifteen players in The Hundred.”I think at the maximum, they’re looking at having a substitute fielder,” Stephenson said. “But I think what that’s about is performance – having the best fielders out there at the right time to field.”But at the moment, as far as I can make out, they’ll have 11 batsmen, they won’t have ‘overs’ per se but 100 balls, 20 balls per bowler.”Apart from that, it’ll look like a normal game of cricket.

Keeper-batter says he’s been guaranteed white-ball games in Caribbean after coming to Test squad’s rescue

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2022Sam Billings is keen to grasp the unexpected opportunity of a potential Test debut in Hobart later this week, although his thoughts will quickly return to pinning down a place in England’s white-ball teams.Billings embarked on a 500-mile road trip to join up with England’s Ashes squad shortly after being told not to get on a plane back to the UK. Having finished his stint with Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League, Billings had been due to travel home ahead of England’s T20I series against West Indies in the Caribbean, before injuries to Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow, the two frontline Test wicketkeepers in Australia, forced a change of plan.His likely involvement in Hobart means Billings will miss England’s opening T20I in Barbados on January 22 – but he said had received assurances from the ECB of being picked for the rest of the series after agreeing to come to the Test team’s rescue.Related

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“I am 100% ready if required, and I will give absolutely everything I can,” he told reporters in Sydney, where England secured a dramatic draw in the fourth Test. “My game is in a good place. It has been in the longer format for the last three years for Kent.”I have been playing consistent cricket and scoring runs. It doesn’t really matter what format it is, it’s more about rhythm, confidence and mindset. Like any side I go into I will try to make a positive impact on and off the field, in any environment I am put into.”The three guys [Buttler, Bairstow and Ben Stokes] who came out to bat in Sydney with injuries, that’s incredible courage, and exactly what everyone involved in English cricket is about – playing for each other and that resilience. There’s a lot of inspiration we can take from that as a group, that character and over-my-dead-body attitude.”While a regular in England’s white-ball squads over the years, Billings has rarely had an extended run in either the T20I or ODI sides. The absence of Buttler and Bairstow for the West Indies trip meant he was first in line to keep wicket, and he said that Ashley Giles, England’s managing director of men’s cricket, had agreed to his request to play.”I’ve done way too much running the drinks,” he said. “So it was having that real clarity I wasn’t going to compromise that opportunity in the West Indies. Gilo agreed to that.”Billings has spoken previously of his ambitions to play Test cricket, although his proficiency on the T20 circuit has limited his chances to press a case – in the last three years, he has played just 10 Championship games for Kent, averaging 44.58 with three hundreds.”It’s a hard one,” he said. “As a non-contract [England] player, you have to try and maximise those opportunities, because you don’t have that fallback of knowing you’ll be picked in the next squad. Being constantly in that mindset isn’t very healthy. Playing in those T20 leagues, the great thing is you get signed as an overseas player and you get valued in that environment. You know you’re going to play a run of games and it’s great.”He also said that the performance of Usman Khawaja, a team-mate at Sydney Thunder, had provided a source of inspiration. Khawaja returned to the Australia Test XI for the first time in two-and-a-half years and proceeded to score centuries in each innings at the SCG.”He was very honest and said: ‘I wasn’t sure if this opportunity would come again.’ As you’ve seen, that’s how to grab an opportunity. Hopefully I can take some inspiration from him. You have got nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

Sri Lanka, who at one stage seemed set to take a commanding lead, claimed one of only four runs and were 40 runs ahead by stumps

Andrew Fidel Fernando17-Jul-2022Prabath Jayasuriya terrorised Pakistan in the first session before Babar Azam struck a valiant 119, much of it in the company of No. 11 Naseem Shah, as the hosts surged back into the match either side of tea. Between Jayasuriya’s 5 for 82, and Pakistan’s 70-run last-wicket stand, the teams ended day two roughly even in the context of the match.Sri Lanka, who at one stage seemed set to take a commanding lead, claimed one of only four runs and were 40 runs ahead by stumps. They had lost captain Dimuth Karunaratne to the left-arm spin of Mohammad Nawaz. Nightwatcher Kasun Rajitha was at the crease alongside Oshada Fernando.Babar’s century was extraordinary for how many of his runs came in the company of the tail. When Pakistan lost their seventh wicket, he was on 28. When they lost their eighth, on 36. One wicket to go, he was on 55. And this was when he started farming the strike beautifully, facing 133 of the 185 balls Sri Lanka delivered to the last-wicket pair.It wasn’t as if he suddenly switched to hyper-aggression either. Sri Lanka put their field back for Babar, routinely putting at least seven fielders on the boundary while he was on strike, then bringing the field in for Naseem. Thanks in part to Naseem’s resolute defence, and refusal to be tempted into big shots even when the spinners tossed it tantalisingly into the air, Babar kept pressing. Occasionally, he would have enough of merely taking the single off the fourth or fifth ball, and ventured boundaries. Against Kasun Rajitha, for example, who he smoked down the ground, lashed over midwicket, then whipped aerially through deep square leg, to hit three successive boundaries off the last three balls of the over.This was after Naseem had proven his mettle, though. Next over, he saw six Jayasuriya balls out, much to the frustration of the bowler, who kicked the turf when his last ball – a quicker one at the stumps – was blocked out. Naseem’s contribution to a 70-run partnership was just five runs. But he survived, unbeaten, for 52 balls.Prabath Jayasuriya celebrates his five-wicket haul•AFP/Getty Images

This pair having come together roughly midway through the second session, Pakistan went to tea with Babar needing five more for his hundred, which he got three balls into resumption, whipping a full toss from Maheesh Theekshana through wide mid-on for four, before nurdling a single square on the legside to completed his seventh Test hundred, and third against Sri Lanka. He’d turned down many singles for the sake of keeping the strike before this.He hit two more boundaries – a six over wide long-on off Jayasuriya, and four through square leg off the same bowler, before eventually Theekshana spun an offbreak through his defences and hit him in front of the stumps. The last-wicket stand had taken them from 148 for 9, to 218.Earlier, it had been Jayasuriya who ran the show. First ball of the day, he had Azhar Ali chipping to cover, only for Dimuth Karunaratne to shell the chance. It didn’t matter. He slid one into Azhar’s pad two balls later. Bowling unchanged at the fort end right through that first session, he also removed debutant Agha Salman with a straighter one, then claimed the wickets of Mohammad Nawaz (jumping down the pitch, clipping straight to short leg who held a chance that hit his chest), and Shaheen Afridi (lbw) off successive deliveries.Having also dismissed Abdullah Shafique the previous evening, this completed Jayasuriya’s third five-wicket haul in as-many bowling innings. He was not quite so good against the tail, failing to break through after lunch, as Yasir Shah, and Hasan Ali put on useful stands worth 27 and 36, respectively, with Babar. In his 39 overs, during which he secured figures of 5 for 82, Jayasuriya repeatedly beat right-handed batters’ outside edge, and threatened their pads with his straighter one. Ramesh Mendis, who took 2 for 18 from his 13 overs, was more economical and gained greater turn. But no one threatened like Jayasuriya.

Yasir Ali’s brisk century and Abu Hider’s three-for starred for Bangladesh A, helping them trounce Ireland A by 76 runs in the fifth unofficial ODI in Cox’s Bazar

Mohammad Isam26-Oct-2017
ScorecardAFP

Yasir Ali’s brisk century and Abu Hider’s three-for starred for Bangladesh A, helping them trounce Ireland A by 76 runs in the fifth unofficial ODI in Cox’s Bazar, leaving the visitors without a win on tour. Bangladesh A completed a 4-0 win in the ODIs, and had also win the solitary unofficial Test.Batting first, Bangladesh A racked up 286 for 6 in 50 overs. Yasir joined Shadman Islam at the crease in the 15th over, by which time Anamul Haque and Nazmul Hossain Shanto were both dismissed. Yasir and Shadman added 132 runs in 22.5 overs, with the latter making 68 off 103 balls, with one six and four fours.Bangladesh A scored 85 runs in the last five overs with Yasir leading the charge. He struck five sixes and eight fours in his 101-ball 102. Barry McCarthy and Shane Getkate took two wickets each while Simi Singh and George Dockrell took one apiece.The visitors started poorly, losing Sean Terry and the in-form Andrew Balbirnie in the first 9.2 overs. Thereafter, Jack Tector and John Anderson added 83 runs for the third wicket to bring them back into the contest.But from 117 for 2, Ireland A lost four wickets in the less than eight overs, before eventually getting bowled out for 210 runs in 43.4 overs.

Bangladesh will need an extraordinary turnaround in fortunes to compete and level the series on one of the more livelier surfaces in Sri Lanka

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo14-Mar-2017

Match facts

March 15-19, 2017
Start time: 10am local (0430GMT)3:28

Fernando: P Sara Oval the most result-oriented venue in the world

Big picture

The bigshots of the Bangladesh Cricket Board are arriving to much fanfare, soaring rhetoric about South Asian “brotherhood” abounds. Mementos are being polished, showmen are practicing their lines for the presentation: the celebrations for Bangladesh’s 100th Test are all set to go, but after the politically-minded have lavishly slapped each other on the back, there is some cricket to be played as well.It is the plight of Mahmudullah that will have most Bangladesh fans aflutter. He has been dropped from the Test squad but will continue to stay in the country. So will he play in the limited-overs series? Has the board overridden a coaching decision? Has a senior batsman been dealt with too harshly here? Whatever unfolds over the next 48 hours, Mahmudullah will not play, which means Bangladesh will make changes to the batting order that misfired in Galle – bringing in Sabbir Rahman or uncapped 21-year-old Mosaddek Hossain. Imrul Kayes is likely to replace Mominul Haque as well.Bangladesh will need a stronger top order, because they are about to play on perhaps the most reliable result pitch in Test cricket. It has been 11 Tests and almost 14 years since a Test at P Sara Oval was drawn. The seamers generally gain good bounce early in the match, and the spinners run riot late in the game. Generally, there are precious few sessions where batsmen can claim to have had favourable conditions.If Sri Lanka field the same attack, they may pose varied questions to the opposition. Lakshan Sandakan was wayward, but turned the ball viciously at times, while Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera were agents of guile and control. In Lahiru Kumara, Sri Lanka also have a quick who will relish bowling on a track that has a bit of zip.Their own top order, however, is not quite as formidable as a flattering Galle surface made it seem. If Bangladesh are to level the series, here is the weakness they must exploit.

Form guide

Sri Lanka WLLLW (completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh LLLLW

In the spotlight

Having batted largely at no. 4 through the Australia series last year, Kusal Mendis is seemingly back for a long stint at first drop. In Galle he produced an innings that showcased why he is so highly rated by coaches, working his way through tough early spells, before opening his shoulders and setting the match up for Sri Lanka. He did, however, benefit from an early reprieve in that innings, and it is that looseness outside off stump that presently appears to be his greatest obstacle. On a Colombo track expected to be better for seam bowling than the previous pitch had been, Mendis may profit from a more discerning outlook at the start of his innings.His teammates keep throwing their wickets away, and there have been three last-day collapses in the last four Tests, but consistently providing the innings with a spine this year is Mushfiqur Rahim. So far he has two hundreds and a fifty in six innings in 2017. Among the times he didn’t reach a half-century was his defiance of New Zealand on day five in Wellington, where he was battered with bouncers, while he batted with an injured hand. If there is to be more substance from the Bangladesh top order in this Test, they could do worse than follow the example their captain has set.Bangladesh should look to exploit Sri Lanka’s batting weakness on a lively P Sara deck•AFP

Team news

Herath was tightlipped about Sri Lanka’s combination before this match, but there may be little reason to change the winning XI. There is a chance Dimuth Karunaratne’s is under pressure from Dhananjaya de Silva. It is also possible Sandakan is left out in favour of an extra batsman.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Dimuth Karuanaratne, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Asela Gunaratne, 6 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 7 Dilruwan Perera, 8 Rangana Herath (capt.), 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Lahiru Kumara, 11 Lakshan SandakanImrul and Sabbir are the likeliest batsmen to enter the XI, but there could also be a bowling change in the offing. Subashis Roy claimed only 1 for 137 in Galle, so it is possible Taijul Islam replaces him. Liton Das has been ruled out after suffering a fractured rib while batting in the nets on the eve of the game. That means Mushfiqur Rahim will take the gloves again.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Imrul Kayes, 4 Mosaddek Hossain, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Sabbir Rahman, 8 Mehedi Hasan, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Kamrul Islam Rabbi/Rubel Hossain

Pitch and conditions

This track may be a little more batting friendly than the usual P Sara surfaces, but expect regular breakthroughs nonetheless. Daily pre-monsoon thunderstorms in Colombo may also make an appearance – evening sessions are particularly vulnerable.

Stats and trivia

• Each of the last 14 Tests in Sri Lanka have yielded a result
• Rangana Herath is three wickets shy of a first-class tally of 1000
• Bangladesh’s three previous Tests at this venue have ended in innings defeats – their lowest Test total of 62 coming here in 2007
• Mushfiqur has scored 441 runs at an average of 88.20 in 2017. He needs only 51 further runs to make this his most successful batting year.

England’s batting line-up, which managed 147 and 297 at the Gabba, will remain unchanged

Andrew McGlashan15-Dec-2021Having planned for years to always have a point-of-difference pace option in their Ashes teams, England have left out Mark Wood, their fastest bowler, from their 12-player squad for the day-night Test in Adelaide.England said that Wood, who topped 150kph in Brisbane, had been rested with James Anderson, who was not in final consideration for the first Test, taking his place. Left-arm spinner Jack Leach has been retained despite the punishment dished out to him last week with the final decision again seemingly between him and Stuart Broad.Related

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Wood bowled with pace and hostility in Brisbane, claiming Steven Smith caught behind on the second day to spark a period where England briefly brought themselves back into the contest before Travis Head ripped the game away from them.Wood was the only one of the three express quicks England had earmarked for this tour with Jofra Archer and Olly Stone injured.Anderson’s recall for this match had been expected with the hope that he can exploit the pink-ball and have the opportunity to bowl when conditions are favourable under lights. Four years ago, he took his only five-wicket haul in Australia when he and Chris Woakes bowled Australia for 138 in the second innings although the game still ended in a heavy defeat for England.”I had success with it [the pink ball] last time here, but it is quite temperamental still,” Anderson said. “It’s not a given it will swing round corners. We know it’s generally a good pitch here, if the sun’s out it won’t do a great deal but there might be times during the game – twilight or when it’s dark – that it might do a little bit more. Take advantage of those times when it does do a bit.”England’s batting line-up, which managed 147 and 297 at the Gabba, will remain unchanged.Keeping Leach in the 12 is a show of faith after he was treated harshly in Brisbane to concede 102 from 13 overs. They were cautioned against going into the day-night Test without a spinner by Adelaide Oval groundsman Damian Hough while Nathan Lyon has taken 19 wickets at 25.78 in the fixture.”History says that the pitch will spin,” Hough said on Wednesday. “Nathan has always played a role out there so from our end we believe that spin in Adelaide needs to play a part. We feel that it has previously and it still should.”