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South Africa gave New Zealand a scare or two early on the fourth day, but were never really in the contest after that

Srinidhi Ramanujam16-Feb-2024Kane Williamson’s measured fourth-innings century made it all quite comfortable for New Zealand as they pulled off a record chase – the highest at Hamilton’s Seddon Park – to complete their first Test series win over South Africa, a 2-0 sweep.For Williamson, the unbeaten 133 in Hamilton means he now has seven centuries in seven Tests – he missed out in Dhaka late last year but made up for it with back-to-back hundreds in the first Test against South Africa in Mount Maunganui. On Friday, alongside Will Young, who scored 60 not out, Williamson put on an unbroken 152-run stand for the fourth wicket to take New Zealand home with seven wickets in hand.It was a classic Williamson innings, where he was challenged by the variable bounce and turn on the surface, but remained unfazed and went about his business calmly.Resuming the day at 40 for 1, New Zealand’s focus was on getting through the early exchanges without much damage, but they lost Tom Latham early, Dane Piedt getting his second for the innings and his seventh for the game. Piedt later made it three and eight when he sent back Rachin Ravindra, but that’s all the success South Africa had on the day. The scoring rate was low – New Zealand scored 67 and 66 in the first two sessions, respectively – but with a solid Williamson around, New Zealand were never really in any trouble.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

After scoring 44 in the morning, Williamson quietly moved to 92 by the end of the afternoon, punching off the back foot, putting away short balls to deep midwicket, and twice charging down the track to hit flat sixes. By tea, New Zealand had put themselves in a solid position at 173 for 3, 94 away from victory. They got there, after Williamson’s century and Young’s half-century, in the final session without any hiccups.Williamson got to his 32nd Test century – he has now converted each of his last eight 50-plus scores – not long before the second new ball was taken.Young embraced the support role well, and soaked up the pressure to get to his fifty off 118 balls. Unlike in the first innings, where he fell for 36 when taking the aggressive route, he was patient, but still found the boundary eight times. He was given out caught behind off Shaun von Berg in the 62nd over, when he was on 8, but the decision was overturned on review.For South Africa, Piedt beat the bat multiple times, and seamer Dane Paterson was disciplined in his bowling. However, there wasn’t much else to talk about.Debutant quick Will O’ Rourke was named the Player of the Match for his nine wickets in the Test, while Williamson took back the series award for his 403 runs across two Tests.

India captain takes heart from India having put the pressure back on Australia late in the Gabba Test, despite having fallen behind earlier

Alagappan Muthu18-Dec-20246:07

Rohit: ‘No harm in accepting I’ve not batted well’

Rohit Sharma took heart from India’s performance at the Gabba, particularly in the way they were able to save the follow-on and then take a few quick wickets when Australia were batting in the second innings.Although they fell behind in the game – after winning the toss and choosing to bowl – KL Rahul held the batting together in their first innings with his 84 and their lower-order rallied hard enough to effectively dismiss Australia’s hopes of a win. India were helped in large parts by the rain in Brisbane which affected all but one day’s play.”This thing has been in our team for a while now that we don’t give up easily, whatever the situation. We want to keep fighting. Even when we bowled in the second innings, we had the same intensity that we wanted to bowl them out for 60-70 runs because we knew they would play their shots and look to score quickly. That gives you opportunities and we get some as well. But we didn’t have enough time to chase 270-280 in 50 overs.”Related

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Australia batted with the purpose of setting up a declaration on day five, so they went out and took a lot of risks and in the process lost a lot of wickets. They declared on 89 for 7 and had about one session or so to go for a win but then the rains came again.”There’s pressure on the other team too,” Rohit said. “Until you put some pressure on the other team you won’t come to know how they react under pressure. When we were here last, we had chased 320-330 [328] on the last day and they’ll remember that in the back of their mind, they know we are capable of chasing like this. Whatever happened today, it gave us confidence ahead of Melbourne. We’re aware we have to start from scratch, conditions are different there and the ball may not move around so much there like it did here. We have to analyse all this and proceed.”Rohit’s own form is a matter of concern as well with the 10 he scored in Brisbane being his highest score in four innings so far on the tour, including a practice game in Canberra.”Yeah, I have not batted well. There is no harm in accepting that. But I know what’s in my mind. How I am preparing myself. All those boxes are very much ticked. It’s just about spending as much time as possible [batting].”Which I am pretty sure I am just there. As long as my mind, my body, my feet are moving well. I am pretty happy with how things are panning out for me.
Sometimes those numbers can tell you that it’s been a while since he has got big runs. But for a person like me, I think it’s all about how I feel in my mind. What kind of prep I am having before each game. And how I am feeling about myself. That’s the most important thing.”And I am feeling good about myself, to be honest. Yeah, runs are obviously not showing that. But inside it’s a different feeling.”India move to Melbourne on Thursday for the fourth Test of the series which remains locked at 1-1, and the team is fairly pleased with that state of affairs.”It might appear that we were lagging behind in this Test but we take a lot from here,” Rohit said. “I’m immensely proud of the attitude we have shown because runs and wickets are one thing, but if your attitude and character are good then you can turn the impossible into possible.”

South Africa’s captain hopes there will be more assistance for the seamers in Port Elizabeth, and less for the spinners, than there was in Durban

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Port Elizabeth20-Feb-20192:00

Something brilliant took away the first Test from us – du Plessis

At Kingsmead, Sri Lanka’s unknown bowlers were effective against South Africa’s batsmen. Then, Kusal Perera, whose excellence with the bat was a revelation to everyone – possibly even himself – took the match away from the hosts.At St George’s Park now – a venue at which they have won five of their six most recent Tests (the other was a draw) – South Africa have come to terms with the quality this inexperienced Sri Lanka team can sometimes summon. Or, at least, that is what captain Faf du Plessis hopes.With South Africa only ever having lost Test series to Australia and England at home, they must now prepare to defend their proud record, against a team they hope has sprung its last surprise. The last time Sri Lanka were on these shores, in 2016/17, they were brushed aside 3-0.”We’re very proud about our record – we have made sure that we’ve made our home a fortress,” du Plessis said on the eve of the second Test. “For the last two years or so, I don’t think we played a bad game against Sri Lanka at home. But we need to be better to beat them.”They surprised us with the way they played in Durban, but here there will be bit of sideways movement. In Durban, there’s not lot of that. Kingsmead has always a five-wicket-haul for spinners. Here, although the spinner plays a role, I don’t think that much help will be there.”Lasith Embuldeniya celebrates his five-wicket haul•AFP

A lack of turn may help neuter Sri Lanka’s left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya (as well as South Africa’s own Keshav Maharaj, of course), but South Africa will still have to contend with Vishwa Fernando, who took eight wickets in the first Test, as well as Kasun Rajitha. Quinton de Kock had said after the first day’s play at Kingsmead that those bowlers had “surprised” the South Africa batsmen, who had never played him before. This time, du Plessis, said, the top order would be ready.”It’s the nature of international cricket, and I find it happens a lot that new bowlers do well. If you play bowlers for the first time there’s an element of the unknown and a surprise factor, where it takes a you little while to get used to it,” du Plessis said. “Call it “first year syndrome” when oppositions don’t know them as well as they should yet. Batters need to play against them to set plans. There’s already been a lot of chat about playing the new guys better.”The St. George’s Park surface had a healthy covering of grass on the eve of the game, but du Plessis was wary of the famed Port Elizabeth wind drying the surface out once the game begins.”It looks a normal pitch for me. It has looked like this for the last two years. We have played Australia and Sri Lanka here in the last two Tests. The grass tends to look a bit thick a day or two before the game, but the wind, when it blows like today, dries it quickly. So the groundsman tends to keep most of the moisture before the Test match and then take a decision on the morning of the match. Hopefully there will be some sideways movement for our seamers.”

Anderson, Atkinson and Stokes share six wickets after England build big lead

Matt Roller11-Jul-2024England need four more wickets to secure an innings win over West Indies inside three days, after James Anderson, Gus Atkinson and Ben Stokes shared six wickets on the second evening. The hosts were dominant with the bat, scoring at more than four runs per over across their first innings and then turned the screw with the ball to close in on a 1-0 lead.Needing to score 250 – more than double their first-innings total – just to make England bat again, West Indies slumped to 37 for 4 inside 19 overs. Anderson’s inswinger knocked back Kraigg Brathwaite’s middle stump, Stokes removed Mikyle Louis and Kirk McKenzie during a ten-over spell, and Kavem Hodge chopped Atkinson onto his own stumps.West Indies’ batters were far too passive, looking to survive rather than score but ultimately managing neither. Alick Athanaze was a rare exception from No. 4, but he fell for 22 to a textbook Anderson set-up: he was worked over from around the wicket, with some balls shaping in and others leaving him before edging behind as he attempted to push through the covers.Joshua da Silva and Jason Holder added 24 for the sixth wicket – damningly, West Indies’ third-highest stand of the match – but England struck with the final ball of the day. Stokes laid a short-ball trap with two men out on the hook, and Holder could only fend Atkinson’s bumper to Ollie Pope at short leg.Atkinson celebrates his eighth wicket on debut after Kavem Hodge’s chop-on•Getty Images

England were bowled out at the tea interval on the second afternoon, compiling a substantial first-innings lead with Harry Brook, Joe Root and debutant Jamie Smith joining Zak Crawley and Pope in scoring half-centuries. Other than Jayden Seales, the pick of the attack, West Indies’ bowlers were short on red-ball match practice – and it showed.Root and Brook scored heavily square of the wicket in the first hour, with Brook batting fluently in his first Test innings in almost a year. In his 13th Test, he reached fifty for the 12th time but failed to add to it: he top-edged an attempted hook off Alzarri Joseph straight to da Silva, reinforcing the belief that he can be susceptible against the short ball.During his innings of 68, Root went past Allan Border’s career aggregate to enter the top ten of all-time Test run-scorers but he fell shortly before lunch. He was the second England batter, after Stokes, to fall victim to an exceptional Gudakesh Motie delivery, raising the question as to why it took Brathwaite so long to bring his left-arm spinner into the attack.Stokes’ first international innings of the season lasted only 11 balls. Motie, who vindicated his selection ahead of Kevin Sinclair, tossed the ball up in his first over of the morning and found sharp turn after landing it on a footmark. It ripped back past the inside edge of Stokes’ swish and left him open-mouthed as it knocked his middle stump out of the ground.Stokes was bowled by a beauty from Motie•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

In the penultimate over before the interval, Root was left smiling in disbelief after losing his off stump. This time, Motie went wide on the crease and bowled his arm ball with an upright seam. Root shaped to punch into the off side as the delivery drifted in sharply, but it deviated late off the pitch to beat him on the outside edge.Smith was the protagonist of the second session, hitting Seales over the Tavern Stand and onto St John’s Wood Road during his maiden Test innings. He shared a sedate partnership of 52 with Chris Woakes but after Woakes and Atkinson fell in quick succession to the second new ball, Smith found a new gear while batting with the tail, even with the field spread.After starting his innings uncharacteristically slowly, he started to skip down the pitch and crunched Shamar Joseph into the Grandstand for six, three overs after reaching a 98-ball half-century. Three overs later, he gave himself room and cracked Seales’ short ball over midwicket and out of Lord’s altogether.Related

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Louis’ dead-eye, direct-hit run-out of Shoaib Bashir at the non-striker’s end meant the retiring Anderson was applauded out to the middle for what may well prove to be his final innings in Test cricket. But he didn’t face a ball, with Smith pulling the final delivery of Seales’ over to McKenzie at deep backward square leg to finish with 70.Shamar Joseph spent some of the afternoon session off the field due to some muscle tightness after a recent diet of T20, and was seen receiving treatment on his left hamstring in the dressing room. He was forced to leave the field midway through his 15th over, and looked in discomfort after getting through one further over with the second new ball.There are not enough batters left for Anderson to leapfrog the late Shane Warne and become the second-highest wicket-taker in the format’s history. But in his 188th and final Test, he has the opportunity to clinch one final victory for his country on Friday.

Sri Lanka’s spinners picked up nine wickets as West Indies bundled out for 89 in chase of 163

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-2024Sri Lanka’s spinners ripped through the West Indies batters on a turning Dambulla surface to level the series at one apiece, as they won the second T20I by 73 runs.Debutant Dunith Wellalage – belatedly making his T20I bow – was the pick of the bowlers, ending with figures of 3 for 9, while Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga and Charith Asalanka grabbed two each. Matheesha Pathirana was the sole seamer to pick up a wicket in the innings.With the bat, Pathum Nissanka’s 54 off 49 had helped set the platform as Sri Lanka did well to keep a steady run rate throughout their innings, having won the toss and elected to bat first. There were also runs for Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera and Kamindu Mendis, but this game was all about Sri Lanka’s spinners who showed total dominance in the West Indian chase.

Sri Lanka spinners flex their skills

Hasaranga, Sri Lanka’s premier spinner, bowled his first delivery of the game in the 11th over of the chase. And the fact that he picked up a wicket with that delivery was perhaps the least remarkable aspect about it.What was more astounding was that he was the sixth bowler used by Sri Lanka, and West Indies had still managed to collapse to 39 for 6. But who needs Hasaranga when you have the world-renowned offspin stylings of, um, Charith Asalanka. Yes, with two left-hand batters at the crease, the Sri Lanka captain opted to introduce himself and a right-arm variant of Kamindu Mendis ahead of Hasaranga.Maheesh Theekshana chipped in with two wickets•Associated Press

And it worked too. Asalanka’s two overs brought two wickets for just six runs – and those weren’t even the best figures at that stage of the game. No, that honour belonged to Wellalage – though he is by no means new to the international stage – who had grabbed three for himself.In the lead-up to the game, Asalanka had stated how he had expected more for the spinners in the first T20I, and his wish was granted and then some in the second. Gudakesh Motie turning the ball square in the first innings would have set off West Indies’ alarm bells, but not even that could have prepared them for a 100kph sharp-turning offbreak from Theekshana.

WI need to go back to drawing board

The first T20I had seen the West Indies batters execute their plans to perfection and put Sri Lanka’s bowlers to the sword. Stepping out, moving around in the crease, using the depth, everything came off, with the last over-finish in reality nowhere close as it looked.Sri Lanka, though, took their learnings and came back stronger – mainly in that they were prepared for what this surface was set to offer, replacing pace-bowling allrounder Chamindu Wickramasinghe with Wellalage.West Indies, however, seemed to have missed the memo, and had only two spinners in their line-up. And those two – Motie and Roston Chase – did their part, going for just 37 off their collective eight overs. It will not be a surprise if Fabian Allen gets a go in the final game.West Indies’ batters then seemed at a loss on how to deal with Sri Lanka’s array of spin threats, expertly utilising the conditions along with clever variations in pace, line and length. West Indies will need to come up with plans soon if they are to pose a threat in Thursday’s decider.

Nissanka shines in hindsight

On the face of it, Nissanka’s innings seemed to be more detrimental than anything else – and by the standards of modern T20 cricket, it was not too difficult to understand why. This was an innings that saw 42 runs come in boundaries (9 fours and a six) but also included 27 dot balls.Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis added 77 for the first wicket•Associated Press

In fact, it was a microcosm of Sri Lanka’s innings as a whole; they played out 58 dots. It meant that in five of the first ten overs less than five runs were scored, and roughly half of their powerplay total of 52 was plundered in one Shamar Joseph over, where a combination of luck and belligerence saw Nissanka plunder 25 runs.But if that over was meant to signal the start of Sri Lanka’s onslaught, Nissanka and Co seemed to have other ideas. That over ensured that the first three overs, in which Sri Lanka scrounged together eight runs, were quickly in the rearview; by the end of the powerplay Sri Lanka’s run rate was at a healthy 8.66 – but that was the highest it would reach at any point across their innings.The rest of Nissanka’s time at the crease was spent punctuating periods of dot deliveries and the odd single with an odd boundary. But the time he spent at the crease ensured he was able to do this consistently – and with it keep Sri Lanka’s scoring rate ticking above seven an over.Anchors are largely considered obsolete in T20s, but on a wicket such as this Nissanka – who was named Player of the Match – proved to be invaluable (even if it did not seem so at the time), as he allowed the likes of Perera to take early risks. And then with wickets in hand for the death overs, the middle and lower order hit out freely. As a result, Sri Lanka struck 85 runs in the last ten overs – just four short of West Indies’ final total.

Commanding unbeaten 165 leaves newly relegated attack looking toothless once more

ECB Reporters Network12-Apr-2024Opener Emilio Gay struck a stylish, commanding 165 not out, the fifth first-class century of his career, as Northamptonshire took full advantage of being put into bat against Middlesex. The hosts finished in a dominant position on 311 for three on day one of this Vitality County Championship match at Wantage Road.Gay, 24 on Sunday, celebrated his birthday early, striking his highest first-class score off 272 balls with 17 boundaries.He found a supportive partner in his skipper Luke Procter who hit 73 in a 189-run stand in 65.2 overs, eclipsing Northamptonshire’s previous highest second-wicket partnership against Middlesex (179) set by Stephen Peters and Alex Wakely in 2010.Middlesex’s bowlers, who were punished after inserting Glamorgan at Lord’s last week, must have had a sense of déjà vu but stuck diligently to their task on a largely docile wicket, deploying the short ball as the day wore on in a bid to make inroads with the Kookaburra ball.They had cause to celebrate themselves when Ryan Higgins removed opener Jason Broad lbw in the second over of the day. But the next breakthrough would not come until after tea as Procter and Gay took control.Once Procter fell to spinner Josh de Caires, Gay shared an 86-run stand with Karun Nair (41) before the Indian batter played on to a delivery that jagged back from Toby Roland-Jones.The day was also memorable in that Northamptonshire secured their first home batting points of 2024 – a feat they did not achieve until 26 September last year.Procter picked up where he left off after making 92 against Sussex. He was solid in defence, but played some crisp attacking shots during the morning, driving opposite number Roland-Jones down the ground and striking Tom Helm through square for four.Gay at times looked vulnerable outside off-stump early on, playing and missing against the seamers when they found some movement. But he grew in fluency, playing some attractive clips off his legs, taking on the short ball, and driving firmly down the ground. A highlight of the morning session was a classy drive for four through the covers off Helm.The pair had taken Northamptonshire to 106 for one at lunch and it appeared as if they would continue scoring at the same pace after the break as Gay pulled Helm disdainfully through midwicket.Scoring slowed significantly though, with just 24 runs coming in the first hour of the afternoon. Procter grew becalmed in the forties, eventually posting his half-century off 126 balls.As Middlesex banged the ball in short, Roland-Jones struck Procter under the armpit, but otherwise the Northamptonshire captain was largely happy to duck out of the way. Gay took a more attacking approach, his pull shots were mostly well controlled, although at times he kept the leg-side fielders interested.The scoring rate increased as tea approached, Procter taking full advantage of a full toss from de Caires, smiting it over midwicket for the first six of the innings.Gay then reached three figures in style by rocking back and slashing Higgins through point for his ninth boundary.After the interval, Procter put another de Caires full toss away to the ropes, but when he attacked the spinner’s next over, he could only pick out Helm at mid on to leave Northamptonshire on 190 for two. He had faced 194 balls and hit six fours and one six.Karun Nair cut de Caires behind square for four but was troubled by a couple of well-directed short balls from Helm, fending one away which fell safely between a group of advancing close catchers. But he found the sweep and reverse sweep profitable as he took consecutive boundaries off de Caires and soon settled into the groove.Gay meanwhile continued on his way, backing away to slice Helm through the covers and using his feet to de Caires to drive him through the same area.With Northamptonshire approaching 250, Middlesex took the new ball. Ethan Bamber and Roland-Jones found helpful movement off the seam, but Gay looked untroubled, playing an exquisite shot off his legs and a glorious cover drive shortly before stumps.

New Zealand’s training session, meanwhile, was cut short because of what Stead said were “not really acceptable” practice pitches

Matt Roller12-Jun-20242:19

Powell on what a home World Cup means for West Indies

Rovman Powell believes that his West Indies side are facing an “undercooked” New Zealand at the perfect time after their heavy defeat to Afghanistan.Both teams were forced to cut their preparations short at the Brian Lara Stadium ahead of Wednesday night’s Group C fixture. New Zealand abandoned their afternoon training session an hour before schedule due to “unacceptable” practice strips, while heavy rain wiped West Indies’ floodlit session out altogether.It is the start of the rainy season in Trinidad and the national meteorological service issued a yellow-level adverse weather alert on Tuesday morning, signalling the likelihood of thunderstorms. There was a brief downpour during New Zealand’s session – when the pitch was uncovered – and longer, heavier ones followed after they left. Wednesday night’s forecast is much better.Related

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“We had that downpour for about five minutes, and the practice wickets got wet out in the middle,” Gary Stead, New Zealand’s coach, said after returning to the team hotel in Port-of-Spain. “I know the priority was obviously for the match wicket to get covered, but when we went back and tried them they were pretty slippery to stand up on.”New Zealand briefly tried to use the practice strips but swiftly gave up. “The balls were going through the top of the surface, so we had a good fielding training instead,” Stead said. “It was deemed not really acceptable to get anything out of the nets… The guys worked out pretty quickly that there wasn’t going to be a lot of point in it”An 84-run defeat to Afghanistan in their opening match on Friday means that a loss against West Indies would effectively – if not quite mathematically – eliminate New Zealand from the World Cup. Powell, West Indies’ captain, believes that his side can exploit New Zealand’s slow start to the tournament.”Definitely, if there’s a good time to play New Zealand, I think it’s now,” Powell said. “As you said, they’re a little bit undercooked. The pressure is really on them, because this game decides whether they go on: yes or no. Having said that, we’re not focusing on New Zealand: we’re focusing on what we have to do.”With New Zealand’s limited preparation for the tournament already under scrutiny, their batters have barely been able to face fast bowling in the nets since arriving in Trinidad. They travelled from Guyana on Saturday and trained on Sunday, but faced similar issues.”Again, the pitches weren’t great,” Stead said. “Balls were rising up around throat height regularly, so it was more facing the slower bowlers and throws. It comes back to making sure that mentally we get in a good frame of mind and ready for this match tomorrow night.”England racked up 267 against West Indies at the Brian Lara Stadium in December but Stead believes that score was an outlier, and expects a much lower-scoring game on Wednesday.James Neesham is in contention to be back in the XI against West Indies•ICC/Getty Images

“If you look at the history of the ground here… it’s certainly not a 200 wicket or anything like that. The pitch looked interesting. For us, it’s about making sure we’ve got our bases covered.”Powell also hinted towards a low-scoring game. “With the rain around, that can play a part in the scores,” he said. “If the groundsmen don’t have sufficient time to produce good wickets, that’s also a problem with the rain around. You don’t get enough time to sun. Hopefully tomorrow is a very good day in terms of the weather.”New Zealand’s management have made clear that they expect all 15 players in their squad to play a role in the World Cup and are set to bring Ish Sodhi into the side on Wednesday night. James Neesham could also come into contention, with Stead suggesting that selection will be heavily influenced by West Indies’ potential weaknesses.”Every game, we try to go in and work out what our best match-ups are,” Stead said. “That comes from the data analysis and videos that we do in our scouting. I would expect there will be some changes.” He also hinted heavily at Sodhi’s inclusion: “When we look at the West Indies team, [he is] a guy that matches up well against a number of their opposition players.”New Zealand’s net run rate took a significant dent against Afghanistan, to the extent that winning their remaining fixtures – against West Indies, Uganda and Papua New Guinea – might not be enough to qualify for the Super 8s, depending on other results in Group C.”We know what’s in front of us: we have to win three games and win them well,” Stead said. “It’s [about] still holding the belief and the confidence within the group that we can go out there and do this. We know things are stacked against us at the moment but that’s the challenge; that’s the cards we’ve been dealt. We now have to go out there and put in a performance that we’re proud of.”

With the series drawn level at 2-2, Zimbabwe will look to exploit Sri Lanka’s bowling woes, while the hosts will rely on their in-form top order to clinch the series

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Jul-2017

Match Facts

July 10, 2017
Start time: 0945 local (0415GMT)Danushka Gunathilaka leads the run charts with 271 from four innings•AFP

Big Picture

To find the most-recent bilateral series in which Zimbabwe pushed Sri Lanka to a decider, you’d have to go back decades, to a time before Sri Lanka won the World Cup, to before the island’s players were fully professional – all the way back to November 1994. Now, there is a chance the series that the Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews hoped could be won 5-0, may not be won at all. How did we get here?Largely, the state of the series is owed to the skill and poise of Zimbabwe’s batsmen. In three of the four games so far, they either surpassed 300 or as was the case on Saturday, appeared capable of getting there, and comfortably achieved the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern target in any case. Encouragingly, they have not been reliant on any one batsman. In the first match, Solomon Mire’s maiden ton, coupled with Sean Williams’ supporting hand, propelled them to victory. In the matches since, Hamilton Masakadza and Craig Ervine have starred. Lasith Malinga may now be a diminished force, but for a side that had not seen a lot of him, Zimbabwe have defused Malinga with particular confidence. With one match to play, Malinga has two wickets in the series, at an average of 78.50 and an economy rate of 6.28.Sri Lanka’s batting has been consistently good – their openers putting up back-to-back double-century stands for the first time in ODI history – but the attack’s lack of venom has been repeatedly exposed. Too often, boundary balls have spoiled tight overs and, at other times, bowlers have faltered when batsmen began to attack them.As the series comes to its climax, Zimbabwe will hope that given Malinga’s troubles, Sri Lanka’s young attack will remain leaderless. Sri Lanka’s bowlers, meanwhile, need to find some way of squeezing life out of a Hambantota pitch that has been unkind to them.

Form guide

Sri Lanka LWWLL (completed matches, most recent first)
Zimbabwe WLLWW

In the spotlight

Despite having played only three matches in the series, legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga tops the wicket-takers’ list, having claimed eight scalps at an average of 12.37. Hasaranga’s rise has been fairly sharp, after he debuted in the second ODI at Galle. Although he impressed in patches during Sri Lanka’s recent one-day Super Provincial Tournament, he was hardly the best bowler on show there. Instead, the selectors can take a little credit for picking a player on potential, with their hunch having proven correct so far.Largely unheralded before this series, Solomon Mire has also been something of a revelation, hitting a match-winning century in the first ODI in Galle, and also contributing to their second win, with a boisterous 43 off 30 balls. He had showcased some of his ability in the Netherlands, during the List A series there, but it is in Sri Lanka that he has begun to click at the ODI level. Zimbabwe will hope they have found a long-term partner, in Mire, for Hamilton Masakadza at the top of the innings.

Team news

With debutant Asitha Fernando having proven expensive in his brief trips to the crease on Saturday, Sri Lanka may opt for the more experienced Nuwan Kulasekara in their seam attack. The top order is likely to stay in place.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Upul Tharanga, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Asela Gunaratne, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Lakshan Sandakan, 11 Lasith Malinga,Zimbabwe may opt for the same XI, given its success.Zimbabwe (possible): 1 Solomon Mire, 2 Hamilton Masakadza, 3 Tarisai Musakanda, 4 Craig Ervine, 5 Sean Williams, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Malcolm Waller, 8 Peter Moor (wk), 9 Graeme Cremer (capt.), 10 Tendai Chatara, 11 Chris Mpofu

Pitch and conditions

Chances are there will be more runs on the Hambantota pitch, with it having been more batting-friendly than either side has expected so far. There is a slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon again, but the forecast looks better than it did for the fourth ODI.

Stats and trivia

• Despite the series scoreline, the top three run-scorers (Danushka Gunathilaka, Niroshan Dickwella and Upul Tharanga) and the top three wicket-takers (Wanindu Hasaranga, Asela Gunaratne, Lakshan Sandakan) are all Sri Lanka players
• If Zimbabwe win on Monday, it will be their first bilateral series win over a Test-playing opposition away from home, since they beat Bangladesh in Bangladesh in 2001
• Hamilton Masakadza needs 50 to become the fifth Zimbabwe batsman to 5000 ODI runs

Quotes

“The pressure is more on them because they expected to beat us. We won’t take any pressure into the final game. The confidence is pretty high for us.”

“Not just Malinga, but as a bowling group we have to all cop the blame rather than pointing the finger at one person.”

India coach says they have to give back-up players game time before the Asia Cup and World Cup

Shashank Kishore30-Jul-20233:15

Dravid: It was our last chance to try some players before World Cup

India head coach Rahul Dravid doesn’t want to “make the mistake” of letting the ODI series scoreline of 1-1 take the focus away from looking at the “bigger picture” as India build towards the 2023 World Cup at home this October-November.Dravid meant the team is willing to strike a balance between providing opportunities to players, even if it means resting seniors like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, and winning while not obsessing over short-term results, given there are fewer than 10 games left before their World Cup opener against Australia in Chennai.”I think we will always look at the bigger picture,” Dravid said after West Indies levelled the ODI series with a six-wicket win in Bridgetown on Saturday. “To be honest, at this stage in the cycle with the Asia Cup and World Cup coming up, and with the injuries we have, we have to look at the bigger picture. We can’t worry about every single game, every single series. If we do that, it will be a mistake.”Related

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Resting Rohit and Kohli for the second ODI meant game time for Sanju Samson and Axar Patel. Samson will be tussling with Ishan Kishan for the second wicketkeeper’s slot, while Axar is largely seen as a like-for-like back-up to Ravindra Jadeja.Samson managed just 9, while Axar, promoted to No. 4, scored 1. They were part of a middle-order meltdown that led to India floundering from 90 without loss to 181 all out. Dravid labeled it a “challenging wicket” where 230 would have been par for the course, but wasn’t fretting over the result, instead choosing to draw positives from giving back-up players game time in the wake of a scenario where their regulars – Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul – currently recuperating from injuries at the NCA don’t make it.”Honestly, this was our last chance to be able to try out some of our players,” Dravid said. “We have got few of our players who are injured and are at the NCA. With a month to go for the Asia Cup, we are kind of running out of time in a lot of ways. And we’re hopeful some of them will be fit for the Asia Cup and World Cup. But we can’t take those chances; we have to try out other people and give them chances so that, in a worst-case scenario, they have game time behind them.”It gives us an opportunity to make some decisions on players. We just felt in a series like this, with just two-three matches to go before the Asia Cup, playing Virat and Rohit honestly would not have given us too many answers, but with the injuries we have at the NCA and the uncertainty around them, we wanted to give some of the other boys a chance so that if required they can play.”

Suryakumar figuring out ‘how to bat in middle overs’

One of the players who has been given a run in Iyer’s absence is Suryakumar Yadav, who is currently India’s T20I vice-captain. Renowned for his 360-degree game in the shortest format, Suryakumar hasn’t been able to replicate the same success in the 50-overs format.In both games in this series, Suryakumar has thrown away starts. In the first ODI, he was lbw for 19 trying to sweep left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie. In the second ODI, he shelved the sweep completely, but was out cutting Motie for 24. In all, Suryakumar averages a shade under 24 after 23 ODI innings with just two half-centuries.Suryakumar Yadav (wearing Sanju Samson’s jersey in the picture) has not been able to convert his starts•AFP/Getty Images

“Look, Surya is a really good player, there’s no doubt about it,” Dravid said. “His performances have shown that, especially in T20 cricket, even in domestic white-ball cricket. He has some very good performances. Unfortunately, he’d be the first one to admit his ODI numbers aren’t up to his high standards he’s set in T20s. But he’s also learning about one-day cricket.”He’s played a lot of competitive T20 cricket through the IPL before he made his India debut, but in terms of one-day cricket he hasn’t played that much, there’s no IPL in one-day cricket. So I think he’s also learning, trying to figure out how to bat in those middle overs. He’s a talent, he’s a really good player, we want to give him as many opportunities as we can. Upto him now to take those opportunities and use them. But yeah, in the kind of set-up we are, we like to give people as many chances we possibly can.”Then there are Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan, whose developments from age-group cricket Dravid has been privy to having worked with them at India Under-19. Gill is yet to hit a half-century on tour [across five innings] but Dravid isn’t concerned, while also being pleased for Kishan taking every opportunity he’s getting to stake a claim.”I wouldn’t worry so much about Shubman,” Dravid stated. “He’s batting beautifully, he’s playing really well. He looks really good. It happens [low scores], you can’t criticise people after every single game. It’s not easy batting conditions, we needed to grind and fight it out there. We probably didn’t do that through the middle overs. But Shubman is batting well, he’s an important part of all three formats for us now, hopefully he’ll have a good game in Trinidad.”Kishan, meanwhile, has been India’s best batter in the series so far, scoring 55 and 52 in his two outings so far. However, Kishan’s challenges will come especially when India revert to their regular top three of Rohit, Gill and Kohli. In such a scenario, he will possibly have to jostle for a middle-order slot, depending on how well Iyer and Rahul recover. For now, though, Dravid is happy with what he has seen.”Ishan has done really well, this is his third fifty in a row now [across formats]. Again, he’s taking opportunities when given the chance. That’s all we ask from young players, we want to give them as many chances as we possibly can. We can’t give everyone a chance all the time, there are other talented guys as well.”We try our best and give as many chances as we can. Today, to give people chances, Virat and Rohit had to sit out. Sometimes we might have to take those risks, take those chances in situations like that because looking at big tournaments, we need to build some of the players, get answers for specific positions considering the situation we are in.”

Teague Wyllie fell just short of a ton as Western Australia ground down the visitors at two runs an over

Tristan Lavalette05-Oct-2023Former Test opener Cameron Bancroft made an early season statement with a disciplined century to frustrate Victoria’s attack on a sedate WACA pitch to put Western Australia in a strong position in the Sheffield Shield.WA trailed by 19 runs at stumps on day two after Bancroft and Teague Wyllie combined for a 193-run second-wicket partnership.Wyllie, 19, fell short of his second first-class century when he was bowled by quick Mitchell Perry, shouldering arms as the ball nipped back to hit the top of middle stump. It was the only wicket on an attritional day, where WA scored 208 runs off 96 overs.Related

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After finishing unbeaten on 121 off 306 balls, Bancroft started his case to replace veteran opener David Warner, who is set to retire from Test cricket this summer. Bancroft has not played Tests since the Ashes in 2019.With fringe Test opener Marcus Harris not playing due to the birth of his first child, Bancroft seized his opportunity on the back of being the standout batter in the Shield last season.Even though he scored 289 more runs than second-placed South Australia batter Daniel Drew, Bancroft did not make the Ashes touring squad but issued a reminder of his indefatigable approach.It was a fitting performance for Bancroft with his mentor Justin Langer, who has acted as his private coach, at the ground.Resuming at 29 for 1, Bancroft and Wyllie dug in as WA scored just 46 runs in 30 overs during a slow first session.WA coach Adam Voges recently said domestic teams might consider adopting elements of Bazball, believing England’s aggressive approach would inevitably creep into the Shield, but Bancroft and Wyllie didn’t get the memo.The pair were forced to stonewall against typically accurate bowling from quick Scott Boland, who had clean bowled WA captain Sam Whiteman in the shadows late on day one.The first boundary was not struck until 45 minutes into the day’s play as Boland – armed with four slips – relentlessly probed outside the off-stump but without reward.WA did not cross 100 runs until midway through the day’s play, but Bancroft and Wyllie started to take advantage of a tiring Victoria in warm conditions.Though a green-tinge was still notable, the pitch flattened under the baking sun as WA eyes a big total with temperatures set to soar on day three.”I think we’re going to try to bat as long as we can…hopefully bat just once,” Wyllie said.Disciplined and playing straight, Bancroft and Wyllie batted in contrast to Victoria who were left to rue gifting several wickets late on on the opening day.Wyllie started last season spectacularly when he famously resisted celebrating his maiden first-class century in the Shield opener against New South Wales.But his form tailed off, perhaps unsurprisingly given his age, as teams exposed him outside the off stump. Wyllie only scored one half-century for the rest of the season, but WA stuck with him and he was at the crease when their title triumph was complete against Victoria.Much like at stages last season, Wyllie was similarly bogged down against Victoria’s accurate pace attack but he dug in alongside Bancroft.The smattering of fans did grow restless, but there were no bronx cheers echoing from the terraces like when Victoria batter Ashley Chandrasinghe produced a painstaking 46 off 280 balls in last season’s final.With solid defence and powers of endurance, like his idol Rahul Dravid, Wyllie kept his composure and made his move in the second session.As temperatures approached 30 degrees celsius, sensing Victoria’s attack was flagging, Wyllie put the foot down to reach his half-century amid three boundaries off Boland.While Wyllie was scoring mostly through boundaries, Bancroft calmly nudged the ball around to pick off the bowling. A rare moment of aggression was against Test offspinner Todd Murphy when Bancroft, an accomplished white-ball batter, hit a reverse sweep to the boundary.Wyllie also took a liking to Murphy, striking several lusty blows after advancing down the pitch.After another quiet patch following Bancroft’s century, Wyllie agonisingly fell short of a ton almost exactly a year since his maiden century earned him national prominence.