David Warner’s 156 off 128 balls – his seventh ODI hundred in 2016 – headlined Australia’s 3-0 whitewash of New Zealand

The Report by Daniel Brettig at the MCG09-Dec-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDifferent crowd, different context, similar result. Australia returned to the scene of their 2015 World Cup final hiding of New Zealand and duly inflicted another enormous defeat on the visitors, completing the first clean sweep of a Chappell-Hadlee series in a decade, in front of a far smaller gathering than last time.Only 20,591 spectators were on hand to see the heavy lifting done by the vice-captain David Warner, who soared to his second ODI hundred in as many innings and seventh of the year, in conditions far more challenging than those prepared for either of the first two matches of the series.Warner’s innings was all the more laudable for the fact that most batsmen found scoring difficult on a slow and capricious pitch. After his 156, the next best score on either side was a doughty supporting hand of 37 by Travis Head, part of the only century stand of the match.On a chilly December day in Melbourne, the visitors had bowled with accuracy to some nifty plans devised by the captain Kane Williamson, notably catching out Aaron Finch and Steven Smith with a fielder placed at a shortish square leg. However Warner endured through the difficult passages and accelerated during a rearguard stand with Head, reaching his century, then going on to guide the Australians to a total that proved well beyond New Zealand.Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood both proved fiendishly difficult to counter in the evening, while Head made a further contribution to the match with the wickets of Martin Guptill and BJ Watling. James Faulkner chimed in with the vital dismissal of Williamson. The failure of New Zealand’s batsmen to make any impression on the scoreboard undermined some decent work earlier in the day by their bowlers, Warner’s excellence excepted.Trent Boult performed nicely for New Zealand, while the recalled Lockie Ferguson again demonstrated the high pace he is able to generate from a fast-arm action. It was Ferguson who came closest to dismissing Warner early on, but Henry Nicholls was unable to cling onto a difficult, diving outfield chance when the opener was on 18.The hosts had gone in with an unchanged team for the third match, retaining their fast bowlers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins while also continuing to ignore the all-round skills of Glenn Maxwell. New Zealand had to leave out Jimmy Neesham due to continued pain in the arm that was struck by Starc in Canberra, while also recalling Ferguson at the expense of Matt Henry.Mitchell Starc blasted out Henry Nicholls and Colin Munro with lethal reverse-swinging yorkers•AFP

While the new ball did not swing a great deal, Boult bowled the ideal lines to coax Finch and Smith into false strokes towards the leg side that were snapped up by Nicholls. Smith’s wicket was a particular source of satisfaction after his tall scores in the first two matches of the series.George Bailey, again showcasing his backside-to-the-bowler stance, hung around to add 62 with Warner, but when his dismissal by Colin de Grandhomme was swiftly followed by Mitchell Marsh being bowled off bat and body, the Australians were in difficult straits.Warner was able to find a useful ally in Head, who struggled with timing but was at least able to rotate the strike and form a partnership, ultimately worth 105. That stand gave the hosts something to work with, and Warner was able to push on further once he passed three figures, surging beyond 150 and only being dismissed via a run out on the final ball of the innings.Matthew Wade and James Faulkner had provided some support at the back end of the innings, ensuring Australia were able to set New Zealand a total of good value on a sluggish pitch and expansive outfield. Guptill and Tom Latham made a fair start to the chase, reaching 44 in good time before Pat Cummins coaxed Latham into granting another catch to square leg, this time patrolled by Faulkner.Williamson was pinned in front of the stumps by Faulkner from around the wicket, and two overs later Guptill cracked Head’s very first ball into the outstretched hands of Bailey at cover. Nicholls was comprehensively yorked by Starc, and when Watling was found to be lbw to Head on a DRS review the game was all but up.Smith ended the match with another ripping catch, this time diving to his right at slip. While a vast match and series victory over a New Zealand side lacking both confidence and sharpness, this was no World Cup final. By their restrained celebrations it was clear that both Australian players and spectators alike were well aware of this fact.

JP Duminy has said his attitude while batting is to try and be as positive as possible and to try and score, not just survive

Firdose Moonda at the Wanderers13-Jan-2017JP Duminy has admitted he wants to improve his average as he enters the autumn of his career, with an eye on keeping the No. 4 spot in the batting line-up. In 13 innings since being promoted to the position in August, as a result of AB de Villiers’ injury-enforced absence, Duminy has scored 559 runs at an average of 43, with two hundreds, and is looking forward to a more consistent run.”My approach from the beginning of the season is to look at what will be my average at the end of my career. There’s been a lot of inconsistency in the first 30 Tests but in saying that, I batted in various positions. Here is an opportunity to try and solidify a place at No. 4,” Duminy said. “I am not trying to focus on the past. I am trying to ask myself, what will I end up from six months ago until the end.”That Duminy prefers batting up the order is known from his domestic days, but he could not find a place in South Africa’s top four when he broke through. He had to settle for the lower middle order, where he often found himself ushering the tail and unable to capitalise. As a result, he was regarded as an unfulfilled talent.”It came down to opportunity. South Africa had a pretty settled top order and for me it was always about opportunities to bat at No. 4,” he said. “There is added responsibility but there is more time to bat and that means you have opportunities to score big runs.”Before this season, Duminy only had that chance once – when he was recalled in Wellington in 2012, when Jacques Kallis was injured. He scored a century then but could not keep the place. Now, he has been given the chance because de Villiers is not available and there is no certainty about whether Duminy will move down when de Villiers returns.With that in mind, Duminy knew that this summer would be his best opportunity to cement his place so that even when de Villiers is fit, Duminy has made a strong enough case for himself. “The pressure is mainly from myself based on the fact that I have high expectations of myself,” he said. “It’s been one of those series where I have felt really good and haven’t backed it up with consistent scores. This is the third Test and I was pretty hungry and determined to put in a big performance.”Duminy’s more driven approach has led to a more aggressive batting style, which was evident in the fluency of his knock on the first day. While Hashim Amla battled to get going, Duminy found the boundary with ease. “My attitude has been to try and be as positive as possible in my body language and my approach and mindset to the game, to try and score as best as I can and not to only try and survive, especially on a wicket like this, where a lot of ball will beat the bat. My mindset is to try and capitalise when there are runs on offer.”

A sensational display of power-hitting from Delray Rawlins helped England recover from 126 for 6 to post 256, a total they defended by 23 runs at the Wankhede Stadium

The Report by Nikhil Kalro in Mumbai30-Jan-2017
ScorecardFile photo – England Under-19s captain Matthew Fisher claimed 4 for 41•Getty Images

A sensational display of power-hitting from Delray Rawlins helped England recover from 126 for 6 to post 256, a total they defended by 23 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Rawlins, a languid left-handed batsman who has previously represented Bermuda, hammered eight fours and five sixes in his 88-ball 107 to lead England’s stunning fightback. He followed that up with 2 for 46 from his 10 overs as England took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.England were precariously placed at 98 for 4 in the 26th over when the debutant Rawlins walked in and he was forced into strike rotation early against India’s nagging spinners. But even after two more quick wickets sucked out the momentum and fluency from England’s innings, Rawlins was keen to attack spin.He got to his fifty with a slog-swept six that just cleared deep square leg, sparking an acceleration that helped England pass 150. Rawlins’ batting became increasingly exuberant as his innings wore on, as he stepped out against spin to hit three sixes over long-on. He added 116 with Matthew Fisher for the seventh wicket, of which the England captain contributed 26. Rawlins offered just one chance, on 80, when he top-edged a hoick off a low full toss, but the short third man fielder dropped the catch.India’s discipline soon gave way to errant bowling towards the end. Fast bowler Yash Thakur hardly missed his yorker in his final spell, but wayward lines in his attempts at variation helped England pick off plenty. Rawlins plundered 53 off his last 33 balls.
Unlike the end, India were accurate at the start. Their seamers used a patchy green surface and nippy morning conditions to reduce England to 13 for 3 in the seventh over, all batsmen caught behind the wicket.Opener Harry Brook and Ollie Pope played some impressive strokes to lead England’s recovery, putting on 85 for the fourth wicket. On an atypically grassy surface, India’s spinners didn’t extract much turn but, with England’s inability to find the gaps regularly, a tight line was effective. Brook was involved in a nasty incident in the 12th over. He stepped out to fast bowler Thakur, only for a bouncer to break his helmet, raising concern among India’s fielders who rushed to his aid.Chasing 257, opener Himanshu Rana continued his stellar form with his third 50-plus score at the Under-19 level, striking an 87-ball 101 to push India close. Rana faced no trouble in finding the boundary early in his innings even as the rest of India’s batsmen struggled with the bounce in the pitch.Prithvi Shaw, a Ranji Trophy runner-up with Mumbai, was consistently hurried by Fisher. He finally wafted at a length delivery outside off and the England players celebrated. The umpire raised his finger almost instantaneously, to the dismay of Shaw.Shubman Gill shovelled a drive to short midwicket to fall for 29 off 27, a result of hard hands through the line of the ball. Captain Abhishek Sharma cut a wide delivery to Rawlins at point, giving Fisher his third wicket. India’s struggles got worse when Rawlins trapped Salman Khan and Mayank Rawat in front off consecutive balls, both non-turning deliveries.Rana was proficient with cross-batted strokes, as well as jabs at straight deliveries to accrue singles. At no stage did he look out of place. Soon after a fatigued celebration for his second hundred in three games, he gloved a pull to the keeper, a blow that all but sealed England’s win.Led by Fisher, England’s attack kept to their plans, employing a consistent back of a length, and the short ball sparingly. Their fielding was discernibly better than India’s, saving several boundaries with athletic stops, a characteristic that – along with Rawlins – helped prove the difference in a close contest.

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.

Peter Fulton, the former New Zealand batsman, has announced his retirement from first-class cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-20170:55

Fulton in first-class cricket: 10569 runs, 19 hundreds

Peter Fulton, the former New Zealand batsman, has announced his retirement from first-class cricket. Fulton, 38, played 23 Tests, 49 ODIs and 12 T20Is, and enjoyed a long and fruitful domestic career with Canterbury, ending up as their most capped player and highest run-getter. On Saturday, the Canterbury side he was part of won its third Plunket Shield title in four years.Fulton scored 967 runs in 23 Tests at an average of 25.44, with two hundreds, both coming in the same match, against England at Eden Park in March 2013. He made 1334 runs in 49 ODIs at 32.53, with one century, against Sri Lanka at McLean Park in 2006.”From making my debut, I never would have thought I would play this many times and achieve these records for Canterbury,” Fulton said. “At that stage, I was just stoked to play one. When I was growing up I had dreams of playing for Canterbury and New Zealand, but when I was younger I didn’t think I was going to do it. I am very proud to have played that many games and experienced so much success with different Canterbury teams throughout my career.”

Vernon Philander will return to South Africa for rehabilitation on a groin injury suffered while playing for Sussex

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2017Vernon Philander will return to South Africa for rehabilitation on a groin injury suffered while playing for Sussex. He is expected to be out for “two to three weeks” and will miss Sussex’s Royal London Cup campaign.Philander was due to be available for the first two months of the county season, with a view to acclimatising ahead of South Africa’s tour this summer. However, he only managed to send down 17 overs in Sussex’s opening Championship match – a 226-run defeat to Kent at Hove – and did not take the field in the second innings.Sussex have announced that he will head back to South Africa to rest, ruling him out of their Championship match against Nottinghamshire starting on Friday, as well as the group stage of the Royal London Cup. The club hope Philander will then be able to play in four Championship fixtures, starting with Durham’s visit on May 21.Philander has not played an ODI for South Africa since 2015 and did not make the squad for the Champions Trophy despite being considered for his ability to swing the new ball in English conditions. His fitness for the Test series, which starts on July 6, is likely to be a more pressing concern.

Afghanistan have withdrawn from a proposed one-day series against Ireland next month due to a clash with their domestic T20 competition

Danyal Rasool07-Jun-2017Afghanistan have withdrawn from a proposed one-day series against Ireland next month due to a clash with their domestic T20 competition.Ireland, who lost 3-2 in their last ODI encounter with Afghanistan in Greater Noida in March, had hoped to host a three-match return series in Belfast in July.However, the Afghanistan Cricket Board have informed Cricket Ireland that they’re not in a position to approve the tour, due to a clash with preparations for their domestic franchise T20 event.”Of course, our preference is to give as many opportunities as possible to our senior men to play our closest rivals on our home turf, so we are disappointed the matches won’t proceed in July,” said a Cricket Ireland spokesperson.”We have enjoyed two very competitive recent ODI series against Afghanistan in Belfast and India. Hopefully we will continue to work with the ACB to see if there are further opportunities to reschedule the matches at a later date.”Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO Shafiq Stanikzai said the series, which Ireland had proposed, had never been officially approved.”The proposal came from Cricket Ireland, to play them in three ODIs before our MCC game [on July 11],” Stanikzai told ESPNcricinfo. “We agreed in February or March, and the tour was approved by the ACB. Then it was kept on hold by Cricket Ireland, because they were waiting for the ICC board meeting. About two weeks ago, they approached us again to ask if we could go ahead and play this series. This time, the board didn’t give us permission because the team is busy, plus we have the T20 franchise tournament coming up.”The timing of the series proposal from Ireland was particularly inconvenient for Afghanistan, who are playing a limited-overs series in West Indies, which concludes on June 14.”The team has been playing for three months continuously,” Stanikzai said. “It makes no sense to come back from West Indies to Kabul for ten days, and then go back to Ireland. We need proper preparation for an Ireland series. We can’t have the team in Afghanistan for ten days and go straight back into competition phase. It would have been great if we could go straight from the West Indies to Ireland because then preparation would not be an issue. But since the proposed dates [from Cricket Ireland] were July 1-9, the schedule just didn’t work out for us.”Stanikzai stressed that the cancellation of the tour did not sour relations with Cricket Ireland, at least from the ACB’s point of view.”Ireland are our closest rivals, and we would like to play them more and more. We will be looking in the future for an opportunity to play Ireland. We will draw up a schedule with Ireland when we meet them at the Annual General Meeting in June to see when we can play each other again, hopefully in the latter part of this year. Our relations with Ireland are very friendly, and we want them to remain that way.”ESPNcricinfo understands that Afghanistan’s maiden fixture at Lord’s, when they take on an MCC side led by Brendon McCullum on July 11, is unaffected by this decision.

Joe Denly demonstrated immense powers of concentration in the sweltering heat with a career-best double century to steer Kent into a position of strength on day three of the Specsavers County Championship clash with Worcestershire at New Road

ECB Reporters Network21-Jun-2017
ScorecardJoe Denly’s double hundred transformed the match•Getty Images

Joe Denly demonstrated immense powers of concentration in the sweltering heat with a career-best double century to steer Kent into a position of strength on day three of the Specsavers County Championship clash with Worcestershire at New Road.The 31-year-old batsman resumed on his overnight 69 and batted for a total of nearly eight hours in scoring 227 out of 474 all out to leave Worcestershire a 399 target. His marathon knock surpassed his 206 not out against Northampton at Wantage Road last season.It rescued Kent from the real possibility of losing inside three days, after they had lost their sixth wicket shortly before lunch when their overall lead was only 129.Now they will have high hopes of pushing for victory tomorrow with Pakistan wrist spinner Yasir Shah the ace up their sleeve on what is still a good wicket for batting.It was a cruel turnaround for Worcestershire who had strong hopes of a win that would revive their promotion challenge against the side in second place.On the longest day of the year, Denly’s superb knock must also have felt never-ending for the wilting Worcestershire attack which stuck gamely to its task but was gradually worn down in the soaring temperatures.It was his second century in three Championship matches and has giiven Kent a strong platform to test the resolution of the home side in the top three promotion battle.He was given excellent support by keeper Adam Rouse (68) in a stand of 149 in 39 overs – a Kent seventh wicket record in matches against Worcestershire.Denly had batted for a total of 468 minutes, had faced 320 balls and struck 24 fours and five sixes when he finally holed out to Ed Barnard at long off against Joe Leach.It had been a different scenario at the start of the day after Worcestershire skipper Joe Leach had bowled an impressive opening spell which yielded two wickets.Joe Weatherley had not added to his overnight score when he was caught at second slip by Daryl Mitchell and then Darren Stevens shouldered arms and was trapped lbw.Denly went to three figures in the grand manner with a six over long on off Moeen Ali.When Will Gidman drove at John Hastings and nicked through to Ross Whiteley at first slip, Kent were in a position of some discomfort at 205 for 6.
But then Rouse proved a willing ally for Denly and the pair flourished with the former reaching a determined half century off 105 balls.A wicket did not fall in the afternoon session until the last ball before tea when Rouse popped a Moeen delivery up to short leg.There was no respite after the resumption for Worcestershire as Matt Coles clubbed 39 and Yasir Shah 27 in stands of 54 and 41.Denly’s double ton came up off 299 balls with 23 fours and three sixes and a two off Josh Tongue brought him his new career best.Worcestershire openers Daryl Mitchell and Brett D’Oliveira negotiated five overs in reaching 16 for 0 by the close.

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.”

St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots restricted the Guyana Amazon Warriors to 123 for 7, but needed a cameo from Carlos Brathwaite to scrape past the target

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Lauderhill05-Aug-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:13

‘Could have gone either way for Patriots’ – Gayle

Carlos Brathwaite channeled his World T20 heroics from Kolkata, producing a superb late cameo to lift St Kitts and Nevis Patriots past Guyana Amazon Warriors by four wickets in a low-scoring affair in Lauderhill. A sluggish pitch in the opening American affair of CPL 2017 produced an attritional contest that saw Patriots chase a target of 124 with an over to spare.Chadwick Walton accounted for nearly half the runs in the Amazon Warriors’ total of 123 for 7, but a decisive double-wicket maiden by Sheldon Cottrell in the final over of Guyana’s innings denied the Warriors momentum. Rayad Emrit took 2 for 3, including a wicket-maiden in his first two overs, to helped keep Patriots in check early in the chase but Brathwaite took control with a top-score of 31 off 19 balls before Jonathan Carter’s unbeaten 29 secured victory.Unpatriotic fieldingPatriots bowlers were framed with hands on heads early and often in the first innings as three catches were shelled, nearly all of them straightforward with Brathwaite central to the plot. In the second over, Walton was on 1 when Samuel Badree induced an aerial drive to Brathwaite on the circle at mid-off but the knee-high chance clanged off the heel of his hands. Brathwaite also had Babar Azam dropped twice off his bowling in the 11th and 13th overs.Wily WaltonCaptain Martin Guptill said on the eve of the tournament that Walton’s sharp cricket brain impressed him. Walton sized up the pitch quickly, recognizing that batting was a grind. After his early life, he set a base with singles before launching in the final few overs.He was on 44 when he drove Badree for a straight six to bring up his 50 off 44 balls and then connected with another terrific inside-out lofted cover drive for six later in the over. His knock at least gave his bowlers something to aim at.Cottrell’s military maidenThe Amazon Warriors entered the final over on 122 for 4 and were eyeing a strong finish after Walton set a strong platform. But Sheldon Cottrell produced a magnificent six deliveries which resulted in three wickets and a stolen bye off the final ball as the only run.The over started with Walton slashing to third man to end his innings. Two balls later, Carter produced a spectacular diving catch on the run to remove Keemo Paul.Remember … me? Brathwaite has struggled at times to fulfill the expectations placed on him in the 18 months since his seminal world-title winning cameo for West Indies. In that chase against England, he thrived towards the final few overs of the innings. Though the task wasn’t as daunting as the 49 off 27 balls against England that day, things were looking shaky for Patriots when he entered at 57 for 5 in the 11th over with 67 needed to win.Brathwaite revived the Patriots with a crucial 31 off 19, getting off the mark with a six off Veerasammy Permaul in the 12th over. He targeted the left-arm spinner twice more in the 14th, clearing midwicket first before going straight for his third six in the space of nine balls to bring the equation down to a run-a-ball before Carter and Mohammad Nabi took over to clinch victory.